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Today we celebrate the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians that we encounter today, Paul starts out by telling the Christians that he doesn’t want them to experience anxiety. He then continues:
“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. An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married woman, on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 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” (1 Cor 7: 33-35).
Catholic Christianity has always treasured the single state, and it has recognized that God calls many people to that state.
Single persons often have, as St. Paul noted, more time to devote to church work or charitable endeavors. This isn’t to say that the single state is “superior” to any other state, for whatever state in life that God calls you to is the “superior” one for you.
The above image is of Venerable Edel Mary Quinn, an Irish woman who devoted her life to serving as a lay missionary in various nations of Africa for the Legion of Mary. She devoted her life to missionary work even though she knew her tuberculosis was incurable. Edel died in 1944 at the age of 36.
