The one who does not marry her will do better

[water]

1 Cor 32-38:
I should like you to be free of anxieties…I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction…So then, the one who marries his virgin does well; the one who does not marry her will do better.

Now, if you think you love God so much and want to help others to love God as much, would you take advice from St. Paul and stay single and being a priest for the rest of your life? or you think …nah, this is non-sense, I can do it as a married man?

 

[wjp984]

Sure, why don’t we all become priests and join the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement while we’re at it There was a thread about that crazy movement a couple days ago and I’ll find it later.

 

[johnnycatholic]

In Genesis, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone. He’s just letting you know there are options.

 

[Marsha_Adams]

Religious who vow celibate life do not live alone, they live in community. THough with only one priest to a parish these days, pastors are often alone, and something needs to be done about that. In any case, both marriage and religious life are vocations which involve not living alone. What many forget is that being single in the world is also a legitimate vocation which often puts individuals in the “living alone” state, and because the singles are often forgotten by parishes they truly do lack community.

As for Paul’s comment on marrying /vs not marrying, when he wrote that Epistle to the Corinthians, he expected Jesus would be coming that afternoon, or certainly by the day after, so his advice needs to be taken in context.

Many saints male and female were married people. Suffering purifies, and there is a lot of suffering in marriage and in parenting.

Marsha

 

[water]

Sure, why don’t we all become priests and join the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement while we’re at it There was a thread about that crazy movement a couple days ago and I’ll find it later.

You see, what I see is that my vocation might not become a priest, but a married man. As a married man, I know there are limits to do what a non-married priests can do. I am not saying that we all should become a priest as I believe we have different vocations in lives. The question is addressed to those who believe a priest should be married.

 

[scylla]

If you want to truly imitate Jesus we are all called to do that in varying degrees. Some of us are called to be married, some give up that for the Kingdom of Heaven, some give up all possessions and even more their lives.
There are more obedient ways to follow God and there are ways to be obedient in less visible ways.

I believe it is difficult for both Married and the Celibate, each has to dedicate themselves to their vocation, and many times these days they do not. It is much easier to go to Hell when you do not have God as your focus and this probably is easier when you are married, it is easy to get distracted.

So I agree with the Scriptures there will always be more Saints who give up different things for God. This is why being a Priest or Religious is such a good thing(and will produce more Saints), this is not to knock Marriage which is also a good thing and you can certainly be a Saint as a married person it just is more difficult.

In Christ
Scylla

(btw, I am married, but spending time in a seminary made me realize that having God involved so profoundly makes it easier to focus on the prize)

 

[water]

So I agree with the Scriptures there will always be more Saints who give up different things for God. This is why being a Priest or Religious is such a good thing(and will produce more Saints), this is not to knock Marriage which is also a good thing and you can certainly be a Saint as a married person it just is more difficult.

In Christ
Scylla

(btw, I am married, but spending time in a seminary made me realize that having God involved so profoundly makes it easier to focus on the prize)

Yes, I am agreed with you. For a married person, it is a very blessing as well for he/she is giving birth to their children who then can become priests, saints, etc. Without marriage, we’ll have no priests today.

 

[rwoehmke]

The question is addressed to those who believe a priest should be married.

I suppose there are folks who think a priest SHOULD marry. but I think the attitude is more they could marry if they wanted to. The Eastern Churches seem to have reached a workable solution. As a lay person and married I am of the opinion it is really none of my business so I stay out of the fray.