Women's Ordination: The Goal of Call To Action

WOMEN'S ORDINATION:

THE GOAL OF CALL TO ACTION (CTA)

"……(this) argumentation runs the risk of neglecting essential elements"

----Inter insigniores, Introduction

The structural and functional elements of the Church are essentially organic---organic because She is alive. She is the Mystical Body of Christ (more specifically, the Bride of Christ), with Jesus as its head. She was referred to and prophesied in the Old Testament (ie, Hosea 2:14-24), and not just by Paul and other allegedly chauvinistic patriarchs in the New Testament, as some of our contemporaries seem to want us to think.

The Church IS the sanctuary of spiritual life, in the same way that the family is the sanctuary of physical life.

"Humankind" was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 5:1-2). Should the Church and her structures and functions be any less so???

To know God is to know ourselves (Dominum et Vivificantum, elements 58-62). To have an incorrect understanding of either and/or both is to ignore some basic tenets necessary in fostering an "authentic human ecology" (Centessimus Annus, elements 38-39).

Consider the following:

A woman IS a sanctuary and tabernacle of life-giving love for both her husband and her children [Jeremiah 31:22 (click HERE for details)]. Such a woman also protects the man w/r her wisdom [Sirach 36:24 (click HERE for details]. Although the man is the head of the family (the domestic church), God intended for the man to trust in the woman to give good counsel (Genesis 2:18; 3:17). Therefore, only with respect to this headship was the man intended to be "greater" than the woman in such a "domestic church" (Genesis 41:40; 2:18)

God the Father, likewise, "trusts" in the "good counsel" of His Mercy (essentially a feminine quality---RE: Dives in Misericordia, Footnote 52; Genesis 6:7-8), as demonstrated most indelibly, perhaps, by the Flood.

God the Son who, as Jesus (undeniably a man), is the head of His Church, likewise "trusts" in the good counsel of Mary, his Mother, the Mother of Mercy (John 2:3, 5; 1 Kings 2:19-20).

Jesus’ ministers (the Priests, Bishops and the Pope), acting in His person [’in persona Christi’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, element 1548)] likewise trust in the good counsel ["senses fidei" (Lumen Gentium, element 12)] of the remainder of the Church. This good counsel comes, however, ONLY if those other members of the Mystical Body of Christ (His Bride) adhere to the organic structure (John 15:1-10) ordained for that Body (ie, the Church) and hence "humankind," both of whom were created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 2:22; 5:1-2; Jeremiah 31:22).

An inescapable fact is that Jesus, as head of the Church, is a man. In delegating headship of His Church, the only way that the Church can be "organically correct" is for Jesus to have intended for His ministers (the Priests, Bishops and Pope), acting "in persona Christi," to be men.

To do otherwise will result in:

An "effeminization" (not feminization---She is already appropriately feminine) of the Church as the "Mystical Body of Christ";

An "androgynization" of Christ (WHO was and IS undeniably male) as the head of that Body; and, hence,

A decidedly incorrect view of God and "humankind."

Our entire "human ecology" would in turn be ultimately disordered and false (Genesis 5:1-2; 1 Corinthians 14:33; James 3:16).

Warped Minds, Warped Worldview

Perhaps the foregoing explains why individuals and groups advocating women’s ordination also usually advocate an overturning of other teachings and directives, promulgated by the Magisterium of the Pastors of the Church, concerning fornication, abortion, contraception and homosexuality--all of which are intrinsically disordered, false, and threaten to destroy an "authentic human ecology". This is because a warped sense of personal and communal identity has resulted in a warped view of God’s identity, which is nothing short of idolatry at best, and heresy at worst (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:21-25; 1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Revelation 2:18-29).

True, God’s Mercy is infinite (Psalm 136). His Mercy, and any human imitation of it, are nevertheless rendered meaningless unless it is wedded to His Justice, in "Spirit and in Truth (Psalm 85:11; John 4:21-24)"

Without this Truth, a warped view of God’s identity results, and hence the following:

A false "Mercy" that, devoid of any love of Truth or respect for Justice, ends up tolerating any kind of behavior, attitude, or life-style, no matter how harmful to individuals or society at large. (cf Revelation 2:18-29).

A false "Justice" that, devoid of Mercy, is a form of self-righteous vindictiveness, often-times rooted in brute force and shear hatred (cf Revelation 2:1-7).

The poisonous fruits (Matthew 7:15-20) of those "divorced" qualities are what is actually feeding CTA, the Womens’ Ordination Conference (WOC), WATER, the We Are Church Coalition, the Association for Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) and their various allies in their push for womens’ ordination.

Should CTA and their allies succeed in imposing their devious schemes on the Church and subsequently an unsuspecting world, the result will be neither merciful, nor just, nor, above all, truthful, to ourselves, each other, or God.

Our human ecology, and hence the environment in general, will suffer severely, because the resultant false "church" and its false "magisterium" (cf Genesis Ch. 41; Daniel Ch. 2), in failing to properly interpret the ‘signs of the times’ (Gaudium et Spes, element 4), will not be an "expert in humanity" (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, element 41) that the Magisterium of the Pastors of the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church Actually IS.

And, as is the case with any kind ofdegradation---regardless of cause—of the moral and/or natural environment, we will "pay" for it, in this age and in the age to come (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, element 34; Leviticus 18:25-28; also, see **NOTE**).

***NOTE***

What the Magisterium of the Pastors of the Church has been warning about for several decades is apparently coming to pass. As a result of our idolatries and heresies in denying the supremacy of the Natural Law set forth by God, especially perhaps w/r the proper organic structure of the Church, humanity and God, secular sources are also now decrying the impending ‘graying’ (and depopulation) of the West, and the coming debt crisis of the so-called "developed" nations (RE Foreign Affairs, January-February 1999.)

These warnings concerning depopulation and "graying," caused primarily by our contraceptive culture and also our attempts to "effeminize" and "androgynize" society, the Church, and God, have been sounded by the Church as recently as 1994 (ie, Instrumentum Laboris).

Studies in environmental economics talk about "economic externalities" (hidden, oftentimes delayed costs of environmental degradation and inappropriate development). Such costs (ie, debts) lead to further degradation because, in the case of, for example, third and fourth world nations, an unfavorable trade balance usually leads to the "sacrifice," at unsustainable rates, of valuable natural resources. We are doing the same thing, as we "sacrifice," without replacement, the young, the elderly and the sick, as an improper "payment" for the external costs associated with the degradation of our moral environment. This will ultimately have direct, physical environmental consequences, just as God warned the people in Leviticus 18:25-28 and elsewhere, and which came about when the land indeed "spit them out" (Ezekiel Ch 7).

In wondering how accurate the Magisterium has been, one should evaluate the "warning Letter" issued, by Pius XI, to Germany in 1937. It was "all over with" but the tears by 1945.

Such folly, as proposed by Call to Action (and their allies), in society and the Church, shall likewise result in "enforcement action" in accordance with the Natural Law (whose Author is God), unless and until we "cease and desist" from further direct and conceptual assaults on an "authentic human ecology."

Additional thoughts gleaned from Inter insigniores, issued in 1976, and reinforced by John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter issued in May, 1994, are given below:

An examination of the Gospels shows that Jesus broke with the prejudices of His time.

Social and cultural conditioning did not hold back the Apostles working in the Greek milieu, where the same forms of discrimination did not exist. [In other words, they could have allowed women priests, etc, IF they had thought doing so would be consistent with ‘the economy of the mystery of Christ and the Church’ (ie, "organically correct")----But They DIDN’T, DID THEY???]

Just because, in the resurrection, men and women do not marry (Matthew 22:30) does not mean that the distinction between men and women, insofar as it determines the identity proper to the person, is suppressed.

It is true the priest represents the Church (a woman) and acts "in persona Ecclesiae." But, if this is so, it is precisely because he first represents Christ Himself (a man).

The priesthood does not form part of the rights of the individual, but stems from the economy of the mystery of Christ and the Church.

Return to Poisoned Waters, in order to find out more about the threat to an Authentic Human Ecology posed by Call To Action (and other groups and individuals with similar attitudes and motives) OR
visit Church Sex-Abuse Scandals: The Hypocrisy Of It All
Visit these other anchor Pages at Eingedi:
| Joseph of Nazareth | Human Ecology |Founts of Wisdom| Pure San Antonio | Vineyards of Eingedi|
|Culture of Death|

Other Links of possible interest at Eingedi may include:
Woman-on-Top: Preserving Society's Future (cf Jeremiah 31:22)
Improving Our Environment
Why Things Are So Messed Up
In-Authentic Liturgical Renewal: An Ecological Perspective