Eastern Catholic Priesthood

  • Thread starter Thread starter notredame_999
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
notredame_999 said:
When Latin Catholics defend celibacy in the priesthood they often cite that the meaning of the priesthood is alter christus- another Christ. Their reasoning is that by giving up a family and the marital act they are suffering just as Christ instructs them to. What is the eastern response to this?
Click to expand...
East - St. John Chrysostom on continence in marriage:Wherefore [St. Paul] says, “Defraud not one another, unless it be by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves unto prayer.” It is prayer with unusual earnestness which he here means. For if he is forbidding those who have intercourse with one another to pray, how could “pray without ceasing” have any place? It is possible then to live with a wife and yet give heed unto prayer. But by continence prayer is made more perfect. For he did not say merely, “That you may pray;” but, “That you may give yourselves unto it” as though what he speaks of might cause not uncleanness but much occupation… But this I say by way of permission, not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself; in a state of continence.”
“Howbeit each man has his own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that.” Do you see the strong sense of Paul how he both signifies that continence is better, and yet puts no force on the person who cannot attain to it; fearing lest some offense arise?

orthodoxanswers.org/celibacy West - continence in marriage.**Conclusion
**
In order to grasp the way in which we have tried to show the biblical basis of priestly celibacy, it is important to distinguish between celibacy and continence. In the ancient Church, many priests were married. This explains why, in speaking of the ministers of the Church, the formula *unius uxoris vir *came to be used. It also explains the great interest the Fathers had in monogamous marriage (cf for instance Tertullian: *De monogamia). *But it becomes clearer still in the Tradition that for a minister of the Church, united once in matrimony with a woman, acceptance of the ministry brought with it the consequence that he had to live in continence thereafter.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_01011993_bfoun_en.html

The Latin Church, at the time of Pope Gregory VII, adopted their best solution of unmarried clergy.
 
RCconvert7 said:
Would an Eastern Catholic be willing to teach the Jesus Prayer to a Latin Rite Catholic?
Click to expand...
Better if a monk teaches it. This very simple prayer has a very deep effect on our soul, if not properly taught by a spiritual father, it may become meaningless to someone who just sees it as a repetitive reciting of a prayer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top