Chastity is the virtue that disposes us to be pure in soul and in body. It is also the virtue whereby men and women respect the fact that God made them male and female. Sexuality is a powerful force which can throw a person�s entire life out of focus. Through the virtue of Chastity, whether celebate or married, sexuality becomes human. Chaste sexuality then becomes a source of happiness and of union with God. The virtue of chastity is the way in which we bring out the full meaning and the beauty of God�s gift of sexuality.
The Beauty of Human Love
God created us male and female, and He determined that the human race would be continued by the loving embrace of a husband and wife. In marriage the two become one flesh. A true understanding of chaste sexuality reveals that any behavior that is unfaithful to God or unfaithful to ones spouse degrades the beautiful gift that God has given us.
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. Man�s dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good. By his diligence and skill, he effectively secures for himself the means suited to his end.
Commandments
Everyday Prayers
Doctrine
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Mary
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Sacraments
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The Mass
Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life. The effort required can be more intense in certain periods, such as when the personality is developing during childhood and adolescence.
Chastity has Laws of Growth
Growth in the virtue of Chastity progresses through stages marked by imperfection and often by sin. Man, day by day builds himself up through his many free decisions. He begins to have a deeper understanding of moral good and to achieve it through various stages of growth.While Chastity is primarily personal, it also has a social dimension. It requires the cooperation of many in a cultural effort supporting personal achievement and the improvement of society. Chastity presupposes respect for the rights of the person. This includes the right to receive information, especially from parents, about the nature of human sexuality and its integration within a moral and spiritual outlook upon human life.
Chastity is a moral virtue in which we cooperate freely with God�s grace. Those who have been baptized and have been given the new life of grace
Charity is the form of all the virtues. Through its influence chastity becomes a school for the loving gift of oneself. This requires self-mastery. Chastity leads one to become a witness of God�s fidelity and loving kindness.