Is Consecrated Life A Higher Calling than Marriage?
The Catholic Church teaches, as dogma, that a consecrated life of celibacy is a superior calling than the married state, and should be preferred.

Pope John Paul II , Vita Consecrata, no. 32
“As a way of showing forth the Church's holiness, it is to be recognized that the consecrated life, which mirrors Christ's own way of life, has an objective superiority. Precisely for this reason, it is an especially rich manifestation of Gospel values and a more complete expression of the Church's purpose, which is the sanctification of humanity. The consecrated life proclaims and in a certain way anticipates the future age, when the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven, already present in its first fruits and in mystery,[62] will be achieved and when the children of the resurrection will take neither wife nor husband, but will be like the angels of God (cf. Mt. 22:30)”

Pope Pius XII, Sacra Virginitas, no. 32
“This doctrine of the excellence of virginity and of celibacy and of their superiority over the married state was, as we have already said, revealed by our Divine Redeemer and by the Apostle of the Gentiles; so too, it was solemnly defined as a dogma of divine faith by the holy council of Trent, and explained in the same way by all the holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church."

Council of Trent
"If anyone saith that the marriage state is to be preferred before the state of virginity, let him be anathema." [...]  "writing to the Corinthians, [Paul] says: I would that all men were even as myself;  that is, that all embrace the virtue of continence...A life of continence is to be desired by all.” (cf. Catechism of the Council of Trent, pg. 225)

Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 916
"The state of the consecrated life is thus one way of experiencing a "more intimate" consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God. In the consecrated life, Christ's faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come."

I Corinthians Chp. VII
"It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman. [v.1] Indeed, I wish that everyone were like I am [celibate]. [v.7] I should like you to be free from anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord; how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world; how he may please his wife, and he is divided. [v.32] 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." [v.28] (see also Mark 12:18-27, Mtt 19:10-12, 2 Timothy Ch. 2:3)

What is "Consecrated Life"?
The term consecrated life refers to a state to which men and women take public religious vows to the evangelical counsels (poverty, chastity, and obedience), ordinarily within the context of religious communities; monasteries, convents, friaries, etc. By taking religious vows, such men and women follow the Jesus' counsels in a more perfect way. As Our Lord expressely stated, they are counsels for those who desire to become "perfect" (cf. Matt. 19:10-12, Matt. 19:16-22; Matt. 5:48; Mark 10). Such a life is considered an "act of supererogation", that is; above the minimum necessary for salvation. It is thus that the Church gives "preeminence" to the religious vocation, and recognizes it as a supernatural calling (nb., CCC, p. 914-945)

According To The Saints
The Saints offer us additional insight, namely; that the consecrated life is the surest path to God for a soul that loves God, and the most efficacious means for the salvation of the world. It is thus that the soul of a religious is better equipped to rise, without distraction, to the highest degrees of union with God;

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
"They [religious] live more purely, they fall more rarely, they rise more speedily, they are aided more powerfully, they live more peacefully, they die more securely, and they are rewarded more abundantly."

Saint Faustina
"Today, the Lord gave me knowledge of His anger toward mankind which deserves to have its days shortened because of its sins. But I learned that the world's existence is maintained by chosen souls; that is, the religious orders. Woe to the world when there will be a lack of religious orders!" - diary, Dec. 1937 ¶.1434

"[The] Child Jesus said to me, 'Look at the sky.'  And when I looked at the sky I saw the stars and the moon shining. Then the child asked me, 'Do you see this moon and these stars?'  When I said yes, he spoke these words to me, 'These stars are the souls of faithful Christians, and the moon is the souls of religious. Do you see how great the difference is between the light of the moon and the light of the stars? Such is the difference in heaven between the soul of a religious and the soul of a faithful Christian'." - diary, May 12, 1935 ¶.424

Saint Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order
"If a person thinks of embracing a secular life, he should ask and desire more evident signs that God calls him to a secular life than if there were question of embracing the evangelical counsels; for Our Lord Himself has clearly exhorted us to embrace His counsels."

Saint Cyprian of Carthage, A.D. 258 †
"But chastity maintains the first rank in virgins, the second in those who are continent (celibate), the third in the case of wedlock." [...] "While laws are prescribed to matrons ... virginity and continency are beyond all law; there is nothing in the laws of matrimony which pertains to virginity; for by its loftiness it transcends them all."

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, A.D. 373 †
"Now if a man choose the way of the world, namely marriage, he is not indeed to blame; yet he will not receive such great gifts as the other. For he will receive, since he too brings forth fruit, namely thirtyfold. But if a man embraces the holy and unearthly way, even though as compared with the former it be rugged and hard to accomplish, nonetheless it has the more wonderful gifts: for it grows the perfect fruit, namely a hundredfold."

Does this mean that Marriage is Somehow "Bad"?
The Church teaches that marriage and the consecrated life were both created by Our Lord Himself, and are thus both to be held in high esteem. According to the Church, the two vocations are inseparable to one another; they reinforce and support each other (cf. p.1620). It is thus that marriage should never be scorned or looked down upon;

"Whoever denigrates marriage also diminishes the glory of virginity. Whoever praises it [marriage] makes virginity more admirable and resplendent. What appears good only in comparison with evil would not be truly good. The most excellent good is something even better than what is admitted to be good."
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, p.119

In brief, rather than viewing marriage as something negative, one should view both vocations as positives. As the Catechism states, marriage is a good, and consecrated life is a better good. This echoes Paul exortation to the Corinthians; "So then, he who marries the virgin does good, but he who does not marry her does even better." (1 Cor 7:38). Saint Ambrose, in a treatise on virginity, repeats; "I am comparing good things with good things, that it may be clear which is the more excellent."

Supernatural vs. Natural
The Church considers marriage to be a natural vocation, in that it aligns with how the human body was made. God designed man to have a natural longing to be loved by another and to raise a family--a desire deeply ingrained in the heart of every person. This, of course, is not a negative trait. God Himself desires to be loved exclusively, and thus Our Lord, the author of the universe, created marriage as a means to teach mankind of this love, and to draw man to Himself. As Pope John Paul II teaches us, marriage is an earthly foreshadow of the mystical marriage between Christ and His Church. It is through this earthly foreshadow [of marriage] that men and women can learn of heavenly realities.

Conversely, a supernatural vocation is a vocation that is not of this world, but it points to the next. The Church teaches us that consecrated men and women are beacons directing mans eye upwards towards heaven, where marriage does not exist (cf. Matt. 22:30; "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven"). In heaven, all of mankind will be joined in one mystical marriage to our Lord Jesus Christ, and through this nuptial union we will be united to one another. In this sense, those who consecrate themselves to God "skip" the earthly foreshadow in favor of the true heavenly marriage. As Christopher West states; "far from devaluing sexuality and marriage, true Christian celibacy actually points to their ultimate fulfillment." Living a heavenly reality on earth, consecrated souls are free to devote all their time to God, without distraction, as a beloved bride devoting herself to her husband.

Saint Theresa of Avila
“Though I could not at first bend my will to be a nun, I saw that  the religious state was the best and safest. And thus, by little and little, I resolved to force myself into it. The struggle lasted three months. [ ... ] When I took the habit, Our Lord at once made me understand how He helps those who do violence to themselves, in order to serve Him, I was filled with a joy so great that it has never failed me to this day.”

Saint Faustina
Jesus told me; "In convents too, there are souls that fill My Heart with joy. They bear My features; therefore the Heavenly Father looks upon them with special pleasure. They will be a marvel to Angels and men. Their number is very small. They are a defense for the world before the justice of the Heavenly Father and a means of obtaining mercy for the world. The love and sacrifice of these souls sustain the world in existence. The infidelity of a soul specially chosen by Me wounds My Heart most painfully. Such infidelities are swords which pierce My Heart."

Davide A. Bianchini, Contact