Contrary to what many believe,
chastity is not the “absence” of something. “Chastity, so often considered ‘negative’ or ‘repressive,’ is supremely
positive and liberating. It’s the
virtue that liberates sexual desire
from ‘the utilitarian attitude,’ from the tendency to use others for our own gratification.” (TOB)
Chastity provides for us an
undistorted lens through which we can see God’s gift of sexuality as it is really meant to be: an opportunity for holiness, and a treasure
so precious that God uses it to seal our marriage covenants and bring forth new
life. It is precisely because human sexuality is noble and
holy that we make a grave mistake when we trivialize it, or when we cooperate
with the distortion, commercialization, or profanation of this gift.
Every one of us - whether we are
married, single, or celibate for the kingdom of God - is called to practice the
virtue of chastity. “All Christ’s faithful are called to lead a
chaste life in keeping with
their particular states of
life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2348, emphasis mine).
The best material on chastity I
have personally encountered is Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body,” and
an ideal introduction to this topic is a book entitled Theology of the Body for Beginners by Christopher West. This little volume has opened my eyes in a
deeper way to the richness of God’s plan for humanity, and to the harm we
inflict upon ourselves when we allow the devil to rob us of the treasure of chastity.
“God created sexual desire ‘in the
beginning,’”explains West (citing the Holy Father) “to be the very power to love as he loves - in a free, sincere, and
total gift of self.” “If we want to know what’s most sacred in this world, all
we need to do is look for what is most violently profaned.” (TOB)
"Brace yourself! If we take in what the Holy Father is saying in his Theology of the Body, we will never view ourselves, view others, view the Church, the Sacraments, grace, God, heaven, marriage, the celibate vocation...we will never view the world the same way again." (Christopher West, emphasis mine, because I have personally never viewed the world the same after encountering this eye-opening, beautiful, inspired point of view. To find excellent articles on the Theology of the Body, click on this line) (I particularly like the article you can get to by clicking here).
For prayer and reflection:
"Brace yourself! If we take in what the Holy Father is saying in his Theology of the Body, we will never view ourselves, view others, view the Church, the Sacraments, grace, God, heaven, marriage, the celibate vocation...we will never view the world the same way again." (Christopher West, emphasis mine, because I have personally never viewed the world the same after encountering this eye-opening, beautiful, inspired point of view. To find excellent articles on the Theology of the Body, click on this line) (I particularly like the article you can get to by clicking here).
For prayer and reflection:
“As for lewd conduct or promiscuousness or lust of any sort, let them
not even be mentioned among you…. nor should there be any obscene, silly, or
suggestive talk…” (Ephesians 5:3-4)
"Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2339)
"Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2339)
“Be exceedingly quick to turn yourself from every form of lewdness and
its allurements. This evil works
insensibly and from small beginnings it advances to great troubles. These are always more easy to avoid than to
cure.” (St. Francis de Sales)
“How many … think that because certain forms of behavior are socially
accepted they are therefore morally right?”
(Pope John Paul II, 1995)
Married, single and celibate
forms of chastity are very clearly defined for us in The Catechism of the Catholic
Church, #2331-2400. Pertinent
Scriptures (in addition to those quoted above) can be found in Ephesians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20; and
Matthew 5:27-28.
If I compare Christ’s teachings with the “everybody’s doing it, everybody’s watching or reading or listening to it” view of sexuality, I just might find myself at a crossroads….
If I compare Christ’s teachings with the “everybody’s doing it, everybody’s watching or reading or listening to it” view of sexuality, I just might find myself at a crossroads….
Which view will I follow?
