03 Priestly Celibacy — Notes from Holy Souls Hermitage — Chastity

Chastity— to be chaste, comes from castus, the past participle of carere, which means to [be] cut off. The meaning of “cut” is not in reference to castration[!] but refers to the result of living in a manner contradictory to the fallen ways of the world, keeping the commandments, cut off from the utter stupidity of the world specifically to be in awe before God, especially the priest (see ἁγνός – 1 Timothy 5,22). Everyone is meant to be chaste, so that begetting children in the married state is living chastely. Chastity is holiness of life in regard to sexual morality. Priests are held up as examples in this regard since people have a sense that if priests do not know they are married to the Church, not having, then, the ferocity of spousal self-giving, unto death to themselves so as to live for this Bride of Christ, the Church, then surely they will not be chaste. Christ “married” His Bride, the Church, at the Last Supper, with those ferocious wedding vows said by the priest today in the first person singular, acting in the Person of Christ: This is my body, given for you in sacrifice…. This is the chalice of my blood, shed for you in sacrifice. This is total self-giving to the other, in this case beyond death. Again, if the priest does not realize that he is married to the Church by the very sacrifice that he offers at daily Mass, then surely he will be lost to all sort of sexual idiocy, at least in his spirit if not otherwise. There’s a reason why Saint John of the Cross’ drawing of Christ crucified heads up these posts on priestly celibacy!