In the first Epistle to Timothy 5:14, St Paul counseled the widows to marry and have children. I can see that having children would be a fair and justifiable reason to allow a union with a new partner. In fact, due to the death of the first partner, technically, the second partner is the only physical partner in existence, which supports compliance with the Creator’s design that the first union between a living virgin man and woman constitute permanent marriage. However, having children should not be a reason for remarriage after obtaining an annulment from spouses/partners who are alive.
In any situation, the primary creator’s design must be upheld. I believe the union between a virgin man and woman is permanent and irreversible and reflects the visible physical Holy Trinity. I conclude that St Paul addressed the widows because they are obligated to abide by the Ten Commandments and the Creator’s design of permanent unity. I find that St. Paul specifically limited the widows to marry only young spouses. Specifically encouraging them to have children would imply that St Paul specifically counseled “young widows without children.” He excluded older widows from his advice to remarriage and instead encouraged them to the valuable chastity and prayers night and day (as stated in 1 Timothy 5:5); this further highlights the original union as permanent even beyond the death of the spouse. Likewise, the Church’s union with Christ is permanent even beyond the three days death of Christ.
Furthermore, the specific mention of “young widow” to marry and have children, raises the possibility that the intended widows are females who were betrothed to spouses who unexpectedly died or were killed in a war or by illness before the marriage was consummated. If the marriage was consummated, it is more than likely the young woman widow would be pregnant and would have been excluded from St Paul’s counsel to marry and have children. Moreover, I find that singling out the young widows without children emphasizes that the union did not produce the most external obvious physical sign of the permanent internal blend of the two of them in one body and that is the child ‒ the obvious image reflection of the internal blend of the parents into one inseparable body.
I noticed in 1 Timothy 5: 6 St Paul mentioned the self-indulgent widow is “dead while she lives;” she is certainly excluded from his counsel to marry, probably because her actions even lack marital vows and therefore constitute polygamy with living partners.
Permitting widows to marry cannot neglect the Creator’s design for the permanence of marriage. Therefore, if the Creator’s design should be fulfilled, anyone who is to marry a young widow must be a virgin person or someone free to mary or another young childless widow. Even if St. Paul permitted widows to marry, the possibility of a virgin person, or a free person marring a widow with children is limited. Most probably a virgin person would marry a young widow or free person without children. I further concluded the most probable situation is that the widow to marry is to be young, without children and most likely was betrothed, but the spouse suddenly died before the union was consummated. The most vital goal is not marriage or staying chaste, but complying with God’s law to inherit life with Christ after death.
Non-Catholic pastors who are married do not solve the problem of pastors engaging in remarriages, promiscuity, adultery, divorce, and abomination, but in fact complicate it. Furthermore, St. Paul did not only counsel the young widows to marry, but also encouraged the church, families and relatives to take care of the widows and their children which implies that most widows should remain chaste as stated in 1 Timothy 5: 7-10 and 16.
Furthermore, I believe that the option of remarriage for a young widow without children would have been an option that Adam thought about prior to his choice of disobeying the Creator’s commandment. I find it unlikely that Adam (God’s ideal creation who explained the depth of the Creator’s design the moment he saw Eve) (Genesis 2: 23-24), would not have the intelligence, patience, courage and wisdom to value the option ‒ if he became a childless young widow God would reward him with another Eve for not choosing to disobey the Creator’s commandment. Therefore, I find St Paul’s exception for the young childless widows to marry presumes compliance with the Creator’s design that the union between a man and woman physically (which includes the spiritual) must reflect the Creator’s design and that is the living Holy Trinity. Therefore, I find it more likely that St Paul counseled the young childless women widows to marry just as the Virgin Mary was betrothed to marry Joseph. Additionally, if the widow had a union with someone else before her betrothed dead spouse, then the person is not a true widow and should remain chaste or with the original living partner.
I noticed that St. Paul commanded in 1 Timothy 5:3 to honor the “True Widows;” this phrase most likely points to these criteria which indicate that the first valid union between a free man and woman is a permanent union regardless of any marriage vow. Therefore, I do not find disagreement between my stand and St. Paul. I find that my stand is a safe point of the truth, while St. Paul’s point falls within the parameter of the truth, but perhaps closer to the edges. However, when treating St. Paul’s counseling as part of the package that presumes we must uphold all the Ten Commandments and the Creator’s design for permanent union, then my point and St. Paul’s counseling become similar.