Why I Believe That Singles Also Have a Calling In Life

Reflection on the true meaning of a vocation

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When single people ask why the single life isn’t considered as a vocation by the Church, they are often met with indifference or insensitivity. Some reply with downright disrespect, looking down on these people who are merely seeking direction or confirmation in their lives.

It’s as though a simple definition or an enumeration of previously held concepts could be enough to satiate the inquiries of those who doubt their own decisions or even their relationship with God.

Here are just some of the reasons often given to singles why they couldn’t possibly have a vocation in their current state of life:

• a vocation demands permanence
• those who have a vocation should make a total dedication of themselves
• no one is called to be alone
• tragedies in life happen (you could miss out on your vocation!)
• you need formal consecration in order to have a vocation
• being permanently single is a cross, not a vocation
• a vocation should bear fruit
• declaring the single state as a vocation implies self-sufficiency