As we continue our reflection on the virtues, we come to the cardinal virtue of temperance. The Catechism explains that temperance moderates our attraction to the pleasures of this world, in particular food, drink, and physical intimacy.
After the Fall, the sin of Adam and Eve, man is left with passions or desires that are difficult to moderate. We need both God’s grace and disciplined effort to grow in the virtue, the stable disposition, of temperance.
Temperance helps us to avoid gluttony, the overindulgence in food or drink. Many people in the world today see gluttony as evil because it leads to unhealthy lifestyles and prevents us from being active and productive.
Christians, however, also see gluttony as one of the seven deadly sins. Sin, especially gluttony, dulls our intellect and weakens our will. The more attached we become to food and drink the more our love for the things of Heaven wanes.
As our Lord says in the Gospel, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Mt. 6:21)
There is also another “sub-virtue” in the temperance category: chastity. Just as food & drink are good and need to be used virtuously, so too physical intimacy is good and must be used virtuously. All people, regardless of their state in life, are called to chastity: married couples, celibate priests and sisters, the young and the old. Chastity simply means using our bodies in a way that glorifies God, using the gift of intimacy in a manner proper to our state in life. For married couples, the virtue of chastity would entail respecting our spouse as a person, rather than using them and their body for personal pleasure. Chastity helps us to make a gift of ourselves rather than simply taking from & using our spouse. The physical intimacy of marriage is good & beautiful. However, without chastity to
help guide our strong passions we can become captured and enslaved by them.
Growing in chastity can take work, it involves guarding our senses, especially what we place before our eyes. The eyes are the doorway to our heart. If we’re not careful about what appears before our eyes the Devil will more than happily use them to create traps for us. Chastity also involves dressing with modesty. Styles that reveal our body, and clothing that is tight and suggestive can become a danger for others who are struggling and striving to keep purity of heart.
This week we turn to our Lady, asking for her help in the cardinal virtue of temperance with food, drink, and in the area of chastity. May her prayers help us as we continue to learn about and practice a life of virtue.
God bless,
Fr. Matt