Last week I came across a letter to the editor in a religious newspaper denouncing the activities of women in the church.
She cited some wildly erroneous facts about the numbers of laywomen involved in ministry (80%, according to her, have families!), and said that by seeking work in the church, these women were responsible for the corruption of family values in society. She cited the Catechism paragraph 898, that the laity should stick to temporal affairs, and concluded saying that these women should stop pretending they can do ministry, and leave church work to the ordained.
After I finished picking my jaw up off the floor, I thought long and hard about responding, but chose not to for the sake of my position in the church. However, I would like to point out that this very angry woman who penned the letter obviously has some issues with her femininity, and if she is going to cite statistics, she should at least make sure they are accurate. Such as less than 10% in this area are non-religious, not 80%. Further, she should consider reading beyond para. 898, all the way to and including para. 910 which states, "The laity can also feel called, or be in fact called, to cooperate with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its growth and life. This can be done through the exercise of different kinds of ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord has been pleased to bestow on them." Reading some Paul VI might help clarify the issue for her, too (Evangelii Nuntiandi 73.)
Simply because I can't hear confessions or say Mass doesn't make my work useless. I, for one, think my ministry is just as meaningful and important as anyone else's, and I will continue to serve the needs of others where I am called to serve, including in the church.
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3 comments:
Holy crap. Sorry for the semi-expletive, but what else can be said about such an awful letter? I just read it - it passed me by last week when I flipped through the first time. According to her, we all should be "handmaidens of the altar" and nothing more. What of our common calling as Catholics to preach the Gospel? Sometimes this means getting more involved than just passively sitting in the pews receiving sacraments, as she suggests. Sometimes we have to roll up our sleeves to ensure that the sacraments make it to those who need them. Could you imagine a parish that could possibly function if all the women left?? I'm rambling and not making sense, I'm so upset about it!
That was me for the first few days after I read it. I just felt so angry, so sick. Then I decided this woman has some obvious issues she needs to work on, her letter was full of inaccuracies, and that it wasn't my job to try to change her opinion. Only then - and after recycling the paper - could I move on. ;)
oh my. don't get me started. lately I've been seething about similar women who preach and write books about how it's a woman's place to neuter her personality for the sake of her husband, marriage and sex life. that equality is just a load of crap. why are we doing this? to ourselves?!?!
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