Why the Church no longer teaches the superiority of celibacy over marriage

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Mboo said:
Marriage and virginity”, from note 158
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In its entirety. It doesn’t say anything about comparative gift. What people seem to want to add what is so plainly good but vanilla.
  1. “Many people who are unmarried are
    not only devoted to their own family but often
    render great service in their group of friends, in
    the Church community and in their professional
    lives. Sometimes their presence and contributions
    are overlooked, causing in them a sense of
    isolation. Many put their talents at the service
    of the Christian community through charity and
    volunteer work. Others remain unmarried because
    they consecrate their lives to the love of
    Christ and neighbour. Their dedication greatly
    enriches the family, the Church and society”.
 
Well it [the decision to remain unmarried, or childless] needs to be more thoroughly thought through, and even more deeply prayed about.

Some “unmarried” people in fact have gotten into a bit of a comfortable routine; they like their privacy; they like their stuff, they like their “me time”, they like to sleep late, or stay up late, they like the life of fewer complexities and demands. Or they like the “control” they can ultimately exert over external demands. The “un-doabiity” of their current commitments.

Marriage, like marriage to the Church (i.e., priesthood) is designed to purify our selfishness, perfect our charity, chisel away at pride, vanity, and love of comfort.

Marriage and the consecrated life are paths to heaven; they - through the demands, tasks, love required of them - help sanctify us, make us holier than we would be otherwise.

They are rock tumblers, if you will, chipping off the rough and selfish edges.

A deliberately unmarried person (who isn’t married to the Church as a priest or as a religious) needs spiritual direction and lots of prayer time in order to confirm that their unmarried status is truly a calling from God, vs. a calling from the self!
 
Désolé mais ce n’est pas l’avis du pape Pie 12 dans son encyclique sacra virginita. Il est mieux placé pour donner la signification d’un dogme je le cite:
“Cette doctrine qui établit l’excellence et la supériorité de la virginité et du célibat sur le mariage,
comme Nous l’avons dit, a déjà été énoncée par le divin Rédempteur et l’Apôtre des nations ; de
même au Concile de Trente, elle fut solennellement définie comme dogme de foi divine, et les
Pères et les Docteurs de l’Église ont toujours été unanimes à l’enseigner”
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Maybe I did not make myself understood. I asked to read from the number 158 to the end of this little paragraph … I did not ask to read the number 158 only
 
to purify selfishness no need to marry or become a priest. It is bypassed a real problem by misleading alibi. There are so many people in the need here out that, just make commitments that will be morally binding to constantly look after these people.
In marriage one cares for one’s children because nature wants it so, even those who are enemies of God or great criminals are not selfish towards their children or their wives.
 
What you’re mistaken about is to suggest that Catholicism is a “bible only” religion.

Simply because Scripture doesn’t use the word superiority with respect to this sort of gift, doesn’t mean that the Church hasn’t over the years worked to this conclusion. And it has. And it hasn’t changed either, even with the vague phrases in AL.

As I said elsewhere on this going nowhere thread the difference between marriage and priestly celibacy isn’t that great, especially when married people “put their shoulder into their marriage/parenthood”.
 
Ok I will try to say it simply.
Marriage does not cure egoism, not to be selfish towards our children is normal, even big criminals are not selfish towards their children.
Marriage can lead us to worry exclusively about ourselves and our children, and we are therefore more selfish for those who are not in our family.
 
Edward_H said:
A deliberately unmarried person (who isn’t married to the Church as a priest or as a religious) needs spiritual direction and lots of prayer time in order to confirm that their unmarried status is truly a calling from God, vs. a calling from the self!
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I think rather that it is the one who wants to marry who must meditate a lot, before making such a decision, because he will involve the life and the salvation of someone who did not ask to be born.
And marriage is not a cure for vices. If one is selfish it is possible that one always remains egotistical, even towards one’s own children, and there the evil is more serious… If one is not selfish towards one’s own children it is possible that it is for natural reasons and interested, so it is a vanity.
 
celibacy does not exist only in humans, but also among angels, among the saints in heaven.
And do not be afraid, the human species can not disappear if everyone becomes single. It is those who do not have the Faith who thinks so. Jesus promised us resurrection, so the human species can not disappear because God himself will bring back to life all those who died.
 
That goes without saying…in fact the Church provides Pre-Cana and other supporting formation tools for those thinking they are married!

But it sort of lets the undifferentiated mass of “unmarried” wander on by themselves, and many fall into the very traps of “self” that I mentioned.

“If one is selfish it is possible that one always remains egotistical”…no kidding…but the way God designed us…and the sacraments He gave us to help us grown in holiness, little by little, makes it very possible to “grow outside of oneself”.

What’s missing in your understanding is the idea of (develop-able) human virtue…and how virtues can help a person grow in holiness, and what’s also missing are the other helps the Church provides…the Sacraments, spiritual direction, the practice of making small resolutions, a deeper and regular examination of conscience…the power and effects of mental prayer, etc.

Vanity, pride, love of comfort can all be diminished.
 
oh…but Marriage CAN diminish all defects…if “you put your shoulder into it” and take advantage of the graces that the Church offers…the Sacraments…especially the Sacrament of Confession, prayer, spiritual books, etc.

A marriage that doesn’t diminish defects is a failing marriage.

Marriage, properly understood as a participation in the whole life of Christ, including Calvary, can lead us to GREAT JOY, flowing out to all the world, especially to our immediate family.
 
Someone in this thread mentioned Charity or Love (i.e. member user name: Richca)and this is most important of all in all states of life and vocations. Jesus sums up the whole of the Law and the prophets “To Love God with your whole heart and your whole soul and to Love your neighbour as yourself”.
Chapter 13 of the First Letter to the Corinthians is not at all lengthy and a very important Chapter http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__PZI.HTM

“If I speak in human and angelic tongues 2 but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. …
…So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love”
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Sorry, but each sacrament to its specificity. It is the Eucharist which is the sacrament SUFFICIENT to destroy our vices.
Marriage confers special graces only to fulfill the special missions of the bride and groom, that is, to be faithful and united to his spouse, and to educate children in a Christian way. That’s all
If you are thief, liar, selfish etc. it is not the purpose of the sacrament of marriage to cure you of these vices …
 
the Eucharist is sufficient to overcome the vices and to increase the virtues one does not need another sacrament to increase the efficiency of the Eucharist.
The sacrament of order brings graces to accomplish the special mission of priest. In the same way the sacrament of marriage brings special graces to accomplish the special missions of husband and parent.
Thus one can be a good priest, but on the other hand, to have great vices, it is not the role of the sacrament of order to give special graces to destroy these vices. It’s the same for a groom. One can be a good parent or a good husband but have many vices, it is not the role of the sacrament of marriage to give special graces to defeat the vices we have.
The sacrament of marriage increases sanctifying grace, that is, puts us in a state where we are pleasing to God, and specific sacramental graces to be a good parent and a good spouse; that’s all!
 
Perfect charity implies detachment from the joys of the world, including the joys of marriage
Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him
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If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers, and his sisters, and even his own life, he can not be my disciple.
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What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none;
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Edward_H said:
Marriage, properly understood as a participation in the whole life of Christ, including Calvary, can lead us to GREAT JOY, flowing out to all the world, especially to our immediate family.
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Sorry, but the sacraments of Christian initiations are enough to participate fully in the life of Christ, we do not need a sacrament suppelementaire to participate better. Only those who have chosen to marry need special help given the specific obligations of being married.
In the same way, the one who is seriously ill needs specific help in view of its specific state. Hence the sacrament of the sick. Whoever wants to be a priest has need a particular help, hence the sacrament of order, etc.

Everything you’ve said since then is part of the propaganda to overvalue marriage, to give it values that it does not actually
 
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Are you stating that detachment is more important than Charity? Charity will invariably ask detachment and primarily very often detachment from self.
First Letter of ST John Chapter 4 “We love because He first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well”
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Detachment without charity is useless, but it is impossible to have a perfect charity without detachment
 
Charity is the goal, detachment is one necessary means of growth in Charity and one thing married people will learn is detachment, especially (but not only) once children come along. Celibate chastity is another school of detachment that differs probably only in kind at times.
No matter one’s state in life or vocation, one can be absolutely confident that God will provide all that is necessary for holiness and growth in Charity, which is the goal.
There is nothing higher nor better and superior, more perfect, than The Will of God and Jesus has summarised what God’s Will for us is i.e. to Love Him above all things and to love one’s neighbour as oneself.
http://catholicexchange.com/the-power-of-spiritual-detachment
Excerpt only: " It’s important to note that there is nothing wrong with having natural desire. We must have desire in life or life will be empty. Some religious traditions teach that all evil comes from desire, and that one must empty oneself of desire. But to empty oneself of desire is itself a desire. Part of God’s creation was to hardwire us with desire, especially with the desire for God. An abundant life is a life that balances desire with self-discipline. Self-discipline requires one to maintain a constant attitude that “I am enough as I am. I am enough as God created me!” Self-discipline is a vigilant attitude of contentment with the providence of God, with what God has given us."
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