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Thursday, March 28, 2024

From our readers – December 22, 2016

Male priesthood

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read some letters defending males-only priesthood. Comments about Jesus founding the Catholic Church and directing it to have men only as priests are ludicrous. Jesus was born a Jew, lived his life as a Jew and died a Jew. Some believers claim he performed miracles. If he founded the Catholic Church and directed it to ordain men only, he performed one of his greater miracles.

Donovan R. Johnson
St. Edward, Bloomington

Regarding a letter by Carol Larsen (“Rethinking women priests,” Nov. 24), I’d like to clear things up for you. In Exodus chapter 12, it states each family was to procure a male lamb, without blemish. Remember: male lamb without blemish — not female.  They were to slaughter the lamb, take the lamb’s blood and apply it to the door post and lintel so that the Angel of Death would pass by those doors marked with the blood of the lamb. Unblemished, male lamb. Not female.

Now a couple of thousand years later, Jesus Christ is born unblemished, of a woman: Mary, the Immaculate Conception (Jn 1:29-36). As he was preaching to his followers, John the Baptist saw Jesus and said, “There goes the Lamb of God,” speaking, of course, about Jesus. Remember now, he is a male lamb, not female.

Then, on the evening of the Last Supper (the night they were to celebrate the Passover meal), Jesus and his apostles, as I understand it, did not have any lamb to celebrate the Passover meal. So, Christ took the unleavened bread and changed it into his body and blood. Remember now, this is the unblemished lamb that they needed to celebrate the Passover meal. Christ said, “Take, eat, this is my body. This is the Lamb of God … .” Saying THIS MALE LAMB, not female.

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Only a male priest can raise the host and say, “Take, eat, this is my body.” Every family was to procure a male lamb, not female. No female can say, “Take, drink, this is my blood.” Blood of the lamb was of the male lamb. Every priest represents Christ, the male lamb. In your letter you mentioned John Paul II not wanting to change. Agnus Dei goes back 2,000 years, way before Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II is relaying history, standing up to the truth, rather than misleading us into new lies or false history. I hope this clarifies it better for you.

William Petermeier
St. John the Baptist, Dayton

Obligation, not ‘responsibility’

I noted you used the word “responsibility” about how each person should respond to a holy day of obligation (“News Notes,” Dec. 8, Pg. 2). You had an opportunity to instruct your readers about holy days. One of the precepts of the Church is the “obligation” of all Catholics to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. Unless they are dispensed by their pastor or are (ill, care of infants, etc.), those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin (CCC 2177, 2180, 2192).

L. Mitera
Holy Family, St. Louis Park

 


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