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Author: Editorial Staff,
Is it not significant that the Decalog includes two commandments relating to sex and human sexuality? How important this area of human life must be if the Creator Himself protects it with His commandments? Small wonder, then, that for a period of over five years Servant of God John Paul II used his Wednesday catechetical sessions to speak about the theology of the human body; that is, about sex, sexuality, and the mystery of the sacrament of matrimony. Aware of the appalling state of ignorance prevailing in this area, even among believers, John Paul II restated for us the timeless teaching of the Catholic Church. In creating us, he tells us, God implanted in our hearts a desire for an indestructible love. Only such a love can satisfy our desire for happiness. That is why God calls us to love one another as He loves us. In a special way this love is to be realized in the intimate love between a man and a woman, a union that God seals with the sign of the sacrament of matrimony. Marriage, as a sacrament, becomes an image and icon of the Holy Trinity. Thus sexual intimacy is meant to reveal the invisible mystery of God’s love residing in the mutual love of the spouses. What is more, it is meant to be a sharing in the life and love of the Blessed Trinity. In God’s plan, sexual intimacy should always express an unselfish lavishing of our spiritual and bodily abundance on our spouse, in Jesus Christ — forever. Such sexual intimacy is able to taste not only sensual pleasure, but even more so, a spiritual and bodily banquet, an experience of mutual love that is immersed in the love of God, the source of holiness, the sacred sign of the sacrament of marriage. Such an experience of sexual intimacy can only exist within the sacramental union of marriage in which the spouses have hearts that our both pure and capable of loving, when, in short, they are in a state of sanctifying grace. In God’s pedagogy, love is always preeminent. Sexual pleasure and the affective state remain subordinate to the law of love — i.e. to the total and unselfish giving of the self — for always. In this light we can see what terrible evils sins of impurity are. Premarital and extramarital sex, contraceptive use, conscious and deliberate arousal of sexual pleasure through masturbation, petting, oral sex, homosexual acts, pornography etc — all these are breaches of God’s commandments, for they are a contradiction of the gift of self, a selfish act of focusing on ourselves. They lead us to the hell of egoism by making us dependent on sexual experiences and enslaving us in the same way that narcotic drugs and alcohol enslave us. Objectively speaking, these are mortal sins, for they destroy God’s gift of a pure heart. They destroy our personhood and lead us into a state of spiritual death and enslavement to the powers of evil. Our Lady of Fatima told Blessed Jacinta that today the sins that doom most souls to the reality of Hell — i.e. that terrible state of absolute selfishness — are precisely the sins of impurity. These are not insignificant sins! Rather they are deeds that destroy love and lead to that most terrible of misfortunes, which is the loss of eternal life. Le us never forget that it is only within the sacrament of marriage that Christ gives us the right to express mutual love in sexual intimacy. “Because I love you, I will not go to bed with you until we are united in marriage.” Only such an attitude will ensure that your boyfriend or girlfriend truly loves you. By proposing to have sex with you before you are married, your partner displays blatant selfishness. In order that you may live the sexual life that God desires, you must prepare yourselves for the sacrament of matrimony by accepting His gift of a pure heart. This gift is a great treasure, which you obtain by working hard on yourselves — and only with Jesus. Dear readers! Jesus desires you to be happy. He desires to give meaning to your life, to fill the gnawing void within your soul. He wants to offer you the fullness of life. Today He invites you to enter into that special bond with Himself by joining the Movement of Pure Hearts. No matter how you have lived in the past, you can entrust yourself to Jesus. You can embark on the most marvelous adventure of your life: that of growing in love. Jesus has the power to raise you up every time you fall into sin, to heal every wound in your heart. He wants to do this, but He also respects your freedom and awaits your consent. Today you can offer Him your powerlessness, impotence, and discouragement. You can offer Him all your dreams, hopes, and expectations. Entrust to Him your life as it is now and allow Him to transform you. Do not be afraid to renounce all that is but an illusion of happiness. If only you desire it, Jesus will see to it that you will experience the joy of life in its fullness. In choosing Jesus and living the life of the Gospel without compromise, you are not alone. Thousands of young people like you have entrusted their lives to Jesus by joining the Movement of Pure Hearts. They have risen to the challenge of living day by day with a pure heart. But in taking this path, they do not walk alone. They walk with Jesus, who is risen. You too can discover the joy of walking with Jesus! If you are willing to entrust your life to Him and join the Movement of Pure Hearts, make a clean breast of your sins to Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance, receive Him in Holy Communion, and say the following Prayer of Consecration: Lord Jesus, I am thankful that You love me with a love that rights the greatest wrongs and heals the most hurtful wounds. I offer You my memory, my mind, my soul, my body, my sexuality. I vow not to engage in sexual acts until I am united with my spouse in the Sacrament of Marriage. From this day forth, I will not read, buy, or watch pornographic materials. [Here, women may wish to add: I vow to dress modestly and in no way to arouse lustful thoughts or desires in others.] I solemnly promise to meet You every day in prayer, scriptural meditation, frequent reception of Holy Communion, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I also pledge to avail myself regularly of the Sacrament of Penance, not to give in to discouragement, and to pick myself up promptly every time I fall into sin. Dear Jesus, teach me the practice of self-discipline and to control my sexual desires and feelings. Give me the courage to resist the easy way in my daily walk through life. Help me to avoid everything that weakens and enslaves the will: nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. Teach me to place love at the very center of my life. Mary, my Mother, guide me in my journey of faith. Lead me to the very source of Love — to Jesus, that I may trust and believe in Him alone. After the example of Servant of God, John Paul II, I desire to entrust myself entirely to you: Totus Tuus, Mary! Blessed Caroline, procure for me the gift of a pure heart. Amen! Inform our editorial office of your decision to become a member of our Movement. Send us your name, exact address, date of birth, and the date you joined MPH. We in turn will enroll you in our Book of Pure Hearts and send you a special blessing. Renew your promises every day. Invite Jesus into your life that He may act in it and transform you. And if you fall into sin, pick yourself up at once. Return to the One who awaits you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for He wants to show you His love by forgiving you your sins. Draw up a daily plan, which allots a space for prayer, diligent work, rest, and recreation. This way you will make the best use of your time, which is a gift intended not only for you, but also for others — for “time is love.” If you are already persevering in the work of the Movement, Jesus calls you to renew your promises, to rise to yet a higher level of trust in and intimacy with Him, to work on yourself with even greater zeal. With the help of His grace make the effort of developing your spiritual life. Discover the inexhaustible riches of daily Communion. Allow Jesus to form you through regular confession of your sins. When adoring Him before the Blessed Sacrament, allow Him to make room in your soul for the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to act in you and through you. Discover God’s presence in the events of your everyday life. Share God’s love with others by personally witnessing to Him, for you have been sent to proclaim to others the words of life that you have received. Jesus invites you write down your personal testimony and send it to LOA for publication. The editors of Love One Another Magazine The above article was published with permission from "Love One Another!" - April 2016 Read more Christian articles (English)
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