The following letters to the editor appear in the edition of Sept. 4, 2003. Letters appearing in this space do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arlington Catholic Herald or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. The editor reserves the right to edit letters as necessary. There is no guarantee of publication. Send letters to: letters@catholicherald.com.

More on Optional Celibacy

About the Milwaukee priests urging "'optional celibacy" (ACH 8/21/03) to supposedly take care of priestly candidate shortage — that kind of reasoning seems to be a call and decision by men attempting to tell God what to do, instead of men called by God humbly accepting what God has chosen them specifically to do. One is a decision from a conference or meeting room; the other is a decision from a chapel or a church where Our Lord is present in the tabernacle.

I would suggest that God is calling ample candidates; He is our provider. Is He finding the holiness necessary and required for responding to the call? It takes prayer and prayer and prayer.

Perhaps these priests could set out on a program of a daily holy hour with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament; I would love to hear what they might say at the end of a year, for instance. If they were listening to Our Lord, and following His directives, I wonder what the proposals might be.

These Milwaukee priests might also keep a book handy for reference, Priests for the Third Millenium (2000), written by their own, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan. It is very instructive covering all aspects of priesthood, including preparing for and freely vowing celibacy for life. This is a sacred consecration for a purpose; it is part of the priestly identity.

The priest belongs to everybody, the whole flock. He is exclusive with no one, so that Christ's overflowing love might belong to everyone. The sacred actions and words, which priests do and speak in persona Christi at every holy sacrifice of the Mass, cry out for each chosen man of God to be the total self-sacrifice as their Lord was and is. The priests are Christ, and they call down Christ instantly present on our altars. There is no more awesome task in the universe, or humbling.

I offer my prayers and sacrifices, daily, for priests. That is what I am called to do. May they live their calling with an abundance of graces and blessings and all gifts necessary for fulfillment of God's work through them.

Arlyn Mary Chalfant
Winchester

Married Priests Would Have No Time

I read the article, "Milwaukee Priests Urge Optional Celibacy" (ACH 8/21/03). I wish I could direct my comments to the priests who signed the letter urging the U.S. bishops to allow married men to be ordained, which they contend would provide more candidates to the priesthood.

I'd like to offer another opinion; let's think about the reality of a married priest as a husband and father. My brother, who is a priest, was visiting us this summer. We have great open discussions about many issues regarding the Catholic Church. He was explaining to our children that when he visits, he can come to their swim meets, soccer or basketball games, but if he was married and had children, he would be a lousy husband and father. His busiest times are in the evening and weekends, when spouses and children want to be with their fathers the most. In the evenings he has many appointments with couples preparing for matrimony, meetings for sacrament preparation, CCD which may be any day of the week, and the many church groups that desire and need his presence. On Saturdays, he would miss most children's sports games, birthday parties, etc., because he usually has a wedding, funeral or both, along with preparing a homily for Sunday. Of course on Sundays, he is busy all morning. During the week, if he is needed at the hospital or nursing home, that would have to take priority over being home. He said to us that the divorce rate among Protestant ministers is very high because many times church needs come before family.

I understood much of what he was talking about. When I was younger, the father of one of my best friends was a Protestant minister. She and her siblings complained many times that their dad was rarely home, and a Catholic priest has many more duties than most Protestant ministers. Another issue that many people cite for promoting married priests is that they can better understand and counsel married couples if they experience it first hand. That way of thinking is flawed because I need not be an alcoholic to counsel one. Also, a priest cannot be everything to everyone; he is there to counsel on religious matters which many times helps the marriage. Just as you would go to the dentist for a toothache, you go to the priest for religious matters. Although many do some

preliminary counseling, many times a priest will refer people to a professional counselor who is trained specifically in a serious problem. Couples preparing for matrimony are not going to him because he is an expert and experienced at matrimony, but for religious guidance to help before entering a religious union.

Remember that priests are people who have families, many times married siblings with families. They draw a lot of their ideas from their own growing up and well as friends and families. If you talk to many priests, you'll learn that the celibacy issue is not as big a deal as others make it to be. We who are married know that the sexual side of a marriage is really a small part of the big picture. Also, anyone who is single should also be chaste, but many in society want us to think this is not possible. I hope many readers stop and think that the issue of married priests has many, many repercussions to be considered, which can cause more problems. It is not an issue to be taken lightly, and it is not the end-all of the need for more priests.

Name withheld upon request

The 'Passion' Is Not Anti-Semitic

Growing up in the Bronx during the depression and World War II was an education in racial and religious harmony. My gang was a mixture of Protestants, Catholics and Jews, although the latter seldom went to the synagogue, if ever.

We went to different schools, Catholics to St. John’s and the others to P.S. 7, but after 3 p.m. and during the summer, we were buddies, playing stickball and other no cost games in the street or park.

During Easter week, the theaters showed Passion movies or other religious films. We all knew that Jesus, His mother and father, and the Apostles were Jewish. We also knew that Jesus was rejected by the religious power brokers and was handed over to the Romans to be crucified.

No one blamed Stanley Lederman or Jackie Goldberg for the death of Jesus. How can anyone blame present day Jews for the acts of a few 2000 years ago?

Why are charges of anti-Semitism being aimed at Mel Gibson for producing a film which is based on our New Testament?

Yes, anti-Semitism does exist, since Arabs are Semites, and there is a wave of attacks against Arabs, in general, and Muslims all over the world. But anti-Semitism against Jews in America, where does that exist? It is certainly not in Hollywood or television or the media in general.

There are anti-Jewish/Zionist feelings from Arabs and Muslims because of Israel’s harsh treatment of the Palestinians, the invasion of Lebanon and the theft of the Golan Heights from Syria.

There might be some Catholics who resent Jewish attacks on the Catholic Church and Pius XII, attacks which have no basis in history.

There may even be some Fundamentalists who don’t like Jewish support for abortion.

But rest assured there can be no anti-Semitism from a viewing of Christ’s Passion, since it reaffirms the Jewishness of Christ and the Jewishness of the very roots of our religion. And for this, we are eternally grateful to our Jewish brothers.

Robert J. O’Neill
Front Royal

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