Priests are people too.

Random thoughts on priests, celibacy, and stuff like that.
.
I love that expression - I picked it up from my friend Paul who used to say, "Kids are people too," right after telling me, "Your father hated you."  Paul could be outrageous and I kind of think it was because his father really had hated him - not sure though.  I know - this has nothing to do with my post - or does it?
.
Back to priests.  Sometimes I think of them as just regular guys and maybe go to far with them - I used to do this all of the time with a famous blogger priest, and then once or twice I noted he posted something about being down about something and needing prayers.  I immediately thought - he was offended by my post!  I felt so bad, took the post(s) down, prayed extra hard for him and would try to be nice afterwards.  It's really hard for me to be nice all of the time.  I'm so like my friend  Paul:  Once, at my going away party from the company we worked together at, he went around to all the executives and drunkenly asked, "Who invited you?"  Much to everyone's delight - although most of the exec's didn't get the joke.  But I digress.
.
Locally I know of four priests - count 'em - 4 priests who are or have been on leave because of clinical depression - each guy is fantastic - very solid in their faith, devout, down to earth, regular guys - and as far as I know, straight.  Most definitely straight, and committed to celibacy to be sure.  I don't know what happened.  They had not been ordained that long and suddenly they are out to pasture.  Nope - it is so not funny.  I pray for these guys all of the time... they are very humble, compassionate, and even very holy men.
.
Fixing a hole.
.
Is it celibacy?  I honestly don't think so.  Is it loneliness?  I don't know.  Fr. Charles ofmcap has an excellent reflection on celibacy and loneliness.  I especially liked his comment on how celibates distract themselves, or attempt to fill the void left by continence... actually, it is just a temptation, but one easily falls for it.   Father writes:  "You have to resist all of the ways that would-be celibates medicate themselves against the loneliness with alcohol, anonymous sex, pornography, mania for control, overwork, eccentric and pointless hobbies, and even the internet." - a minor friar   He's right of course - but he neglects to mention the most common vice - over-eating.
.
Resisting the vices is one thing, being successful at it is another, and if one is prone to depression, melancholia, what have you - it can be pretty difficult.  Now some celibates claim they do not get lonely - but they must be pretty holy and extremely well balanced and live a more integrated life than your run of the mill solitary.  I lived in a rectory once - what a nightmare - it was like a haunted house - which is why some priests need to spend money to refurbish those places.  Although one local guy spent a fortune adding a hot tub and other luxuries.  He was transferred elsewhere.
.
What makes you feel like doin' stuff like that?
.
Today an Australian priest is in the news because he is something of a story teller - he should probably get a blog.  While we are on the topic, don't you think spoken Australian is the worst English ever?  I was watching a travel show last night and they do not even pronounce words correctly - it's almost like Cockney: " 'm 'enry ei'th i em."  I think the country was founded by criminals anyway, so it kind of makes sense they can't speak well.  But I digress.
.
So anyway - the priest who lies - he faked prostate cancer so he could get donations (tell me!) to send him to Lourdes for a "miracle cure".  (I know - see, he needed a blog with a widget.)  That's not a bad idea - the lies are bad of course - but the trip to Lourdes could have helped him - maybe.  Be that as it may - if he was a really good liar he would have said the cancer disappeared when he got back and he'd now like to go to Rome to testify.  Obviously that did not happen.
.
"Father Abourjaily was branded "delusional" by the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, and suspended from his duties at All Hallows parish church at Five Dock when his lies were uncovered, said the Sydney Morning Herald." - CathNews 
.
All is not lost however, since the priest has been reassigned: 
.
"Father Richard Abourjaily, who lied about having cancer to raise money from his Sydney flock, has been moved to Perth. His spiritual adviser believes the priest was "repentant" and would not lie about anything so serious in future.
.
Father John Flader, director of the Catholic Adult Education Centre, said he was "very confident" the priest would not lie about anything serious again. "All he did was to lie and that's not a good thing. He was very, very repentant of that and, being as repentant as he was, he is not going to reoffend again," Father Flader said." - Source 
.
All the lonely people.
.
It is not easy being a priest - therefore these news stories are excellent reminders to us that they really do need our prayers and support.  Who knows if the lying priest may crack again?  Hopefully they did some close interviews with him to determine where all of that came from - were his parents con artists?  Parents do a lot of damage.  Is he hiding something else?  God bless him for wanting to continue his ministry.
.
I've been rather tongue in cheek about all of this, but I'm quite serious about caring for our priests.  Over my lifetime I've met some crazy ones - but you know what - even those guys helped me through the tough times.  You see, I'm celibate too - and the so-called worst of them had the greatest compassion upon me when I failed.  When I failed "to resist all of the ways that would-be celibates medicate themselves against the loneliness with alcohol, anonymous sex, pornography, mania for control, overwork, eccentric and pointless hobbies, and even the internet." - a minor friar.  Actually you could take out pornography for me - I never got into it - 'there but for the grace of God' only.    I once loved eccentric and pointless hobbies - collecting religious artifacts and art - I know two other guys who do this.  And I know many over-eaters as well.  Gratefully, these priests were there for me in confession... they understood me. 
.
If one lives long enough, and perseveres through many fallings and risings, one is eventually purified of these vices and loneliness is no longer "empty".  It ceases to be a void we are trying to fill. 
.
It is all about the "poverty of love" - the fact that God allows us to participate in the loneliness of all mankind: every homeless person, every old man or old lady in a nursing home, every orphan, every victim of evil, every sinner, every failed priest, and most especially, the loneliness of His Son.
.
One gets used to it.
.
Art:  "All the Lonely People" - crayon on paper.