Vatican Announces Commission on Women Deacons [AmericaMagazine]

Both priests at my "once Anglocatholic" parish kept hinting that I should seek ordination and I kindly declined. I doubt if we still have any WO opponents in these realms at all. I simply told them that my interest in theology is purely for personal enrichment and academics. I wish the church can open up more opportunities for people like me to serve the church in some way.
Unfortunately everybody who shows some brains and interest just gets shipped off to seminary (as a step towards ordination). I listen to Radio Veritas a lot (RCC local radio station). There are a lot of programs whereby women are actually teaching about the faith, as well as answering questions from callers.

 

You may find this article, written by an EO Christian woman, interesting.

 

Thank you so very much for your ministral testimony.

 

Christina, sorry to bother you, or maybe I just missed it, but could you please repost the link? I am sure I'm not the only one who would like to read that article.

 

You may find this article, written by an EO Christian woman, interesting
http://www.antiochian.org/node/17953

 

I've just re-posted Madeline - sorry, not sure where the link went last time!

http://www.antiochian.org/node/17953

 

Thank you for directing us to that article, Christina. I loved it! Especially this:

I can’t explain why my church has never ordained women priests—the Church has never spelled out a reason—but that doesn’t seem to have held women back. Most of Christ’s work in the world is done by people who aren’t ordained, after all. As I said, I don’t care if other churches ordain women, but it seems to me that focusing on it obsessively seems like a kind of clericalism, one that exalts ordained ministry and dismisses the value of the work lay people do. The opportunities for lay service are so vast, and the work done only by clergy is so small, that there is more than enough work for lay men and women to do, even without a clergy collar.
​

 

So true. I also enjoy the

I also enjoyed the post.

What does one do though when they are in a province where congregations simply take the word of the leaders regarding things like WO? With the secular world all set on gender equality, the folk here never think to question these things. Sometimes I worry that I'll be seen as a divisive person

 

Here is my problem with ordained deaconesses, priestesses, and bishopesses: I don't believe that individually women would not be good clerics. However, it is clearly a new practice...and nothing new is catholic. Certainly they pose less of a scandal than divorced/remarried men, pedarasts, fornicators, notorious sodomites, heretics, apostates, and atheists. But allowing WO tends to lead to those bad actors slowly being embraced as well. Ordination is not a right. It's a divine calling. The sure standard is the biblical standard for ministers.

 

Yes, I agree. This is a good point that she makes.

 

It is difficult. In the C of E the majority of Churches, in all locations, just accept WO as being fine. Perhaps it's partly because women have traditionally been relegated to flower duties or catering duties and have been denied opportunities to serve through teaching, evangelising etc that has led to the desire for ordination - with ordination being seen as the only way of being able to fulfil these roles/callings,. If true, this is sad as, as the article highlights, lay people, men and women, are called to teach, preach, evangelise, be missionaries etc - so much to do/so many ways to serve without the need to be an ordained priest

 

"Priestesses" and " Bishopesses"are new - agreed. Deaconesses are not new - BUT deaconesses are not the same as female deacons. I think, however, that listing Women Priests alongside fornicators, sodomisfs, heretics etc is very uNfortunate. I don't think allowing WO tends to lead to "those bad actors being slowly embraced by the Church as well". I think that, in some cases, they were already embraced (or at the very least allowed or tolerated) in the Church way before WO.

 

Gender equality is sound. Male and female are equal. BUT, what the world get wrong is that equal doesn't mean the same. The Church and some of its members unfortunately confuse the two. In the Church, men and women are equal, but that doesn't mean that we are necessarily called to serve the Church in the same ways. Only men should serve the Church in the Priesthood.

 

Another priest friend of mine always reminds people that "men cannot give birth". If anything I have learned when I was in the evangelical circles is this..."physical attributes have underlying spiritual truths". The differences of the sexes are not merely physical realities but extend to the spiritual realm as well (I'm not sure how this measures up to theology but it gives me comfort and makes it easy for me to accept the truth on ordained ministry)

 

Gender equality is an oxymoron. Men are physically stronger, women live longer and can give birth. These are examples of perpetual inequality and I thank God for it. He knew what he was doing when he created us for the sexes complement one another. God did not create woman from mans front in order for her to lead man. He did not create her from mans back in order fo her to follow man. He created her from mans side in order for her to be at his side, a worthy companion demanding parity of esteem

 

I meant equality as in of equal worth and value. As I said equality does not mean the same. You mention some of the differences - physical strength, giving birth etc. Equal but different.

 

Dear sister, I also mentioned the importance of parity of esteem

 

I think we're all talking about the complimentary of the sexes

 

YES. Thank you!

My friend what a beautiful truth not sufficiently enough heard to day. Cheers!