But not in everyone is knowledge
and some,
because of their familiarity with idols even now,
eat as with idols,
and their conscience
being weak
is stained.

Now ‘Food will not bring us to God’s judgement’
For neither
if we do not eat,
are we worse off
nor if we eat
is there an advantage.

Then watch that the ‘right to choose’ of yours
does not somehow become a stumbling block
to the weak.
For if someone sees you
who have knowledge,
in an idol’s temple
sitting at table
will not their conscience
-being weak-
be strengthened to eat
meat associated with idols?

For, the weak one
is being destroyed
through your knowledge,
the brother /sister for whom
Christ died.

In this way, sinning against your brothers/sisters
and damaging their weak consciences
you sin against Christ.

For this reason
if food causes my brother /sister
to stumble
I will certainly never ever eat meats,
so that I may not cause my brother /sister to stumble.

O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
O Love, who redeemed me,
fill up in me whatever part of your love
has fallen into neglect within me.
O Love, O God, who first loved me,
grant that with my whole heart,
and with my whole soul,
and with my whole strength,
I may love you.

Gertrude the Great

So about the eating associated with the idols-
we know that:
‘an idol is nothing in the (real or my?) world’,
and that
‘there is no god, but one.’
If after all, there are those said to be gods,
whether in heaven or on earth
-as indeed there are many gods and many lords…
but for us
there is one God, the Father,
from whom are all things,
and we are unto him
and one Lord Jesus Christ
through whom are all things
and through whom we are.

Teach us, good Lord,
to serve thee as thou deservest;
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

St Ignatius

Then, about ‘meat offered to pagan gods’:

we know that ‘we all possess knowledge.’
Knowledge puffs up,
conversely love builds up.
Then if someone thinks they have known something,
then they have not known yet what it is necessary to know.
But if someone loves God,
they are known by God.

Grant, Lord,
that we may hold to you without parting,
worship you without wearying,
serve you without failing;
faithfully seek you,
happily find you,
and forever possess you,
the only God,blessed now and for ever.
Amen

St Anselm

But if anyone thinks he acting ‘improperly’
towards his not-yet-married-woman
if s/he is getting on in years
and it should become necessary
let him do what he wishes
he does not sin.
Let them marry.

But whoever stands firm in his heart
not having a need
but having control over his own will-
and has decided in his own heart this:
– to keep her as his own not-yet-married-woman
he will do well.

A wife is bound for the time her husband is living.
But if the husband dies, she is free to marry
whoever she wishes,
only in the Lord.
Even so it is happier to remain as she is
in my opinion
And I think I have the Spirit of God.

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

And I wish you to be free from worry.
An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord,
how he might please the Lord.
But the man who has married is concerned about the things of the world
how he might please his wife
and he is divided.

And the woman who is ‘free of marriage’
and the not yet married girl are concerned about the things of the Lord,
that ‘they might be holy
in body and also in spirit.’
But the married woman is concerned about the things of the world,
how to please her husband.

For I say this to benefit you yourselves,
not to place on you a restriction
but what is proper
for devotion to the Lord,
without distraction.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

Now about ‘those who have not married’
I do not have a command from the Lord,
but I am giving an opinion
as someone who the Lord’s mercy has been made worthy of trust,
so I think this is good – ,

on account of the impending severe pressures,
that it is good for someone to be like this:

• The one bound (betrothed?) to a wife (woman?),
  let him not seek to be free.
• The one free (unbetrothed?),
  should not seek a wife.
• But if you (masc.) have married, you have not sinned,
• and if a girl marries, she has not sinned.

But these will have trouble in the flesh,
I am (trying to) sparing you.

I say this, brothers /sisters
the time has been shortened.

Furthermore,
(I say this) that
-those who have wives
should be as those who do not have (them).
– And those weep,
as those who do not weep,
– and those who rejoice
as those who do not rejoice
– And those who buy
as those who do not have any possessions
– and those who are engrossed in the world
as those who do not make full use of it
for the present form of the world is going to pass away.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

But anyway
to each one as God has assigned,
as the Lord has called each
let them walk (live)

And thus
I direct
in all the churches.

Was someone called, being circumcised?
He should not be uncircumcised.
Was someone called, being uncircumcised?
He should not be circumcised

Circumcision is nothing
and uncircumcision is also nothing
but God’s commandments are kept.

Let each remain
in the calling
in which they were called.

Were you a slave (when) called?
do not let it worry you.
But if you become able to be free,
use it for the better.

For the slave
called in the Lord,
is the Lord’s freedperson,
likewise the free person
called
is a slave of Christ.

You all were bought with a price,
Do not become slaves of people.
Each in their calling
brothers/sisters
stay like this
with God.

Lord God,
you feed us with the living bread from heaven;
you renew our faith,
increase our hope,
and strengthen our love.

Teach us to hunger
for Christ who is the true and living bread,
and to live by every word
that comes from your mouth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Then, to the rest
I say (not [a saying of] the Lord):
if any brother has a wife, who does not believe
and she consents to keep on living with him,
he should not divorce her.
Likewise
if any woman has a husband, who does not believe,
and he consents to stay with her,
she should not divorce him.

For the unbelieving husband
is made holy through (his) wife
and the unbelieving wife
through the brother

For otherwise
your children are unclean,
but they are holy.

For if the unbeliever separates themself, let the separation occur
The brother or the sister
are not bound
in these cases.
For God has called us
to peace.
For how far do you know
wife,
whether you will save your husband?
Or how can you know husband,
whether you will save your wife?

Eternal Light, shine into our hearts;
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil;
Eternal Power, be our support;
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance:
That we may seek your face
with all our heart and mind and soul and strength. Amen.

Alcuin