Women and the Catholic Priesthood

Over the years, some people have advocated for the ordination of women to the ministerial Catholic priesthood. Some believe that the ordination of women would solve some of the problems that the Church faces, such as clericalism, sex scandals, etc. Others use Matthew 9:37-38 to support their reasoning, saying that the Church`s fields needs more laborers. Some theology scholars believe that the suggestion and advocating of the ordination of women is a major misunderstanding of the Catholic priesthood and an under appreciation of the ministerial priesthood as it is based on the priesthood of Jesus.

The Theology of the Priesthood

The Catechism states that the nuptial character and the spousal love of Christ for His Church mark the entirety of Christian life; because of this, the mystery of this nuptial character becomes all-encompassing, coming alive in all respects of the Church’s life. The person of the priest (in persona Christi) is called to lay down his entire life in the sacramental, ministerial, and Eucharistic gift of Christ the bridegroom; his ministry is closely linked to his own personal, spousal commitment to his head and bridegroom, the person of Jesus Christ.

The priesthood becomes the ultimate form and exemplar of the indissolubility of the nuptial character. The celebration of Mass wherein Christ’s entire passion is remembered is nothing less than His wedding banquet, through which He continually offers himself to His bride (the Church) in His new and eternal marriage covenant; temporally, on earth, but also as a foretaste of Heaven at the parousia.

The Eucharist is nothing less than “the kiss given by Christ to the soul, the expression of the union of love” through which the bride finds the fulfillment of her much longed for union with her beloved bridegroom. In the Mass, the utterance of the words “this is my body,” stands as an echo to the very same nuptial language of a bridegroom to his bride in their bedroom. Jesus was very cautious about referring to Himself as the Messiah, but He did refer to Himself as the bridegroom (Matt 9:15, Mark 2:19-20, & Luke 5:34-35).

The Reality of the Priesthood

When it comes to ordained Catholic priest they are in the person of Christ who is the Church`s bridegroom. Since they walk in the footsteps of the bridegroom, their ordination can be likened to marriage; at their ordination they commit themselves to the Church, like a man commits himself to his wife. A bridegroom is a man; every dictionary describes the word ‘bridegroom’ as a noun that describes a man, not a woman, who is about to get married or is a newlywed.mA woman cannot be called a bridegroom, therefore, it would not be appropriate for the Church to allow for a person who cannot be considered a bridegroom to represent the Church`s bridegroom. Again, since an ordination can be likened to a wedding ceremony, how can the Church allow a bride to “marry” another bride, especially with its teachings on same-sex marriages?

In reality, not metaphorically, the Catholic Church does not sanctify same-sex marriages, irrespective of how positive or stable the couples` union is; the Church teaches that marriage should be limited to a union between a man and a woman. If the ordination of women were to be allowed it would mean the Church would be going against itself and all it has ever taught in its history.

Understanding the Priesthood

St. Therese of Lisieux, who was born in 1873, had a deep desire to be a missionary priest – she felt the vocation of a priest. She, however, knew the Church could not ordain her as a priest. In one of her letters to her sister Celine, she wrote, “It is for us by prayer to train workers (priests) who will spread the glad tidings of the Gospel and who will save countless souls – the souls to whom we shall be the spiritual Mothers. What, then, have we to envy in the priests of the Lord?”