The National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and the Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States (Ascension)

78 NDPD

The Ministry and Life of Deacons

and pastoral motives.” 69 The essential meaning of celibacy is grounded in Jesus’ preaching of the Kingdom of God. Its deepest source is love of Christ and dedication to his mission. “In celibate life, indeed, love becomes a sign of total and undivided consecration to Christ and of greater freedom to serve God and man. The choice of celibacy is not an expression of contempt for marriage nor of flight from reality but a spe cial way of serving man and the world.” 70 76 The celibate commitment remains one of the most fundamental expres sions of Jesus’ call to radical discipleship for the sake of the Kingdom on earth and as an eschatological sign of the Kingdom of Heaven. 71 “This perfect continency, out of desire for the kingdom of heaven, has always been held in particular honor in the Church. The reason for this was and is that perfect continency for the love of God is an incentive to charity, and is certainly a particular source of spiritual fecundity in the world.” 72 77 If the celibate deacon gives up one kind of family, he gains another. In Christ, the people he serves become mother, brother, and sister. In this way, celibacy as a sign and motive of pastoral charity takes flesh. Reci procity, mutuality, and affection shared with many become channels that mold and shape the celibate deacon’s pastoral love and his sexuality. “Cel ibacy should not be considered just as a legal norm . . . but rather as a value . . . whereby [the celibate deacon] takes on the likeness of Jesus Christ . . . as a full and joyful availability in his heart for the pastoral ministry.” 73 Celibacy Affects Every Deacon 78 In one way or another, celibacy affects every deacon, married or unmar ried. Understanding the nature of celibacy — its value and its practice — is essential to the married deacon. Not only does this understanding strengthen and nurture his own commitment to marital chastity, but

69 70 71

PDV, no. 50, italics original.

DMLPD, no. 60.

LG, no. 42.

72 LG, no, 42; see Roman Pontifical, Rite of Ordination of Deacons , no. 199, in Rites of Ordination of a Bishop, of Priests, and of Deacons, Third Typical Edition (2010). 73 PDV, no. 50.

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