Socrates Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 [quote name='Fides_et_Ratio' date='May 19 2005, 07:35 PM'] is being "single" truly a vocation (outside of a consecrated religious?). My Christian marriage professor at FUS (well, in Austria) seemed to think it was not, and made a pretty good case. I agreed previously (so I guess that helped). [/quote] I'm not an expert in this. Maybe it's not in the sense of holy orders or the priesthood, but I wouldn't say that for some it's not their "vocation" (in the sense of being God's will) to be single. If one (such as myself) is unmarried, does this mean I am rejecting God's will by not finding the right woman, or that I must otherwise get myself into a monastery or priesthood as soon as possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fides_et_Ratio Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 it might depend on how old you are... I don't know. I'm not a vocation expert (for sure!), but I'm not inclined to think that God truly calls people to the "single" life. I mean, by its very nature "singleness" is against community (in a sense! not entirely!). But then again, I have a hard time with nuns. I need a really smart priest to explain the Sacraments to me before I can keep talking however... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norseman82 Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 [quote name='Fides_et_Ratio' date='May 19 2005, 07:35 PM'] is being "single" truly a vocation (outside of a consecrated religious?). My Christian marriage professor at FUS (well, in Austria) seemed to think it was not, and made a pretty good case. I agreed previously (so I guess that helped). [/quote] I'd be interested to hear what he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norseman82 Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 [quote name='Socrates' date='May 19 2005, 07:47 PM'] If one (such as myself) is unmarried, does this mean I am rejecting God's will by not finding the right woman, or that I must otherwise get myself into a monastery or priesthood as soon as possible? [/quote] Unfortunately, we could spend our entire lives second-guessing ourselves and second-guessing our second-guessings...... only to find out when we're 65 that we've wasted our lives on nothing but second-guessing! That's not how I want to end up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 [quote name='Fides_et_Ratio' date='May 19 2005, 07:35 PM'] is being "single" truly a vocation (outside of a consecrated religious?). [/quote] Yes, it is. Not everyone is called to be married or to be a priest or religious. We're all called to serve God in whatever circumstances of life in which we're living. This might help: [url="http://www.vocation.com/content-flr.htm"]Does God call you to the single life?[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggy Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 There are amazing, Catholic men in women in Nebraska (Lincoln, Nebraska). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCC_Catholic Posted May 20, 2005 Author Share Posted May 20, 2005 [quote name='toledo_jesus' date='May 19 2005, 02:14 PM'] hey, did anybody suggest being a nun yet? Not everybody has the call to marriage you know...but our society tends to make marriage the default... [/quote] i have thought about being a nun in the past and have come to realize that that is not where i am to be in life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCC_Catholic Posted May 20, 2005 Author Share Posted May 20, 2005 when i started this thread i was just really trying to vent my feelings knowing that my pham would support me and pray for me i never imagined how far this would go and it has gone pretty far. love yall so much for the advice and the support that i dont know what i would have done if it had not been for yall durin some of the hardest times in my life. i love yall Sarah :wub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fides_et_Ratio Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 [quote name='Norseman82' date='May 19 2005, 08:02 PM'] I'd be interested to hear what he said. [/quote] I won't be able to do justice to his exact words, but he started out explaining that every Christian is ultimately called to love others and that this call (/vocation) to love others is fulfilled more perfectly in communion with another. Married couples do this through each other, and religious do this through living in community/priests are tied to their parishoners through the Sacraments (which are expressions of God's love). There is a difference obviously between married and religious but religious give up marriage "for the sake of the Kingdom" which sets it apart from the single life drastically. There's much more to it, but I want to look through my notes so I don't say something way off base. (but this is also why I need a priest to explain Sacraments to me cuz I have an issue with non-ordained religious because of this). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norseman82 Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 [quote name='Colleen' date='May 19 2005, 09:46 PM'] Yes, it is. Not everyone is called to be married or to be a priest or religious. We're all called to serve God in whatever circumstances of life in which we're living. This might help: [url="http://www.vocation.com/content-flr.htm"]Does God call you to the single life?[/url] [/quote] First, the catechism only mentions religious life and "virginity for the sake of the kingdom" as vocations. Second, that website mentions 1 Corinthians 7 as a justification for singlehood but it leaves out that the same chapter states that if one cannot handle singlehood, they should be married. Finally, with all the good Catholic people who need spouses having a hard time finding them and with the shortage of vocations to the priesthood, what in the world would possess anyone to [i]reduce[/i] the number of eligible people for the above two, especially in this culture? We need [i]less[/i] people opting for lifetime non-religious single life, [i]not more[/i]!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fides_et_Ratio Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 Other than dying at a young age... what point is there to living single without being a religious? I ask in all seriousness. What does living single fulfill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philothea Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 There are careers which are difficult to pursue when you have a spouse and children. If that career is your vocation, staying single might be necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norseman82 Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 [quote name='philothea' date='May 20 2005, 01:29 PM'] There are careers which are difficult to pursue when you have a spouse and children. If that career is your vocation, staying single might be necessary. [/quote] Well, that's a case of someone placing carreer above family. That's sad. My view is that a career (obviously I'm not referring to a religious life vocation) should be a means to support one's family and not overwhelm it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catholictothecore Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 About the freely chossing part...what if you are equally attracted to both at this time in your life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Socrates Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 I think it's extremely judgmental to imply that if one is single, this means he is somehow not doing God's will. There are those of us who have not been able to find a spouse, nor feel called to the prieshood or religious life. Most of us do not "reject" marriage, but simply, because of life's circumstances, have not been able to find a spouse. Relationships fail, women are uninterested, etc. Yeah, it's easy to point the finger of blame, but you haven't walked in our shoes. I have known many fine single people living Godly, selfless lives and doing much good for the community who are not married. It is a myth that all "singles" are self-centered or are hedonistic "swingers." I also know Catholic married couples who are far from models of Christian behavior. Who is to say that single people are living contrary to God's will? Judge not lest ye be judged yourself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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