Posted on 01/26/2004 8:18:17 AM PST by NYer
Advocates of a sort of religious Darwinism - all change is for the better - are agitating among priests a push for making celibacy in Holy Orders a matter of personal choice. Thus is some dioceses petitions from a number of priests have asked that marriage be introduced into their ranks as a general practice for those wanting to serve at the altar and with the sacraments from a home and family, rather than in the fullest imitation possible of Christ, who as the Second Vatican Council reminds us (Presbyterorum Ordinis) is the Church's sole Spouse, she alone being His Bride. He was also homeless.
The cardinal argument advanced in these petitions is that there is a shortage of priests, and that clergy being allowed to marry would alleviate that condition. History, however, runs contrary to that reasoning (or is it more a quarrel with troublesome old St. Paul, who encouraged all serving the Church to imitate him, as he imitated Christ?). The fact is, celibacy never in the past was found to be the cause of the Church's lacking recruits to the priesthood. The Church has always prospered when celibacy is honored and followed; it was in the worst of times, when the priesthood itself was held cheap and dishonored, that celibacy was disregarded. It has been cast aside with practically every schism, so that those abandoning the Church herself usually begin with throwing away celibacy, as did Luther and the English Reformers.
Now, do the ministry and priesthood of those bodies grow in any great degree because of their acceptance of marriage? Is the great rapport of Lutherans with their ministers or Anglicans with their priests because of the abandonment of celibacy?
Newman had hoped for his Oxford Movement that one of its lights for the Anglican Church would be the example of celibacy. He found himself more and more alone in the hope rejection of marriage would light a path to greater perfection by selfless dedication to the cause of Christ. When John Keble, angel of the movement whose Assize sermon had sparked it, married, Newman seemed to sense a defeat for that noble adventure.
Indeed, today the Anglican priesthood with its acceptance of marriage is not only failing to prosper; it is in a condition of dissolution revealed in acceptance of things carnal beyond a married male priesthood. It is not unthinkable to believe such conditions would today be different had the Established Church not have disestablished celibacy.
Catholics, when they are presented with the argument that ending celibacy would increase the ranks of the priesthood, should ask themselves if, even were that so, would something more important than numbers of priests be lost, something todays culture desperately needs? That would be the example of heroism in the practice of chastity. Vatican IIs De Presbyterorum Ministerio et Vita touches on this with an appeal to priests who have freely chosen the priesthood to appreciate celibacy as a glorious gift that has been given them by the Father and is so clearly extolled by the Lord:
And the more that perfect continence is considered by many people to be impossible in the world of today, so much the more humbly and perseveringly in union with the Church ought priests demand the grace of fidelity, which is never denied to those who ask (n.16).
Todays culture is diseased with lust the way a human body is with cancer. Lust rots both the exterior and interior of society. Popular entertainment exposes children to sex without regard for the damage that is inevitable. The workings of lust and the structure feeding it are presented shamelessly even in private homes via television. In Hollywoods greed, the young are preyed upon with humorous or enticing portrayeals of sex. In classrooms, innocence regarding sex is stripped away in the case of safety at the same age when pupils are learning their ABCs.
In this welter of filth and enervating sexual fantasy, a celibate priesthood and the chaste marital fidelity of husband and wife it encourages are the only two countercultural forces. Abandoning priestly celibacy would leave marital chastity without an example of heroism to encourage it, and would inevitably advance the cause of sexual libertinism, already shamelessly reigning in the field of cultural exemplars.
Satan knows that real heroes in the cause of restraint of bodily appetite are among his worst enemies. In C.S. Lewis little mockery of Hells denizens, The Screwtape Letters, Uncle Screwtape asks his nephew demon, Wormwood, I suppose youve tried persuading him (Wormwoods patient) that chastity is unhealthy?
Something similar is at work now regarding celibacy. There is a diabolical effort to convince us Catholics that refraining from marriage is not merely unhealthy for priests, but in fact is impossible. This notion rests on the lie that not having sex is unnatural, and reflects the philosophical error of humanism and naturalism. If celibacy is unnatural, the attempting of it is very dangerous. There is at least a hint in the public reaction to the abuser-priests scandal that everyones sexuality will breakout in nastiness if it is not allowed the outlet of marriage.
The Church knows by both experience and good reasoning that God provides the grace to do difficult good things, just as St. Paul knew that God offers no burden beyond the ability of bearing it to those who wish to serve Him well and faithfully. As for Christs choosing at least one married (or possibly widowed) man (Peter) as an Apostle, He also said no one unwilling to leave aside wife and family (father, mother, children) for His sake was worthy of Him. If there is any literalness to that insistence of Christ, surely it should be seen in the steady movement by the Church from its beginning toward a celibate priesthood.
There is a recognizable link between abandonment of celibacy by most Christian religions and an abandonment of the confessional, with its seal of secrecy. Luther advised confessing ones sins to the neighbor next door. Perhaps he was jesting? He must have realized no sinner with an ounce of prudence would choose to confess over the backyard fence. It is known that on at least one occasion Fr. Damien shouted out his sins from a boat to his clerical superior on shipboard above him. But then Fr. Damien was heroically a priest and a servant of Christ.
Confessing sins is humiliating enough when the hearer is a celibate priest. It would take more heroism than many of us have to tell them to a family man. It is a matter-of-fact truth that secrets between husband and wife exist only when there is nearly superhuman dedication to keeping things hidden, or a great deal of self-interest in doing so.
Finally, there is something highly chivalric in priestly celibacy. That is, having the priest as a model of dedication to cause as was the knight in serving one master only, distracted by no other summons or answering no other call. The chair of Galahad was reserved for him alone because, in the poets words, his heart was pure. Christ said something similar as to purity of heart enabling a vision of God. Taking here purity of heart to mean singleness of love, then both chivalric code and Christ the teacher can be understood as recommending celibacy as a means toward the Beatific Vision. This takes the priesthood beyond the vocation of service to others. Such vocation joined to celibacy brings God better into the sight of the inhabitants on earth, thus encouraging them to seek its undimmed and unmatched enjoyment in the true home awaiting us, where there is nether marriage or betrothal.
The sociology of Christianity is noble indeed, and the cause of service to others that is so strong in this age should not be demeaned or underestimated. Granting that service can be given well, and sometimes is, by those married, if it is the prime motive for the priesthood then celibacy might be seen as a penalty if demanded in priests living of the life of goodwill toward men. But the Beatific Vision far outshines such a motive, and if single-heartedness is preparation here for such perfection beyong, then celibacy becomes the blazon of Christs heroes. Faithful married people surely are honored in the court of Christ above. But there they, too, will give special honor to those who gave their hearts to Him in a most special way.
Catholic mothers have always given recognition to that when they gave sons to the priesthood that is, the celibate priesthood. For such priesthood is far beyond a profession, even a noble one such as serving the spiritual and worldly needs of people: In the pride and joy of mothers of priests we can detect their intuition that those sons are among the elect who heard and heeded Christs call, and therefore unlike the rich young man who turned away from what Christ promised with these words: And everyone has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my names sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting (Matt. 19:29).
Should Christ have a priesthood that strives for anything less?
One more good reason to take out a subscription to The Wanderer.
Catholics don't ask themselves that question because they're not convinced that celibacy has a witness value. They see married Protestant converts serving as priests, they see married men serving as deacons, and, in our diocese, they see lay leaders directing Eucharistic services in lieu of a priest.
While the Church is figuring out how to re-sell celibacy as having a "heroic value", average Catholics see laymen ministering, in many cases heroically, while balancing family and work life.
If the Church decides that celibacy is more important than the Celebration of the Eucharist in every parish every Sunday (because that's what it boils down to), then we'll have laymen assuming more and more of the leadership of parish communities.
Make no mistake about it: the Holy Spirit is alive and well in Catholic communities, and if priests aren't there to lead them, laymen will.
I don't follow this line of argument, at all. I doubt most of those of us who observe marital chastity even think of the chastity of the priesthood. I know I don't, especially when I see priests compensating by buying vacation homes, driving new cars every two years, and going to the Kentucky Derby every year.
Some guys live celibacy perfectly, but forget that Christ called them to not be accumulators of things.
The Protestant experience definitely shows that there is a concern in all denominations with materially supporting a minister and his family. There are no shortages of men who would serve a Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, for instance; there are fewer men willing to accept a call to a rural church with 600 people in attendance at Sunday service.
I don't know what the answer is. I don't think the ministry, generally, is viewed as a satisfying life in America today, regardless of the denomination. Perhaps its due to the better-educated laity, who often can do a better job of teaching than the priest or minister can, and these people intimidate men who thought they were entering a life where their congregations would defer to them.
That's why I think celibacy at least ought to be discussed. Either it will emerge from such discussions stronger, and Catholics will embrace it more confidently, or there will be changes made.
But, this present dissatisfaction of many older priests, who are being worked to death and must forego any kind of retirement because there simply is no other alternative, will only get worse before it gets better.
I don't know that many priests who are actually materialistic, but EVERYBODY knows who the ones are that are.
I'm going to say that, if my wife were to die before me, I could embrace celibacy wholeheartedly. Part of that is due to my age (53), but also because I've known the companionship of a wonderful woman and I don't believe I'd have any real desire to "replace" that. So embracing celibacy at this stage of my life wouldn't be that great of a challenge. And this seems to be the same thing I've found with those men (one of whom I know very well) who have entered the seminary after the death of their wives. "I had a wonderful wife," Jim told me last year before he entered the seminary. "I carry her around with me all the time; no other woman could replace her."
Yes. But, if those "changes" are in non-essentials, and there's a rationale behind them, I see nothing wrong in at least having a discussion.
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