The family unit is a domestic church and modeled after the Holy Trinity. If they are blessed with children, the married person is asked to raise their children in the Church and to teach them about the love of God.
Married people are called by God to love their spouse and help him or her get to heaven. God works in mysterious ways and the idea here is not to criticize or put into question the decisions that some have made in good conscience, please take these as general considerations and always recommend speaking with a spiritual director to guide you.įor more information, we suggest taking a look here. Undoubtedly, there are many Catholics who have remained single and lived and continue to live out holy, generous lives. In general, however, the Church seems to consider the single status as one of passage, that is, a stage that leads you to respond to the vocations properly speaking. The actual “calling” to remain single as a vocation is very rare (properly speaking, the Church never refers to the single status as a vocation), and it must include a formal consecration to God and a lifelong commitment to celibacy while remaining a single lay person (there is an ancient tradition of virgins who consecrated their lives to service). There are other cases such as those who have serious and habitual difficulties engaging community settings or those with strongly deep-seated homosexual tendencies who are also called to live a single life.
It is a special time in one’s life which presents great opportunities to serve and to grow spiritually.
Everyone will live as a single at some point in their lives, many do so while waiting to prepare for their vocation in marriage, religious life or ordination.