“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
By Fr. James Farfaglia, Catholic Exchange, September 28th, 2009
“…a thorn in the flesh was given to me…” (2 Corinthians 12: 7). No one really knows what caused St. Paul to struggle, but there was something that really bothered him. He pleaded with the Lord that his difficulties be taken away, but Paul received an answer he was not looking for: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
True, Baptism washes away original sin, but we are left with the effects of original sin. We do not have complete control over ourselves. The spiritual life is a continual battle.
Because of original sin our darkened intellects, weakened wills, and inflamed passions will always move us in the wrong direction. Continual effort is necessary to control the inner movement of our ego and allow the presence of grace to take control of our thoughts, desires and actions.
The battle of the spiritual life might be compared to walking in a river against the current. If we do not continue walking or reaching out toward a rock for support, then the current will most assuredly carry us in the opposite direction.
Any serious discussion about the charism of celibacy or the sacrament of matrimony must take into consideration the seriousness of concupiscence and John Paul II, in his monumental work “The Theology of the Body,” delves into this reality with profound insights for our considerations.
Priests who live out their vocation with fidelity, enthusiasm, and joy should not be surprised that the charism of celibacy does come accompanied by a continual struggle. This struggle is rooted in the human condition.
We are transformed by grace, but the struggle will always be present. This is why, as men who have been given the charism of celibacy, it is essential that our spiritual life and our dedication to our people be truly authentic, mature and coherent.
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Do you pray the Liturgy of the Hours every day?
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Do you do an hour of meditation or a Holy Hour every day?
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Do you have a filial devotion to the Blessed Mother?
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Is your calendar full or do you give in to laziness?
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Do you go on a serious retreat every year?
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Do you meet with a spiritual director at least once a month?
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Do you go to confession on a regular basis and whenever necessary?
It is normal for us to struggle, even to fall. But, we must never give in to discouragement. The struggle with celibacy serves to go deeper in our relationship with God and to grow in the charism. “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953, he scaled the highest mountain then known to man–29,000 feet straight up. However, in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest but failed. A few weeks later an organization in England asked him to address their members. Hillary walked on stage to thunderous applause. The audience in applauding was recognizing his attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform. He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain. He said in a loud voice, “Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I’ll beat you the next time because you’ve grown all you are going to grow… but I’m still growing!”
There is a huge difference between a priest who struggles and the priest who lives a double life.
A priest who carries on with a concubine or a priest who struggles with same-sex attraction who carries on with a male lover does tremendous damage to real Catholic priests who love their vocation to the priesthood. Immature priests anger the lay faithful who are scandalized by their proclivities.
These priests should always keep in the mind the severe words of the Lord: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9: 42).
The charism of celibacy does not cause priests to be immoral or sexual perverts. Anyone who thinks this way does not really understand the charism of celibacy. They are gravely mistaken if they think that masturbation and Internet pornography are answers to celibacy.
Celibacy is a special gift from the Holy Spirit. It is called a charism. It is a beautiful gift for the Church.
The celibate priest, in and through his body; i.e., through his very physical reality, is a sign or a witness not only of his total gift of himself to his bride, the Church, but he is also physically, through his body, pointing the way to the eschatological reality of eternal life.
However, like I already said, the charism of celibacy does not remove the reality of concupiscence and Pope John Paul II recognizes this in his teachings.
Concupiscence is something that we must always take seriously especially since we have to live out our vocation in a sex-saturated culture. Moreover, many times we find ourselves living alone in rectories or dealing with persecution from priests or parishioners who reject the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Bishops have a solemn duty to help their priests to live out, with authenticity, maturity and coherence, the charism of celibacy. I will discuss how bishops can help their priests in my next article.
Father James Farfaglia is Pastor of St. Helena of the True Cross of Jesus Catholic Church in Corpus Christi, Texas. Originally from Ridgefield, CT, Father has founded and developed apostolates for the Catholic Church in Spain, Italy, Mexico, Canada and throughout the United States. He may be reached by e-mail at fjficthus@gmail.com.
The Charism of Celibacy and Concupiscence–The Spiritual Life is a Continual Battle
“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
By Fr. James Farfaglia, Catholic Exchange, September 28th, 2009
“…a thorn in the flesh was given to me…” (2 Corinthians 12: 7). No one really knows what caused St. Paul to struggle, but there was something that really bothered him. He pleaded with the Lord that his difficulties be taken away, but Paul received an answer he was not looking for: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
True, Baptism washes away original sin, but we are left with the effects of original sin. We do not have complete control over ourselves. The spiritual life is a continual battle.
Because of original sin our darkened intellects, weakened wills, and inflamed passions will always move us in the wrong direction. Continual effort is necessary to control the inner movement of our ego and allow the presence of grace to take control of our thoughts, desires and actions.
The battle of the spiritual life might be compared to walking in a river against the current. If we do not continue walking or reaching out toward a rock for support, then the current will most assuredly carry us in the opposite direction.
Any serious discussion about the charism of celibacy or the sacrament of matrimony must take into consideration the seriousness of concupiscence and John Paul II, in his monumental work “The Theology of the Body,” delves into this reality with profound insights for our considerations.
Priests who live out their vocation with fidelity, enthusiasm, and joy should not be surprised that the charism of celibacy does come accompanied by a continual struggle. This struggle is rooted in the human condition.
We are transformed by grace, but the struggle will always be present. This is why, as men who have been given the charism of celibacy, it is essential that our spiritual life and our dedication to our people be truly authentic, mature and coherent.
It is normal for us to struggle, even to fall. But, we must never give in to discouragement. The struggle with celibacy serves to go deeper in our relationship with God and to grow in the charism. “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953, he scaled the highest mountain then known to man–29,000 feet straight up. However, in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest but failed. A few weeks later an organization in England asked him to address their members. Hillary walked on stage to thunderous applause. The audience in applauding was recognizing his attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform. He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain. He said in a loud voice, “Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I’ll beat you the next time because you’ve grown all you are going to grow… but I’m still growing!”
There is a huge difference between a priest who struggles and the priest who lives a double life.
A priest who carries on with a concubine or a priest who struggles with same-sex attraction who carries on with a male lover does tremendous damage to real Catholic priests who love their vocation to the priesthood. Immature priests anger the lay faithful who are scandalized by their proclivities.
These priests should always keep in the mind the severe words of the Lord: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9: 42).
The charism of celibacy does not cause priests to be immoral or sexual perverts. Anyone who thinks this way does not really understand the charism of celibacy. They are gravely mistaken if they think that masturbation and Internet pornography are answers to celibacy.
Celibacy is a special gift from the Holy Spirit. It is called a charism. It is a beautiful gift for the Church.
The celibate priest, in and through his body; i.e., through his very physical reality, is a sign or a witness not only of his total gift of himself to his bride, the Church, but he is also physically, through his body, pointing the way to the eschatological reality of eternal life.
However, like I already said, the charism of celibacy does not remove the reality of concupiscence and Pope John Paul II recognizes this in his teachings.
Concupiscence is something that we must always take seriously especially since we have to live out our vocation in a sex-saturated culture. Moreover, many times we find ourselves living alone in rectories or dealing with persecution from priests or parishioners who reject the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Bishops have a solemn duty to help their priests to live out, with authenticity, maturity and coherence, the charism of celibacy. I will discuss how bishops can help their priests in my next article.