I am single and I am blessed

(Thoughts on vocation)

In Catholic terms, where the word vocation was used first, it means one’s state of life. It is single, married, or taking religious vow. In the past, when someone says they have a vocation, or when they pray for vocations, we are referring to the priesthood or the consecrated life. Not anymore today. Actually, religious life is not anymore a less-travelled road. Although compared to married life, religious life would take a second lead.

My article today will talk about single life and single-blessedness. It is my belief that being single and being blessed as single are two different concepts which should not be used interchangeably.

First, single life is a status just like marriage but not with the ordained people. For ordained people, men or women, their legal status is single. And yes, they are sometimes blessed; sometimes cursed. Just like in marriage, couples are sometimes blessed; sometimes battered. Therefore, religious people and single people share the same status in life which is SINGLE. There is no way that we can find on a legal document that claims for religious/consecrated life as a status.

Second, being single may be a blessing or otherwise. I would like to talk only about single life outside the realm of religiosity because the world considers the ordained people as religious and blessed (sometimes true). In my younger years, I have seen single persons (both in and out of the church) who were struggling with their (single) life. They would often look for a partner in the church, in their work place or abroad. In my late thirties, I have seen men and women trying to get into a relationship only to end up crushed and broken. And they would try it out again with another partner hoping that the next one is the better one. These were all playing up before me; becoming a vicious cycle. Some of my good old friends are separated now from their spouses or are battered. There were young people in my past who would have been blessed had they remained single for Christ.

Finally, I am single and I am blessed. I was only 16 years old when I first met God through the Charismatic movement in Sta. Ana church. Since the day that I said “I love you Lord”, “I’m sorry Lord for all my sins”, “I want to serve you Lord,” my life has changed dramatically and profoundly and I was only 16 years old at that time. I have never known that I would stay single after 34 years of serving God in Sta. Ana shrine parish.

Loving God and serving HIM faithfully despite hardships and turbulence has made the last 34 years blissful. My life has become a triumvirate: home, school, and church (in that order but with equal angle). The hardships in serving Him has always been coming from the people in the parish (priests, nuns, church leaders) while the bliss I am feeling would always come from the world (family, church, friends, career, out-reaches, and my personal apostolate and advocacies). Despite the hardships, never had I thought of leaving my parish and start living for myself because outside Sta. Ana parish life is empty and sad. I can even say that I welcome trials because they will prune me and make me stronger for God. After all, my being a NBSB (no bf since birth) has made my life less traumatic and less miserable. Therefore, I am blessed because I am single for Christ and that is FOREVER.