Don't Get Married? - By Fr. Patrick Cahill

So, Saint Paul is sometimes criticized for his attitude to marriage, at times for his attitude to women.

All these things can be understood in context, but today's, uh, reading is one of those where it just sounds very odd.

Uh, it just sounds very strange.

Uh, he says, um, "If you are tied, tied to a wife..." Again, this wasn't written in English, but I mean, to say in English, [chuckles] if you're tied to a wife, it does not sound positive.

Uh, but you know, to be, to be bound, to be, you know, married effectively.

"If you're tied to a wife, do not look for freedom.

But if you're free of a wife, then do not look for one." [laughs] He's, uh, and he's not joking.

Uh, he's, he sounds dead serious here.

Uh, but if you marry, it's no sin.

I mean, it's no sin.

He's not saying it's a good thing.

He's saying it's not a sin.

It's not a sin if you get married.

Um, and it's not a sin for a young girl to get married.

Uh, they will have their troubles.

They will have their troubles, though, in married life, and I should like to spare you that.

Okay, so his attitude to marriage, um, isn't exactly encouraging.

Um, it sounds quite, quite heavy, quite laborious.

Okay, now it gets a wee bit worse.

Uh, those who have wives should live as though they had none, and those who mourn should live as though they had nothing to mourn for.

Okay.