“We hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”

          As we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we have the happy coincidence of this great Feast coinciding with the ordination of two new priests in our Diocese, as well as celebrating together my tenth anniversary of priestly ordination. The continuation of the Sacrament of Holy Orders in the life of the Church is one of these “mighty acts of God.” Every ordination Mass is another Pentecost, as the Bishop and all his priests join in calling down the Holy Spirit upon the men to be ordained, as the choir chants the “Veni Creator Spiritus” – the ancient hymn upon which “Come Holy Ghost” is based. At every priestly ordination, something radically new happens deep in the soul of the man whose life will never be the same.

          The Holy Spirit bestows gifts upon those who receive Him, gifts that are ultimately not for that person himself, but for the whole Church – we call them charisms. One charism that the Holy Spirit raises up in the Church that is so important for the fruitfulness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders – for the priesthood – is the charism of celibacy.

Many people believe that the Church requires celibacy as a condition for becoming a priest a religious. But this is not the best way of thinking about it. Rather, the Church chooses Her ministers from among those with a charism to celibacy. That is, the Church’s conviction is that there are men who have received this gift from the Lord of remaining unmarried as a witness to the unmarried life of Heaven, and a source of life and grace for the Church. Before it is a requirement, it is more importantly a gift.

 Celibacy does not exist primarily to make priests more available to their parishioners. Many married men and fathers are also generously available to serve the Lord. The celibacy of our shepherds is a witness to the life of the world to come. In Heaven, the goal of our lives, “in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). This is why marriage vows are “until death,” because marriage ceases with the death of one of the spouses.

          Celibacy is also not because intimacy is bad. Every human person needs intimacy, which goes far beyond physical intimacy. The availability for which celibacy is intended is an availability of the heart to God. The celibate state is a consecration of reserving one’s heart for the Lord.

          Most importantly of all, our shepherds are celibate because Jesus was and is celibate. The Scriptures make clear that His bride is the Church, to which He totally gave Himself in this same exchange of chaste intimacy. This is also why the Catholic priesthood is reserved to men – not only because Christ (who otherwise made many very counter-cultural choices) chose men to be His first priests, but because Jesus Himself is a biological male. The priesthood is about radical conformity to Christ. Celibacy sets aside not only the priest’s body, but more importantly, his heart, which is first and foremost for the Lord. This is why celibacy is a source of life and grace for the Church, just like the love of a husband for his wife is a bedrock of the whole family. Celibacy consecrates the heart of the priest.

          The celibacy of Catholic clergy and religious is an important witness to a world that thinks that the human person is incomplete without sexual activity. Whether it is same-sex attraction, pre-marital chastity, or the dignity of unborn human life, rejection of the Church’s teaching is motivated in part by this belief that a life without the privileges of marriage is not a life worth living. We need the example of celibate men in the priesthood to show that all people are meant for much more, and that marriage itself is meant for much more than the marital act.

          From time to time, well-meaning people tell me, “I wish they would let you get married.” Celibacy is not, as we have seen, a rule that the Church imposes on men who would like to be priests. It is a charism, a gift from God, that we have discerned within ourselves through the light of the Holy Spirit. The Church chooses Her priests from among those men who have received this charism – this gift of renouncing marriage for the sake of the Kingdom. We have joyfully and freely chosen this life of total consecration to the Lord, and words like this, even if well-meant, are ultimately insulting. It’s the same as telling someone who is already married, “I wish they’d let you marry someone else too.” Ten years ago, on the happiest day of my life, I gave my entire life to the Lord and His Church. Embracing the life of celibacy – a life of consecration to the Lord that was not only spiritual but bodily– was not a hindrance to that joy, but an essential part of it. Anything else would have been an incomplete gift.

          This is why we won’t solve any “priest shortage” by watering down what it means to be a priest, just as we will never attract more people to Christ’s Church by watering down His challenging teachings. Vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life flourish where the Faith and the priesthood are lived in all their radicality.

          The witness of priests and religious who embrace celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven inspires all of us to be “all in” for the Lord. Our commitment to celibate chastity is a source of joy and deep love that we receive from the Body of Christ, the Church (that is, from you!). Encourage your sons to ask God if He is calling them to this beautiful, joy-filled, and counter-cultural life! There is no need to fear the Lord’s call.

          Young men, the call to celibacy – forgoing the great good of marriage for the even greater good of consecrating yourself to the Lord – could be yours as well! Every young Catholic man ought to ask the Holy Spirit to open his heart to the possibility of this great calling, and to enlighten you to know your vocation, your calling from the Lord.

          If the stirring of that call is present inside you, do not be afraid! The Lord’s call is a result of His love for you, and you can trust His guidance of your life. And don’t be afraid as well to talk to someone you trust – your parents, and especially a priest! – about what God is doing in your heart. We’re here to help you figure out what God wants from you and how He is calling you to follow Him.

          When we think about the possibility of a celibate life, it can seem impossible or undesirable because of two opposite misconceptions we have of what it means to be celibate. To some, celibacy seems too hard, a sacrifice that I could not possibly make. We forget that it is a charism, a calling, a gift from the Lord. It was the Holy Spirit working through the Apostles who spoke of the marvels of God to the assembled crowds at Pentecost, and it is the Holy Spirit who within the man or woman called to celibate chastity brings forth this fidelity and spiritual fruitfulness. Will it be hard? Yes, of course! What is there in life that is great, noble, beautiful, life-giving … and easy?

          The other misconception we frequently have is that the celibate man is unmanly, that he does not have the desires and passion that the man called to marriage has. This is the furthest thing from the truth. We don’t need bland, wimpy, and boring men and women as priests and religious. The Lord wants men of passion and zeal for His priests.

          Last year I made a new saint-friend, Blessed Juan Huguet, one of the 70,000 Catholics and 7,000 priests and religious killed by the Communists in Spain less than one hundred years ago. Inspired by Bl. Miguel Pro and the Mexican martyrs who died for “Cristo Re” – Christ the King – already as a seminarian he had written in his journal: “It is my firm desire, I want with iron and manly will, to follow Thee not only unto the breaking of the bread, but even to the peak of Calvary and to die with Thee on the Cross. Send whatever Thou wish, even if it is the sacrifice of my life, even if it be to die martyred for Thee. What could I do that Thou hast not already done for me?” Those don’t sound like the words of a whimp to me.

          Celibacy is not incidental to the heroism of Bl. Juan Huget and so many other celibate martyrs. Through celibacy, they consecrated their bodies to the Lord. “What can I do for Thee, that Thou hast not already done for me?” They offered their bodies as a willing and joyful sacrifice. When the Communist executioners came for Juan Huget, only 48 days a priest, commanding him to spit on the Cross, his body had already been given to the Lord.

          Though I’ve yet to face such a moment, I know that celibacy has been an essential part of the most beautiful moments of my priesthood, when the Lord is palpably close in experiences of spiritual fatherhood. The fact that there is not another obvious person (a spouse) with whom to share those joys and sorrows means that we share them first with the Lord.

When the promised land was divided up, each of the twelve tribes received a portion of the land – except the priestly tribe of Levi. The Lord was to be their “portion.” Likewise, as I put on the cassock each morning, a symbol of my dedication to the Lord, I recall the words of Psalm 16: “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my chalice, it is You who will restore my inheritance.”

          Celibacy might not technically be essential to the priesthood, but it is impossible to imagine the priesthood without it. That is true not only because of long years of custom, but because the instinct of faith present in the Catholic faithful is to demand a spiritual father whose heart is completely given to the Lord, and through the Lord, to His Church. Celibacy is a key a cornerstone to the priesthood, and the source of joy and life for those who live it and for the entire Church who experiences the closeness of Christ through His priests’ consecration to Himself. Today, on Pentecost Sunday, we can all rejoice at this marvel of God: that He has given the whole Church the gift of the priesthood, the gift of celibate priests, whose hearts belong to Himself, and to His Church.

The Rev. Royce V. Gregerson

Parish Church of Our Lady of Good Hope, Fort Wayne

Pentecost Sunday, A.D. MMXXV