14. Women

14. Lineamenta on Women

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE RENEWING CHURCH

God created both man and woman in His image and likeness (Gen 1:26-27). They are both equal before the eyes of God. A far cry from that original egalitarian state, throughout history in some societies though, women were marginalized and had secondary role. But this was not so with Jesus Christ. “While women were second class citizens in his own social milieu Jesus paid great respect to them and associated women with himself in his ministry (Lk 8:1-3). He even chose women to be the first witnesses to his resurrection (Lk 24:1-10; Mt. 28:1-10).”[PCP II, 51]. While the Apostles and their successors were to follow the way Jesus showed his love for women, there was also the reality of a pervasive patriarchy of the Christian churches in our history and the irony that women were marginalized by the very institutions that proclaimed the fundamental dignity of all persons grounded in God’s love. The experience of being marginalized was and is formative in the way women are thinking of their role in the church. In the Scriptures, in traditional formulations of doctrine, in liturgy and in the role of women in sacramental and pastoral ministry, women were represented largely by figures, images, descriptions and positions that presented them as accessories to males and male images and roles. As long as women accepted this role, there was no conflict between their self-understanding and their experience of being marginalized. The women who were nurtured, however, within the Christian tradition became aware that there was a fundamental contradiction between the Gospel and Jesus Christ’s concern for justice on the one hand and the preaching and practice of the Christian churches on the other. The Gospel is reinterpreted in the light of the good news for women and the churches are challenged to proclaim and practice the good news for all, including women.
The women are not only the most active participants of the liturgical and pastoral activities of the Church but are also greatly involved in catechesis and Christian community organizing and services. After the Vatican II renewal of the Church, the women experienced empowerment in their involvement in the activities of the Church reserved exclusively for men, like special ministers of the holy eucharist, holy mass servers, professors of philosophy and theology, head of social action and other pastoral programs of the Church. In some places where there is a lack of priests, the women are taking charge of the administration of the local church as a woman pastor. Exclusive women organizations in the Church like the Catholic Women’s League, Daughters of Mary Immaculate, Mother Butlers’ Guild, Children of Mary, etc. grew in numbers and influence. They are not only concerned with women’s issues in the Church and society. This new phenomenon of more active role of women in a renewing Church is emulating the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary and women saints in the growth of Christian faith and gives birth to Christian feminist spirituality that opens new worlds in Church language, concepts and apostolate.

Question for small group discussion:
1. What is the role of women in the parish? Why?
2. What are other possible involvements of women in the parish so that they can have a meaningful contribution to the Church in our diocese?