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November 4, 2019
Mary Salim
San Mateo
So much has been said and written recently about clerical celibacy because of the Amazon synod. We do have married clergy already if you consider Eastern rite churches and Episcopal priest converts to Catholicism who are married men with families.
When people argue that Jesus did not pick women to be disciples, it should be pointed out that he didn’t pick single men or “holy” men either. He didn’t go to places like the temple or Qumran to bring priests or monks of public virtue and formal educations. He didn’t pick any Nazirites; He and his disciples drank wine. He did pick men with wives, children, mothers-in-law, regular jobs.
Many in the early church were missionaries who traveled with their wives. “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” (1 Corinthians 9:5). Cephas is St. Peter, the first pope. Don’t forget the reading from the first letter to Timothy that we had lately at daily Mass. “Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife … keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way” (1 Timothy 3:2, 4).
No one is suggesting that all the wonderful clergy that we have already committed to celibacy and its fruits have to go out and get married. However, seeing the growing shortage of vocations and the many parts of the world that are underserved by the church, we should not reject the notion of married clergy outright. There is room for both kinds of clergy. Even on this continent there are places without daily Mass or even sufficient Sunday Masses. Do you think our church will do better with more Eucharist or less Eucharist?
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