SPLIT: In praise of celibacy

[ajoedean69]

I recommend celibacy (as I have chosen) over marriage or ANY sexual things. As an ordained priest, my spouse is the Church. What better a spouse than Jesus Christ Himself? I encourage all young men to give up their secular lives for the sake of the kingdom. Relationships with women will pass! What is more important is the Kingdom to come!

 

[Jean_Anthony]

aaa

 

[Marc_Anthony]

Don’t you think, Father (I’m going o trust that you’re a real Priest right now and thus treat you with the respect that merits), that this is the other extreme?

Some people are indeed called to marriage. Should you not be encouraging, instead, all men who feel a calling to the Priesthood, and to celibacy, to join, and not simply all young men?

What if somebody who is truly being called to marriage joins the Priesthood instead?

We should not favor one side oer the other, IMO, but rather favor God’s choice for us, whatever it may be.

 

[Ocarm]

I recommend celibacy (as I have chosen) over marriage or ANY sexual things. As an ordained priest, my spouse is the Church.

Sir,

I recall responding to a post of yours a little over a year ago, at which time you were considering vocations to diocesan priesthood, religious life or a secular institute. See:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=5356158#post5356158

Now you’re saying here that you’re a priest, and on your CAF profile -

forums.catholic-questions.org/member.php?u=152311

• that you were ordained this year in the diocese of Atlanta.

Respectfully, how did you complete your formation so quickly?

I’d also add that the statement:

I encourage all young men to give up their secular lives for the sake of the kingdom. Relationships with women will pass!

• is not good advice. The church would quickly die out if no men took up the vocation of marriage.

 

[DaughterOfMary6]

I most certainly agree that religious and consecrated life are objectively greater than married life because that is a dogma of the Church, but no where does the Church say that everyone should remain celibate or not get married. Marriage is a Sacrament, established by God Himself. Why would God establish something if its opposite was the only way to sanctity? Don’t question God’s judgment. Especially when God designed man and woman to be partners in marriage since Adam and Eve.

Also, I have to agree with the poster before me. It is not possible to discern the priesthood and a year later to be a priest. If I remember correctly, you had not gone into the seminary yet. Even if you have a bachelor’s degree and studies out of the way, it still takes several years to be ordained. Am I or the others missing something?

To reinforce my statements, here is a website on celibacy as a vocation:

religious-vocation.com/

Here is a quote from that website:

Does This Mean That Marriage Is Inferior?

The Church teaches that marriage and the consecrated life were both created by Our Lord Himself, and are thus both to be held in high esteem. According to the Church, the two vocations are inseparable to one another; they reinforce and support each other (cf. p.1620). It is thus that marriage should never be scorned or looked down upon;
**
Catechism of the Catholic Church, p.1620: “Whoever denigrates marriage also diminishes the glory of virginity. Whoever praises it [marriage] makes virginity more admirable and resplendent. What appears good only in comparison with evil would not be truly good. The most excellent good is something even better than what is admitted to be good.”**

In brief, rather than viewing marriage as something negative, one should view both vocations as positives. In this vein, we may consider marriage to be a good, and consecrated life, a better good. This echoes Paul exhortation to the Corinthians; “So then, he who marries the virgin does good, but he who does not marry her does even better.” (1 Cor 7:38). Saint Ambrose, in a treatise on virginity, repeats; “I am comparing good things with good things, that it may be clear which is the more excellent.” The Church needs faithful and holy families in order to produce saints, without which the world would cease to exist.

 

[sojo]

A little hard to be pro-life and pro-100% celibacy. If all men are celibate, there will be no more life unless God opens up this virgin birth business beyond our Blessed Mother.

Celibacy is a great gift for those who are so called. But man and woman he created them, right? Be fruitful and multiply?

 

[Petergee]

We should not favor one side oer the other, IMO, but rather favor God’s choice for us, whatever it may be.

Our Lord and St Paul beg to differ with you. They say that for anyone who can accept celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God, it is a higher calling than marriage. They were not even handed about it, they didn’t say whichever one you choose is equally good. They said celibacy is better than marriage.

 

[Marc_Anthony]

Our Lord and St Paul beg to differ with you. They say that for anyone who can accept celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God, it is a higher calling than marriage. They were not even handed about it, they didn’t say whichever one you choose is equally good. They said celibacy is better than marriage.

What do you mean? They would not disagree at all. One may be objectively better than the other but that doesn’t mean that it’s better to be celibate if you’re being called to marriage. We should favor neither celibacy nor marriage, but rather favor what God is calling us to do. That’s not to say that celibacy is not a higher calling, but if you’re not being called to it…get married.

 

[Shoshana]

I’m well, enjoying my life as a priest in the Carmelite Order. Father Joe Dean, OFM.

:ehh:This comes from your profile…an OFM cannot be a Carmelite. How can one who is ordained a priest in the Carmelite Order write OFM after his name? I have a feeling that Father Joe Dean is not a Priest at all and this may need to be looked at by the moderators…

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

I recommend celibacy (as I have chosen) over marriage or ANY sexual things. As an ordained priest, my spouse is the Church. What better a spouse than Jesus Christ Himself? I encourage all young men to give up their secular lives for the sake of the kingdom. Relationships with women will pass! What is more important is the Kingdom to come!

Priests are not married to the Church.

No where in the theology of the priesthood is this expressed.

May I ask what parish you serve at in Atlanta? There is no Fr Joe Dean listed at the Diocese of Atlanta’s website.

Also, there were no ordinations to the priesthood within the Carmelite Order this past year, not to mention that OFM is for Order of Friars Minor (Francisians). We Carmelites us O.Carm.

Unless you mean the Discalced, then it would be O.C.D. and I am unsure if they had any ordinations last year but a religious order priest would not state that they are a member of a diocese.

Also formation for a religious order is much longer than that for a diocese, though I am sure a diocese is longer than a year. There is also the canon law requirement that any candidate for the priesthood must go though the transitional diaconate which is a year long.

So, seeing that Br Mike had contact with you a year ago it is hard to believe you here.

So please do respoond with how you made it through your formation so quickly.

I am also reporting this thread and requesting that the moderators take a closer look.

Edit: Just noticed that the OP has been Banned. So ignore my post except for the part about priests not being married to the Church.

 

[Petergee]

What do you mean? They would not disagree at all. One may be objectively better than the other but that doesn’t mean that it’s better to be celibate if you’re being called to marriage. We should favor neither celibacy nor marriage, but rather favor what God is calling us to do. That’s not to say that celibacy is not a higher calling, but if you’re not being called to it…get married.

I think every young person should seriously ask himself whether he could be celibate for the sake of the Kingdom as our Saviour and St Paul obviously wished as many Christians as possible to be. Not just to say in effect, well gee I’d rather be married than celibate, so I’ll choose marriage.

Not to mention the fact that many people who want to marry are unable to for various reasons.

 

[sojo]

Am I the only one confused? The OP was banned. But Shoshanna posted as Father Joe Dean??? Oy vey, I’m totally confuzzled here… does this person have more than one posting ID?

Oh cripes – I got it now. Shoshanna was quoting Joe Dean in a manner I wasn’t used to. Never mind.

Sorry, Shoshanna - my mess up.