Renewal

One of our team members has written an excellent article on the first vows of two Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal. Praise God. But it is interesting to make a comparison here with another recent article on the situation in the Anglican Ecclesial Communion. Rowan Williams has recently suggested that the ordination of women hadn't been as fruitful for renewal as had been hoped.
It all comes down to two things really: Authority (esp. who has it and on what is it based) and Vocation (the call)

I had seen another article in a national newspaper which reported that Rowan Williams did NOT wish to see a reversal of the decision taken by the General Synod on the ordination of women.
So one minute it doesn't sound like a good idea, and even might be revoked and the next minute it doesn't seem so bad after all! Very confusing and some may even say very Anglican!!!

What is needed is for us to get to grips with Authority. Obviously this is much more of a problem outside the Catholic Church. This is especially evident in the Anglican Ecclesial Communion since there is no Magisterium. Hence we get one picture one day and another the following!
Ultimately WHO has the authority? Many noble Anglicans, growing from their Anglican faith and not divorcing from it, have realised that Christ HAS given His very own authority to His Church and that Church is the one in communion with the See of Peter. Situations like this bring home the message that there can be NO real renewal without the Magisterium and the Papacy.

And the Catholic Church, with it's God given authority, has stated that itself has NO authority whatsoever to ordain women to the Sacred Priesthood. Causa Finita! Why? Simply because the Church's authority does not extend to CHANGING God's Divine plan. This brings us to our second point: Vocation

Women have an absolutely BEAUTIFUL and outstanding vocation. Every man should feel a sense of awe when looking at this wonderful role of women. I, as a man, have NO right to carry a child within me. This may all sound far fetched but it's crucial. God has ORDAINED that women should be as like the Ark of the Covenant. They are to carry the gift of Life. That's why Our Lady is the MOST blessed amongst ALL women. Essentially God has written in our identity our vocation. Priesthood has absolutely nothing to do with worthiness. In fact I have met many women who, on account of their worth and personalities would make MUCH better priests. But that is how humanity sees things. God, however, has ordained from all eternity that MALENESS be crucial to the priesthood. That's why Jesus Christ comes to us on earth as a man. Many have protested "well Jesus could have come as a woman". If that had been God's plan then no one would argue about it. But God is eternal as are His plans. Christ, True God and True Man, had ordained that from all eternity He would become Incarnate as a male. Therefore the Church has received in Her Sacred Tradition that maleness is intrinsic to priesthood. No one is more worthy of the priesthood than Our Lady. Yet who in the Church, under Christ, is more honoured? Yet Our Lady never shared in the ordained priesthood.

True Renewal will only come about when we deepen in our sense of God's eternal calling for each one of us, man and woman. These Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal evidently have understood that in the Light of God's grace. That is why God is adding to their harvest of vocations. The big message is : Let's stop concentrating on what we are not and what we want to be and let us start fulfilling what God has called us to be through His Holy Church.
God bless