For a more informed discussion on women priests

From "Good News about Sex and Marriage", Ascention Press

Christopher West says [paraphrased by moi]:

For many women, that the Church reserves sacramental priesthood only to men stirs much emotion fueled by "historical consciousness" of past oppression of women. Only recently, did the Church acknowledged and asked for forgiveness in JPII's letter to women, "objective blame, especially in particular historical context, has belonged to not just a few members of the church. May this regret be transformed on the part of the whole church, into a renewed commitment of fidelity to the Gospel vision" [for more complete discussion on the Gospel vision, one needs to study Theology of the Body in more in depth.]

This gospel vision is the great "nuptual mystery" of Christ's union with the Church, which is symbolized by our creation as male and female. To be faithful to this vision, we must uphold the dignity of woman always, and resist the social structures that have been made to favor men. It also calls us to resist the other extreme - considering men and women to be interchangeable.

Equality between the sexes does NOT mean sameness. The very difference, between men and women, is what reveals the awesome nuptual mystery. This fundamental difference literally brings life to the world [both by childbearing, and and the Incarnation of Christ].

More on this on the next post..

The Eucharist and the Bridegroom

Since some of us are still discussing the issue of sacramental priesthood and women...

The Eucharist is the Sacrament of our Redemption. It is the Sacramentof the Bridegroom and the Bride... Christ is united with this 'body' as the bridegroom with the bride... Since Christ, in instituting the Eucharist, linked it in a such an explicit way to the priestly service of the Apostles, it is legitimate to conclude that he thereby wished to express the relationship between man and woman

From On the Dignity of Women, #26
More discussion on this here

Lord, help us understand our sexual differences.

Need for better academic settings

In reading some of blogs on the our Holy Father's regensburg lecture, particularly the need for Catholic academics to step up, and educate the world, got me thinking: How can we, as catholics in academia do this?

First line of thought was that how nice it would be for me, who may get a job in the kinesiology department, to create a course to go along with "Human Sexuality." Except, this course would be cross-listed in religious studies and philosophy and anthropology, and be entitled something like "Human Sexuality and Phenomenology: Biblical anthropology." It would be a class on the theology of the body. Obvious question: what department head would allow that? One of my old ChE professors (Ed Seebauer) in undergrad taught an engineering ethics course he developed with Fr. Bob Barry, OP. Hey, if he did it, why can't I? It helps to have tenure..

Or if I had my own university (or made the president of a university) (or had $1B to start a college), I could develop a theology department. Would that be a way to do step up?

Then I got thinking. As academics, we certainly have duty to teach this stuff (even though I only took I philosophy class, so I don't know if I am qualified). But, we can preach this just as much by simply living the Theology of the Body. I am not quite sure how one does that as an academic, other than ... give your whole self to teaching.. ? [that's if your don't give yourself away in marriage].

How can we teach and live the truth of faith and reason in harmony and as two wings of the soul? How does faith play a role in studying the stability of stochastic limit cycles applied to human walking? How do we include that in our teaching? how is our teaching philosophy informed by our faith and theology? We have to apply for jobs and play the tenure game, and not get flagged as a "right wing religious fanatic who can't keep his own churchy stuff to himself."