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Celibacy / Chastity
Also See:
Why Priestly Celibacy?
Warning: May contain some graphic
language |
"David
went to Ahimelech, the priest of Nob, who came trembling to meet
him and asked, 'Why are you alone? Is there no one with you?'
David answered the priest: 'The king gave me a commission and told
me to let no one know anything about the business on which he sent
me or the commission he gave me. For that reason I have arranged a
meeting place with my men. Now what have you on hand? Give me five
loaves, or whatever you can find.' But the priest replied to
David, 'I have no ordinary bread on hand, only holy bread; if the
men have abstained from women, you may eat some of that.' David
answered the priest: 'We have indeed been segregated from women as
on previous occasions. Whenever I go on a journey, all the young
men are consecrated - even for a secular journey. All the more so
today, when they are consecrated at arms!' So the priest gave him
holy bread, for no other bread was on hand except the showbread
which had been removed from the LORD'S presence and replaced by
fresh bread when it was taken away." (1 Sam. 21:2-7)
"[Jesus]
said to them, 'Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses
allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was
not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the
marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.' (His) disciples said to him, 'If that is the case of a man with
his wife, it is better not to marry.' He answered, 'Not all can
accept (this) word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some
are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because
they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced
marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept
this ought to accept it.'" (Mt. 19:8-12)
"Then Peter said to him in reply,
'We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for
us?' Jesus said to them, 'Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And
everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father
or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will
receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life."
(Mt. 19:27-29)
"Jesus
said, 'Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house
or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a
hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers
and sisters and mothers and children and lands...and eternal life in the age to come.'" (Mk. 10:29-30)
"[Jesus]
said to them, 'Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given
up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake
of the kingdom of God who will not receive (back) an overabundant
return in this present age and eternal life in the age to
come.'" (Lk. 18:29-30)
"Indeed, I wish everyone to be as I
am [that is, celibate], but each has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and one of another."
(St. Paul, 1 Cor. 7:7)
"To
satisfy the one who recruited him, a soldier does not become
entangled in the business affairs of life." (2 Tm. 2:4)
"Then
I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with
him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his
Father's name written on their foreheads. I heard a sound from
heaven like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder.
The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.
They were singing (what seemed to be) a new hymn before the
throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. No one
could learn this hymn except the hundred and forty-four thousand
who had been ransomed from the earth. These are they who were not
defiled with women; they are virgins and these are the ones who
follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been ransomed as the
firstfruits of the human race for God and the Lamb. On their
lips no deceit has been found; they are unblemished." (Rv.
14:1-5)
"What hast thou to do with women,
thou that speakest familiarly with God at the altar?" (St.
Jerome, Doctor of the Church)
"Chastity
is the lily among virtues and makes men almost equal to
angels." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)
"Bishops,
priests, and deacons must remain unmarried" (Council of Rome,
402 A.D.)
"We
consider [priestly celibacy] one of the purest glories of the
Catholic priesthood" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici
Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"[T]his
complete renunciation of marriage frees men from its grave duties
and obligations." (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra Virginitas",
1954 A.D.)
"As
Augustine says (De Bono Conjugali xxii), 'the chastity of celibacy
is better than the chastity of marriage'" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"[C]onsecrating
themselves utterly to the service and the worship of God, [they] freely
renounce the joys and the pleasures which might rightfully be
theirs in another walk of life" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici
Sacerdotii" 1935 A.D.)
"This
doctrine of the excellence of virginity and of celibacy and of
their superiority over the married state was...revealed by our
Divine Redeemer and by the Apostle of the Gentiles" (Pope
Pius XII, "Sacra Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"Can.
291 Apart from the cases mentioned in can. 290, n. 1, the loss of
the clerical state does not carry with it a dispensation from the
obligation of celibacy, which is granted solely by the Roman
Pontiff." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"In using the means of social communication, a necessary
discretion is to be observed. Members are to avoid whatever is
harmful to their vocation and dangerous to the chastity of a
consecrated person." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"If
a presbyter has married a wife, let him be removed from the ranks.
But if he has fornicated or has committed adultery, let him be
thrust out completely and let him subject himself to
penance." (Council of Neocaesarea, c. 314-325 A.D.)
"This
is what makes the choice of celibacy desirable and worthwhile to
those called by our Lord Jesus. Thus they intend not only to
participate in His priestly office, but also to share with Him His
very condition of living." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"If
anyone is able to remain continent, to the honor of the flesh of
the Lord, let him so remain without boasting. If he boast about
it, he is lost; and if he be more esteemed than the bishop, he is
ruined." (St. Ignatius of Antioch, c. 110 A.D.)
"Who
can doubt the moral and spiritual richness of such a life,
consecrated not to any human ideal, no matter how noble, but to
Christ and to His work to bring about a new form of humanity in
all places and for all generations?" (Pope Paul VI)
"When
this has been sought and chosen and consecrated in the obligation
of a vow, it is damnable not only to enter upon a marriage but,
although one does not actually marry, even to desire to
marry." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, c. 414 A.D.)
"Priestly
celibacy has been guarded by the Church for centuries as a
brilliant jewel, and retains its value undiminished even in our
time when the outlook of men and the state of the world have
undergone such profound changes." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"Can.
599 The evangelical counsel of chastity embraced for the sake of
the Kingdom of heaven, is a sign of the world to come, and a
source of greater fruitfulness in an undivided heart. It involves
the obligation of perfect continence observed in celibacy."
(1983 Code of Canon Law)
"It
is that they may acquire this spiritual liberty of body and soul,
and that they may be freed from temporal cares, that the Latin
Church demands of her sacred ministers that they voluntarily
oblige themselves to observe perfect chastity." (Pope Pius
XII, "Sacra Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"God,
therefore, will give the good gift, perfect purity in celibacy and
chastity, to those who ask of him with the whole soul, and with
faith, and prayers without ceasing." [Origen ("the greatest scholar of Christian antiquity" - although he would eventually be excommunicated and be regarded as a heretic), 3rd century A.D.]
"The
reason [for continence] is twofold: sacerdotal purity, which with
their prayers they ask from God (Dist. 84, c. 3 and dict. p.c. I,
Dist. 31); the second reason is that they may pray unhindered (1
Cor. 7:5) and exercise their office. They cannot do both things
together: that is, to serve their wife and the Church." (Penafort)
"May
chastity, the choicest ornament of our priesthood, flourish
undimmed amongst you; through the splendor of this virtue, by
which the priest is made like the angels, the priest wins greater
veneration among the Christian flock, and his ministry yields an
even greater harvest of holiness." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent
Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"Let
bishops, priests, and deacons, and in general all the clergy who
are specially employed in the service of the altar, abstain from
conjugal intercourse with their wives and the begetting of
children; let those who persist be degraded from the ranks of the
clergy." [Council of Elvira (Illiberi), c. 300/305 A.D.]
"In
the Old Law, Moses in the name of God commanded Aaron and his sons
to remain within the Tabernacle, and so to keep continent, during
the seven days in which they were exercising their sacred
functions. But the Christian priesthood, being much superior to
that of the Old Law, demanded a still greater purity." (Pope
Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"The
dignity of so great a Sacrament [as the Holy Eucharist] also
demands that married persons abstain from the marriage debt for
some days previous to Communion. This observance is recommended by
the example of David, who, when about to receive the show-bread
from the hands of the priest, declared that he and his servants
had been clean from women for three days." (Catechism of the
Council of Trent)
"We
absolutely forbid priests, deacons, or subdeacons the intimacy of
concubines and of wives, and cohabitation with other women, except
those with whom for reasons of necessity alone the Nicene Synod
permits them to live, that is, a mother, sister, paternal or
maternal aunt, or others of this kind concerning whom no suspicion
may justly arise." (Lateran Council I, 1123 A.D.)
"And
does not the priest likewise, moved by the example of his Divine
Master, perform the function of a good shepherd, who knows his
flock and calls them by name? Indeed it is from that perfect
chastity which they cultivate that priests and religious men and
women find the motive for giving themselves to all, and love all
men with the love of Christ." (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra
Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"Since
it is declared in the apostolic canons that of those who are
advanced to the clergy unmarried, only lectors and cantors are
able to marry, we also, maintaining this, determine that
henceforth it is in nowise lawful for any subdecon, deacon, or
presbyter after his ordination to contract matrimony; but if he
shall have dared to do so, let him be deposed." (Quinisext
Council of Constantinople, 692 A.D.)
"A
true knowledge of the real difficulties of celibacy is very
useful, even necessary, for the priest, so that he may be fully
aware of what his celibacy requires in order to be genuine and
beneficial. But with equal fidelity to the truth, these
difficulties must not be given greater value or weight than they
actually have in the human or religious sphere, or be declared
impossible of solution." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"In
the midst of the grave difficulties with which the Church must
contend today, the heart of the Supreme Pastor is greatly
comforted, Venerable Brothers, when We see that virginity, which
is flourishing throughout the world, is held in great honor and
repute in the present as it was in past centuries, even though, as
We have said, it is being attacked by errors which, We trust, will
soon be dispelled and pass away." (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra
Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"We
are no less assured by St. John Chrysostom's treatise on the
priesthood, which is still a fruitful subject for reflection.
Intent on throwing light on the harmony which must exist between
the private life of him who ministers at the altar and the dignity
of the order to which his sacred duties belong, he affirmed:
'...it is becoming that he who accepts the priesthood be as pure
as if he were in heaven.'" (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"Hence
We consider that the present law of celibacy should today continue
to be linked to the ecclesiastical ministry. This law should
support the minister in his exclusive, definitive and total choice
of the unique and supreme love of Christ; it should uphold him in
the entire dedication of himself to the public worship of God and
to the service of the Church; it should distinguish his state of
life both among the faithful and in the world at large."
(Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"In
any case, the Church of the West cannot weaken her faithful
observance of her own tradition. Nor can she be regarded as having
followed for centuries a path which instead of favoring the
spiritual richness of individual souls and of the [faithful],
has in some way compromised it, or of having stifled, with
arbitrary juridical prescriptions, the free expansion of the most
profound realities of nature and of grace." (Pope Paul VI,
1967
A.D.)
"Who
can ever praise enough the missionaries who toil for the
conversion of the pagan multitudes, exiles from their native
country, or the nuns who render them indispensable assistance?' To
each and every one [as applicable] We gladly apply these words of Our Apostolic
Exhortation, 'Menti Nostrae': '...by this law of celibacy the
priest not only does not abdicate his paternity, but increases it
immensely, for he begets not for an earthly and transitory life
but for the heavenly and eternal one.'" (Pope Pius XII,
"Sacra Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"Can.
1394 §1 Without prejudice to the prescript of can. 194, §1, n.
3, a cleric who attempts marriage, even if only civilly, incurs a
latae sententiae suspension. If he does not repent after being
warned and continues to give scandal, he can be punished
progressively by privations or even by dismissal from the clerical
state. §2 A perpetually professed religious who is not a cleric
and who attempts marriage, even if only civilly, incurs a latae
sententiae interdict, without prejudice to the prescript of can.
694." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"It
deeply hurts Us that...anyone can dream that the Church will
deliberately or even suitably renounce what from time immemorial
has been, and still remains, one of the purest and noblest glories
of her priesthood. The law of ecclesiastical celibacy and the
efforts necessary to preserve it always recall to mind the
struggles of the heroic times when the Church of Christ had to
fight for and succeeded in obtaining her threefold glory, always
an emblem of victory, that is, the Church of Christ, free, chaste
and Catholic." (Pope John XXIII, 1960 A.D.)
"We
invite you, venerable brothers, and you, eager students of
Christian doctrine and masters of the spiritual life, and all you
priests who have gained a supernatural insight into your vocation,
to persevere in the study of this vision, and to go deeply into
the inner recesses and wealth of its reality. In this way, the
bond between the priesthood and celibacy will more and more be
seen as closely knit-as the mark of a heroic soul and the
imperative call to unique and total love for Christ and His
Church." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"It
is impossible to treat of the piety of a Catholic priest without
being drawn on to speak, too, of another most precious treasure of
the Catholic priesthood, that is, of chastity; for from piety
springs the meaning and the beauty of chastity. A certain
connection between this virtue and the sacerdotal ministry can be
seen even by the light of reason alone: since 'God is a Spirit,'
it is only fitting that he who dedicates and consecrates himself
to God's service should in some way 'divest himself of the
body.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"If
any one saith that clerics constituted in sacred orders or
regulars who have solemnly professed chastity are able to contract
matrimony, and that being contracted it is valid notwithstanding
the ecclesiastical law or vow; and that the contrary is nothing
else than to condemn marriage; and that all who do not feel that
they have the gift of chastity, even though they have made a vow
thereof, may contract marriage; let him be anathema: seeing that
God refuses not that gift to those who ask for it rightly, neither
does He suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able (1
Cor. 10:13)." (Council of Trent)
"Christ
spoke of Himself when He said: 'Unless a grain of wheat falls into
the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears
much fruit.' And the Apostle Paul did not hesitate to expose
himself to a daily death in order to obtain among his faithful
glory in Christ Jesus. In a similar way, by a daily dying to
himself and by giving up the legitimate love of a family of his
own for the love of Christ and of His kingdom, the priest will
find the glory of an exceedingly rich and fruitful life in Christ,
because like Him and in Him, he loves and dedicates himself to all
the children of God." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"Christ,
the only Son of the Father, by the power of the Incarnation itself
was made Mediator between heaven and earth, between the Father and
the human race. Wholly in accord with this mission, Christ
remained throughout His whole life in the state of celibacy, which
signified His total dedication to the service of God and men. This
deep concern between celibacy and the priesthood of Christ is
reflected in those whose fortune it is to share in the dignity and
mission of the Mediator and eternal Priest; this sharing will be
more perfect the freer the sacred minister is from the bonds of
flesh and blood." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"In
the community of the faithful committed to his charge, the priest
represents Christ. Thus, it is most fitting that in all things he
should reproduce the image of Christ and in particular follow His
example, both in his personal and in his apostolic life. To his
children in Christ, the priest is a sign and a pledge of that
sublime and new reality which is the kingdom of God; he dispenses
it and he possesses it to a more perfect degree. Thus he nourishes
the faith and hope of all Christians, who, as such, are bound to
observe chastity according to their proper state of life."
(Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"But
it is no longer possible for you [who have taken a vow of
celibacy] to preserve the legitimate conditions of marriage. For
if a person who has been joined to the heavenly Bridegroom
afterwards deserts Him and joins himself to a woman, the act is
adultery even if you call it marriage a myriad times over; or
rather, it is as much worse than adultery as God is better than
man. Do not be deceived by anyone's saying, 'God has not forbidden
marriage.' I know that as well as you. He has not forbidden
marriage; but He has forbidden adultery, which is what you [that
is, Theodore] are contemplating." (St. John Chrysostom,
Doctor of the Church, c. 371 A.D.)
"Our
Lord and Master has said that 'in the resurrection they neither
marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.'
In the world of man, so deeply involved in earthly concerns and
too often enslaved by the desires of the flesh, the precious and
almost divine gift of perfect continence for the kingdom of heaven
stands out precisely as 'a special token of the rewards of
heaven'; it proclaims the presence on earth of the final stages of
salvation with the arrival of a new world, and in a way it
anticipates the fulfillment of the kingdom as it sets forth its
supreme values which will one day shine forth in all the children
of God." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"Moreover,
the Church cannot and should not fail to realize that the choice
of celibacy - provided that it is made with [proper] Christian
prudence and responsibility - is governed by grace which, far from
destroying or doing violence to nature, elevates it and imparts
to it supernatural powers and vigor. God, who has created and
redeemed man, knows what He can ask of him and gives him
everything necessary to be able to do what his Creator and
Redeemer asks of him. St. Augustine, who had fully and painfully
experienced in himself the nature of man, exclaimed: 'Grant what
You command, and command what You will.''' (Pope Paul VI, 1967
A.D.)
"In
order to live as a celibate in a mature and untroubled way it
seems particularly important that the priest should develop deep
within himself the image of women as sisters. In Christ, men and
women are brothers and sisters, independently of any bonds of
family relationship. This is a universal bond, thanks to which the
priest can be open to every new situation, even the most foreign
from an ethnic or cultural standpoint, knowing that he must
exercise towards the men and women to whom he is sent a ministry
of authentic spiritual fatherhood, which gains him 'sons' and
'daughters' in the Lord (cf. 1 Thes. 2:11, Gal. 4:19)." (Pope
John Paul II)
"The
consecration to Christ under an additional and lofty title like
celibacy evidently gives to the priest, even in the practical
field, the maximum efficiency and the best disposition of mind,
mentally and emotionally, for the continuous exercise of a perfect
charity. This charity will permit him to spend himself wholly for
the welfare of all, in a fuller and more concrete way. It also
obviously guarantees him a greater freedom and flexibility in the
pastoral ministry, in his active and living presence in the world,
to which Christ has sent him so that he may pay fully to all the
children of God the debt due to them." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"[I]t
is against common sense, which the Church always holds in esteem,
to consider the sexual instinct as the most important and the
deepest of human tendencies, and to conclude from this that man
cannot restrain it for his whole life without danger to his vital
nervous system, and consequently without injuring the harmony of
his personality. As St. Thomas very rightly observes, the deepest
natural instinct is the instinct of self-preservation; the sexual
instinct comes second. In addition, it is for the rational
inclination, which is the distinguishing privilege of our nature,
to regulate these fundamental instincts and by dominating to
ennoble them." (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra Virginitas",
1954 A.D.)
"Venerable
brothers in the episcopacy, priest and ministers of the altar, by
way of completing and leaving a remembrance of this written
conversation with you, we should like to suggest this resolution
to you: that on the anniversary of his ordination, or on Holy
Thursday when all are united in spirit commemorating the mystery
of the institution of the priesthood, each one should renew his
total gift of himself to Christ our Lord; reviving in this way the
awareness that He has chosen you for His divine service, and
repeating at the same time, humbly and courageously, the promise
of our unswerving faithfulness to His love alone in your offering
of perfect chastity." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"For
the Divine Master showed such high esteem for chastity, and
exalted it as something beyond the common power; He Himself was
the Son of a Virgin Mother, Florem Matris Virginis, and was
brought up in the virgin family of Joseph and Mary; He showed
special love for pure souls such as the two Johns - the Baptist
and the Evangelist. The great Apostle Paul, faithful interpreter
of the New Law and of the mind of Christ, preached the inestimable
value of virginity, in view of a more fervent service of God, and
gave the reason when he said: 'He that is without a wife is
solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may
please God.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii",
1935 A.D.)
"If
this means that the priest is without a direct personal experience
of married life, he nevertheless will be able through his
training, his ministry and the grace of his office, to gain even
deeper insights into every human yearning. This will allow him to
meet problems of this kind at their source and give solid support
by his advice and assistance to married persons and Christian
families. For the Christian family, the example of the priest who
is living his life of celibacy to the full will underscore the
spiritual dimension of every love worthy of the name, and his
personal sacrifice will merit for the faithful united in the holy
bond of matrimony the grace of a true union." (Pope Paul VI,
1967 A.D.)
"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 neighbor. §2 Clerics are to behave with
due prudence in relation to persons whose company can be a danger
to their obligation of preserving continence or can lead to
scandal of the faithful. §3 The diocesan Bishop has authority to
establish more detailed rules concerning this matter, and to pass
judgement on the observance of the obligation in particular
cases." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Moreover
the Fathers of the Church considered this obligation of perfect
chastity as a kind of spiritual marriage, in which the soul is
wedded to Christ; so that some go so far as to compare breaking
the vow with adultery. Thus, St. Athanasius writes that the
Catholic Church has been accustomed to call those who have the
virtue of virginity the spouses of Christ. And St. Ambrose,
writing succinctly of the consecrated virgin, says, 'She is a
virgin who is married to God.' In fact, as is clear from the
writings of the same Doctor of Milan, as early as the fourth
century the rite of consecration of a virgin was very like the
rite the Church uses in our own day in the marriage
blessing." (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra Virginitas", 1954
A.D.)
"The
vocation to celibacy needs to be consciously protected by keeping
special watch over one's feelings and over one's whole conduct. In
particular, it must be protected by those priests who, following
the discipline in force in the Western Church and so highly
esteemed by the Eastern Church, have chosen celibacy for the sake
of the Kingdom of God. If in a relationship with a woman the gift
and the choice of celibacy should become endangered, the priest
cannot but strive earnestly to remain faithful to his own
vocation. Such a defense would not mean that marriage in itself is
something bad, but that for him the path is a different one. For
him to abandon that path would be to break the word he has given
to God." (Pope John Paul II)
"Now,
however, We want you to rally to combat the abominable conspiracy
against clerical celibacy. This conspiracy spreads daily and is
promoted by profligate philosophers, some even from the clerical
order. They have forgotten their person and office, and have been
carried away by the enticements of pleasure. They have even dared
to make repeated public demands to the princes for the abolition
of that most holy discipline. But it is disgusting to dwell on
these evil attempts at length. Rather, We ask that you strive with
all your might to justify and to defend the law of clerical
celibacy as prescribed by the sacred canons, against which the
arrows of the lascivious are directed from every side." (Pope
Gregory XVI, "Mirari Vos", 1832 A.D.)
"Can.
1395 §1 Apart from the case mentioned in can. 1394, a cleric
living in concubinage, and a cleric who continues in some other
external sin against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue which
causes scandal, is to be punished with suspension. To this, other
penalties can progressively be added if after a warning he
persists in the offence, until eventually he can be dismissed from
the clerical state. §2 A cleric who has offended in other ways
against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, if the crime was
committed by force, or by threats, or in public, or with a minor
under the age of sixteen years, is to be punished with just
penalties, not excluding dismissal from the clerical state if the
case so warrants." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"It
was not possible that Death should cease his works so long as
mankind by marriage was working too; he walked the path of life in
all generations past; he started with every new-born child an
accompanied it to the end; but he found at last in virginity a
barrier beyond which he could not pass. Just as in the time of
Mary, the Mother of God, the Death who had reigned from Adam until
then found, when he came to her and dashed his forces against the
fruit of her virginity as a rock, that he was himself shattered
against her, so too in every soul that passes through this life in
flesh that is protected by virginity, the strength of Death is
shattered and annulled, when Death finds no place to fix his
sting." (St. Gregory of Nyssa, c. 370 A.D.)
"We
readily grant that the natural and lawful desire a man has to love
a woman and to raise a family is renounced by the celibate in
sacred orders; but it cannot be said that marriage and the family
are the only way for fully developing the human person. In the
priest's heart love is by no means extinct. His charity is drawn
from the purest source, practiced in the imitation of God and
Christ, and is no less demanding and real than any other genuine
love. It gives the priest a limitless horizon, deepens and gives
breadth to his sense of responsibility - a mark of mature
personality - and inculcates in him, as a sign of a higher and
greater fatherhood, a generosity and refinement of heart which
offer a superlative enrichment." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"It
is especially important that the priest understand the theological
motivation of the Church's law on celibacy. Inasmuch as it is a
law, it expresses the Church's will, even before the will of the
subject expressed by his readiness. But the will of the Church
finds its ultimate motivation in the link between celibacy and
sacred ordination, which configures the priest to Jesus Christ the
head and spouse of the Church. The Church, as the spouse of Jesus
Christ, wishes to be loved by the priest in the total and
exclusive manner in which Jesus Christ her head and spouse loved
her. Priestly celibacy, then, is the gift of self in and with
Christ to his Church and expresses the priest's service to the
Church in and with the Lord." (Pope John Paul II)
"Although
they who are not within the ranks of the clergy are free to take
pleasure in the companionship of wedlock and the procreation of
children, yet for the sake of exhibiting the purity of complete
continence, even subdeacons are not allowed carnal marriage; that
both they that have wives be as though they had none (1 Cor.
7:29), and they that have not may remain single. But if in this
order, which is the fourth from the head, this is worthy to be
observed, how much more is it to be kept in the first, second, and
third, lest anyone be reckoned fit for either the deacon's duties
or the presbyter's honorable position, or the bishop's
pre-eminence, who is discovered as not yet having bridled his
uxorious desires." (Pope St. Leo I the Great, Doctor of the
Church, 5th century A.D.)
"For
renouncing thereby the companionship of marriage for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt. 19:12), they embrace the Lord
with an undivided love altogether befitting the new covenant, bear
witness to the resurrection of the world to come (cf. Lk. 20:36),
and obtain a most suitable aid for the continual exercise of that
perfect charity whereby they can become all things to all men in
their priestly ministry. Let them deeply realize how gratefully
that state ought to be received, not, indeed, only as commanded by
ecclesiastical law, but as a precious gift of God for which they
should humbly pray. Through the inspiration and help of the grace
of the Holy Spirit let them freely and generously hasten to
respond to this gift." (Second Vatican Council)
"Thus
the Catholic priest is freed from the bonds of a family and of
self-interest - the chief bonds which could bind him too closely
to earth. Thus freed, his heart will more readily take flame from
that heavenly fire that burns in the Heart of Jesus; that fire
that seeks only to inflame apostolic hearts and through them 'cast
fire on all the earth.' This is the fire of zeal. Like the zeal of
Jesus described in Holy Scripture, the zeal of the priest for the
glory of God and the salvation of souls ought to consume him. It
should make him forget himself and all earthly things. It should
powerfully urge him to dedicate himself utterly to his sublime
work, and to search out means ever more effective for an
apostolate ever wider and ever better." (Pope Pius XI, "Ad
Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"By
reason of his celibacy the priest is a man alone: that is true,
but his solitude is not meaningless emptiness because it is filled
with God and the brimming riches of His kingdom. Moreover, he has
prepared himself for this solitude - which should be an internal
and external plenitude of charity - if he has chosen it with full
understanding, and not through any proud desire to be different
from the rest of men, or to withdraw himself from common
responsibilities, or to alienate himself from his brothers, or to
show contempt for the world. Though set apart from the world, the
priest is not separated from the [faithful], because he has
been 'appointed to act on behalf of men,' since he is
'consecrated' completely to charity and to the work for which the
Lord has chosen him." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"The
history of the Council [of Trent] is marked by attempts to modify
the law on celibacy. We know that in a particular way, emperors,
kings and princes, as well as representatives of the Church
herself, were involved in an attempt at securing a relaxation of
or a dispensation from the obligation to celibacy. They had a
positive objective; namely to win back those ministers who had
left the Catholic Church. Nonetheless, a commission established by
the Roman Pontiffs to treat of this question came to the
conclusion, on the basis of the ancient tradition, that the
commitment to celibacy was to be maintained without compromise.
The Church could not reject an obligation which had been valid
from the very beginning and which had been constantly repeated and
enforced throughout the centuries." (Cardinal Stickler)
"The
priest should apply himself above all else to developing, with all
the love grace inspires in him, his close relationship with
Christ, and exploring this inexhaustible and enriching mystery; he
should also acquire an ever deeper sense of the mystery of the
Church. There would be the risk of his state of life seeming
unreasonable and unfounded if it is viewed apart from this
mystery. Priestly piety, nourished at the table of God's word and
the Holy Eucharist, lived within the cycle of the liturgical year,
inspired by a warm and enlightened devotion to the Virgin Mother
of the supreme and eternal High Priest and Queen of the Apostles,
will bring him to the source of a true spiritual life which alone
provides a solid foundation for the observance of celibacy."
(Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"A
thing may be a hindrance to virtue in two ways. First, as regards
the ordinary degree of virtue, and as to this nothing but sin is
an obstacle to virtue. Secondly, as regards the perfect degree of
virtue, and as to this virtue may be hindered by that which is not
a sin, but a lesser good. In this way [marital relations cast]
down the mind not from virtue, but from the height, i.e. the
perfection of virtue. Hence Augustine says (De Bono Conjugali
viii): 'Just as that was good which Martha did when busy about
serving holy men, yet better still that which Mary did in hearing
the word of God: so, too, we praise the good of Susanna's conjugal
chastity, yet we prefer the good of the widow Anna, and much more
that of the Virgin Mary.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the
Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"The
virtue of chastity does not mean that we are insensible to the
urge of concupiscence, but that we subordinate it to reason and
the law of grace, by striving wholeheartedly after what is noblest
in human and Christian life. In order to acquire this perfect
mastery of the spirit over the senses, it is not enough to refrain
from acts directly contrary to chastity, but it is necessary also
generously to renounce anything that may offend this virtue nearly
or remotely; at such a price will the soul be able to reign fully
over the body and lead its spiritual life in peace and liberty.
Who then does not see, in the light of Catholic principles, that
perfect chastity and virginity, far from harming the normal
unfolding of man or woman, on the contrary endow them with the
highest moral nobility." (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra
Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"Hence,
perfect chastity demands, first, a free choice by Christians
before they consecrate themselves to God and then, from God,
supernatural help and grace. Our Divine Redeemer Himself has
taught us this in the following words: 'All men take not his word,
but they to whom it is given...He that can take it, let him take
it.' St. Jerome, intently pondering this sacred phrase of Jesus
Christ, exhorts all 'that each one study his own powers, whether
he can fulfill the precepts of virginal modesty. For of itself
chastity is charming and attractive to all. But one's forces must
be considered, that he who can may take it. The Lord's word is as
it were an exhortation, stirring on His soldiers to the prize of
purity. He that can take it, let him take it: let him who can,
fight, conquer and receive his reward.'" (Pope Pius XII,
"Sacra Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"The
eminent way to protect and nourish an unsullied and perfect
chastity, as proven by experience time and again throughout the
course of centuries, is solid and fervent devotion to the Virgin
Mother of God. In a certain way all other helps are contained in
this devotion; there is no doubt that whoever is sincerely and
earnestly animated by this devotion is salutarily inspired to
constant vigilance, to continual prayer, to receive the Sacraments
of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Therefore in a paternal way We
exhort all priests, religious men and women, to entrust themselves
to the special protection of the holy Mother of God who is the
Virgin of virgins and the 'teacher of virginity,' as Ambrose says,
and the most powerful Mother of those in particular who have vowed
and consecrated themselves to the service of God." (Pope Pius
XII, "Sacra Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"For
the duty of the married life to which they are bound clearly
demands: 'They shall be two in one flesh.' For spouses are to be
bound to each other by mutual bonds both in joy and in sorrow. It
is easy to see, therefore, why persons who desire to consecrate
themselves to God's service embrace the state of virginity as a
liberation, in order to be more entirely at God's disposition and
devoted to the good of their neighbor. How, for example, could a
missionary such as the wonderful St. Francis Xavier, a father of
the poor such as the merciful St. Vincent de Paul, a zealous
educator of youth like St. John Bosco, a tireless 'mother of
emigrants' like St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, have accomplished such
gigantic and painful labors, if each had to look after the
corporal and spiritual needs of a wife or husband and
children?" (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra Virginitas", 1954
A.D.)
"Show
me the man who is able to explain or understand the value and
excellence of purity, a virtue beyond all the common laws of
nature. It is on earth a perfect type, and a lively picture of the
virginal purity which reigns in heaven. It is that which has
passed through air, clouds, and stars, and which, soaring above
the angels, has found the Divine Word in the bosom of His Father,
and has drawn Him to earth to be united to it in an inexpressible
manner. Now, after having been so fortunate as to find a pearl of
so great a price, on what plea can we allow it to be lost?
Nevertheless, it is not I, but the Son of God Himself, who assures
us that the pure and chaste will be like unto the angels in
heaven; and at this we need not be astonished if such souls are
placed in the rank of angels, souls who have for their spouse the
King and Lord of angels." (St. Ambrose, Doctor of the Church)
"Yes,
watch, beloved sons, because priestly chastity is exposed to so
many dangers, whether by reason of laxity in public morals, or
because of the allurements of vice which you find so easily
seductive in these days, or, finally, because of that excessive
liberty in relations between the sexes which at times dares to
insinuate itself even into the exercise of the sacred ministry.
'Watch and pray', mindful that your hands touch those things which
are most holy, that you have been consecrated to God and are to
serve Him alone. The very habit which you wear, reminds you that
you should live not to the world, but to God. Therefore, trusting
in the protection of the Virgin Mother of God, generously make
every effort to preserve yourselves 'clean, unstained, pure and
chaste, as becomes the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of
the mysteries of God.'" (Pope Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae",
1950 A.D.)
"Consider
again that sacred ministers do not renounce marriage solely on
account of their apostolic ministry, but also by reason of their
service at the altar. For, if even the priests of the Old
Testament had to abstain from the use of marriage during the
period of their service in the Temple, for fear of being declared
impure by the Law just as other men, is it not much more fitting
that the ministers of Jesus Christ, who offer every day the
Eucharistic Sacrifice, possess perfect chastity? St. Peter Damian,
exhorting priests to perfect continence, asks: 'If Our Redeemer so
loved the flower of unimpaired modesty that not only was He born
from a virginal womb, but was also cared for by a virgin nurse
even when He was still an infant crying in the cradle, by whom, I
ask, does He wish His body to be handled now that He reigns,
limitless, in heaven?'" (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra
Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"In
short the very height, or, to use St. Epiphanius' phrase, 'the
incredible honor and dignity' of the Christian priesthood...shows how becoming is clerical celibacy
and the law which enjoins it. Priests have a duty which, in a
certain way, is higher than that of the most pure spirits 'who
stand before the Lord.' Is it not right, then, that he live an all
but angelic life? A priest is one who should be totally dedicated
to the things of the Lord. Is it not right, then, that he be
entirely detached from the things of the world, and have his
conversation in Heaven? A priest's charge is to be solicitous for
the eternal salvation of souls, continuing in their regard the
work of the Redeemer. Is it not, then, fitting that he keep
himself free from the cares of a family, which would absorb a
great part of his energies?" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici
Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"Once
moral certainty has been obtained that the maturity of the
candidate is sufficiently guaranteed, he will be in a position to
take on himself the heavy and sweet burden of priestly chastity as
a total gift of himself to the Lord and to His Church. In this
way, the obligation of celibacy, which the Church makes a
condition of Holy Orders, is accepted by the candidate through the
influence of divine grace and with full reflection and liberty,
and, as is evident, not without the wise and prudent advice of
competent spiritual directors who are concerned not to impose the
choice, but rather to dispose the candidate to make it more
consciously. Hence, in that solemn moment when the candidate will
decide once and for his whole life, he will not feel the weight of
an imposition from outside, but rather the interior joy that
accompanies a choice made for the love of Christ." (Pope Paul
VI, 1967 A.D.)
"The
Lord's prayer: 'And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil', takes on a specific meaning in the context of
contemporary civilization, steeped as it is in elements of
hedonism, self-centredness and sensuality. Pornography is
unfortunately rampant, debasing the dignity of women and treating
them exclusively as objects of sexual pleasure. These aspects of
present-day civilization certainly do not favor either marital
fidelity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Therefore
if the priest does not foster in himself genuine dispositions of
faith, hope and love of God, he can easily yield to the
allurements coming to him from the world. On this Holy Thursday
then, dear Brother Priests, how can I fail to address you in order
to exhort you to remain faithful to the gift of celibacy which
Christ has given us? In it is contained a spiritual treasure which
belongs to each of us and to the whole Church." (Pope John
Paul II)
"The
priesthood is a ministry instituted by Christ for the service of
His Mystical Body which is the Church. To her belongs the
authority to admit to that priesthood those whom she judges
qualified - that is, those to whom God has given, along with other
signs of an ecclesiastical vocation, the gift of a consecrated
celibacy. In virtue of such a gift, confirmed by canon law, the
individual is called to respond with free judgment and total
dedication, adapting his own mind and outlook to the will of God
who calls him. Concretely, this divine calling manifests itself in
a given individual with his own definite personality structure
which is not at all overpowered by grace. In candidates for the
priesthood, therefore, the sense of receiving this divine gift
should be cultivated; so too, a sense of responsibility in their
meeting with God, with the highest importance given to
supernatural means." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"When
Christ stated - as the Evangelist Matthew writes - that man can
remain celibate for the Kingdom of God, the Apostles were
disturbed (cf. 19:10-12). A little earlier Jesus had declared that
marriage is indissoluble, and this truth had caused in them a
significant reaction: 'If such is the case of a man with his wife,
it is not expedient to marry' (Mt. 19:10). As is evident, their
reaction went contrary to the notion of fidelity which Jesus had
in mind. But the Master makes use even of this lack of
understanding, in order to introduce into their narrow and limited
way of thinking the perspective of celibacy for the sake of the
Kingdom of Heaven. He thereby wishes to affirm that marriage has a
specific dignity and sacramental holiness, and that nevertheless
there exists another path for the Christian: a path which is not a
flight from marriage but rather a conscious choice of celibacy for
the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven." (Pope John Paul II)
"Wherefore
if a man refrain from possessing certain things (which otherwise
it were good for him to possess), for the sake of his body's good,
or of the contemplation of truth, this is not sinful, but in
accord with right reason. In like manner if a man abstain from
bodily pleasures, in order more freely to give himself to the
contemplation of truth, this is in accordance with the rectitude
of reason. Now holy virginity refrains from all venereal pleasure
in order more freely to have leisure for Divine contemplation: for
the Apostle says (1 Cor. 7:34): 'The unmarried woman and
the virgin thinketh on the things of the Lord: that she may be
holy in both body and in spirit. But she that is married thinketh
on the things of the world, how she may please her husband.'
Therefore it follows that virginity instead of being sinful is
worthy of praise." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church
and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"The
priest has as the proper field of his activity everything that
pertains to the supernatural life, since it is he who promotes the
increase of this supernatural life and communicates it to the
Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. Consequently, it is necessary that
he renounce 'the things of the world,' in order to have care only
for 'the things of the Lord'. And it is precisely because he
should be free from preoccupation with worldly things to dedicate
himself entirely to the divine service, that the Church has
established the law of celibacy, thus making it ever more manifest
to all peoples that the priest is a minister of God and the father
of souls. By his law of celibacy, the priest, so far from losing
the gift and duties of fatherhood, rather increases them
immeasurably, for, although he does not beget progeny for this
passing life of earth, he begets children for that life which is
heavenly and eternal." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae",
1950 A.D.)
"The
consecrated celibacy of the sacred ministers actually manifests
the virginal love of Christ for the Church, and the virginal and
supernatural fecundity of this marriage, by which the children of
God are born, 'not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh.' The
priest dedicates himself to the service of the Lord Jesus and of
His Mystical Body with complete liberty, which is made easier by
his total offering, and thus he depicts more fully the unity and
harmony of the priestly life. His ability for listening to the
word of God and for prayer increases. Indeed, the word of God, as
preserved by the Church, stirs up vibrant and profound echoes in
the priest who daily meditates on it, lives it and preaches it to
the faithful.. Like Christ Himself, His minister is wholly and
solely intent on the things of God and the Church, and he imitates
the great High priest who lives ever in the presence of God in
order to intercede in our favor." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"And
so priestly celibacy should not be considered just as a legal norm
or as a totally external condition for admission to ordination,
but rather as a value that is profoundly connected with
ordination, whereby a man takes on the likeness of Jesus Christ,
the good shepherd and spouse of the Church, and therefore as a
choice of a greater and undivided love for Christ and his Church,
as a full and joyful availability in his heart for the pastoral
ministry. Celibacy is to be considered as a special grace, as a
gift, for 'not all men can receive this saying, but only those to
whom it is given' (Mt. 19:11). Certainly it is a grace which does
not dispense with, but counts most definitely on, a conscious and
free response on the part of the receiver. This charism of the
Spirit also brings with it the grace for the receiver to remain
faithful to it for all his life and be able to carry out
generously and joyfully its concomitant commitments. Formation in
priestly celibacy should also include helping people to be aware
of the 'precious gift of God,' which will lead to prayer and to
vigilance in guarding the gift from anything which could put it
under threat." (Pope John Paul II)
"Finally,
it may not be asserted, as some do, that the 'mutual help,' which
is sought in Christian marriage, is a more effective aid in
striving for personal sanctity than the solitude of the heart, as
they term it, of virgins and celibates. For although all those who
have embraced a life of perfect chastity have deprived themselves
of the expression of human love permitted in the married state,
nonetheless it cannot thereby be affirmed that because of this
privation they have diminished and despoiled the human
personality. For they receive from the Giver of heavenly gifts
something spiritual which far exceeds that 'mutual help' which
husband and wife confer on each other. They consecrate themselves
to Him Who is their source, and Who shares with them His divine
life, and thus personality suffers no loss, but gains immensely.
For who, more than the virgin, can apply to himself that marvelous
phrase of the Apostle Paul: 'I live, now not I; but Christ liveth
in me.' For this reason the Church has most wisely held that the
celibacy of her priests must be retained; she knows it is and will
be a source of spiritual graces by which they will be ever more
closely united with God." (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra
Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"The
priest must not think that ordination makes everything easy for
him and screens him once and for all from every temptation or
danger. Chastity is not acquired all at once but results from a
laborious conquest and daily affirmation. Our world today stresses
the positive values of love between the sexes but has also
multiplied the difficulties and risks in this sphere. In order to
safeguard his chastity with all care and affirm its sublime
meaning, the priest must consider clearly and calmly his position
as a man exposed to spiritual warfare against seductions of the
flesh in himself and in the world, continually renewing his
resolution to give an ever increasing and ever better perfection
to the irrevocable offering of himself which obliges him to a
fidelity that is complete, loyal and real. Christ's priest will
daily receive new strength and joy as he deepens in meditation and
prayer the motives for his gift and the conviction that he has
chosen the better part. He will ask humbly and perseveringly for
the grace of fidelity, never denied to those who ask it sincerely.
At the same time he will use the natural and supernatural means at
his disposal. In particular he will not disregard those ascetical
norms which have been substantiated by the Church's experience and
are no less necessary in modern circumstances than in former
times." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"Now,
with fatherly love and affection, Our heart turns anxiously and
with deep sorrow to those unfortunate priests who always remain
Our dearly beloved brothers and whose absence We keenly regret. We
speak of those who, retaining the sacred character conferred by
their priestly ordination, have nonetheless been sadly unfaithful
to the obligations they accepted when ordained. Their sad state
and its consequences to priests and to others move some to wonder
if celibacy is not in some way responsible for such dramatic
occurrences and for the scandals they inflict on God's people. In
fact, the responsibility falls not on consecrated celibacy in
itself but on a judgment of the fitness of the candidate of the
priesthood which was not always adequate or prudent at the proper
time, or else it falls on the way in which sacred ministers live
their life of total consecration...a minimal percentage when they
are compared with the great number of good, worthy priests... If
these priests knew how much sorrow, dishonor and unrest they bring
to the holy Church of God, if they reflected on the seriousness
and beauty of their obligations and on the dangers to which they
are exposed in this life and in the next, there would be greater
care and reflection in their decisions; they would pray more
assiduously and show greater courage and logic in forestalling the
causes of their spiritual and moral collapse." (Pope Paul VI,
1967 A.D.)
"Considering
what contemporary scholarly investigation has ascertained, it is
not right to continue repeating that celibacy is against nature
because it runs counter to lawful physical, psychic and affective
needs, or to claim that a completely mature human personality
demands fulfillment of these needs. Man, created to God's image
and likeness, is not just flesh and blood; the sexual instinct is
not all that he has; man has also, and pre-eminently,
understanding, choice, freedom, and thanks to these powers he is,
and must remain, the chief work of creation; they give him mastery
over his physical, mental and emotional appetites. The true,
profound reason for dedicated celibacy is, as We have said, the
choice of a closer and more complete relationship with the mystery
of Christ and the Church for the good of all mankind: in this
choice there is no doubt that those highest human values are able
to find their fullest expression. The choice of celibacy does not
connote ignorance of or contempt for the sexual instinct and man's
capacity for giving himself in love. That would certainly do
damage to his physical and psychological balance. On the contrary,
it demands clear understanding, careful self-control and a wise
elevation of the mind to higher realities. In this way celibacy
sets the whole man on a higher level and makes an effective
contribution to his perfection." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"We
well realize that there are other objections that can be made
against priestly celibacy. This is a very complex question, which
touches intimately upon the very meaning of being alive, yet is
penetrated and resolved by the light of divine revelation. A
never-ending series of difficulties will present themselves to
those who cannot 'receive this precept' and who do not know or
have forgotten it is a 'gift of God,' and who moreover are unaware
of the loftier reasoning, [its] wonderful efficacy and abundant
riches... The sum of these objections would
appear to drown out the solemn and age-old voice of the pastors of
the Church and of the masters of the spiritual life, and to
nullify the living testimony of the countless ranks of saints and
faithful ministers of God, for whom celibacy has been the object
of the total and generous gift of themselves to the mystery of
Christ, as well as its outward sign. But no, this voice, still
strong and untroubled, is the voice not just of the past but of
the present too. Ever intent on the realities of today, we cannot
close our eyes to this magnificent, wonderful reality: that there
are still today in God's holy Church, in every part of the world
where she exercises her beneficent influence, great numbers of her
ministers...who are living their life of voluntary and consecrated
celibacy in the most exemplary way." (Pope Paul VI, 1967 A.D.)
"The
chastity 'for the sake of the kingdom of heaven' (Mt. 19:12)
which religious profess should be counted an outstanding gift of
grace. It frees the heart of man in a unique fashion (cf. 1 Cor.
7:32-35) so that it may be more inflamed with love for God and for
all men. Thus it not only symbolizes in a singular way the
heavenly goods but also the most suitable means by which religious
dedicate themselves with undivided heart to the service of God and
the works of the apostolate. In this way they recall to the minds
of all the faithful that wondrous marriage decreed by God and
which is to be fully revealed in the future age in which the
Church takes Christ as its only spouse. Religious, therefore, who
are striving faithfully to observe the chastity they have
professed must have faith in the words of the Lord, and trusting
in God's help not overestimate their own strength but practice
mortification and custody of the senses. Neither should they
neglect the natural means which promote health of mind and body.
As a result they will not be influenced by those false doctrines
which scorn perfect continence as being impossible or harmful to
human development and they will repudiate by a certain spiritual
instinct everything which endangers chastity. In addition let all,
especially superiors, remember that chastity is guarded more
securely when true brotherly love flourishes in the common life of
the community." (Second Vatican Council)
"[T]o
preserve chastity unstained neither vigilance nor modesty suffice.
Those helps must also be used which entirely surpass the powers of
nature, namely prayer to God, the Sacraments of Penance and Holy
Eucharist, [and] a fervent devotion to the most holy Mother of God.
Never should it be forgotten that perfect chastity is a great gift
of God. For this reason Jerome wrote these succinct words, 'It is
given to those, who have asked for it, who have desired it, who
have worked to receive it. For it will be given to everyone who
asks, the seeker will find, to the importunate it will be opened.'
Ambrose adds that the constant fidelity of virgins to their Divine
Spouse depends upon prayer. With that fervent piety for which he
was noted St. Alphonsus Liguori taught that there is no help more
necessary and certain for conquering temptations against the
beautiful virtue of chastity than instant recourse to God in
prayer. To prayer must be added frequent and fervent use of the
Sacrament of Penance which, as a spiritual medicine, purifies and
heals us; likewise it is necessary to receive the Eucharist, which
as Our predecessor of happy memory Leo XIII asserted, is the best
remedy against lust. The more pure and chaste is a soul, the more
it hungers for this Bread, from which it derives strength to
resist all temptations to sins of impurity, and by which it is
more intimately united with the Divine Spouse; 'He who eats my
flesh and drinks my blood, abides in me and I in him.'" (Pope
Pius XII, "Sacra Virginitas", 1954 A.D.)
"The
religious state requires the removal of whatever hinders man from
devoting himself entirely to God's service. Now the use of sexual
union hinders the mind from giving itself wholly to the service of
God, and this for two reasons. First, on account of its vehement
delectation, which by frequent repetition increases concupiscence,
as also the Philosopher observes (Ethica Nicomachea iii,12): and
hence it is that the use of venery withdraws the mind from that
perfect intentness on tending to God. Augustine expresses this
when he says (Soliloquia i,10): 'I consider that nothing so casts
down the manly mind from its height as the fondling of women, and
those bodily contacts which belong to the married state.'
Secondly, because it involves man in solicitude for the control of
his wife, his children, and his temporalities which serve for
their upkeep. Hence the Apostle says (1 Corinthians 7:32,33): 'He
that is without a wife is solicitous for the things that belong to
the Lord, how he may please God: but he that is with a wife is
solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his
wife.' Therefore perpetual continence, as well as voluntary
poverty, is requisite for religious perfection. The perfection not
only of poverty but also of continence was introduced by Christ
Who said (Matthew 19:12): 'There are eunuchs who have made
themselves eunuchs, for the kingdom of heaven,' and then added:
'He that can take, let him take it.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of
the Church")
"Those
who so bind themselves by the vows of religion, far from having
suffered a loss of liberty, enjoy that fuller and freer kind, that
liberty, namely, by which Christ hath made us free. And this
further view of theirs, namely, that the religious life is either
entirely useless or of little service to the Church, besides being
injurious to the religious orders cannot be the opinion of anyone
who has read the annals of the Church. Did not your country, the
United States, derive the beginnings both of faith and of culture
from the children of these religious families? to one of whom but
very lately, a thing greatly to your praise, you have decreed that
a statue be publicly erected. And even at the present time
wherever the religious families are found, how speedy and yet how
fruitful a harvest of good works do they not bring forth! How very
many leave home and seek strange lands to impart the truth of the
gospel and to widen the bounds of civilization; and this they do
with the greatest cheerfulness amid manifold dangers! Out of their
number not less, indeed, than from the rest of the clergy, the
Christian world finds the preachers of God's word, the directors
of conscience, the teachers of youth and the Church itself the
examples of all sanctity. Nor should any difference of praise be
made between those who follow the active state of life and those
others who, charmed with solitude, give themselves to prayer and
bodily mortification. And how much, indeed, of good report these
have merited, and do merit, is known surely to all who do not
forget that the 'continual prayer of the just man' avails to
placate and to bring down the blessings of heaven when to such
prayers bodily mortification is added." (Pope Leo XIII,
"Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae", 1899 A.D.)
"And
yet, although chastity pledged to God is a difficult virtue, those
who after serious consideration generously answer Christ's
invitation and do all in their power to attain it, can perfectly
and faithfully preserve it. For since they have eagerly embraced
the state of virginity or celibacy they will certainly receive
from God that gift of grace through whose help they will be able
to carry out their promise. Wherefore, if there are any 'who do
not feel they have the gift of chastity even though they have
vowed it,' let them not declare they cannot fulfill their
obligations in this matter. 'For,' says the Council of Trent,
quoting St. Augustine, ' 'God does not command the impossible, but
in commanding serves notice that one do what he can, and pray for
what he cannot,' and He helps us to accomplish it.' This truth, so
full of encouragement, We recall to those also whose will has been
weakened by upset nerves and whom some doctors, sometimes even
Catholic doctors, are too quick to persuade that they should be
freed from such an obligation, advancing the specious reason that
they cannot preserve their chastity without suffering some harm to
their mental balance. How much more useful and opportune it is to
help the infirm of this type to strengthen their will, and to
advise them that not even to them is chastity impossible,
according to the word of the Apostle: 'God is faithful, who will
not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but
will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear
it.'" (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra Virginitas", 1954
A.D.)
"How
shameful a thing, and how unworthy it is of the name of clerics
who have devoted themselves to the service of God, to live in the
filth of impurity, and unclean bondage, the thing itself doth
testify, in the common scandal of all the faithful, and the
extreme disgrace entailed on the clerical order. To the end,
therefore, that the ministers of the Church may be recalled to
that continency and integrity of life which becomes them; and that
the people may hence learn to reverence them the more, that they
know them to be more pure of life: the holy Synod forbids all
clerics whatsoever to dare to keep concubines, or any other woman
of whom any suspicion can exist, either in their own houses, or
elsewhere, or to presume to have any [intimate relations] with them:
otherwise they shall be punished with the penalties imposed by the
sacred canons, or by the [applicable statutes], But
if, after being admonished by their superiors, they shall not
abstain from these women, they shall be ipso facto deprived of the
third part of the fruits, rents, and proceeds of all their
benefices whatsoever, and pensions; which third part shall be
applied to the fabric of the church, or to some other pious place,
at the discretion of the bishop. If, however, persisting in the
same crime, with the same or some other woman, they shall not even
yet have obeyed upon a second admonition, not only shall they
thereupon forfeit all the fruits and proceeds of their benefices
and pensions, which shall be applied to the places aforesaid, but
they shall also be suspended from the administration of the
benefices themselves, for as long a period as shall seem fit to
the Ordinary, even as the delegate of the Apostolic See. And if,
having been thus suspended, they nevertheless shall not put away
those women, or, even if they shall have [intimate relations] with them,
then shall they be for ever deprived of their ecclesiastical
benefices, portions, offices, and pensions of whatsoever kind, and
be rendered thenceforth incapable and unworthy of any manner of
honors, dignities, benefices and offices, until, after a manifest
amendment of life, it shall seem good to their superiors, for a
cause, to grant them a dispensation. But if, after having once put
them away, they shall have dared to renew the interrupted
connexion, or to take to themselves other scandalous women of this
sort, they shall, in addition to the penalties aforesaid, be
smitten with the sword of excommunication. Nor shall any appeal,
or exemption, hinder or suspend the execution of the aforesaid;
and the cognizance of all the matters above-named shall not belong
to archdeacons, or deans, or other inferiors, but to the bishops
themselves, who may proceed without the noise and the formalities
of justice, and by the sole investigation of the truth of the
fact." (Council of Trent)
[Note:
It should be noted that celibacy had been instituted for a long
time prior to this fourth century quotation.] "Let us come now to the
most sacred orders of the clergy, which we find so abused and so
disorderly throughout your provinces to the injury of venerable
religion, that we ought to say in the words of Jeremias: Who will
water to my head, or a fountain of tears to my eyes? and I will
weep for this people day and night [Jer. 9:1]... For we have
learned that very many priests and levites of Christ, after long
periods of their consecration, have begotten offspring from their
wives as well as by shameful intercourse, and that they defend
their crime by this excuse, that in the Old Testament it is read
that the faculty of procreating was given to the priests and the
ministers. Whoever that follower of sensual desires is let him
tell me now: ... Why does [the Lord] forewarn those to whom the
holies of holies were to be entrusted saying: Be ye holy, because
I your Lord God am holy [Lev. 20:7, 1 Pt. 1:16]? Why also were
the priests ordered to dwell in the temple at a distance from
their homes in the year of their turn? Evidently for this reason
that they might not be able to practice carnal intercourse with
their wives, so that shining with purity of conscience they might
offer an acceptable gift to God... Therefore also the Lord Jesus,
when He had enlightened us by His coming, testifies in the Gospel,
that he came to fulfill the Law, not to destroy it [Mt. 5:17].
And so He has wished the beauty of the Church, whose spouse He is,
to radiate with the splendor of chastity, so that on the day of
judgment, when He will have come again, He may be able to find her
without spot or wrinkle [Eph. 5:27] as He instituted her through
His Apostle. All priests and levites are bound by the indissoluble
law of these sanctions, so that from the day of our ordination, we
give up both our hearts and our bodies to continence and chastity,
provided only that through all things we may please our God in
these [Holy Masses] which we daily offer. 'But those who are in the
flesh,' as the vessel of election says, 'cannot please God' [Rom.
8:8]. But those, who contend with an excuse for the forbidden
privilege, so as to assert that this has been granted to them by
the Old Law, should know that by the authority of the Apostolic
See they have been cast out of every ecclesiastical office, which
they have used unworthily, nor can they ever touch the sacred
mysteries, of which they themselves have deprived themselves so
long as they give heed to impure desires. And because existing
examples warn us to be on our guard for the future should any
bishop, priest, or deacon be found such, which henceforth we do
not want, let him now understand that every approach to indulgence
is barred through us, because it is necessary that the wounds
which are not susceptible to the healing of warm lotions be cut
out with a knife." (Pope St. Siricius, "Directa
ad decessorem", 385 A.D.)
"Indeed
celibacy has a many faceted suitability for the priesthood. For
the whole priestly mission is dedicated to the service of a new
humanity which Christ, the victor over death, has aroused through
His Spirit in the world and which has its origin 'not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God' (Jn. 1:13). Through virginity, then, or celibacy observed for the
Kingdom of Heaven, priests are consecrated to Christ by a new and
exceptional reason. They adhere to Him more easily with an
undivided heart, they dedicate themselves more freely in Him and
through Him to the service of God and men, and they more
expeditiously minister to His Kingdom and the work of heavenly
regeneration, and thus they are apt to accept, in a broad sense,
paternity in Christ. In this way they profess themselves before
men as willing to be dedicated to the office committed to them -
namely, to commit themselves faithfully... and to show
themselves as a chaste virgin for Christ and thus to evoke the
mysterious marriage established by Christ, and fully to be
manifested in the future, in which the Church has Christ as her
only Spouse. They give, moreover, a living sign of the world to
come, by a faith and charity already made present, in which the
children of the resurrection neither marry nor take wives. For
these reasons, based on the mystery of Christ and His mission,
celibacy, which first was recommended to priests, later in the
Latin Church was imposed upon all who were to be promoted to
sacred orders. This legislation, pertaining to those who are
destined for the priesthood, this holy synod again approves and
confirms, fully trusting this gift of the Spirit so fitting for
the priesthood of the New Testament, freely given by the Father,
provided that those who participate in the priesthood of Christ
through the sacrament of Orders - and also the whole Church -
humbly and fervently pray for it. This sacred synod also exhorts
all priests who, in following the example of Christ, freely
receive sacred celibacy as a grace of God, that they magnanimously
and wholeheartedly adhere to it, and that persevering faithfully
in it, they may acknowledge this outstanding gift of the Father
which is so openly praised and extolled by the Lord. Let them keep
before their eyes the great mysteries signified by it and
fulfilled in it. Insofar as perfect continence is thought by many
men to be impossible in our times, to that extent priests should
all the more humbly and steadfastly pray with the Church for that
grace of fidelity, which is never denied those who seek it, and
use all the supernatural and natural aids available. They should
especially seek, lest they omit them, the ascetical norms which
have been proved by the experience of the Church and which are
scarcely less necessary in the contemporary world. This holy synod
asks not only priests but all the faithful that they might receive
this precious gift of priestly celibacy in their hearts and ask of
God that He will always bestow this gift upon His Church."
(Second Vatican Council)
"[I]t
should be noted, as indeed the Fathers and Doctors of the Church
teach, that we can more easily struggle against and repress the
wiles of evil and the enticements of the passions if we do not
struggle directly against them, but rather flee from them as best
we may. For the preserving of chastity, according to the teaching
of Jerome, flight is more effective than open warfare: 'Therefore
I flee, lest I be overcome.' Flight must be understood in this
sense, that not only do we diligently avoid occasion of sin, but
especially that in struggles of this kind we lift our minds and
hearts to God, intent above all on Him to Whom we have vowed our
virginity... Flight and alert vigilance, by which we carefully
avoid the occasions of sin, have always been considered by holy
men and women as the most effective method of combat in this
matter; today however it does not seem that everybody holds the
same opinion. Some indeed claim that all Christians, and the
clergy in particular, should not be 'separated from the world' as
in the past, but should be 'close to the world'; therefore they
should 'take the risk' and put their chastity to the test in order
to show whether or not they have the strength to resist;
therefore, they say, let young clerics see everything so that they
may accustom themselves to gaze at everything with equanimity, and
thus render themselves immune to all temptations. For this reason
they readily grant young clerics the liberty to turn their eyes in
any direction without the slightest concern for modesty; they may
attend motion pictures, even those forbidden by ecclesiastical
censorship; they may peruse even obscene periodicals; they may
read novels which are listed in the Index of Forbidden Books or
prohibited by the Natural Law. All this they allow because today
the multitudes are fed by this kind of amusement and publication
and because those who are minded to help them should understand
their way of thinking and feeling. But it is easily seen that this
method of educating and training the clergy to acquire the
sanctity proper to their calling is wrong and harmful. For 'he
that loveth danger shall perish in it;' most appropriate in this
connection is the admonition of Augustine: 'Do not say that you
have a chaste mind if your eyes are unchaste, because an unchaste
eye betrays an unchaste heart.' No doubt this pernicious method is
based upon serious confusion of thought... All the more reason why
the young clergy, because they are to be trained in the spiritual
life, in sacerdotal and religious perfection, must be separated
from the tumult of the world before entering the lists of combat;
for long years they must remain in a Seminary or Scholasticate
where they receive a sound and careful education which provides
them with a gradual approach to and a prudent knowledge of those
problems which our times have brought to the fore, in accordance
with the norms which We established in the Apostolic Exhortation 'Menti
Nostrae.' What gardener would expose young plants, choice indeed
but weak, to violent storms in order that they might give proof of
the strength which they have not yet acquired? Seminarians and
scholastics are surely to be considered like young and weak plants
who must still be protected and gradually trained to resist and to
fight. The educators of the young clergy would render a more
valuable and useful service, if they would inculcate in youthful
minds the precepts of Christian modesty, which is so important for
the preservation of perfect chastity and which is truly called the
prudence of chastity. For modesty foresees threatening danger,
forbids us to expose ourselves to risks, demands the avoidance of
those occasions which the imprudent do not shun. It does not like
impure or loose talk, it shrinks from the slightest immodesty, it
carefully avoids suspect familiarity with persons of the other
sex, since it brings the soul to show due reverence to the body,
as being a member of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit. He
who possesses the treasure of Christian modesty abominates every
sin of impurity and instantly flees whenever he is tempted by its
seductions." (Pope Pius XII, "Sacra Virginitas",
1954 A.D.)
Also
See: Virgins
/ Virginity | Virginity
(Catholic Life Reflections) | Holiness
/ Virtue / Purity | Why
Priestly Celibacy? | Priests
/ Priesthood [Pg.] | Religious
/ Religious Life / Religious Institutes | Celibacy/Virginity
(Topical Scripture)
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