Special Guest: Fr. Brian Straus "Celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven" (Part 2)

Welcome to the Be Filled Podcast! We are honored to have Father Brian Straus join us as we continue our conversation on “Celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven”. Fr. Brian is a Diocesan Priest in the Diocese of Springfield Cape-Girardeau. He is currently serving as Pastor at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Joplin, MO. He is also the Chaplain for McAuley Catholic High School, the Director of Campus Ministry at Missouri Southern University, and the Regional Vocations Promoter for the region. He is also a co-host of the Mission Catholic Podcast! (Link Below) Father shares so beautifully and honestly about the life of a Priest. You do not want to miss it!!  Quotes:  “In Christ’s words about continence “for the kingdom of heaven,” there is not a hint of “inferiority” of marriage related to the “body” or to the essence of marriage consisting in the fact that man and woman unite with each other in such a way as to become “one flesh”. (TOB 78:1)  “The perfection of Christian life is measured by the measure of love…Such perfection is possible and accessible for every human being, whether in a “religious institute” or in the world.” (TOB 78:3)  “It is a characteristic feature of the human heart to accept even difficult demands in the name of love, for an ideal, and above all in the name of love for a person. And so, in this call to continence for the kingdom of heaven, first the disciples and then the whole living Tradition of the Church quickly discovered the love for Christ himself as the Bridegroom of the Church, Bridegroom of souls, to whom he has given himself to the end in the mystery of his Passover and of the Eucharist.” (TOB 79:9)  “...and therefore acquired the meaning of an act of spousal love, that is, of a spousal gift of self with the end of answering in a particular way the Redeemer’s spousal love; a gift of self understood as renunciation, but realized above all out of love.” (TOB 79:9)  We have the “awareness of the freedom of the gift, which is organically connected with the deep and mature consciousness of the spousal meaning of the body in the structure of man’s and woman’s personal subjectivity as a whole.” (TOB 80:5)  “...man (male and female) is able to choose the personal gift of self to another person in the conjugal covenant, in which they become “one flesh”, and he is also able to renounce freely such a gift of self to another person, in order that by choosing continence “for the kingdom of heaven” he may give himself totally to Christ.” (TOB 80:6)  The choice for celibacy for the kingdom cannot “be made in a free and conscious manner without reference to one’s own masculinity or femininity and to that spousal meaning proper to man…it is made on the basis of the full consciousness of the spousal meaning, which masculinity and femininity contain in themselves.” “In order to be fully aware of what he is choosing (continence for the kingdom), he must also be fully aware of what he is renouncing.” (TOB 80:7)  The renunciation is an affirmation that “flows from the discovery of the “gift”, that is realizing oneself “through a sincere gift of self”. “..this discovery stands in deep inner harmony with the sense of the spousal meaning of the body connected “from the beginning” with the masculinity or femininity of man as a personal subject.” (TOB 81)  Reflection Questions:  What spoke to your heart most in this episode?  What did you learn from Fr. Brian’s experience about the priesthood?  Have you ever thought that those who choose religious life or the priesthood are running away from marriage and family? Did this episode help you have a deeper understanding?  Both the call to marriage and the call to “celibacy for the kingdom” have a “spousal” character. What is your reaction to this idea?  Have you ever thought that marriage is better than celibacy or vice versa? What do you think about this after listening to the show?  Fr. Brian discussed spiritual fatherhood and motherhood as a call for all of us. What did you find most helpful on this topic? What experience have you had with spiritual motherhood or fatherhood?  What is your response to the idea that someone who says “yes” to the call to celibacy is responding to the love of Christ?  How did you feel when Fr. Brian talked about the desirableness of marriage and raising a family?  Do you ever think the “grass is greener on the other side” regarding vocation? How can you take all your desires to God and let him meet you there?  Pray about how you can show your Pastor your appreciation this week. Consider inviting him over for a meal. Make sure you thank him in whatever way you are able.  Resources:  The Mission Catholic Podcast Leo XIV Inauguration Homily  Audio: Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/mark-july/chase-the-sun License code: SDUWO5VZJKXVOHHI