Married Sanctity

Extract

The question is sometimes asked : Are there any married saints? Of course we all know there have been many married saints who died as martyrs; many who lived virginal lives in holy wedlock after the example of our Lady and St. Joseph; many who attained to heroic sanctity in widowhood; many who made a compact of continence after some years of marriage; and lastly there have been many married saints who mutually agreed to separate and serve God for the rest of their days in sanctuary or cloister. But all these categories are here excluded, and an attempt is made to show from hagiography that quite a numerous body of saints can be found who served God in the married state until their death, and lived lives of heroic sanctity, without surrendering the rights and responsibilities of parenthood.

Practically all the Old Testament saints fulfilled these conditions, and amongst those married to one wife we may instance Isaac, Joseph the Chaste and Moses, whilst of holy wives we cannot find a better example than the chaste Susanna. Verging on the New Law we have our Lady’s holy parents Joachim and Anna, and Zachafy and Elizabeth, parents of the Baptist.

Of the many married Christians who became disciples of the Apostles, St. Paul singles out St. Aquila and his wife, St. Priscilla, for special mention three times in his Epistles, whilst St. Luke speaks of them three times in the Acts of the Apostles. They were not martyrs, although they suffered much for the faith, having been exiled from Rome on that account. They died according to the Roman Martyrology in Asia Minor and their combined feast falls on July 8th.