How can a catholic priest give advice to a married couple ,if he has no idea what being married is all about?

think of it this way: how can a person who has never done drugs be a rehab counselor? or better still, how can a man be a gynecologist. My point is that there are many people who have devoted their time to study things they could not possibly have direct experience with and have done so successfully. being that the divorce rate in the US hovers around 50%, married people are not exactly experts either.How can a catholic priest give advice to a married couple ,if he has no idea what being married is all about?
I like indeepthought's answer.





Many people give advice on things that they have not expereinced.How can a catholic priest give advice to a married couple ,if he has no idea what being married is all about?
same way everyone gives it, guess what is the right thing to say..religon is a bunch of bull. if you need advice on something, find someone who is doing it right and ask them. dont listen to someone because of thier title. look at what they have done with thier life!!!!!
Because in becoming a preist, God has imparted on him wisdom beyond his years.


I hope you find the sarcasm in that.


I like this analogy: One doesn't necessarily have to suffer from cancer in order to be familiar with it's symptoms.
Hopefully a priest would give a perspective on marraige straight from the bible. His goal is not to give you his ideas and thoughts on anything. It should be his goal to give you GOD's thoughts and ideas on marraige. This makes his own experience in marraige irrelevant.
That's a fair and valid question to ask, among many other related matters besides that.





However, you must realize that when Christianity started eons ago, certain individuals were 'chosen' to enlist and join the clergy in order to propagate the Faith --according to the prescribed authority of the powers that be.





Priests were made the 'front line' cadre --the lieutenants in military parlance-- to meet with the congregations of parishioners to officiate the services and rituals of the church, as well as carry on certain traditions. These traditions included overseeing both the spiritual and social welfare of their respective parishioners.





And with such charge, the priests were allowed certain levels of authority such as hearing confessions, GIVING ADVICE, collections of tithes, building church structures, spreading the Word, performing the rites, helping the needy, etc.





With such grandiose responsibilities concerning matters of faith and social welfare of the community that they served, they were afforded the title of ';Father'; [or 'Reverend Father']... This has been carried over for the last 1700 years and all of its faithful [the Catholics] continue to address them as such.





It was not until only recently --within the latter part of this past century-- when the Catholic faithful were allowed to read the Bible, [i.e., it was PROHIBITED to do so until about two generations ago --my own grandmother's time] since that duty was given to the priests who would impart such knowledge in his sermon during Mass. In its stead, the Catholic faithful were taught through Catechism books published by the church.





But in reading the Holy Bible, one begins to pose other questions that are equally fair and valid to ask, such as: Why are the priests called 'Father' when Jesus Himself said ';And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven...';??





Seek and you shall find. Listen and you shall hear. Open your eyes and you shall see. Knock and the door shall be opened for you.





Peace be with you!
I believe knowledgebut experience is better ... How can a person that has never been married tell you how to stay married? Or has never had a son on drugs help someone that has? Or for that matter and the most important how can he counsel someone that has lost a child if he never lost one. People cannot walk in your shoes unless they have gone through the same things.
Because he is an educated man who has been trained in teaching people to base their relationships in God..


Perhaps surprisingly, priests have pretty good advice to share about raising children as well...it's a gift.
No person has to do everything before they understand it. A psychiatrist can be married and still advise single people. A doctor does not need to have cancer to treat cancer patients.


Married people have problems that are common to just being people and priests and everybody understand and can help.


A marriage counselor would not have to have committed adultery to give advice on cheating.
All preachers, priests and other charlatans have the same advice:





1. Give me money;





2. Praise Jesus;





3. Give me money;





4. Read the bible;





5. Give me money;





6. Pray.





7. Give me money.





That is the pattern they all use although Catholics are never encouraged to actually read the bible, so I'm not sure what a priest charlatan would say, but he'd say something like that.
Good question. I think it is hypocritical of a Priest to give marital advice when he will never be able to marry. What the heck does a priest know about marriage ?
Catholics priests have a far better understanding of what marriage is - a Holy Sacrament - than the majority of married couples. One of many of a priest's responsibilities is to provide Spiritual Council. Since the Holy Sacrament of Marriage is a bond with God every bit as much as it is a bond between a husband and wife, that makes the priest a perfect advisor to a married couple.
There you go, its not biblical for him to stay unmarried. This is man made law.
A catholic priest a roll model to the married couple that they can live happily even if any thing goes wrong with the realation ship. A true encouragement to the man.
Simple- because he knows what commitment is about., Also, they do get marriage counseling classes in seminary.





Finally, he has no agenda- he isn't going to be on either ';side'; he can be objective.





If you have ever been counseled by a priest, you would understand how great they are.
good question! LOL!


wouldn't that be like having someone fix your car that has never owned one themself? hehehe!
Just because the Pope isn't married doesn't mean he doesn't know what marriage is about. The Pope gives advice from a religious view. Obviously he knows religion so people who are also religious look to him for spiritual guidance. The answer to this question: FAITH...
Beyond having education and training as a counsellor, a wise priest would surround himself with close married friends, and learn from their marriages what a strong marriage looks like. A wise priest also knows his limits when it comes to marriage counselling, and refers the married couple to someone with more direct expertise. The thing about the Church is, it's not all up to one person, but all of our gifts and experience pool together to create a better community.





When I got married, my priest helped a little, but most of the preparation was done by committed couples within the Church who took the time to work through issues with my wife and I.