Had my fundamentalist acquaintance known a little of the Church’s early history, he could have spared himself an embarrassment. His customary anti-Catholic resentment, contained during most of our conversation at a social gathering after a right-to-life meeting, came alive when someone mentioned an instance of child molestation by a priest.
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The “Problem” with Celibacy
“That’s the problem with celibacy,” he snorted. “You can’t stop nature. In fact, if you forcibly suppress it, it will explode,” he concluded pontifically. “Paul warned us Christians against celibacy, every one knows that.” Before I could object that child molestation is not committed exclusively by celibate men, since many married men, of many denominations, both clergy and laymen, have been guilty of it, he opened his Bible and read aloud from 1 Tim 4:1-5:
In the last times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to spirits of error, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, and having their conscience seared, forbidding to marry, to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving by the faithful and by them that have known the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
The poor chap, satisfied to explain virtually everything by his individual interpretation of Scripture, evidently knew nothing of Church history. Otherwise he would have known that Saint Paul was speaking prophetically against the Gnostics, Marcionites, Manicheans, and other heretics who emerged in the early Church and taught that all flesh was evil.
No wonder the noted English convert John Henry Cardinal Newman could write that “To know history is to cease to be a Protestant.” There was no time to consult history books; I had to defend the Truth right then and there, between the visiting speaker’s address and the final cup of tea at our right-to-life meeting.
“Priestly celibacy,” I said, “is a counsel of perfection, which Our Lord encouraged in the New Testament after a long preparation in the Old. From Adam to Moses the people of God had a natural priesthood, in which every father of a family or tribal chieftain offered sacrifice. From Mount Sinai until the time of Jesus, the Levitical or Aaronic priesthood replaced natural priesthood. The Levitical gave way at the Last Supper and the sacrifice on the Cross to sacramental priesthood. Jesus did not destroy priesthood. Indeed, He is our High Priest. He offered sacrifice for us and commanded His apostles to ‘Do this in memory of Me.’ It was a command. The Apostles obeyed and instructed their successors to do likewise.”
The Apocalypse
In the Apocalypse, Saint John reserves the highest praise for those followers of Our Lord who are virgins, and you know that virginity is the perfect flower of celibacy.
And I beheld, and lo! A lamb stood upon mount Zion, and with him 144,000, having his name, and the name of his father, written on their foreheads. … And they sang as it were a new canticle, before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the ancients. And no man could say the canticle, but those 144,000, who were purchased from the earth. These are they who are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were purchased from among men, the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. (Apoc 14:1-5).
With that high tribute to celibacy, I returned the Bible to its owner. Finishing my tea, now quite cold, I said good-night to the group of valiant crusaders against abortion and headed home to my family. Driving along the dark streets, I prayed that Our Lord would deign to bless our home with vocations to the priesthood and the religious life, to life and work dedicated to His kingdom in a life of perfect celibacy.
Establishing the Link
“But Jesus was not from the family of Aaron, nor the Levitical priesthood,” my fundamentalist interlocutor affirmed in his usual pompous tone. A priest forever according to the Order of Melchisedech. “No,” I answered, “He was of the priesthood of Melchisedech, as Psalm 109 affirms: ‘Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech.’ The word priest first appears in the Bible (Gen. 14:18) in reference to Melchisedech.
“What’s so special about Melchisedech?” he asked, as though hearing the name for the first time. “He was a ‘priest of the Most High.’ He imparted a priestly blessing in God’s name and offered bread and wine in sacrifice, the only such instance in the Old Testament. Melchisedech’s sacrifice prefigured Our Lord’s in the New Testament, His one single sacrifice of the Last Supper and Calvary.”
“Sounds interesting from the archaeological point of view,” he mused, avoiding the evident parallel. “But what has that got to do with celibacy?” “Look in the Epistle to the Hebrews,” I replied. “There you will learn that Melchisedech had no family records, no genealogy, no listing of wife or children — characteristic marks of celibacy for the sake of the kingdom.”
“That must have been an exception in the Old Testament,” he jumped. “All priests of the Mosaic Law were married.” “You confuse ideal with exception,” I answered. “When Moses took the Hebrews out of Egypt to Mount Sinai, they went there to sacrifice to God as a priestly nation (Exod. 19:3-6). In preparation for that priesthood, they were to be sanctified, as symbolized by the washing of garments; to observe the limits of the sanctuary; and to observe three days of marital abstinence. Most did not obey God’s injunction to remain continent for even three days, however, and committed spiritual adultery with the golden calf. Since only the Levites remained faithful, Moses gave them a special privilege in the service of God, and only Aaron’s family received the priesthood in perpetuity (Exod. 29:9).
“What’s your point?” he asked impatiently.
“The point is that God was establishing a link between priesthood and celibacy, first with Melchisedech’s lack of a family, then the Hebrews’ temporary continence to receive the priesthood. Later, among the Prophets, Elias stands out as one of the greatest, even appearing with Our Lord and Moses on Mount Tabor. The great Elias was celibate, leading a hermit’s life in the desert. In the last Old Testament prophetic book, Malachias speaks of the clean oblation to be offered daily to God (1:11), which the early Church Fathers interpreted as being like Melchisedech’s sacrifice of bread and wine.”
Asking to borrow his Bible for a moment, I opened it to Hebrews, chapter seven:
For this Melchisedech was king of Salem, priest of the most high God… Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but likened unto the Son of God, continues a priest forever.
“Here you have another sign of the great ideal of priestly celibacy for the New Testament. Melchisedech, the prefigure of Jesus the Son of God, as His Apostles after Him until the end of time, priests without father, without mother, without genealogy — celibates.” Celibacy lived in the New Testament.
“But this is of the Old Testament. Jesus abolished it. Everyone knows that!” he sneered.
“On the contrary, Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfill, as everyone knows. Moreover, historically speaking, even in Our Lord’s time there were groups of people, men and women, practicing celibacy, such as the Essenes. Saint John the Baptist, the precursor of the Messiah, came in the spirit of Elias and was also celibate, leading a life in the desert like Elias. Jesus Himself called Saint John the greatest man on earth.
Before my fundamentalist acquaintance could reply, I completed the argument: “Have you forgotten that Jesus Christ, the perfect priestly model, led a life of perfect celibacy? Both the Messiah and the precursor, the greatest men, were celibates!” As my interlocutor’s mind rummaged for some plausible reply, more people gathered around with their cups of tea to listen in.
Perfecting the Law
“The perfecting of the law that Jesus emphasized in the Sermon on the Mount was a necessary consequence of the perfecting of the priesthood,” I continued. “Our Lord considered the move towards continence and chastity as a perfection. Would you like a few examples?” It was an unnecessary question, but it is always more polite to ask. “May I have your Bible again? Here we are, regarding adultery and impure thoughts.”
You have heard that it was said to them of old: thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say to you, that whoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:27-28).
Our Lord not only confirmed the law against adultery, He perfected it by forbidding even impure thoughts — a move towards greater chastity. He did the same by abolishing divorce and remarriage (Matt. 5:31-32).” “But this is about chastity within marriage, not outside it; everybody knows that!” our friend insisted. “Not really. These teachings point in a definite direction — toward greater chastity, to the extent of His praising celibacy itself. Haven’t you read Matthew 19:12?
There are eunuchs who were born so from their mothers’ womb; and there are eunuchs who were made so by men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can understand it, let him understand it.
That’s the beauty of celibacy, to abstain from holy matrimony for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. That’s another great ideal that Our Lord was preparing His disciples to understand. That’s why Melchisedech, Elias, and John the Baptist were celibates — for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.”
The time to go was fast approaching, leaving time for just a few more passages.
“In Matthew 22:30 Jesus said to His opponents: ‘You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they shall neither marry nor be married, but shall be as the angels of God in heaven.’
“Celibacy for the sake of God’s kingdom begins here on earth in that state of total belonging to Him. Remember the rich young man in Matthew 19:21? Jesus told him, “If you will be perfect, sell what you have…and follow Me.’ Surely that fellow must have been a wealthy celibate; otherwise he could not in justice give everything to the poor, leaving his wife and children to beg in the streets.”
“But Jesus didn’t order the man to dispose of his possessions; He said ‘If… If you will be perfect.’ It was conditional, not mandatory,” my friend said. “Quite right,” I agreed. “It was a counsel of perfection. ‘If you will be perfect.’ Voluntary poverty, celibacy, and obedience go hand in hand, as the Catholic Church recommends in the three vows. Did He not say in the Sermon of the Mount, ‘Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect’? And did He not also say on another occasion, ‘Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me”?
“We are only scratching the surface of Jesus’ ideal of perfection, because not everything He said and did is consigned to writing, as Saint John makes quite clear. The more explicit teaching on celibacy is found in Saint Paul. Saint Paul well understood the distinction between commandment and counsel regarding celibacy, and he pulled no punches about it. Look here in 1 Corinthians:”
Now concerning the things you wrote to me about: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. But for fear of fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband (7:1-2).
Even within marriage, he encourages periodic abstinence.
Defraud not one another, except, perhaps, by consent, for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer. And return together again, lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency… For I would that all men were even as myself, but everyone has his proper gift from God; one after this manner, and another after that. But I say to the unmarried, and to the widows: It is good for them if they so continue, even as I. But if they do not contain themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to be burnt (7:5,7-9).
Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the Lord; but I give counsel, as having obtained mercy from the Lord, to be faithful. I think therefore that it is good for the present necessity, that it is good for a man so to be. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you take a wife, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marry, she has not sinned. Nevertheless, such shall have tribulation of the flesh. But I spare you.(7:24-27).
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: and he is divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin think of the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit. But she that is married thinks of the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your profit: not to cast a snare upon you; but for that which is decent, and which may give you power to attend upon the Lord, without impediment. … A woman is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty: let her marry to whom she will; only in the Lord. But more blessed shall she be, if she so remain, according to my counsel; and I think that I also have the spirit of God (7:32-40).
Saint Paul also teaches that a bishop or deacon could be a married man, but not a remarried widower. Let them be “the husband of one wife,” he writes (1 Tim. 3:1,12).
