Flipping through the pages of 'Responses to 101 Questions on the Church,' by Notre?Dame Theology Professor Richard McBrien, I came across a section regarding "women who feel that they must leave the Church to be ordained." Professor McBrien seemed to imply that the Church's stance on female priests is unfair. Women who experience a 'calling' to the priesthood are discriminated against, but the Church may change this teaching in the future.
I vividly remember discussing the issue of women priests with a deacon over the summer. His response was, "I like babies ... I like kids, they're cute. So why can't I have babies? Is it unfair that I can't have babies, because I am a man?" Is God sexist, because men cannot have babies?
In our society, we have become so accustomed to questioning authority and engaging in dissension that we forget our place in the cosmos. There are things that God and His Church proclaim and preach that can never be fully explained. I cannot fully explain why the Church only ordains men to the priesthood, just as I cannot fully explain why God chose only women to bear children. I can question so that I may more fully understand, but it is not my place to demand that God make certain changes.
The idea of women priests is not a new idea. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the Church has ever ordained women, nor do I see any evidence for a change allowing women to become "Fathers" in the future. In the words of Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft, "Only boys can be daddies." So maybe we should take a break from being the judge of God's Church and take our place as those judged by God.
Christopher Damian
freshman
Dillon Hall
Sept. 16
