CCC #2345 Chastity is a moral virtue. It is also a gift from God, a grace, a fruit of spiritual effort. The Holy Spirit enables one whom the water of Baptism has regenerated to imitate the purity of Christ.

Reflection: Purity is such a beautiful gift to God and/or (depending on your vocation!) to your future spouse. I find it interesting that though it is a gift — a grace (God’s very life within us!) — it is at the same time a “spiritual effort,” something we must freely let the Holy Spirit work within us. Living out chastity is letting God work through us, yes; but we still must give our “fiat!” our “yes!” in order for Him to do so.

“Fiat” means “let it be done” in Latin; Mama Mary said “Let it be done unto me according to Thy word.” Essentially, she gave God consent to let Him, by the Holy Spirit, work the ultimate Fruit into her very being: Jesus Christ! She who was immaculately conceived without the stain of original sin was still given the option to say “yes” or “no” to God, and she said yes with her whole heart, thus preparing the way to bear the Savior of the world.

So too must we say “yes!” to God to bear the Savior of the world in our lives — He who is most pure can live through us in our example of living out holy purity. The c word — chastity — living out holy purity according to one’s state in life — is such a beautiful gift from God, as well as a beautiful gift to give back to God. It is interesting how it works. We can only give back to Him what He first gave to us. The difference? We can allow His grace to grow in our lives.

We can grow in graces, such as chastity, and like the servant who receives two talents and gives back to God ten talents, try our very best to similarly please our Master. Thus, we should all strive to take these graces He gives us — such as chastity — and give them back to Him a thousandfold in order that He is truly glorified in the way we live the Gospel — in the way we accept and exercise virtues such as chastity in our lives.

Chastity is not just for single people or celibate priests and nuns, though. Nay! This is a very stern caveat that must be sent to our modern culture. Chastity is a most beautiful gift that every person called to married life (that would be most of us) must take and give back to God… Yes, chastity is just as equally for those who are married, and in a very transparent way!

Just as Christ gave Himself as an unblemished sacrifice for all on the altar, so too in the sacrament of Holy Matrimony are we to give ourselves as unblemished sacrifices for our spouses on our wedding night on the marriage bed, the altar of the domestic church. For just as Christ says, “This is my body; it has been given up for you,” so too shall spouses say this to one another, as well as together to the LORD in order to offer their body that is now “one flesh” to Him.

The c word — chastity — what a beautiful moral virtue, what a beautiful gift, what a beautiful spiritual effort to let the Holy Spirit work in your life! My hope is that all teens and twentysomethings most especially learn this Gospel truth in their lives, and know the inherent dignity that their sexuality contains.

“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.” — Matthew 5:8

The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator.

Reflection:

LORD Jesus Christ, it is only through You that I go to my Heavenly Father. You are truly my LORD ad my GOD. How is it that you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are One? I am lost in Your very mystery of love.

But I find that only in that Triune Mystery of Love do I find my true joy and happiness. Yes, I love people on earth. Yes, I have a purpose on earth. But I love and want to love others only because You loved me first, and I want to transfuse that love to others. I do what I do here on earth because I want to be there with You in Heaven one day. All that I am, everyone I love, all that I do here on earth is ordered for Someone greater who lives and reigns as king somewhere better. =)

Use me, LORD! Let me always be YOURS. For I was made for You!

How do I define friend? To me, a friend is someone I can tell anything to, and I know they will love me and support me for who I am — not necessarily what I do — but who I am at my very core (and even that changes!). The second part: a friend is someone that I am willing to always listen to, and to love and support for who he or she is. I guess mutual respect and trust is key. And just simply enjoying one another’s presence too, of course. A true friend means one is never hesitant to smile, laugh, or just be outright dumb and speak one’s mind.

Human society must primarily be considered something pertaining to the spiritual. Through it, in the bright light of truth, men should share their knowledge, be able to exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations, be inspired to seek spiritual values; mutually derive genuine pleasure from the beautiful, of whatever order it be; always be readily disposed to pass on to others the best of their own cultural heritage; and eagerly strive to make their own the spiritual achievements of others. These benefits not only influence, but at the same time give aim and scope to all that has bearing on cultural expressions, economic, and social institutions, political movements and forms, laws, and all other structures by which society is outwardly established and constantly developed.

REFLECTION:

We are all called to help to build the Kingdom of God, to help make society a better place… a place that will help to foster not just bodies, but souls… not just the physical, or emotional, but… spiritual!

As CS Lewis said: “You do not have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”

Reflection: I am excited to be a lay person in this world. I’m ready to fight the good battles, I’m ready to run and finish the race, I am ready to keep the beautiful faith that is Catholicism. I am ready to offer my life up to God so that others may see the Light of Christ within me. I am ready to help “impregnate culture and human works with a moral value” by virtue of my own virtuous life. Send me, Lord!

Reflection:

No *wonder* Jesus always says, “Go, your faith has saved you!” after he heals someone miraculously.

Jesus wants to work miracles in my life too. I just gotta have faith.

Moreover, I gotta pass on this faith to others. I gotta show them the flame that is my own on my single candle, so that they may light their own candles. For we are all journeying through this at times very dark world together. We must all be aware that we must believe and have faith that we will be met at the end of our journey with Christ: He who is pure bright, brilliant, and shining Light Himself! It is faith in Christ that saves us, and that allows Him to transform our lives in big miracles but also everyday little miracles, where we triumph over our own human nature (or, let Him raise us up above it) when we unite our will to His Holy Will — to the Divine.

Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of the parents themselves. God himself said: “It is not good that man should be alone,” and “from the beginning [he] made them male and female”; wishing to associate them in a special way in his own creative work, God blessed man and woman with the words: “Be fruitful and multiply.” Hence, true married love and the whole structure of family life which results from it, without diminishment of the other ends of marriage, are directed to disposing the spouses to cooperate valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will increase and enrich his family from day to day.¹⁶³

Reflection: I find that last line interestingly worded: that having children — being fruitful and multiplying! — “enriches God’s family from day to day.” Married couples co-create with the Creator (God) by being instruments in which He, God, can bring about new souls, beautiful masterpieces!!, into existence. But it is not like God paints these souls, these masterpieces, and then simply displays them in His collection, His gallery of His people (sons and daughters). No. On the contrary, God creates human souls with personalities, talents, and gifts, all their own. God then blesses them with free will to either love Him and others… or not. Yes, every day that these souls live, they have the opportunity to bless others and to bless Him back through their acts of love that only they as unique masterpieces of God can contribute! And this love that they are called to communicate to the world: it is simple, yet oftentimes very demanding. This is precisely why God has called us into the world not only via the Church, or churches… but through domestic churches: the family. It is not in the Church at large or hometown churches that we most intimately learn about demanding love: it is in the domestic church that we learn about demanding love. For it is most intimately in family life that we learn to truly suffer for and serve — as well as joyfully delight in, adore, and build up!– others.

The day I meet Him, though, I want to tell Our Lord that with my whole whole heart I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race… and I have kept the faith. =)

Reflection: The best day of my life so far has been my Confirmation day. I felt like I was giving my “fiat,” my “yes!” to the Lord with my whole heart.