Self-Gratification or Gift to the Other?

The answer to the question of a celibate life is at the heart of one of the biggest struggles we face in the world right now....that of living your life for something or someone other than yourself.

If you talk to any couple, they will tell you that sex amounts to about 10 percent of a healthy relationship. Yet, in our society, arguably more money is spent on advertising and talking about that aspect than any other. Not only this, but it presents a fantasized view that is more concerned with self-gratification than on gift to the other. It is out of this society that men and women enter into celibate life. Maybe we shouldn't question so much about what is wrong with our celibacy; maybe we should ask what is wrong with our concept of sexuality.

At the heart of any dis-function is our humanity, which is broken and imperfect. It should not negate the beauty of selflessness. In the face of so many other possible avenues, when one chooses to live their life in celibacy...it is a sign, again, of the greatest commandment - to love God above everything; and in doing so, they are being open to loving the world in a unique way, because they are not bound to a singular love for another person.

In terms of the question of the Priesthood - to answer this question first is comparable to trying to prop up an inflated economy with trillions of dollars of fiat currency; it is the wrong course of action that will only lead to further disaster.

By Matt Maher  |  May 15, 2009; 2:37 PM ET
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