Me...A Brainwashed Woman?

Once again the Richmond Catholic blog has piqued my interest. A thread not too long ago dealt with the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. While the thread was contaminated by a blog troll, it did offer some interesting insights. Now there is a discussion about a survey going out to the women of the diocese. The purpose is to see if the diocese is meeting the needs of its women. It is being administered by the Richmond Diocese Women’s Commission. This is the cause of the consternation since the members of this committee are purported to be dissidents supporting women’s ordination. Indeed the Women’s Commission web site includes a link to Future Church, a group known for its advocacy for women’s ordination. I also note the group makes prominent reference to St. Mary Magdala and asserts her leadership role in the early church has been suppressed by the Church’s male hierarchy. The Women’s Commission provides instructions for offering “spirituality” groups for women. I always get a little wary when the word spirituality appears frequently and the word faith is never used. The resource materials include numerous works by Sr. Joan Chittister, a known dissident who advocates for women’s ordination among other things. All prayers offered on the Women’s Commission web site avoid the use of male pronouns with reference to God. So yes, I do believe some of the concerns about just exactly what is this survey looking for are justified.

I joined the discussion with a suggestion that all women read Pope John Paul II’s letter, MULIERIS DIGNITATEM and reminded them that both faithful Catholic women and faithful Catholic men are expected to offer humble obedience to the Magesterium. Most comments supported this sentiment. However, one was obviously not pleased.

To Catholic Mom

You are still brainwashed by the clergy. Please don't take us back to the dark ages. Woman should and eventually will have a more active role than cleaning the church. Woman make up most of the church and not many of us want to be rated as second class citizens in organized religion.

Well, that is interesting. Women barely made up twenty percent of my college and medical school classes. I entered the Air Force where I was even more of a minority. I was constantly doing battle against subtle and not-so-subtle sexual harassment and discrimination. I never hesitated to challenge authority in the name of fairness. So it is almost comical to think of myself characterized as a meek female brainwashed by a powerful male clergy.

More importantly, even a cursory reading of Mulieris Dignitatem will provide evidence of the high esteem in which the Church hold women. Women can be lectors, cantors, parish committee members, Diocesan office holders, as well as consecrated religious. They simply cannot be priests. Yet, somehow, those rabid for the ordination of women see this as relegation to second-class status.

This tells me they really do not understand the call to the priesthood. This is a call to humble subservience, not a call to power. I sometimes sense the same attitude among those who are angry that our parish does not use girls as altar servers. They want to see their daughter up there “performing” in front of the congregation. They do not recognize being an Altar Server as an act of service. There are many avenues of service open to the girls. Yet some parents are unhappy because these avenues are not so public.

Men and women are of unquestioningly equal dignity. They are not identical. Our roles in salvation history differ. God made us complementary to each other. The Church values us both equally. As individuals and especially as women, we must do the same.