Friday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
Philippians 3:17-4:1 | Psalm 121(122):1-5 | Luke 16:1-8
The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light. (Luke 16:8)
Just yesterday, I shared on Facebook and elsewhere an interesting article by Dr. Greg Popcak, on how he thought Pope Francis should’ve answer the perennial “women priest” question.
In a nutshell, he suggested pointing out that all Catholics are, by virtue of the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, part of the “common priesthood of the laity”, and blessed with spiritual authority that is largely unexercised.
By providing this “new” answer to the age-old question, Dr. Popcak suggests that the Pope could’ve instantly turned the tables on the Church’s detractors, and taken the lead in a conversation that could lead to the world at large looking at Catholicism in something other than a fuddy-duddy-ancient-fossil light…and truly listening for once.
To my surprise, even the suggestion of a fresh approach to a known “landmine” caused some controversy. One Facebook commenter chided me for being misleading, as the question was clearly about the ordained priesthood. By playing with words, I (and Dr. Popcak by extension) was being disingenuous.
Today’s Parable of the Dishonest Steward seems like the perfect invitation to explore this topic in more detail.
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The question of “women priests” has been raised many times over the years, often under the banner of sexual equality. Proponents decry Mother Church as being a sexist organization for her (!) steadfast refusal to ordain women, and anyone from the Catholic side who tries to probe into the underlying reasons often gets nowhere.
So on the public stage, we basically have a polarized “conversation” that goes like this:
Women priests, now!
Why?
Women priests, now!
Seriously, why?
WOMEN PRIESTS, NOW!
Clearly, one side isn’t going to change its tune, so what can we do to get a real conversation going?
How about addressing the question in a different way, one that is both arguably true and throws a wrench into the constant heated refrain, reclaiming the initiative to direct the conversation in a more fruitful direction?
WOMEN PRIESTS, NOW!
All Catholic women already are, as are all Catholic men!
Wait, what?
There’s this thing called the “common priesthood of the laity”,
of which every Catholic is a member.
Really? Tell me more…
I think that’s the astute answer, because:
- you can’t have a conversation when one side isn’t listening,
- only a few people on that side steadfastly refuse to listen,
- there are billions of bystanders who are listening, including the ones who already believe,
- conversation builds bridges,
- the Pope, as Pontifex, is actually in the “business” of bridge-building.
Now, it’s likely that the media would seize on this and publish headlines like:
Pope Francis: “All Catholics Are Priests!”
Will that provoke conversation? Certainly, and evangelisation can’t happen without conversation.
Will that provoke questions from parishoners to their clergy? Probably, and that would be an excellent opportunity for continuing catechism.
Will that provoke reflection amongst the faithful about their neglected responsibility, and a renewed sense of purpose? I hope so.
Will that promote the faith better than “No, because divine law, so please stop asking”? I believe so.
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But that’s not answering the question as asked!
Right.
But that’s DANGEROUS!
Perhaps, if we allow ourselves to stray into topics for which our knowledge is inadequate. For this particular question, and given the Pope’s experience, it’s a calculated risk, but also an opportunity to shift the narrative…
from a dead horse that’s been flogged into a bloody smear…
to a life-giving message for all the faithful and I-want-to-believers, who mistakenly count themselves out of evangelisation for their sex, or marital status, or state of sin.
Similarly, when we speak with (not “to”) others about our faith, let us not be those teachers we all hated, the ones who made us memorize entire textbooks of dates, facts and figures, and penalised us for giving answers that, while perfectly correct, didn’t conform to the “standard model” issued from on high.
Instead, let us be “children of light”, finding and pointing out unexpected rays of sunshine and hope in the most deflating of pronouncements.
“No, dear, you can never be ordained a priest, ever – but you already are one, and everyone’s waiting for you to show it with your love and faith. I believe you can do it, and I’m here to help you if you need me.”
“Yes, dear, you have cancer – but I’m still here, and I’m not leaving. Let’s work to beat this together, and more importantly, let’s enjoy each moment we have together, for better or worse.”