“I can’t understand why so many people, many of whom are not even Catholics themselves, get all bent out of shape about Priests being married.”
I am not bent out of shape about priests not being married. What irks me is that someone with no experience in a marriage relationship is being incorrectly invested with the mantle of authority to speak about marriage relationships.
It’s like someone telling a pilot all about flying an F-16 while having never before flown in a plane.
You might be able to speak about the theory of flight but you’re never going to understand what it’s actually like to fly in an F-16.
All i can say then is those who feel it is critical to get advice from someone who is or has been married, then it is best to find a secular marriage counselor. Or a married pastor from another denomination.
I suppose you would have to work with Priests over a long enough period of time to understand the demands placed upon him. And these demands many times come up in the middle of the night or other very inopportune times. I guess I could also use your F-16 analogy here as well, no?
Priests (generally) have no experience whatsoever in the discipline of Chemistry. Does that mean he doesn’t know what he’s talking about when he advises a student to study and do his homework in order to get good grades?
Yep, you nailed it with this one “You might be able to speak about the theory of flight but you’re never going to understand what it’s actually like to fly in an F-16.”
Besides, the Bible describes the leader of the Church as a ‘husband of one wife.’ Nowhere does it say a leader must remain in celibacy, but it does indicate they can be married. - 1 Timothy 3
Secondly, God compares the Church to marriage. It would be absolutely silly to then say ‘but the leader of the Church can’t do this.’
On the other hand,we don’t have the experience of celibacy, so how can we speak authoritatively about what the celibate know and don’t know?