Originally posted by Fr. Mike:
Friends:
...I have many friends among RC clergy (both diocesan and religious) and we often carry on conversations about things happening in our churches. All of us agree that marriage is for a man and a woman but we think the questions have to be dealt with about long-term committed relationships and how the church may provide pastoral care. We also discuss the possibility of women as priests feeling that the barring of them from this sacred office really has more to do with tradition than with theology or the Bible. Many people in our pews are discussing these same questions and I think we need to have the conversations. I can disagree with you but I'm still anxious and open to hear your view because you might say something that might change my mind and perhaps I may be able to share with you my experience of working with gay/lesbian persons in long term relationships (some of them as long as 40 years). These are God loving, fearing people but they feel the church does not hear their concerns...
As far as women priests is concerned, the matter has been quite closed in the Church for some time now. John Paul the Great's apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis effectively put yet another nail into the coffin. The CDF did follow up and said that it was about as close to irreformable dogma as one can come without actually saying, "Hey you! This is irreformable dogma!" As much as your ecclesial community may dislike or like tradition, Catholics do consider it just as much Divine Revelation as Scripture is (check out Dei Verbum). I would suggest a study of the Theology of the Body for more theology on why a woman priesthood would be innappropriate and ruin the complementarity between Christ and His Church.
The appropriate paragraph here is:
Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful. OS 4
I would ask you to point this out to any Latin rite Catholics that, in fact,
Roma locuta est, causa finita est. To my knowledge, this is not an issue in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches but I could be wrong (I hope I'm not). I would suggest that the damage is coming from those who have conformed their thinking to secular society's view of sexuality and women as opposed to the true dignity and beauty that is Church doctrine. My wife recently commented about how wonderful it is to know that then Cardinal Ratzinger had written "On the collaboration of men and women in the Church and in the world" and is now our pope. She greatly enjoyed the letter.
As far as pastoral care of homosexual couples is concerned, this is the big question in the Church today. But, part of pastoring means guiding someone, however gradually, to the truth. In this case, the truth is that homosexuality is a disordered state. How forcefully or gently one guides someone to that truth is a matter for debate, but it remains that they must be guided toward this truth. Actions that no longer guide people to the truth cease to become truly pastoral in my opinion. What good is a shepherd if he just leaves his sheep stuck in a ravine? What good is a pastor who doesn't help his flock get closer to Jesus and the Gospel? Salt that has lost it's flavor is good for nothing.
I think no one here would disagree with you that a great deal of conversations are needed. Coming from the Latin rite, I can say that there has been an abysmal lack of good, solid catechesis going on for a great number of years now. People think that it's ok to contracept, or to be "gay" or dissent from the Church and remain in open communion with Her. Heck, politicians don't see a problem with being pro-choice and recieving communion! Can people contracept? Sure, but in so doing they place themselves out of communion with the Church. To paraphrase CS Lewis in The Great Divorce: One who freely chooses to drink water is no longer free to be dry.
The Church has again and again spoken about homosexuality and various other issues. She has been anything *but* deaf to these concerns. It's not that she hasn't heard them, it's that some people don't like the answers that were given. The Apostle might liken this to the problem of "itching ears" (cf. 2 Tim 4:3).
You are, of course, free to disagree with us on these matters. You are an Episcopalian after all. There can be disagreement on the correct amount of legislation or what-not of free speach and everyone remains a Catholic in good standing. These are mostly matters where there can be legitimate diversity. Where there can be no diversity between Catholics are things like women's ordination or the teaching that homosexual acts are gravely sinful. There can be legitimate diversity on how to care for these individuals but in caring for them, we must be bringing them to see and understand the truth of the matter. Anything less than that and our salt has lost it's flavor.
The man who found the treasure in the field, didn't dig it up and steal it away. He sold all his possesions and bought the entire field (cf. Mt. 13:44). The Kingdom of Heaven has never been something to be gained at our leisure. There is the very real commitment to everything following Christ entails. If people aren't willing to sell all they have for the sake of following Christ then what can be said for them?
