Was Paul Against Marriage?

Brothers and sisters:

In regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord,

bbutI give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. So this is what I think best because of the present distress: that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation. Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare you that. I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping,  those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.

I had my choice today between Corinthians and the Beatitudes.  I chose 1 Cor 7:25-31 because in order for this blog to be useful, it has to be relatively brief and there is no way I can be brief and reflect on the Beatitudes.  But, my task was made no easier because we have to get into the minds of the people of the time to understand more fully what Paul is telling them and how it can be of use to ourselves some two thousand years later. 

As it turns out, Paul is not counseling against marriage here, he is saying that you can marry if you want to, that there is no sin in that but you have to be ready to accept the afflictions that married life brings, with all of the cares and considerations that married people have to have.  He tells us that the world as we know it will soon pass away, that life is short and we should work for the kingdom as those not encumbered by the desires and needs of this life. 

Please remember our brothers and sisters in Purgatory.  Think not only of the mother, father, sisters, and brothers.  Think of them plus the untold millions of Protestant souls caught by Purgatory's net and they have no one to pray for them to shorten their time.