Something that I´ve been thinking about over and over lately is the question of living a chaste live. I have to admit, when I first heard somebody saying that even in marriage we´re called to live chastely, I thought the person was talking about not having extramarital relations.

It´s only as time has progressed, that I´ve grown to see how mistaken I was. That we are called to live chaste lifes, that it´s an important, integral, part of our Christian identity.

Frederico Suarez, in his book "Joseph, the husband of Mary," talks about living a chaste life this way (note, my translation)...

Therefore, our own bodies and that of our spouses demand chastity. Marriage isn´t a simple vehicle for fulfilling the sexual instinct and converting a relationship with which the creative power of God (by collaborating with Him to bring lives into this world) into nothing more than biology or animalistic appetite. More than ever respect must be present: it´s a relationship between people, not between a person and a thing: and if respect is lost, for oneself and that owed their spouse, love will then die at the hands of an egoism that only seeks personal pleasure. A person, even being married, must always be in control of his instincts, and not let them carry him away.

Those are pretty powerful words, that I personally think can be applied to all, divorced, married, single, celibate...

I´ll end this thought, with one other quote...

...to live the virtue of chastity, one doesn´t have to wait until they are old, or without strength. Purity is born of love, and for a pure/clean love the robustness and joy of youth aren´t obstacles...

"...para vivir la virtud de la castidad, no hay que esperar ser viejo y, para el amor limpio, no son obstaculos la robustez y la alegria de la juventud."

Saint Josemaria Escriva

I have to admit, my first thoughts upon reading that were, "okay, a celibate priest is telling us to live chastely." But after those very ungenerous thoughts, other images came to mind, that focussed on the joy of youth...and it´s innocence.

I´ll share a few of those thoughts, which are really more questions, than anything else...

Have you ever wished that you could start over? Have you ever thought back to when you were a child, and now through the fog of age, find your eyes misting over because of the pure innocence of the age? Have you ever thought of the pure love that a child feels toward his parents? How about that same love responded or given? How about love being rejected? How about that pure love seen in the Virgen for her Son? How about the pure love of Saint Joseph for the Virgen? Have I shown others pure love? Or does my love come with conditions? Am I willing to forgive? Am I willing to show others pure love?

Related post: Pure Love