Scholastic Answers

RECENT STATEMENT FROM POPE FRANCIS, CELIBACY, EASTERN CATHOLICISM, AND THE MYSTICAL LIFE

"At the heart of this [priestly] identity, configured to the Lord Jesus, is celibacy. Priests are celibate - and they wish to be - simply because Jesus was celibate. The requirement of celibacy is not primarily theological, but mystical: may this be understood by he who is able (cf. Mt 19:12)."

This quote from the Holy Father (through Cardinal Parolin) is actually quite an important statement of his view of celibacy. We can draw forth two very important conclusions from it.

1. The Latin practice of priestly celibacy is superior to the Eastern practice of engaging in the marital use as a priest. This, of course, is not to say that the Eastern practice is "wrong" in any way (this would be to imugne the Church who calls it holy and allows its practice), rather this is to say it is intrinsically "not the best practice," for, Celibacy is a greater conformity to Jesus Christ (something which is even recognized in Eastern praxis concerning the Episcopate and Monasticism).

2. This also demonstartes the universal scope of "celibacy," i.e., in the practice of the spirit of the counsels by affective and even effective celibacy. For, if there is a universal call to the mystical life and celibacy is a certain accidental means for acquiring the perfection of charity that causes one to progress in the mystical life, then there can be nothing less than a universal call to celibacy, WHICH IS EXEMPLIFIED IN THE LIFE OF THE PRIEST.

This is what St. John Paul II meant when he said that "in this way the Bishops can lead by their example not only those members of the Church who are called to follow Christ in the consecrated life but also priests, to whom the radicalism of holiness in accordance with the spirit of the evangelical counsels is also proposed. Indeed, this radicalism is incumbent on all the faithful, including lay people..."

This "radicalism" is the example of radical obedience to the counsels for the sake of the perfection of Charity, that is incubant on all the faithful in accordance with their state in life. This is seen most perfectly in the life of the Bishop, then in consecrated life, and most intimately to us in the priests who we see before us.

As the Catechism teaches, "Christ proposes the evangelical counsels, in their great variety, to every disciple. The perfection of charity, to which all the faithful are called, entails for those who freely follow the call to consecrated life the obligation of practicing chastity in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, poverty and obedience. It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of life recognized by the Church, that characterizes the life consecrated to God." (CCC 915)

It is in their celibacy that Priests respond to the call of Presbyterorum Ordinis to "gently persuade everyone to the fulfillment of the duties of his state of life, and to greater progress in responding in a sensible way to the evangelical counsels.

This "perfection of the mystical life" that the Holy Father mentions is stated in the Catechism (referring to St. Thomas' teaching) as the "perfection of charity," which I reference above. It states that "Besides its precepts, the New Law also includes the evangelical counsels. The traditional distinction between God’s commandments and the evangelical counsels is drawn in relation to charity, the perfection of Christian life. The precepts are intended to remove whatever is incompatible with charity. The aim of the counsels is to remove whatever might hinder the development of charity, even if it is not contrary to it." (CCC 1973)

If there is a universal call to the mystical life, to charity, to holiness, then there is a universal call to the perfection of these in the practice of celibacy in accordance with our state in life, which is exemplified before us in the priest.

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539 viewsDec 4, 2023 at 15:28

RECENT STATEMENT FROM POPE FRANCIS, CELIBACY, EASTERN CATHOLICISM, AND THE MYSTICAL LIFE

"At the heart of this [priestly] identity, configured to the Lord Jesus, is celibacy. Priests are celibate - and they wish to be - simply because Jesus was celibate. The requirement of celibacy is not primarily theological, but mystical: may this be understood by he who is able (cf. Mt 19:12)."

This quote from the Holy Father (through Cardinal Parolin) is actually quite an important statement of his view of celibacy. We can draw forth two very important conclusions from it.

1. The Latin practice of priestly celibacy is superior to the Eastern practice of engaging in the marital use as a priest. This, of course, is not to say that the Eastern practice is "wrong" in any way (this would be to imugne the Church who calls it holy and allows its practice), rather this is to say it is intrinsically "not the best practice," for, Celibacy is a greater conformity to Jesus Christ (something which is even recognized in Eastern praxis concerning the Episcopate and Monasticism).

2. This also demonstartes the universal scope of "celibacy," i.e., in the practice of the spirit of the counsels by affective and even effective celibacy. For, if there is a universal call to the mystical life and celibacy is a certain accidental means for acquiring the perfection of charity that causes one to progress in the mystical life, then there can be nothing less than a universal call to celibacy, WHICH IS EXEMPLIFIED IN THE LIFE OF THE PRIEST.

This is what St. John Paul II meant when he said that "in this way the Bishops can lead by their example not only those members of the Church who are called to follow Christ in the consecrated life but also priests, to whom the radicalism of holiness in accordance with the spirit of the evangelical counsels is also proposed. Indeed, this radicalism is incumbent on all the faithful, including lay people..."

This "radicalism" is the example of radical obedience to the counsels for the sake of the perfection of Charity, that is incubant on all the faithful in accordance with their state in life. This is seen most perfectly in the life of the Bishop, then in consecrated life, and most intimately to us in the priests who we see before us.

As the Catechism teaches, "Christ proposes the evangelical counsels, in their great variety, to every disciple. The perfection of charity, to which all the faithful are called, entails for those who freely follow the call to consecrated life the obligation of practicing chastity in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, poverty and obedience. It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of life recognized by the Church, that characterizes the life consecrated to God." (CCC 915)

It is in their celibacy that Priests respond to the call of Presbyterorum Ordinis to "gently persuade everyone to the fulfillment of the duties of his state of life, and to greater progress in responding in a sensible way to the evangelical counsels.

This "perfection of the mystical life" that the Holy Father mentions is stated in the Catechism (referring to St. Thomas' teaching) as the "perfection of charity," which I reference above. It states that "Besides its precepts, the New Law also includes the evangelical counsels. The traditional distinction between God’s commandments and the evangelical counsels is drawn in relation to charity, the perfection of Christian life. The precepts are intended to remove whatever is incompatible with charity. The aim of the counsels is to remove whatever might hinder the development of charity, even if it is not contrary to it." (CCC 1973)

If there is a universal call to the mystical life, to charity, to holiness, then there is a universal call to the perfection of these in the practice of celibacy in accordance with our state in life, which is exemplified before us in the priest.

BY Scholastic Answers