Day 307: Offenses Against Chastity

Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes. CCC 2351

In today's reading, the Catechism outlines offenses against chastity that were first introduced yesterday. Reading through these, it's no wonder that lust is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Theology of the Body I've heard discusses these topics in more depth, but I confess to not having studied it yet. Since I'm basically "filling in the gaps" due to age and what I believe I've missed over the years, hence why I'm I've been doing this re-read of the Catechism, I plan on doing so soon.

The Catechism Compendium gives a summary of what the principal sins against chastity are:

Grave sins against chastity differ according to their object: adultery, masturbation, fornication, pornography, prostitution, rape, and homosexual acts. These sins are expressions of the vice of lust. These kinds of acts committed against the physical and moral integrity of minors become even more grave. (#492)

To be honest, I don't understand why masturbation is considered a "grave sin against chastity," especially for teenagers. It seems a rather victimless offense unless done to the exclusion of intimacy with a future spouse. Fornication cheapens the sexual act, and for most of my life, the "hook-up culture" has caused untold problems for society as a whole. So has pornography, which also unknowingly, for those involved, victimizes those who make and distribute it. The negative effects of pornography have become more and more known, especially with the easy access online, which is why I'm glad that some efforts have been made to restrict or ban it. Prostitution, like pornography, also has detrimental effects on society as well as essentially making fornication a money-making affair. Rape is a heinous crime and rightly deemed gravely sinful. It robs the victims of their human dignity for the sake of a few minutes of selfish gratification. To use someone like that against their will in no way can be licit and permissible by God, as I understand it. Whether it's done during wartime as an act of perceived righteous vengeance against an enemy, or in other times, it's always gravely sinful. When any of these involve children, the grave sin is only compounded exponentially and rightly condemned (Matt 18:10). Finally, there are homosexual acts. I'm going to comment on that one tomorrow, since that's the reading for then.

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some good commentary on this:

You are made in God's image and likeness. You are worth living for and worth dying for. You are worth conquering death for. That is how much God loves you. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, and he also consoles us. Let us allow him to convict us and console us. If sins against chastity are part of your story, your story is not over... Sexual desire on its own has been given to us by God. We are built this way. It is part of what it is to be a human being. The sexual act is intended to be a gift of self ordered toward procreation and marital unity. Any distortion of this is disordered. (p. 130)

Day 306: Gift of Self

Charity is the form of all the virtues. Under its influence, chastity appears as a school of the gift of the person. Self-mastery is ordered to the gift of self. Chastity leads him who practices it to become a witness to his neighbor of God's fidelity and loving kindness. CCC 2346

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the gift of self in terms of chastity. As discussed yesterday, all Christians are called to chastity, but only a few are called to celibacy (CCC 2348-49). There are many forms of sin against chastity stemming from the vice of lust, including adultery, masturbation, fornication, pornography, prostitution, rape, and homosexual acts. Each of these is probably even worse when it involves minors due to the exploitation of their innocence. Needless to say, one who falls into any of these needs to repent and confess their sinful acts. The Catechism provides more detail on these topics in tomorrow's reading.

The Catechism Compendium summarizes in what way everyone is called to live chastity:

As followers of Christ, the model of all chastity, all the baptized are called to live chastely in keeping with their particular states of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy, which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others, if they are married, live in conjugal chastity, or if unmarried, practice chastity in continence. (#491)

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some good commentary on this: 

As bodily and spiritual beings, our integrity is the extent to which we keep in harmony those two aspects of ourselves. Our call is ruling ourselves and learning to have a new heart. Love is a giving of self, and every virtue is motivated by love... Chastity is not just about saying no but is oriented toward a meaningful yes. Every person is made to make a gift of himself or herself to another or to the Church. If you cannot say no, what does your yes mean? Chastity and celibacy are not about perpetual bachelorhood but about being a gift. Those living in consecrated life are single so they can more fully give of themselves. (p. 128) 

Day 305: The Call to Chastity

Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man's belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. The virtue of chastity, therefore, involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift. CCC 2337

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the call to chastity. Everyone is called to chastity, but not all are called to celibacy. Understanding the difference between the two is key.

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some good commentary on this:

People are not objects. They are not things to be used. They are persons to be loved. And yet, we often have a distorted vision of other people, where we treat people as things to be used and as objects. Chastity involves learning how to rule ourselves and not be a slave...St. Augustine said, "My perverse will gave rise to my lust. And serving this lust, I established a habit. And since I did not resist this habit, a kind of necessity was born. Thus, link joined to link in what I have called a chain, enslaving me in harsh bondage." If we do not overcome our passions, they will overcome us. (p. 126)

Finally, Fr. Bonaventure Chapman & Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress do a good job explaining the difference between chastity and celibacy: 

Day 304: Male and Female

Each of the two sexes is an image of the power and tenderness of God, with equal dignity, though in a different way. The union of man and woman in marriage is a way of imitating in the flesh the Creator's generosity and fecundity: "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh" [Gen 2:24]. All human generations proceed from this union. CCC 2335

In today's reading, the Catechism begins with the Sixth Commandment by discussing men and women. The union of the two sexes in marriage is necessary for procreation and the continuation of our species. Sure, babies can be made outside of the marital bond, but as we've seen, this does not go well for them or society as a whole. So "the harmony of the couple and society" depends upon the differences, support, and "complementarity" they bring to the marital union (CCC 2333). 

The Catechism Compendium summarizes the responsibility we have regarding our own sexual identity:

God has created human beings as male and female, equal in personal dignity, and has called them to a vocation of love and of communion. Everyone should accept his or her identity as male or female, recognizing its importance for the whole of the person, its specificity, and complementarity. (#487)

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some good commentary on this:

God could have made us like the angels, but when he made human beings, he made them male and female... The first command that God gave to the human race was to procreate, that the love in coming together as male and female would create more life. As you walk through life as a woman or as you walk through life as a man, your life is touched in every way by your womanhood or manhood. Your body matters. The human being is a body-soul composite. (p 124)

This is why transgenderism, so popular among some in modern culture, is something that cannot be accepted or promoted. Besides the fact that it is impossible to change one's biological sex, gender comes from the body we are born with, and "gender cannot be separated from the whole person". Whether we are male or female, we are all born with the gender that God intended to give us.

Day 303: Summary of the Fifth Commandment

Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God. The murder of a human being is gravely contrary to the dignity of the person and the holiness of the Creator. CCC 2319-2320

Today's reading from the Catechism is short, consisting of just an In Brief summarizing the Fifth Commandment that has been covered over the past few days. I really have nothing to add to what I've already said on this, but I did find this video, which gives a good summary of what the Catholic teaching for this commandment:

Day 302: War

The fifth commandment forbids the intentional destruction of human life. Because of the evils and injustices that accompany all war, the Church insistently urges everyone to prayer and to action so that the divine Goodness may free us from the ancient bondage of war. CCC 2307

In today's reading, the Catechism explores Christian teaching on a topic that has plagued mankind since the Battle of the Kings (Gen 14), and undoubtedly even earlier, namely war. Untold millions have suffered, been harmed, and died as a result of the bloodlust we seem to have for each other, stemming from sin (Gen 4:1-16). I myself am a military veteran, coming from a family with a long line of military service. We have military saints in the Church, such as Sts. George, Sebastian, Joan of Arc, Louis IX of France, and others. Yet we all worship the Prince of Peace (Is 9:6), who in His famous Sermon on the Mount teaches peace and nonviolence (Matt 5).  So, how is all of this squared together? The answer is just war theory. War must always be avoided if possible, but self-defense is allowed, not only for individuals but for nations. Bishop Barron does a better job of explaining this in the video below than I can.

The Catechism Compendium summarizes what the moral law requires in the case of war:

Even during a war, the moral law always remains valid. It requires the humane treatment of noncombatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners of war. Deliberate actions contrary to the law of nations, and the orders that command such actions, are crimes, which blind obedience does not excuse. Acts of mass destruction must be condemned, and likewise the extermination of peoples or ethnic minorities, which are most grievous sins. One is morally bound to resist the orders that command such acts. (#485)

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some great commentary on this:

Members of the military, along with police officers, often serve out of a sense of duty. When they do this with honor, "they truly contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace" (CCC 2310). If you are a soldier and you have to kill someone in battle and you carried out your duty honorably, that is not a sin that needs to be confessed. Killing a combatant is not the same thing as murder... We must avoid anger and hatred. But we do not have to hate an enemy to stop that enemy from doing evil. (p. 120)

Day 301: Peace

Respect for and development of human life require peace. Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of power between adversaries. Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity. Peace is "the tranquility of order." Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity. CCC 2304

In today's reading, the Catechism addresses one of the most elusive concepts for humanity: peace. This is not just the "absence of war," but a true peace that respects the dignity of all men in harmony with the will of the Prince of Peace (Is 9:6). The 20th century witnessed some of the most deadly conflicts in human history, as well as widespread persecutions. Christians were brutalized and martyred in numbers not seen since the days of the Roman Empire. The 21st century doesn't seem to be doing much better so far. In all of this, a lack of charity for our fellow man has harmed the pursuit of real peace. Even bringing this down to the personal level, how many times have we nurtured hatred or a desire for revenge in our hearts? To cultivate peace, we must not only do so within ourselves but also for others. That may be a big part, so one by one until it spreads over the whole world.

The Catechism Compendium summarizes what the Lord asks of each of us concerning peace:

The Lord proclaimed, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt 5:9). He called for peace of heart and denounced the immorality of anger, which is a desire for revenge for some evil suffered. He also denounced hatred, which leads one to wish evil on one’s neighbor. These attitudes, if voluntary and consented to in matters of great importance, are mortal sins against charity. (#480)

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some excellent commentary on this:

Emotions, in themselves, are neither right nor wrong... To say we want justice because justice is a good idea does not wound our soul. To say we desire to forgive because forgiveness is an amazing good does not wound our soul. But to say we want to make this person pay because of a thirst for revenge that is in our heart, that actually wounds our soul. That kind of anger does not lead to justice; it leads to further violence and hatred. If we cultivate a hatred of someone, we wound ourselves. Jesus calls us to live a life of peace, to forgive our enemies, to love our enemies, to pray for those who hurt us. (p. 118)