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
