Scripture Help on Mathew 19:12?

[wkj_123]

I was wondering if anyone could help shed some light on the meaning of Mathew 19 12 which says "Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

I have always felt like marriage was for me and am currently dating a wonderful woman who is a great blessing. We have been having serious talks of marriage and I have been planning to go out and purchase a ring.

Upon reading this verse it has stirred up anxieties that what if im not doing the right thing or what if im not accepting something I should as far as not getting married? Thank You.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

I was wondering if anyone could help shed some light on the meaning of Mathew 19 12 which says "Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

I have always felt like marriage was for me and am currently dating a wonderful woman who is a great blessing. We have been having serious talks of marriage and I have been planning to go out and purchase a ring.

Upon reading this verse it has stirred up anxieties that what if im not doing the right thing or what if im not accepting something I should as far as not getting married? Thank You.

Here is my advice. Since you are Protestant, consider the implications of this verse.

In Protestantism, there really is no such thing as Celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom as this verse plainly teaches. Only Catholics really follow this verse.

The second thing to consider is that renouncing marriage must entail you entering some sort of office or ministry dedicated to full-time ministry work. Well, in Protestantism each person just sets up a church or makes themself pastor whenever they feel like, but this cannot be right because Church authority is not self-appointed. So again, Catholicism answers this dilemma by having the individual renounce marriage so that they can enter a religious order and become subordinate to the real authorities that Jesus appointed and approves of.

I would advise you to share your thoughts with her. Explain to her that from the Bible’s perspective and all of Catholic history, marriage is understood as permanent (no divorce), being open to children (no contraception), and the father is the head of the home. Also, you should make sure you and her are on the same page theologically, meaning both committed to the same denomination, since different denominations have different theology, and if you don’t agree on what the Truth is, you can hardly expect to agree on other topics.

Since you are in a Catholic forum, I suspect you have some interest in Catholicism. If you are thinking about converting, you should hold off marriage until that is taken care of to be fair to her. Catholics believe that only the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth, so it’s out duty to tell you that you need to look into the Catholic Church.

 

[SonCatcher]

I was wondering if anyone could help shed some light on the meaning of Mathew 19 12 which says "Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

I have always felt like marriage was for me and am currently dating a wonderful woman who is a great blessing. We have been having serious talks of marriage and I have been planning to go out and purchase a ring.

Upon reading this verse it has stirred up anxieties that what if im not doing the right thing or what if im not accepting something I should as far as not getting married? Thank You.

The feelings that marriage is for you and your progress in your relationship most likely indicates that you are indeed not one of those who are “incapable of marriage”. Since that seems the case, you don’t have an obligation to accept this particular teaching (hey, when God Incarnate says something is optional, who are we to argue ).

Of course, there is a chance (albeit remote at this point) that you might be called into the Catholic Church, break up with the wonderful woman (nothing about her wonderfulness - just called separate ways) and ultimately become a (celibate) priest. If that were to occur, God would certainly provide you with the gift of being able to accept this teaching.

 

[Cachonga]

I wonder why a Protestant would ask such a question in a Catholic forum. This is something you should discuss with your Pastor. If you’re thinking about joining the Catholic Church, PM me and let’s discuss the issues. Celibacy is practiced within Protestantism (rarely, and does not involve taking vows, but as personal choices of those involved). Even married couples, by mutual agreement, go through periods of celibacy to dedicate themselves to fasting and prayer (Paul address this in 1 Cor 7). If you and your girlfriend are in a good church and attend services faithfully, then I see no reason to not seriously consider marriage (I do remind you that marriage is intended by God to be for life, so be prepared to work at your relationship). I do not know enough to give anything more than the general advice I have already given, so I’ll end it here.

God bless you and her in your future with Christ!

Pax!

 

[Steveabrous]

I was wondering if anyone could help shed some light on the meaning of Mathew 19 12 which says "Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

I have always felt like marriage was for me and am currently dating a wonderful woman who is a great blessing. We have been having serious talks of marriage and I have been planning to go out and purchase a ring.

Upon reading this verse it has stirred up anxieties that what if im not doing the right thing or what if im not accepting something I should as far as not getting married? Thank You.

Other translations say Eunichs (those castrated) it says some were burn eunichs, some were made eunichs by others, and some live like eunichs for the sake of the kingdom.

unless you were born castrated, or have been castrated the first two do not apply to you.
If you are meant to give up marriage then I believe your desire not to marry and serve God fully would out weigh your desire to Marry. It doesn’t sound like this is the case. I say Marry the wonderful woman provided she is at least a Christian if not Catholic.

 

[juliamajor]

I was wondering if anyone could help shed some light on the meaning of Mathew 19 12 which says "Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

I have always felt like marriage was for me and am currently dating a wonderful woman who is a great blessing. We have been having serious talks of marriage and I have been planning to go out and purchase a ring.

Upon reading this verse it has stirred up anxieties that what if im not doing the right thing or what if im not accepting something I should as far as not getting married? Thank You.

Buy that ring and enjoy your marriage. Unless a bolt of lightening hits you out of the blue and changes your vocation from married to celibate /single you shouldn’t have pangs of anxiety. God loves if you single or married. And believe me he wants you to be happy either. way.
Over 30 yrs ago I had a similar problem, trying to decide to wait and possibly find a mate or enter a convent. I prayed and a voice told me to wait. I waited and two months later
I met my husband. We 've been married over 30 yrs.
So pray if your really confused and listen and discern. But I think you got a case of the jitters.
i

 

[SonCatcher]

I wonder why a Protestant would ask such a question in a Catholic forum. This is something you should discuss with your Pastor. If you’re thinking about joining the Catholic Church, PM me and let’s discuss the issues. Celibacy is practiced within Protestantism (rarely, and does not involve taking vows, but as personal choices of those involved). Even married couples, by mutual agreement, go through periods of celibacy to dedicate themselves to fasting and prayer (Paul address this in 1 Cor 7). If you and your girlfriend are in a good church and attend services faithfully, then I see no reason to not seriously consider marriage (I do remind you that marriage is intended by God to be for life, so be prepared to work at your relationship). I do not know enough to give anything more than the general advice I have already given, so I’ll end it here.

God bless you and her in your future with Christ!

Pax!

Possibly, the OP recognized that since Catholics have a particular respect for celibacy that is lacking among Protestants (while, as you write, celibate people are respected, they usually are not considered exemplary of Christian life as they are among Catholics).

There is a reverse phenomenon where many Catholic priests consult with married Protestant clergy on how to deal with married couples. Either way, it is the members of the Body of Christ building each other up.

 

[SonCatcher]

wjk_123, despite Cachonga’s kind invitation, any “former X” (he describes himself as a “former Catholic”) is unlikely to be a useful guide if you are considering becoming “X”, yourself. The reason is that such persons are usually trying to justify why they are not “X” any longer.

I see from your history that you have been struggling with this for some time. Other posts suggest you might have scrupulosity issues. Have you discussed your feelings with a priest? You should also discuss them with your girlfriend, since (presuming you do eventually marry) she would be helping you through this life as you will be helping her.