Many of you who read One Bread, One Body are married. Today's second reading seems to imply that marriage is a limited vocation because a married person is not able to be both married and "busy with the Lord's affairs" (1 Cor 7:32).

It is important to read this passage in its context. St. Paul believes that Jesus will return shortly (1 Cor 7:29, 31). If "the time is short" (1 Cor 7:29), then it is vital to commit all efforts to converting "as many as possible" (1 Cor 9:19) before Jesus returns. Long-term endeavors such as marriage and family detract from the short-term need to evangelize full-force.

However, Jesus did not return in Paul's lifetime. The early Church of course realized that its members needed to "make disciples" (Mt 28:19) by having and raising godly children well-trained in the faith. In this context, married persons have an integral and irreplacable part in "the Lord's affairs." They have the unique advantage of a long-term, nurturing, loving, and discipling relationship with their children that cannot be forged by any other member of the body of Christ. Paul realized that God is so pleased by this kind of marriage that He considers it to be a reflection of His own love for the Church (Eph 5:31-32).

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, July 21, 1999

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 1999