The remedy to combat impurity and chastity

Continuing our series of studies on capital sins , let us now take note of the sin of impurity and the remedy to combat it: chastity.

St. Paul tells the Corinthians: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is one of his members” (1 Cor 12,27). He further says, “Flee from fornication. Any other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the unclean sins against his own body “(1 Cor 6:18). With this we can say that the sin of impurity is serious, because it does evil not only for those who practice it, but also for the whole mystical body of Christ.

The apostle still says, “Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot?Or do you not know that he who joins a prostitute becomes one body with her? It is written, ‘They shall be one flesh’ (Gen 2:24) “(1 Cor 6:16). We see that, for Paul, indulging in prostitution is the same as prostituting the Body of Christ. Said professor Felipe Aquino, in his book ‘The Sins and the Capital Virtues’ , that “this is a religious reality of which we have not yet become full science; that is, every time I sin, my sin reaches the whole Body of Christ. That is one of the reasons why we confess to the minister of the Church, to reconcile with her, who was defiled by our fault. “

Sin of impurity

Jesus took the sin of impurity very seriously. In the Sermon on the Mount, as he taught the people, He said, “Whosoever casteth a look of covetousness upon a woman, yet committeth adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt 5, 27-28). With these words, Jesus wants to teach that the sin of impurity must necessarily be cut off at the root, that is, already in the thoughts and imaginations. “Out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, impurities, thefts, false witnesses, slander” (Mt 15:19). If the sin of impurity is not cut off in thought, it will soon be transformed into an act.

The sin of uncleanness is often experienced between boyfriends and girlfriends. They begin to live a married life before the sacrament of matrimony . They did not understand that the “union of bodies only makes sense when there is a prior union of hearts and souls in a solid and permanent way, as in marriage” (Felipe Aquino).

As professor Felipe Aquino teaches, “Sex is beautiful, but out of God’s plan it is a disaster, it explodes like an atomic bomb. Sadly, our society promotes acrimonious, dirty sex with no responsibility or commitment, and then gets scared of the millions of pregnant girls, rapes, separations, adulteries, etc. “

Chastity

Pope John Paul II : “Sexual education, the fundamental right and duty of parents, must always be carried out under their diligent guidance, whether at home or in the chosen educational centers. In this context, ‘education for chastity’ as a virtue that develops the authentic maturity of the person is absolutely indispensable, and makes it capable of respecting and promoting the ‘nuptial meaning’ of the body “( Familiaris Consortio , n.37).

It is worth remembering the exciting moment of Saint John Paul II when he was in the Philippines in January 1995. There were more than 4 million young people there to attend Holy Mass celebrated in Manila. To the surprise and at the same time, the pope’s joy, a group of approximately fifty thousand young people gave their holiness a petition containing their commitment to live chastity. The Pope was moved.

In sum, “chastity is the virtue that most shapes true men and women, according to God’s desire, and prepares them to build solid, indissoluble, and fertile families. But, unfortunately, we Catholics also, by terrible omission, allowed the beautiful banner of chastity to be lowered. We were silent and silent before us, the horrors of a “free-sex”, and perverted “(Felipe Aquino).

The remedy against impurity is chastity . We must flee from every occasion of sin. Says the popular saying: “the occasion makes the thief”. We can not open loopholes for sin in our lives. If we open it, it will enter and destroy our life. For this reason, we must say no to everything that leads us to sin: movies, books, magazines, music, etc. One thing is certain, chastity will never live in one unless one watches over one’s eyes, thoughts, and imaginations. Above all, avoid the occasions that can lead to sin.

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