In reading the Holy Orders I valued the idea that the Church
has a historical and “legitimate succession of witnesses” in the priesthood
(Johnson). In class, we talked about the Church as
apostolic, Christ is sent to the world from God, and thus Christ is the first
apostle. We learn through just as
God sends Christ, Christ sends the apostles. I can appreciate this succession even more now that I
understand the origins of the priesthood.
It is so important that the Church as an institution supports the continuation
of the apostolic mission. One idea
about holy orders that I do wonder
is the exclusion of women. I am
curious about this topic and would like to learn about your experiences in your
faith tradition. I also hope to
better understand what the Catholic faith has to say about it.
An important note was that in the qualities that priests
should have as a person and as performing the functions of “martyria,
leiturgia, and diakonia.” I
noticed that there is a very real awareness of the fact that “human beings fall
short of the ideal” (Johnson, 240).
This is especially relevant given the issues with priests and the abuse
scandals that have emerged lately.
Though this does not excuse any poor judgment or behavior on the part of
priests, I think it brings just attention to the fact that none of us can be
expected to be perfect. The right
steps must be taken to heal the wounded hearts of the victims and to heal the
Church.
The sacrament of marriage as explained by Ignatius of
Antioch is one that “follows God’s will and not the promptings of lust”
(Vorgrimler, 292). I also
appreciate the understanding of viewing marriage as “a sacred sign of a sacred
thing, namely of union of Christ and the Church” (Vorgrimler, 292). I am currently at a time in my
life where my friends are getting married and with each wedding I attend, I
contemplate marriage as a sacrament.
It really is a beautiful celebration and I am happy that it acts as a
sign of love, fidelity, and God’s will. It saddens me to think about how often marriages end
in divorce. Of the many reasons
for divorce could one of them be that the marriage was not God’s will in the
first place? What other factors go
into separating what God has joined?
I know that many students I teach deal with divorce and I wonder how
they might view marriage as a sacrament.
Dear Moe, I appreciate how in both sacraments you present here, you grapple with the perfect ideal and then the imperfect reality. It is true that ordained ministers are called, among other things to serve the community in persona Christi, and yet none of them (and none of us) can perfectly represent Christ because of our own sinfulness.
ReplyDeleteYou also note the beauty of Christian marriage, and yet wonder about those who have known the painful reality of divorce. We can even broaden this to ponder how on one hand living life to the fullest is both life-giving unites us into community, and yet we have all known the reality of separation, isolation, darkness and withering of life. Even more broadly, how can there be sin or evil in the world when God has both created and redeemed the world? The sacraments compel us to ponder these questions, because they take our embodied reality toward encounter with Christ. Thank you for making these important connections. Blessings,
DZSJ
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ReplyDeleteDear Class,
ReplyDeleteMoe, what a heartfelt introduction, reaching out to some very heavy aspects of these immense questions. If I may respond to a few of these:
First Paragraph: In my Methodist experience we have not only 12,000 women clergy, but also 18 ordained Bishops, most of whom serve entire states. Here in Louisiana, presiding over 507 faith communities, we have Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey. I have served on staff at various parishes with a woman as my supervising pastor and must say that over the last eight years I have learned much more than I could ever have imagined, especially in the “little” things such as the handling of an infant at baptism, the presentation of rings at weddings and most of all a deeply compassionate, Christ-like reading/interpretation of scripture. These are just a few examples of women who are incredibly accomplished shepherds. ~ From here, women deacons would be a powerful first step for the RCC.
Second Paragraph: The question of “human beings falling short of the ideal” (attributed to Johnson, but found in Vorgrimler) harkens back to the early Church forays of Augustine and Donatism and as such is absolutely understandable; until we apply it to priestly culpabilities of pedophilia, theft, drug dealing, etc., which are criminal offenses. This is obviously far beyond the pale of any expectations concerning perfection. I firmly believe that the Church as the people of God have been ready to take the “right steps” toward healing accountability, but I am afraid that there is little evidence to prove that the same can be said for the institution. May the Spirit continue to guide and protect the initiatives of Pope Francis, for this will require courageous perseverance from everyone. Having a deaconate of women would have a tremendously positive effect upon accountability.
Third Paragraph: Once I entered into an in-depth discussion with a learned pastor whereby he enlightened me to the major cause for the decline of faith traditions in America…when the nuclear family collapsed into its emerging postmodern state, the church did not take its place, offering itself as the center of an alternate community, the kind envisioned by Christ and the early Church. How many would stand behind Apostolic Succession if we were to faithfully follow the Acts of the Apostles?
Moe, once again, thanks for your courageous questioning for therein lays the hope of the Church.
By His Grace ~ Walter
Wow Walter, thank you for that plausible cause of the declination of faith traditions. I often attributed many of the problems in the world today to that very reason. In defense of the church, I see the removal of prayer from schools, television, the workplace, etc. making it difficult for the Church to interject on behalf of the brokenness of the family. It truly became a personal journey for one to have to seek God for him/herself. As saints of God, we must understand that a lot of what we are dealing with is pure ignorance of who God is. This is why we are charged with the task of enlightening this world with the goodness and grace of God the Father. Those who do not know who Father is, are not the one He holds accountable…we are. Remember, 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”(KJV).
ReplyDeleteMoe; still waters run deep. I am continuously impressed by your depth of perception. I agree with you on many of your points concerning marriage and divorce, but I would like to point out that the main reason for divorce is because God did not join that union. As a divorced woman of God and now remarried, I can say from experience that God had nothing to do with my other marriage. So much so, it wasn’t even in a church. If a woman is truly a man’s missing rib, as written in Genesis 2:22, “And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (KJV), nothing would be able to separate them. Problems are going to arise, but through Christ, they will not only be able to make it work: they will be willing to do the necessary work. Think about it…have you ever been in a relationship where you and your perspective partner made each other sick? It’s because just like if someone is having a kidney transplant, if the donor kidney is not a perfect match, the body becomes sick and rejects it. So if as the rib, we allow ourselves to be joined with a body that is not a match, we get sick of them, and eventually reject them!! Ha! Ha!!
I think Johnson did a wonderful job of removing the pressure from us a people of God. There was only one perfect being, and He died for us. None of us are perfect; however we are being perfected by God. Philippians 3:14-15 states, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you” (KJV). In verse 15 the word perfect means mature. As we grow in our walk, we should behave in a manner that aligns with the level of maturity we have in our understanding of what God’s plan for our lives are. I hope this is helpful, because you are a force to be reckoned with Moe, and you shall take this world by storm!
Wise words, Simone :-)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate a sense of communal identity and mission you weave into this conversation. Your words about the Christian's task to share with the world the grace and knowledge of God resonate with this. This is an age-old ongoing communal task, and the Christian enters into this in his or her lifetime. This shapes the understanding of both holy orders and marriage as well, as the sacramental understanding of these is accountable to not just an individual, but to the community's tradition.
Thank you all for a rich exchange here. Blessings DZSJ
I am truly honored to be with such intelligent, deep, precious classmates who share some of the coolest thoughts and challenge my thinking like never before! And also our lovely, annointed, and wise professor!
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for your wisdom.
The sacraments of Holy Order and Marriage were two that I could not wait to study about this semester. The sacrament of marriage is one of holiness and purity, one that Christ emulates through his relationship with God and others. The idea that marriage is to "make each other happy and produce wonderful children" is one that we all are so commonly familiar with, yet Christ teaches us that the beauty of marriage is to be holy, lovely, and pure as one. Although the common idea definitely plays an important part in today's definition of marriage, it is not the meaning Christ teaches. "Thus the partnership of woman and man does not consist in their revolving around one another and seeking "fulfillment" in their relationship, but in devoting themselves with one accord to their mutual tasks" (Vorgrimler, 287). Marriage is a union in which we are called to be holy with one another. As the marriage is one, the two can draw others unto Christ through their holiness. The concept of drawing others to Christ is the honor that we are left with as Christians. It is our task and responsibility to enlighten this world of the one who died for our sins and that gives us not only life, but abundant life. There is a correlation to be made with the sacrament of Marriage and Holy Order. Christ's relationship with the Twelve is an example of Holy Order and how He chose certain men to enlighten the world and draw men unto Christ. The fact that Jesus chose and trusted Peter, James, and John out of the twelve to oversee and lead others was again another sign of Holy Order. For He chose, hand picked us, and trust us to do just as the twelve apostles did. He molded us into the person we are today; For me, the challenge remains finding the soul mate that He has perfectly ordained so that together, we can be "holy" as Christ is holy. I pray that when that time comes in my life, my husband and I can be one small instrument in drawing men unto Christ through our holiness as one, just as the apostles did. The sacrament of Holy Order and marriage exemplifies how we are to "love as Christ loves the church."
I believe with all of my being that one of the main factors in failed marriages today is we tend to love ourselves more than we love our spouse. When in all essence, it's quite simple... Love God more than our spouse and love our spouse more than we love ourselves. If we could truly understand the depth of this love and call to holiness, I believe marriages would be stronger... as God would be the overseer and leader of the union of two.
"Marriage is a symbol of God's gracious action, and now it is a sign of the union of Christ with his members" (Vorgrimler, 297).
Be blessed and thank you again for all of your unbelievable words!
Thank you for your emphasis here on holiness! You are right in pointing out that our common sociocultural understanding of marriage is one that seeks happiness and fulfillment. To ponder holiness, and mutual holiness at that, takes this to a whole different level! Recalling the universal call to holiness that invites each member of the Body of Christ to live life to the fullest, it is beautiful to think about marriage as a particular expression of this call. Blessings
ReplyDeleteDZSJ
Moe, I was struck by your reflection on the importance of remembering that when it comes to the calling of the priesthood and Holy Orders, we need to remember that none of us is perfect. I think this a very powerful thing to reflect on in understanding the role of priests and those in ordained ministries, as well as ourselves when we are struggling to live up to the highest standards. We need to approach one another with love and understanding and help one another to be the best examples of Jesus that we can be. I, like you, also wonder about the exclusion of women in the priesthood. I understand that church’s teachings on this matter, but I struggle with knowing and having discussions with people within the Church who really feel called to be priest and cannot because they are female. I wish I would have been able to join in class on that discussion and to hear the opinions of people who come from other faith backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteOver the summer I experienced a celebration of Holy Orders for the first time and I was struck by the beauty of the celebration as well as the very intentional act of including the Church community in the celebration. I was reminded of this in reading Johnson. “A long and early Christian tradition places ordination in the context of worship and especially of the Eucharist. Such a place for the service of ordination preserves the understanding of ordination as an act of the whole community, and not of a certain order within it or of the individual ordained” (Johnson 334). I was reminded by Johnson that Holy Orders and Marriage as well as the other sacraments are meant to be acts of the whole community coming together in support of one another. It is one of the most beautiful examples of Church to me because it shows our solidarity and desire for oneness in supporting one another in our faith journeys.
In reading Vorgrimler I found myself reflecting on the sacrament of marriage as an “enduring sacrament”. Vorgrimler says that “Marriage, as an ‘enduring sacrament’ implies this continuing symbolic value and the ongoing state of being Church and building Church….In this view love expresses itself not only in the decision made at the beginning but above all in fidelity” (Vorgrimler 309-310). Marriage as a symbol of being Church and building Church is very powerful. We are called to be Church in our own homes and communities as a married couple and to establish in our own family the vision of Church that we would like to model and live out. I also was struck by the emphasis on love and fidelity being important not just at the time of the sacrament but throughout the marriage, this is something that as married couples, we will need to work at together throughout our lives, living out this sacrament of marriage is a daily calling.