“For there are chaste persons who were born so from their mother’s womb, and there are chaste persons who have been made so by men, and there are chaste persons who have made themselves chaste for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever is able to grasp this, let him grasp it” (Matthew 19:12). 

Of these three categories identified by Jesus, the celibate priest belongs to the last named. With the exception of the permanent deacon, every Roman Catholic priest must subscribe to the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. As stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) priests are, “called to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord, and to ‘the affairs of the Lord;’ thus, they give themselves entirely to God and to men.

Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the service of which the Christ’s minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart, celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God” (CCC,p.389-390). For the female, embracing the Holy Orders means becoming a Rev. Sister, or going into the nunnery, while the man as well could settle for monastery life. What is the rationale behind this hard stipulation?

First and foremost, the priesthood or sisterhood is a full-time commitment to the Church and the parishioners. It is a form of sacred marriage to Jesus and the Church, which is as permanent as the secular marital union, with no possibility of separation or divorce.

Secondly, the duties and responsibilities of the priesthood are too enormous to be combined with the full-time practice of biological parentage. On the average, a priest says one or two Masses a day, but as many as three on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. A lot goes into the spiritual and mental preparation for one Mass.

In addition, he has to perform the job of counsellor and confessor to his parishioners who may run into hundreds. The Rev. Father is literally a spiritual father to all, and must be very familiar to a majority of the members of his parish to enjoy their respect and admiration. The parish is a close-knit family with the priest at the head.  With no biological family to cater for, the priest is free to devote every inch of his time to serving and praying for his parishioners.

Even though he has no biological children, a priest should be too busy to be lonely, as every moment of his day is filled up with pastoral matters. It is only idleness that gives the Devil a space for mischief. Just as the marriage option produces more parishioners through procreation, the priesthood option produces priests, through ordination, to take care of the growing number of parishioners. So, both the marriage option and the priesthood option complement each other.

Furthermore, the fact that the priest has no biological family ensures that there is no conflict between his domestic duties and pastoral responsibilities.

The priest is in the world, but not of the world, which is full of temptations of the flesh. Although under greater temptation than anyone else, the priest has the potential to attain a higher level of spirituality than the laymen if he is able to withstand those temptations. As an unmarried person, he is able to keep himself shielded away from the hustle and bustle of life, the endless rat race which defiles the body and the soul. His celibate state endows him with greater capacity to remain spiritually and psychologically above the general humdrum of daily living, and he is thus less susceptible to the various social pressures and temptations faced by the lay parishioner. This is one of the positive consequences of his celibate lifestyle.

Although he falls into sin now and again as a man of the flesh, he is able to rise up with the assistance of fellow priests who understand his plight more than anyone else. By staying close to Christ that he serves every day, and relying on God’s grace, the priest will be able to overcome the Devil in the same way as Christ did. He must keep in focus the kingdom of heaven for which he has made himself chaste.

Rev. Sisters are also under similar pastoral obligations as the Rev. Fathers, having made themselves chaste on account of the kingdom of heaven. They are the acclaimed spiritual mothers of the parish, and should constantly pray for the parishioners in addition to their specific apostolate and the vows they have taken. They should also assist the priest in counselling parishioners and, when necessary, assist in the sharing of the Holy Communion. If, in the future, the Catholic Church approves the ordination of women for the priesthood, Rev. Sisters would have additional responsibilities. For now, the Rev. Sister has her hands full with pastoral duties. 

Clerical celibacy is a tough but desirable state, imposed by the exigencies of the priesthood. The example of the Apostles is there to lend credence to the rigours of working with, and for Christ. The disciples sacrificed everything else, including their families in order to follow Jesus, and did not look back, even once, after laying their hands on the plough of Christ.

In the same way, a priest follows Christ spiritually wherever he leads him, and he gives himself up in total obedience to his divine will.  For these reasons, we must always keep our Rev. Fathers and Sisters in constant prayers for God’s continued protection over them, and for spiritual guidance in their thoughts and actions. We must also pray for the ordination of more priests and religious to ease the burden of those already on the field of harvest. As Jesus told his disciples: “The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Therefore, petition the Lord of the harvest, so that he may send out labourers to his harvest” (Matthew 9:38).