Just a reminder that in this series I am taking excerpts from Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in Simple Language, by Sam Torode, and published in 2008 by Philokalia Books. I put the text in quotes and indicate words or passages omitted by ellipses (…). My own modifications within the text, such as changes to capitalization or rewording, are indicated by brackets([ ]). My comments are given in italics.
"It is natural for the human heart to accept demands in the name of love. … That is what celibacy for the kingdom is like. Those who take up this path are so devoted to Christ, the divine Spouse, that they sacrifice all other things — including marriage and family.
"There is no limit to Christ's self-giving love for the Church. In the mystery of Easter and in the sacrament of communion, he gives himself fully to his Bride. Celibacy for the kingdom is a particular response to this love — a desire to give one's self fully back to Christ. Celibacy, like marriage, is an expression of nuptial love.
"… In the first two chapters of Genesis, a clear line is drawn between man, created in the image of God, and other living beings, or animals. Human sexuality expresses the full spiritual-physical unity of the person, and is aimed at creating a loving communion of persons. The modern, naturalistic approach to sexuality misses this entirely. The nuptial meaning of the body, deduced from the biblical creation story, is the key to an adequate understanding of human sexuality.
"A healthy marriage requires that the spouses understand and accept their sexuality … . But what about celibacy? … [T]he celibate vocation absolutely depends on a mature understanding of the body.
"The call to celibacy is rooted in the freedom of the gift. Only a mature person … can make a gift of his body. … Celibacy is a gift, but it must be actively … received.
…
"The same love that makes a husband and wife 'one flesh,' binding them for life, can also inspire a person to commit exclusively to Christ. This commitment must come about on the basis of a full and conscious understanding of the blessing of human sexuality. If someone chose the celibate life based on a rejection of the true wealth of masculinity and femininity, it would not correspond to Christ's call."
It seems to me that this clearly answers the question I've been wondering about: the relation between the continence to which Church teaching calls homosexuals and "celibacy for the kingdom" as John Paul understands it. It seems that, in JPII's mind, they are not the same thing. Certainly, he would consider the chastity of the unmarried of any orientation a praiseworthy thing, but if it does not go further to include a total gift of oneself to God for the sake of the kingdom, it isn't celibacy for the kingdom.
This means that, although JPII hasn't discussed it, there must also be a righteous celibacy in which the celibate retains the right to give himself to another, and receive another's gift of himself, without specifically sexual activity. This is a point that has been raised in the comments on my previous post on TOB.
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One of the most important things I learned from reading Theology of the Body is that a celibate life can not be properly lived under an assumption that the body's natural desires and longings are shameful or should be done away with. On the contrary, it can only be properly achieved if we recognize the good thing that it is. If we give to God as a gift (our bodies, our desires) something that we consider to be shameful, what kind of "gift" is that? In order to actually give our bodies and desires to God, it's necessary that we at least think the the gift we're giving God is indeed a "good" gift... otherwise we're not really honoring God.
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