Thursday, March 7, 2024

Mar 8 Fri - What is the Particular Judgment?

 

Mar 8 Fri
What is the Particular Judgment?
The New Testament speaks of a judgment as a final meeting with Christ in his second coming. But we also find in many places of the Sacred Scripture references to the retribution immediately after each one’s death as a consequence of one’s faith and deeds. Thus, we find the parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus (cf. Lk 16:22ff), and the promise made by Christ to the good thief from the cross (cf. Lk 23:43) that he will immediately be with him in paradise. Other texts of the New Testament describe the last destiny of the soul (cf. Mt 16:26; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23; Heb 9:27; 12:23), which may be different for one or the other.

Thus, we know with the certainty of faith that each man, after dying, receives—in his immortal soul—his eternal retribution in a particular judgment. He immediately refers his life to Christ, going either through a period of purification, or directly to his definitive state in heaven, or to eternal condemnation.

This passage to the definitive state would not be possible without a previous judgment, where each person’s fate is clearly and summarily decided before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body.

Basically, the particular judgment consists in the communication of the divine sentence to the separated soul. Due to its spiritual nature, the soul understands it through a most simple and instantaneous act of the intellect.

It will be a verdict issued by God, not the result of a court litigation, and even less of a self-trial. We should not forget that pride resides in the soul, making it difficult for the separated soul to accept its own faults.

The particular judgment is rather an act by which God makes the soul see with all clarity. God communicates this vision to the soul, which cannot dispute it. By this act, the soul gets to understand in some way its state of either union with God or hideous sin. It is a light that comes from God and will lead either to the soul’s union with God—immediately or through purgatory—or to its definitive damnation.

We make it our aim, then, to please the Lord in all things and we put on the armor of God that we may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil and resist in the evil day. Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where “men will weep and gnash their teeth.” Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council

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Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Mar 7 Thu - The Holy Mass deepens our personal relationship with God

 


Mar 7 Thu
Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist—the center of liturgy—within the ritual Jewish supper of Passover on Holy Thursday. The oldest account of the Last Supper is given by St. Paul (cf. 1 Cor 11:23–29) and was written at Ephesus in either A.D. 55 or 56. In the narrative, the command is given to the apostles (and implicitly to their successors) to celebrate the Eucharist until the day when Christ returns in the full glory of his second coming.

The Acts of the Apostles and the epistles of St. Paul describe the primitive community as already “devoted … to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). “Prayers” and the “breaking of bread” constituted the liturgy of the earliest Mass. Basically, it used the Jewish ritual of religious gatherings. To the prayers and readings inherited from the synagogue, it added the Eucharist—the work of salvation realized by Christ.

The “Didache," or “Doctrine of the Apostles" (a valuable short treatise from the first half of the second century), gives evidence of a real meal (a love feast, or agape) connected with the celebration of the Eucharist. The connection between the Eucharistic celebration and the agape did not continue for long. It still existed at Corinth in the time of St. Paul. There, the faithful brought provisions to the supper but did not always share them in common, to the Apostle’s great chagrin. The agape was soon relegated to a position of secondary importance before it disappeared altogether. At that time, the term “Eucharist” had replaced the terms “the Lord’s supper” and “breaking of bread.”

The term Eucharist means “thanksgiving” and takes its name from the prayer of consecration pronounced by the main celebrant. The early Christians knew that they were not merely attending the Mass; they were participating in it, offering Christ’s sacrifice together with their bishop and priests. They took an active part, answered the response, said their part aloud in chorus, contributed gifts, answered the celebrant’s invitation, gave the kiss of peace, and, when the celebrant ended the consecration, they all responded in a solemn “Amen” of assent. All Christians, even the absent ones (thanks to the deacons), received the Eucharist.

“We may have asked ourselves, at one time or another, how we can respond to the greatness of God's love. We may have wanted to see a program for Christian living clearly explained. The answer is easy, and it is within the reach of all the faithful: to participate lovingly in the Holy Mass, to learn to deepen our personal relationship with God in the sacrifice that summarizes all that Christ asks of us.

“Let me remind you of what you have seen on so many occasions: the succession of prayers and actions as they unfold before our eyes at Mass. As we follow them, step by step, our Lord may show us aspects of our lives in which each one of us must improve, vices we must conquer, and the kind of brotherly attitude we should develop with regard to all men."
Illustration: Symbolic representation of the Eucharistic Hymn Adoro Te Devote.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Mar 6 Wed - Fighting to be holy

 

Mar 6 Wed
Fighting to be holy. There will always be difficulties to overcome. Rather than causing us to be discouraged, the setbacks and adversities we come up against should act as an added spur to our interior growth. “If there were no difficulties, things would have neither human nor supernatural value, St. Josemaría used to say. If a nail which is being hammered into a wall meets with no resistance, what can I hang on it?"

We must use patience and tenacity in struggling against our defects.
“Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." An eternity in heaven, unending bliss, is well worth a few years of effort here below. And this is what is asked of us: a constant struggle, in which we refuse to give up, even for a moment, and even though we might frequently suffer defeats.

This struggle is not something negative, but a joyful positive statement. “It is a sport. A good sportsman doesn't fight to win just a single victory and at the first attempt. He prepares and trains for a long time; he tries, confidently and calmly, over and over again. And even though at first, he fails, he keeps at it persistently until he overcomes the obstacles." It is a matter of time and making use of the right means; it is a question of being patient, and constant.

Many great things depend on our personal struggle. We need to fight - and to do so without losing hope, with supernatural stubbornness - if we are to become holy in God's eyes. But we should never forget that our effort to achieve our personal sanctification is the holiness of many souls, and the holiness of God's Church.

This struggle is not something that affects me only. Provided you keep up the fight, and refuse to give in, many great things will come about: projects, determination to more commitment, the growth of the Church, help for the holy souls in Purgatory, the salvation of countless sinners...

“Feel this responsibility. Feel the duty to be holy: holy, which doesn't mean doing strange things. If you struggle every day to fulfill the Norms of piety, you are on the way to holiness."

Let us turn to Holy Mary, our Mother, and tell her our resolutions, asking her to help us maintain our eagerness for the fight. May she encourage us every day - including today - to start once again with new determination, ready to tackle all adversity joyfully.

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Monday, March 4, 2024

Mar 5 Tue - Fighting against sin

 

Mar 5 Tue
The reality of sin, rather than discouraging us, should spur us on to fight.
Let us reflect, once more, on the reality of sin and its malice. “Don't forget that for you on earth there is but one evil, which you must fear and avoid with God's grace: sin." We must acknowledge how wretched we are; and from the depths of our soul there rise up the words of the Psalm: ‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.’

“Don't be ashamed to discover the "inclination of sin" in your heart. Don't be cowardly. Be truly faithful; be sincere! There will always be mistakes in your life; no one is free from them." St. Josemaría

“God, who is all-powerful and merciful, has given us all the necessary means to rectify our mistakes. All we have to do is use them, and keep using them, always ready to start again, and never becoming demoralized. Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it."

What really matters is that we should have interior life. We shouldn't be shocked at discovering so many personal failings in ourselves; Jesus is always ready to offer us his grace, his help, his forgiveness. “A Christian is not a neurotic collector of good behavior reports." All God asks of us is a real determination to be saints and to serve him; that is what really matters.

But if we do not fight, we wouldn't be able to stay calm; nor could we please God or benefit from his help. “Christ, who is our Peace, is also the Way. If we seek peace, we have to follow his footsteps. Peace is a consequence of war, of struggle, of the personal ascetical struggle each Christian must keep up against everything in his life which does not belong to God. He is called to overcome pride, sensuality, selfishness, superficiality and meanness of heart."

Since God knows the poor stuff we are made of, what he asks from us is not so much victories as struggle. He has called us to work in his vineyard, like the hired men in the parable, and he doesn't allow anyone to remain idle. In the end, it will be God himself who grants the victory and gives the reward. “The important thing is to get to heaven; otherwise, nothing whatsoever is worthwhile. To get to heaven, we must be faithful. And to be faithful, what we must do is to struggle, to keep moving ahead, even though we may at times stumble and fall."

Thus, we must have hope and optimism in our personal struggle. “As long as we fight persistently, we are going in the right direction and sanctifying ourselves." Our Lady always defends us against the snares of the devil (illustration)

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Sunday, March 3, 2024

Mar 4 - Sense of responsibility for our own life

 

Mar 4 Mon
Our Lord sets before us, in all its sad reality, one of the most unfortunate dangers that threatens people who try to serve God, namely, a discrepancy between their actions and their words. These souls may have received the divine mission of being light and leaven among their companions. Yet their light and strength is a false glitter. It neither sets aflame nor transforms others, because it is used up in mere fireworks, in words divorced from deeds. St John Chrysostom asks: ‘Is there anything sadder than a teacher whose only hope for his pupils is to tell them, "Do as I say, don't do as I do?"’

We all then, must work and direct our life with a sense of responsibility for our choices. We need not leave the place in life where the Lord's call found us. We must turn our whole life into service done to God: both our work and our rest, our sorrow as well as our joy. We ought to turn everything into an instrument of sanctification and apostolate. Each of us must exercise our own personal responsibility.

We make this a reality when we work intensely, day after day, shoulder to shoulder with our peers in the place where our Lord has put us. St. Josemaría has told us that “we are not doing our Lord a favor when we subject ourselves to fixed times of work or toil, just like other people, for long hours, over a period of years or always."

To help you grow in a sense of responsibility towards your own life, these Three Points you might like to consider in your prayer: God, yourself, and the others.

GOD: Consider what you could do for Christ, the gift of yourself to Him.

YOURSELF: Consider how much joy into your life there is, when you are doing what God wants from you. How much light along the road you could have, how much assurance in your heart that you are going in the right direction.

THE OTHERS: Consider how much ignorance and corruption is there, how much they need you, how much you could contribute to the others, if you walk in the right direction, helping them to get out of that mess.
But did each apostle cast his own private net?
No! They – all – cast THE NET from the boat; and they caught plenty of fish.

But why did the Lord Jesus command His disciples to throw their net on the ‘right’ side of the ship? Why not the left side? –To teach them to obey. To show them that their power would come from His Word, not from their ability. If they relied on Him, they would catch multitudes of souls, a number they could not even begin to fathom, and they would bring those souls to Him.

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Saturday, March 2, 2024

Mar 3 Sun - Within the Law, we can accomplish our purpose of existence, with God’s help

 

Mar 3 Sun
Life is a journey. Each one is the “driver” of his own life. Still, we need the Law, directions to know which one is the right road, to know what is right and what is objectively wrong and would destroy us.
Thus, Law is not a limitation of choices, but the only place within which we can develop ourselves, and accomplish our purpose of existence, with God’s help.
 
For this purpose, God “inserted” in us the knowledge of Natural Law, limited but useful.

Furthermore, by revelation, God made known to us his Eternal law, which comes from God’s Wisdom. Together with it, God gives us the strength to fulfill it. All laws are derived from eternal law. No law is just if it does not conform to eternal law.

The Ten Commandments are a revealed expression of the natural law.

Civil law exists to embody the natural law in particular times and places for the good of those under it. These laws get their legitimacy by being grounded in the natural law.

What about unjust laws? ‘An unjust law is no law at all.’ Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.

We are members of his body, which is the Church, and branches grafted onto the vine, which is Jesus Christ.
From then on, Christian life is a continuous conversion, also called “sanctification.” “Christian sanctity does not consist in being impeccable, but in fighting against and not yielding to temptation, in getting up again after a fall. It does not result so much from man’s will power, but rather from the effort of not setting obstacles to the action of grace in one’s soul. It consists in being humble cooperators of God’s grace.” This process of gradual growth in holiness culminates in everlasting life.

As Christians, “Our vocation is to follow Christ ... And to follow him so closely that we live with him, like the first Twelve; so close to him that we identify with him, that we live his Life, until a moment comes, if we haven't hindered it, when we can say with St Paul: It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me."

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Friday, March 1, 2024

Mar 2 Sat - What am I doing with my life?

 

Mar 2 Sat
Think carefully and give your answer to this proposal. The initial approach to this proposal may seem risky.
Answer honestly: "What would I do if money rained down from Heaven every day?

This hypothesis, is enormously attractive but egocentric: Free money, every day! I can enjoy everything I want!

Indeed, who wouldn't like -apparently- to have a lot of money every day to spend it on whatever you want?
The only condition that is put to you (as if you were in a wonderful fairy tale) is that what you do not use, will disappear every night...
Here the tables start to turn. What do I want to do with that money? Do I want to spend it all on myself? Should I invest all in my future or in my family's future? Should I donate a minimum amount that would allow others to share in the gift I have received? Before going any further, I would prefer that you read till the end now...

Life, we are told, works the same way as our dreams. Every morning, everything we have dreamed about during the night, disappears. Every day we begin a new day, as if life were beginning anew... But it is not like that; we know well that, from each day, what we did, remains, for better or for worse. And what remains is the meaning and direction that, every day, we give to our entire existence.

But the proposal has a second, even more interesting feature: the temporal dimension.
Second proposal: “Every morning, when you wake up, you will find an enormous gift in front of your door. It is not money inside, but something much more valuable: 1440 minutes. A gift that you can waste, enjoy or lose, but that can also benefit -and a lot- all those around you: relatives, colleagues, friends...even people you do not know. What would do with this gift?”

That's how life works. That's why, after realizing this, you should try to place real meaning and purpose into every minute of your day. This is the equation that underpins the proposal:
       Time  =  Life.
An then:  Life = Eternal Happiness
With the time you are given -with your decisions- you build your life…and God is behind you helping you to do so.

Perhaps the CEO of a large company stands out a lot, achieves fame and money; but does all that remain when he dies, does he serve others, does he make them better? Does he give himself to the others with a purpose? Is he walking towards his real happiness? Perhaps, a mother does not stand out at all, because she has decided to spend her life taking care of her family; but isn't this apparently hidden task more important for her, and for the future of her children?

Every morning you are given 1440 minutes, is there any of that left in your life that will remain forever? Think, “What am I doing with my life? What am I going to do?”
Illustration: The washing of the Apostles’ feet.

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Thursday, February 29, 2024

Mar 1 Fri - We share in Christ’s threefold office: King, Priest, and Teacher

 

Mar 1 Fri
Christ has a threefold office: King, Priest, and Teacher. Every Christian participates in these offices.
“Apostles are Christians who feel grafted on to Christ, identified with Christ, through Baptism; enabled to fight for Christ, through Confirmation; called to serve God with their activity in the world, through their participation in the royal, prophetic and priestly functions of Christ, which enable them to guide others to God, to teach them the truth of the Gospel, and to co-redeem them through their prayer and their expiation."

“Christians who are ready to serve are guides, teachers and priests to other people; they are, for those people, other Christs, or rather, as I usually say to you, Christ himself." They are guides, because, with Christ, they have been destined to organize the things of the earth in order to bring them to God, by serving others as Christ did. By this service they seek to establish Christ's kingdom on earth.

Christians are also teachers, because they share in the teaching office of Christ. They have been sent by God to be living witnesses to the truth, and to teach, by word and example, the truths necessary for salvation.

Thirdly, Christians are priests to others, since by Baptism and Confirmation they have the great dignity of bringing his people close to the Creator. As we read in St Peter: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." This baptismal priesthood, which is essentially distinct from the ministerial priesthood, moves us to offer our body and soul as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

A Christian's dignity is great indeed. Recall, says St Ambrose, “that you have received a spiritual seal. So, preserve what you have received from God. God the Father sealed you, Christ the Lord confirmed you, and the Spirit himself has come as a pledge to your hearts." In order to respond as we should to God's great love, we must use all the powers of our soul, so that the gifts God has bestowed upon us bear fruit.

Our spiritual priesthood requires us to offer God spiritual sacrifices - the sacrifice of ourselves, in the first place - in union with the perfect Sacrifice of the Altar. We must also strive to imitate Christ the Teacher and be eager to spread good doctrine. Detached from earthly possessions, and with our hearts fixed on God, we will fight to place Christ the King at the summit of all human activities and lead all things to him.

Sin abounds all over the world; but more abundant still is the reparation we want to offer God in union with Jesus Christ. If we ask our Lady, she will win from her Son the grace and strength we need to enable us to fulfill our mission faithfully.

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Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Feb 29 Thu - Confirmation, a pledge of God's fortitude

 

Feb 29 Thu
By virtue of the baptismal character - an indelible seal received by the soul - the faithful are appointed to Christian religious worship, and participate in the threefold office of Jesus Christ: Ruler, Priest, and Teacher. This empowers Christians to share in Christ's divine rule over the world, to sanctify every human endeavor, and to teach all people the truths of God.

Afterwards, in Confirmation we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
In the natural order, man is born and develops until he comes to maturity and to full mastery of his faculties. Something similar occurs in the order of grace. “It is obvious, St Thomas says, that in the life of the body the first requirement is generation by which man receives the gift of life; then comes growth by which he is brought to maturity; ... so in the spiritual life there is Baptism which is spiritual birth, and Confirmation which is spiritual growth."

Baptism brings us the power of the Holy Spirit, to act supernaturally. Confirmation strengthens and increases this ability. By the sacrament of Confirmation, the faithful are more perfectly bound to the Church, and are endowed with the special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence, they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread the faith by word and deed. Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a character on the soul, and enables it more easily to exercise the priestly, royal and prophetic office.

Confirmation signifies and causes the growth to maturity of the person incorporated into Christ. By the imposition of hands, the Christian receives the divine power and strength to become a good soldier of Christ Jesus. The anointing with oil symbolizes our readiness to go into battle, recalling the way the athletes of old used to anoint their bodies for combat. And in fact, this sacrament confers on the soul the specific power of publicly confessing our faith in Christ by our words, giving us the courage and magnanimity to be leaders in the faith, and even, with the help of divine grace, even to suffer martyrdom.

We are greatly in need of fortitude, as we strive to sanctify ourselves the combat where God has placed us. In the sacrament of Confirmation, the Tradition of the Church “has unanimously seen a strengthening of the spiritual life. By giving more supernatural strength to the soul, through a quiet and fruitful outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Confirmation enables the Christian to fight as miles Christi, as a soldier of Christ, in his intimate battle against selfishness and concupiscence."

Confirmation, a pledge of God's fortitude, gives us the courage we need so that we can always triumph in our wonderful battle of peace to extend Christ's kingdom on earth.

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Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Feb 28 Wed - Through Baptism we became children of God

 

Feb 28 Wed
In Baptism our sins are forgiven, and we receive the gift of grace.
The Church asks us to consider the spiritual regeneration that Christ performed in us: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free ... for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

In Baptism we die to sin and are reborn to a new life. “Do you not know that, all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." In his infinite goodness, God has wished to give us this sacrament, which is a ransom paid for prisoners, a remission of debt, death to sin, regeneration of the soul, a robe of light, an unbreakable seal, a vehicle conveying us to heaven.

In Baptism we are united in a mysterious manner to our Lord's Death and Resurrection, because His merits are applied to our soul. The body is submerged in water so that the soul may be cleansed of all its faults. This death to sin, symbolized in the baptismal washing, fills the soul with grace, makes it pure in God's sight, and brings about a true spiritual regeneration, a rebirth that frees man from the guilt of sin and the punishment that sin deserves.

“In the sacrament of Baptism, the Holy Spirit takes possession of our soul and begins to act through his grace. He gives us the infused virtues, the ones we call theological: faith, hope and charity. They are virtues we can't acquire through our own efforts, or our talents or our good will. Our Father God has to give them to us. And he grants them generously, freely, because he loves us. So, it's a very good idea to bring children to receive holy Baptism as soon as possible; because in this sacrament, the Holy Spirit enters the child's soul and begins to act, bestowing those gifts, those virtues and so many other graces." St. Josemaría

By means of grace we are born to the supernatural life, and through the virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, our actions acquire an almost divine value.

Through Baptism we are raised to the exalted dignity of God's children. “O happy sacrament of water, exclaims Tertullian, through which, having been washed clean of our sins, we are freed from our original blindness, and brought to eternal life."

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Monday, February 26, 2024

Feb 27 Tue - Instruments in the hands of God

 

Feb 27 Tue
It would be useless for us to spend our whole life trying to do good, if we did not rely on our Lord's help.
Christ was in the boat, and told the disciples to cast out their nets once more. Peter obeyed. But now there was a new spirit, an enthusiasm that wasn't there before. And Peter was with our Lord; Jesus was in the boat with him. Peter was no longer working by himself and for himself. It was God who was working through a docile instrument. Peter no longer relied on his own skill and strength.
Confident that he was now working for Christ, “Peter lowered the net anew, and they caught, a great number of fish. Believe me, this miracle is repeated daily."

We should ask ourselves whether we are closely united to Christ in our apostolic work, through obedience to those who direct our progress. Perhaps we will sometimes have to admit: “I have been silly and foolish. I have done what I could, but I have been wasting my time. ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!’ If we have been working on our own account, as we see some people doing outside the unity of the Church, what results can we expect from our apostolate? Working on our own account, we haven't been able to do anything. But let's go on listening: ‘In God's name I will lower the net’. What a beautiful way to redirect an entire life, when, for whatever reason, we have tried to carry out an apostolate on our own account."

If we work with a right intention, seeking God's glory alone, in close union with Jesus Christ, we won't have to wait long for our apostolate to show results. “You can do great good or great harm. You will do great good if you are humble and give yourself joyfully with a spirit of sacrifice. You will do great good for yourself and for your brothers, and for the Church. But you will do great harm if you let your pride get the better of you. Then you will have to say: ‘we caught nothing’. I have accomplished nothing in the black of the night."

But ‘in your name’, because it is what you want. Tell him this: that you are going to work for Christ. The results will be marvelous.

And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. When we hear Christ's voice reaching us through those in charge of coordinating the work, we should leave everything -our comfort, our personal plans, our false prudence- and work apostolically as we are asked. Only in this way will our nets be filled with souls for Christ.

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Sunday, February 25, 2024

Feb 26 Mon - Chastity defends love from selfishness


Feb 26 Mon
Chastity leads to have the strength to use your sexuality honestly and virtuously, whether you are single or married. Living this virtue trains you in faithfulness, strengthens your will, and leaves you with no regrets. For an unmarried person it means saving marital intimacies for marriage. As one woman said, ‘‘It is sexuality dedicated to hope.”

For the married and the unmarried, it means having respect for the gift of sex. Chastity is a virtue that defends love from selfishness, and frees us from “using” others as objects. It makes us capable of authentic love. In short, abstinence ends in marriage but chastity holds marriage together.

Doesn’t chastity ruin the spontaneity and excitement of romance?
It depends upon what you consider romantic. Real romance is not what you find in a cheap novel. Giving in to one’s hormones at the drop of a hat is not romance. This is lust, and while it may be spontaneous and temporarily exciting, using another person is not romantic. In fact, too many good romantic relationships have been ruined by lust.

Only humans are capable of romance because romance is where imagination and love meet. Sometimes a person’s actions may appear romantic because they are so imaginative and thoughtful, but the actions may be done for the sake of seducing another. This is not romance, because love is absent. Only when purity is present, can one tell the difference between loving romance and selfish seduction.

In fact, romantic moments do not require physical intimacy—and the most romantic couples are the ones who realize this. They know that romance requires respect. You can have lust and passion without respect (as in prostitution), but you cannot have romance without respect. When that loving respect for the other person is present, a man stirs up his romantic creativity not for the sake of getting something from a woman but for the sake of expressing his love to her.

Lust, on the other hand, is boring, because it allows no room for mystery and anticipation. Everything secret is given away. The pure have more passion than the lustful, and it is precisely their passion that gives them the ability to build a greater kind of love. They exercise self-control not because of an absence of passion but because of the presence of love.

When it comes to the topic of sexuality, the media tell us that the most exciting sex is outside marriage. In reality the opposite is true. The world constantly exaggerates telling us that when it comes to sex, everyone is doing it, and the people having the most fun are the wild singles depicted on television sitcoms, while married life is dull and unromantic. However, according to the researchers who published the most comprehensive and methodologically sound sex survey ever conducted in the United States, “The public image of sex in America bears virtually no relationship to the truth.”
Podcast “Lust Is Boring”, Jason Evert

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