Posted on 11/19/2004 11:24:44 AM PST by NYer
Should being some sort of sexual athlete, i.e. being able to abstain, engender trust and confidence? To me it evokes suspicion about veracity, especially if the Priest is youthful.
No from the very beginning the Church advocated for chaste celibacy or continence for those who were married. It is a vry difficult discipline to enforce but woven throughout Church history is the proof that from the beginning they have desired that priests follow Christ,living as He did,unmarried and free to evangelize ,teach,preach and offer the sacraments at all times 924/7) in all places throughout the world.
I don't accept your premise. Certainly young men have a stronger sex drive. But it's quite a leap to presume every young man is a dog in heat. I wasn't. I didn't raise my sons to be. And it's unfair to assume young, unmarried men are living a sinful existence. A healthy, holy, single young man will find a physical outlet, like basketball or running.
Yes being married could be a disadvantage for pastors. Unfortunately, too many priests today either came in with an agenda, or were not given the correct gifting to be a priest.
As many Episcopal priests I've known that went through bad divorces, I think it's probably a discipline that should be kept.
I'm also not sure that St. Silverus was ever married.
With the exception of St. Peter, I believe that all of the popes you listed above were widowers whose wives had died before they entered the clergy.
If you are consecrating your life to GOD it would follow that you would take a serious vow of chastity and try your best to resist earthly temptations and urges. That seems pretty natural to me in that situation.
I believe this argument regarding priests marrying is being put forth by the cradle Catholics and other liberal Catholics who don't take the doctrine of the Church seriously in the first place.
The argument that there would be less priests having a crisis with child molestation is also behind this. But that argument falls flat because getting married does not prevent one from being a sexual predator.
The Church teaches we are not common animals. We are created in the image of God and our body is a temple.
1 Corinthians 7
17Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. 20Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you--although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. 23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
I believe it is incorrect to assume that those whose desire opens them to the invitation of Satan are any less capable of being ordained. What we are being taught is to devote ourself, whoever we are to the Lord:
1 Corinthians 7
29What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. 32I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord. 33But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife-- 34and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband. 35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
To say that this means that those who are as St. Paul are ("7I wish that all men were as I am") are the only ones capable of ordination to the exclusion of others I think misses the point. ALL should have the Lord as their first priority is the point, not that some are more capable than others. Anybody can be called - just do not become slaves of men - your wife, your boss or dare I say any temporal authority?
I would have to dig deeper to dispute your claim.
Why?
The argument is not that facil. The question is how many St. Pauls do we have out there? The expectation that sexual super athletes are best able to lead to the Lord to me denies the existence of a gift of human desire. In perpetuating this denial, the church has made the invitation of ordinaton to nearly nobody. The inevitable and demonstrable result is that the priesthood attracts those who wish to completely deny their submission to temptation and who are transfixed by acheiving abstenance and the validation of ordination, all while containing and concealing an uncontrollable desire. You are right that marriage would not change such an person, who would never be worthy of ordination. But, why should the chuch make itself attractive to such a person?
For one thing, married men burp;a lot. They make other noises too
Gosh, we sure have attracted a lot of nobodies for centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries et in saecula saeculorum. Amen
Real funny...lol
...but doesn't answer the question.
Really none of my business as an Orthodox, but I should point out that we have always had married priests. They work very hard and go to alot of meetings, but frankly, so do I and virtually all the other professional, married people I know. Our parish has about 135 people in it. The priest's pay package (salary and benes) is about $89,000.00. He owns his own house (we sold the rectory a few years ago. Young priests want to build up some equity like everyone else). In some big parishes there are two priests and they too work hard, but after a few years, they have packages worth over $100,000.00. And you should know that the parishes pay everything, insurance, social security, pension etc. From a financial standpoint, it seems to me that RC parishes can afford this, but the days of putting five or ten dollars in the basket on Sundays is over. From a social standpoint, I think you'd find that married priests bring a knowledge to their ministry which is very useful.
Dear Kolokotronis,
As a Catholic, I welcome your contribution to the discussion. You always have worthy and insightful comments for any thread to which you contribute.
Even so, I think there are good reasons to retain the rule of celibacy for the Latin Rite, as much as I think it best to retain the option for marriage in the Eastern Rites, and should reunion be brought about by the Holy Spirit prior to the Second Coming, in the churches currently in communion with Constantinople.
sitetest
There are several 3-priest parishes (including mine) within 20 minutes of my house.
If you would read the article,you would note it was written by a woman who's husband was a Protestant pastor. The family came to the Catholic Church.
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