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HIS Servant
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 CHASTITY ~
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WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS
- By Bro. Pete
Lapid
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Recently, I read a
news item about a big group of adolescents and students who made a
commitment to abstain from sex until marriage. These teenagers vowed to
preserve
their virginity until they get married. They wanted to set an example to
their peers and show them that this is still possible in this day and
age. What is even more interesting is that the group included some
well-known show business personalities.
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Considering their
environment and the pressures they face everyday, the decision of these
young men and women is indeed very courageous and commendable. And they
certainly deserve support and encouragement. For by doing so, they are
putting into practice the virtue of chastity.
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The call to
chastity is for all of us, not only for the young. We are all invited by
the Lord to be chaste and pure, in our mind, body and soul; wherever we
are, and whatever our situation or status in life is – whether we are
married or single, young or old, rich or poor, religious or lay person.
Yet, we must admit that this is something, which is not easy to achieve.
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Looking at
Scripture, the psalmist tells us in Psalm 119:9 “How can a
young man remain pure? By living according to your word.” And what
is this word? Or better yet, who is this Word? John 1:14 gives us the
answer, “And the Word was made flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
Jesus is that Word.
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In short, if we
want to keep our ways pure, we need to live according to Jesus’ Words –
according to what Jesus said. Our lives should be guided by Jesus’
Words, which we can find in the Sacred Scripture.
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St. Paul also
gives us additional guidelines in Philippians 4:8, “Fill your
minds with whatever is truthful, holy, just, pure, lovely and noble.”
Also in Colossians 3:2, Paul tells us, “Set your mind on the
things that are above, not on earthly things.” We need to be
like Mary “who found the better part which can not be taken away from
her.” We need to imbibe ourselves more on reading the Bible and fill our
minds with God’s Word and live it.
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Allow me to share
with you simple ways on how to keep our minds occupied. Like most
people, I am in front of the computer almost throughout the day in the
office. So I use it as an aid. Softly, I play and listen to praise songs
from the computer as background music while working. This way, I am able
to memorize these songs and praise God at the same time. Also, there are
many available screen savers, which every so often would flash a Bible
verse on the computer screen. This could help us pause for a while and
think about God and His goodness as well to memorize God’s words. Inside
the car, we can also listen to praise songs or pray instead of being
stressed out by the traffic.
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I’ll say it again:
God calls us all to chastity. Whatever you do or however you may want to
obey this call, just keep in mind what Scripture says in Psalm 119:9,
Philippians 4:8 and Colossians 3:2.
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PS:
Next month will be the third year anniversary of the vow of celibacy I
made before the Lord. I know how difficult it is to be faithful to
this vow. I only pray that, like that group of young men and women,
I will be able to fulfill this promise thru the help of the Holy
Spirit. Please keep me in your prayers.
- TELL US LIKE IT IS!
- Has something
wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did God answer your
prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like Isaiah, meet God’s
whisper?
- Have you felt His
powerful hand working in your life recently?
- Everyday, people are
experiencing God’s mighty Word in their lives and it is a pity that very
few know about it. Do you have a story to tell? Some Good News to
share?
- E-mail us (genesis@catholic.org) or fax us
(021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You don’t have to be
a great writer to do this. We can help you write it – just tell us like
it is!
- Don’t forget to write
the subject: “Let Me Tell You A
Story”
For comments, suggestions or
ideas:
E-mail us: genesis@catholic.org
Write us: Jl. Bacang No. 20 Kebayoran Baru,
Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Call us: (6221) 720-3824
Fax us: (6221) 662-7384
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Community - All Rights Reserved 2003
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