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Fr. Josh answers three questions about the priesthood: Why can\u2019t women be priests? Why can\u2019t priests get married? And how can you look past the human flaws of the priest when he is acting in persona Christi?

Snippet from the Show
\nJesus Christ was radical, he broke many customs. If he had wanted women to be priests, he would have chosen them to be priests \u2026 Mary [Mother of God] was far holier than Peter. Mary Magdalene showed up to the foot of the Cross. Guess who wasn\u2019t at the foot of the Cross\u2014Peter, Thomas, Matthew. Many of these women were far holier than the first priests. However, in God\u2019s will, he chose men to be the matter for the sacrament of priesthood.

SHOWNOTES
\nGlory Story (3:05)

Women Priests (7:49)

Hi Father,

I know you mentioned before you wanted to do a themed show. So I recently heard you speak on church tradition, and the difference between big \u201cT\u201d and little \u201ct\u201d tradition which I\u2019m sure you would elaborate on, maybe even sing about. I wanted to suggest that as a possible theme for the show. I had a specific question pertaining to this topic, and was hoping you\u2019d speak on this: are male only priests a little \u201ct\u201d tradition or a big \u201cT\u201d tradition? I\u2019ve recently been challenged on the church\u2019s position on men as priests and found myself stuck when trying to engage in dialogue on the matter. I\u2019m somewhat familiar with the theology on this but any clarification and insight would be fantastic. Thank you for all you do as a servant and radical disciple of our Lord, for your continued \u201cyes\u201d in answering the call, and example of servant leadership. You are constantly in our prayers.

\u2013 Shanna

Married Priests (21:02)

Father Josh,

Yesterday my family and I had an interesting debate over Sunday dinner on our faith and the Catholic religion. To give context, my father is a 7th Day Adventist and my mother is Catholic, which provided an interesting decision for my parents to decide which religion my sister and I would grow up with. Ultimately, my parents decided to raise us in the Catholic Church. My sister and I went to Catholic school all of our lives and have been committed to the principles of our faith through our adult lives. In recent years, our faith has been challenged with exposure to other religions through friends and even through our father\u2019s side of the family. We will be asked questions about traditions within the Catholic faith and we would not have the proper response other than, \u201cthis is just the way we\u2019ve done it for years.\u201d Of course this is mainly our fault for not asking these questions about various traditions, but in many instances we feel that some of the traditions within the Catholic religion are lost in translation by being passed from generation to generation without explanation. This has a compounding effect in generations like the true knowledge or intent of many Catholic traditions. Our discussion became further involved when my father brought up an article entitled, \u201cCatholic bishops approve proposal allowing some married men to be ordained priests in the Amazon.\u201d In my opinion, it is well known for the intent and reason that a priest should not be married but this has always been a determining factor for young men that seek the priesthood. There are only a select few that have the gift and dedication such as you to connect with this church family in an effective way, and willing to dedicate the rest of his life to the Lord. I\u2019ve only had the privilege to experience a priest through one possibly two of my church communities in my life. I think that one of the reasons is this tradition. Curious to hear your thoughts and if this is approved, what would be the potential impact for the greater Catholic community?

Keep up the good work, love listening to your podcast. I\u2019m a Houston native, Lafayette raised, and work overseas. Hearing your cultural references and coffee in the morning brings a smile to my face when hearing the show.

\u2013 Bryan

Flawed Priests (32:20)

How do you see Christ in your priest when his actions and words don\u2019t seem to match up with Jesus? I\u2019m continuously praying the Litany of Humility, and maybe God is trying to make me live that through the actions of the priest, but how do I get past his humanity and see Christ in him?

\u2013 Bridget

Resources:

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