"Learning Fatherhood" are reflections on Spiritual Fatherhood. They are not mature reflections on the theme and may be considered more "experiences" and meditations through which we come to Spiritual Fatherhood in the Priesthood. As a seminarian I know that this will be the identity and challenge I am called to take on especially in these last years of priestly formation.
Isn't Celibacy a train-wreck waiting to happen? Take a young guy - sometimes good looking - and restrict him from a life without a life companion...and the "goods" of holy matrimony?...Aren't we being a bit immature, platonic...too much wishful thinking here? Hasn't past experience shown us that celibacy is - to say it realistically,"IMPOSSIBLE" ?
Isn't Celibacy a train-wreck waiting to happen? Take a young guy - sometimes good looking - and restrict him from a life without a life companion...and the "goods" of holy matrimony?...Aren't we being a bit immature, platonic...too much wishful thinking here? Hasn't past experience shown us that celibacy is - to say it realistically,"IMPOSSIBLE" ?
My answer to the question "Can I be Celibate and Happy?" is simple
"Yes"
and this is why:
To narrow down celibacy to "not having sex" would be to narrow down marriage to "having sex". This sad 'narrowing' of celibacy is perhaps significant in one of the ways society is paralyzed - an immense sexual immaturity.
On the otherhand to narrow down the 'celibacy' question to just a question about maturity would also be immature. What can it then be narrowed down to? Perhaps it shouldn't be 'narrowed down'. Maybe we should widen our horizons to something big, grandiose - spacious and more expansive.
To answer this question with some depth we have to answer two more questions:
- What does "celibacy" mean? What is its purpose?
- What does it mean to be Happy?
1. The Meaning of Celibacy
"Celibacy" according to the dictionary merely comes down to us from the latin "caelibatus" for "bachelor" or "widower". Doesn't this go exactly against what Pope Francis said about the identity of Religious and Priests? Aren't they supposed to avoid being "Confirmed Bachelors"?
In a mysterious context Jesus mentions that there are three kinds of "eunuchs" (cf. Mt 19:11-12) - castrated men usually used as slave-servants so as to keep noble lines pure of any slave blood. Jesus mentions that there are those "from birth", those who have been placed at the service of men (primary definition), and finally "and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake".
Castration is ugly - really ugly. It seems like we've gone from bad to worse. Hasn't Jesus just said that in his religion there will be those "castrated"..."for the Kingdom of Heaven?"
The reading of the Gospel must be accompanied by the life of Our Lord. We infer through other readings such as the one about "plucking eyes out" (cf. Mt 5:29 which he mentions in the context of lustful glances) that despite the fact He worked copious miracles he never actually punished people (such as the 'adulterous woman' - cf. Jn 8) by "plucking out eyes" or "removing limbs". In fact, Jesus forgave, and that, uncommonly. The reading of the call to chastity by Jesus is one that is not 'literal' but 'figurative' but yet real because He lived it himself.
Jesus was and is celibate. His Mother and Father were celibate. Voilá the first genetic mystery in the history of mankind (After Adam and Eve...how exactly they procreated the human race...let the Biologists figure it out...). This celibate Holy Family marks something - not vaguely different - but the biologically impossible. In the final analysis, we have to ask "Why did Jesus live celibacy?" (and connected to it "Why did the members of his family live celibacy?"). I think I have one answer:
In a mysterious context Jesus mentions that there are three kinds of "eunuchs" (cf. Mt 19:11-12) - castrated men usually used as slave-servants so as to keep noble lines pure of any slave blood. Jesus mentions that there are those "from birth", those who have been placed at the service of men (primary definition), and finally "and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake".
Castration is ugly - really ugly. It seems like we've gone from bad to worse. Hasn't Jesus just said that in his religion there will be those "castrated"..."for the Kingdom of Heaven?"
The reading of the Gospel must be accompanied by the life of Our Lord. We infer through other readings such as the one about "plucking eyes out" (cf. Mt 5:29 which he mentions in the context of lustful glances) that despite the fact He worked copious miracles he never actually punished people (such as the 'adulterous woman' - cf. Jn 8) by "plucking out eyes" or "removing limbs". In fact, Jesus forgave, and that, uncommonly. The reading of the call to chastity by Jesus is one that is not 'literal' but 'figurative' but yet real because He lived it himself.
Jesus was and is celibate. His Mother and Father were celibate. Voilá the first genetic mystery in the history of mankind (After Adam and Eve...how exactly they procreated the human race...let the Biologists figure it out...). This celibate Holy Family marks something - not vaguely different - but the biologically impossible. In the final analysis, we have to ask "Why did Jesus live celibacy?" (and connected to it "Why did the members of his family live celibacy?"). I think I have one answer:
To be celibate means to live "Heavenbound".
Baptizing a new etymology - I would like to propose a grammatically incorrect etymology. "Celibate" (which comes from "caelibatus" in Latin) we could fictionally but yet meaningfully say comes from "caelum" + "batus" or "Heaven bath". It's incorrect but better suited for the intended meaning of "celibate" than caelibis meaning "Confirmed Bachelor". To be "celibate" should mean for us (the Christian sense) to be "bound for Heaven" or "Heavenbound" to be "born from above" (cf. Jn 3). To be bathed with the waters of baptism and yet transcend those same waters in and through grace. Fulton Sheen speaks about Celibacy as if it were as "travelling with a jet plane". The design of celibacy in the Chrisitian world is the same as the one Jesus speaks of in the Next Life: "those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage" (Lk 20; Cf. also Mt 22; Mk 12). In celibacy we dare to take on the same design of life in Heaven - yet on Earth.
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| Priest Praying the Rosary |
But it's not enough to want to get to Heaven to be celibate. Celibacy is tough. The 'Cross factor' is no doubt present (ask the writer - he can attest). Celibacy is by definition a project towards Heaven requiring great assistance. It is NOT just a Personal Effort. Jesus recommends that "those who can receive it do so" (cf. Mt 19:12). It is a particular calling and the grace to live it out is a gift - charism.
to be Continued...
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