"A clean heart is a free heart. A free heart can love Christ with an undivided love in chastity, convinced that nothing and nobody will separate it from his love. Purity, chastity, and virginity created a special beauty in Mary that attracted God's attention. He showed his great love for the world by giving Jesus to her."
Mother Teresa Calcutta
In the secular world, according to the Free Dictionary, Chastity is:
- chas·ti·ty (chăs′tĭ-tē)
- n. The condition or quality of being chaste, especially the condition of not having had sexual intercourse or of abstaining from sexual relations.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
- Chastity
-
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 Chris (n. 2345).
Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being [1] (no. 2337)."
In other words, chastity is far more than just saying NO to sex.
What are you saying YES to?
According to the One More Soul website, "chastity is a virtue that directs all our sexual desires, emotions, and attractions toward the dignity of the person and the real meaning of love."
Chastity is a virtue that each baptized person is called to live no matter what his or her vocation. Chastity is more about what you are doing than about what you are not doing. It is MORE than remaining a "technical virgin". Chastity is actually at the heart of a good marriage. So if chastity is lived even after marriage, then it has to be more than just saying NO to sex.
Below are bullet points from the full brochure. To read it online, you can click here.
Practical Things You Can Do to Start Living Chastity NOW
According to the One More Soul website, "chastity is a virtue that directs all our sexual desires, emotions, and attractions toward the dignity of the person and the real meaning of love."
Chastity is a virtue that each baptized person is called to live no matter what his or her vocation. Chastity is more about what you are doing than about what you are not doing. It is MORE than remaining a "technical virgin". Chastity is actually at the heart of a good marriage. So if chastity is lived even after marriage, then it has to be more than just saying NO to sex.
Below are bullet points from the full brochure. To read it online, you can click here.
- Chastity is saying YES to AUTHENTIC real love.
- Chastity is saying YES to you.
- Chastity is saying YES to the person.
- Chastity is saying YES to the "it is very good" kind of sex.
- Chastity is saying YES to your future spouse.
- Chastity is saying YES to a great future.
- Chastity is saying YES to God.
Practical Things You Can Do to Start Living Chastity NOW
- PRAY!!
- Start loving now.
- Be yourself.
- Practice self-discipline.
- Control your thoughts and imagination.
- Think about how you advertise yourself.
- Be alert!
- Know Yourself.
- Have a reminder.
- Group date.
Chastity Speakers
Theology of The Body
Resources
Living Chastely
Matt Fradd, Catholic speaker, shares four ways to overcome lust and live chastely.
Matt Fradd, Catholic speaker, shares four ways to overcome lust and live chastely.