Christiana

Christiana lived in the 12th century, but had an issue that many saw as problematic, then, as well as today.  She wanted to remain single and even a virgin.  This ran counter to her parents' wishes.  She had all sorts of problems and obstacles in trying to claim her spiritual identity.  She was forced into a betrothal and her parents even encouraged her suitor to take her by force.  Even a church court told her to marry.  She finally escaped, and hid in a cramped hole for four years. Yikes!  In the end her fiancé and family relented and let her pursue her vocation.  She became a nun and then an abbess in a monastery.  In today's terms, she wanted to be "single," a word that says loser  for many a young woman.  Single means that you are in some sort of transition for many people who say they are 'Single."  But for many it is the way they want  to deepen their spiritual life.  Many people think they can best deepen their life through marriage and family or partnering.  But not everyone.  If it is the life for you, single, don't let the world shame you, though the world may try to do exactly that, sometimes, those closest to you.  Such was Christiana's problem.