The Inconvenient Truth

“Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance, but, as He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, ‘Be holy because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:14-16

With spiritual transformation and renewal of the mind comes new insights and understanding which remind us, as we are told in Isaiah 55: 9, “… as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” We can be enlightened to these higher ways of the Lord and come to appreciate living our lives in ways pleasing to Him.

In our society today, as throughout history, there is a delicate subject that deserves relearning in the eyes of God. That subject is human sexuality. This topic, as understood in the ways of the world, is contradictory to what we learn through scripture in the ways of the Lord. In giving us free will, God left our choices in all things up to us. However, it is His hope that we will freely choose the ways He has, quite plainly, laid out in His Word. Dare I say - it is God’s will for each of us to be in control of our own desires. Sins of lust and pleasure, such as adultery, fornication, self-gratification and same sex couplings are all - in no uncertain terms - sins against God. Each of these acts is a personal choice. When we give in to them, we give in to sin.

Contrary to what the world would have us believe, it is not punishment to deny ourselves these base desires. Chastity and celibacy do not have to be choices of self-depravation. They are commitments and monumental declarations of love to God the Father. They mean making oneself available to God’s good and holy will. Being selfless does not mean thinking less of ourselves, it means thinking of ourselves less. The voices in this world rebelliously tell us we have the right to do whatever we choose, whenever we choose, regardless of faith, morality and religious teachings. But, they don’t warn of the darkness that will begin to form in one’s heart by making such Godless choices. After making so many, one may become void of all goodness by God’s standards. He weeps for those lost souls as should we all. And when we, in the name of tolerance, ask others to overlook such sins in us, we are asking them to put their own souls in peril by joining us in turning away from His will. It is not for us to judge. But neither do we turn a blind eye to sin.

By giving my life completely to God’s will and, subsequently following the teachings of Christ Jesus in the Catholic Church, I have learned that it is possible to deny carnal pleasures through the strength of the Holy Spirit which is given to each of us. In choosing to live this way, one can find an inner peace and ‘rightness’ in life as never imagined. By giving up what the world tells us is rightfully ours, we find truth and holy living. It is not without its hardships, but the blessings and graces far outweigh the passing indulgence that is associated with satisfying our own urges. Reflecting on Christ’s crucifixion - acknowledging the torment He endured for love of each of us - can cultivate fortitude and abundant joy as we choose to live in accordance to God’s will, not our own. His ways are indeed higher than ours. But, we have a God given capability to meet Him on that higher plane. And in doing so, we can find our own unique identity as His beloved child.