What event started priestly celebacy?

[Church_Militant]

It is the opinion of this humble Protestant, that celibacy is a good and an honorable thing. Too often I find amongst my bretheren that a minister is often looked upon as weird if he is not married or at least looking for a mate, and a single pastor is almost unheard of in my circles. I, however, feel that it is a good thing for a minister to consider and something to be prayed about most fervently indeed. I my self have considered it many a time and still do, wondering what my Lord would have me be. I’ve come to the conclusion that if my Lord wishes for me to marry he will provide me a wife of his choosing in his time, and if he does not I pray that he will grant me to the gift that he gave Saint Paul.

Now mandatory celibacy is, in my humble opinion, wrong. Not all men are gifted the same gift, and to place this burden on a priest who has not the gift could lead to bad things. A priest shouldn’t have to be celibate to serve God, especially if he cannot contain his passions. As Saint Paul said, “Tis better to marry than to burn.” Wouldn’t you all agree?

P.S Alot of the Apostles were married, and they did just fine serving the Lord. Just my two coppers.

Let’s look at one part of the apostolic writings that was in today’s Mass readings. 1st Corinthians 7:32] I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord;
33] but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife,
34] and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband.
35] I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

I wrote this article a while back and put it on my blog.

Priestly celibacy is unBiblical. NOT!

 

[Vincent]

Did you all see my reply with another question in it about why all these reasons for priestly celebacy are not an issue for men who come into the church as Protestant ministers with wives and children and become Catholic priests? Does anyone want to comment on the married priests we have in many of our parishes?

The following quote is taken from Fr. Ray Ryland’s interview on “Celibacy of the Clergy”. You can download his interview (#9 on the list) here.

He shares an explanation, given by a priest in his diocese, on the difference in situation between married convert-clergy and priests who left to get married.

From about 14 mins 23 secs mark:

[H]ere are men who in good faith responded to a call to ministry in a context where there was no conflict between that call and the marriage state, who also responded to a call to matrimony and in good faith undertook both of those . . .

[N]ow they’re in the Church. The Church has recognized that they have this continuing call to ordained ministry, and so the Church makes exceptions.

[O]n the other hand, the priests who’ve left—they promised. They made certain promises to the Church and they didn’t keep those promises . . .

ince God never works against his Church, if a priest leaves, then either he didn’t have a call to celibacy in the first place and a call to the priesthood, or he’s going against it. I don’t see any middle ground there.
​

 

[emanne]

Wow! I’m kind of sorry I brought this subject up. Now I really don’t understand the logic here. This requirement of priests never really bothered me before until Protestant ministers were allowed to become Catholic priests and bring their wives and kids along.

You say (or the writer of the book) says that a man who became a priest had a choice of being a priest or getting married. But then he’s saying that because the minister didn’t have the same requirement of celebacy that when he decides to be Catholic he can be a priest too, and bring along his wife and family. That makes no sense to me. I can understand the man converting to Catholicism but it would seem he would be bound by the same rules as the devout Catholic man who thinks he can handle celebacy then realizes he cant and would like to stay a priest AND have a wife. The guy who used to be a Protestant gets to have a wife AND become a priest. But the Catholic man has to leave. No, I’m sorry, that doesnt make any sense at all to me. If anything, as I said, the Protestant should convert to Catholicism but remain a lay person with his family. I can’t imagine Im going to feel any differently about this no matter what book anyone recommends to me.

As an obedient Catholic woman I will pray about this but it is actually bothering me more since I got these answers. They don’t make a bit of sense to me. If someone wants to tell me why all those rules for the Catholic man don’t apply to the Protestant man (not enough time because of family obligations, etc.) I would really like to hear it.

Sincerely,
emanne

 

[Vincent]

Because celibacy is not intrinsic to the priesthood, but is a discipline to which the Church has decisively, firmly and freely committed herself, the Church is free to make exceptions.

There’s no injustice involved with making exceptions for certain married converts and not making exceptions for others. The reason is that “[n]o one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1578). The priesthood is a grace – “an unmerited gift” – and it is “the authority of the Church . . . who has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive orders” (ibid).

Whether committing herself to the discipline of priestly celibacy in the Latin rite or making exceptions to what she has committed herself, the Church is freely exercising that authority to bind and loose that Christ gave to the Twelve (Matthew 16:19, 18:18).

 

[Layman]

**Celibacy:

Is a sacrifice to the Lord God,** and a mighty one;
Is the beginning of all the other virtues (can’t remember who said that);
Avoids having a nagging or curious wife interfering in sacred things;
Likely grants the celibate a certain ‘touch’.

A man who is both a priest and a husband and father is more likely to do all poorly.

To those who say “priests should be allowed to marry” I say why is that so interesting to you? I don’t think we want a mild-mannered vicar who shares his ministry with the wife.

Fact: if you don’t have sex your genitals won’t explode.