The overall goal for the Catholic adult is to ensure his sanctification. Sanctification leads to salvation. Thus, the question young people should be asking themselves as they approach adulthood is, "Will the course of action I’m considering help me toward my salvation, or hinder my salvation?
1. “State of life" is a useful shorthand to discuss obligations we have at various phases of our life. But strictly speaking, there are three states of life: the priesthood, religious life, and the married state.
2. Once a state is chosen and marked by vows, it cannot be departed on a whim. That is why this choice is very serious. States of life are intended to be permanent to foster stability. Restless souls are often troubled; stable souls grow in virtue.
Making serious decisions is hard. Making serious decisions based on emotions and feelings is unwise. Instead. we should make serious decisions using our reason. And we should seek guidance from those who have our best interests in mind.
Ultimately, the young adult must make his own decision and take responsibility for it. And while he is free to flee the nest on his 18th birthday, doing so without a realistic plan shaped by constructive guidance is foolish.
Christian Perfection
• Christian perfection consists in union with God by the practice of virtue, requiring love of God and our neighbor, and detachment of heart from things of this world. This is the recipe for sanctity and sanctity is for everyone. It's an achievable, realistic goal.
• God requires all of us to aspire to Christian perfection. All states of life can be sanctified. Some states and conditions of life may be better than others, but everyone is capable of loving God and showing that love through how one fulfills the requirements of his state or condition.
• Our Blessed Lord is the pattern of perfection.
What are the general means of perfection?
After observance of the 10 commandments and the precepts of the Church, the general means of perfection are:
Faithfulness in small things
Self-control and self-denial
Order and regularity (have a schedule and stick to it)
A habit of prayer
Frequent recourse to solitude (retiring from worldly concerns to draw closer to God)
Reading spiritual books and meditations
Frequenting the sacraments.
These means are suited to everyone. How much one does of some depends on the state of life one is in. Because our state of life is our path to unity with God, faithfully fulfilling its related duties is of the utmost importance.
The key question is, "Will this path help me achieve my salvation?" You need grace to make this choice, but you don't need extraordinary grace. You don't need a messenger from heaven to present you with a roadmap of what to do. Nor do you need a dramatic "sign" from above. That doesn’t happen to most people.
Some questions to consider:
• Is the option I'm considering good (not sinful)?
• Do I have the means and opportunity to do what I am considering?
• Is it within my strength to do what I am considering? If I need more strength, can I develop it?
• Would I be undertaking this option for the glory of God or for selfish or worldly reasons?
Some paths may reach dead ends. One may try something that ultimately does not work out. This is not a failure, as long as you have done your best. If it is best to move on, then have no regrets.
Most people at 18 are in the condition of being single. This is a condition, rather than a state, because a person may depart from it, such as by opting to become married or by entering religious life.
Most young, singles attend university, seek a job or apprenticeship, or continue to help their parents & family at home. Young singles should be developing and refining skills they will need to be successful and faithful Catholic adults.
The hopeful single aspires to matrimony but hasn't yet or isn't ready to find an eligible spouse. This is a temporary condition for most.
The voluntarily single embrace being single as their condition of life.
All single people, no matter what state or condition they aspire to, should seek to serve God in some way. For those who need “something to do,” start with the Works of Mercy.
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