Mother Pelican
Meditations on Man and Woman, Humanity and Nature

Luis T. Gutiérrez

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Meditation Seeking Understanding ~ Liturgy 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. Sacramental Body Language New Creation in Christ: Redeemed Unity of Man and Woman Working Draft - 19 June 2016 New Creation ~ Galatians 3:26-29 PRAELUDIUM 1 - Inadequate Anthropology The patriarchal sex/gender binary is an artificial, inadequate anthropology. PRAELUDIUM 2 - Adequate Anthropology St John Paul II's Theology of the Body is a natural, adequate anthropology. PRAELUDIUM 3 - The Gift of Love and the Gift of Life The gift of love and the gift of life require unity in complementarity. ORIGINAL UNITY IN COMPLEMENTARITY Unity is not uniformity. From the beginning, human nature is male and female. Human bodies are male or female to enable us to share the gift of love and the gift of life. All men and women share one and the same human nature, male and female, in male or female incarnations. Each and every human being is a unique body-soul, a personal subject created in the image of God, unique in sex/gender and all other particularities within the rich spectrum of natural diversity. The body makes visible what is invisible, the spiritual and the divine; but human beings are personal subjects, not just male or female bodies, or sexual objects. The body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. REDEEMED UNITY IN COMPLEMENTARITY The original unity in complementarity of man and women was corrupted by original sin but fully restored and perfected by the redemption. After original sin, patriarchy emerged as a culture of male domination and female subordination, and prevailed under the Old Law as manifested by women being treated as property and only males allowed to serve in the priesthood. In the "already/not yet" of the New Law, now that we are a new creation, the Church is called to lead in reconstructing the original unity in complementarity of man and woman. After outgrowing the circumcision requirement (cf. Acts 15:28), and discerning that slavery is not part of "natural law" (Pope Leo XIII, late 19th century), the time is now at hand to fulfill the third leg of the Pauline tripod ("there is neither male nor female") as it pertains to the hierarchical constitution of the Church; for the Church is "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic," but not necessarily patriarchal. NUPTIAL UNITY IN COMPLEMENTARITY At the moment, the Church seems to be paralyzed in fear about recognizing the need for nuptial unity in complementarity in her own hierarchical constitution. Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was a tragic mistake comparable to the crusades, the inquisition, and the pedophilia abuse cover-up. People are afraid to even mention the ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcopate, but it is not insignificant that Ephesians 5:21-33 is becoming increasingly rare as a choice reading for weddings. A rigid patriarchal interpretation of the ineffable Christ-Church mystery leads to absurdities such as envisioning a mystical body that is exclusively male (homosexual) above the neck and male-female (heterosexual) below the neck. The root cause of this absurdity is the conflation of patriarchal gender theory with revealed truth in our sacramental theology (CIC 1024, CCC 1577); a conflation that is fully clarified by St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body. By the power of the keys, the Church does have the authority to ordain women as soon as this doctrinal knot is untied. Let us pray for the day when we hear, for the first time, the good news, Habemus Mamam! COLLOQUIUM 1 - Artificial Body Language Artificial body language is rigidly male or rigidly female, leaving no room for maternal tenderness in males or paternal fortitude in women, even when such rigidity is an obstacle to share the gift of love and the gift of life. COLLOQUIUM 2 - Natural Body Language Natural body language is both male and female, with masculine body language prevailing in males, and feminine body language prevailing in females, but without rigid exclusion of maternal tenderness by men, and paternal fortitude by women, when appropriate to share the gift of love and the gift of life. COLLOQUIUM 3 - Sacramental Body Language Sacramental body language is naturally male and female, thereby making visible divine love and divine life which is both paternal (hesed, cf. Matthew 6:26, 1 John 3:1) and maternal (rahamim, cf. Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:34), and all-inclusive without making distinctions (cf. John 3:16, 1 John 3:2, Acts 10:34, Galatians 3:28, 1 Corinthians 15:49). "But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Are we to believe that we all are to become males? Is this what the resurrection of the body means? SUMMARY - Body Language in the New Creation The sacramental consubstantiality of man and woman needs to be clarified and acted upon by the Church, for the glory of God and the good of souls: God is LOVE, 1 in 3 Personal Subjects, not 3 sex objects Jesus Christ is an embodied PERSONAL SUBJECT, not just a sex object All men and women are embodied personal subjects, not just sex objects The patriarchal priesthood reduces all men and women to be sex objects Trinitarian body language is not PATRIARCHAL Trinitarian body language is EUCHARISTIC, masculine and feminine Trinitarian body language is LITURGICAL, masculine and feminine Trinitarian body language is NUPTIAL, masculine and feminine It is time to ordain some women as DEACONS, PRIESTS, and BISHOPS The body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. A personal subject, body and soul, is more than just a body. An acting person is more than just a body in motion. It should be made clear that acting in persona Christi means acting in the person of a divine personal subject, not just a human being with a male body. In the sacramental economy, the exclusively male priesthood effectively reduces personal subjects (human and divine) to sexual objects. APPENDIX - THEOLOGY OF THE BODY ~~~ ADDENDUM - GALLERY OF IMAGES APPENDIX - THEOLOGY OF THE BODY The body expresses the person, but is not the entire person. El cuerpo expresa a la persona, pero no es toda la persona. Il corpo esprime la persona, ma non è l'intera persona. Le corps exprime la personne, mais pas toute la personne. O corpo expressa a pessoa, mas não é toda a pessoa. Der Körper drückt die Person, aber es ist nicht die ganze Person. Cialo wyraza osobe, ale nie jest to cala osoba. It should be made clear that "in persona Christi" means in the person of a divine personal subject, not just a human being with a male body. The exclusively male priesthood reduces personal subjects (human and divine) to sexual objects. Debe quedar claro que "in persona Christi" significa en la persona de un sujeto personal divino, no sólo un ser humano con un cuerpo masculino. El sacerdocio exclusivamente masculino reduce sujetos personales (humanos y divinos) a objetos sexuales. Dovrebbe essere chiaro che "in persona Christi" significa nella persona di un soggetto personale divina, non solo un essere umano con un corpo maschile. Il sacerdozio esclusivamente maschile riduce soggetti personali (umane e divine) a oggetti sessuali. Il convient de préciser que «in persona Christi» signifie en la personne d'un sujet personnel divine, non pas seulement un être humain avec un corps masculin. Le sacerdoce exclusivement masculin réduit sujets personnels (divines et humaines) à des objets sexuels. Deve ficar claro que "in persona Christi" significa, na pessoa de um assunto pessoal divina, e não apenas um ser humano com um corpo masculino. O sacerdócio exclusivamente masculino reduz sujeitos pessoais (humanos e divinos) para objetos sexuais. Es sollte klargestellt werden, dass "in persona Christi" bedeutet in der Person eines göttlichen persönliches Thema, nicht nur ein menschliches Wesen mit einem männlichen Körper. Die ausschließlich männliche Priestertum reduziert persönliche Gegenstand (göttliche und menschliche) zu Sexualobjekten. Nalezy wyjasnic, ze "in persona Christi" oznacza w osobie boskiej osobowego podmiotu, nie tylko czlowieka z meskiego ciala. Ekskluzywnie mezczyzna kaplanstwo zmniejsza przedmioty osobiste (ludzkie i boskie) do obiektów seksualnych. Start ordaining celibate women priests! Comience la ordenación de mujeres sacerdotes célibes! Inizia ordinare donne preti celibi! Commencer l'ordination des femmes prêtres célibataires! Comece a ordenação de mulheres sacerdotes celibatários! Starten Sie ordinieren zölibatären Frauen Priester! Zacznij wyswiecania kobiet celibacie ksiezy! BACK TO SUMMARY ADDENDUM - GALLERY OF IMAGES Happy Father's Day 2016 ~ Ministry of the Arts Theology of the Body ~ Original Unity of Man and Woman Patriarchal Sex/Gender Binary vs. Theology of the Body Before and After the New Creation in Christ Apostolic Body Language ~ Mary of Nazareth Apostolic Body Language ~ Mary of Bethany Apostolic Body Language ~ Mary of Magdala Apostolic Body Language ~ Masculine and Feminine Nuptial Covenant of Christ and the Church ~ Bridegroom-Bride Analogy One Sacred Community ~ Ministry of the Arts BACK TO SUMMARY Would Jesus, in today's world, choose 12 males to represent the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel? Start ordaining CELIBATE WOMEN! |Back to Title| PelicanWeb Home Page      Index of Meditations

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