Purity

SEXUAL REVOLUTION : 

SEXUAL REVOLUTION AND COUNTER REVOLUTION

Dignity of human person : 

Dignity of human person CCC 357 Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. CREATED IN THE IMAGE & LIKENESS OF GOD. 1. self‑knowledge (intelligence) 2. freely giving himself (will) and entering into communion with other persons.

Slide 3: 

Purity and chastity: habits that clean our hearts “Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall see God”

Relates to others : 

Relates to others Relation to others: as persons Perfections of person make possible gift of self to God and to others Man (and woman) a personal and social being

VOCATION : 

VOCATION One of the recurring themes of John Paul II in TOB is that we are called to communion and to loving self-donation.

PERSON: Body and Soul : 

PERSON: Body and Soul Soul and body form the unity of person Don’t just have a body, we are also our body Body as well as soul shares in dignity of ‘image of God’

Human person is FREE : 

Human person is FREE Author and master of own acts Need to make good use of freedom Not just following instincts Self-control and self-giving to others Develop self commitment

Fashion self through actions : 

Fashion self through actions Good habits/stable dispositions = virtues Good habits strengthen man/woman as person Bad habits/vices lead to slavery of sin Inner fight for Good / Evil

Virtue & complete personPURITY : 

Virtue & complete personPURITY Virtue makes person a more complete person Virtue lead to true freedom Enables self-giving and loving more completely Enriches person, confirms inclination towards God

Evil use of freedomsexual revolution : 

Evil use of freedomsexual revolution Original sin led to profound disorder / lack of harmony in each person Faculties of soul don’t easily direct and dominate lower faculties Conflicts between feelings and passions; voluntary acts and what reason presents as appropriate Today we witness a sexual revolution, accelerated in the late 1960’s. Exaltation of “freedom” (licentiousness)

Evil use of freedom : 

Evil use of freedom Quiz (check one) Q: What has contributed the most good to our culture in the XX century? contraceptives cars computers T.V.s and V.C.R.s Contraception Contribution?

Evil use of freedom : 

Evil use of freedom Casual, Recreational Sex

Evil use of freedom : 

Evil use of freedom SOME CONSEQUENCES OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION: More contraception More abortions and abortifacients More children born outside marriage More sexual activity among teenagers (more vulnerable). More STD among teenagers More divorces

Early Predictions : 

Early Predictions Control the population crisis Reduce the number of unwed pregnancies and abortions Improve marriages

Catholics and Contraception : 

Catholics and Contraception Catholics 1960:66% did NOT contracept 66% 80% Catholics 1995:80% contracept

Slide 16: 

Teen Sexual Activity in US

Out of Wedlock Births : 

Out of Wedlock Births Percentage of out of wedlock births Source: William J. Bennett, The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators

Contraception ->Abortions : 

Contraception ->Abortions

Cohabitation and Divorce : 

Cohabitation and Divorce Couples now live together before marriage and split up after marriage!

Divorce Rates : 

Divorce Rates Divorces (per 1,000 married women)

Single Parent Families : 

Single Parent Families Percentage of All Families with Children

Reasons to condemn Contraception : 

Reasons to condemn Contraception a violation of the good of a woman’s physical and psychological health an impediment to the total self-giving of spousal love a rejection of God as Creator of new life

Impediment to Total Self-Giving : 

Impediment to Total Self-Giving

God Creates Every Human Soul : 

God Creates Every Human Soul

Contraceptive Thwarts God’s Life-Giving power : 

Contraceptive Thwarts God’s Life-Giving power

Feelings and will : 

Feelings and will Voluntarist / rationalist (Kant – Lao Tse <Taoism>: duty for the sake of duty Feelings ignored as being inferior Sentimentalist Feelings (e.g. love) can justify any action No reference to moral order Do what feel like doing Demand rights but forget duties Aim = enjoy oneself irrespective of consequences

Feelings and will : 

Feelings and will How to practice purity? Balanced interaction between reason, will, passions Daily struggle Help of sacraments and spiritual guidance Enabled to act according to principles and values Be a person who determines the tone of his/her environment (fashion, conversations, etc). He /she does not follow what the majority do, but WHAT IS GOOD.

ModestyProtect inner life : 

ModestyProtect inner life Sensations, thoughts, decisions and desires contribute to our inner life Refers not just to soul, but also to body Dress not just to serve needs of body, but also to help keep body private Immodesty, showing off, ‘back to nature’ vs. personal integrity Modesty and sense of physical shame protect our inner life

Preserve personal dignity : 

Preserve personal dignity Involves clothes, care of appearance, gestures, conversations Taking good care of personal privacy, enriches Enriches own dignity Enriches dignity of others Fosters stability of families Promotes other goods that are signs of civilisation

Loss of sense of shame : 

Loss of sense of shame A clear sign of decadence in society Manifested by eroticism, pornography and permissiveness Devil: roaring lion

Complementarity for those called to a vocation in marriage : 

Complementarity for those called to a vocation in marriage Creating the human race in his own image . . .. God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion”. “God created man in his own image . . . male and female he created them”; He blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply”; CCC 2331 Chastity also in marriage

Counter-revolutionHoly Purity : 

Counter-revolutionHoly Purity Chastity represents an eminently personal task Need of a counter-revolution today it also involves a cultural effort, for there is “an interdependence between personal betterment and the improvement of society”. CCC 2344

Man and woman : 

Man and woman Different characteristics are physiological - not through education or environment. Different affectivity. Way body is made affects spirit Gender moulds emotional and intellectual life of man and woman Feel, perceive reality, seek solutions to problems in different way

Holy Purity : 

Holy Purity Self‑mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life. [Cf. Titus 2:1‑6] The effort required can be more intense in certain periods, such as when the personality is being formed during childhood and adolescence. CCC 2342

The struggle for chastity : 

The struggle for chastity True love: not just something physical Chastity, the virtue that rules sexuality Chastity, a clear sign of genuine love Chastity among courting couples an apprenticeship in love and fidelity

The struggle for chastity : 

The struggle for chastity Chastity neither first nor most important of virtues Fight to grow in it made much easier by struggles in other areas Be aware of proximate and remote occasions for faults against chastity

Areas of struggle : 

Areas of struggle Temperance and discipline in food and drink Rejection of material that is superficial, provocative or pornographic Reject material that fosters immoral lifestyles Overcome excessive concern about dress or figure Modesty in dress (both in public and in private)

Areas of struggle : 

Areas of struggle Dealing with boys at parties, dates etc Decency in gestures (walking, sitting, standing, dancing) Decency in conversations and jokes Courtship: prudence Danger of same sex attraction

Conclusion : 

Conclusion Need for conviction that purity is possible Don’t go with the crowd – set your own agenda Clarify problems and doubts through guidance Gospel teaching: purity is necessary to see and love God Rely on supernatural supports

Conclusion : 

Conclusion Rely on supernatural supports sacraments piety love for the Blessed Virgin Mary mortification sincerity humility Avoid idleness