Female Catholic Priest Wannabes?

Holy men
Editor:

"Love one another as I have loved you," Christ commanded as he knelt to wash the feet of his apostles at the Last Supper.

In one of the most moving ceremonies in the Catholic liturgy, each year during the Holy Thursday Mass the pastor kneels to wash the feet of 12 of his flock.

This poignant dramatization reminds the faithful that priests are called to serve — a point female Catholic priest wannabes fail to understand. The all-male priesthood/hierarchy is not about refusing to share power.

Rather, it is about holy men answering God’s call to follow in Christ’s footsteps, dedicated to lives of love, sacrifice and service.

Sandra Y. Smith
Des Peres

Sandra has the proper understanding of the situation - the priesthood isn't about "power" as some self-absorbed "priestesses" believe, but it's about a man responding to God's call and the Church discerning whether that call is truly from God.

But there may be a bit of a problem here in this letter. And this has done nothing but exacerbate the rebellious calls from some women who claim to hear some "spirit" urging them to revolt and division. What is this problem? It is the fact that the washing of the feet during the Holy Thursday liturgy has been altered without authority. Rather than including only men - following the same practice as our Lord - some have taken upon themselves to inject political correctness into a liturgical rite distorting its meaning and significance.

Perhaps, had bishops and priests been obedient to the liturgical directives, rather than assuming for themselves authority which they did not possess, we would be much better off with respect to the faithful having a clearer understanding of the theological reasons for certain rites and ceremonies, rather than the confusion that necessarily results from so many parishes, priests, and bishops doing "his own thing."

But then, this is merely one abuse in a long list of examples which have led many to the place where they find themselves today - unable to defend the faith because they don't know or understand the faith - and others, determined to start a "new" church, following in lockstep with the evil one.

The Church has sound and legitimate reasons for establishing certain liturgical guidelines and directives, many of which are steeped in a theological richness and significance resulting in an inspiring beauty when properly understood. Depriving the faithful of this sacramental and theological heritage and beauty is deplorable and, in some cases, has prompted others to disobedience, such as "Female Catholic Priest Wannabes."

Source of the Letter to the Editor: St Louis Review