39. Not Women's Ordination But Subordination

An Argument Against Priestesses

St. Paul is the source for the major texts on the "subordination" of women. Nevertheless, critics of the status-quo often quote his words about equality in grace found in Galatians. Paul is not schizophrenic. His words must not be forced to say things that he did not intend. Regarding ministry and marriage, Paul is clear. "What I want you to understand is that Christ is the head of every man, man is the head of woman, and God is the head of Christ. . . a man . . . is the image of God and reflects God's glory; but woman is the reflection of man's glory . . . and man was not created for the sake of woman, but woman was created for the sake of man. . . . However, though woman cannot do without man, neither can man do without woman, in the Lord; woman may come from man, but man is born of woman -- both come from God" (1 Cor. 11:3, 7-8, 11-12). Speaking of the organization of spiritual gifts, he demands: "Women are to remain quiet at meetings since they have no permission to speak; they must keep in the background as the Law itself lays it down. . . . Anyone who claims to be a prophet or inspired ought to recognize that what I am writing to you is a command from the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:34, 37). Illustrating his sincerity, he repeats himself to Timothy: "During instruction a woman should be quiet and respectful. I am not giving permission for a woman to teach or to tell a man what to do. A woman ought not to speak, because Adam was formed first and Eve afterwards, and it was not Adam who was led astray but the woman who was led astray and fell into sin. . . ." (1 Tm. 2:1-14). Similarly, when writing upon marriage, Paul asserts: "Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything. Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her, to make her holy. . . . In the same way husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is how Christ treats the Church, because it is his body -- and we are its living parts. . . . This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church" (Ephesians 5:22-25, 28-32). It is this analogy that is operative at Mass, wherein the priest signifies Christ, the head of the Church, and the congregation, the Mystical Body. The priest is one with the divine bridegroom and the assembly, representative of the bride of Christ, the Church. As I have mentioned before, unless one is going to overlook sacramental lesbianism, a woman cannot fulfill the function of priest in such a setting. Paul wanted women to know their faith and to hand it on in the domestic setting; however, they were not allowed to offer the official teaching that is associated with the presbyter at liturgy. Paul makes it definitively clear that this prescription is tied up with the God-given order of creation (1 Cor. 11:7; Gn. 2:18-24). He further admits to a specified "command from the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:37). Although this command is not known to us, it should not be dismissed. Paul is not a liar. Christ is perceived as the ultimate author of a corpus of religious teaching that must be handed on in exact detail and preserved by the teachers of faith (1 Cor. 11:23, 15:1-2; 2 Tm. 1:13). Several times Paul encountered serious assaults upon his person and office (1 Cor. 1:12, 4:3; 2 Cor. 10-12); if he had invented this "command from the Lord" to shore up his arguments, he would quickly have been stripped of his authority and unveiled as a deceiver. Such did not happen. Will we allow the truths of Christ via Paul to speak to us today? I pray it will be so. I only hope it is not too late. As an experiment I read these passages to several fine women in my parish and even the most docile took some offense. How deep is the secular infection in the hearts and minds of believers?