Chastity for all?

How can the Church expect the general body of the faithful to live by the ideal of chastity? It may be appropriate for a small number who are called to the religious life, or the priesthood, but how can millions of men and women, young and old, married and single, be expected to life chastely? In reply I would point out firstly that chastity is an ideal after which we strive, and to which few, if any, of us ever fully attain. Even if we achieve a certain physical chastity, our thoughts can often let us down. And even if they are not explicitly sexual thoughts, there are other wayward thoughts which are connected to the realm of sexuality: selfish thoughts, thoughts of domination. And even if we are wonderfully chaste in every way for a week, or a month, or a year, shall we so persevere to death? All the faithful, then, are one in not attaining perfectly, and constantly, to the ideal. In the second place I would point out that within the Church there is a continuum of those who are striving to be chaste, ranging from those who are – by the grace of God – more or less successful, to those who are – alas – far therefrom. But it is a continuum, an unbroken line, and even the greatest sinner should know that he has his place along that line, albeit the lowest place, and to that extent is united with those whose place is higher. Yes there are those – thank God – who live as angels in this world. They are religious, they are secular priests, they are married persons, they are single. They are few, but they exist. They occupy as it were a sanctuary in the life of the Church. But in that Church everyone has a place. It may not be a place in the sanctuary; it may rather be a place at the altar rails, or in the pews, or perhaps at the door, or on the very threshold. All look in the one direction, all fix their attention on the one object, so that no matter how distant from one another they may be, they are all united on a common course. The sinner gazes at the distant saint, and his heart is full of admiration, as it is of shame. He knows, however, whither he is called, and that, with God’s grace, he can advance. That is how it should be. The tragedy is when the ideal is abandoned; when I decide that the problem lies not with me, but with the Church’s teaching; when I give up the struggle. Or when I think that my sins put me outside the Church, into a separate category which has no point of contact with that of the saints. It is not so. It is precisely sinners who most need the Church, who most need the example of her saints. This ideal is set before everyone, without exception. Chastity is to be held in the highest regard by all. And, curiously, few will ever admire it more than those who have attained it least.