404 CHASTE LOVE

YOUCAT Lesson 404

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

 404 What is chaste love?  Why should a Christian live a chaste life?

A chaste love is a love that defends itself against all the internal and external forces that might destroy it.  That person is chaste who has consciously accepted his sexuality and integrated it well into his personality.  Chastity and continence are not the same thing.  Someone who has an active sex life in marriage must be chaste, too.  A person acts chastely when his bodily activity is the expression of dependable, faithful love.  [2238]

Jesus in the house of his parents, by John Everett Millais. …..404

Chastity must not be confused with prudishness.  A person who lives chastely is not the plaything of his lusts but, rather, lives his sexuality deliberately, motivated by love, and as an expression of that love.  Unchaste behavior weakens love and obscures its meaning.  The Catholic Church advocates a holistic-ecological approach to sexuality.  This includes sexual pleasure, which is something good and beautiful; personal love; and fruitfulness, which means openness to having children.  It is the understanding of the Catholic Church that these three aspects of sexuality belong together.  Now if a man has one woman for sexual pleasure, a second to whom he writes love poetry, and a third with whom to have children, then he is exploiting all three and really loves none of them.

“Be sober, be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour.”  1 Peter 5:8

“Everything that makes a sexual encounter easy hastens at the same time its plunge into irrelevance.”  Paul Ricoeur (1913-2005 French philosopher)

Chastity (from Latin castus, clean, pure, temperate): the virtue by which a person who is capable of passion deliberately and resolutely reserves his erotic desires for love and resists the temptation to find lewd images in the media or to use others as a means of achieving his own satisfaction.

God is love and in Himself He lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in His own image and continually keeping it in being, God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion.   Love is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.—Pope St. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, November 22, 1981

[2238]

II. THE VOCATION TO CHASTITY

The integrity of the person

2338 The chaste person maintains the integrity of the powers of life and love placed in him. This integrity ensures the unity of the person; it is opposed to any behavior that would impair it. It tolerates neither a double life nor duplicity in speech. (Compare Matthew 5:37.)¹²⁵ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

403 SEXUALITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO LOVE

YOUCAT Lesson 403

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

403  How is sexuality related to love?

Sexuality must not be separated from love; they must go together.  The sexual encounter requires the framework of a true, dependable love.  [2337]

RoseMarie and Don L. Bragg, 40^th wedding anniversary, 2008. ….. 403

My love for Rose has always been care and support.  However, it seems to have taken on a greater dimension of guardianship.  I listen to Rose more attentively, I speak to her of family memories, I notice the flowerbeds and gardens that she tends, I never criticize her handling of her own money, never do I restrict her visits with friends wherever she encounters them, I encourage her to drive to Woodruff unaccompanied (23 miles) as often as she wishes.  We take regular Sunday afternoon drives to nearby communities for relaxation.  If I have a sudden urge to drive to farther places, such as the Lake Superior shoreline, Rose is eager to go along.   Love evolves, but it is ever rich.

When sexuality is separated from love and is sought only for the sake of satisfaction, one destroys the meaning of the sexual union of man and woman.  Sexual union is the most beautiful bodily, sensual expression of love.  People who look for sex without love are lying, because the closeness of their bodies does not correspond to the closeness of their hearts.  Someone who does not take his own body language at its word does lasting damage to body and soul.  Sex then becomes inhuman; it is degraded to a means of obtaining pleasure and degenerates into a commodity.  Only committed, enduring love in marriage creates a space for sexuality that is experienced in a human way and brings lasting happiness.

“Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is by no means something purely biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such.  It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and a woman commit themselves totally to one another until death.  The total physical self-giving would be a lie if it were not the sign and fruit of a total personal self-giving.”  Pope St. John Paul II, (1920-2005) Apostolic Exhortation: “Familiaris Consortio” experienced in a human way and brings lasting happiness.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18)¹¹³

You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ( Matthew 5:27-28)¹¹⁴

[2337]

II. THE VOCATION TO CHASTITY
2337 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.

402 WHAT IS LOVE?

YOUCAT Lesson 402

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

402  What is love?

Love is the free self-giving of the heart.  [2346]

Mary and Jesus (Don C Bragg photo). ….. 402

To have a heart full of love means to be so pleased with something that one emerges from oneself and devotes oneself to it.  A musician can devote himself to a masterpiece.  A kindergarten teacher can be there wholeheartedly for her charges.  In every friendship there is love.  The most beautiful form of love on earth, however, is the love between man and woman, in which two people give themselves to each other forever.  All human love is an image of divine love, in which all love is at home.  Love is the inmost being of the Triune God.  In God there is continual exchange and perpetual self-giving.  Through the overflowing of divine love, we participate in the eternal love of God.  The more a person loves, the more he resembles God.  Love should influence the whole life of a person, but it is realized with particular depth and symbolism when man and woman love one another in marriage and become “one flesh”  (Genesis 2:24)  308

“All the reasons in favor of the ‘subjection’ of woman to man in marriage must be understood in the sense of a ‘mutual subjection’ of both ‘out of reverence for Christ’.”  Saint Pope John Paul II (1920-2005), Apolstolic Letter: “ Mullieris Dignitatem “ (1988)

“Love is of God and he who loves is born of God and knows God.”  1 John 4:7

“One cannot live a trial life or die a trial death.  One cannot love on a trial basis or accept a person on trial and for a limited time.”  Saint Pope John Paul II (1920-2005), November 15, 1980

[2346]

The integrality of the gift of self

2346 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.

401 ALL ARE ONE IN CHRIST JESUS

YOUCAT Lesson 401

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

401  Is there a priority of one sex over the other?

No.  God endowed men and women with identical dignity as persons.  [2331, 2335]

Notre Dame Academy pilgrimage to National Champion Schrine of Our Lady of Good Help. ..... 401

Both men and women are human beings created in God’s image and children of God redeemed by Jesus Christ.  It is just as unchristian as it is inhumane to discriminate unjustly against someone because he is male or female.  Equal dignity and equal rights, nevertheless do not mean uniformity.  The sort of egalitarianism that ignores the specific character of a man or a woman contradicts God’s plan of creation.  54, 260

“Christianity snatched women from a condition that was the equivalent of slavery.”  Madame de Stael (1766-1817, French author)

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  Galatians 3:28

[2331, 2335]

* I. "MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM . . ."

2331 "God is love and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion. 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." (Familiaris Consortio 11)¹¹⁵ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

"God created man in his own image . . . male and female he created them"; (Genesis 1:27.)¹¹⁶ He blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply"; (Genesis 1:28)¹¹⁷ "When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created." (Genesis 5:1-2.)¹¹⁸ --CCC

2332 Sexuality affects all aspects of the human person in the unity of his body and soul. It especially concerns affectivity, the capacity to love and to procreate, and in a more general way the aptitude for forming bonds of communion with others. --CCC

2333 Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral, and spiritual difference and complementarity are oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. The harmony of the couple and of society depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual support between the sexes are lived out. --CCC

2334 "In creating men 'male and female,' God gives man and woman an equal personal dignity." (Familiaris Consortio 22; Compare Gaudium et Spes 49 § 2.)¹¹⁹ "Man is a person, man and woman equally so, since both were created in the image and likeness of the personal God."^{1 (}Mulieris Dignitatem 6.⁾²⁰ –CCC

2335 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." (Genesis 2:24.)¹²¹ All human generations proceed from this union. (Compare Genesis 4:1-2, 25-26; Gen 5:1)¹²² --CCC

400 YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY

YOUCAT Lesson 400

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

The Sixth Commandment—You shall not commit adultery

400  What does it mean to say that man is a sexual being?

God created man as male and female.  He created them for each other and for love.  He created them with erotic desires and the ability to experience physical pleasure.  He created them to transmit life.  [2331-2333, 2335, 2392]

My parents, Julian and Irma Bragg with granddaughter Jennifer (Noel and Barbara) Bragg.  Julian and Irma were married 64 years (1922-1986) when Julian passed away.  Mom cared for Julian in his declining years up to two weeks before his death.  The family doctor was amazed that she, an 81 year old woman, was able to do so much for so long for dad at their home before he passed away at the local hospital.  Mom died 11 months later. ….. 400

 Being a man or being a woman is very deeply imprinted on the individual human person; it is a different way of feeling, a different way of loving, a different calling with respect to children, another way of believing.  Because he intended that they should be there for each other and complement one another in love, God made man and woman different.  That is why man and woman attract each other sexually and intellectually.  When a husband and wife express their love for each other in bodily union, their love finds its deepest sensual expression.  Just as God is creative in his love, so too man can be creative in love and give life to children.  64, 260, 416-417

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’  …Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”  Genesis 2:18, 24

“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave.  Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame.  Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.  If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned.”  Song of Songs 8:6-7

[2331-2333, 2335, 2392]

ARTICLE 6
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18.)¹¹³ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

  

You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28.)¹¹⁴ –CCC

* I. "MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM . . ."

2331 "God is love and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion. 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." (Familiaris Consortio 11.)¹¹⁵ –CCC

 "God created man in his own image . . . male and female he created them"; (Genesis 1:27.)¹¹⁶ He blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply"; (Genesis 1:28¹¹⁷ "When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created." (Genesis 5:1-2.)¹¹⁸ –CCC

2332 Sexuality affects all aspects of the human person in the unity of his body and soul. It especially concerns affectivity, the capacity to love and to procreate, and in a more general way the aptitude for forming bonds of communion with others. –CCC

2333 Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral, and spiritual difference and complementarity are oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. The harmony of the couple and of society depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual support between the sexes are lived out. --CCC

399 MILITARY FORCE

YOUCAT Lesson 399

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

399  When is the use of military force allowed?

The use of military force is possible only in an extreme emergency.  There are several criteria for a “Just war”: (1) Authorization by the competent authority; (2) a just cause; (3) a just purpose; (4) war must be the last resort; (5) the methods used must be proportionate; and, (6) there must be a prospect of success.  [2307-2309]

Mushroom cloud from the atomic explosion over Nagasaki rising 18,000 m (59,000 ft) into the air on the morning of August 9, 1945. … 399

During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted atomic raids on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events were the only times nuclear weapons have been used in combat.^[19]

For six months before the atomic bombings, the U.S. 20th Air Force under General Curtis LeMay executed low-level incendiary raids against Japanese cities. The worst air raid to occur during the process was not the  nuclear attacks, but the Operation Meetinghouse raid on Tokyo. On the night of March 9–10, 1945, Operation Meetinghouse commenced and 334 Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers took off to raid, with 279 of them dropping 1,665 tons of incendiaries and explosives on Tokyo. The bombing was meant to burn wooden buildings and indeed the bombing caused fire that created a 50 m/s wind, which is comparable to tornadoes. Each bomber carried 6 tons of bombs. A total of 381,300 bombs, which amount to 1,783 tons of bombs, were used in the bombing. Within a few hours of the raid, it had killed an estimated 100,000 people and destroyed 41 km² (16 sq mi) of the city and 267,000 buildings in a single night — the deadliest bombing raid in military aviation history other than the atomic raids on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.^{[20][21][22][23]} By early August 1945, an estimated 450,000 people had died as the U.S. had intensely firebombed a total of 67 Japanese cities. --Wikipedia

“The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.^” – Proverbs  9:10

 [2307-2309]

Avoiding war

2307 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. (Compare Gaudium et Spes 81 § 4. )¹⁰⁵ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

2308 All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war. –CCC

However, "as long as the danger of war persists and there is no international authority with the necessary competence and power, governments cannot be denied the right of lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed." (Gaudium et Spes 79 § 4.)¹⁰⁶ –CCC

2309 The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time: –CCC

- the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain; –CCC

- all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; –CCC

- there must be serious prospects of success; –CCC

- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition. –CCC

These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine. –CCc

The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good. –CCC

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 3, 2017

He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time,

 September 3, 2017
Lectionary: 124

Reading 1  JERemiah20:7-9

You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.  All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.

Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; the word of the LORD has brought me derision and reproach all the day.

I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more.  But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

Responsorial Psalm  PSalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
for your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. 

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Reading 2  ROMans 12:1-2

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Alleluia  CF. EPHesians 1:17-18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel   MaTthew 16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.  Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."  He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?  Or what can one give in exchange for his life?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct."