Why I Feel Awkward Hearing That Being Single Is a Choice
When it's not enough to hear the advantages of the single life
I have been very open about my desire to recognize the significant role of single people in the Church. But the more I hear or read from the secular world about how being single can be a choice, the more I feel uncomfortable about it.
In my mind, I feel that this isn’t what I wanted. It just doesn’t sound complete for me.
I was very eager to let the Church know about the predicament of single people because I have always seen it from the perspective of our Christian calling. Our universal call to love.
We are not choosing to be single only for the sake of being single. We are not advocating a way of life just because it feels more desirable, more advantageous or more comfortable for us.
Wherever our decisions may take us, it should always be in the light of love. Love of God and love of our neighbors. In the service of God and of His people.
If I may admit it, no one is literally called to be single. Because no one is destined to be alone.
God is love. And in His great plan for us, He had always made love present. Love is the beginning, and love is what awaits us in the end.
We may not all find our spouses here on earth. We may not all profess our religious vows. But we are all called to love and to be loved. If we accept it, God longs to have or company for all eternity in heaven.
While the value and dignity of single people should be respected, I don't think it should be promoted as an end-state apart from our great vocation to love.
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