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To: RobbyS
RobbyS,

That's a very nice reflection on the writings of then Cardinal Ratzinger. Was he, by any chance, discussing the male priesthood in reference to claims that it reserved a position of power for men? Seem to remember him saying that idea was outdated, and that those opposed to the all male priesthood were moving toward a position of abolishing the priesthood altogether, because it was indeed a position of in which the leader was reduced to servitude.

I'm told that priest's stole is a symbol of the oxen's yolk, indicating the burden that is born by the priest.
26 posted on 09/09/2005 1:48:31 AM PDT by InterestedQuestioner ("Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.")
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To: InterestedQuestioner
I'm told that priest's stole is a symbol of the oxen's yolk, indicating the burden that is born by the priest.

Yes, and as Pope Benedict XVI explained so eloquently in his inauguration Mass homily, the burden is light.

"The first symbol is the Pallium, woven in pure wool, which will be placed on my shoulders. This ancient sign, which the Bishops of Rome have worn since the fourth century, may be considered an image of the yoke of Christ, which the Bishop of this City, the Servant of the Servants of God, takes upon his shoulders. God’s yoke is God’s will, which we accept. And this will does not weigh down on us, oppressing us and taking away our freedom. To know what God wants, to know where the path of life is found – this was Israel’s joy, this was her great privilege. It is also our joy: God’s will does not alienate us, it purifies us – even if this can be painful – and so it leads us to ourselves. In this way, we serve not only him, but the salvation of the whole world, of all history. The symbolism of the Pallium is even more concrete: the lamb’s wool is meant to represent the lost, sick or weak sheep which the shepherd places on his shoulders and carries to the waters of life. For the Fathers of the Church, the parable of the lost sheep, which the shepherd seeks in the desert, was an image of the mystery of Christ and the Church. The human race – every one of us – is the sheep lost in the desert which no longer knows the way. The Son of God will not let this happen; he cannot abandon humanity in so wretched a condition. He leaps to his feet and abandons the glory of heaven, in order to go in search of the sheep and pursue it, all the way to the Cross. He takes it upon his shoulders and carries our humanity; he carries us all – he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. What the Pallium indicates first and foremost is that we are all carried by Christ. But at the same time it invites us to carry one another. Hence the Pallium becomes a symbol of the shepherd’s mission, of which the Second Reading and the Gospel speak. The pastor must be inspired by Christ’s holy zeal: for him it is not a matter of indifference that so many people are living in the desert. And there are so many kinds of desert. There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love. There is the desert of God’s darkness, the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life. The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast. Therefore the earth’s treasures no longer serve to build God’s garden for all to live in, but they have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction. The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance."

37 posted on 09/09/2005 8:17:14 AM PDT by ELS (Vivat Benedictus XVI!)
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To: InterestedQuestioner
Yes indeed. The feminists have moved from the idea of getting "slots" in the priesthood to the abolition of it. It is a natural evolution to that of the radical protestants, to whom the priesthood of all believers, is opposed to the notion of a sacerdotal order. In my opinion, that led naturally to a social class structure. or political structure, where the flock was lead by a new kind of clerisy, instead of monks, professors or charismatic figures like Luther and Calvin. To me the ridiculousness of women in bishops robes is like dressing women up in football uniforms. At least the radical feminists understand this. The irony is that in reaction to the power politics of Church politics in the Middle Ages, the protestants and now the radicals want to model liberal and democratic politcs. Power based on popularity and the wealth of individual congregations.
39 posted on 09/09/2005 9:16:44 AM PDT by RobbyS ( CHIRHO)
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