Pope St John Paul II said, “Chastity is the work of a lifetime.”
With more and more guys dealing with pornography addictions, and with society wallowing more and more in the swamps of unrestrained sex and constant desire, how does a person overcome lust?
I guess there must be therapies and techniques out there for self control, but there must be a greater power available than mere self control, and that power is a grace–a gift that is given.
I believe lust can only be overcome once a man or woman gets a supernatural vision of the power and glory of purity.
So often “purity” is reduced to false piety and prudery. When we think of a pure young man we see a gormless twenty something with a white shirt and tie and a grin that’s too good to be true. Or maybe we see a young woman who dresses “modestly” which means she is wearing a calf length skirt, has droopy hair, downcast eyes and sensible shoes.
OK. I don’t mean to be unkind, and I’m certainly not mocking those who take care to look sharp and dress modestly. But you get my point.
Real purity is not less than that, but more than that.
To overcome lust one has to get a glimpse of the purity of the saints, and for them purity is power. I’m talking about the huge fresh air of being on top of mountain for the sunrise of a summer morning. I’m talking about all the naturalness and beauty and purity and power of a morning in May. I’m talking about the beauty and purity and power of a young man or woman who has not only retained their purity, but lives a life that is full and happy and abundant and free.
That purity is not only for the young. Continue Reading
