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Penguin12345
Guest
The priesthood is a higher calling, but it’s not for everyone. Not everyone is called.
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Em_in_FL
Guest
Awww, com’ on now… I’m just trying to *COUNT *my blessings here! 
I see what you’re saying… my logic breaks down…
And really I *knew *that… I was just trying to hang onto straws by tearing apart a statement…
my own sick sense of fun… (is that confessable? 
)
… back to my less-blessed life (just kiddin’ )…
I see what you’re saying… my logic breaks down…
And really I *knew *that… I was just trying to hang onto straws by tearing apart a statement…
my own sick sense of fun… (is that confessable? )… back to my less-blessed life (just kiddin’
)…
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LilyM
Guest
Well all vocations well-lived are blessed, and there are many married saints out there to inspire us 
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Michael_Saint
Guest
Please refer to “Sacra Virginitas” by Pope Pius XII, paragraph 32. You will see the following statement:
“This doctrine of the excellence of virginity and of celibacy and of their superiority over the married state was, as We have already said, revealed by our Divine Redeemer and by the Apostle of the Gentiles; so too, it was solemnly defined as a dogma of divine faith by the holy council of Trent, and explained in the same way by all the holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church. Finally, We and Our Predecessors have often expounded it and earnestly advocated it whenever occasion offered. But recent attacks on this traditional doctrine of the Church, the danger they constitute, and the harm they do to the souls of the faithful lead Us, in fulfillment of the duties of Our charge, to take up the matter once again in this Encyclical Letter, and to reprove these errors which are so often propounded under a specious appearance of truth”
Hence your interpretation of the Council of Trent is wrong.
Notice he mentions the serious nature of the “recent attacks on this traditional doctrine”. I have long said that this “dogma” is the least known in the Church today - and it is one of the main reasons we are suffering from a shortage of vocations.
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chris_molter
Guest
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means…”
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vidimusdominum
Guest
The Catholic Church teaches, as dogma, that a consecrated life of celibacy is a superior calling than the married state, and should be preferred.
Pope John Paul II , Vita Consecrata, no. 32
“As a way of showing forth the Church’s holiness, it is to be recognized that the consecrated life, which mirrors Christ’s own way of life, has an objective superiority. Precisely for this reason, it is an especially rich manifestation of Gospel values and a more complete expression of the Church’s purpose, which is the sanctification of humanity. The consecrated life proclaims and in a certain way anticipates the future age, when the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven, already present in its first fruits and in mystery,[62] will be achieved and when the children of the resurrection will take neither wife nor husband, but will be like the angels of God (cf. Mt. 22:30)”
Pope Pius XII, Sacra Virginitas, no. 32
“This doctrine of the excellence of virginity and of celibacy and of their superiority over the married state was, as we have already said, revealed by our Divine Redeemer and by the Apostle of the Gentiles; so too, it was solemnly defined as a dogma of divine faith by the holy council of Trent, and explained in the same way by all the holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church."
Council of Trent
“If anyone saith that the marriage state is to be preferred before the state of virginity, let him be anathema.” …] "writing to the Corinthians, [Paul] says: I would that all men were even as myself; that is, that all embrace the virtue of continence…A life of continence is to be desired by all.” (cf. Catechism of the Council of Trent, pg. 225)
Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 916
“The state of the consecrated life is thus one way of experiencing a “more intimate” consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God. In the consecrated life, Christ’s faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come.”
I Corinthians Chp. VII
“It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman. [v.1] Indeed, I wish that everyone were like I am [celibate]. [v.7] I should like you to be free from anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord; how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world; how he may please his wife, and he is divided. [v.32] Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare you that.” [v.28] (see also Mark 12:18-27, Mtt 19:10-12, 2 Timothy Ch. 2:3)
(Source)
Pope John Paul II , Vita Consecrata, no. 32
“As a way of showing forth the Church’s holiness, it is to be recognized that the consecrated life, which mirrors Christ’s own way of life, has an objective superiority. Precisely for this reason, it is an especially rich manifestation of Gospel values and a more complete expression of the Church’s purpose, which is the sanctification of humanity. The consecrated life proclaims and in a certain way anticipates the future age, when the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven, already present in its first fruits and in mystery,[62] will be achieved and when the children of the resurrection will take neither wife nor husband, but will be like the angels of God (cf. Mt. 22:30)”
Pope Pius XII, Sacra Virginitas, no. 32
“This doctrine of the excellence of virginity and of celibacy and of their superiority over the married state was, as we have already said, revealed by our Divine Redeemer and by the Apostle of the Gentiles; so too, it was solemnly defined as a dogma of divine faith by the holy council of Trent, and explained in the same way by all the holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church."
Council of Trent
“If anyone saith that the marriage state is to be preferred before the state of virginity, let him be anathema.” …] "writing to the Corinthians, [Paul] says: I would that all men were even as myself; that is, that all embrace the virtue of continence…A life of continence is to be desired by all.” (cf. Catechism of the Council of Trent, pg. 225)
Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 916
“The state of the consecrated life is thus one way of experiencing a “more intimate” consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God. In the consecrated life, Christ’s faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come.”
I Corinthians Chp. VII
“It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman. [v.1] Indeed, I wish that everyone were like I am [celibate]. [v.7] I should like you to be free from anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord; how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world; how he may please his wife, and he is divided. [v.32] Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare you that.” [v.28] (see also Mark 12:18-27, Mtt 19:10-12, 2 Timothy Ch. 2:3)
(Source)
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
This is true generally.
Specifically the superior calling for an individual is the one that they are called to live.
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SenorSalsa
Guest
QFT
While the call to celibacy and thus to a Religious life is considered a “higher calling”, that is not to say that Religious life is “better” than a married life.
Lets say that God’s plan for me was to have 15 kids, 12 of which would become priests and the other 3 nuns.
Would it be better for me to become a priest or to get married?
My point is that what is best is that our will is matched to God’s. Surely St. Francis is more saintly than many of the people in Heaven, but not everyone is called to be like St. Francis.
Someone told me this comparison yesterday(I believe they said it was from St. Faustina).
Imagine that Saint Francis is a bucket, and I am a cup. And say that holiness is like water. It is not the goal that we should have as much water as Francis, but rather that both the bucket and the cup are full of water.
Some have a higher calling than others. It makes them “better” in the sense that they have a calling higher than marriage, but it does not make them better in that both of us are in a place to attain the same ultimate goal.
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marchoi
Guest
Ah, St. Thomas Aquinas would love me for using his method here:
We are speaking of absolute vs. relative. Rather, of objective vs. subjective.
Obviously, subjectively speaking, it is best for a person to follow whatever vocation God has called him/her. If I am called to the priesthood, I ought to be a priest. If I am called to the married life, I ought to find a wife. If I am called to the married life but try to be a priest, that’s not being holy - likewise if I am called to the priesthood but get married.
Objectively speaking, however, I think the Church documents provided above show that objectively speaking the religious life is the preferred. The simplest way it’s been explained to me: religious life is like skipping the earthly marriage to go straight to the heavenly marriage. It’s like skipping grades. It’s not for everyone, but objectively it’s probably better.
We are speaking of absolute vs. relative. Rather, of objective vs. subjective.
Obviously, subjectively speaking, it is best for a person to follow whatever vocation God has called him/her. If I am called to the priesthood, I ought to be a priest. If I am called to the married life, I ought to find a wife. If I am called to the married life but try to be a priest, that’s not being holy - likewise if I am called to the priesthood but get married.
Objectively speaking, however, I think the Church documents provided above show that objectively speaking the religious life is the preferred. The simplest way it’s been explained to me: religious life is like skipping the earthly marriage to go straight to the heavenly marriage. It’s like skipping grades. It’s not for everyone, but objectively it’s probably better.
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simon_op
Guest
Well…We are all call to be saint!
In addition, every one of us has his own way to meet the “goal”…that way is set for us be God according to our abilities, gifts, needs…
We just have to pray for the light of the Holy Spirit to recognize the way and to follow it that way is our vocation and that one is the best
In addition, every one of us has his own way to meet the “goal”…that way is set for us be God according to our abilities, gifts, needs…
We just have to pray for the light of the Holy Spirit to recognize the way and to follow it
that way is our vocation and that one is the best
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Salonika
Guest
I agree with you, Phaedrus. I also think that the chances of some people following the vocation God intended for them is reduced by the fact that in some people’s minds that there is a hierarchy of vocations and they aim for “the top ones” as a result.
There also seems to be debate about whether there is a vocation to the single life or whether it is should be seen as a temporary state until one has worked out their “true” vocation. Good to see posts on this thread that view it more postively.
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SenorSalsa
Guest
This is true, the problem is it is hard to see vocations as being equal and unequal at the same time.
It is true that a priest/religious receive more graces, such as the “grace of office”, and therefore is looked upon as the “higher calling”.
I think one way of looking at it is that all priests/religious probably could have been happy married people(most will explain how they always had the desire to be a family man), but not all married people could have made happy priests/religious
In a sense that kind of shows that married life is the “easier” or “lesser” vocation. The normal call is to the married life, and some get the higher calling of priesthood/religious life.
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BarbaraTherese
Guest
The religious life and the priesthood embrace a way of perfection with all the Graces necessary to live that particular way of life (the way of life itself is so constructed as to be a way or lifestyle leading to perfection); however, the religious life or priesthood are not necessarily the most perfect way for a person. The most perfect way for a person is that way or state, lifestyle, to which God is calling them. Nothing is higher, nor better, more fulfilling and joyful, than The Will of God, no matter what it is.
Where God’s Will for an individual is concerned, His Grace to live that way to perfection and Unity to whatever degree God may Will, will never be lacking.
Married life is not necessarily any easier nor happier than the priesthood or religious life and is not a lesser vocation…how can it be lesser if it is God’s Will? The most common call is to the married state…while some may be called by God and His Will to the priesthood or religious life. In all instances Grace will be granted to arrive at that level of perfection or Unity to which God is calling.
I think that the use of all ‘measurements of comparison’ to describe a vocation or call are can be deceptive and lead to misunderstandings. There is nothing ever higher nor better than God’s Will for a person or individual, no matter what God’s Will may be. For example a person called to collect the garbage weekly may well be living a far more perfect life even to Unity to that degree God Wills, than a priest or religious not living their call fully. There is no higher aspiration in life than Unity with The Will of God no matter what God’s Will may be.
Barb
Where God’s Will for an individual is concerned, His Grace to live that way to perfection and Unity to whatever degree God may Will, will never be lacking.
Married life is not necessarily any easier nor happier than the priesthood or religious life and is not a lesser vocation…how can it be lesser if it is God’s Will? The most common call is to the married state…while some may be called by God and His Will to the priesthood or religious life. In all instances Grace will be granted to arrive at that level of perfection or Unity to which God is calling.
I think that the use of all ‘measurements of comparison’ to describe a vocation or call are can be deceptive and lead to misunderstandings. There is nothing ever higher nor better than God’s Will for a person or individual, no matter what God’s Will may be. For example a person called to collect the garbage weekly may well be living a far more perfect life even to Unity to that degree God Wills, than a priest or religious not living their call fully. There is no higher aspiration in life than Unity with The Will of God no matter what God’s Will may be.
Barb
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white_lily
Guest
St. John Chrysostom once declared that “Virginity is as far above marriage as the heavens above the earth.” In marriage, one gives oneself to another person for the purposes of union and procreation. In virginity, one gives oneself entirely to God.a virgin is literarly a Bride of Christ whileothers are metaphoricaly called brides of Christ.Else the married people would be bigamists which is impossibe. Of course, God is pleased to a much greater extent with a life given entirely to Himself, rather than a life that retains for itself even licit pleasures, such as those of marriage, no matter how saintly the latter may be. A proof of this is the fact that Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself chose to be born of a Virgin. The great doctor of the Church St. Augustine went as far as to warn those in the married state to regard unmarried persons as better than and above themselves. An even more shocking statement comes from the Council of Trent. CANON X.-If any one saith, that the marriage state is to be placed above the state of virginity, or of celibacy, and that it is not better and more blessed to remain in virginity, or in celibacy, than to be united in matrimony; let him be anathema.
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BarbaraTherese
Guest
Nothing is more exquisitely beautiful than The Will of God and the Grace God freely grants to each to fulfill His Will, no matter what it may be. In these do all praise and glory and recommendation belong alone and only.
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