Can a celibate have friends of the opposite sex?

 

24th  Friday in ordinary time.  (Luke 8:1-3)

“These were the women who provided for them out of their means”

“Can a celibate have friends of the opposite sex?”

A certain priest became notorious for driving down to the brothel in the afternoon and spending some time there on a weekly basis. The parish Council couldn’t bear it anymore so they approached him, because he not only  scandalised parishioners, but also gave their Christian brethren from other churches a reason to ridicule them. For crying out loud, what business does the priest have in a brothel? Well the truth  was the priest encountered this lady (a prostitute) in the confessional and though she was sorry for her way of life,  she was reluctant to let go, nor would she come anywhere around the church unless for confessions once in a while. Thus, the priest took it upon himself to help her turn a new leave, so he visited her on a weekly basis.

What comes to your mind when you see a celibate with a friend of the opposite sex, if the prostitute lady, eventually starts coming to church, and she’s sighted with the priest standing and discussing after mass, or worse, the priest decides to drive her home, what will the many who don’t know the whole story think?

HEGEL AND HUMAN RECONCILIATION

 HEGEL AND HUMAN RECONCILIATION

The struggle to live together as human from diverse walks of life and origins, has never ceased to occupy the keen interest of men and beasts alike. The pages of scripture redound with attempts to put a seeming glue into the various divides of human species, to see how people, only because they breathe in and breathe out same components of air can live together without being at each other’s throats always. But very interestingly, beyond scriptures, thinkers of all eras have taken to heart the salience of such endeavour. So that both theists and atheists alike, at least converge on this point. And the rational conclusion that both worlds (religion and philosophy), have arrived at is that, the battle for reconciliation must begin from the self; the individual human heart. The war must be fought within. 

SUFFERING; THE ALLOTTED PORTION OF LOVERS

 

SUFFERING; THE ALLOTTED PORTION OF LOVERS

An elderly priest was once asked what would happen if a priest falls in love, he kept quiet for sometime and replied saying, "he will suffer, that is the portion of lovers". Can we say that this statement has some elements of truth in it. Even though love is a sweet thing, everyone wants to love and to be loved, we always seek to be cared for and in fact, we desire to care too for those we love because seeing our loved ones happy gives us its own special kind joy. Nevertheless, experience has taught us that to love is to suffer. The afflictions of our loved ones pains us, the worries that troubles them troubles us. In fact, even in our own pains and worries, sometimes we feel pained knowing the pains our loved ones will undergo when they discover our afflictions. 

Can a blind man lead a blind man?

 

23rd Friday in Ordinary Time.  ( Luke 6:39-42) 

Can a blind man lead a blind man?

Christ was aggrieved at the fact that we humans are easily disposed at condemning others without evaluating our own life. We don’t condemn publicly what we do privately but we even go as far as condemning people who are better than we are for the slight mistakes or misdeeds they commit.

The Long Awaited

 8th of September 

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary" ( Matt 1:1-16, 18-23).

 “That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit”.

“The Long Awaited.”

 After The fall of the first man Adam, of which the first woman Eve was instrumental (according to creation story) by Her sharing the forbidden fruit she plucked from the tree of knowledge of life and death (Gen:2:15)  as deceived by  the serpent (Gen 3: 1-4) with Adam, which  dammed humanity to  death, God planned in the Fullness of  time to restore all things in “Christ the new Adam" necessarily on  a forbidden tree “the cross". Forbidden because it brought damnation and shameful death to whoever it was conferred on as a result of a grievous atrocity.