Some time back, a church member told me that life as a taxi driver was tough as competition was great and he found it rather difficult to make ends meet. He also said something else which I considered was a mockery to the Catholic Church. Guess what he said? He said that he would have become a priest if priests were allowed to get married. And what were his reasons for that? Well, he said that life would be much easier for him if he were a priest. As a priest, he would be respected and need not worry about food and lodging. But too bad, Catholic priests aren't allowed to marry and that was why he said a big 'NO' to priesthood. He said that if the Pope were to change the rules regarding priesthood celibacy and allow Catholic priests to get married, he would be the first in line to join the priesthood as he really cannot 'tahan' (tahan is a malay word meaning tolerate) being a taxi driver. He also said that if he could become a priest, his wife and children would be well taken care of by the church and they would have a better life.
I listened to all these with disgust. I wanted to scold him but refrained from doing so. It was no use talking to people like him. When I passed by Mid-Valley City that day, I saw the long taxi queue and I said to myself, "If Catholic priests were allowed to get married, then the taxi drivers alone would be more than enough to fill up all the vacancies." Not only taxi drivers but all those who are unable to find a proper job during this recession period would be competing with each other to join the priesthood as they would be guaranteed with a job and their wives and children would have a better life. But is this the kind of priest we want?
The priesthood is not a career option for people who are unable to find a proper job. Only people with deep faith can undertake this important mission. Being a priest means that he should always be ready to tend to his flock from the cradle to the grave and helping them in times of need. But would someone who joined the priesthood with the sole intention to secure a better future for himself and his family be able to be a good priest?
The priesthood is a vocation and a vocation is a calling from God. Only those whom God has chosen and those who are ready to live the life of Christ can become priests. It involves a lot of sacrifices to become another Christ. The taxi driver aforementioned is certainly not God's chosen one. Although there is a shortage of priests, the Catholic Church is still surviving and we shouldn't make priesthood a dumping ground just because we do not have enough priests. Let there be quality and not quantity in the priesthood. Who are those who really qualify to become priests? Those who give themselves entirely to God and to men. "When I chose you to represent Me as a priest in My House, you are not to make yourselves a common man, for you will not bring the souls into the Kingdom by joining them in their sin! Yours must be a pure and shining example! You must follow your vows of chastity and poverty." Jesus, August 14, 1974. Remember, you cannot have both. You will not have this world and the Kingdom of God! For those who cannot live the life of Christ and who want to become priests, why not try out their luck with other sects and groups which can accommodate their whims and desires?
As the saying goes, if the priest is a saint, the people will be fervent, if the priest is fervent, the people will be pious, if the priest is pious, the people will at least be decent. But if the priest is only decent, the people will be godless. What if we have priests who are only concerned with making a better life for himself, his wife and children and comes to church to bla... bla... bla... without meaning what he says? Then the church would crumble. No doubt they are 'ready and willing to serve' for the sake of securing a better job but can we respect this kind of priests?
"Continence, My Child, is the sacrifice asked by the Father. You cannot divide yourselves; there must be full dedication to the will of God." - Our Lady of the Roses, March 24, 1974.
"The heart of the priest, in order that it may be available for this service, must be free. Celibacy is a sign of freedom that exists for the sake of service." - Pope John Paul II, Letter to Priests, Holy Thursday 1979.
Three cheers to Pope Benedict XVI for upholding tradition and reaffirming the value of priestly celibacy.
Those who like this article may also want to read WHY POPE BENEDICT XVI CLARIFIES, REAFFIRMS, REINFORCES AND DEFENDS CELIBACY? and SHOULD CATHOLIC PRIESTS BE ALLOWED TO MARRY? You can also click here to view the contents page of this blog.
References:
1. Cardinal Sarah: Ordaining Married Men Would Be a ‘Break’ with Apostolic Tradition...
2. Pope Benedict reaffirms value of priestly celibacy, blocks move to allow Catholic priests to marry
Another good post on the Priesthood! Thank you for your support for priests. God bless!
ReplyDeleteHi Lavinia,
ReplyDeleteit seems like this taxi driver wants to join the priesthood for the wrong reasons. But of course, to say that the Catholic Church does not have married priests is not true. While is it an exception in the Latin/Roman Rite, it is an apostolic tradition within the Eastern Catholic Churches (not to be confused with the Orthodox). The Catechism, encyclicals on the priesthood, and Canon Law describes the married priesthood within the Catholic Church as "held in high honour".
In the current norms of the Catholic Church governing major orders i.e. deacon and priest, they must be married before ordination and cannot remarry in the event of a death of the wife. This is exactly the same law in the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
The discipline of celibacy referred to in your article specifically addresses clergy in the Latin Rite. Of course, when the Pope speaks, the Catholic Church listens. This is not to say that celibacy does not exist in the Eastern Churches, because it does and only celibate priests are elevated to the episcopacy, but then again, not every celibate is elevated. There is a high esteem for monasticism within the Christian East and only monks are made bishops. One of the recent bishops ordained in Rome is a Jesuit, and is the son of the Catholic priest. He is currently the secretary to the Congregation of the Eastern Churches in the Roman curia.
But that being said, I have met many good married priests in Australia who have done a good job. Being celibate, while recommended and highly held in esteem, is not any easier than being married. There are struggles in any vocation... however the most important thing to remember is that they're both Sacraments, and knowing what Sacraments do, they are good for us. In turn, they both bring good things to the Kingdom of God.