Our briefest week! Say a prayer of thanks to our good saint.
ANOTHER ERROR CONCERNING PERPETUAL CONTINENCE
1 Moreover, there have been some others who, though not disapproving perpetual continence, have, however, put the state of matrimony on the same level with it. This is the heresy of the Jovinians. But the falsity of this error is quite apparent from the foregoing, since by continence man is made more skillful in raising his mind to spiritual and divine matters, and so he is placed, in a way, above the level of a man and in a certain likeness to the angels.
2 Nor is it any objection that some men of most perfect virtue have practiced matrimony, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for, the stronger the power of the mind is, the less likely is it to be cast down from its heights by any things whatsoever. So, though they were married, they did not love the contemplation of truth and divine things any less. Rather, as the state of their times demanded, they embraced matrimony for the sake of increasing the numbers of the faithful.
Notes Only one man in ten billion are like these men.
3 Nor, in fact, is the perfection of one person a sufficient argument for the perfection of a state of life, since one man can use a minor good with a more perfect intention than another man could use a greater good. Therefore, the fact that Abraham or Moses was more perfect than many men who observe continence does not mean that the state of matrimony is more perfect than the state of continence, or even equal to it.
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Well, from the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops site, the USCCB site for short, the Bible on their site states:
“Do we not have the right to take along a Christian wife, as do the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?”
And since we know that Jesus did only the will of His and our Father, and that God our told Jesus to choose St. Peter as the first Pope, perhaps the unmarried state of life and the married state of life have less to do with one’s life with God than the intent and work of one’s heart to live in and with and for our God….
As Jesus said:
“19“After a little while the world will behold Me no more; but you will behold Me; because I live, you shall live also. 20“In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21“He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him…”.
God bless, C-Marie
Dear C – Marie. Peter was married and continent as were the O.T. Priests who served in the Temple.
During the time of their Temple service, the OT Priests could not receive payment of the marriage debt because they had to be 100% focused on God and their service.
The New Testament priests, Catholics, continued the Apostolic Praxis of continence and very early on, Pope Siricius issued a few decretals demanding all priests return to the Apostolic Praxis of continence/celibacy
Satan has labored long to use sex to corrupt and ruin the Priesthood. He will fail as will all who are his minions.
http://www.unamsanctamcatholicam.com/history/79-history/465-celibacy-in-the-early-church.html
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