Married with Children

The Church was packed today. Standing room only at noon mass. Not a common sight for July. Maybe a common sight for Christmas or Easter but not the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time.

The pews were packed because of the man we call Fr. Walt. He is the pastor of my parish and has been there since I was in Junior High. Fr. Walt married me and my wife. He married several of my friends. He baptized my nieces and nephew. Fr. Walt said the funeral masses when two of my friends died during my junior year in college. I was privileged enough to travel with him to Honduras on one of his many missionary trips to the Central-American nation. Fr. Walt is a dear friend of mine and a man whose dedication to serving God by serving others is an inspiration to me and many others.

So many people came to that specific mass because we were celebrating the 40th anniversary of Fr. Walt’s priestly ordination. Throughout his ministry, Fr. Walt touched the lives of probably all those people. He laughs with us. He mourns with us. He prays for us.

Many people outside of the Church don’t understand the priesthood. They can’t comprehend why someone would deny themselves an opportunity to marry and have children of their own. And in an over-sexed society, the vow of celibacy can be viewed as strange, unnatural, bizarre, or unhealthy.

And sadly, the sex abuse scandal within the Church has led the general public to view these holy men as guilty until proven innocent in many ways. I will never attempted to justify the hurtful actions and abuses of power that occurred in those situations but I must make it clear that it was a smaller percentage of priest involved than what you would led to believe by the media. Hundreds of holy and committed priest wrongfully came under skepticism as a result of the actions of others.

Indeed, the priesthood is a vocation that presents different challenges and crosses to carry that I can not fully understand. But it is also a vocation that God calls some to and grants them the necessary graces to handle all that is presented to them.

Earlier this week, I heard a talk on the radio by Fr. John Corapi. He is an amazing speaker whose journey to the priesthood is a story in itself. I would encourage you to research his website, www.fathercorapi.com, when you have time. His talk tried to shed some light on the life of a priest and debunk some of the prevailing thoughts in society about married priest, women priest, and so on.

Fr. Corapi told a story about when he was preparing to become a priest and met a beautiful woman who piqued his interest and she was attracted to him as well. He said while the encounter was brief, he momentarily experienced a sadness knowing that he would never marry a woman and have a family of his own.

He continued on to say that his sadness was short-lived and he was almost immediately reminded that in his vocation to the priesthood, he would be taking the Church as his bride and that he would have many, many spiritual children to provide for. That is why priests who have the qualities required to be good husbands and fathers are good priests.

In both the Old and New Testament, God’s love for his people is explained through the comparison of a husband and wife in marriage. In the last book of the Bible, The Book of Revelation, we read about the “wedding of the Lamb” which is the marriage of Jesus and the Church. In the same way that Jesus Christ did, priest for two millennia have been taking the Catholic Church as their bride.

Priest view all of us, regardless of age, race, educational background, net worth, etc., as children of God and therefore sheep in need of a shepherd. In same way that Christ ministered to the sick, the lame, the poor, and the sinners 2,000 years ago, our priest selflessly tend to our physical and spiritual needs. They are there for all the major events in our lives. They are also there for the everyday events and pray for our souls daily. They are there to celebrate daily mass as well as Holy Days. They are there when we bury a loved one and are there to baptize our children. We need the sacraments and we need priest to receive the sacraments. Priests serve as holy examples of how to live the Gospel by their sacrifice and commitment. Priests are teachers, missionaries, and martyrs.

I am so thankful for Fr. Walt and priest like him. Their commitment to their bride and their children is a blessing beyond our comprehension.

St. John Vianney is the patron saint for all priests. Ask him to pray that the priests you know and priests around the world will remain faithful in their vocation and that they will continue to reveal Christ’s love to others by their actions. Pray for men of all ages who are discerning God’s call to the priesthood. And lastly, know that as you are praying for them, they are praying for you.