More women looking to become 'consecrated virgins,' Vatican says

An increasing number Catholic women are taking life-long chastity vows in order to “dedicate themselves” to God, according to the Vatican.

Consecrated virgins are unmarried women who pledge to remain celibate for their entire lives, eschewing romantic or sexual relationships to devote themselves exclusively to being mystical “brides of Christ”.

Unlike nuns, they take on no role within the church. Instead of joining a religious order, they continue to live in their own homes and work in conventional jobs.

While rare and little-known even within the church, the lifestyle is considered to be Christianity’s oldest form of total devotion to God, with roots in ancient Rome.

During the Middle Ages, the practice all but disappeared following the emergence of communal forms of consecration, such as convents.

But in the 1960s the Vatican revived the ancient Order of Virgins, which reintroduced the concept of women being betrothed to God while living alone or with families rather than in religious communities.

“Since this form of consecrated life was reintroduced in the church, there has been a real revival of the Ordo virginum [Order of Virgins],” said Archsbishop Jose Rodríguez Carballo, secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

“The phenomenon appears to be very significant, not only for the number of women involved, but also for its diffusion throughout all continents, in many countries and Dioceses and in very diverse geographic areas and cultural contexts.”

Last year three women committed to lifelong chastity at a consecration ceremony at Detroit’s Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

“I felt like it was an opportunity to take my relationship with Christ one step further,” said one of them, Theresa Jordan, 40,

In all fairness, societies do need an alternate means of living for women who are not “marriageable”. (Men always have military service, is the rule).

In China, there was the old tradition of the “Amah”, which was an alternative for respectable women to prostitution. A family would ‘adopt’ them, but not as a servant, as someone who would do some cleaning, some cooking, some babysitting, etc., and would be treated like an honorable, unmarried aunt. They would be paid room and board and a stipend. Many of them were lesbians, but were not obnoxious about it.

It beat starving to death.

Western, Christian nations need something like this.

I remember reading a story from South America, where a very pious, elderly spinster, had a medical condition requiring GYN surgery. So she asked for, and received a certificate from her doctor, that was to be buried with her when she died, asserting that she had been chaste.

Sick and unnatural. Jesus never commanded this, thats a Paul thing.

Neither sick, nor unnatural
Taught by the Messiah, allowed for those able to receive it
Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles by order of the Messiah
Taught by the Apostle Paul, allowed for those ableto receive it

His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

...

But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

...

Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.

Matthew, Catholic chapter nineteen, Protestant verses ten to twelve,
Acts, Catholic chapter nine, Protestant verses fifteen to sixteen,
First Corinthians, Catholic chapter seven, Protestant verses twenty five to forty,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James

Numerous beautiful, marriageable young women chose to lead such lives especially in the early years of the church and often ended up martyred in dramatic fashion. (Like being fed to lions in the arena, etc...)

And the example of their lives (and epic deaths) — of what they *willingly* gave up for Christ, often inspired others to convert. Most notably their brawny prison guards who likely found the virginity of these women peculiar and alluring in its own right.

William Shakespeare explores this propensity for attraction to consecrated virginity — in the play “Measure for Measure.” The central character, Isabella is a vibrant, charismatic woman at the prime of her life, and a novice nun.

The hypocrite Puritan, Angelo, tries to seduce her out of her vows.

Bernini’s famed sculpture “The Ecstasy of St. Teresa” captures St. Teresa of Avila’s account of being caught up in a trance with God and the forces of Heaven, an orgasmic mystical union of sorts.

So, it’s not as though these women are incapable of experiencing bliss...just on a higher level and yet in full maintenance of their purity.

Excerpted here with the more erotic descriptions left out:

....The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying.... - St. Teresa of Avila

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstasy_of_Saint_Teresa

No, that’s a Jesus thing. Again, Matthew 19:12. And the women following Jesus’ recommendation are doing it voluntarily. Get a clue.

Matthew 19:12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Jesus saying that it's acceptable for those who wish to do it is NOT Him recommending it.

He's basically just not condemning it.

Okaaayyy......

That's just...... weird.

So, it’s not as though these women are incapable of experiencing bliss...just on a higher level and yet in full maintenance of their purity.

IOW, marriage and sex make a woman impure. So marriage and sex are sinful and to be avoided to maintain *purity*.

“Jesus saying that it’s acceptable for those who wish to do it is NOT Him recommending it.”

No, He’s recommending it. You might be making the simple mistake of thinking that means I’m saying He’s recommending it for everyone. He wasn’t. But He was recommending it. After all Jesus came to preach the Kingdom of God. He was lauding those who made themselves eunuchs FOR SAKE OF THE Kingdom of Heaven. That’s a recommendation. But it’s a recommendation for those able to receive it.

Jesus would NEVER fail to recommend something that was genuinely for the Kingdom of Heaven since serving the Father in opening the way to Heaven was His whole mission. To say anything else is to fail terribly at understanding Christ and the Word.

I meant that these women are able to experience these moments of ecstasy and transcendence outside of marriage yet still being pure. Not through sinful means. Marriage of course is not a sinful mean.

If abstaining from sex is keeping one pure, then having sex makes one impure.

And anything that makes one impure is sin.

By your reasoning, then marriage and sex are sinful and it's better to be single.

If singleness were better, then perhaps you could explain why God created man and woman and created sex, and ordained and blessed marriage and the marriage union.

If singleness were better, God would not have created a WIFE for Adam nor would He have given men and women a sex drive and made it pleasurable for them.

He could have had people reproduce by budding or some other means that didn't involve sex.

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