As Catholics, regardless of our state in life, we are called to practice the virtue of chastity.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being” (CCC 2337).

If people understood the true purpose of chastity, they would see that it has nothing to do with fear or prudishness. Nor is it a repression of sexual desires.

Rather, chastity is an exercise of the will, to choose what is good, the greatest of all that is good.

It is a refusal to allow the desire for pleasure to displace the call to truly love.

Pleasure in itself is not a bad thing, but when a person pursues enjoyment at the expense of the soul and virtue of another, then love is abandoned.

The purpose of chastity is not about having a list of things to avoid or abstain from, but an attitude and behaviour to aspire to.

Chastity is a necessary virtue, not just for the unmarried or single Catholics, but for us all.

With modern culture glorifying excesses and immoderation of the appetites, practising the virtue of chastity can be somewhat of an uphill struggle.    Regular prayer, receiving the sacraments, and praying the rosary can help.

St Joseph and St Maria Goretti are two saints who chose to live holy and chaste lives.  Learning more about them, about their lives and even asking them to intercede for us can help us greatly in developing the virtue of chastity.

Like I said before, regardless of our state in life, as Catholics, we are all called to chastity.

I leave you with this quote by St Dominic:

“A man who governs his passions is a master of the world.  We must either command them or be enslaved by them”

 

ad Jesum per Mariam