+JMJ
This past week I was praying with a focus on Chastity. A virtue that seems to be really scorned in our society. We are constantly being hammered with naked bodies, sex, and immodest clothing. It is all too easy to be drawn into the culture of obscenity, arrogance, and vanity. It is a true battle to develop the virtue of Chastity.
I was meditating on the mockery of the soldiers from the gospel of Matthew, when the Lord reminded me of the very first contemplation He ever blessed me with. It was here that He showed me the nature of the virtue of Chastity.
The Mockery Of The Soldiers
Then the soldiers of the governor taking Jesus into the hall, gathered together into Him the whole band; and stripping Him, they put a scarlet cloak about Him.
And platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand. And bowing the knee before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
And spitting on upon Him, they took the reed, and struck His head. And after they had mocked Him, they took off the cloak from Him, and put on Him His own garments, and led Him away to crucify Him.
-Matthew 27:27-31
My Contemplation
I watch as the soldiers completely humiliate my Lord: throwing things at Him, spitting on Him, beating Him. Treating Him like a fool. Like a criminal. Like less than nothing.
Then, just like my first contemplation, everything pauses. It is silent and everyone in the crowd are frozen in place.
He walks over to me and wraps the cloak around me, drawing me in close to Him. I am covered in darkness there, but the Lord glows softly providing much comfort.
Then, it is like someone hit play again and I can hear the rioting crowd outside the cloak. I can feel and hear the cloak being pummeled as they throw things at us. But I am completely protected by Him under the cloak.
Made in His Image
I thought about the the image of God. His image is: beautiful, gorgeous, magnificent, exquisite, dazzling, powerful, wonderful….
These words don’t seem to do Him justice.
But if I am made in His image, why don’t I feel like any of those things? Because I am looking at it from the physical standpoint, almost to vanity.
“The soul,” is the whisper I hear. The love and care He must have dedicated to the creation of the soul. My soul… taking every once of His attention to create.
He shows me that the beauty of the soul is the image of His glory. The magnificent of the soul gives life to the body and joy to the mind. A soul is made not to be lowly and dirty, but made to reflect His greatness.
The problem is that I soil my soul, and taint it, with my sins. His glory, in reality cannot be diminished, but I can separate myself from His glory through my actions.
This is where Chastity comes in, as the guard against the sins that taint the soul.
The Shield of Chastity
I understood while standing under that cloak getting pummeled by the crowd, the essence of Chastity. That it is a guard against the attacks of sin, especially impurity, that are thrown at me in my everyday life. It is the protection we develop through the practice of dismissing damning thoughts, and begging God to grant it.
The enemy tempts us first in the mind, by implanting insinuating thoughts. This is the moment we have to immediately dismiss them. The moment we practice Chastity and guard ourselves against the enemy.
Again this week the Lord brought me back to the Greatest Commandment and what it means for Chastity:
“And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength.” -Mark 12:30
Chastity Of Heart- The guarding against lustful longings. The longings of this world: mental, physical, and/or emotional.
Chastity Of Mind– The guarding against impure thoughts and dismissing them immediately.
Chastity of Soul- The guarding against spiritual despair or desolation. Instead, be persistent and diligent in prayer.
Chastity of Strength/Body- The guarding against immodesty and vanity. Both for myself and others.
Chastity is practiced in the will. Questioning each thing I am exposed to, think, or do with: Does this keep me pure in heart, mind, soul, and body? If not, then it needs to be rejected immediately to maintain the purity of my soul, that so glorifies the Lord.
I have learned this week that I need to work diligently to guard the glory the Lord has placed inside me with the creation of my soul. To keep the image He has created me in pure and whole, in order to reflect all that is magnificent in Him.
Thrive in Jesus, my Friends!
How do you practice Chastity? Are there certain things concerning purity that you struggle with more than others? What do you see “made in His image” as meaning? Leave me a comment and let me know!
New to Ignatian Contemplation? Check out my post below to find out more!