On this podcast episode of The Patrick Madrid Show, Patrick had a chat with Annette from Austin, Texas, who shared a pretty amazing conversation with her 8-year-old son. While they were reading together, the little guy figured out something big: since the Church is the "Bride of Christ," that must be why only men can be priests—because, in his words, “they can’t marry another bride.”
Patrick was seriously impressed. He explained that the boy is actually on to something really deep. The idea is that priests represent Christ, who is the Bridegroom, and the Church is His Bride. So, just like in marriage, there’s a special relationship between Christ (represented by the priest) and the Church. This means the priesthood has to be reserved for men to keep that intact.
Patrick also brought up a Catholic theologian, Dr. Joyce Little, who wrote about this topic. It's called Women and Ordination, available here.
Annette’s son might just be a little genius! Who knows? Patrick says he could be the next St. Thomas Aquinas!
Sometimes, kids can hit on some seriously deep truths without even realizing it!