Priesthood and Celibacy


PRIESTHOOD AND CELIBACY
CL. MARIO D’COUTO SDB
            St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians writes, “I would like you to be free from worry. An unmarried man concerns himself with the Lord’s work, because he is trying to please the Lord. But a married man concerns himself with worldly matters, because he wants to please his wife; and so he is pulled in two directions. An unmarried woman or a virgin concerns herself with the Lord’s work, because she wants to be dedicated both in body and spirit; but a married woman concerns herself with worldly matters, because she wants to please her husband.  
            I am saying this because I want to help you. I am not trying to put restrictions on you. Instead, I want you to do what is right and proper and to give yourselves completely to the Lord’s service without any reservation.
            In the case of an engaged couple who have decided to marry: if the man feels that he is not acting properly towards the girl and if his passions are too strong and he feels that they ought to marry then they should get married, as he wants to. There is no sin in this. But if a man without being forced to do so, has firmly made up his mind not to marry and if he has his will under complete control and has already decided in his mind what to do - then he does well not to marry the girl. So the man who marries does well, but the one who doesn’t marry does even better” (1 Corinthians 7: 32-38).
            Celibacy has deep eschatological roots as well; it is a life pointing to heaven, a life which serves as a continuous reminder to all on their earthly pilgrimage of the transitory nature of this life, of how quickly earthly existences passes and of the unending reality for which all of us were made. It points to a world where marriage, procreation and the passing of generations will no longer be the norm. It is a reminder not to become attached to the things of this world; each generation which has enjoyed them will have to part with them when their earthly sojourn has been completed. Our Lord referred to this very point when in response to a rather sarcastic question put to Him by the Pharisees about the woman married seven times and whose she would be in the next world, He responded, “the men and women of this world marry; but those who have been judged worthy of a place in the other world and of the resurrection from the dead, do not marry, for they are not subject to death any longer. They are like angels; they are sons of God because they share in the resurrection” (Luke 20:34-36)
            Thomas J. McGovern writes in his book, “Priestly Identity: A study in the theology of the Priesthood”, “Celibacy has a deeper inner affinity with the calling to be a priest and consequently, it is misleading to speak of the “burden of celibacy” as if Priesthood and celibacy were in some sense irreconcilable. The priest who lives for Christ and from Christ usually has no insurmountable difficulties in living out this charism. He is not immune to the normal temptations of the flesh but, as a result of his ascetical training, the daily cultivation of his spiritual life, and the distancing of himself from anything which could constitute a danger to his chastity, he will encounter joy in his vocation and experience a deep spiritual paternity in bringing supernatural life to souls” (pg. 115).
            Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne, captures the spirit of the secular mind as he explains the only true basis for celibacy: “For a person who does not experience the existence of Jesus Christ, the celibate is infact a madman or somebody who is sick. Consequently they do not even conceive or tolerate that others can live it. It is not a problem related to canon law or to dogma but to faith in God; a man can come so close to God that he prefers union with God to any other type of union. Celibacy cannot be explained by sociological, psychological or pedagogical reasons but only spiritual and theological ones. Without prayer, without dialogue with God, celibacy makes no sense. I REPEAT: IF A PERSON DOES NOT TAKE GOD SERIOUSLY, HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE ESSENCE OF CELIBACY”.
            Of all these, the strongest appeal to the heart in defense of celibacy in modern times has come from Mother Teresa of Calcutta, in an address in which she likened celibacy to a sign of the charity of Christ. Mother Teresa’s approach was not scholarly. Mother made the point that just as God our Father prepared a worthy dwelling place for His Son in the Immaculate womb of a Virgin, so it is fitting that a priest prepares himself to take the place of Jesus, the Son of God, by freely choosing priestly celibacy. The gift of this lifestyle, she notes, prepares both the priest and those he serves for eternal life, since Jesus calls each of His priest to be His co-workers.
            Here are the exact words of which she spoke, “Your priestly celibacy is the terrible emptiness you experience. God cannot fill what is full, He can only fill emptiness - deep poverty and your ‘yes’ is the beginning of being or becoming empty. It is not how much we really ‘have’ to give, but how empty we are – so that we can receive fully in our life and let Him live His life in us. Priestly celibacy is not just about not getting married or about not having a family; it is an undivided love of Christ in chastity. Nothing and nobody will separate me from the love of Christ. It is not simply a list of ‘DON’TS’; it is love. Freedom to love and to be all things to all people. And for that we need the freedom of poverty and simplicity of life. Jesus could have everything but He chose to have nothing. We too must choose not to have or to use certain luxuries”.
            Further she says, “To doubt the value of one’s priesthood and one’s priestly celibacy in today’s world is to doubt the very value of Christ and His mission – for they are one. Christ’s mission is ours”.             

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