THE BLESSED VIRGIN PLEASED GOD BY HER VIRGINITY

The first Evangelical Virtue of Mary is Chastity. Then Mary said to the Angel, “How shall this be done, since I do not know man?” Luke 1:34.

Chastity is of all the virtues the one that is the most difficult to practice. St Augustine calls chastity one of our most daily battles. May God be ever praised, since in Mary He has given us a great example of this virtue.

The word “chastity” is difficult to pronounce in the modern world, hardly evident except within religious circles.  Our children are exposed to all sorts of immodest dress and behaviors through media and through their companions. How can we teach our children the importance of being chaste? Why is this important?

Instilling the virtue of chastity in our children must start first with taking a look at it in ourselves.

Are we chaste? Do we follow the Church teachings on artificial birth control? Are we careful with the way we dress? Do we “like” immodest posts on Facebook? Do we “share” celebrity relationship gossip through our social media channels? Did we read Shades of Grey and recommend it to others?

Are we careful not to have friendships with men outside of our marriage, no matter how “innocent?” Is there a male colleague we text outside our marriage because, “it’s harmless, he’s just a friend?” Do we drink to excess, therefore putting ourselves into positions where our reason and desires are mixed?

We mothers of boys must be extra vigilant in praying for the virtue of chastity for our children. New media and technology devices make pornography easily accessible to our boys, warping their minds to conform to the world’s ideas of sexuality.

To the world, chastity means "abstaining from sexual activity." This reduces the virtue of chastity to just another technique for efficiently avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, or unwanted emotional entanglements.

It is much more than that. Chastity is a virtue, a part of our character, or not.  It’s not a thing we do. It’s part of who we are.

Pope John Paul II challenged the world’s understanding of chastity in his Theology of the Body. He insisted chastity is a virtue, a personal excellence, a habit of character that disposes one to have the right kind of sexual urges. As a virtue, chastity makes a person good by shaping desires, affections, moral vision and relationships in light of the truth.

He proposes chastity will lead us away from the culture of death. He urges us to transform our lives into "a genuine and responsible acceptance of the gift of life and a heartfelt song of praise and gratitude to God who has given us this gift."

Chastity is the virtue of wholeness, the virtue that prevents us from being reduced to a mere appetite. Satisfying our appetite may bring about temporary pleasure, but it cannot bring about permanent joy, which is the experience of the whole person. The chaste person does not sacrifice joy for pleasure.

What are the chief dangers to the virtue of chastity?

 We can be on the lookout for sinful curiosity, the company of immoral friends or co-workers, drinking too much, dressing to arouse—immodest dress, reading indecent books or watching indecent movies. When we take special care to avoid these unnecessary dangers to the virtue of chastity our children will follow our example.

Patron Saints: Virgin martyrs are wonderful saints to ask to intercede for us to increase in the virtue of chastity.  Saint Maria Goretti, Saint Agnes and Saint Philomena make great patrons. And Saint Joseph, who was a model for chastity within his marriage to our Blessed Mother.

St. Albert the Great, "Is Mary called the virgin of virgins; for she, without the counsel or example of others was the first who offered her virginity to God."

St. Bernard asks: "O Virgin, who taught you to please God by virginity, and to lead an angels's life here on earth?"

St. Sophronius replies: "God chose this most pure Virgin for His Mother, that She might be an example of Chastity  to all." 

St. Jerome declared that it was his opinion thaf St. Joseph remained a virgin living with Mary. 

In the struggle to be chaste, St Robert Bellarmine lists three means: 

• Fasting, 
• The avoidance of dangerous occassions. 
• Prayer

1. By fasting he means mortification of the eyes and of the appetite. It is interesting to note how many stories the writers pass down concerning the modesty of Mary, her custody of the eyes, and her moderation with food. 

2. The second means is to fly the occasion of sin. St. Philip Neri says that "in the war of.senses, cowards comquer." Knowing as we do of Mary's complete sinlessness. Nevertheless, we can be sure that she never dialled with the occasions of sin.

3. The third means is prayer. "And as I knew," said the wise man, that I could not be continent except God gave it... I went to the Lord and begged Him for it (Wis 8:21)

The Blessed.Virgin  revealed.to St. Elizabeth  of Hungary that she acquired no virtue without effort and continual prayer.

John of Avila used to say that: 

"Many have conquered impure temptations only by having devotion to the Immaculate conception."

 

Prayer to St. Joseph
Holy St. Joseph, father and protector of virgins, to whose faithful keeping Christ Jesus and Mary, the virgin of virgins, were committed, by these dearest pledges, Jesus and Mary, I beseech and conjure you that I may always serve Jesus and Mary in perfect chastity with a spotless mind, a clean heart, and a chaste body. Amen