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By ks. Mieczysław Piotrowski TChr,
The topic of chastity received special emphasis during World Youth Day in Sydney. One of the official patronesses of this year’s event was St. Maria Goretti, a twelve-year-old Italian girl who sacrificed her life in defence of her purity. The catechetical sessions held during WYD in Sydney stressed the attainment of purity as an integral part of growing in faith, for it is only with a chaste heart that we can love God and experience His presence. The most popular sessions were those given by American professor Christopher West on John Paul II’s theology of the body. In an exceptionally captivating manner he laid bare the genius and striking relevance of this theology. The theology addresses central questions concerning human sex and sexuality. Based on the Holy Scriptures and Church teachings, it explains how human sexual intimacy conforms to God’s plans and how it should be lived. Indeed, it covers the entire area of human sexuality. John Paul II stresses that the human body and its innate sexuality “was created to bring into the visible reality of the world the mystery eternally hidden in God, and thus to be a sign of it” (Homily, February 20, 1980). What is this mystery? God revealed to us that He is the perfect union of love. He is “an eternal exchange of love — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and He has destined us to share in that exchange” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 221). This call to a mutual, unselfish bestowal of love is inscribed in the human body, in its differentiation of the sexes (masculinity and femininity), and in a man and woman’s vocation to “become one flesh” (Gn 2:24). Thus, God implanted into human sexuality the call to participate in that exchange of love, which is present in the Holy Trinity. God created human beings male and female so that through a generous self-giving they might become an image of His divine love. The supreme fruit of a man and woman’s personal union in love is a new human person. Thus, the conjugal act, expressing a husband and wife’s oneness in love, conforms to God’s plan that they be an icon of the Holy Trinity, a sign of the Sacrament of Marriage, an image of Christ’s union with the human race in the mystery of His incarnation, death, and resurrection. “For this reason,” writes Saint Paul, “a man shall leave behind his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one. This is a great secret truth, which I understand as applying to Christ and the Church” (Eph 5:31-32). Such, then, is God’s design: that the human body and sexual intimacy reveal His eternal mystery of love and express a total, unselfish gift of the self to the person of the spouse in Jesus Christ “for as long as both shall live.” Only in a sacramental marital union is this possible. Only in the Sacrament of Marriage does Jesus Christ make a man and woman man capable of such a gift and such unity, so that the sexual act truly becomes a source of mutual sanctification, a sacred sign of the Sacrament of Marriage, a true celebration of body and soul, and a witness to God’s presence in the couple’s intimate union. In the marital act, when both spouses are pure in heart, it is love that prevails, while sexual pleasure remains subordinate to it. By giving us the Sixth and Ninth Commandments, God defends the dignity of the human person, prohibiting the use of the human person as a sexual object. For this reason, sex before marriage, adultery, pornography, contraception, the practice of homosexuality, and any other conscious and wilful act of sexual arousal belong to the category of serious sins, for they destroy our love and freedom, lead us into the hell of selfishness, and bring on spiritual death. How tragic it is when such behaviors are treated as normal, for as the Servant of God warns us: “When conscience, this bright lamp of the soul (cf. Mt 6:22-23) calls “evil good and good evil” (cf Is 5:20), it is already on the path to the most alarming corruption and the darkest moral blindness. And yet all the conditioning and efforts to enforce silence fail to stifle the voice of the Lord echoing in the conscience of every individual. It is always from this intimate sanctuary of the conscience that a new journey of love, openness, and service to human life can begin.” (Evangelium Vitae, 24). Dear Reader! Jesus Christ invites you too to follow the road to mature love in the Movement of Pure Hearts. Remember that Jesus forgives all sins and frees us from the worst addictions, while asking of us only one thing: that we trust Him implicitly and seek His healing in the Movement of Hearts. In order to do this, make a good sacramental Confession sins before Christ, receive Holy Communion, then entrust yourself to Him in 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, girls 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!” Recite this act of consecration to Jesus every day so that you may remember what you have pledged yourself to; in particular, not to give in to discouragement and to pick yourself up every time you fall into sin. Please inform the editorial team of your decision to join the MPH community. Send us your address and date of birth. We in turn will enrol you in the Book of Pure Hearts and send you a special blessing. Jesus asks that you write down your testimonies and submit them to us. Our daily prayers are with you. May you never despair. Remember! God will not allow you to be tried beyond your strength, for with the trial He will provide you with sufficient graces (cf. 1 Cor 10:13).
Fr. Mieczyslaw Piotrowski SChr.
Published in February 2012.
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