The idea that being celibate is more spiritual or holy than being sexually active is becoming more questionable, especially in a world where many married people are deeply involved in important causes like peace, ecology, feminism, social justice, and Church ministries. For them, marriage enhances their commitment to these efforts rather than limiting it.
A RETHINK NEEDED
The vows of poverty and obedience seem relevant in today’s world. As environmental crises intensify, the call to live simply and sustainably becomes a rational choice. Amid political chaos, obedience underscores the urgent need for mutual collaboration.
In contrast, the vow of chastity or celibacy perplexes many today. In a world longing for love and intimacy, where healthy psychosexual expression is desperately needed, choosing to abstain can seem like a deeply irresponsible and bewildering choice.
If chastity merely suppresses sexuality for its own sake, it’s not what the world needs. Suppression only hides simmering volcanoes, ready to erupt. Barbara Fiand opines, “Perhaps our celibate chastity has never been lived. It may have been avoided instead. Propriety rather than passion was our guiding principle.”
To this day, Mount Athos in Greece forbids female animals, fearing that their natural behaviours might provoke sexual responses among the monks within the Orthodox monastery. Historically, the discipline of chastity often caged individuals in systems that stifled love. The approach was to confine people until the hormones faded, leaving people as desiccated individuals.
If our lives are to serve as public witnesses, it’s time to have open conversations with the wider Church and society on living sexuality in a way that upholds human dignity. We also must thoughtfully engage with the expanding literature on human sexuality from all disciplines. To make religious life relevant today, we must rethink the vow entirely and even rename it to something more relevant – THE VOW FOR RELATEDNESS. Here are six touchstones of this revisited commitment.
Br. Sunil Britto CFC
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