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As a young boy growing in the Catholic church, I was taught not only to respect Priests, but self consciously, I learnt to have a deep reverence for them. It wasn't a child's play for me. Everything about the priesthood excited me. Still does. I was just always marvelled. This deep reverence is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why I can never leave the Catholic church. But that is not why I'm writing this.

For a long time now, I have been meditating, wondering how exactly many of them live their lives. One can only begin to imagine how big a responsibility priests have.

It's like having an invisible weight on your shoulders only you can bear.

We spend six years from JSS1 to SS3. Then between 5-7 years in university. Altogether we spend roughly 12-15 years of our lives in schools. Till date, I still find it fascinating that all these years we spend in schools, to become a Catholic priest, they have to spend them in Seminaries. Time and again, I have heard stories of how strict the training they are given is and even on the eve of ordination, many decide to leave. A decision that cannot be made lightly.

These men abandon virtually everything to work in God's vineyard. Personally, after a long time of thoughts and calculative meditations, I have come to a conclusion that there are two questions we must never ask any Catholic priest no matter how pressing we deem them.

1. Never ask a priest if he wishes he was married instead.

This is number one for me because I feel it is not just cruel but also bordering on inviting temptations to the lives of these men of God.

On no occasion should anyone for any reason ask this question. You might make the Priest start feeling regretful or start wondering what it might feel like to be married. Remember they have an oath of celibacy. And even if the Priest laughs the question off, I still opine that there is the issue of how unfair it is.

2. You should never ask a Priest what he heard in the confession stand.

One of the powers of an ordained Priest is to hear confessions and offer penance to his congregation. Now, I understand that in the first place, they are under an oath of secrecy. Still, you might feel 'well he is my friend, he is my spiritual director, he is my uncle'...

You shouldn't ask. If you don't ask, they won't tell. There will be no reason for that.

For me, I think the worse part of this is asking the question very personally. For instance, you know that your friend Ada goes for confession every second Friday of the month. And you know the Church or the Priest designated to hear confessions on the said date. Perhaps this Priest is someone you're on very close terms with. This should never on any grounds give you a reason to ask whether directly or indirectly what your friend Ada confessed. It is not just disrespectful to your friend, but to the Priest and most of all to God.

Matters of spirituality should never ever be taken lightly. Never ask, please.

Those are my frank thoughts guys, what do you think about them?

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