Comments on: Why the single life is not a vocation

By: B Doyle

B Doyle — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:08:10 +0000

As a gay, celibate Catholic, I must take issue here. The single life for me is absolutely a vocation! It is a matter of record that homosexual Catholics are NOT invited into seminary studies, and it would be a lie for me to marry a woman. God calls me to live out my life in the single, celibate state. It’s not the state that’s the vocation– it’s the call to it. Let us all be careful about defining or classifying God’s call to others. The word vocation comes from “voice,” and it refers to God’s voice. That’s all. To define vocation as a total giving of self to another is certainly not incorrect, but it may not be complete. Let’s stop putting our own words in God’s voice and call to others. It’s not YOUR conversation….

By: Brian Hughes

Brian Hughes — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:58:17 +0000

i just thought that married life is the happiest point of my life.`*’

By: Peregrinus

Peregrinus — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:48:59 +0000

Perhaps an elaboration of Bonacci’s comments is in order. The “giving oneself completely” here is, of course, loving with the whole self, i.e., with body and soul. This loving in one’s entirety is necessary for a Christian vocation because God has created mankind in His image and likeness and has called humanity to live out that image and likeness, which is Love and a communion of Persons (see Familiaris consortio, 11 for the best treatment of this topic). The single life, even one with a private vow of chastity, does not allow for this kind of love and communion.

A Christian vocation is meant to help one to progress in becoming more completely conformed to the image of God. It is also meant to be a sign of that image to the world.

By: anthony

anthony — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:59:45 +0000

if you are single, or a widow, then remain so if you can.

-st.paul

By: Happy National Vocation Awareness Week « Halbrook.net

Happy National Vocation Awareness Week « Halbrook.net — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 04:45:00 +0000

[...] Why the single life is not a vocation – Eric Sammons tackles the common misconception that single life is a vocation. [...]

By: Br. Charles

Br. Charles — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:50:47 +0000

Yes. On the one hand we must be careful not to sacrifice sound theological reflection on the altar of the great idol of ‘inclusiveness.’

On the other hand, there are folks out there who seem to be living the single life, but whose lifestyles are consecrated by certain private vows in the internal forum. Others are living without a vocation to marriage, consecrated life, of priesthood because of various misfortunes. So you never know.

By: Tito Edwards

Tito Edwards — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:33:58 +0000

Amen!