Sr. Vassa: There's no ontological impediment to priestesses
Is the male-only priesthood a discipline or essential to the nature of being a priest? Sr. Vassa (again unflinchingly taking up a contentious topic by climbing up the ladder to the highest platform and then jumping into the deep end head first) dives right in and says there is no reason beyond personal preference to not have female clergy. You know, when people ask me about women in priesthood, they say, 'Sister, why can't women be priests?' And I say, 'Women CAN be priests. We don't WANT them to be priests.' Because you see, God can do anything, and the Church, by divine authority, uh, can do anything, but, the Church doesn't want to - and that's a legitimate reason. What I don't like is when we TRY to pretend that there are other reasons for this, because it's legitimate not to want something, and there are reasons not to want this - right? - but, we shouldn't pretent that there's some... reason, that, for example, the maleness...
One can see the Tryzub on the walls at St. Tikhon monastery Church in South Canaan.
ReplyDeleteLook at the border under the "All of Creation Rejoices in Thee" icon in the first picture here:
http://sttikhonsmonastery.org/public/sv/gallery.php?ssid=93
I've been seated right where that woman is seated and never noticed. Thanks.
DeleteThe Tryzub is a Symbol of the Grand Duchy of Kyivan Rus`, an East-Slaviv State on the terrytory of the present-day States of Ukraine, Belarus and parts of Russia, who accepted Christianity from Constantinopel and was baptised under Saint Volodymyr, Grand Duke of Kyiv 1000 years ago.Up to our days the Tryzub is the unifying Symbol of the Christian Ukrainian Nation.
ReplyDeleteMy wife & I recently attended a wedding in a Presbyterian Church: guess what the flag of Scotland was displayed. And there were bagpipes. So what's the problem?????
ReplyDelete