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Mother Pelican
Meditations on Man and Woman, Humanity and Nature
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Meditation Seeking Understanding ~ Sustainability
These pages are meditations on the mysteries of the creation, the incarnation, and the redemption. They explore the Christian understanding that all men and women are consubstantial in one and the same human nature, and are consubstantial with Jesus Christ as to his humanity. The meditations are based on a layman's reading of the Sacred Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Theology of the Body as they pertain to the egalitarian complementarity of man and woman, which transcends the patriarchal binary of mutually exclusive male-female opposites. This understanding of the complementary equality of man and woman applies to all the sacraments, sheds light on the great nuptial mystery of Christ and the Church, and would seem to support the ordination of women to the ministerial priesthood and the episcopate.
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Reconstructing the Original Harmony of Humanity and Nature
Preliminary Draft - 1 January 2016
PRAELUDIUM
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In the Catholic Church, the resistance to the ordination of women is rooted in a sacramental theology that conflates the patriarchal gender binary with biblical revelation. This is a meditation on human nature, male and female, as it pertains to the sacramental priesthood of the New Law when unconstrained by the patriarchal priesthood of the Old Law. This is a visceral issue that cannot not be settled by reasoning alone. This page attempts to support prayerful discernment by stepping outside of the patriarchal box and reconsidering the issue in light of the deposit of faith and the signs of the times.
On the criticality of gender equality for ecological justice:
"Human development, if not engendered, is fatally endangered."
Mahbub ul Haq, Human Development Report, 1995
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Acronyms and Links:
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ORIGINAL HARMONY & ORIGINAL SIN
Original Harmony of Humanity and Nature
Genesis 2:15-17; CCC 385, 396, 413-421; TOB 3:2, 8:1, 8:4
Image: Bojan Teodosijevic - Bible Illustrated
In Old Testament times, God is male. The father is the head of the family. Wives are the posession of their husbands. Only male children are counted. The patriarchal priesthood is transmitted from fathers to sons. Only the boys are instructed on the Law. Only the males can worship in public (synagogue, temple). Only male animals are sacrificed. In New Testament times, God is a communion of divine persons. In the family, father and mother share headship as a communion of persons. There is mutual submissio between husband and wife. All children, boys and girls, are equally treasuted, equally baptized, equally instructed in the faith. Christian men and women worship together. Why should the ministerial priesthood be reserved to men alone? Reconstructing the original harmony of humanity and nature is contingent on reconstructing the original unity of man and woman.
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DUST & FLESH
Common Dust, Human Flesh
Genesis 2:7; CCC 145, 706, 762, 1669, 2676; TOB 29, 31
Image: What is Old is New Again: A Study of Genesis
In Old Testament times, God is male. The father is the head of the family. Wives are the posession of their husbands. Only male children are counted. The patriarchal priesthood is transmitted from fathers to sons. Only the boys are instructed on the Law. Only the males can worship in public (synagogue, temple). Only male animals are sacrificed. In New Testament times, God is a communion of divine persons. In the family, father and mother share headship as a communion of persons. There is mutual submissio between husband and wife. All children, boys and girls, are equally treasuted, equally baptized, equally instructed in the faith. Christian men and women worship together. Why should the ministerial priesthood be reserved to men alone? Reconstructing the original harmony of humanity and nature is contingent on reconstructing the original unity of man and woman.
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SUMMIT OF CREATION IN BODY AND SOUL
The Reunion of the Soul and the Body
Genesis 12:1-3, 21:10; Exodus 20:17; Leviticus 12:1-5; Numbers 3:15; Deuteronomy 5:21, 21:10-13; CCC 145, 706, 762, 1669, 2676; TOB 29, 31
Image: William Blake - Art Gallery
In Old Testament times, God is male. The father is the head of the family. Wives are the posession of their husbands. Only male children are counted. The patriarchal priesthood is transmitted from fathers to sons. Only the boys are instructed on the Law. Only the males can worship in public (synagogue, temple). Only male animals are sacrificed. In New Testament times, God is a communion of divine persons. In the family, father and mother share headship as a communion of persons. There is mutual submissio between husband and wife. All children, boys and girls, are equally treasuted, equally baptized, equally instructed in the faith. Christian men and women worship together. Why should the ministerial priesthood be reserved to men alone? Reconstructing the original harmony of humanity and nature is contingent on reconstructing the original unity of man and woman.
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HUMAN AGENCY FOR INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Human Agency for Solidarity and Social Justice
Genesis 2:7, 23; CCC 145, 706, 762, 1669, 2534, 2676; TOB 29, 31
Image: The Pelican Web
In Old Testament times, God is male. The father is the head of the family. Wives are the posession of their husbands. Only male children are counted. The patriarchal priesthood is transmitted from fathers to sons. Only the boys are instructed on the Law. Only the males can worship in public (synagogue, temple). Only male animals are sacrificed. In New Testament times, God is a communion of divine persons. In the family, father and mother share headship as a communion of persons. There is mutual submissio between husband and wife. All children, boys and girls, are equally treasuted, equally baptized, equally instructed in the faith. Christian men and women worship together. Why should the ministerial priesthood be reserved to men alone? Reconstructing the original harmony of humanity and nature is contingent on reconstructing the original unity of man and woman.
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HUMAN AGENCY FOR AN INTEGRAL ECOLOGY
Human Agency for Sustainability and Ecological Justice
Genesis 2:15-17; CCC 145, 706, 762, 1669, 2676; TOB 29, 31
Image: Pope Francis and Integral Ecology - Cummins Institute
In Old Testament times, God is male. The father is the head of the family. Wives are the posession of their husbands. Only male children are counted. The patriarchal priesthood is transmitted from fathers to sons. Only the boys are instructed on the Law. Only the males can worship in public (synagogue, temple). Only male animals are sacrificed. In New Testament times, God is a communion of divine persons. In the family, father and mother share headship as a communion of persons. There is mutual submissio between husband and wife. All children, boys and girls, are equally treasuted, equally baptized, equally instructed in the faith. Christian men and women worship together. Why should the ministerial priesthood be reserved to men alone? Reconstructing the original harmony of humanity and nature is contingent on reconstructing the original unity of man and woman in harmony with nature.
Transition from Patriarchal/Matriarchal Dysfunction to Integral Ecology
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COLLOQUIUM
This meditation does not attempt to "prove" anything. It is a personal reflection about a visceral issue that cannot be resolved by reasoning alone, and prayerful discernment of Christ's will is required. The truth is timeless, but the Church's understanding of the truth is not timeless; the faith is always the same but the Holy Spirit enables the Church to bring out of the deposit of faith what is new and what is old (cf. Matthew 13:52).
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change,
The courage to change what I should change,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Mary, Mother of the Church and Untier of Knots, pray for us.
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"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ...
This is a profound mystery—
but I am talking about Christ and the church..."
Ephesians 5:21-33
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