Why a Celibate Priesthood?

This is an excerpt from the cheeky, irreverent and exceptionally smart aplogist, Mark Shea:

Re:  the Celibate Priesthood

It’s supposed to threaten that debased cultural imperative and provide a counter-witness against the mere selfish indulgence of appetite that our consumer society of instant gratification and irresponsibility promotes.  A civilization founded on the worship of pleasure is a civilization on a fast track toward ceasing to be a civilization.  And an “argument” against celibacy that boils down to “ME WANT SEX NOW!” is not an argument but something more like the grunt of an animal.  Both the Christian tradition of consecrated virginity and the Christian tradition of marriage provide a counter-witness against the post-Christian Cult of the Pig precisely because they bear witness to the fact that we are called to sacrifice our bodies in love for another, not feed our piggy appetites at the expense of the other.  Whether we make the self-offering through the sacrament of marriage (with its complete giving of the self to God, spouse and children) or by foregoing marriage and sex in order to spend oneself as a living sacrifice to God in service to his people, the basic message is the same: it’s not all about you.  You find your life by losing it or you lose your life by selfishly trying to keep it.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/mark-shea/why-a-celibate-priesthood/#ixzz3u1Kghz8b