“As I Have Loved You . . . ”

Can you complete the above sentence? If so, then you know this famous teaching of Jesus. “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13: 34). This condition, “as I have loved you,” could mean many different of things. Love one another by preaching like Jesus, healing like Jesus, forgiving like Jesus, serving and washing feet like Jesus, suffering and dying like Jesus, etc. No one can imitate Jesus perfectly in all these areas. But since we are focusing on priestly vocations this weekend, I’d like to mention another condition which is sometimes overlooked: Love one another by serving the Church through the gift of celibacy. 

Last week 133 priests of the archdiocese gathered with Archbishop Aquila for our annual Priests Convocation and the focus for our week was priestly celibacy. We heard talks given by Fr. Carter Griffin who is the Vice-Rector of the seminary in Washington, D.C. He spoke of the priest as first, a son of God, and then as a spiritual father.  He spoke of the priest as a representative of Jesus the Bridegroom who, through the gift of celibacy, gives himself completely to the Church, the Bride of Christ whom he loves. Fr. Griffin spoke about something very intriguing, that I had never heard before. He said, “The Church needs men who love them as Jesus Christ the Bridegroom. The Church cannot understand herself without the celibate priest loving them as Jesus Christ.”

Would you agree with that perspective? Have you ever considered this? How different is the Roman Catholic model from that of Protestants or even some Eastern Orthodox traditions. The Roman Catholic Church still upholds the ideal of celibate priesthood, not because we’re trying to save money, not because it’s more efficient to move priests around, not because we’re worried about the inheritance of a priest’s wife and children, and not even because the priest is able to work more hours serving his parish. The primary reason for priestly celibacy is so a priest can grow in intimacy with Jesus (through prayer and the Sacraments) and be transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ the Bridegroom. Then, he loves the Church as Christ the Bridegroom loves the Church, offering himself up for her that she may bear much fruit.  

I know this is an ideal. But it is the consistent teaching of the Church flowing from her apostolic tradition. And since we are focusing on the “Called By Name” program this weekend which is sponsored by the Archdiocese, I think this topic is worth reflecting upon. Because the discipline of priestly celibacy has been wounded in recent years and challenged in many ways. This past convocation has inspired and encouraged me to appreciate the wonderful fruit of priestly celibacy, and to have the courage to speak about it. Of course, this is the number one reason young men struggle to say Yes to the call to priesthood. I assure them and all of you that priestly celibacy is a blessed way to be a spiritual father.

This weekend Archbishop Aquila has asked all priests to share our vocation stories during the homily. We do so with the hopes that it will encourage young men to be open to considering the priesthood. Our Vocations Office is asking everyone to help with this “Called By Name” campaign by identifying faithful young Catholic men ages 15-30. They don’t need to want to become priests. We are simply looking for faithful Catholics who are open to support and encouragement as they pray about their vocations.

If you think of anyone, you can write their name and some contact information on a card in the church this weekend, and the vocation office will follow up with them. They will be invited to join a discernment group to help them build community and explore the priesthood—while having fun and doing some service work. 

We all have different ways we can respond to the call of Jesus to love one another as He has loved us. The priesthood is a wonderful way to do that. You may be able to help a young man hear the call to this wonderful path of discipleship. Without the priest there is no Eucharist, and no one to represent Christ the Bridegroom to His Bride. It’s that essential. Let’s pray and support vocations to the priesthood (so I can retire some day!).