Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary
Time
(I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Matthew 25:1-13)
Reading today's passage from St. Paul's
letter to the Thessalonians, we get the idea that lust was perhaps the biggest
temptation in his day. It was the vice that set Greece against Troy in history's
most famous war. Still today sexual desire creates intolerable
situations. Two years ago a promising politician in New York had to
resign his seat in Congress for sending lewd pictures with his telephone.
In the reading Paul warns his readers that marriage too may be polluted by prurient desires. Spouses should not look at each other as sexual objects but as companions who will bring them closer to Christ. They are to love like Christ who gave himself as a sacrifice for his disciples.
We are challenged to overcome sexual desires in an overly indulgent culture. Prayer is the first line of defense. Discipline avoiding concentration on sexual stimuli is also necessary. We should make every effort not to become preoccupied with sexual fantasy but to develop a mature attitude toward sexuality. It is a positive natural force but like a nuclear meltdown can get out of control.
In the reading Paul warns his readers that marriage too may be polluted by prurient desires. Spouses should not look at each other as sexual objects but as companions who will bring them closer to Christ. They are to love like Christ who gave himself as a sacrifice for his disciples.
We are challenged to overcome sexual desires in an overly indulgent culture. Prayer is the first line of defense. Discipline avoiding concentration on sexual stimuli is also necessary. We should make every effort not to become preoccupied with sexual fantasy but to develop a mature attitude toward sexuality. It is a positive natural force but like a nuclear meltdown can get out of control.
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