Posted November 14, 2014

See the daily excerpt from the preparatory catechesis for the 2015 World Meeting of Families, “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”

49. Our creation as men and women in the image of God is why we are all called to the virtue of chastity. Chastity is expressed in different ways, according to whether or not we are married. But for everyone, chastity involves refusing to use our own or other people’s bodies as objects for consumption. Chastity is the habit, whether we are married or not, of living our sexuality with dignity and grace in the light of God’s commandments. Lust is the opposite of chastity. Lust involves looking at others in utilitarian ways, as if the other’s body existed merely to satisfy an appetite. True chastity “does not disdain the body” but sees the body in the full dimensions of personhood.  Chastity is a great “yes” to the truth of humanity created in the image of God and called to live in the covenant.

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In its introduction, the document says its aim is to present “Catholic teaching in a way that is fresh, insightful, and accessible to contemporary Catholics and all people of good will.” The catechesis “offers a narrative beginning with our creation, soberly noting our fall and the challenges we face, but emphasizing God’s plan for our salvation. Love is our mission, and it is by loving God and one another that we will be fully alive.”

Each day in CatholicPhilly.com’s World Meeting of Families section you can reflect on the official Catholic teaching on the family presented in the catechesis, pray a special prayer together as a family or individually, and stay on top of breaking news about the events coming Sept. 22-27, 2015.

Order the catechesis for your home via Our Sunday Visitor, and visit WorldMeeting2015.org for more information on the events.

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