Sunday, July 23, 2017

Thoughts of a wise and kind 90-year-old Irish priest

A 90-year-old priest, and a good priest too, when asked what he thought of celibacy replied with one word: 'daft'.

"Indeed, I would do away with the three vows and replace them with three words; Sensitivity, Sharing, Service."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is the same three things, just different names! Sensitivity, chastity; sharing, poverty; service, obedience. 'Daft' is also the apostles' reaction to Jesus' teaching about celibacy.

Michael Commane said...

Thank you for your comment. And it makes sense too. But why the anonymity? Is it that you have sold your soul to the institution and are simply afraid to identify yourself?
Or is it that you simply have not got the 'balls' to put your name to what you write?
I'm slow to use such a word, indeed, it is my first time ever to write out that word, but anonymous people on social media are mainly nasty, cruel too. And I'd say, correct to say the vast majority, right-wing.
Why can't you say who you are?
This blog is over 10 years old and the author has never once written one anonymous word on it or indeed, anywhere else.
It seems too anonymity is part of the oxygen of priesthood.
It really is laughable for an anonymous person to mention the word 'Jesus'.
Enjoy your day.

Michael said...

The anonymous statement above is arrant nonsense. There are those who are sensitive without being chaste; sharing without being poor; of service without being obedient. There are also those who are chaste, poor and obedient without sensitivity, who neither share nor serve. The attempt to force a connection between the evangelical counsels and three three personality traits is precisely that: forced. The wise priest cited in the post is not linking these terms; he is, rather, suggesting the latter three replace the former.

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