To The Woman Who Wants To Do More
By Anne Houtz
A few weeks ago, while doing some research on apologetics, I stumbled upon the website of Women’s Ordination Worldwide. Their purpose? To educate the Church about how it is “wrong” for not being willing to consider female priests. Their website lists a variety of illogical theories to support their worldview, such as claiming the Blessed Mother a model for the priesthood, that it’s wrong to believe that all of Jesus’s apostles were male, and that the Church “unsurprisingly” attempts to suppress women and their desire to serve. The one that nearly brought me to tears was this: One of the organization’s most important goals is to “free the Church from its sin of sexism.” The suggestion that an all-male priesthood amounted to a sin of sexism, and the thought that a sizable number of Catholics actually believe this, brought me a great deal of dismay. As a young Catholic woman, I’m aware that other female Catholics of my generation struggle to understand why the priesthood is male-only. This is my letter to them, and to all Catholic women, about the beauty of the male-only priesthood and the noble role of women in the Church.
A further exploration of WOW’s website revealed additional arguments in support of allowing female priests. Some of these left my heart shattered. One argument was that ordaining female priests would be the answer to declining vocations to the priesthood while another simply insisted that the Church is holding from women the power they deserve.
Given how these misguided ideas are gaining traction in parts of the Church, there is no better time to re-learn the crucial, beautiful teachings of the Church that support the Sacrament of Holy Orders. To those who support this feminist movement within the Church, please know that I feel for you, my sisters. I, too, felt called last year to do more within the Church but I knew of the immense multitude of opportunities that the Church offers to us women, and I never looked back. My faith has deepened and I now have a more profound understanding of how the Church values women.
It is important, foremost, that we remember that the Church does not teach that men are superior. Rather, women and men, while different, complement each other as equals. So if we are considered equals, why can’t women become priests? The Catechism says it best:
The Lord Jesus chose men ... 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. (CCC 1577)
The Church is following the practice exemplified by the Lord. The Catechism brings up another notable point: “In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church ... This is what the Church means by saying that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi Capitis.” (CCC 1548) Christ was not a woman; therefore, it simply would not be right to have a woman attempt to represent Him in this way. If Jesus had intended to include women in His plan for the priesthood, He would have stated so when He established it. Had Jesus intended it to be that way, would He not have ordained His own mother, who He loved so much? He, however, did not. Additionally, how could a woman represent Christ as the bridegroom, who gives Himself in sacrificial love to His bride, the Church? In this context, only a male person fits the role of priest.
As previously mentioned, some would argue that God sees women as inferior, or unworthy of inclusion in this part of His plan. This is not the case! There are many stories throughout the Bible that show our Lord’s compassion toward women. The interactions between Him and His mother, illustrated in the Gospels, are a beautiful example. Our Blessed Mother is known today as the queen of Heaven and earth! And for us women on earth, there are countless ways in which we can give our lives to serving Christ and His Church, from religious life to raising the next generation of Catholics in the home. If it is to leadership that a woman feels called, serving in various church ministries such as CCD and RCIA are options to discern, among many others. Women are powerful, and we are called to serve in ways only unique to us! And if we lean into who God has created us to be, we can and will “reflect the Creator’s wisdom and goodness.” (CCC 369)
The point made above about declining calls to the priesthood is sadly accurate, but we all can play a role in turning this around. We can pray – we can pray for strong men to hear our Lord’s whisper to represent Him here on earth. We can pray for those who have chosen to reject some of the Church’s most vital teachings. We can pray for strong mothers who are 100% necessary for nurturing the next generation of young Catholic men, many of whom could become priests. We can, most importantly, pray for unity.
In short, the Church does not seek to oppress women in any form. We have our own honorable vocations, as well as Mary’s model of receptive love, to look to. Because of the caregiving nature unique only to us, there are many roles in the Church that welcome women with open arms. We need not seek to do more, we are already made for more.
