Venereal pleasures above all debauch a man’s mind

Lust, in all its forms, is undoubtedly the greatest reason why people have a “blindness of mind” concerning spiritual things. “As Isidore says (Etym. x), "a lustful man is one who is debauched with pleasures." Now venereal pleasures above all debauch a man’s mind.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, II:II, Q. 153, Art. 2) The truth that lust is the most powerful of all human acts in inducing spiritual death, can even be understood from reason alone, since the sexual or lustful pleasure is the one pleasure of all who induces in man a kind of inability to reason. “...lust applies chiefly to venereal pleasures, which more than anything else work the greatest havoc in a man’s mind”. (Ibid) “And truly, the concupiscence of the flesh, beyond all other passions, doth greatly hinder us from being ready to meet Christ; whilst, on the other hand, nothing makes us more fit to follow our Lord, than virginal chastity.” (St. Robert Bellarmine, The art of dying well, Chapter IV)

This proves that lust and sexual pleasure is the biggest cause why people in the end are damned, and it also shows us about what sins one should speak about when one tries to convert a sinner or a heretic. And this of course also applies to married people and their sexual acts, and St. Augustine also confirms the fact that “he who is intemperate in marriage, what is he but the adulterer of his own wife?” by quoting the great St. Ambrose’s teaching concerning the necessity for married people to practice moderation in even their normal, natural and lawful marital acts. Spouses who overindulge in the sexual act are doing the exact same thing as gluttons, acting unreasonably and being attached to a fleeting pleasure. A person who is steeped in lust will always have a “blindness of mind” concerning spiritual things. It cannot be doubted that “Although every vice has a certain disgrace, the vices of intemperance are especially disgraceful,” and that “Among the vices of intemperance, venereal sins are most deserving of reproach, both on account of the insubordination of the genital organs, and because by these sins especially, the reason is absorbed.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part, Q. 151, Art. 4, Reply to Objection 2 and 3)

The truth that of all a Christian’s conflicts against the devil, the most important one is chastity, cannot be overstated: “Hence Augustine says (De Agone Christiano [Serm. ccxciii; ccl de Temp]) that of all a Christian’s conflicts, the most difficult combats are those of chastity; wherein the fight is a daily one, but victory rare: and Isidore declares (De Summo Bono ii, 39) that "mankind is subjected to the devil by carnal lust more than by anything else," because, to wit, the vehemence of this passion is more difficult to overcome.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part, Q. 154, Art. 3, Reply to Objection 1)

Indeed, Our Lady of Fatima directly teaches that “The sins of the world are too great! The sins which lead most souls to hell are sins of the flesh! Certain fashions are going to be introduced which will offend Our Lord very much. Those who serve God should not follow these fashions. The Church has no fashions; Our Lord is always the same. Many marriages are not good; they do not please Our Lord and are not of God.” Our Lady is the Queen of Prophets, and her words have been perfectly fulfilled in our times. Right at this time when Our Lady of Fatima revealed the future to the three young children, immodesty and lasciviousness started to rear its ugly head in all of society as a result of cinema. The sin that have damned most people through the ages is undoubtedly lust, but Our Lady put an emphasis on this message about lust and that “Many marriages are not good” at this exact time, because She knew that the years following Her prediction, the world’s people would be especially evil and lustful.

Notice also how She prophesies and connects the sin of immodesty, and the changing of the clothes of the woman to lust, obviously because women in the years following her revelation would discard the immemorial law of the Church which expressly forbids women from wearing pants or tight and revealing clothing. Immodesty and lust goes together, as both are sins, and immodesty is the cause of the lust of the man. At no time in history have the world’s people been more evil and lustful, and this also shows us that the reason why most of the so called Christians have fallen into heresy, schism or apostasy, is lust.

When we mourn for wars, natural disasters, or suffering and death in general, we must remember that the main cause of all of this is “sexual excess” which blunts our consciences and allows the devils to get in control of different nations to attack, kill, and harm other peoples. People do not automatically become stupid and attack and kill other people, but the lust blunts their consciences so that their conscience do not rebuke them as much when they harm or kill others. Our Lady of Fatima is clear that “The sins of the world are too great! The sins which lead most souls to hell are sins of the flesh!” and until the end of time, this state of affairs will undoubtedly continue. In most cases, people are damned for sexual sins, and those who preach must therefore know this fact in order to be able to defeat the devil: “Mainly through sins of impurity, do the forces of darkness subjugate souls." (Pope Pius XII, 1948)

Rev. Alban Butler speaking “On The Enormity Of Impurity” and the many evils in our world that are caused by the sin of lust, also says that “Experience also shows, that nothing is so capable of perverting the will as this vice, as well as of blinding the intellect, and confounding reason. Thus does this foul vice corrupt the whole man and all the powers of the Soul. “Lust triumphs over the whole man.” (St. Cyprian) Thus Daniel tells one of the old unchaste men who assaulted Susanna: “Concupiscence has corrupted thy heart.” Of this we read a dreadful example in king Solomon, the wisest of men, some time a prophet and in certain things a type of Christ; yet in his old age, “his heart was corrupted by women to follow foreign gods.” (3 Kings ii. 4) ...Now the sin of impurity leads to this state of obstinacy in evil more than any other vice whatever. Whence St. Thomas observes, that, though spiritual sins, such as pride, are of their own nature more grievous, yet those of the flesh are of the strongest adhesion or attachment. On which account the devils chiefly delight in enslaving men to this sin, and place in it their chief strength. “Men become slaves to the devil by impurity more than by any other vice,” says St. Bernard. (Serm. 23, de more bene vivendi) Habits of this vice are harder to be broken than any other, and more strongly enslave the soul than any other sin, as experience makes evident. How many times have unchaste sinners confessed their crimes, pretending to detest them, to change their lives, and to break their fetters; who yet have miserably relapsed almost on the first occasion, remaining still slaves to this infamous passion? ...The greatest disorders of the world flow secretly from this source; and this sin chiefly fills hell with souls; for more are eternally damned by this vice than by all other sins. “This is the most dangerous vice to mankind,” as St. Gregory the great says. Alcuin writes: “The devil triumphs over the whole human race by pride and fornication.” (L. de civ. offic. c. 13)” (Meditations and discourses on the sublime truths and important duties of Christianity: being a posthumous work of the Rev. Alban Butler, by Butler, Alban, 1711-1773)

St. Peter also confirms that “carnal desires” “war against the soul” in the Holy Bible, thus showing us that lust in all its forms blinds our spiritual eyes and understanding: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims to refrain yourselves from carnal desires which war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11) It is important to notice that St. Peter does not single out only sinful lust here, but instead, he tells us that “carnal desires” in general “war against the soul”. All sexual acts, even lawful ones, “war against the soul” since they all are intoxicating like a drug, or as St. Thomas Aquinas describes it, “because the reason is carried away entirely on account of the vehemence of the pleasure, so that it is unable to understand anything at the same time... the marriage act also will always be evil unless it be excused”. The sexual pleasure is very similar to the effect of a strong drug, and drugs as we all know are very easy to become addicted to by abusing them or overindulging in them. The stronger a drug is, the more is also our spiritual life hindered, and that is why the angelic life of chastity will always be more spiritually fruitful than the marital life according to the Bible and God’s Holy Word. And so, it is clear that Holy Scripture infallibly teaches that marriage and the marital life is an impediment to the spiritual life, while the chaste and pure life “give you power to attend upon the Lord, without impediment.” (1 Corinthians 7:35)

This is also why the Holy Bible urges people to remain unmarried and in a life of chastity since the married man “is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and he is divided” (1 Corinthians 7:33). St. Paul in the Bible also warns those who intend to marry and perform the marital sexual act that they “shall have tribulation of the flesh”: “But if thou take a wife, thou hast not sinned. And if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned: nevertheless, such shall have tribulation of the flesh. But I spare you.” (1 Corinthians 7:28)

Even lawful sexual acts tempts a man to be “intemperate in marriage,” and if a man gives in to this temptation and perform unlawful sexual acts with his wife, such as lascivious kisses and touches “what is he but the adulterer of his own wife?” Since “the whole world is seated in wickedness” (1 John 5:19), more because of carnal desires than any other act, the Apostles and their followers, who wrote the New Testament, really put an emphasis on the topic of chastity and carnal desires and lust, repeating the same topic over and over again in the Holy Scripture, since they had been told the truth from Our Lord that carnal desires was the greatest cause of why people, in the end, are damned.

The Holy Bible is clear that “the wisdom, that is from above, first indeed is chaste” which shows us that God's Word sets the virtue of chastity above other virtues in importance, and in so doing, making it clear how the topic of carnal desires and lust must be understood to be more important than other topics.

James 3:17-18 “But the wisdom, that is from above [Heaven], first indeed is chaste, then peaceable, modest, easy to be persuaded, consenting to the good, full of mercy and good fruits...”

This is also why the wise preacher or teacher of God’s Word should always remember this fact in order to know where his priorities need to be when he tries to convert a person. The man of God must not be discouraged if he cannot convert anyone or more than a few, for “The perverse are hard to be corrected, and the number of fools [and damned people] is infinite” (Ecclesiastes 1:15), and very few people are saved in the end.

The Holy Scripture is very clear that lust and sexual desire is one of the most important topic for all to understand and learn about. The quotations in the Bible that deal with this subject are almost endless, and some are almost totally devoted to this issue, just repeating the various sexual sins that people commit. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, lust, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is the service of idols.” (Colossians 3:5)

Over and over again we see in the Holy Scripture how the issue of sexual pleasure is the one of the most important one to speak about by the Apostles and their followers. It is interesting that in several quotes, the different sexual sins are grouped in the beginning, obviously because the Apostles considered these issues more pressing and important.

Ephesians 5:3-12 “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints: Or obscenity, or foolish talking, or scurrility, which is to no purpose; but rather giving of thanks. For know you this and understand, that no fornicator, or unclean, or covetous person (which is a serving of idols), hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words. For because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the children of unbelief. ...And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For the things that are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of.”

Haydock Bible Commentary explains Ephesians 5:3-4: “Ver. 3. Covetousness. ...St. Jerome and others observe, that the Greek word in this and divers other places in the New Testament may signify any unsatiable desire, or the lusts of sensual pleasures; and on this account, St. Jerome thinks that it is here joined with fornication and uncleanness. ...Ver. 4. Nor obscenity. What is here meant by this word, St. Chrysostom tells us at large in the moral exhortation after his 17th homily; to wit, jests with immodest suggestions or a double meaning, and raillery or buffoonery against the rules of good conversation, scarce made use of by any but by men of low condition and of a mean genius, which is not to the purpose of a Christian, who must give an account to God of all his words. (Witham)”

Interestingly, an objection in St. Thomas's Summa Theologica which discusses the issue of “Whether there can be mortal sin in touches and kisses” explains to us that a traditional teaching in a gloss teaches that the words “or obscenity” in the Bible “refers to kissing and fondling”. (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part, Q. 154, Art. 4) It cannot be doubted that the reason why The Holy Bible so often places sexual sins in the beginning, is that the Apostles knew that these sins damns most people.

Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, sexual excess, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

In Galatians 5:13 St. Paul also warns his readers not to use liberty as an occasion for sensuality. “For you, brethren, have been called unto liberty: only make not liberty an occasion for sensuality, but by charity of the spirit serve one another.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

In truth, the issue of chastity and sexual desire is so important that Our Lord through St. Paul says in The Holy Bible that he wishes that all men would become totally and perpetually chaste, and this proves that God Himself desires all the married to renounce all sexual acts in the future: “It is good for a man not to touch a woman… For I would that ALL men were even as myself [that is, chaste]: but every one hath his proper gift from God; one after this manner, and another after that. But I say to the unmarried, and to the widows: It is good for them if they so continue, even as I.” (1 Corinthians 7:1-8)

The most extensive and clear teaching on lust and sexual desire in The Holy Bible is undoubtedly St. Paul's First Corinthians, chapter 7, which deals with many of the issues concerning sexual desire whether inside or outside of marriage. Our Lord is very clear about the many dangers of sexual desire even in marriage and between two married spouses, and that he wants even the married to become totally chaste in the future because of the dangers that marriage have, and chief among these dangers are undoubtedly sexual desire, which St. Paul calls “tribulation of the flesh”.

So important is the issue of chastity for our salvation, that St. Paul even makes clear that Our Lord wants even the married to abstain from all sexual acts in the future, and instead adopt a life of perfect chastity. “Defraud not one another [of the marital debt], except, perhaps, by consent, for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer; and return together again, lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency. But I speak this by indulgence, not by commandment. For I would that all men were even as myself [that is, totally chaste]...” (1 Corinthians 7:5-7)

This clearly proves that the Holy Bible infallibly teaches that Our Lord wants that all spouses stays totally chaste even in marriage, even though they are married. St. Paul's words “and return together again, lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency. But I speak this by indulgence, not by commandment. For I would that all men were even as myself” means that he wishes that the married stayed separated and practicing chastity, but that he allows “By indulgence: That is, by a condescension to your weakness” that they come together again in order to avoid sins of “incontinency”. (Douay Rheims Bible Commentary)

Thus, Our Lord desires both of all the married spouses to agree to renounce all sexual acts in the future by a solemn vow, in order to be set free from the division, “tribulation of the flesh”, and the impediment to the spiritual life that marriage has according to the Bible. (1 Corinthians 7:25-35) Contrary to what many lustful men teaches today, Holy Scripture infallibly teaches that marriage and the marital life is an impediment to the spiritual life, while the chaste and pure life “give you power to attend upon the Lord, without impediment.” (1 Corinthians 7:35)

St. Paul explains in his discourse in First Corinthians 7:25-35, saying: “Now concerning virgins... I think therefore that this is good for the present necessity, that it is good for a man so to be [that is, to be chaste]. Art thou bound to a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But if thou take a wife, thou hast not sinned. And if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned: nevertheless, such shall have tribulation of the flesh. But I spare you. This therefore I say, brethren; the time is short; it remaineth, that they also who have wives, be as if they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as if they used it not: for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I would have you to be without solicitude. He that is without a wife, is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and he is divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin thinketh on the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she that is married thinketh on the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your profit: not to cast a snare upon you; but for that which is decent, and which may give you power to attend upon the Lord, without impediment.”

It is certain that St. Paul does not refer to the desire to procreate as a “tribulation of the flesh”. Consequently, he can be referring only to one thing—sexual pleasure. Indeed, sexual pleasure is a tribulation of the flesh that must hence be fought against in thought and deed in some way or the Devil will succeed in tempting a spouse to fall into mortal sins of impurity either with their spouse, with himself or with someone other than his spouse.

The reason why St. Paul specifically warns those who choose to get married of the dangers inherent in the marital life is because those people who choose not to get married, by choosing to remain in the angelic state of chastity, will not get sexually tempted to commit sin in the same way or in the same measure as the married man or woman will, either with their spouse, their self, or some other person, since the sexual pleasure that has never been indulged in, will always remain more of an abstract or theoretical pleasure for those who remain chaste and unmarried, and thus, will always be easier to control for them. Indeed, since the temptation to indulge the flesh and the sensuality is not physically present tempting them all the time, as in the case of those who are married and who can perform the marital act every day with their spouse, their sensual temptations are also much smaller than the others who indulge their flesh more often.

Compare the situation of a person who drinks wine to a person who do not drink wine at all. The person who drinks wine often will undoubtedly get more tempted to get drunk, than a person who do not drink at all. The more often he drinks wine, the more will he get tempted to overindulge. It is exactly the same in the case of those who are married. The more they perform the sexual act, the more will they get tempted to overindulge, or commit sins of the flesh, whether with their wife or someone other. A totally chaste person, however, will not have to endure all of these troubles that the Bible tells us that marriage has. This shows us from natural reason itself and Holy Scripture why there are many temptations, problems that make a person “divided”, and “tribulation of the flesh” in marriage. (1 Cor. 7:25-35)

So, it is a situation where God wants all men and women, and even the married, to remain completely and perpetually chaste, but that in order to avoid a greater evil, the married are allowed to perform the sexual act “lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency”. St. Jerome sums it up very well: “Thus it must be bad to touch a woman. [1 Cor. 7:1] If indulgences is nonetheless granted to the marital act, this is only to avoid something worse. [1 Cor. 7:6] But what value can be recognized in a good that is allowed only with a view of preventing something worse?” This absolutely proves that God wants all the married to adopt a life of perpetual and perfect chastity: “For I would that all men were even as myself [that is, chaste].” Thus, those whose will power is too weak to be chaste are allowed to perform the sexual act “lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency.”

This “tribulation of the flesh” that makes a person “divided” in marriage that St. Paul and the Holy Scripture speaks about in First Corinthians 7:25-35, is also why The book of Leviticus in The Holy Bible describes how even legal marital relations between a husband and wife makes them impure or unclean, thus describing the marital act itself as the cause of impurity, and not as something “holy” or “good,” as many people nowadays have deceived themselves into believing.

Leviticus 15:16-18,24 “The man from whom the seed of copulation goeth out, shall wash all his body with water: and he shall be unclean until the evening. The garment or skin that he weareth, he shall wash with water, and it shall be unclean until the evening. The woman, with whom he copulateth, shall be washed with water, and shall be unclean until the evening. … If a man copulateth with her in the time of her flowers, he shall be unclean seven days: and every bed on which he shall sleep shall be defiled.”

The main reason why Holy Scripture defines the marital act as a cause of defilement and impurity is because the sexual act is so potent in giving a person lascivious thoughts and desires—by implanting and defiling the mind with countless unholy and ungodly desires. While the marital act performed for the motive of procreation is a lawful act, the act still defiles the mind by giving it all sorts of lascivious feelings, pictures, or thoughts, in addition to making the spouses intoxicated by the drug of sexual pleasure which is very addictive, and this is also the reason why the Holy Bible directs all spouses who have performed the marital act to consider themselves impure, so that they may seek Our Lord’s help in order to conquer their concupiscences, temptations, and thoughts that arises as a result of the marital act.

Some people believe that the marital act is holy in itself, and that it makes them holy, but the marital act is just an act like any other act in this life, such as sleeping, walking, or eating. There's nothing holy or good in itself in the marital act. The good that exists is in the intention of spouses who unselfishly intend to beget children by their marital acts. The Holy Bible and Our Lord is clear in His words to all spouses that “thou shalt take the virgin with the fear of the Lord, moved rather for love of children than for lust, that in the seed of Abraham thou mayest obtain a blessing in children… [Tobias said] And now, Lord, thou knowest, that not for fleshly lust do I take my sister to wife, but only for the love of posterity, in which thy name may be blessed for ever and ever.” (Tobias 6:22; 8:9)

When spouses create a new life through the marital act, it is not a different act substantively than any other act. It is an act just like any other act that either sustains or creates life. You can do all kinds of different acts in this world either for a good or an evil motive. No external act in itself makes us holy in this world, or is an act of “love”, but only the intentions behind why these actions are performed. On the contrary, the concupiscence and intoxication of the marital act makes it directly evil and sinful in itself unless it is excused by an absolutely necessary motive, which makes it much more evil and detrimental than other actions, such as eating.

Pope St. Gregory the Great explains it in this way: “Nor do we, in saying these things, account wedlock as sin. But, since even the lawful intercourse of the wedded cannot take place without pleasure of the flesh, entrance into a sacred place should be abstained from... For he had not been born of adultery or fornication, but of lawful wedlock, who said, “Behold I was conceived in iniquities, and in sin my mother brought me forth.” [Psalm 50:7] For, knowing himself to have been conceived in iniquities, he groaned for having been born in sin, because the tree bears in its branch the vicious humour which it has drawn from its root. Yet in these words he does not call the intercourse of the wedded iniquity in itself, but in truth only the pleasure of the intercourse. For there are many things which are allowed and legitimate, and yet we are to some extent defiled in the doing of them; as often we attack faults with anger, and disturb the tranquility of our own mind.” (Epistles of St. Gregory the Great, Book XI, Letter 64, To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli [English].)

For sure, when spouses perform the marital act for the motive of begetting children, this is a moral act that is good from the moral viewpoint, and this act can truly be called a loving act, but the marital act by its own nature is detrimental to the spiritual and physical well-being of humans, (even when it is performed for the motive of begetting children), because of the shame and intoxication it produces in us, as well as because of its addictive character, and that is why all men must be very careful to always keep a strict control over his sensual temptations, and never allow them to gain a control over his will.

Sexual pleasure is very similar to intoxication of drugs, which makes it very addictive and easy to want to overindulge in various ways, and no one of sound mind would ever say that it is a moral and good act in itself to take drugs that makes one intoxicated. It is a dangerous act that should be avoided as much as possible in order to not allow the flesh to gain control over a man's mind, and that is also why St. Paul in the Bible writes that he would like “all” men, married as well as unmarried, to live a totally and perpetually chaste life, making clear that marriage and the marital act includes a “tribulation of the flesh” that makes a person “divided” in order to tell all of them that it is better for them all if they have as little sex as possible. The more a man indulges his lust in marriage, the more will he be able to commit mortal sins. (1 Cor. 7)

“I do not say that the activity in which married persons engage for the purpose of begetting children is evil. As a matter of fact, I assert that it is good, because it makes good use of the evil of lust, and through this good use, human beings, a good work of God, are generated. But the action is not performed without evil [that is, intoxicating and shameful lust], and this is why the children must be regenerated in order to be delivered from evil.” (St. Augustine, Against Julian, 3.7.15)

It is not merely a natural act or process that is good or “love”. The marital act is just a natural process such as walking, talking, or eating, and those who delude themselves that the marital act in itself is “love” or “affection” are completely deluded. For if it would be “love”, even adulterers or fornicators would perform an act of love by having sinful sex outside of the laws of marriage. But even natural reason itself tells us all that the marital act, instead of being good in itself, is evil and sinful unless it is excused by an absolutely necessary motive. True love thus resides in the will or thought that seeks an unselfish motive, and not first and foremost in an external deed.

The fact that the marital act is evil by its own nature unless it is excused by an absolutely necessary motive is established very clearly in the Holy Bible. First, as we have seen, Leviticus 15 makes clear that the marital act defiles humans even in marriage. Second, Psalms 50:7 makes clear that sexual pleasure and original sin is connected to each other. Concupiscence and sexual desire because of its inherent defect and evilness transmits the Original Sin to the offspring according to God's Word, teaching us that we are conceived in the iniquity of the Original Sin: “For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me.” (Psalms 50:7) Third, God and Moses makes clear in Exodus 19 that practicing chastity even in marriage is a part of becoming “sanctified” and being allowed to come before God and hear and receive God's Word. “And Moses came down from the mount to the people, and sanctified them. And when they had washed their garments, He said to them: Be ready against the third day, and come not near your wives.” (Exodus 19:14-15) Fourth, and for those who think that God have changed his mind in the New Covenant that all get defiled through the marital act, The New testament Holy Scripture of the Apocalypse calls all who have sex “defiled”, and those who are chaste, “the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb… [who] were purchased from the earth. These are they who were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. ...for they are without spot before the throne of God.” (Apocalypse 14:3-5)

Undoubtedly, the reason why Our Lord in the Holy Scripture teaches that He wants all the married to be completely chaste is that “carnal desires” “war against the soul”, thus showing us that lust in all its forms blinds our spiritual eyes and understanding. (1 Peter 2:11) In truth, all sexual acts, even lawful ones, “war against the soul” since they all are intoxicating like a drug, and thus very addictive and tempting for a soul; and this fact can even be easily understood from reason alone without even mentioning the Holy Bible.

The more a person, whether married or unmarried, seeks or indulges himself with venereal pleasures in his life, the more detrimental in effect will this “blindness of mind” be concerning spiritual things “since if one consent to them this increases the force of concupiscence and weakens the strength of the mind” and this proves that even the married must be very careful to never exceed the limits set by nature for the procreation of children.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part, Q. 153, Art. 2: “Venereal pleasures are more impetuous, and are more oppressive on the reason than the pleasures of the palate: and therefore they are in greater need of chastisement and restraint, since if one consent to them this increases the force of concupiscence and weakens the strength of the mind. Hence Augustine says (Soliloq. i, 10): ‘I consider that nothing so casts down the manly mind from its heights as the fondling of women, and those bodily contacts which belong to the married state.’”

For those who want to read and learn a lot more on sexual ethics, I can recommend the following interesting and informative article that is absolutely packed with quotes from the popes, saints and fathers of the Church:

Sexual Pleasure, the Various Sexual Acts, and Procreation