CHASTITY

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (12 OF 12)

Chastity moderates desire for sexual pleasure, the body’s most imperious passion, according to principles of faith and right reason. The practice of chastity is control of our thoughts and discipline of our senses, especially the eyes. It is greatly assisted by modesty and purity.

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NEW AMERICAN BIBLE REFERENCES

Matthew 5:28 shares with us the standard of Jesus Christ himself: "But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

With God’s grace, may we all be chaste. In Matthew 5:8, Jesus - through the Beatitudes- tells us that being so is a blessing. "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God." Amen.

Mark 7:21-23 warns us: "21 From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. 23 All these evils come from within and they defile."

1 Corinthians 3:16-17: "16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy."

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

(CCC) REFERENCES

There are 30 references to CHASTITY in the CCC. Please click HERE to review them.

Those listed below are taken from the Index:

and Baptism, 2345, 2348, 2355; call to, 2337, 2348, 2394; and charity, 2346; conjugal chastity and marriage, 2365, 2368; consecrated life and, 915, 944; following Christ and, 2053; friendship and, 2347; Holy Spirit at the origin of the virtue of, 1832, 2345; and homosexuality, 2357-59; increase in, 2343; meaning of, 2395; offenses against, 2351-56, 2396; pure hearts and, 2518, 2520, 2532; stages of growth in, 2339, 2341, 2344, 2346, 2395; and states of life, 2348-50; temperance, the virtue that directs, 2341; of those engaged to marry, 1632, 2350.