Arise and Walk

A person is “someone,” and is meant to be helped, understood, respected, cared for and loved. He or she is not “something” to be used, bought, possessed, taken advantaged of and disposed of. But roles have been inverted by our highly materialistic and hedonistic society. Whereas persons are used, things are loved. The subjects (of right, honor, and title) have become objects (of fun, exploitation, and pleasure).

The sexual revolution of the 1960’s rages on. It has ushered in an era pills and condoms, divorce and free unions, casual sex and radical feminism. Like an overpowering avalanche, the hippie culture has flooded practically all corners of the earth. Hollywood has gone far in the way of shaping the lifestyle of boys and girls, men and women. Parents, themselves poorly equipped to form their kids, are being overrun by the TVs and the internet as source of values, crooked values of course. The youth need role models, yet they get mostly media icons whose lives are anything but exemplary. What can the glamorous and amorous world of celebrities teach our kids? The art of sexual liaison in all its forms, almost always, if not always.

Sex, along with its attendant pleasure, is a creation of God. So it must be good because everything that comes out of the hands of God is essentially “good” (cf. Gen 1:31). But He made it for a reason: sex within marriage as a lifelong man-woman communion of love that is open to life. That is the mind of God on sex. We have to respect His plan. Any attempt to use sex outside of God’s plan is a breach of the Decalogue. It constitutes a serious moral aberration – men and women’s attempts to make a plaything out of sex.

The challenge to turn the tide is in order. We need to create a counter culture. Not everybody shares the corrupt values aggressively promoted by the media (not all do it). If we boldly raise a dissenting voice, we will soon be happily surprised to know that we are not alone.
A few years ago the winner of a beauty pageant contest confessed having been pressured by its organizers to drop her high-profile campaign to promote sexual-abstinence. She fought for her principles, without fear of losing her title. In the end she won. Only cowards succumb to the entrapments of the devil and go with the ethos of a rotten world.

Chastity is not about repressing human nature. It is a joyful affirmation, a positive virtue, like any other. What it seeks is the dominion of the impulses which have gone awry as a result of sin. Part of the cardinal virtue of temperance, “chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being.” It requires self-discipline and training in human freedom.

It takes a mature decision, often renewed, to live holy purity. Vigilance is important, for the enemy tries to catch us flat-footed. The first spark of the rebellion of the flesh against the spirit should be firmly quashed. Neglect and indelicacy in small things will soon prove overwhelming. We have to be a step ahead of the devil. We know too well his old tricks. Prudence leads us to apply the means beforehand. This applies to all, but most especially to hot-blooded young men and women who are charting their way through the clouds of emotional turbulence and sexual tempest.
Chastity is never a question of finding the extent of what is licit and illicit, the boundary between virtue and vice. Chastity is a virtue, and hence a positive habit. It is demonstration of our love for God. When we hesitate to follow Christ all the way, we make a pact with the devil. Searching for the true Light, St. Augustine asked for God’s help but reservedly at first, saying: “Lord, make me pure, but not yet.” God wants a firm and mature decision from you: “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways” (Prov 23:26).

The secret of saintly souls is not that their flesh is numb to temptations, but that they are so detached from creatures as to love God freely. They know how to give their heart the real treasure it is meant to possess. And it can be seen in their modesty, pure gaze, temperate life, healthy friendships, prudent choice of readings and forms of entertainment. Chastity ceases to be a burdensome struggle for a pure heart. Life can go on without fear of emotional storms. Affections are well ordered. Reactions are moderated. The senses are properly guarded. The head rules the heart. Reason takes control of the passions. Temptations are quickly turned down. All the means are employed to protect one’s moral integrity and keep it untainted.

Pray. Beg for God’s grace to help you in your struggle. Keep yourself busy with the right things because sloth is a seedbed of sensuality. When the body sinks into comfort, it invites the devil to make an indecent proposal. Strive to live a sober and temperate life. Offer up your pains as reparation for your sins and those of others. Develop the habit of saying “no” to yourself. Be sure to count on a powerful ally in your fight – Mary, the Mother of God. She is a perfect model of holy purity. Her intercession will draw down a torrent of graces to help you change.