Catholic Word of the Day: VOW OF CHASTITY, 01-10-15
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The Sinner's Guide - Chapter 15. The Fourth Privilege of Virtue
The Sinner's Guide - Ch 14. The Third Privilege of Virtue
The Sinner's Guide - Ch 13. The Second Privilege of Virtue
The Sinner's Guide - The Inestimable Advantages Promised It (Virtue) Even in this Life
The Sinner's Guide - Ch 10. The Tenth Motive for Practicing Virtue: The Thought of Hell
The Sinner's Guide - Ch 9. The Ninth Motive for Practicing Virtue: The Thought of Heaven
The Sinner's Guide - Ch 8. The Eighth Motive for Practicing Virtue: Thought of the Last Judgment
The Sinner's Guide - Chapter 7 The Seventh Motive for Practicing Virtue: The Thought of Death...
The Sinner's Guide - Ch 6. The Sixth Motive which Obliges us to Practice Virtue
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What is Chastity?
When most people hear the word chastity, they sometimes mistakenly think of abstinence or celibacy. Abstinence refers to temporarily refraining from activities that are pleasurable, which may include sex. Celibacy refers to the choice to live in an unmarried state, avoiding all sexual activity. Both abstinence and celibacy are right for some people at some times in their life, but not for all people at all times.
The virtue of chastity, on the other hand, is for everyone. Chastity is not about saying “no” to sex. Chastity is about saying “yes” to God’s plan for our sexuality. No matter where he is in his life, a chaste person masters his sexual feelings, and knows how to express them at the proper times. What are the “proper times?” Only when we understand what sex is for and how it affects our bodies and souls can we truly know, and be able to love others in a way that leaves us truly happy and fulfilled.
The Bible nowhere prescribes chastity or promotes it as a holier estate. Sex within marriage is the biblical norm; some have the gift of singleness and that is a gift, too. One is not superior to the other.
“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Hebrews 13:4
The great patriarchs of the faith from Adam to Moses to the disciples to Peter himself were married:
“Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?” 1st Corinthians 9:5
They are not considered less holy or exalted than any other believer due to their married estate. Paul, at least at some point, was not married. Yet he is not exalted as greater than the others. Mary was married!
God gave Eve to Adam because He said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18). We will hardly accuse God of making Adam less godly or holy or righteous, will we?
It is still not good for man to be alone, except for those who are specifically called to singleness.
“There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.” 1 Corinthians 7:34
So we see that we serve the Lord as married, or as single, and one estate is obviously not presented by God in His word as the superior state or what you should be striving for. Determine your calling and fulfill it without feeling “lesser” if you do not “achieve” one or the other.
” Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” 1st Timothy 4:2-4
While not forbidding all to marry, in the RC church they do forbid priests and nuns to do so. This is wrong. So is promoting singleness over marriage, or vice versa for that matter.
That's what you get for thinkin'...Of course chastity is not a virtue among married people...It is not immoral to have sexual relations with your spouse...