St Mary Magdalene

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='VoTeckam' post='1929570' date='Jul 23 2009, 03:07 PM']I often wonder if Christ came today if he would have chosen any women as Apostles. In the Church's wisdom it has usually tried to do what is necessary to "avoid scandal" and I wonder if Christ was doing the same in his ministry. Obviously Pharisees would have called just about every word from His mouth scandalous... but being the Christ he had every authority in matters theological so taking on the Pharisees about all of the ways that they fenced the law was part of his mission. So while He was not afraid to "shake things up" with religious leaders (Who had every access to the truth) perhaps it is possible that He didn't chose any women as disciples because he new their teaching authority would not be taken seriously in the world (and thus undermine the goal of spreading the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Sumaria and to the ends of the earth).

(as a footnote... I am not trying to make a case for a female priesthood. I am just throwing it out there for discussion.)[/quote]

Good question... of course, the obvious counterpoint here is that we are talking about God. If he wanted women to be ordained, he would have sent his Son at a time (or provided for a social and cultural situation at the time he was sent) to ensure that no such impediment would sit in the way.

That said, only one person is referred to in Scripture as a "stumbling block," and that person is the cornerstone, Jesus Christ.

In addition, not only are we talking about God, but this is the same God who had chosen a human virgin mother in whom he took on human flesh, was born, walked the other for about 30 years, suffered insults by the people he created to bear his own image, and finally died humiliated on a cross. After rising from the dead, I cannot see how Jesus was sitting in a board meeting making the case, "Well, people just won't take women seriously." Whatever happened to using the foolish things of this world to confound the wise? If anything, restricting priesthood to men is a great compliment to women -- truth is, they are in many ways better suited for ministry by their feminine nature. Every woman is a living image of the Church. However, Christ chooses men for the sacramental ministery. Look at this way: a woman's role is in the world, evangelizing our communities, speaking for those without a voice, as a steadfast presence of conscience.

Some people think the apostle's didn't believe Mary Magdelene's testimony because they had to go see the empty tomb for themselves, but I don't think people leave a sheltered room and run a couple miles for an outlandish tale. I think they needed to see the tomb to prove to their minds what their hearts believed from the women's testimony.