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

But I say to those who are widowers or widows:
it is a good thing for them
if they might remain as I am,
But if they do not have power over their pass ions,
let them get married.
For it is better to marry than (for their passions) to burn.

To the married, I command – not I but the Lord-
a wife should not separate from (her) husband…
(but if she separates, let her remain unmarried
or else let her be reconciled to (her) husband)
…and a husband should not divorce a 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,
Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us;
that with all our heart and mind
and soul and strength we may seek thy face
and be brought by thine infinite mercy
to thy holy presence;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Alcuin (735-804)

Now for those matters you wrote to me about:
‘It is a good thing for a man not to ‘touch’ a woman.’
Even so because of cases of immorality –
each man should have a wife for himself,
and each woman should have her own husband.
To the wife, a husband should give what is due
and likewise the wife to the husband.
The wife does not have authority over her own body
but the husband.
Likewise
the husband does not have authority over his own body
but the wife.
Do not deprive one another
except perhaps , consenting together, for a time
so that you may devote yourselves to prayer –
and be together again
so that Satan might not put you to the test
because of your lack of self-control
So I say this
as a concession
not as a command.
For I wish that all people
to be as myself.
But each has their own gift
from God,
one person this,
another person that.

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,
Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us;
that with all our heart and mind
and soul and strength we may seek thy face
and be brought by thine infinite mercy
to thy holy presence;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Alcuin (735-804)

‘All things are permissible to me’,
but not all things are helpful.
‘All things are permissible to me,’
but I will not be enslaved by something.
‘Food (is) for the stomach,
and the stomach for foods.
But God will destroy both this and those.’
But the body (is) not for immorality
But the Lord.
and the Lord for the body.
But God raised the Lord,
and he will raise us
through his power.

Do you not know that your bodies
are limbs /organs of Christ?
So do you wrench away the limbs/organs of Christ
and make them limbs/organs of a prostitute?
– By no means!

Or do you not know
that one who is united with a prostitute
is one body (with her):

For it is said:
The two shall become one flesh.¹
But the one who is united with the Lord
is one spirit.

Run away from immorality.
‘Every sin
which a person might do
is apart from their body.’
But the immoral person sins
against their own body
or
do you not know that
your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit
in you.
which you have from God,
and you are not your own.
For you have been bought
at a price

Then glorify God
in your bodies.

1. Gen 2:24 ↩︎

Lord, you have given me so much,
I ask for one more thing –
a grateful heart.

George Herbert

Or do you not know that
wrong-doers cannot (without changing) inherit the Kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived.
Neither the people who are (sexually) immoral:

not idolaters nor adulterers
nor catamites nor sodomites

nor thieves –
nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers
nor swindlers
can inherit the Kingdom of God.

And this is what some of you used to be.
BUT you were washed clean.
BUT you were made holy.
BUT you were put right
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and by the Spirit of our God.

Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me
Be thou a smooth path below me
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me
Today – tonight -forever
Amen.

St Columba

To your shame,
I say this to you –
Is there not one among you who is wise,
who will be able to adjudicate
between one brother/sister and another?
Does one brother/sister ‘go to law’ against another,
and this before unbelievers?
Already in fact this a defeat for you all –
that you have law suits among yourselves!
Why not rather let yourselves be wronged?
Why not rather let yourselves be cheated?
But you do wrong
and cheat,
and this to brothers/sisters.

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