Is God "Mother" or "She"?

Recently, I was at confession and the priest called God “She.” This is something that I’ve heard a lot recently and have posted on before. Is it appropriate to call God “She” or “Mother?” I have taken the time to think and pray about this, and I think that it is inappropriate. I’ve been told that I’m making a big deal out of nothing, and I really don’t think I make a big deal out of this. It’s not something I go around talking about unless it comes up. When people say I’m making a big deal, I ask them: is it a big deal because what I’m saying is untrue or because I make my response too philosophical? Philosophy is the language of theology.

I’ve been told that saying “He” and saying that “She” is inappropriate hurts the faith of some Christians, in particular those who have been hurt by their fathers and women. That makes this a pastoral issue, not just one of doctrine. I don’t know if this is something I would ever preach from the ambo. Wouldn’t this be something to speak to someone one on one about? Wouldn’t that include lots of listening on my part first? Indeed. It would include helping the woman see how the abusive father is nothing like our true Heavenly Father. And while there may certainly be occasions when I listen to others use this language which I find theologically inaccurate and say nothing at that time, I would never myself use that language because to do so is to encourage it.

The reason for this is that we are growing still. While one may at one time not be ready to understand why Jesus revealed God as Father in the prayer he gave us to say, and not “parent” or any other term, at some point the theology behind it must come to light to help the faith of the individual Christian grow. Some frame the whole issue as a pastoral one and not one of revealed theology, but the truth always sets people free and any fear on our part to testify to it would be a betrayal of love for God, self, and the person with whom we are dealing. It may be hard to accept, like the Eucharist, but Jesus preached that, too. If this teaches us something about God, reality, and ourselves, it is something that at some point we must preach.

First, just because some large figures in the history of the Church did something does not justify it. Saint Thomas Aquinas was wrong on the Immaculate Conception, but we must not follow in his error.

Now, obviously to understand God as actually male in sex would be simply wrong as well. This is another danger one must guard against. This is why priests must be teachers. As usual, the truth is really the golden mean. The problem is that theology here is being done bottom-up and not top-down as revealed. God is three-persons, and when we say “Father” we are speaking to only one of them. To whom is the person saying “mother” referring? Earthly fatherhood is named after the Fatherhood as found in the Trinity’s very essence, not the other way around. We are the ones made in His image, not He in ours. To understand the Father as a mother is to alter the way in which He and the logos (which is the feminine side of God) relate. Christ called God Father for two reasons. The first is that Mary was His mother. The second was because in the Trinity’s very nature the Father is the active one, not the receptive one. We have been baptized into Christ’s Body, and so we must call God “Father” as well. Similarly, to call God “she”, as alters the way in which we view God’s grace being given to us. Like in intercourse, God puts grace into us, not the other way around. In all seriousness, I think calling God-mother has implications which help to justify homogenital activity. It makes the Father-Son relationship one that cannot be fruitful. That people are confused about all the issues involving women is because people do not know the beauty of receptivity and degrade it. To better understand the beauty of receptivity, I would recommend Person and Being by Father Norris Clarke.

Start of Summer Update

It's been such a busy end of the semester that I have not had a chance to post. I wanted to mention a few things.

Congratulations to Father Paul McNellis, chaplain for the undergraduate Catholic men's group, the Sons of Saint Patrick. He won the Mary K. Waldron award and was honored with a video by students.

Last weekend I attended the final vows ceremony for two FPO brothers and the ordination for two more FPOs. What a beautiful order. The Franciscans of the Privative Observance are located in Lawrence, MA and worth checking out.

Tomorrow is the ordination of seven men for the archdiocese of Boston. I'll be there. You should be, too.

I am spending this summer as a summer intern in the vocation office for Boston. I encourage you to pray for vocations.

Slide show

The slide show for Boston's first ever Eucharistic Congress for College Students and Young Adults is now online. You can find me in it multiple times, most clearly at countdown 2:28 1:38.

Success

Boston's first ever Eucharistic Congress for College Students and Young Adults was a huge hit. Thanks be to God.

Observer

The new Observer website is online.

Saint Thomas More Society Videos

The Saint Thomas More Society of Boston College has taped its last two meetings and hopes to continue doing so into the future. The audio is fine, but the camera is on a tripod and no one makes sure that it is focused. However, the two talks are worth listening to.

Father Dan Hennessey of the vocation office spoke on 3-10-08

Father Peter Grover OMV spoke on 3-17-08 on Lent

Christ: Way, Truth, and Life

I apologize for my lack of recent posts. Activity has been slow on campus. However, I have had some thoughts recently that need to be expressed.

I recently loaned a book to a priest friend which explained rubrics for adoration more fully. We had an e-mail exchange in which I said,

I'm glad it was helpful. I find the introduction most beautiful. The liturgy is really my passion. I really believe that liturgy done well brings us into intimacy with our Lord and teaches us the faith (lex orandi, lex credendi). When the proper balance between reverence and solemnity on one side and inculturation on the other is achieved, people will be deeply attracted to the faith. Sometimes I really struggle on campus where it can be hard to find liturgy celebrated according to the rubrics of the Church. I know it's justified as trying to reach people, and this is certainly a noble endeavor, but sometimes we go too far. What I'm trying to say is, I think it's great that you ordered a copy. It is an incredible book with many insights.

It was such a striking contrast to a conversation I had just the week prior about the liturgy, in which my interlocutor expressed the view that all that matters was whether or not the Mass was valid. Everything after that was superfluous rules. He was, in particular, interested in rejecting papal legislation of Church music. He is right when he says they can become superfluous rules, but it’s rare that such a case occurs. I don’t know many people who get worked up over priests having to work with what they have. I do know people who are upset by priests who for no reason other than personal preference make the liturgy their own creation, not vesting properly, changing words, and subjecting the laity, who have a right to Mass according to the Church’s rubrics, to the worst form of clericalism. I highly recommend an article which I once read in Saint Austin Review “The Importance of the Liturgy and Liturgical Form” by Shawn Tribe.

This apathy towards proper liturgy seems to stem from failing to put an emphasis on Christ as Truth. Christian living has become about good feelings and not about Truth. But wasn’t it our Holy Father who said that, "Truth without love is cold; love without truth is empty." How many times do people take the time to study their faith and check to see if they are living in accordance with true doctrine? I am not saying everyone should have a theology degree, but it seems to me that every Catholic should be trying to understand what the Church teaches and why. This must be done in a two-fold manner: the first is in prayer, particularly Eucharistic adoration, and the second is through study.

A disregard for Truth could stem from a lack of love of Christ. Imagine this situation: someone comes to you and says that you did something that hurt someone you love deeply. This is something you continue to do. Would the normal reaction be to try and understand or to commit the act more, assuming that your gut was right? Clearly, true love demands that you cease committing the act and try to come to an understanding. Obviously, sometimes one must decide that the act must be done and that the beloved is wrong, but this can only happen after much study.

We live in an age that forgets that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He leads to the Father; He gives the fullness of Life, and He cares about Truth because He Is It. We must return to an authentic study of catechesis in our parishes and among the people of God if we want to increase devotion beyond, to quote Cardinal Sean, a mere “me and Jesus and the warm fuzzies” spirituality.