One Spirit--One Call; One Hot Mess

I am constantly surprised at how wrong some people seem to get it--people who claim to love their Church, and cite their adoration as a good reason to dissent. Such was the case as I read an article my husband found at OregonLive.com and forwarded to me this past weekend, titled 'We've had enough': Portland Catholic women to skip Sunday morning Mass over treatment of women. As a Catholic woman, I'm a little bit annoyed with One Spirit--One Call, a quasi-Catholic organization that continues to push for, among other things, the ordination of women.

It's imperitive to get a single point straight--a point that has been evading Catholics since the Second Vatican Council, not to mention the secularists who continually jump on bandwagons like One Spirit--One Call in the name of equal rights and justice: Catholicism was not founded by 12 men, but by God Incarnate, the Word made flesh. Christ Himself established the priesthood among men, to be obedient to HIS commands and to serve on HIS behalf.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination."The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.

No one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Indeed no one claims this office for himself; he is called to it by God. Anyone who thinks he recognizes the signs of God's call to the ordained ministry must humbly submit his desire to the authority of the Church, who has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive orders. Like every grace this sacrament can be received only as an unmerited gift. (CCC 1577-78, emphasis mine)

The Priest's entire purpose is to teach, minister and govern on behalf of CHRIST, so that His people may be sanctified and lead to Heaven.

What we as creatures want in this world according to the conventions of this age (or any other age, for that matter) is irrelevant, because the Church is not about this world, but about eternity.

When this point is not understood, it all rolls downhill.

Here are some more specific observations from the OregonLive.com article.

"This is not a boycott of the Eucharist...It's an opportunity for women to tell their stories, for our voices to be heard."

Actually, since it's during Mass that we encounter Christ in the Eucharist, a boycott of the Mass is by default a boycott of the Eucharist, "the source and summit of the Christian life"...by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all (CCC 1324, 26)." What, exactly, about your stories will sanctify the faithful better than this? What could you possibly say that will make up for discouraging people from this encounter, thereby jeopardizing their eternity?

Women...do not help determine policy within the Catholic Church...

Neither do men. CHRIST HIMSELF set the policy of the Church. Catholicism is APOSTOLIC, which means the eternal truth is handed down through all ages unchanged. Church teaching is discovered and defined eternally, not debated and determined according to the current age, or any age for that matter.

[Women] are not allowed to serve as deacons, even though they may be as educated and as experienced as many priests.

The deaconate is not a matter of education or experience, therefore the argument is irrelevant.

Women fill a number of secondary roles in parishes...completing many pastoral duties but they are not allowed to preach publicly.

Would you also use this kind of logic to argue that the school janitor should be allowed to teach math class? Again, one has nothing to do with the other, so this is a pointless argument.

The crux of it is injustice and inequality.

Equality means regarded the same despite our being different. Women and men are different, but still equal. When a woman attempts to usurp roles reserved for men, are they a), behaving in a manner that celebrates equality, or b), putting themselves up in a role higher than men? I'll give you a hint: the correct answer is b.

Women are discounted. The hierarchy continuously passes over women.

...yet the Catholic Church is the ONLY Christian tradition that recognizes a WOMAN as the greatest of all humanity, calling Mary, the Mother of God, QUEEN OF HEAVEN.  And what of St. Therese of Lisieux?  St. Teresa of Avila? St. Catherine of Siena? Katherine Drexel? Edith Stein? Mother Theresa? Mary Magdelene? Monica? Joan of Arc? and the thousands and thousands of women who are elevated to sainthood? 

I think what disturbed me the most about this article were the statements provided by the clergy:

...my job is one that tries to promote the unity of the church, to encourage the church in our evangelization.

Actually, Archbishop John G. Vlazny, your job is to teach the faith, administer the sacraments and uphold Canon Law. From the Catechism:

"Bishops, with priests as co-workers, have as their first task "to preach the Gospel of God to all men," in keeping with the Lord's command. They are "heralds of faith, who draw new disciples to Christ; they are authentic teachers" of the apostolic faith "endowed with the authority of Christ (CCC 888, emphasis mine)."

The bishop is "the steward of the grace of the supreme priesthood," especially in the Eucharist which he offers personally or whose offering he assures through the priests, his co-workers. The Eucharist is the center of the life of the particular Church. The bishop and priests sanctify the Church by their prayer and work, by their ministry of the word and of the sacraments. They sanctify her by their example, "not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock." Thus, "together with the flock entrusted to them, they may attain to eternal life (CCC 893, emphasis mine)."

"The bishops, as vicars and legates of Christ, govern the particular Churches assigned to them by their counsels, exhortations, and example, but over and above that also by the authority and sacred power which indeed they ought to exercise so as to edify, in the spirit of service which is that of their Master (CCC 895, emphasis mine)."

Therefore, Archbishop, you may want to charitably explain to One Spirit--One Call the gross error of their thinking, encourage them to come back to the Eucharist, and offer your next Mass for their conversion.

[Monsignor Charles Lienert has] been a priest for 40-some years...and it's apparent to me the pain that women in the church feel many times -- being excluded from different things, not being able to have a real voice in what the church teaches, not being able to participate in all the activities of the church. There is a real reason for their pain.

The "pain" these women are feeling is nothing more than PRIDE, and you have not helped them by indulging their tantrums all these years. Please allow me to walk you through it: validating their "pain" is validating their pride, validating their sin and sending them straight to Hell. Monsignor, with all due respect, your vocation is to sanctify the faithful and lead us to heaven, not to validate our sin and let us fall.