So, why can't priests get married? Does the Catholic Church really expect these men to be celibate their entire lives? Is that even natural?
***********************************************
1: Jesus and Paul both practiced celibacy during their lives. Although some of the apostles were married, including Peter, we know that Jesus and Paul were celibate as well as Mary and Joseph.
2. All priests take the vow of celibacy voluntarily. If you have received a call to be a priest then celibacy is a portion of that decision that must be taken into consideration before a 'yes'.
3. Clerical celibacy is not church doctrine. It is a discipline instituted since the Middle Ages. I didn't realize this until I read it. This means that it could be changed if Church leaders decided it was a beneficial decision.
4. A priest is the head of his parish. He is there to minister to the sick, the old, the yong, administer the Sacraments and so much more. Being married to the church is a 24 hour a day job (if anyone has a priest friend they can attest to this). If priests were allowed to marry there would be a divide between his devotion to the church and his devotion to his family (and if anyone knows the level of devotion it takes to be a dad they could attest to this!). Could it be done? Sure. Would it be difficult to manage the day to day needs of an entire parish and the day to day needs of a spouse and children? Definitely. This is something the early Church leaders took into consideration as they made this discipline.
5. Matthew West writes that their (the priests) celibacy, in effect, brings about “the most fruitful union in the cosmos—the union of the human and divine natures in the person of Christ. All those who live an authentic celibate vocation participate in some way in this new super-abounding spiritual fruitfulness.”
6. 1 Corinthians 7: 32-34
"An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided."
7. In our 'sex' saturated society some would believe that it would be impossible for a man or woman to remain celibate. This is a sad and closed view of what celibacy can be. Anything we do can be used to glorify God. Is it possible to remain celibate? Yes! Can that celibacy be used to glorify the kingdom of God? Of course. This is actually a beautiful sacrifice that speaks volumes of the devotion and commitment that priests have to the Catholic faith.
Lord, we thank you for the faithfulness of your priests. We pray for their intentions and their continued commitment to Your Church. Please help us to support our priests through prayer. Amen.
For more information about this please visit the following websites:
http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/columns/guests/georgesimjohnston/marriedpriests.asp
http://www.catholic.com/library/Celibacy_and_the_Priesthood.asp
