Simcha explains why married priests are a bad idea. H/T to Mrs. Darwin, since “D” comes before “I”, so I saw it there first.
Funny thought from the other week. So I was sitting standing at mass and two of my students (from separate class-years) were serving that day. And my very-attentive-to-the-Gospel self thinks:
1.) “Oh yeah, they’d make a great couple”. Which leads to . . .
2.) “Well, yes, allowing girls to serve at the altar does foster vocations. Just maybe not the vocations we had intended.” Which causes me to conclude . . .
3.) “Then again, where do priests come from? You need the one vocation if you mean to have the other.”
So that’s what I think about while I am doing my best to look like I’m paying attention, but slip on my effort to actually be paying attention. Yep, that’ll come up in confession. Again.
–> For the record, I have no particular opinion on whether girls should be altar servers*. Either my pope, bishop, and pastor know what they are doing, or else if they are failing spectacularly then thank goodness that one it isn’t on my head. I figure my layperson watchdog powers are better served if I just stick to worrying about the ten commandments.
But I thought, hmmn. Maybe someone in the hierarchy has actually thought about this? And having a little catholic match-making service in the sacristy is all part of the program? Sort of long-range strategic plan. How else do you expect the thirty practicing catholic kids in the city to actually get to know each other?
Or not. But my goodness I’m definitely with Simcha on encouraging our youth to pick just one vocation at a time. I have yet to meet a priest or a married man who isn’t sufficiently poured out with just the lot God gives him.
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*I do think that in parishes where only boys serve on the altar, it is important to have some counterpart role for the girls. Could be something completely different. But a specific place where they can serve in the church from an early age. Ideally something that fosters uniquely feminine vocations. There is a longer missive associated with this, but I save it for another day.