Marriage vs celibacy, are they equal?

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God said to be fruitful and multiply and St. Paul said that celibacy is just fine. Can anyone elaborate on the process of decision? To clarify I don’t mean being a nun.
 
Celibacy can be said to be ontologically the higher vocation (as we will be in Heaven…) and as you read in S. Paul and of course in the Gospels…

But only some are called to that vocation.

And we are all called to be saints (already so in Baptism in a real sense) and to grow to be more and more saints (in holiness).

What it comes down to though is “personal vocation”.

And subjectively a particular person who his married might become more holy than many who are Monks.

Do not confuse means with ends…

Catechism

1619 Virginity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven is an unfolding of baptismal grace, a powerful sign of the supremacy of the bond with Christ and of the ardent expectation of his return, a sign which also recalls that marriage is a reality of this present age which is passing away.

1620 Both the sacrament of Matrimony and virginity for the Kingdom of God come from the Lord himself. It is he who gives them meaning and grants them the grace which is indispensable for living them out in conformity with his will. Esteem of virginity for the sake of the kingdom and the Christian understanding of marriage are inseparable, and they reinforce each other:
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Whoever denigrates marriage also diminishes the glory of virginity. Whoever praises it makes virginity more admirable and resplendent. What appears good only in comparison with evil would not be truly good. The most excellent good is something even better than what is admitted to be good.
scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c3a7.htm#1620
 
I think God calls each person to something specific. Our Holiness depends on how well we respond and live out God’s call.
 
Bookcat said:
Celibacy can be said to be ontologically the higher vocation (as we will be in Heaven…) and as you read in S. Paul and of course in the Gospels…
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I would love to hear a rationale for why celibacy would be a higher vocation… or see any evidence that we will be virgins in Heaven. I find such claims to be utterly baseless and without merit.

I agree with Jamal…we are each called to respond to our calling as best we can… there is no (or better said should be no) hierarchy associate with vocations.
 
2349 “People should cultivate [chastity] in the way that is suited to their state of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others live in the way prescribed for all by the moral law, whether they are married or single.” Married people are called to live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in continence:
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There are three forms of the virtue of chastity: the first is that of spouses, the second that of widows, and the third that of virgins. We do not praise any one of them to the exclusion of the others. . . . This is what makes for the richness of the discipline of the Church.
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scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2349.htm
 
godisgood77 said:
I would love to hear a rationale for why celibacy would be a higher vocation… or see any evidence that we will be virgins in Heaven. I find such claims to be utterly baseless and without merit.

I agree with Jamal…we are each called to respond to our calling as best we can… there is no (or better said should be no) hierarchy associate with vocations.
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Celibacy is higher because it is more fully dedicating ourselves to God.
 
godisgood77 said:
I would love to hear a rationale for why celibacy would be a higher vocation… or see any evidence that we will be virgins in Heaven.
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I agree both vocations are complementary, however, if not virgins what exactly do you imagine occurring in heaven?
 
Bookcat said:
Celibacy can be said to be ontologically the higher vocation (as we will be in Heaven…) and as you read in S. Paul and of course in the Gospels…

But only some are called to that vocation.
Click to expand...
Would you call celibacy for someone with homosexual inclination a “calling” or a “resignation”?
 
Joie_de_Vivre said:
Celibacy is higher because it is more fully dedicating ourselves to God.
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Intrinsically, the Church has always taught and will always teach that, in a certain sense, celibacy is a higher state than the married life, but I’m not best at explaining it. Still, most important is that we follow God’s Call for our lives. That is where we will find the holiness that God is calling us to embrace.
 
SyroMalankara said:
I agree both vocations are complementary, however, if not virgins what exactly do you imagine occurring in heaven?
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I don’t really speculate about it… I definitely don’t know, but am sure looking forward with hope to the surprise!
 
JamalChristophr said:
Intrinsically, the Church has always taught and will always teach that, in a certain sense, celibacy is a higher state than the married life, but I’m not best at explaining it. Still, most important is that we follow God’s Call for our lives. That is where we will find the holiness that God is calling us to embrace.
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The operative phrase in your statement is “in a certain sense”… Would love to hear more about that because ‘in a certain sense’ is much different than intrinsically or objectively.
 
Our Giraffe friend gave an excellent answer. It’s always a safe bet to go by what is in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Holy Scripture. 🙂
 
JamalChristophr said:
Our Giraffe friend gave an excellent answer. It’s always a safe bet to go by what is in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Holy Scripture. 🙂
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Agreed… In his last post he referenced an article in the catechism where it essentially says that one state in life is not superior to the other… All according to ones calling … Not a hierarchy
 
godisgood77 said:
Agreed… In his last post he referenced an article in the catechism where it essentially says that one state in life is not superior to the other… All according to ones calling … Not a hierarchy
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She stated it well, even though she did plagiarize. 😛 (OK, not really, she gave a citation.)
 
EIF5A said:
Would you call celibacy for someone with homosexual inclination a “calling” or a “resignation”?
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A calling. Because a celibate and chaste homosexual has picked up his/her cross.
 
EIF5A said:
Would you call celibacy for someone with homosexual inclination a “calling” or a “resignation”?
Click to expand...
I don’t want to veer of thread here, more than a hare, but there are some persons with SSA who can change or at least become attracted to the opposite sex and be happily married. Notice, I intentionally did not say how many.
 
godisgood77 said:
Agreed… In his last post he referenced an article in the catechism where it essentially says that one state in life is not superior to the other… All according to ones calling … Not a hierarchy
Click to expand...
Actually it does not say that, it talks about praising to the exclusion of others which is a serious thing as if marriage is not good then celibacy is not a greater good.
 
godisgood77 said:
The operative phrase in your statement is “in a certain sense”… Would love to hear more about that because ‘in a certain sense’ is much different than intrinsically or objectively.
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I think first, it depends on why you are celibate. Celibate because you simply haven’t found the right spouse or celibate because you made a vow or conscience decision? If you made a vow or decision to be celibate, why?

I’m only going to discuss celibacy for Godly reasons, and not because one can’t find a spouse, too selfish for marriage, etc.

In both vocations, celibacy and marriage, we are called to die to one’s self. However, in marriage, we still have our spouse for support, comfort, companionship, etc. We have children, who while they are work, they also bring us great joy. There is a reason why this vocation is “more attractive.” We all want to be loved, and it’s very normal to want to have children, etc. Marriage is the easier choice, and rightfully so. If celibacy was the easier choice or equal to marriage in that sense, then there would be far fewer of us. It’s easier for us to make the sacrifice of raising children than the sacrifice of not embracing the marital act.

With celibacy, one dies to ones self in order to focus doing God’s will and helping others. Either via the clergy, religious order, or even lay people. In a way, celibate people sacrifice the joys & graces married people receive. In some ways, never getting married and having children (especially when we want to) in order to do God’s calling is a larger sacrifice.

That’s why in a manner of speaking, celibacy is the “higher vocation.”

HOWEVER, vocation “hierarchy” does NOT translate to human hierarchy. It’s just that, objectively speaking, celibacy for the sake of God is the harder sacrifice.

With all this said, this is also why I view couples who marry without the desire to ever have children because they want to focus on their work as a selfish position and often an empty one in the end. Couples who marry and purposefully do not have kids are sacrificing the joy of children for what? Money, position, material possessions, etc. They are not making the sacrifice for God. And that’s why it’s not uncommon for them to later feel remorse for not having children as they grow old. No holy sacrifice is made and no graces are received.

At my law firm, there is a married couple who are both workaholics. They are both former Catholics and I suspect currently atheists or agnostic. They never speak to one another at work and even come & leave the office at different times. Plus many people don’t even know they are married, as she didn’t take his name and they don’t speak. They also have no intention of ever having children. In talking with them, they cherish going to restaurants and finding nice wines. However, I do not judge them. While I believe they are making the choice not to have children based on what they say, it’s also possible that they cannot have kids and simply do not want people to know that. Therefore, it’s between them and God.

Needless to say, I pray that they will one day realize that having children will bring them joy and happiness, if they truly are able to have children.
 
Well stated, Phil. As an aside, I don’t think we specifically have covered what St. Paul said regarding marriage and being single, but you have summed things up quite well here.
 
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