Priests are married to

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Your comparison might be helpful if:
  1. Doctors made promises to be faithful to a particular higher-up
  2. Priests were compensated at the same level as doctors
  3. Historically doctors had been considered holy and celibate and “pouring out” their lives in a Christ-like way for their flock for their whole lives.
 
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Nice attempt to deflect but the premise was whether it was physically possible for a priest to share a vocation with having a family. Not how much money they earned.

That said:
  1. I would argue that promises made to a higher up would make doctor’s lives easier; and in any case what makes you think that none do? There are plenty of Christian Catholic doctors.
  2. Married deacons are able to hold jobs that remunerate well. It should be no different for a parochial vicar functioning on the same basis.
  3. The priesthood has not always been celibate, nor is it always celibate to this day,
A deacon is sacramentally ordained into holy orders as well. All that you said about the priest also applies to deacons.
 
Pitcairn17 said:
A man who is unmarried at the time of his diagonal ordination does take a vow of celibacy.
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leaving aside the vow/promise distinction, the obligation is the same for men who are married and single at ordination: they cannot enter marriage.

In fact, it’s the same fas or diocesan/secular priests, both east and west.

The only difference between the four combinations is that the western church does not (usually) ordain a man who already married [edit:] to the presbyterate.
 
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dochawk said:
The only difference between the four combinations is that the western church does not (usually) ordain a man who already married.
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She most certainly does, on a regular basis. Married deacons are ordained all the time.
 
Yes true but both are ordained ministries under the sacrament of holy orders.
 
I believe it is worth rereading the entire teaching of Jesus on the subject… Matthew 19:1-12. I’m taking from the NARVACE. It is…
19 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he cured them there. 3 Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?’ 4 He answered, ‘Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning “made them male and female”, 5 and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ 7 They said to him, ‘Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?’ 8 He said to them, ‘It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but at the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.’
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10 His disciples said to him, ‘If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’ 11 But he said to them, ‘Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’
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When Jesus is referring to marriage he is referring to one man and one woman in the “flesh”. He also says “Not everyone can accept this teaching (on marriage)”, and he says “there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven”. In the context of the teaching of Jesus I don’t see how it is possible to see marriage as between a man and the church. Jesus says marriage is physical. He also says people have not accepted marriage for the sake of the kingdom heaven. I think Jesus is clear. Celibate priests aren’t married. Marriage is physically between one man and one woman.
 
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OraLabora said:
She most certainly does, on a regular basis. Married deacons are ordained all the time.
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ack. Poor phrasing while in a hurry. That would have been, "the western church does not (usually) ordain a man to the presbyterate who already married . . ,
 
jimXroberts said:
Single priests are not usually paid a salary, but have all the necessities of life provided by the parish.
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In the US, they are generally paid a salary and have a comprehensive benefits package that includes all their necessities.
 
MagdalenaRita said:
In th Eastern churches married men, with permission, can become priests but there are certain restrictions on that also.
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Not really. For reasons that I won’t go into now, there were such restrictions in the United States alone for a time, but those restrictions have thankfully been lifted and Bishops are free to ordain married men as they see fit. Outside of the United States, this has not been an issue such restrictions do not exist, at least in the Byzantine Rite churches.
 
jack63 said:
I don’t see how it is possible to see marriage as between a man and the church. Jesus says marriage is physical.
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Again it’s not a doctrine of the Church. It’s a metaphor or analogy. It means “something along the lines of…”

Don’t carry it too far. If it is distracting, ignore it.
 
MagdalenaRita said:
When you are sick or in the hospital and wanting prayers, you want a priest, not an extraordinary minister.
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Sadly, an extraordinary minister is what you’re likely to get, married priest or not. If you specifically ask for one, the hospital will contact the on-call priest. Otherwise you’ll be lucky to get a non-denominational chaplain or a Eucharistic minister. Except that I know a married priest who works as a full-time chaplain, so you might be lucky enough to get him. He tends to provide coverage for the hospital after hours when they’ve called the on-call priest at the local parish, but haven’t heard back in a timely manner.
 
MagdalenaRita said:
In th Eastern churches married men, with permission, can become priests but there are certain restrictions on that also.
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not “with permission.” Rather, “the norm is . . .”

And in some cases, single men cannot be ordained for the parish.

Outside the horrid oppression in the US, and one or two heavily latinized churches (e.g., Maronite), single priests are the exception for the EC and EO.

If anything, it takes “permission” for a single man to be ordained in most of the East.
 
The consecration of a bishop has an explicit reference to the marriage. The new bishop is given his ring, and at the same time he is told: “Take this ring, the seal of your fidelity. With faith and love protect the bride of God, his holy Church.”

The Ceremonial of Bishops explains the meaning of the ring: “the ring is the symbol of the bishop’s fidelity to and nuptial bond with the Church, his spouse, and he is to wear it always” (Vesture and Insignia).

The Church is the family of God, and the bishop is the father of the family. The full meaning of the sacramental mystery belongs to bishops, but priests are also partakers as the bishop’s co-workers.
 
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