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Hi Mark,
First I want to affirm and agree
with your first two statements:
You said:
I believe that
if any church is a Bible-believing
church, that also believes in the
Death and Resurrection of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, then it is part of
the body of Christ's Church.
I ask for your patience as I digress
a bit. These churches are indeed
part of the Church! To the extent
that we both agree on the Holy Scriptures
and on the Death and Resurrection
of Our Lord Jesus, this is good,
and something we can celebrate in
unity together as Christians.
As Catholics though, we would also
say there is more to the fullness
of the Teachings of the Lord than
what we have agreed on above. For
that reason, we would encourage those
outside the Catholic Church to look
into Church history, and strive to
understand what we believe as Catholics.
The Church still does teach that "Outside
the Church there is no salvation".
This means two things:
- Those that know the Church to
be the True Church, this includes
a cognitive understanding of Her
teachings, yet refuse to join
Her, can't be saved, yet ...
- Those who:
- have never heard the Gospel
of Christ, or
- heard the Gospel and have
persevered and studied to
the best they can, with
the intent of entering the
True Church, but never
end up joining the Church
can be saved. It is
through the graces of the Church,
however, and their intent to
follow the Truth which God
had revealed to them by which
they are saved by desire.
This last "intent" is often
referred to as Baptism of desire.
On faith journeys like these, it
can be tempting to think that as
long as I go to my local church each
Sunday, read the Holy Scriptures
and live a good life, I'm OK. I don't
have to be open to considering other
Christian faiths.
An attitude can develop where one
plans to chide God on Judgment Day,
as if we can rationalize why we didn't
have more of an open mind to other
Christian faiths.
Non-Catholic Christians are called
to study, read, and develop a formed
Christian conscience,
as are Catholic Christians. This
can best be done by:
The formation of a solid Catholic
Christian conscience is something
that is lacking at many parishes.
Many of the problems we have in the
Church today Mark, stem from having
members within Jesus' own Church:
teachers, preachers and lay parishioners,
who, willingly or unwillingly, don't
keep all the Teachings of the Church fresh on their minds.
Now on to your question.
You said:
- Nevertheless, why are the leaders of the
Catholic Church not allowed to marry?
I cannot find any Scriptures that prohibit
them.
- It does say we are to be set aside
for the purposes of God, but why no marriage?
God made Eve to be Adam's helper. Women have
a very important role in support and in protecting
the heart of a man. I do not understand why your leaders are
not allowed to do that which God Himself planned for from the beginning of the world.
Let me give you the Scriptures, then
comment on it:
Matthew 19:1-12 (especially verses
10-12)
1 Jesus
had now finished what he wanted
to say, and he left Galilee and
came into the territory of Judaea
on the far side of the Jordan. 2 Large
crowds followed him and he healed
them there.
3 Some
Pharisees approached him, and
to put him to the test they said, ‘Is
it against the Law for a man to
divorce his wife on any pretext
whatever?' 4 He
answered, ‘Have you not
read that the Creator from the
beginning made them male and female 5 and
that he said: This is why a man
leaves his father and mother and
becomes attached to his wife,
and the two become one flesh?
* 6 They
are no longer two, therefore,
but one flesh. So then, what God
has united, human beings must
not divide.' 7 They
said to him, ‘Then why did
Moses command that a writ of dismissal
should be given in cases of divorce?' * 8 He
said to them, ‘It was because
you were so hard–hearted,
that Moses allowed you to divorce
your wives, but it was not like
this from the beginning. 9 Now
I say this to you: anyone who
divorces his wife—I am not
speaking of an illicit marriage—and
marries another, is guilty of
adultery.'
10 The disciples said to him, ‘If
that is how things are between
husband and wife, it is advisable
not to marry.' 11 But
he replied, ‘It is not
everyone who can accept what
I have said, but only those
to whom it is granted. 12 There
are eunuchs born so from their
mother's womb, there
are eunuchs made so by human
agency and there are eunuchs
who have made themselves so
for the sake of the kingdom
of Heaven. Let anyone accept
this who can.'
Matthew 19:1-12 (especially verses
10-12) |
The Church distinguishes between
issues that are disciplines, or
practices of the Church that can change
and doctrines or teachings of
the Church that cannot.
Practicing Catholics have to believe
the doctrines of the Church, in word and actions, in order
to properly call themselves Catholic.
A married priesthood in the Church
is a discipline and can change. We
always have had a married priesthood
in the Eastern Rite of the Church.
The perception is that, because most
members of the Church belong to the
Latin Rite, the Catholic Church doesn't
have a married priesthood; this is
generally true. (i.e. for new seminarians)
Nevertheless, a provision has been
granted for married Protestant ministers
who wish to join the Latin Rite Church
and also become Catholic priests.
The discipline in the Latin Rite
Church could change, but I personally
don't think it will, nor should,
for very
good reasons.
Many look at an unmarried priesthood
as something that is strange. My
reply would be:
Jesus was a celibate priest.
St. Paul was a celibate priest.
Neither Our Lord nor St. Paul were
strange; they were just dedicated
to proclaiming the Gospel to
the world on a 24/7 basis. A married
priesthood would have little, to
no, time for parishioners because
they would have to put their physical
family over their spiritual family.
Our Lord is the Holy Model whom all
priests are called to follow.
I don't believe minor debates within
the Church about which is better,
an unmarried priesthood or a married
priesthood, are helpful. The Church
guided by Christ and the Holy Spirit
allows both. That's good enough for me.
In my opinion, in the Latin Rite,
the unmarried priesthood is a blessing.
Plus, we have to remember, no
one is forcing seminarians
in the Latin Rite to be celibate.
It is their
free choice and no one else's.
As our Lord stated:
11 ‘It
is not everyone who can accept
what I have said, but only those
to whom it is granted. 12 There
are eunuchs born so from their
mother's womb, there are
eunuchs made so by human agency
and there are eunuchs who have
made themselves so for the sake
of the kingdom of Heaven. Let
anyone accept this who can.
Matthew 19:11-12 |
So some are called to a celibate
priesthood and some are not.
- Can someone called to the married
life, or to the chaste, single
life as a lay parishioner, understand
this?
Of course not, it is not their calling.
This doesn't mean their calling is
bad or better. It just means it is
not their calling.
- Some are called to the married
state.
- Some are called to the single,
chaste life state.
- Some are called to be "other" Jesus'
and priests of His Church.
Three different callings, all good,
all with a purpose and mission within
the Church. The Catholic's job is
to pray and discern the vocation,
and then carry it out.
You said:
God made Eve
to be Adam's helper. Women have a
very important role in support and
in protecting the heart of a man.
You are referring to the married
vocation, which most of us are called
to!
I totally agree with you. Husbands
are called to give their life for
their wife, but wives are also called
to give their life for their husbands.
I hope this answers your question.
If not, please follow up.
Mike
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