Reflection on March 17, 1982

https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/jp2tb73.htm

Continence for the kingdom. This is obviously one of the main Scriptures that Catholics point to when we talk about the celibacy of priest and religious. SJPII seems to think that Christ understands this will be a difficult lesson for the listeners and goes through the Old Testament tradition in which continence was not something normal. Old Testament Jews would have seen choosing to be continent on your own as a strange custom and perhaps even an ill omen. We see how they looked upon women that were barren and it is always with the thought they have deserved this for something wrong they have done. Christ turns the choice of continence, when done for the Kingdom, into a spiritual choice, one that brings you closer to God. He never says it is an easy choice and never says it is for everyone, but does specifically say that it can be a calling for some.

Beyond the priesthood and religious, I was wondering if you can use the idea of continence for the Kingdom to further understand the importance of waiting until marriage. I think we have discussed the importance enough in reflecting on the idea of the uniqueness of the gift, the giver and receiver, the importance to the experience, and it being wholly given and how not waiting chips away at that experience and what we learn from it. But here Christ is also saying there is something to celibacy that brings us closer to God. The world always focuses on what we lose by waiting, but here Christ talks about what we gain, a closer relationship with God through chastity. I think it is important to point out this because there is such a huge acceptance of sex outside of marriage. For all the reasons discussed in looking at the “Beginning”, sex outside of marriage is wrong, but here we see that not waiting will cause us to lose a chance to grow in relationship with God. You can see that God developed this plan, that 2 people wait, grow in relationship with God, so that when they do meet and are married they both bring that relationship with God into the marriage and then continue to grow closer to God together as one in their unique relationship. Many lose that by not waiting, they do not have that relationship, then come into marriage with a distorted idea of love, God, marriage, unity, etc. By promoting the idea of not waiting we have seen the deterioration of marriage, as evidenced by the numbers of divorce. God’s plan of waiting until marriage is the way God gave us for our best chance of success.

I was also thinking about the idea of virginity in the Old Testament and Mary. With Mary being the virgin mother, Christ turns the negative into a positive. Add the raising up of Mary’s virginity with Christ saying that choosing that lifestyle for the Kingdom further shows the shift away from its negative connotation in the Old Testament. Mary, also as a model for a life given to God, shows that continence for God is a calling that should be prayed about.