Let's remember Corpus Christi with the Church Fathers, and not with the 'reformers'. Here is a Catholic response to claims that the Church got the Eucharist wrong
My mom had a friend whose dad was a Minister for Baptists. Mom explained to her about John chapter 6 and her friend said she never heard of it. The mother denied it exists. Then, her husband said it does. I'm not sure what led to the subject but the result did not break the neighborly friendship. They invited us to the daughter's wedding.
Thanks for the comment. John Chapter 6 is pretty damning to those who don't believe in the Church's teachings the Eucharist, so people sometimes avoid it. The ones who don't avoid it come up with theological gymnastics to explain it away, contrary to how the Church interprets it. But it's hard to argue around the Church Fathers who express exactly what the Church teaches today, and has always taught, since the beginning. God be with you, my friend!
Loved your article! However as a woman, are we still living in the era where women are not valid givers of the Word?
Granted, centuries ago, the unequal values of men and women were normal and tolerated.
Today we know better, our cultures are developing more equilaterally. Yet Catholicism still remains in the antiquated thinking that while the sexes are different…women are not equal to men, that they weren’t chosen by Jesus Christ. It is very difficult to find God, Christ and the Holy Spirit in a faith tradition that says we are not equal in the eyes of God. Time for Catholicism to recognize that God is universal and grow up.
What role would you like women to have? Why? And do you think the church that wrote that a woman was the first witness to the resurrection really cares about societal expectations or gender roles? Do you think we know better than Jesus did (he set up this hierarchy)? Is it believable that Jesus knows something about the genders that we don’t, and that knowledge is what was behind how he set up the church? These are all sincere questions, I’m not heckling you. I just think your perspective is a little out of focus. Roles in the church are not about power or authority they’re about service. Each type of service has a particular authority and power intrinsic to itself, not to be compared with, or contrasted to the roles, authority, or powers of others.
Final point: men are better than women at being. Women are better than men at being women. Each gender has strengths and weaknesses that the other does not. That reality comes to bear in the roles of the church. We have to take him to account the spiritual realities of the genders, not just their temporal dispositions.
I disagree with your premise that “men are better at being.” Being is a state of awareness of self, the world(environment, others,etc.) not gender.
Also, because Christ was both God and human, the effects of culture and development must be taken into consideration. Insofar as Christ is also God, development does not stop at the time of inception.
Thanks for writing. I really enjoy your Substack!
FYI: I am a 75 year old woman, raised in a strict Roman Catholic family whose development and options in the world were hindered in part by my parent’s devoted Catholicism and culture.
However, I do believe in God…all three Persons. But love requires that we look at the world. To me the church left me behind years ago and I hope before I die that all the personal work I had to do to “find and value” myself has made me develop as a “Child of God.”
Being is not a state of awareness. The being of a rock is the nature and essence of itself, yet it has no awareness. The nature of a thing is the essence of what it is. Expression of what it is is independent of its awareness.
We don’t see Christ subjecting himself to cultural expectations in the Gospels. We see the opposite. His divinity is not subjected to the culture of his humanity.
Please forgive me if this seems terse it’s just that I’m responding from my phone and it’s very uncomfortable to type on it lol. So I’m not being dismissive I’m just trying to give brief and direct responses to the things in your comment that most stood out. I’m not being dismissive at all, and I totally respect your opinion.
Thank you for reading my work. I’m here to serve, and I’m so glad that you enjoy what I do. God bless and be with you, and with those you care about.
My mom had a friend whose dad was a Minister for Baptists. Mom explained to her about John chapter 6 and her friend said she never heard of it. The mother denied it exists. Then, her husband said it does. I'm not sure what led to the subject but the result did not break the neighborly friendship. They invited us to the daughter's wedding.
Thanks for the comment. John Chapter 6 is pretty damning to those who don't believe in the Church's teachings the Eucharist, so people sometimes avoid it. The ones who don't avoid it come up with theological gymnastics to explain it away, contrary to how the Church interprets it. But it's hard to argue around the Church Fathers who express exactly what the Church teaches today, and has always taught, since the beginning. God be with you, my friend!
Loved your article! However as a woman, are we still living in the era where women are not valid givers of the Word?
Granted, centuries ago, the unequal values of men and women were normal and tolerated.
Today we know better, our cultures are developing more equilaterally. Yet Catholicism still remains in the antiquated thinking that while the sexes are different…women are not equal to men, that they weren’t chosen by Jesus Christ. It is very difficult to find God, Christ and the Holy Spirit in a faith tradition that says we are not equal in the eyes of God. Time for Catholicism to recognize that God is universal and grow up.
What role would you like women to have? Why? And do you think the church that wrote that a woman was the first witness to the resurrection really cares about societal expectations or gender roles? Do you think we know better than Jesus did (he set up this hierarchy)? Is it believable that Jesus knows something about the genders that we don’t, and that knowledge is what was behind how he set up the church? These are all sincere questions, I’m not heckling you. I just think your perspective is a little out of focus. Roles in the church are not about power or authority they’re about service. Each type of service has a particular authority and power intrinsic to itself, not to be compared with, or contrasted to the roles, authority, or powers of others.
Final point: men are better than women at being. Women are better than men at being women. Each gender has strengths and weaknesses that the other does not. That reality comes to bear in the roles of the church. We have to take him to account the spiritual realities of the genders, not just their temporal dispositions.
I disagree with your premise that “men are better at being.” Being is a state of awareness of self, the world(environment, others,etc.) not gender.
Also, because Christ was both God and human, the effects of culture and development must be taken into consideration. Insofar as Christ is also God, development does not stop at the time of inception.
Thanks for writing. I really enjoy your Substack!
FYI: I am a 75 year old woman, raised in a strict Roman Catholic family whose development and options in the world were hindered in part by my parent’s devoted Catholicism and culture.
However, I do believe in God…all three Persons. But love requires that we look at the world. To me the church left me behind years ago and I hope before I die that all the personal work I had to do to “find and value” myself has made me develop as a “Child of God.”
Being is not a state of awareness. The being of a rock is the nature and essence of itself, yet it has no awareness. The nature of a thing is the essence of what it is. Expression of what it is is independent of its awareness.
We don’t see Christ subjecting himself to cultural expectations in the Gospels. We see the opposite. His divinity is not subjected to the culture of his humanity.
Please forgive me if this seems terse it’s just that I’m responding from my phone and it’s very uncomfortable to type on it lol. So I’m not being dismissive I’m just trying to give brief and direct responses to the things in your comment that most stood out. I’m not being dismissive at all, and I totally respect your opinion.
Thank you for reading my work. I’m here to serve, and I’m so glad that you enjoy what I do. God bless and be with you, and with those you care about.