Replies

From: 1 Corinthians 7:25-31

The Excellence of Virginity

[25] Now concerning the unmarried, [2] I have no command of the Lord, but I give
my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. [26] I think that in view
of the impending distress it is well for a person to remain as he is. [27] Are you
bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek
marriage. [28] But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a girl marries she does not
sin. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.
[29] I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let
those who have wives live as though they had none, [30] and those who mourn
as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were
not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, [31] and those
who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of
this world is passing away.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

25-35. The Apostle now explains the excellence of virginity or celibacy (vv. 26ff)
for love of God as compared with marriage. The Magisterium of the Church has
explicitly spoken on the same lines (cf. Council of Trent, “De Sacrum Matrimonio”,
can. 10; Pius XII, “Sacra Virginitas”, 11).

He begins by saying that he has no commandment from the Lord on this matter
(cf. note on 7:12-16; Mt 19-12) but he for his part recommends celibacy, and his
advice carries weight because he is an Apostle chosen by the Lord in his mercy.
The reasons why he makes this recommendation reduce to one, basically—the
love of God: the unmarried person can dedicate himself or herself to God more
fully than a married person can, who has to look after the family and is “divided”
(v. 34). “This is the main purpose and primary reason for Christian virginity—to
dedicate oneself exclusively to divine things, giving them all one’s attention and
love, thinking of Him constantly and consecrating oneself to Him completely,
body and soul” (Pius XII, “Sacra Virginitas”, 5). This exclusive dedication to
God will lead to a full and productive life because it enables a person to love
others and devote himself or herself to them with great freedom and availability.
Also, celibacy has an eschatological dimension: it is a special sign of heavenly
delights (cf. Vatican II, “Perfectae Caritatis”, 12), and points to the fact that the
blessed in heaven live as angels (cf. Mt 22:30).

St Paul’s references to marriage should be understood in the context in which
he is writing (cf. note on 7:1-9). All he wants to make clear here is that, although
celibacy is a higher state, marriage is not something bad: those who marry are
not doing anything wrong (v. 28), nor is there any need for married people to live
as celibates (vv. 3-5) or to separate (v. 27). However, only someone who acknow-
ledges the great value that marriage has is in a position to appreciate celibacy
as a gift of God. “Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God not on-
ly does not contradict the dignity of marriage but presupposes it and confirms it.
Marriage and virginity or celibacy are two ways of expressing and living the one
mystery of the covenant of God with his people. When marriage is not esteemed,
neither can consecrated virginity or celibacy exist; when human sexuality is not
regarded as a great value given by the Creator, the renunciation of it for the sake
of the Kingdom of heaven loses its meaning” (Bl. John Paul II, “Familiaris Consor-
tio”, 16)

28. “Worldly troubles” (tribulation of the flesh): this is not in any way pejorative
of marriage: “Married love is uniquely expressed and perfected by the exercise
of the acts proper to marriage. Hence the acts in marriage by which the intimate
and chaste union of the spouses takes place are noble and honorable: the truly
human performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify and enriches
the spouses in joy and gratitude” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 49).

The phrase is very like that used in v. 33 (”worldly affairs”): that is, married peo-
ple cannot ignore the material needs of their family. This is also what the Apostle
means when he says that the married man’s interests are “divided” (v. 34), that
is, he cannot please God unless he attend to the needs—including material needs
—of his family. Married people have to turn these circumstances—inherent in their
state of life—into a means of sanctification. “Husband and wife are called to sanc-
tify their married life”, Monsignor Escriva writes, “and to sanctify themselves in it.
It would be a serious mistake if they were to exclude family life from their spiritual
development. The marriage union, the care and education of children, the effort to
provide for the needs of the family as well as for its security and development, the
relationships with other persons who make up the community—all these are
among the ordinary human situations that Christian couples are called upon to
sanctify” (”Christ Is Passing By”, 23).

29-31. In their letters, St Paul and the other Apostles frequently remind us that
life is short (cf. Rom 13:11-14; 2 Pet 3:8; 1 Jn 2:15-17), in order to encourage
us to make the very best use of our time to serve God, and others for his sake.
“When I reflect on this, how well I understand St Paul’s exclamation when he
writes to the Corinthians, “tempus breve est” (1 Cor 7:29). How short indeed is
the time of our passing through this world! For the true Christian these words ring
deep down in his heart as a reproach to his lack of generosity, and as a constant
invitation to be loyal. Brief indeed is our time for loving, for giving, for making atone-
ment. It would be very wrong, therefore, for us to waste it, or to cast this treasure
irresponsibly overboard. We must not squander this period of the world’s history
which God has entrusted to each one of us” (J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 39).

A Christian, therefore, should always be detached from worldly things, and never
let himself become the slave of anything or anyone (cf. 1 Cor 7:23; “Lumen Gen-
tium”, 42) but, instead, always have his sights on eternal life. “It is a great help
towards this”, St Teresa of Avila teaches, “if we keep a very constant care of the
vanity of all things, and the rapidity with which they pass away, so that we may
withdraw our affections from everything and fix them on what will last forever.
This may seem to be a poor kind of help but it will have the effect of greatly forti-
fying the soul. With regard to little things, we must be very careful, as soon as
we begin to be fond of them, to think no more about them and to turn our thoughts
to God. His majesty will help us to do this” (”Way of Perfection”, chap. X).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.