Granted, even the apostle Paul warned believers that "...in marriage you will have many troubles, and I want to spare you of this." But I feel compelled to clear up some issues about marriage, specifically about marriage and priests - Royal Priests, to be really specific.
In the Old Testament, when God was beginning to set up His global operation, He called for certain men to be holy (literally meaning "set apart"). These men were to be His priests - servants, counselors, messengers, ambassadors. In those days the man in charge was Moses. God chose Moses' brother Aaron as high priest... and do you know who else would be priests? Aaron's SONS. Yep, Aaron was a family man. In fact, God set apart the BLOODLINE of Aaron, and this family would be churning out priests for the next millenia.
OK, you might say whatever you want at this point, but I'm just stating the facts. OK, fast forward to the New Testament. Do you know who the first Pope was? It was actually a linguistic slip-up. At one point, Jesus said "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." Translated, the name Peter actually means "small stone," not "rock." The Old Testament says "God is my rock and my shield," so Jesus was just giving Peter a heads-up that God is building his church, and that Peter just got drafted. Of course, the Catholic Church never got the memo, so the Apostle Peter became the first Pope. TRIVIA: St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is built literally on top of Peter's grave.
So what, you ask? Well, it's just that Peter was MARRIED. Oops. Mark 1:29-31 tells the story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law. Now, you may wonder why Catholic priests take the vow of celibacy. The reason is the bloated structure of the Roman Catholic Church. "Huh?" you may say. Well, the center of the Catholic Church is the Pope, and by procedures and bylaws, only a celibate priest can become Pope. If you allow priests to marry, there won't be anyone left qualified to become Pope. No more Pope, no more Catholic Church.
Bummer. Anyway, Royal Priests know the vow of celibacy is a prerequisite only if I'm Catholic, which I'm not. But that doesn't mean I'm going to crash Spring Break parties, ignoring the Bible and saying, "I'm actually just a friar, so..."! Marriage is holy and should be respected by all, and the marriage bed must be kept sacred. Plus that whole "Be holy, for I am holy" commandment and the less popular, more demanding "Be ye perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect." It's an embarrasing day when we realize fans of worldly people can imitate their idols, and we Christians don't even try to live up to the standards of God, to show we idolize the perfect Person. Read the Bible and ask yourself, What Would Jesus Do?
So... what's my point with all this? Am I just feeling lonely? Am I looking for a "special friend"? Yikes. No. Just clarifying facts, as well as providing food for thought. Just reminding y'all that a Royal Priest is just a Christian that wants to take his faith to the next level. So get your facts straight. Know WHAT you believe, and WHY you believe.
