Tradition and Tantrums

 With the recent election of a Woman to sit in the seat of St. Augustine at Canterbury; the Anglican world is yet again aflame with the half-a-century old debate on women's ordination.  Having written extensively in previous posts on the matter from a theological and philosophical perspective, which are still unconvincing to those most ardent supporters of women's ordination; it would seem a point of futility to argue the point any further.  However a cleric that I have known made the statement recently, that the ordination of men only, was only a "tradition" of the church; and argued that such could be changed by the church.  Unfortunately, this is not only untrue, but it degrades the very heart and essence of the priestly ministry to a position of non-consequence.  If such a thing were indeed true that the church alone created and could change the dignity and nature of the priesthood by popular acclaim, then the promised salvation and ever-abiding presence that our blessed Savior assured us would  be likewise undone and proven false.  No.  The priesthood is not something that the church has given us; as it predates the church, predates the incarnation of our Blessed Lord himself in the flesh.  The priesthood that we receive through the church is an unbroken continuation of the priesthood that was commanded by our Heavenly Father to the children of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai, promised upon Aaron and his descendants and the tribe of Levi in perpetuity. 

Christ reformed this priesthood by his teaching and his presence, so that what was begun in faith might be fulfilled and renewed in the divine revelation of the new covenant in His blood.  As he saith in Matthew 5:17- I have not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them.  In this, he has fulfilled the requirements for the old testament and old covenant sacrifices and priesthood; so that they might change from a priesthood of appeasement, to a priesthood of salvation.  No longer do we offer the blood of rams, bulls, and goats to appease and put off the judgement of God; but we offer to God the one sacrifice given to us by his only begotten son, which is for our salvation and eternal life.  Indeed, the entirety of the Christian Church is made to share in this reformed priesthood; as we hear of the priesthood of all believers, as some of the reformation fathers were prone to drone.  However this 'priesthood of all believers' is not a fullness of priestly orders as some might claim; but rather that through the waters of baptism we are all made spiritual sons and daughters of the new tribe of Levi, a priestly order from which the servants of the House of God are chosen.

God chose men to serve him first in the Tabernacle, then in the Temple at Jerusalem.  Christ likewise chose 12 men, signifying the 12 tribes of Israel; to follow him and become the new priests of the covenant, made ever present for all mankind to join through the shedding of his own blood upon the cross at Calvary.  God chose men for this role not because he presumed that they were infinitely more acceptable for the job or because there was some innate thing "better" about them than women; but because he desired to involve men in the solution to the problem that MAN had created, through the first sin of the first father.  

Of course the argument will be made that there are women clergy who are more respectful and more spiritual than their male counterparts in the celebration of the liturgy; but at the end of the day, that's not really the point of what we do, is it?  I mean if appearances were all that the faith and ministry were about, what point would there be in actually ordaining people at all; we could simply just play dress up and take it in turns to see who did it the best.  Supporters of women's ordination will bring up St. Mary Magdalene, and the Holy Women who followed Christ.  Unfortunately for all their conjecture on these Holy Women, there is not an ounce of evidence, scriptural or otherwise; to indicate that they were conferred to the priesthood through the early church.  The role of deaconesses as mentioned in the New Testament is debatable, however it is to be noted that only women who were married to men serving in ministry roles in the church were considered by that title; which would indicate a participation in the ministry of their husbands in the church, rather than one they themselves had been 'ordained' to carry out.  Had the deaconess been ordained deacons, there would have been no need for the gendered term "deaconess"; which indicates it was a different order to that of the diaconate.  

Yes, the argument can be levied that the church is just a bunch of old men who are clinging to power, and refusing to allow the "spirit" to speak through people whom it is calling to serve; however let us pose this question:

You claim that the "spirit" is calling them, yet have you ever asked yourself:  exactly WHICH spirit is calling them?

Of course I need not remind you that there are more things in the world beyond our own of pure spirit than just the Holy Ghost; but apparently the fact has slipped  our collective conscience for too long.  After all, it is "the spirit" that is invoked by churches which handle snakes, speak in tongues, denounce the sacraments and creeds of the church, and even denounce Christ as the son of God and savior of the world.  There is more than one Spirit which can lead and/ or inspire people, this is why Saint John wrote in his epistle-Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out.   Just because you FEEL that something is good or beneficial does not make it so, and just because you FEEL 'the spirit' moving does not mean it is that of the Holy Ghost.  The Apostles knew that this was an important distinction to make, that it is directly mentioned in the Scriptures themselves, along with warnings against those who sought to bend the Spirit of God to their own will; such as the case of Simon Magus as mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.   A man so offensive to the ordered workings of the Spirit of God, that a grave sin against the same carries his name to this day- SIMONY (the attempt to purchase the power of God).  

Beloved, we are not called to enforce our own views on the church and the sacraments that Christ gave us, but to allow ourselves to be conformed to Christ through them.  If we allow ourselves to simply "change" traditions of the church after a while because we perceive them as being outdated or out of touch with 'modern man', then we risk the chance that we will change ourselves out of the salvific plan that Christ entrusted to his church and find ourselves bound for perdition rather than paradise.   It is a sign of extreme hubris for modern man to believe that he alone is "getting it right" after over 19 centuries of Christian faith and experience before him.   Take to mind and to heart the words of Saint Paul as spoken to the Thessalonians- Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.    

We are not called to undo or to change the traditions of the church which are foundational in their nature; but rather to continue and maintain them, so that all people in all places may have equal and unfettered access to the salvation that Christ has promised through his Holy Church.