The Short Story...
Chastity is the virtue of self-mastery, particularly in the sexual realm. All are called to chastity, no matter their state in life. With the help of God and the Holy Spirit, we can master our passions so that they do not master us. The world is full of people who have not embraced the virtue of chastity and many people suffer because of this through unmarried sex, abortion, contraception, sterilization, adultery, abuse, prostitution, and pornography. Many of these distortions of the real meaning of sex stem from lack of knowledge and lack of faith. All are caused by sin. Christians in particular have an obligation to themselves, to their fellow man, and most importantly to God, to be models of chastity and to understand why this is the pivotal virtue for Christians. It is through our bodies that we reveal the mysteries of God. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and we should seek to treat them and reveal them as such. Our sexuality is deeply rooted in each human person, as we find if we study the Book of Genesis. God made man and woman to complete one another, and their bodies as gifts to one another speak the message of completion. The human person will find himself or herself only in making a sincere gift of self to another. To distort God�s original purpose of sexuality, which is that of LIFE and LOVE, leads only to a culture of loneliness and death. We, as the crown of God�s creation, should be building a culture of communion and life! It naturally follows that the person who can gain self-mastery over his/her sexual passions and desires will be able to gain mastery over other areas of their lives as well. This is good news, indeed hope-filled news, in a world that is screaming contrary messages. The Church, in Her wisdom, gives us many ways to understand and safeguard the virtue of chastity.
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