The male hierarchy and how I deal with it!

I recently read a blog where the blogger commented that one of her big troubles with the Catholic Church was the male hierarchy.

I’m not exactly known as being a wall flower. Folks might wonder how I reconciled being a woman in a church where the leadership belongs exclusively to the men. It’s very simple and in fact I see the beauty of God’s purpose in this the longer I am married, and certainly as the mother of four sons.

First I learned something about myself. I think women abhor a vacuum. If there is something that needs to be done, we will do it. I know early in our marriage, when Mr. Pete and I were just learning how to be married, I was very good at stepping into the leadership role. I was a firstborn. Mr. Pete, being #8 in his family, was very good at letting me! I managed the money, I paid the bills, I took care of the house, I planned the vacations, I did the banking and the shopping etc. For a few years I felt that I really was steering our ship. Yet when big life changing decisions were to be made and he wanted it, like a little boy wanting a toy, I deeply resented it when he put his foot down to make the really big decisions. An example of that would be moving to another state! It was such a tug of war we were having. It only got worse when the children started to arive.

Eventually we came to rediscover and embrace our Catholic faith. It was then that we started hearing and reading about the importance of the husband’s role in the family and my role as the wife and what those really meant. As we reversed our roles I think we came to a better understanding of each other. He understood the burden I had been carrying, and it was certainly good for me concentrate more on the nurturing and creative areas I was drawn to anyway with making a Catholic home. I had to learn to not be so bossy and to share my ideas. We learned to compromise with each other and support one another.

On pondering this then I realized God’s purpose for the male priesthood. It’s not because we gal’s can’t do it. In fact we could do most of it very well from administrative to pastoral tasks. Rather it is for the benefit of the men, who have to step to the plate and fill these responsibilities. This is what makes them better people, and how the church helps us all to more fully work out our salvation as St. Paul says.

Which isn’t to say that we women don’t have any say or any power. Some examples for us might be Mary at the wedding in Caanan, and my favorite, the persistent woman with the judge in Luke 1:18! Save This Page

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