Tuesday, July 27, 2010

What did Jesus mean by this?

First read this.
.
Here are two translations of the same Scripture passage.

New International Version (©1984)
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)
New Living Translation (©2007)
And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

Now read this.

WASHINGTON—Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, Chairman of the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), responded to a clarification from the Vatican that raised the attempted ordination of a women to a “more grave delict,” or a Church crime that is always referred to the Holy See, in a July 15 statement.
U.S. Bishops’ Doctrine Chairman Welcomes Vatican Clarification On Ordination and Praises The Work Of Women In The Church.
Part of the archbishop’s statement follows: (I encourage to go to the USCCB website for the rest of the statement.)
The Vatican’s clarification today of the seriousness with which it holds offenses against the Sacrament of Holy Orders is a welcome statement.
The seven sacraments are an integral and identifying part of the Catholic Church and the faith life of each Catholic. To feign any sacrament would be egregious. The Catholic Church through its long and constant teaching holds that ordination has been, from the beginning, reserved to men, a fact which cannot be changed despite changing times.

First of all it is the "Roman" Catholic Church that is making this statement. Second of all there are other groups who are also Catholic in teaching who do not agree with "Rome" in this matter.

"a fact which cannot be changed despite changing times"

I would like to focus on this part of the statement. My question to Rome is why can't it be changed when Jesus told Peter that it could. Jesus gave the leaders in the church the power and the ability to make rules, not just forgive sins, as we commonly think. If they can make rules, then they can change rules. I think that the problem is not that it cannot be changed; the problem is that Rome does not want to make this change. Let's call a spade a spade here.

I will restate that part of "Rome's" statement to say what is true.

"a fact that the Roman Catholic Church does not want to change despite changing times"

So I challenge Rome to "permit" or "loose" this discriminatory practice. They have been given the power to do this by Jesus himself. There are women who have been ordained "priests" in these other denominations of the Catholic Church; and they are done in apostolic succession, despite Rome's claim to the contrary; and they are preaching the same gospel of Jesus.

I will ask all of you the question.

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO TO SETTLE THIS CONTROVERSY?
Would he allow women to be priests? Would he say that he does not want women to be priests, only men?

I will let you think about that.

With peace and hope,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

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