Priests need commitment

Catholic bishops recently completed a meeting, or synod, that
was held in Rome to end the Year of the Eucharist. The Eucharist,
which Catholics celebrate at Mass as the transformation of bread
and wine into the body and blood of Christ, is the most important
part of our worship.

The bishops’ meeting was therefore not a series of
“policy talks” (Send Your Thoughts, Oct. 24), but a
prayerful discussion about worship in the church today.

Most media commentators have restricted their coverage of the
synod to the question of priestly celibacy. Some suggest that
celibacy is the primary cause for the global priest shortage, and
that the only way to solve the problem is by eliminating the
requirement.

I suggest that the main obstacle to men entering the priesthood
is not celibacy, but fear of commitment, a fear that also presents
an enormous challenge to marriage throughout the Western world.

Priesthood and marriage in the Catholic Church share the same
fundamental ethic. They both involve the free gift of one’s
life to someone else for the good of both parties. In marriage, a
man and woman commit their lives to one another, promising to love
and honor each other for the rest of their lives. This mutual love
extends to the children that result from the marriage bond.

In a similar manner, the priest commits his life to love and
service of the Church. He should be free from the responsibilities
of family life in order to dedicate his time to the faithful. Both
married couples and priests must often set aside their immediate
desires in order to fulfill their duties. This can be a great
struggle, but we as Catholics believe and teach that a life offered
as a gift is ultimately happier and more meaningful than a life of
only seeking self-gratification.

Fear of commitment, the main obstacle facing the priesthood, is
the same obstacle facing marriage. We all see that many couples and
families cannot or do not stay together. While there are often
necessary reasons for this, there is still much suffering in
families brought about by the desire to be free from loving and
caring for one another.

The idea of permanently giving one’s life for someone else
is frightening and can seem like a burden and limitation on
one’s freedom. But is this an authentic understanding of
freedom? Catholics believe freedom is only fulfilled in giving.
Priests are celibate so that they may give their lives to the
service of God.

Marriage is a lifetime commitment so that couples may give their
lives to each other and to their children. The solution to the
priest shortage and marriage crisis is the same: a greater
generosity of spirit, a greater willingness to give.

Everyone, not just Catholics, have that same need, and we all
suffer where generosity is absent. I hope this synod of bishops
might be a call to all people to make free gifts out of their
lives.

Conedera is a history graduate student.