Priesthood is not the only way of life which is demanding, physically or emotionally, or which carries risks of various kinds. Imagine your son as a junior hospital doctor an airline pilot a politician a fisherman a journalist. If he was doing a good job, fulfilled in himself, and serving others, would you not be justly proud, in spite of the pressures involved. For some reason, people seem to associate celibacy with loneliness, and they assume that priests live a very lonely life. It s a case of swings and roundabouts.
Some people are more vulnerable to it than others.
In reality loneliness is part of the human condition. It can t be avoided simply by entering relationships, or by running away from them, because it is within ourselves. Loneliness is a reminder to all of us, that nothing and nobody on this earth can completely fill the emptiness within. Celibacy is not for everyone, as Jesus said. As commited celibates, we priests choose not to marry for the sake of the kingdom of God.