Veritas said:
...good points. I don't think there should be women priests either by the way...
There is another element to that, if I may digress a moment: "Holy Ordrs" - the means by which a man becomes a priest - is itself a sacrament. And, part of sacramental theology is that a sacrament must have proper form and proper matter to be valid. It might be better to understand the sacramental principle in general first, since it does pertain to the Eucharist. I'll just be brief and put it in my own words.
God's creation is good, and since we are creatures with 5 senses, God works through "things" in order to allow us to see His actions, such as the mud Jesus rubbed in the blind man's eye, or Aaron's rod, or hands being laid upon another. God performs miraculous actions, but allows us to see them symbolically through our 5 senses. For example, Moses raised his staff over the Red Sea and parted the waters, but who actually parted them, Moses, or God? God, of course. That is an excellent example of the sacramental principle.
The Catechism says:
CCC 1127 - Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify. They are efficacious because in them Christ himself is at work: it is he who baptizes, he who acts in his sacraments in order to communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies. The Father always hears the prayer of his Son's Church which, in the epiclesis of each sacrament, expresses her faith in the power of the Spirit. As fire transforms into itself everything it touches, so the Holy Spirit transforms into the divine life whatever is subjected to his power
So, in baptism, for example, our eyes see water being poured over the person, and what we don't see is the grace of God washing away that persons sin: "the sacraments confer the grace that they signify". But, if I used motor oil instead of water, the sacrament would be invalid -
wrong matter. Or if I said the wrong words, like "I baptise you in the name of the Mother, the Redeemer, and the lady Spirit" or some other whacky phrase, the sacrament would again be invalid -
wrong form.
So, a woman priest? The sacrament of "Holy Orders" would be invalid, and they would not be a priest -
wrong matter - a woman instead of a man. (Thats why Episcopal female priests are not priests in our eyes, and their "Orders" are invalid.)
Now, the Eucharist is different than the other six sacraments, because the matter undergoes a substantive change. But, the matter still has to be correct - unleavened bread. Put a piece of Wonder Bread on an altar, and all you'll end up with is a piece of Wonder Bread - -
wrong matter. Get it?
There's a brief lesson in sacramental theology 101, courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Crusader.
