The Beauty and Mystery of Life and Faith: EDUCATING COOKIE A. LAGUDA-ALICAYA ON WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS ABOUT CELIBACY PART IV by Atty. Marwil Llasos

Christ the Great High Priest is Celibate

This article answers the last part of the comment of Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya.[1] Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya’s wordsa are in blue while mine are in black.

That is why the apostle Paul himself said these in the beginning verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 7, before he "recommended" celibacy: Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. BUT because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband... (1 Cor. 7:1-2) Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. HOWEVER, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. BUT IF THEY DO NOT HAVE SELF-CONTROL, LET THEM MARRY; FOR IT IS BETTER TO MARRY THAN TO BURN WITH PASSION. (1 Cor. 7:7-8).

In the passage cited by Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya, St. Paul, himself celibate, clearly expressed his wish that “all of you were as I am” – meaning, celibate. But he later on stressed that each one has a gift from God. One such gift is celibacy and Paul turned to them and to the widows, saying, “It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do” (1 Cor. 7:8). Paul added a caveat, “But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Cor. 7:9). It is for such reason that the Catholic Church allows a long period of discernment to those who are called to lifelong celibacy. They are helped through a process of formation in the seminaries. Candidates to the priesthood are even granted regency before they finally make their decision to embrace celibacy as God’s gift. They are free to forego the priesthood, marry and build a family, with the full blessing of the Church. After being ordained, priests who can no longer keep their vows are granted dispensation by the Church from their priestly ministry and they are free to marry “than to burn with passion” (cf. 1 Cor. 7:8). So, 1 Corinthians 7:7-8 finds full implementation in the Catholic Church.

"It is good for them to stay unmarried as I do" - St. Paul (1 Cor. 7:8)

You see, my dear friend, if Paul were to speak to the Catholic clergy today, he would have spoken harshly also to those who were responsible for the "teaching" of forbidding marriage to the clergy. This is exactly why it is called the teachings of demons because it allows an individual to BURN WITH PASSION and not having a spouse to share this burden with, therefore leading to the many fornication and sexual abominations seen within the clergy of the Catholic church today!

This is how Pharisaic and hypocritical Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya can be, so typical of those holier-than-thou so-called “Born Again Christians.” Ms. Laguda-Alicaya speaks as if there are no sexual scandals in the Protestant clergy. For that, Cookie Laguda-Alicaya deserves the rebuke of the Lord: “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Mt. 7:5, NIV).

Clergy sexual abuse is not an exclusively Catholic problem. There are reports from Fox News that Protestant clergy abuse equals or exceeds Catholic clergy abuse.[2] How come Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya is mum on that? Why the double standard?

Hypocrisy and double standard: Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya

And how can Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya explain that sexual abuse happens in married Protestant clergy? And what can Ms. Laguda-Alicaya say about the Baptist pastor who repeatedly molesting a boy over a six-month period?[3] And that is not an isolated case.[4] Evangelical pastor Ted Haggard has a 3-year homosexual relationship with a male prostitute and body builder.[5] Conservative preacher and televangelist Jimmy Swaggart had an infamous sexual scandal with a prostitute, caught in the act after being followed by a private detective hired by Marvin Gorman who was retaliating due to Swaggart exposing his affair with another pastor’s wife.[6] The list just goes on and on ad nauseam. And there are reports that Baptists are ill-equipped to address sexual abuse by their clergy.[7] But does Cookie Laguda-Alicaya ever care? Why is she silent about these sexual abuses by a married clergy? Double standard, anyone?

Local daily reports about a pastor charged with molestation: How is this possible for a married clergy?

In the booklet What Are Pastors For?, Pastor William B. Girao candidly admits why pastors fall into sexual immorality. He said –

“Why do pastors fall into sexual immorality? It is because a pastor is so fully trusted that any young and attractive woman would have no second thoughts about travelling alone with him in the car, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, in order to attend some Christian youth conference in a faraway and isolated campsite. And pastors are wide open to temptation.”[8]

Pastor Girao recalled the story of a friend in Christian ministry who had fallen into sexual immorality:

“Recently, my wife and I mourned in our hearts on learning that one of our dear friends in the Christian ministry had fallen into sexual immorality. This friend had a wonderful national and international ministry and was greatly used by the Lord for many years. But a young lady who was converted through our friend’s ministry needed to be disciple and our friend, most unwisely, decided to disciple the young lady himself. They fell into sexual immorality and our friend’s ministry is now destroyed.”[9]

Time reports about the sexual scandals among high profile pastors: Why is this happening among the married clergy? Don't these married pastors don't have a spouse to "share their burden" with them?

How come, Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya, sexual immorality can happen to married pastors? And to think that they have their spouses to “share their burden” with them?

As I've mentioned in my other post, I am not a protestant. :)

Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya can deny all she wants but the truth remains that she is a Protestant. She is protesting against the authority of the one true Church Christ founded and attacking it with utmost virulence a la Protestante. The newly-minted, man-made church she is now attending is an offshoot of the Protestant Reformation. There’s no denying that.

Like Martin Luther, John Calvin and the rest of Protestant “reformers,” Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya went out of the Catholic Church.

“They went out from us, but they were not really of us, for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 Jn. 2:19).

Cookie Laguda-Alicaya follows the footstep of Protestant Reformer Martin Luther

I'm a believer in CHRIST JESUS.

“Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth--a stranger, not your own lips” (Prov. 27:2).

Remember, Cookie Laguda-Alicaya that it was also Christ Jesus who said:

“For example, some men are celibate because they were born that way. Others are celibate because they were castrated. Still others have decided to be celibate because of the kingdom of heaven. If anyone can do what you’ve suggested, then he should do it.” (Mt. 19:12, GWN)

How come you have no articles or writings about celibacy?

Cookie Laguda-Alicaya discounts the power of God's grace among those who have been faithful in keeping their vow of chastity. Paul, who was celibate, could say, "Each time He said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me" (2 Cor. 12:9).

And by the way, a recommendation is what it is exactly, just a recommendation or a suggestion. It should never be imposed as a MUST even to those who are in the clergy already.

That is why it is referred to in the Catholic Church as an evangelical counsel. No one is forced to accept the gift of celibacy. Those who freely accept this gift take the vow of chastity. Those who voluntarily take the vow are definitely bound by it. But then, the Church grants dispensation to those who can no longer keep their vows to free them from their ministry and capacitate them to marry.

Marriage is a gift from God, my friend, and it is another beautiful avenue to show to the world the kind of love Christ has for His church--although a tougher route I should say, echoing that which the apostle Paul points out. ;)

No one knows that better than the Catholic Church which honors holy matrimony as a sacrament. The Church has always been on the forefront defending the sanctity of marriage and the family life. The Catholic Church frowns upon divorce in obedience to the words of the Master: “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (Mk. 10:19). “I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel” (Mal. 2:16). The Lord God hates divorce – and so does the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has remained firm on its stance on divorce unlike Evangelicals who have softened their stance.[10]

In the Catholic Church, marriage is a sacrament: "This is a great sacrament; but I speak in Christ and in the Church" (Eph. 5:32, DRV)

Yes, marriage is a gift from God. So, too, is celibacy. Paul said, “But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that” (1 Cor. 7: 7). To the unmarried, Paul stated: “I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor. 7: 35).

Catholic priests, nuns and other religious voluntarily embrace the gift of celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven so that they may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

Encounter God's Truth, Franklin... it's in HIS WORD. Be blessed, my friend!

Encounter God’s Truth, Cookie. The Truth is a Person – Jesus Christ (cf. Jn. 14:6). In God’s written Word, Jesus clearly said, that “still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can” (Mt. 19:12, ISV). Don’t begrudge our Catholic priests, nuns and religious who have made themselves celibate for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. They are the ones who have accepted this call of Christ – and not you!

Ms. Cookie Laguda-Alicaya, the Holy Spirit convicts you in His Word.