Men and Women (4)

What I have been saying about the roles of men and women may seem to run contrary to popular opinion among Catholics today (because it is), but that does not mean that it is only my opinion. Furthermore, it is not merely "the old way" of thinking about the sexes. It is the clear and definitive teaching of the Church (whether her members like it or not).

I recall once after Mass (not at St. George parish) when the readings were about husbands' and wives' roles, someone came up to me to ask why I "chose" those readings. I explained that I did not "choose" them since the readings are pre-determined by the Church for every Sunday of the year, and only under grave circumstances can they be changed in a few instances. She said, "well, those antiquated readings do not need to come up again, since that is not the way we believe anymore".

The Church may not be doing a good job of teaching about male and female roles (whether in the Church, society, or the family), but that does not mean that "we don't believe that way anymore". This is not a custom of the Church that can be changed. Our Lord tells us many times in Scripture that family order was established at creation and the fall of Adam and Eve did not make it less strict (in fact, it made it more strict!).

A good source for anyone who wishes to delve further into the subject matter I have been writing on for the past couple days is as follows: the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 11; the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians chapter 5; and the first letter of St. Paul to Timothy chapter 2; the Catechism of the Council of Trent, the chapter on the "Sacrament of Matrimony"; as well as the wonderful book by Archbishop Athanasius Schneider, titled "Credo" in the section titled "Duties of husband and wife".