Dear Saint Paul,
It’s 2020, and I need a little chat with you regarding this letter you wrote to Saint Titus. You see, I’m a single woman whose momma, the “older woman” you referenced in your message, taught me self-control, chastity, and exceptional homemaking skills (Joanna Gaines has competition is all I’m saying). Yet, I’m void of a husband and children to love the way you described.
I have searched and prayed for a man who is, “temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance,” and have come up empty-handed. Men like this seemed to have disappeared when Charles Ingalls left the Little House on the Prairie and it went off the air. I’m starting to think that God has chosen a different path for my life, and I’m okay with that. I’ve read a few of your other letters, and they’ve helped me embrace my singlehood.
Like when you wrote to the Corinthians and said, “It is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do” (1 Corinthians 7:8). Like you, being single allows me to devote time to prayer, study, writing, and God’s ministry. I’ve obeyed God by living with my mom after my dad’s death, serving in the Church, and opening my home to sisters who need a break from their families for a Blessed Brunch. I do this all because I am single.
You also said that, “An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit” (1 Corinthians 7:34). This message resonates deep in my soul. I do not perceive it as anxiety; rather, it’s a freedom to do the Lord's will alongside people who inspire and call me to great holiness.
I’m not against being a self-controlled homemaker but in 2020, I can do that as a single woman. God might call me to a different vocation down the line. But, until that day, if it comes at all, I will embrace the intimacy I have with God as I “await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:14).
God’s beloved daughter,
Tricia
What would you say in a letter to Saint Paul?
Tricia Tembreull is a speaker and campus minister with a boundless passion for life in California. She serves as Campus Minister at USC Caruso Catholic Center. She loves adventure and enjoys testing new recipes out on friends and family, gathering them around the table to encounter Christ in one another and be drawn to the satisfying unity we crave in the Eucharist. She was a contributing author to Set a Fire. Find out more about her here.
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