God's will, not man's

Women in the Catholic Church have always shared primary roles with men. Like two horses pulling a carriage, they go side by side pulling their weight. One cannot advance without the other, yet they retain their individuality and remain separate in their capabilities.

If men and women were capable of the same things, there would be no distinction between the sexes. Unfortunately, a man cannot freely defend his morals these days without being called a chauvinist or a homophobe. Let me emphasize that many Catholic women do not feel the same way and feel very empowered by the Catholic Church.

In an ideal world, if I were to establish my own church, I would love to have both women and men as priests, but would I be acting from my own will and whim or according to the will of God? The sacrament of "holy order" to the priesthood is a sacrament entrusted only to men and established by God (the Son). Who are we to suggest a change in something instituted by God?

In proposing this we only promote disunity in our church and we follow not the will of God but the will of humans. Just like when the apostle Peter wished to question Jesus' acts. Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man" (Matthew 16:23).Just like a dog doesn't understand the will of his master, how can we attempt to understand the will of our master?

Yes, it is true that the Catholic Church has a Web site, a Facebook and a YouTube channel, but this is not to appear to be keeping up with modern times.

The Catholic Church, which is apostolic in nature, uses these technological mediums for the same reasons we do, to reach out to its children, to communicate with its friends, and simply because internet is such a fundamental component of everyone's life today. In using this technology, the Catholic Church becomes an apostolate.

I would like to emphasize again the paramount, and not at all secondary, role of women in the church. What would the Church be without the intercession of our blessed mother the holy Virgin Mary, or the non-stop prayers of cloistered and uncloistered nuns, who pray so much for the well being of the world?

What would happen to the Catholic Church without the relentless apostolate, evangelization, missionary work and countless other deeds completed by women for the Church? What would the Church be without Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Mary Magdalene, St. Teresa of Avila (doctor of the Church) and the countless ordained and secular female saints?

I would like to encourage all Catholics to ask how they can serve their Church and, in doing so, grow in faith. Unfortunately, issues such as these appear to be small and harmless but are like small snowflakes, eventually turning into a massive snowball.

I would also like to encourage unity in our Catholic Church, which has been so wounded and fractured in the last few years by many despicable and unfortunate events. This is why all Catholics must serve as an example to others and not allow the acts of less than 0.01 percent of its members to startle them.

The Holy Catholic Church, which is a traditional and conservative institution, must maintain its traditional backbone and change only what it has the authority to change. Instead of asking what is wrong with the Church's patriarchy, let us focus on the prominent and equally significant matriarchy of the church.

The head of the church is Jesus Christ and the body is the Virgin Mary. The head cannot live without the body and the body cannot live without the head.

I tenderly propose that we focus on the true Will of God, which is the sanctification of us all, as written in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, "this is the will of God, your sanctification." Let us stand as Catholic men and women in equality, in unity and in mutualism.

Daniel Reyes is a junior biology major.