Christ reveals himself as the bridegroom: follow-up questions

by Anne Maloney, courtesy of the Catholic Spirit

A: Before the 1970s, this was not considered much of a question. Sacred tradition is at work here: the Good News as understood by Christ’s apostles, and handed down faithfully for generations. It is that tradition that determined which writings were accepted as Sacred Scripture. Within that tradition, it has always been taken that a human male is the proper matter of the sacrament of holy orders. This is not to say that arguments cannot be made as to the reasonableness of that understanding of God’s design. Thus, the relatively recent development of the Theology of the body has proven helpful in gaining insight into the meaning of our human embodiment and the nuptial character of God’s relationship to his people (as noted, for instance, in Ephesians 5:29-31).

A: Yes, God is not either gender. God is beyond gender. And the Old Testament does refer to God in terms of both genders. But when the 12 asked Jesus how to properly talk to God, Jesus was very clear in saying that God wishes to be addressed as "Our Father." So, while God is not gendered, he revealed himself as Father. Why? Possibly because God created the world outside of himself, which is how men create in the marital act. Whereas the new life nurtured within the mother, the father makes life outside of himself, which is a more apt analogy for under-standing God.

A: The Church is the "bride of Christ," receiving the outpouring of the love of Jesus. This is an analogy, a way of symbolizing the relationship in human terms.

If the Eucharist were merely symbolic, it would not matter who performed the act of consecration. But the change that takes place in a sacrament is more than a symbol - it is a full-blown reality. The Eucharist is not symbolically Jesus present; the bread and wine literally become the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus right there on the altar. And when the priest performs his priestly function, he represents Christ in a literal, not an analogical way.

When we speak of Jesus pouring out his love to us, he does this in a very specific way, through the sacrifice of his very body for our salvation. The Mass is the reenactment of that event. Jesus gives himself to us here in the same way he did for the Apostles: bread and wine become Jesus for our consumption. Only Jesus can do this. Thus, the person who says the words of consecration must represent Christ as fully as possible, in all his maleness, pouring himself out in that uniquely male way.

A: There is sexism in the Church, as there is sexism in the culture. There is much that should be done to treat women more equitably in the church. John Paul II has said so himself many times. This does not make the teaching on ordination sexist. Standing in persona Christi is what requires the priesthood to be male. The consecration is not all of what it means to be a priest, however. The bishops, and their priests as assistants, are charged with guarding the deposit of faith and spreading the Gospel. It is this task that is the reason for the existence of the parish, the chancery and the Vatican. All the other tasks of these institutions exist to serve this need. Thus, the priest or bishop has to be in charge. He is employing people to help him do a job he has been specifically commissioned to do by the call of God.

A lot of that work associated with these central tasks can be done - and in fact is done - by the laity, including women. A look around our chancery will reveal women running various offices. Because the pope is the main bishop designated to proclaim and protect the faith, many of the offices in Rome are directly related to this, and so the people in charge are those who have been ordained to that same task. The theologian’s job is not to proclaim the faith authoritatively, but to assist the Church in the explanation and unfolding of our understanding of the faith. It is the ordained who have the main job.

A: Yes. Indeed, it is a matter of love. But there are usually good reasons to support that faith. And there are plenty of them in regard to ordination.