Virginity and the Kingdom
Virginity for the sake of the Kingdom and Christian marriage both point to the same eternal wedding feast — they illuminate and enrich each other.
CCC 1618–1620
Key Points
The central teachings from this section of the Catechism.
Christ himself invited certain of his followers to live virginity for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Following him is not something one gives oneself — it is a response to a particular call and a special gift of God. Virginity for the Kingdom is a sign of the new life that the Christian's faith anticipates.
Virginity for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven is an unfolding of baptismal grace, a powerful sign of the supremacy of the bond with Christ, an eager waiting for his return, and a sign that this world is passing away. It is a witness that already points beyond marriage to the resurrection.
Both the sacrament of Marriage and virginity for the Kingdom of God come from the Lord himself. He gives them meaning and grants them the grace necessary for living them out faithfully. Esteem of virginity does not diminish the dignity of marriage; appreciation of marriage does not diminish the value of virginity.
From the Catechism
"From the very beginning of the Church there have been men and women who have renounced the great good of marriage to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, to be intent on the things of the Lord, to seek to please him, and to go out to meet the Bridegroom who is coming."
— CCC 1618
"Both the sacrament of Matrimony and virginity for the Kingdom of God come from the Lord himself. It is he who gives them meaning and grants them the grace which is indispensable for living them out in conformity with his will."
— CCC 1620
Scripture
"Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 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. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it."
"The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided."
"Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come. . . . Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb."
Common Questions
The Catechism is careful to say that neither diminishes the other. Both vocations come from the Lord himself. While tradition has honored virginity as a "higher calling" in the sense of its eschatological sign value, the Church affirms that marriage is a true sacrament and a genuine path to holiness. The two vocations need each other.
Marriage reveals that human love is a real image of God's love and a path to holiness. Virginity reveals that all human love points beyond itself to the ultimate wedding feast of heaven. Together, they show the full picture: earthly love is real and sacred, and it is a foretaste of something even greater.
While priests and religious are the most visible witnesses of this vocation, the call to virginity for the Kingdom can be lived by lay people as well. The Catechism describes it as a response to a particular call from Christ — a gift given to some in every state of life for the building up of the Church.
Virginity and marriage are not rivals but partners in revealing God's love. Together they show that every human vocation — whether in the home or in consecrated life — is ordered to the same eternal wedding feast of the Lamb.