Celibacy

• Celibacy


  A vocation - a call from God, not merely a "choice" by an individual
• Celibacy


  A free choice to renounce marital communion with a spouse in order to serve God and the Church more fully
• Celibacy


  A special vocation ("divine calling") to which God calls some people to live as their way to holiness
• Celibacy for the kingdom


  Much more than simply not having sexual relations, it is a call to live as a gift, uniting oneself completely to God in a way that foreshadows the heavenly marriage to come between Christ and the Church
• Celibacy for the kingdom is all about total self-donation to God and neighbor, showing the world what it means to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength
• Celibacy reveals that the fulfillment of all human longing is the marriage of heaven, not only the marriage of earth
• We are sons and daughters of God made in his image and likeness, this image is inscribed upon the very bodies of Adam and Eve (and therefore, upon our bodies also) to love and image the communion of love in the Holy Trinity
• A way of loving communion through the vocation of marriage to a human spouse, a way that is marriage to Christ and the church through celibacy
• Celibacy is a free choice to renounce marital communion with a spouse in order to serve God and the church more fully
• The Church forces no one to be celibate, in the case of priesthood, the church chooses her priests from among those men who have discerned and freely chosen celibacy as their life's vocation
• Nuptial meaning of the body, means that all persons are created to be a "gift" for another
• Celibacy does not reject sexuality, those who enter the religious life, are a foreshadowing of how all of us will live the heavenly kingdom
• Celibacy is a witness to the fact that there is a greater joy – heaven – than the joys of this world
• Celibates do not reject their sexuality, they are showing us the ultimate purpose and meaning of sexuality, the giving of ourselves to God
• In their decision to renounce marriage or earth, celibates embrace their sexuality and channel that energy toward full communion with God, reflecting in a unique way the meaning of sexuality and self donation
• Through their total dedication to Christ, the religious life points us to the ultimate purpose of our lives: union with God
• They also show us how to get there by making a sincere gift of ourselves in love
• Nuptial meaning of the body– we learn that our bodies reveal our calling to make a total gift of ourselves in love
• It is obvious how a married couple makes a gift of themselves, but what about a celibate man or woman? They totally dedicate their lives to the service of God and humanity and offer themselves at our service
• Celibacy is not repression, when people are in control of their sexuality, only then are they capable of making a gift of themselves
• This gift can be given to a spouse, or it can be offered as a sacrifice through celibacy
• Celibacy is not abnormal, but it is abnormal in the sense that it is "not the norm"
• The male-only priesthood is rooted in unchangeable doctrine, unlike the Church's discipline on married clergy which could potentially change, although such a change is unlikely
• The celibate person "freely chooses to remain in the 'ache' of solitude in this life in order to devote all his longings to the union that alone can satisfy"
• Priesthood and religious life are callings from God, not just choices by individuals
• 'Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me.'
• 'I am the resurrection and the life'
• 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.'
• 'Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me.'
• "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."
• Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”
• When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
• 'I am the resurrection and the life'
• 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.'
• Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.'"
• "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him."
• 'For I know that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods.'
• Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'"
• In John 6:51, Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."
• 'The Lord is my shepherd.'"