The secular culture, which treasures sexual fulfillment as a false god, acts as if something is wrong with a person who is single and chaste. It's as if the single person is not good enough to attract a partner. However, the secular culture has failed to understand the Scriptures and the power of God (Mk 12:24).
The Catholic Church proclaims that those who are single for the Lord are not weak and undesirable; instead, they carry within them "the immeasurable scope of His power" (Eph 1:19). If you are a chaste single person, you have "powers of life and love" (Catechism, 2338). You are "a good soldier of Christ Jesus," fully devoted to Him (see 2 Tm 2:3-4), "busy with the Lord's affairs, concerned with pleasing" Him (1 Cor 7:32).
Armies have elite troops called special forces, composed of soldiers fully available to the commander for immediate deployment. They especially handle the difficult assignments and crucial battles. If you have a lay single vocation or a consecrated religious vocation, you are in God's special forces. You are instantly available to serve Him however He wishes to "deploy" you. Singles for the Lord, your holy, celibate lifestyle shouts to the world that the joy of heaven far outweighs any earthly pleasure. So "serve the Lord with gladness" (Ps 100:2) and by your holiness teach the world that Jesus is Lord!
| PRAYER: | Father, may those who are single for Your sake (Mt 19:12) bear abundant, lasting fruit, and be encouraged by all. |
| PROMISE: | "They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power." –Jos 24:8 |
| PRAISE: | Sarah has heard the call to be single for Christ and is free to serve Him in astonishing ways. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College