otiac1

There are two salient points you should understand about the 'all male priesthood.' The Catechism will be especially helpful here.

First, the sacraments symbolize outwardly what they confer inwardly; or, as the Catechism (para 1131) would say, "the visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament." This is important because the ordained priesthood, unlike the baptismal priesthood (or 'universal priesthood of believers'), guarantees that it is really and truly Christ Himself who "acts in the sacraments through the Holy Spirit for the Church." They do this, like "the Apostles and through them to their successors," by receiving "the Spirit of Jesus to act in His Name and in His Person." (paragraph 1120). The ordained minister, in conferring the sacraments, acts in persona Christi, that is, in the person of Christ. As Christ was a male, only men are suitable for the role of acting in persona Christi: in point of fact, the sacrament of holy orders doesn't simply "allow" someone to be a priest, it confers a real, permanent change to the priest's soul, making him a priest. This isn't merely a matter of men and women "not being equal" but a matter of "man and woman He created them:" the innate differences between men and women, created as distinct beings and not simply all men or all women, serve complimentary but distinct roles.

Second is the result of the Church recognizing those elements of the sacraments which She considers the Lord Himself as having instituted; as water is used for baptism and only males are ordained to the priesthood, in this case wheat bread is to be used for the Eucharist. The Church is subject to His will in these matters. Were the Church able to change the matter of the sacraments according to societal or cultural norms, the connection to the historical Person of Christ, who bound Himself in matter and form as Man at the Incarnation, would be lost.

Regarding Christ's sexuality, and how it applies to the why of Why are only men able to be priests?, He was only male; therefore, it is fitting that only men are able to be made like Him. This goes beyond social stereotypes or cultural norms. It speaks to who Christ is as a real person, a real priest, prophet, and king, and not a mere custom of priest, prophet, and king. Were His priesthood, prophecy, or kingship merely customary, then there may be room for discussion. But it is not merely customary. Christ set those apart He found suitable for the ministerial priesthood, and those whom He set apart were all men, like Him in this regard. The Church does not have the authority to depart from the work Christ started when choosing His successors.

Regarding the distinct differences between males and females theologically, these differences being denied and attributed to what the Church calls "historical and cultural conditioning" leads to the denial of the two-parent family structure and polymorphous sexuality: the denial of our "essential constitutions" as man and woman. To deny the differences between man and women is to simply be out of touch with reality. Our human sexuality was given to us by God, in Whose image we are created. The accounts of creation in Genesis 1 & 2 give us some insight as to the differences between man and woman, expressed in absolute form through nuptial love: the self-giving of the man is different from the self-giving of the woman. How this impacts the why of Why did Christ institute an all-male priesthood? I will be quite honest: I am not certain I will ever fully know - while on earth - the precise, full "how." Until then, I will be satisfied with the reasons Ordinatio Sacerdotalis lists: "the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church."

Presently, the Church ordains married men to the priesthood; typically, this occurs either because the priest is a member of one of the Eastern Churches or the Anglican rite of the Latin Church. Celibacy is enforced as a discipline, not a doctrine, for a variety of reasons.

Catholicism's view of social teaching differs from the Christian or universal view in that it is virtues based, not utilitarian (humanist, populist, what-have-you). This is important because, from a virtues standpoint, the answers to ethical questions never change. Within a utilitarian standpoint, or the standpoint of a Christian denomination without any central authority, the answers change based on the methods used to measure the utility of an action (such was what is the "best" good) or the authority used to judge it.

Within Catholicism, such stances are anathema: essentially, you can't have it both ways. You can't condemn abortion as a "necessary" evil when the emotional pain endured by the mother is at such-and-such a point. Because the child is disabled, because the child is female (not male), or because the child was conceived in rape, a mode of utilitarian ethics would say that the abortion should be allowed. In Catholicism, this is not so. Catholicism - virtues - are consistent. Abortion is either murder or it isn't. You can't say it's now "okay" because the baby is disabled, or conceived in rape.

Only the greater virtue of obeying God's will is important, and only Catholicism has been steadfast in holding firm to "inconvenient" moral stances. It's system of virtues based ethics is what makes its teachings on social justice different.

Indeed. We get a lot of these questions on /r/Catholicism, so I had a 'canned' answer for lack of a better term. If you have some free time and ever feel like checking in, we have a small but pretty vibrant group of subscribers on /r/Catholicism, including one priest (/u/fr-josh).

How's it feel to be the second strongest moderator on /r/Catholicism?

"Doing everything right" would necessarily include entry into Christ's Church, frequent reception of the sacraments, and death in a state of grace.

Simply "accepting Jesus" as in a "faith alone," "once-saved-always-saved" system of justification and sanctification is not sufficient, as both Christ, the Scriptures, and the Tradition of the Church extending to the whole breadth of Christian history itself attests to.

Forgiveness is immediate, and is a ministry of the Church by the grace of God and the authority of Christ, but sanctification is a process.