Quintessence of Religious Doctrines - Malankarasyriac Voice

64On Chastity 127way; others, because men made them that way; andothers do not marry for the sake of the Kingdom ofheaven. Let him who can accept these teaching doso. (G.N.B.)CommentMarriage cannot be imposed on a person. If one decides tobe a bachelor or spinster as the case may be, on the groundthat it is better to be so far God’s work, no one shall interferewith the decision. But a word of caveat or caution. Thedecision to remain single should be the result of duedeliberation. If so vouched, by the person concerned, it mustbe regarded as emanating from ‘... the infinitesimal wisdomof the Lord,’ as St. Thomas A Kempis puts it in some othercontext.3. Even though a person who took the vow of chastity subsequentlyrenounces it and marries, he does not become blameless albeitnot ineligible for grace; such persons must he removed from therespective positions held by them in the Church.Ref: 1Tim. 2:12. I do not allow them to teach or to have authorityover men; they must keep quiet. (G.N.B.)CommentThe ecclesiastical attitude to a person who breakes the vowof chastity is formulated here. The Church would not regardsuch an action as one to be pardoned. The Ecclesia is verystrict that such persons should be removed from theecclesiastical offices. It is certainly not as a retributivepunishment, but as an exemplary and a preventive one. Whensuch a person repents, the Church holds that the personconcerned is eligible for divine grace.Theme No: 25On the Matrimony of the Clergy1. It is not because matrimony is unclean, but because theincumbents of the offices of Patriarch, Catholicose and Bishophave special responsibility, and so are expected to devote theirentire time in the discharge of such duties,Ref: 1 of Theme 11CommentThe Church today does not permit the bishops, archbishops,the Catholicos and the Patriarchs to marry. This restrictionis however not theological. It appears that this practice ofcelibacy crept into the Church, as noted elsewhere in thiswork, following the emergence of monastic orders and itsinfluence. It has already been pointed out that some of theearly prelates of the Church, like a few of the CappadocianFathers were married men.2. Because they are to keep away from carnal desires for Godlypursuits they are expected to be ‘religious’. But as the priestswho manage the affairs of the churches have to be free andfriendly, with both men and women alike,Ref: op. cit. 2 (a) of Theme 24.CommentThe rationale for the restriction of marriage of Ecclesiasticaldignitaries like the bishops and the personages of the higheroffices is reiterated. It is necessitated by the need to keepsuch officers completely free from carnal desires and makethem fully devoted to religious causes. This practice, however,is not strictly to be followed in the case of priests. Theargument is that by and large the priests have to be in theworld, move in the world and mix with people, both men andwomen, as parish vicars or in charge of other missions. Inshort the dictum of the S.O.C. is that the priests shall notmarry. So the S.O.C. make the following provision. If a person