Session 3-- Theology of Priestly Celibacy
Many people either defend or attack priestly celibacy based solely on practical values (either married priests are too expensive and won't be able to work as much, or married priests would gain many more vocations and help the priests to understand the people better-- etc). However, any substantial discussion of priestly celibacy must be rooted in the theology behind this discipline -- we will show that there are important doctrines related to the discipline of celibacy.
Listen online [here]!
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Priestly Celibacy
The History and Theology of the Church’s
Discipline
Session 3: The Theology of Priestly Celibacy
Note on
Schedule: Session 1, Introduction.
Session 2, History. Session 3, Theological Reflections. Session 4, Celibacy and
the Nature of the Priesthood.
I. Review
of History of Clerical Celibacy
A. Continence
in the Early Church: From the Apostles and early bishops, married men would
separate from their wives and embrace continence after ordination (Jesus to
Peter, “You have left wives and children”; or St Paul to Timothy, “The bishop
should be married only once”).
B.
Preference for celibacy and virginity from the early Church (St Paul to the Corinthians)
C. In
West, perpetual continence remains enforced. In East, periodic continence
before offering Mass.
D. In the
West, the mandate of perpetual continence develops into celibacy. In East,
priests/deacons cannot remarry, and Bishops must be celibate.
II. The
Priesthood in the Old and New Testaments
A. We can
say much more about this when we discuss the theology of clerical celibacy, but
notice that the priesthood of the Old Testament was hereditary and passed from
father to sons; but the priesthood of the New Testament is wholly spiritual.
B. To be
among the Chosen People in the Old Testament was to be born of a Jewish father
and mother, but to be among the Chosen People of the New Testament is to
experience spiritual rebirth through faith and baptism.
C. The
celibacy of Christ and the continence/celibacy of the New Testament priesthood
points to this change from the Old to the New.
III.
Continence and Ritual Purity
A. St
Thomas Aquinas follows the general consensus from the 800s to the 1800s in
maintaining that ritual purity was necessary for receiving communion, and even
more for offering Mass. This comes from
the Old Testament, in which the married priests would abstain from relations
with their wives in the days prior to offering the sacrifices – and was carried
into the Church even for the lay faithful. Hence, for a time, couples would
abstain before receiving communion, and many things (like female hemorrhages,
skin diseases, and other illnesses) would commonly keep a person from receiving
communion. This was never strictly
mandated, but was part of a pious custom. St Thomas says simply, because the
priest washes his hands before Mass (meaning the ritual washing which is part
of the vesting rites), so also he abstains perpetually from sexual relations.
B.
However, following St Alphonsus, St Francis de Sales, and the pastoral guidance
of many more modern saints (as well as the advice of more ancient saints like
St Gregory the Great), it seems better to not put much emphasis on ritual
purity. Indeed, nothing but sin and the breaking the fast need keep a man from
communion.
IV. Priestly
Celibacy within the Hierarchy of Vocations in the Church
Would it
not be possible that the real reason for celibacy is related to the
hierarchical structure of vocations within the life of the Church? Might we not
say that, as the clerical state is a higher and more perfect vocation than
married life, it is unbecoming of a cleric to lower himself to marriage?
Thus, we
would hold that theologically Sacred Orders is fittingly seen an impediment to
marriage – so that a priest could not enter into marriage. However, we could
still maintain that marriage need not be an impediment to the priesthood (at
least not for all) – so that some married men could be ordained priests.
Further, the exercise of marriage need not impede a married priest or deacon
from performing his proper ministry.
Still,
while allowing for certain exceptions to the norm, there could be good reason
for generally choosing priests only from among those men who have chosen
celibacy. Indeed, as the priesthood is such an exalted vocation, it is fitting
that priests be consecrated to a higher state than that of the married.
Thus, the
discipline of clerical celibacy would be seen entirely within the context of
the relative perfection of the priestly vocation and the proper ordering of
states of life in the Church.
A. It is
worth noting how different a thing it would be to ordain a married convert as a
deacon or priest, as opposed to ordaining a married Catholic. The one raised
Catholic already chose marriage instead of Orders, but the convert did not
explicitly reject Orders when he was married.
B. There
is much to consider in that the wives must agree for their husbands to be
ordained even as deacons or (if converts) as priests. Traditionally, this
agreement has always been understood as agreeing to continence.
V.
Priestly Celibacy and Spiritual Fatherhood, Espousal to the Church
A.
Especially in the past couple hundred years, many spiritual writers emphasize
celibacy as expressing a spousal relationship between the priest and the Church
– understanding the priests spiritual fatherhood also as the fruit of this
spousal relationship.
Certainly,
there is much to be said for this on a devotional level. However, in simple
point of fact, we do not really say the priest is “married to the Church” –
even if this is popular today, it is not quite accurate.
On the
other hand, the Bishop is properly spoken of as “married to the Church” – this
is evidenced by his wearing a ring (priests are not really supposed to wear
rings), and by an ancient theology of the Bishop being wed to his Diocese (so
much so that, in the early Church, a Bishop could not be transferred from one
Diocese to another – as this smacked of adultery!).
B. If the
Bishop has the fulness of the priesthood and indeed the fulness of spiritual
fatherhood, it is quite significant that he is Espoused to the Church. This
shows another aspect of the celibacy of the Bishop. Because the priest participates in the
fulness of Holy Orders which is found in the college of bishops, there is a
certain fitting connection between spiritual fatherhood for the priest,
espousal to the Church, and priestly celibacy.
Again, likewise for the deacons.
C. On a
more practical level, spiritual fatherhood and espousal to the Church is made
much more manifest and clear in the case of celibate clerics than married.
VI. Other
considerations
A.
Virginity is primarily a prophetic witness to heaven, and this is present also
in priestly celibacy. Ought not the man
who handles the things of heaven live as much as possible the life of heaven?
B.
Continence is seen (by St Paul in 1 Corinthians and by the Church) as an aid to
prayer and contemplation – thus, priestly celibacy directs the man to the
contemplative life even while he serves God and the faithful in the world.
VI.
Practical Considerations
The Code
of Canon Law also point out that celibacy allows clerics to be more fully
dedicated to service of God, of the Church and of the faithful.
VII.
The Modern Case of Married Deacons and Priests in the West
A.
For married men who are to be ordained deacons, their wives must agree to this.
Why? Perhaps because their wives must renounce their claims to marital intimacy
– the wives must accept continence. At
the very least, it seems clear that the wives must accept that their married
life must now come second to the demands of clerical life. [however, this is often precisely the
opposite of what married deacons are told when being formed – but were does
anything state that the married vocation comes before their diaconal
ministry?!]
B. The Code of Canon Law currently states that all clergy (apparently including married deacons and married priests) are bound to continence. [Canon 277.1 – All clergy are bound to perfect and perpetual continence]. An early draft of Canon Law excepted married deacons from this requirement, but this was removed – seemingly because the Church does intent to mandate continence for married deacons/priests.
Can.
277 §1 Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence for the
sake of the Kingdom of heaven, and are therefore bound to celibacy. Celibacy is
a special gift of God by which sacred ministers can more easily remain close to
Christ with an undivided heart, and can dedicate themselves more freely to the
service of God and their neighbour.
C.
Why is it that a married man can be ordained a deacon, but a deacon can’t get
married? Is there any logic to this law – unless it is related to continence?
That, by virtue of ordination, a man renounced not only any future marriage,
but even renounces marital relations within his marriage? Possibly there are other explanations – but
looking at the history of how the practice developed in the West (recognizing
that the East has a different history), is there any more likely or more
reasonable explanation?
VIII.
Lastly, there is the example of Christ Jesus, who was a celibate priest – but
we will consider this more fully in our final session.
