It is a great moment for women in the Anglican Church. I applaud the decision by the governing body of the Church of England to allow women bishops. Unfortunately, the Vatican is critical, calling this action "a rift to the apostolic tradition."
If we examine "our apostolic tradition" carefully, we will conclude that it is the Vatican that is out of step with Jesus and the apostolic tradition, not the Anglican Church!
This statement by the Vatican contradicts its own scholarship. In 1976, The Vatican's Papal Commission concluded that there was no evidence in scripture that to prohibit women's ordination.
There is plenty of evidence to support women as leaders, deacons, priests and ministers in the history of the early church. In fact, scholars tell us that women served in ordained ministry for the first 1200 years of the church's history. Roman Catholic Womenpriests, like our sisters and brothers in Anglican church, are reclaiming our ancient tradtion.
Jesus called women and men to be disciples and equals and offered an example of Gospel equality for all Christians to embrace. Jesus called Mary of Magdala to be the apostle to the apostles!
According to Luke 8, Mary of Magdala was one of the many women who followed Jesus and supported his ministry out of their resources.
Read Luke 8 :1-3"With Jesus went the Twelve, as well as some women ... Mary of Magala, Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Suzanna, and many others who were contributing to the support of Jesus and the Twelve out of their own funds."
Women were among Jesus' closest disciples and bankrolled his ministry. Jesus chose Mary of Magdala as the apostle to the apostles to announce the good news that Christ had risen from the dead. Jesus revealed his identity to the Samaritan woman and to Martha.The Samaritan woman was the first evangelist. She brought her whole town to Jesus. Mary and Martha were also friends and disciples. Martha's proclamation: "I have come to believe that you are the Messiah,God's only Begotten, the one who is coming into the world" (John:11:25-27) is similar to Peter's confession of faith in Mk 8:29. For the Johannine community this indicates that Martha possessed apostolic authority.
In Romans 16:7, St. Paul called Junia and Andronicus outstanding apostles.
In Romans, Paul commends deacon Phoebe as a leader and missionary in the church.
Mary, Mother of John Mark, was a leader of one of the house churches in Jerusalem. Some scholars believe that Mary presided at Eucharist there, and her house was the headquarters of the Jerusalem community. As scholar Gary Macy points out in his book, The Hidden History of Women's Ordination:
"The history of Christianity is replete with references to the ordination of women. There are rites for the ordination fo wmen, there are canonical requirements for the ordination of women, there are particular women depicted as ordained..." p. 4
It is time for the Vatican to stop discriminating against women and blaming God for it and follow the example of Jesus, the early church leaders and our sisters and brothers in the Anglican and other traditions who embrace women's ordination including women bishops. We in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests initiative are offering our church a renewed model of priestly ministry rooted in union with the people we serve in our grassroots communities in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. Bravo for the Anglican Church in creating another milestone on the journey toward women's full equality!
Bridget Mary Meehan
Roman Catholic Womanpriest
Ordained in Pittsburgh, PA. on July 31, 2006
2 comments:
amen, sister!
Yet, in light of all that plucked scripture, when we have explicit statements pertaining to that question in scripture we see this question answered in the negative....
1 Cor. 14:34-35 - Paul says a woman is not permitted to preach the word of God in the Church. It has always been the tradition of the Church for the priest or deacon alone (an ordained male) to read and preach the Gospel.
If women are not permitted to speak in church how can they preach?
1 Tim. 2:12 - Paul also says that a woman is not permitted to hold teaching authority in the Church. Can you imagine how much Mary, the Mother of God, would have been able to teach Christians about Jesus her Son in the Church? Yet, she was not permitted to hold such teaching authority in the Church.
Women, of course, serve the church in many unique and beautiful ways. But they were never ordained.
Look at the Church's litany of saints. How many great women have served the Church and are interceding for us now in heaven?
Women have been given by God the amazing gift of carrying new life. Think of the honor bestowed upon Mary by carrying our Lord in her womb.
Do not let your desire to be a priest cause you to sit outisde the table of the Lord.
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