Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012212.cfm

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out.
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping,
those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning, 
those using the world as not using it fully.
For the world in its present form is passing away. (I Cor 7)


Mandatory celibacy for priests has become a controversial issue in the last half century. Perhaps it always was; perhaps it is meant to be controversial. 
Its historical origins are shrouded by that same controversy. Is it a bad idea imposed on an unwilling cadre of priests by the authoritarian church? Or a personal calling heard in the depths of one's heart? Is it an appropriate response to the gospel, or a peculiarly inappropriate response? 
Celibacy certainly has roots in the New Testament, although it's virtually unknown in the Old. Saint Paul speaks of  his own commitment to Christ and the freedom his single state allows him when he wrote to the Corinthians

Indeed, I wish everyone to be as I am, but each has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. (I Cor 7:7)

In that very passage (verses 1-8) we find a significant clue to the history of celibacy. Some Greek Christians, given to stoicism by their philosophical traditions, supposed that Christian husbands and wives should live together as brothers and sisters, in celibacy. Saint Paul, with his deep understanding of human nature, was skeptical. He gave them permission to practice that way of life under three conditions: temporarily, by mutual consent, and for the sake of prayer -- but then return to one another, so that Satan may not tempt you through your lack of self-control.
6Couples do that today when one goes on retreat for a few days. It's really nothing unusual. Indeed, absence and abstinence make the heart grow fonder. 
Some married couples who are experiencing severe strains in their marriage may also find his advice helpful. Perhaps their sexual relationship has been less than satisfying for one or both of them; and they need time to reconsider everything about their mutual covenant. They seek counsel, spiritual direction, growth and maturity, freedom from compulsions and obsessions. Perhaps one or both must find sobriety, sanity and serenity through a twelve step program. The fear of sexual abstinence is itself a symptom of a diseased relationship. Wealthier couples might take time to live apart from one another, in separate homes, until they have rediscovered their freedom to love and be loved. In isolation each must seek that purity which God gives to his people, (without interference from a third party!)


But further reading of Saint Paul's teaching points to a deeper meaning of celibacy, especially as millions of men and women have practiced the Gospel throughout its history:
Life-long celibacy is founded on the principle that no relationship in this world can match the satisfaction that God has promised to his faithful people. The celibate person, who usually lives within a community of celibate persons, is a quasi-sacramental sign that the best is yet to come. 
A recent book making the rounds in the Catholic Church, asks Why Are Priests Happy? I spoke with my spiritual director the other day and we agreed that we are extraordinarily fortunate. After making the initial commitment to this way of life -- which is indeed challenging! -- we find our lives are so much simpler than that of married men and women. Although we can't enjoy the pleasure of grandchildren sitting in our laps and whispering in our ears, we often find ourselves surrounded by flocks of other people's grandchildren, eager to hear stories of Jesus and Mary. Their innocence and eagerness and beauty are balms to the aches of old age. Their piety is reward enough for the sacrifices we have made and nearly forgotten. Indeed we have inherited a hundred fold (Mark 10:31). 


The Carmelite abbess, Mother Tessa Bilecki has written, 

"Celibacy makes no sense at all unless it issues from love. Sex makes no sense at all unless it issues from love. Both sex and celibacy are about love, and I have learned how to be a better lover, a universal lover, as a result of celibacy. I have learned to count on God totally, unequivocally and unconditionally as a result of celibacy. Whereas if I were not celibate, there would be the temptation to rely on someone less than God for ultimate fulfillment.

"I would not trade celibacy for anything. It's really the heart of my life. I believe that there is a qualitative difference in my relationship with God as a result of being celibate because I have to count on him alone. When my spiritual director suggested to me that I might be called to celibacy, I literally screamed and ran away. I was absolutely horrified. It was the last thing in the world I wanted.

"And now I'd be horrified if somebody said, 'Now you have to get married.' I couldn't bear it, because of the joy that I know from living a life of celibacy." 

She has also written, though I could not Google the quotation, that married love is red-hot and celibate love is white-hot.


Celibacy is not for everyone. Saint Paul knew that very well and understood that every Christian must respond to God's call in her own and his own particular way. But it remains an enormous gift to the Church. It will abide within the Catholic tradition until the end of time, and will remain as an offer to all Christians, Catholic and Protestant.