Question:

Can woman serve as pastor or ordained priest?

Response:

In Kashmir Shaivism, Reality is structured although it is non-dual. There are Shiva and Shakti, the god and the goddess. The two are complementary; one is related to the other; one is in the other; neither exists without the other. They are complementary, energy and stillness both at once. They are not monistic but non-dual.

 This complementarity is found elsewhere. The relationship of Yin and Yang is but one of them. It is found especially in the relationship of male and female: one is not the other; one is not without the other; one is for the other; one is in the other.

 Women have long been disempowered; or rather the power of women has not been recognized. The inordinate stress on organization, intellect, planning, productivity, and law, has meant that the role of women has been either ignored or eliminated. This is making life unbearable. The mutually enhancing roles of men and women need to be brought to the fore.

I think this idea of complementarity can be applied to the relationship of Word and Spirit in the Christian tradition. The Word is inspired or else it is just talk. In a legalistic Church, the only thing that counts is the law, and this is self-defeating. Only when the Word is inspired, only when Spirit and Word are united, does the Word really become effective, and therefore really become the Word. The Spirit gives power to the Word which otherwise remains fruitless. Again, only when the Spirit inspires is it really Spirit. When they are in right relationship, the First Person of the Trinity is made manifest; the heavens open and God is seen.

The primal complementarity is male and female. Surely this complementarity should be seen visibly in the Church. Since the role of the priesthood has been understood one-sidedly – there is a long history to this, exacerbated by the Reformation – it is felt that the only real power in the Church is found in the priesthood. Is this one reason why women, who feel disempowered, wish to become priests? It is certainly not the only one, but it is worth considering. Will the loss of complementarity result in monotonous uniformity?

There are many more considerations in this complex topic. No one, and that includes me!, has any quick answer. Therefore, there will be no change for a long time. The Catholic Church, which moves slowly but surely, will wait to see the results of the ordination of women. Its caution may be proven wise in the long run.