January 20, 2012
Virtues of the Human Heart and Spirit
The Virtue of Chastity
Scott Whitehouse, a theology teacher at Mater Dei High School in Evansville, engaged his senior students in a project, assigning them to write essays on the “Virtues of the Human Heart and Spirit.”
The assignment included the guidance to “write a one page essay on the merits of the value assigned and offering suggestions on ways that value can be developed to enhance a person’s daily life.”
Students were free to include their own opinions and to challenge the readers to live in accord with the virtue.
Essays have been submitted to the Message on chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility. Selected essays will be published on an occasional basis in the Message.
Ryan Fehrenbacher
The virtue of chastity is defined by most people as abstaining from sexual conduct until you are married or according to a person’s vocation or state in life. This virtue helps us control our desire and attraction for pleasure. This virtue can help support a person’s marriage and family life if that person practices this virtue.
This virtue is very important to the youth of today. Younger people are becoming parents even when though they are not ready to be them. Even though children are a gift from God, the youth of today should not get involved with that responsibility. They need to wait till they are married and with someone they truly love before they start to have kids. Teenagers can be caught up in romantic feeling and end up becoming parents. If our youth practice the virtue of chastity, there would be a lot less teenage pregnancies and more families that wait till after they are married.
When I was typing this paper and came upon the question “How can you personally model the virtue positively for others to see?” I thought of this club that was at my grade school that gave us wristbands that said “abstain to obtain.” If you practice the virtue of chastity and continue to practice it through your marriage, you will have a more prosperous marriage.
The virtue of chastity is a virtue that everyone needs to practice even if they are going into the priesthood, getting married, or are just single. This. virtue is a very important virtue. The youth of today should practice this virtue because waiting till you are married is the best way to make sure that you can finish your teenage years rather than become an adult early.
Aaron Kempf
. . . One of the main points of chastity is respecting others. With access to the Web filled with dirty images and a more promiscuous media in America, temptation is there for many. One way to stifle this want is to acknowledge chastity is to acknowledge that another’s body is a temple of the Holy Spirit rather than just an object. God created everyone in his image and said he will dwell in us so it is true that our bodies are more than what we are composed of – flesh and blood. We possess in each of us the God that created us, so we must not forget that.
Kelsey Goebel
Chastity is not just about abstaining from sexual intercourse; it’s so much more. Everyone has a different point of view on this subject. I believe it’s one of the most important parts of a relationship because a relationship between two people shouldn’t be based on pleasure. Many people in today’s world see this simple thing as such a big deal and make it what their relationship is all about. Chastity is what makes a relationship stronger and pure. If all two people can do to make each other happy is to have sex then they shouldn’t be together. That’s lust, not love, and who really sets out for life dreaming of lust? The world today has things a little backwards in my point of view. Sexual intercourse should be one of the last parts of a relationship the two people worry about.
I can model this by stating my opinion and trying to convince others a relationship is nothing if it’s based on something so unimportant. I can also set better standards for myself and hope that the man in my life will love and care about me enough to wait. If he can’t then he’s not worth my time because it is not true love. I think everyone should have standards for themselves to have someone that truly loves and cares about them. Many couples are only truly in love and happy when they can say they abstained from sex because they know their relationship is based on so much more.
Chastity is pure and honest; just like a relationship will be if it’s chaste. The only way to find if someone truly loves you is to see if they are willing to wait around for you and to care about you enough it doesn’t matter if sex is involved. A relationship is about trust, honesty, sacrifice, satisfaction, loyalty, compassion, and so much more. People should really take the time to sit down and think about what they want in their relationship and how to achieve that. They will realize it will be so much easier to accomplish if sex is not involved.
Cody Adler
. . . I’d also tell that person [who thinks chastity is impossible] to turn off the TV and quit listening to the media and open their eyes to the real world. We don’t live in a sit-com series where everything is an act. We live in the real world where we have to decide our own future and what to believe in . . . .
Ben Niemeier
. . . It is possible to personally model the virtue positively for others by staying chaste and letting people know how it is so much better for your faith relationship with God. Some people model chastity in the wrong way, because everyone knows about it and I wouldn’t want to be remembered like that.
Van Masterson
This is the time in which the choices that you make will affect you for the rest of your life. A bad choice from when you were eighteen or nineteen can haunt you for the rest of your life. It is important to have virtues because they will prevent you from making the wrong choices. One of these virtues is chastity.
A lot of people consider chastity as a word meaning abstaining from pre-marital sex, but that is not all it applies to. Chastity can be applied to just about anything in our daily lives. It can also be applied to the purity of your thought process and betterment through education. An example of a situation where chastity is often used is within a romantic relationship. The couple practices chastity in order to keep themselves pure for the sake of their future spouses.
As with any virtue, remaining chaste is not easy and can often be a daunting task. Many Christian youth feel the tug-of-war effect between the teachings of the Church and the teachings of modern society. The Catholic Church teaches that the conjugal act is the epitome of giving oneself completely to someone else, and it shouldn’t be done for lustful purposes. Modern society, however, teaches that any sex is acceptable as long as it is between two consenting adults. Through this practice, sex has become a recreational activity in today’s society and has lost much of the sacredness it once possessed. Whenever you are considering which path to follow, remember this. Just because everyone is doing it doesn’t make it right.
Brandon Wright
. . . Chastity in the Church has made me realize that love is not about lust, but rather about dedicating myself to my wife someday and to God.
Joey Jourdan
. . . While we are promoting the virtue of chastity to the youth of our society, it is vital to make clear that the virtue of chastity is not just saying no to sex, but a yes to authentic love. It is not a constant repetition of no, but a continual yes to Jesus. The most important detail about the virtue of chastity would have to be: rather than trying to live life trying not to offend God, we should live life trying to honor him. Every single act in our lives can be considered an act of worship to God.
Living a truly chaste life brings freedom, respect, friendship, security and romance. As a form of self mastery and temperance, it helps us to make present God’s fidelity and loving kindness. It not only betters you, but also you set examples for others even though you may not know it.
Joey Jourdan
. . . While we are promoting the virtue of chastity to the youth of our society, it is vital to make clear that the virtue of chastity is not just saying no to sex, but a yes to authentic love. It is not a constant repetition of no, but a continual yes to Jesus. The most important detail about the virtue of chastity would have to be: rather than trying to live life trying not to offend God, we should live life trying to honor him. Every single act in our lives can be considered an act of worship to God.
Living a truly chaste life brings freedom, respect, friendship, security and romance. As a form of self mastery and temperance, it helps us to make present God’s fidelity and loving kindness. It not only betters you, but also you set examples for others even though you may not know it.