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Mother Pelican
Meditations on Man and Woman, Humanity and Nature

Luis T. Gutiérrez
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Inadequate Anthropology ~ Dysfunctional Ecology

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Ecological Footprint

Laudato Si' is a wake up call on the reality of the ecological crisis. However, patriarchy as a cultural driver of population growth is not mentioned. Social inequities, capitalist greed, consumerism and the idolatry of technology are thoroughly analyzed, but anthropogenic climate change is overstated and the population growth issue is grossly understated. Population and consumption issues can be distinguished, but cannot be separated.

Religious Patriarchy Contributes to a
Dysfunctional Human Ecology

Luis T. Gutiérrez

31 May 2017
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Second Anniversary of Laudato Si'

SUMMARY

"There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology." Laudato Si', #118. Likewise, there can be no harmoniously functional sacramental ecology without and adequate theological anthropology. A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace. If the visible sign is defective by being biased and/or incomplete, it provides a biased/incomplete perception of divine grace. Religious patriarchy makes the Eternal Word of God practically invisible (or, at least, only partially visible) by undue emphasis on the biophysical masculinity of the Incarnate Word. The reason is that the human body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. This is true for human persons, and even more so for a divine Person.

Based on St John Paul II's Theology of the Body, it is argued that bodiliness and sexuality are not identical realities. Granted that sexuality influences the human subject at levels deeper than race or any other biophysical attribute, human beings are "body-souls" before they are male or female or intersex. Patriarchy, and the simplistic binary gender ideology, emerged as a consequence of original sin but is by no means the divine plan for man/woman relations. This gender ideology, and the concomitant idolatry of "male headship," has evolved from the ancient "females are defective males" to modern stereotypes about "man and woman are complementary but separate." But the complementarity of man and woman, as thoroughly elucidated in the Theology of the Body, is a complementarity in unity and for unity in one and the same flesh, not a complementarity of contention based on culturally conditioned gender stereotypes; as evidenced by the creation of a single human nature, male and female, whereby man and woman were created of the same flesh and fully homogeneous in their whole being.

In light of this adequate theological anthropology about man and woman, the linkages between secular/religious patriarchy and social/ecological injustice are identified, and examples provided as to how secular/religious patriarchy makes integral human development practically impossible. The Theology of the Body's exegesis of the Book of Genesis (written in 1000 BC or so) conclusively shows that the sacred texts projecting the 10000-years old secular patriarchy back to the beginning is not to be interpreted as patriarchy being "divine law" in family and society, let alone in the Church. The Trinity is a communion, not a patriarchy. The Eternal Word of God was not a male before the incarnation. The Church is a communion, not a patriarchy. The marriage covenant between a man and woman is a communion, not a patriarchy. Indeed, the great mystery of Christ and the Church is a mystery of communion, not a culturally conditioned arrangement compliant with patriarchy or any other human system constructed after original sin. The vexing resilience of patriarchy in religious institutions betrays their contamination with human culture; a reality that must be faced as the patriarchal phase of salvation history passes away.

It must be faced, because secular/religious patriarchy, being an obstacle to integral human development, is also an obstacle to attaining an integral ecology. It must be faced, because the Church has no credibility preaching about doing something while she keeps doing the opposite. There is no way in the world that power-seeking financial capitalism (or communism, or any other "ism" conducive to elites dominating/manipulating other humans and the human habitat for self-serving ends) can be turned around to seek instead integral human development, and an integral ecology, as long as religious patriarchy keeps obscuring the Eternal Word of God in the flesh. Reiterating that priests and bishops are "ordained to serve" sounds hollow at a time when such ordinations systematically exclude 50% of the baptized based on a patriarchal covenant, the Old Law, that was superseded 2000 years ago by the sacramental covenant of the New Law.

Every conceivable rationalization is being used to evade facing the nefarious consequences of religious patriarchy, but the bottom line is that all men and women share one and the same human nature, male and female; and integral human development, which necessarily includes worship and liturgical body language, must be integrally male and female. Beyond superficial sentimentality, how can the Church foster devotion to Mary, who is Mother of God, Mother of the Eucharist, and predecessor of the apostles, as long as baptized women are excluded from the church hierarchy? Why should the successors of the apostles, in today's world, image the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel? Why should the Christ-Church mystery be reduced to a patriarchal marriage covenant? Why should the Eucharist continue to be a phallogocentric ritual? How can a patriarchal church hierarchy image the feminine genius in Christ? Since the goal of integral human development is integration in Christ, and the ultimate goal of an integral ecology is integration into the cosmic Christ, how can the Church foster such goals without integrally imaging the Eternal Word of God in the flesh?

These questions must be faced and must be answered, and sooner rather than later, if we really want to foster integral human development and a fully integral ecology. It is time for the Church to let go of her culturally-conditioned patriarchal past. It is time to recognize that the patriarchal, phallogocentric Old Law has been superseded by the sacramental, integrally human New Law, and move forward, for the glory of God and the good of souls; else, integral human development is not based on an adequate anthropology, attaining an integral ecology is practically impossible, and the mission of evangelization is compromised. Here and now, for the new evangelization in a post-patriarchal world, we need both viri probati and feminae probatae ordained to act in persona Christi. Else, the mission of the Church is compromised and moving toward an integral ecology -- integration into the Cosmic Christ -- is impeded.

VISUAL FRAMING

INADEQUATE ANTHROPOLOGY
CULTURAL PATRIARCHY ~ RELIGIOUS PATRIARCHY

RELIGIOUS.PATRIARCHY.1994.jpg
Courtesy of Kirk Anderson

PATRIARCHAL ECOLOGY
PATRIARCHAL.ECOLOGY.gif
Courtesy of Vincenzo Fagnani

"There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology." Laudato Si', #118

KEY ISSUES

1. Fostering Integral Human Development Beyond Patriarchy
2. Origin of Religious Patriarchy and Binary Gender Ideology
3. Linkage of Secular/Religious Patriarchy and Social/Ecological Injustice
4. Initiatives Made Practically Impossible by Secular/Religious Patriarchy
5. The Vexing Resilience of Ancient Patriarchy in Religious Institutions
6. Theological Anthropology ~ Body, Sex, and the Communion of Persons
7. Theological Ecology ~ Trinity, Humanity, and the Community of Creation
8. Obscuring the Logos in the Flesh and the Cosmic Christ ~ Dysfunctional Ecology
9. Imaging the Logos in the Flesh and the Cosmic Christ ~ Integral Ecology

1. Fostering Integral Human Development Beyond Patriarchy

"Integral Human Development" means that human development cannot be reduced to partial development of some dimensions of human life while ignoring others.

Integral human development must include all dimensions of the human life -- biophysical, psychological, spiritual, social, political, financial, etc. It must include the concrete totality of the personal subject as a "body-soul," and not in isolation from others but in interpersonal relations with others.

Now that the patriarchal phase of human history is passing away, interpersonal relations between men and women, and between the masculine and feminine polarities within each person (i.e., the masculine genius in women, the feminine genius in men) are becoming critical for integral human development. Human development, if not engendered, is endangered.

2. Origin of Religious Patriarchy and Binary Gender Ideology

Patriarchy, which basically means "male headship" in families, emerged as the dominant human culture in conjunction with the agricultural revolution, or approximately 10,000 years ago. It was the only culture known to the writers of the Bible, as the most ancient texts of the Book of Genesis were composed in 1000 BCE or so. Not surprisingly, the entire Bible is written in patriarchal language and refers to God in patriarchal terms. It does not follow however, that God is a Patriarch, or that the Trinity is a patriarchy (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, #239, #379, #2779). Religious patriarchy, and in particular the biblical version of religious patriarchy, is a conflation of theological reflection with the patriarchal culture of male headship. That God is a male, and humanity is female, follows from the assumption, uncritically taken for granted, that masculinity is intrinsically superior to femininity; an utterly inadequate theological anthropology.

So Eve was the tempter who took the apple and gave to Adam, original sin happened, religious patriarchy was enshrined as the most universal consequence of original sin (Genesis 3:16), and the rest is history: women are defective males (Aristotle), pagan religions had women serving as temple prostitutes, and women were not allowed to enter synagogues in patriarchal Israel. Even after the incarnation and the redemption, the apostles and their successors must be male, women are the gates of hell (Tertullian), and not even Thomas Aquinas was able to disprove that women are defective and misbegotten males. Needless to say, the masculinity of the Incarnate Word, a limitation of his bodily human condition, is still taken by many as a sign that only males can be ordained to act in persona Christi.

3. Linkage of Secular/Religious Patriarchy and Social/Ecological Injustice

The male domination of females in families and religious traditions extends pervasively to all dimensions of human life, including social institutions and all human interactions with the human habitat. Domination of nature (Genesis 1:28) trumps caring/nurturing of nature (Genesis 2:15). The historical development of cultures and languages has been influenced by the firstness of the masculine polarity, to the point of assuming that such is the natural order of things. It is a worldwide phenomenon, by no means limited to any particular culture or religious tradition. It is, in real life, the first and most universal consequence of original sin (Genesis 3:16).

The linkage of secular/religious patriarchy and social/ecological injustice is the inordinate attachment to power. The accumulation of power requires money, which is the currency of power. The history of money is driven by men seeking power of women and nature, often under the pretense of divine inspiration (the holy book says that's the way it should be!). The emergence of trade and mercantilism after the agricultural revolution, and the subsequent emergence of capitalism and communism after the industrial revolution, are characterized by violence (often via scapegoating of vulnerable victims) supported/financed by money. Whether money is in the form of cattle, metal coins, paper notes, or bit coins, it serves the economics of necessity and the economics of sufficiency, which is fine; the problem is that it also serves the economics of extravagance and power struggles, to the point that the consume-borrow-consume treadmill is tightly coupled to the military-industrial complex. As long as we keep running on this treadmill, justice with peace is practically impossible.

The tripod of money-power-honors assumes many forms, such mercantilism, capitalism, national socialism (and other forms of facism) and, more recently, neoliberalism. Another variant, nationalistic capitalism, is now emerging. But the patriarchal culture of domination by brute force is the root cause of them all, and it is reinforced by the full range of religious patriarchies, from the most brutal (e.g., ISIS) to the most benign (e.g., the Vatican). In this regard, Laudato Si' may have missed the boat. Climate change is not the main problem. Climate change has been happening for a long time, and will continue to happen. That there is a significant anthropogenic component to current climate change trends is uncertain and by no means a verified scientific hypothesis. What is undeniable is that unbriddled capitalism, and now nationalistic capitalism, is exacerbating social inequities and converting the planet into a garbage dump.

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4. Initiatives Made Practically Impossible by Secular/Religious Patriarchy

The following are some initiatives that are systematically trumped, blocked, made difficult, even practically impossible, by secular/religious patriarchy, thereby rendering ineffective otherwise feasible/practical remedies to minimize extreme poverty/social inequality and habitat degradation/climate change:

  • Integral human development is about human beings who are bodies but are more than bodies. Meeting biophysical needs is necessary but not sufficient for social/ecological justice. Human development, if not engendered, is endangered. Patriarchal societies are mostly driven by power plays irrespective of the common good. Cf. Populorum Progressio, Compendium of Catholic Social Doctrine.
  • Population stabilization is about regaining balance between man and woman, humanity and nature. Abusive patriarchy in families and societies is a significant obstacle. Responsible parenthood is the only civilized and sustainable manner of stabilizing population without coercion and in ways consistent with human rights. Cf. Humanae Vitae, Theology of the Body, Amoris Laetitia.
  • Integral human ecology is about embedding humanity in the entire community of nature, rather than humans exploiting the planet for their own gratification. An integral human ecology is unattainable under patriarchal social systems, either capitalist or communist, because they merely seek the accumulation of money pursuant to the accumulation of power. Cf. Laudato Si', Doughnut Economics.
  • Consumption stabilization is contingent on integral human development and population stabilization. It requires embracing the sufficiency principle ("why more, if enough is enough?") and letting go of the patriarchal mindset of financial accumulation for power accumulation, which induces the delusion of infinite material growth in a finite planet. Cf. Laudato Si', Doughnut Economics, Rethinking Economics.
  • Universal education is feasible (via home/school, radio/television, internet/web, cell phones, etc.) as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop the mass marketing that seeks infinite growth in a finite planet, and reduces citizens to "consumers," to refocus on population/consumption stabilization conducive to integral human development and an integral ecology. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.
  • Universal health care is feasible (via open borders, open access, migrant hospitality, voluntary resettlement incentives) as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop greasing the financial consume-borrow-consume treadmill economy, and start implementing checks and balances to mitigate abusive use of resources and abusive profiteering by health care providers. HEALTH MATTERS.
  • Universal basic income can be an effective way to mitigate extreme poverty. It can be funded by resource usage taxing as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop seeking infinite growth in a finite planet via mostly unearned/untaxed financial gain pursuant to valueless consolidation of power, and start focusing instead on creating space to enjoy the commons. CREATION MATTERS.
  • Employment incentives that make meaningful work attractive, coupled with zero income taxes on earned income, can be formulated as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop seeking infinite growth in a finite planet, via mostly unearned/untaxed financial gain pursuant to valueless consolidation of power, and start creating meaningful jobs. MEANINGFUL JOBS MATTER.
  • A world government (some form of global authority, democratically elected and tempered by the subsidiarity principle) can be formed as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop seeking infinite growth in a finite planet, via mostly unearned/untaxed financial gain pursuant to valueless consolidation of power, and start focusing on the PLANETARY COMMON GOOD.

  • None of the above initiatives is impossible. Patriarchy is an obstacle to all of them, and religious patriarchy is the greatest obstacle to all of them. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED to the ancient rupture of interpersonal communion between man and woman.

    Materialistic capitalism is literally turning the planet into a garbage dump (aka "climate change") because money is the only thing that really matters, and those at the service of capitalist institutions will use violence if necessary to protect their salaries. Needless to say, materialistic communism is no different; proletarian delusions notwithstanding, money is what matters. Under any kind of system driven by money, we are "free" to do what the elites induce/addict us to do, and practically force us to do. Advertising paraphernalia is the instrument, money is the narcotic. Drug trafficking is just one form of money trafficking.

    But WHY money? Ah, because money leads to POWER, and this is the bottom line going all the way back to original sin. PATRIARCHY is the common denominator (Genesis 3:16), and RELIGIOUS PATRIARCHY is the most nefarious form of patriarchy -- the holy crusades, the holy inquisition, and now ISIS, come to mind.

    5. The Vexing Resilience of Ancient Patriarchy in Religious Institutions

    Religious patriarchy is a resilient legacy in most religious traditions. The following chronology focuses on the Judeo-Christian-Catholic tradition. While the patriarchal covenant of the Old Law has been superseded by the incarnation and the redemption, and we are now a new creation under the sacramental covenant of the New Law, patriarchal residues remain in rituals and doctrines. One symptom is the conflation of patriarchal binary gender ideology with our sacramental theology. The patriarchal phase of salvation history is passing away, but "old habits die hard."

    RELIGIOUS PATRIARCHY ~ CHRONOLOGY OF KEY EVENTS

  • Original sin -- Replaced man/woman communion with man/woman contension -- Genesis 3:16
  • Emergence of the patriarchal culture -- starting 10,000 years or so (agricultural revolution)
  • Patriarchal covenant of the Old Law -- starting 1000 BC or so... primitive, phallogocentric, etc.
  • Patriarchal system of the Roman Empire -- "virtue" comes from the Latin "vir"
  • Sacramental covenant of the New Law -- Council of Trent, 1563 (definition of priestly ordination as a sacrament, no mention of masculinity requirement)
  • Apostolic Constitution Sacramentum Ordinis -- Pius XII, 1947 (no mention of masculinity requirement for ordination)

    About the rite of ordination: "If it was at one time necessary even for validity by the will and command of the Church, every one knows that the Church has the power to change and abrogate what she herself has established."
  • "Scandal" of women priests in the Anglican Communion -- Florence Li Tim-Oi in Hong Kong, 1944
  • Response 1 -- Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, "viri probati" can be ordained as deacons
  • "Scandal" of women priests in the Episcopal Church -- starting 1974 (approved 1976)
  • Response 2 -- New doctrine, Inter Insegniores, a literalist interpretation of the 12 male apostles chosen by Jesus under the Old Law to represent the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1976
  • New biblical exegesis -- Theology of the Body -- sacramentality of human "flesh" -- John Paul II, 1979-1984
  • Response 3 -- "It's a long way to Tipperary", John Paul II's visit to the USA, 1981, referring to the ordination of women to the sacramental priesthood
  • Response 4 -- Code of Canon Law, #1024, John Paul II, 1983
  • Response 5 -- Recognition of the equal dignity of men and women, but only males can be ordained -- John Paul II, Mulieres Dignitatem, 1988
  • "Scandal" of women bishops in the Anglican Communion -- Barbara Harris in Boston, and Penny Jamieson in New Zealand, 1989
  • "Scandal" of women priests in the Church of England -- approved 1992, started 1994

    For more info: Ordination of women in the Anglican Communion
  • Response 6 -- Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1577 (same as Inter Insegniores) and #1598 (under the New Law, the male-only priesthood is a choice made by the Church, not by Christ), John Paul II, 1994
  • Response 7 -- Pontifical "executive order" to stop further discussion on women priests and bishops ~ Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, John Paul II, 1994

    Was St John Paul II acting as a "fool for Christ"?
  • Response 8 -- Pontifical "fake news" dubiously elevating the male-only priesthood to infallible teaching ~ Responsum ad Dubium, CDF 1995
  • Response 9 -- "The door is closed" -- Francis, interview, 2013
  • Response 10 -- Women cannot be ordained to the priesthood in order to preserve the image of Christ as sacrificial bridegroom and the Church as bride, thus effectively reducing the mysteriun magnum to a charitable patriarchal covenant (it should be noted that, thankfully, the ludicrous argument about the pre-Easter 12 male apostles is not repeated) -- Francis, Evangelii Gaudium #104, 2013
  • Response 11 -- Detour about climate change and integral ecology -- Francis, Laudato Si', 2015

    Laudato Si' is a wake up call on the reality of the ecological crisis. However, patriarchy as a cultural driver of population growth is not mentioned. Social inequities, capitalist greed, consumerism and the idolatry of technology are thoroughly analyzed, but anthropogenic climate change is overstated and the population growth issue is grossly understated. Population and consumption issues can be distinguished, but cannot be separated.
  • Response 12 -- John Paul II was "pointing in that direction" -- Francis, interview, 2016
  • Response 13 -- Another commission about women deacons -- Francis, meeting, 2016
  • Response 14 -- Another remark about "viri probati" -- Francis, interview, 2016
  • Response 15 -- Admission that patriarchy has often been abusive in family and society -- Francis, Amoris Laetitia #54 & #154, 2016

    About gender ideologies (#56): "It needs to be emphasized that "biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished but not separated." Is this still the patriarchal gender binary? Can a human person be exclusively maculine or exclusively feminine? The body is normally male or female, but personal subjects are always masculine and feminine, because there is a feminine dimension in man and a masculine dimension in woman (Genesis 2). There is a "feminine genius" in Jesus, just as there is a "masculine genius" in Mary. Is the Church still constrained by patriarchal gender ideology?

  • Response 16 -- Integral human development dicastery -- Francis, 2017 (human persons are spirited bodies, "body-souls," not just bodies, thus requiring integral development of the spiritual and corporal, subjective and objective, masculine and feminine dimensions)
  • The body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. Questions: Why is it then, that only persons with male bodies can be tested for ordination to the sacramental priesthood? Since priests and bishops are ordained to act in the person of Christ, and only males are ordained, how can they make visible the "feminine genius" in Christ? Why is it that the patriarchal priesthood of the Old Law is still normative for the sacramental priesthood of the New Law?

    Only God knows what the future sequence of "scandals" and "responses" would be. When shall we, finally, arrive at Tipperary? When shall we have Catholic women priests? Perhaps in 2500 AD or so? When shall we have Catholic women bishops? Perhaps in 2750 AD or so? When shall we hear the senior cardinal deacon cry, for the first time, Habemus Mamam!? Perhaps in 3000 AD or so?

    Why the vexing resilience of ancient patriarchy in religious institutions?

    "Why, then, does truth generate hatred, and why does thy servant who preaches the truth come to be an enemy to them who also love the happy life, which is nothing else than joy in the truth—unless it be that truth is loved in such a way that those who love something else besides her wish that to be the truth which they do love. Since they are unwilling to be deceived, they are unwilling to be convinced that they have been deceived. Therefore, they hate the truth for the sake of whatever it is that they love in place of the truth. They love truth when she shines on them; and hate her when she rebukes them." Augustine, Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 23

    6. Theological Anthropology ~ Body, Sex, and the Communion of Persons

    A comprehensive exegesis of biblical texts on man and woman, and their unity in one and the same human nature, was developed by Pope John Paul II in his Theology of the Body (TOB). It provides a solid basis for solving the most pressing issues of human sexuality, both in families and in the Church as the family of God, including the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. It endorses neither radical patriarchy nor radical feminism, and provides a vision of marriage, and gender relations in general, that can be summarized as unity in diversity ("original unity of man and woman"), individuality in community ("communion of persons") and equality in mutuality ("spousal meaning of the body"). The complementarity of man and woman is for reciprocity and mutual enrichment, not mutual exclusion.

    It is noteworthy that, in the TOB, the "male or female" descriptor is always used in reference to the human being as a body, while "male and female" is always used in reference to the human being as a person. The human person is a body, but is more than a body (Genesis 2:7). The body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. Furthermore, being a body is more fundamental to the structure of the personal subject than being somatically male or female (TOB 3:2, 8:1, 21:6). In other words, bodiliness and sexuality are not simply identical, as simplistically assumed by patriarchal gender ideologies.

    The following diagram attempts to portray the difference between patriarchal gender theory and the Theology of the Body:

    VENN.PGTvsTOB.jpg
    COLOR CODES
    Grey = Biblical "Flesh" (Human Nature), Beige = Body, Pink = Female, Blue = Male, Purple = Intersex. The grey (biblical "flesh," i.e., human nature) subsists under the other colors for all humans. Every human being is a unique body-soul, i.e, a unique personal subject; but all personal subjects share one and the same "flesh."

    Patriarchal Gender Theory is based on a simplistic, artificial classification of human beings based on socio-cultural gender stereotypes that emerged *after* original sin.

    The Theology of the Body, based on thorough exegesis of biblical texts in continuity with apostolic tradition, recognizes that while sex and gender cannot be separated, they can be distinguished (TOB # 8:1, Amoris Laetitia # 56). By providing a natural model of the structure of the personal subject, it also provides a sound anthropological foundation for the new evangelization and integral human development. An integral sacramental economy would be more conducive to integral human development and an integral ecology, for the glory of God and the good of humanity.

    A Theological Anthropology for the Ecological Crisis

    "There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself. There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology." Pope Francis, Laudato Si' #118

    But what is an "adequate anthropology" for the Anthropocene? St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body (TOB) is fully adequate, because it reconstructs the original divine plan for man and woman in communion with each other and in harmony with nature. However, care must be taken not to read the TOB through a patriarchal lens. The patriarchal mindset of male domination, of women by men, and of nature by humans, is the root cause of the ecological crisis. Now that the patriarchal era is passing away as families increasingly evolve from sole male (father) headship toward joint male-female (father-mother) headship, a new anthropology of the family is emerging that may pave the way for humanity to thrive in the Anthropocene.

    An Adequate Anthropology for the Anthropocene

    7. Theological Ecology ~ Trinity, Humanity, and the Community of Creation

    As explained in the Theology of the Body, the somatic homogeneity of man and woman (TOB 8:4) shows that sexual differentiation, while undoubtedly being a gift, is also a limitation of embodied human nature. A man is bodily a man, and a woman is bodily a woman, but they are both equal in human personhood because they are both "body-persons" (i.e., "body-souls"). The entire TOB is a thorough deconstruction of the patriarchal binary:

    • Being a body is more essential than being male or female (TOB 8:1)
    • Man and Woman are fully homogeneous in their "whole being" (TOB 8:4)
    • Bodiliness, not sex, is the foundation of the primordial sacrament (TOB 19:5)
    • Imbalance of male domination/female submission must be corrected (TOB 31:2)
    • The spousal meaning of the body is not limited to patriarchal analogies (TOB 33:3)
    • The spousal bond of Christ-Head and Church-Body transcends patriarchy (TOB 91:1)
    • The language of the body, male and female, is the language of the liturgy (TOB 117:5)

    The Theology of the Body (TOB) correlates with the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):

    • The human being, male and female, is a "body-soul," a living being composed of body and soul (CCC 362; TOB 2:4, 4:2)
    • The complementarity of man and woman does not cancel their equality as human persons (CCC 369; TOB 3:2)
    • All human beings are consubstantial, share one and the same human nature (CCC 371; TOB 3:3)
    • Having a body is more fundamental for human personhood than being male or female (CCC 372; TOB 8:1)
    • The human nature of man and woman are fully homogeneous, somatically and in their "whole being" (CCC 372; TOB 8:4)
    • The egalitarian complementarity of man and woman is ordered to the communion of persons (CCC 383; TOB 9:2)

    In brief, the body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. The patriarchal gender binary is a cultural scaffolding that effectively obscures the Eternal Word made flesh; a divine person who, by embracing all the limitations of the human condition (including becoming a body, of a given gender), does not thereby ceases to be a divine person.

    8. Obscuring the Logos in the Flesh and the Cosmic Christ ~ Dysfunctional Ecology

    Was the Eternal Word a male before the incarnation? No, because the Eternal Word did not have a body before the incarnation (John 1:14). Since the body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person, it follows that:

    • Religious patriarchy is cultural scaffolding that obscures the Eternal Word made flesh: one Person, divine and human.
    • Specifically, in the Catholic/Orthodox churches, the exclusively male priesthood makes the feminine genius in Jesus practically invisible.
    • The exclusively male priesthood reduces the celebration of the Eucharist to a phallogocentric ritual, a very patriarchal but very partial imaging of the Eternal Word as a divine Person.

    The Eucharist is the gift of love and life. Is patriarchy a sign of love? Is patriarchy a sign of life? Are flesh, bread, blood (John 6:35-59) exclusively masculine realities? "The glory of God is man [and woman] fully alive." Since the patriarchal phase of salvation history is passing away, the exclusively male priesthood is no longer for the glory of God and the good of souls. Is "integral human development" about preserving secular/religious patriarchy, or is it about making man and woman fully alive?

    The Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, but not necessarily patriarchal. The four marks of the Church remain intact when the culturally-conditioned patriarchal scaffolding is removed to make more clearly visible the glory of the Eternal Word in the flesh, "like us in all things but sin."

    A Theological Anthropology for an Integral Ecology

    "There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself. There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology." Pope Francis, Laudato Si' #118

    The ecological crisis is a blessing in disguise. Impending challenges such as "climate change," and the consequent moral imperative for new mitigation and adaptation initiatives, convey the voice of God as it continues to resound in the events of history. If the ecological crisis is anthropogenic, then an adequate anthropology becomes indispensable to avoid the dangers and seize the opportunities that are emerging as the crisis unfolds. The Anthropocene is an opportunity to begin reconstructing the originally intended communion between man and woman, and well as the harmony between humanity and nature.

    An Integral Ecology for the Anthropocene

    9. Imaging the Logos in the Flesh and the Cosmic Christ ~ Integral Ecology

    Every conceivable rationalization is being used to evade facing the nefarious consequences of religious patriarchy, but the bottom line is that all men and women share one and the same human nature, male and female; and integral human development, which necessarily includes worship and liturgical body language, must be integrally male and female. Beyond superficial sentimentality, how can the Church foster devotion to Mary, who is Mother of God, Mother of the Eucharist, and predecessor of the apostles, as long as baptized women are excluded from the church hierarchy? Why should the successors of the apostles, in today's world, image the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel? Why should the Christ-Church mystery be reduced to a patriarchal marriage covenant? Why should the Eucharist continue to be a phallogocentric ritual? How can a patriarchal church hierarchy image the feminine genius in Christ? Since the goal of integral human development is integration in Christ, and the ultimate goal of an integral ecology is integration into the cosmic Christ, how can the Church foster such goals without integrally imaging the Eternal Word of God in the flesh?

    These questions must be faced and must be answered, and sooner rather than later, if we really want to foster integral human development and a fully integral ecology. It is time for the Church to let go of her culturally-conditioned patriarchal past. It is time to recognize that the patriarchal, phallogocentric Old Law has been superseded by the sacramental, integrally human New Law, and move forward, for the glory of God and the good of souls; else, integral human development is not based on an adequate anthropology, attaining an integral ecology is practically impossible, and the mission of evangelization is compromised. Here and now, for the new evangelization in a post-patriarchal world, we need both viri probati and feminae probatae ordained to act in persona Christi. Else, the mission of the Church is compromised and moving toward an integral ecology -- integration into the Cosmic Christ -- is impeded.

    TOWARD-INTEGRAL-ECOLOGY.jpg
    Transition from Patriarchal/Matriarchal Dysfunction to Integral Ecology

    REFERENCES

    Institution of the Sacramental Priesthood of the New Law, Council of Trent, 1563.

    Apostolic Constitution on the Sacrament of Order, Pius XII, 1947.

    Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Second Vatican Council, 1964.

    EWTN Website on the Theology of the Body as they were published in L'Osservatore Romano (1979-1984).

    Original Unity of Man and Woman: Catechesis on the book of Genesis, John Paul II, St Paul Editions, 1981.

    Catechism of the Catholic Church, John Paul II, Liguori Publications, 1994.

    The Theology of the Body: Human Love in the Divine Plan, John Paul II, Pauline Books & Media, 1997.

    Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 2004.

    Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body, John Paul II, translation by Michael Waldstein, Pauline Books & Media, 2006.

    Encyclical Letter Laudato Si' on Care for Our Common Home, Francis, 2015.


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