Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. -Galatians 5: 19-21
On May 13, 1917 Our Blessed Mother appeared to three shepherd children in the small town of Fatima, Portugal. She returned to them on the 13th of each month, and asked the children for devotion to her Immaculate Heart and to pray the Rosary daily for the conversion of sinners. Her final visit was on October 13th, a day on which 70,000 – 100,000 people witnessed “The Miracle of the Sun” a solar event that lasted approximately 10 minutes, during which the sun appeared to zig-zag in the sky, emit radiant, multi-colored lights and careen towards the earth.
During this apparition Our Lady revealed herself to the children as The Lady of the Rosary and told them, “People must amend their lives, ask forgiveness for their sins and not offend Our Lord any more for He is already too much offended." Three Secrets were also revealed to the children, including a vision of the souls in Hell. One of the children, Lucia, later become a Carmelite nun and wrote about this vision of Hell in her Memoirs in 1942:
"Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth…The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant." - Sister Lucia
Visionary Jacina, Sister Lucia's younger cousin, later quoted Our Blessed Mother as saying, “The sins which cause most souls to go to hell are the sins of the flesh.”
The Signs of our Times
Sins against chastity and purity are rampant today, and often remain unacknowledged. This lack of recognition of sexual impurity coupled with participation in habitual mortal sin leads to spiritual blindness, with destructive consequences. It is sexual sin in particular that gives rise to an inability to perceive what is truly good, as lust draws our attention to the things of the earth and clouds our vision of Heaven.
Wherefore lust gives rise to blindness of mind, which excludes almost entirely the knowledge of spiritual things.” St. Thomas Aquinas
Impurity blinds individuals from recognizing the supernatural reality of good and evil occurring in their personal lives as well as in the world at large. Too often, the consequences are not immediately experienced by those caught up in impurity, because they are obscured by their passions and the darkening of their intellect.
According to St. Paul,
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness … they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…God gave them up in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie … for this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error (Romans 1:18}
The Threat of Social Collapse
Sexual immorality has increased in the culture and shows no sign of slowing down.
“The latest CDC data shows record high STI rates in America for the eighth straight year. This is not business as usual – it is a rapidly deteriorating public health crisis in a dangerous time. STI rates will continue to rise unless we take drastic action.” (https://www.ncsddc.org/u-s-sti-rates-hit-another-high/)
A darkening of the intellect has come upon many, leading to the practice and promotion of behaviors once recognized as immoral. Widespread impurity is spreading and is leading to the destruction of the family which is the foundation of civil society.
The destruction of marriage and the family was also foretold by Our Lady to Sister Lucia at Fatima. On February 16, 2008, Cardinal Carlo Caffara (then Archbishop of Bologna) granted an interview to Tele Radio Padre Pio. He revealed that he received a letter with Sister Lucia's signature, which is now archived, in which she wrote;
"The final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family. Don’t be afraid, , because anyone who operates for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be contended and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue. Do not be afraid, because Our Lady has already crushed his head."
We have now reached the point of collapse in our understanding of what it means to be men and women through the widespread promotion of gender confusion.
The sacrament of marriage, which is symbolic of Christ and His union with the Church is being profaned through cohabitation, divorce/remarriage, open marriages, same-sex "marriages", adultery and the consumption of pornography. The communal effects of sexual sin have infected society and are driving it towards social and moral collapse.
Virtue is Medicine for Lust
There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12)
Sexual desire and a longing for intimacy must be understood as a beautiful gift created for marriage. The virtue of chastity and a desire for purity can be pursued both in married and single life as a way to temper and control the passions. Modesty and self-control also help us to respect the bonds of marriage and the family.
Through prayer and study of the Bible as well as the moral teachings of Orthodox Christianity, we can work towards having a properly formed conscience capable of recognizing temptations that lead to sin. Reason alone cannot be the standard by which we measure or judge moral behavior, as moral relativism holds that no one is right or wrong as long as we do not offend.
Let God guide you, and trust in His ways. The path is narrow but it leads to Life.
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