The obsession with the promotion of artificial contraceptives among those pushing the so-called RH Bill is partly based on the assumption that we have to prevent unwanted pregnancies among adolescents who find it impossible to avoid premarital sex.
This presupposition is based on the empirical observation that in many countries in the Western world, the majority of teenage girls have had sex before they get married. Those in favor of the RH Bill claim that they are just being “realists.” To them chastity is an impossible ideal. Well, I claim that they are defeatists.
They are assuming that the youth in the Philippines cannot rise above their purely animal instincts. Before they even try, these lawmakers have given up on values and character education of the youth and the spiritual formation that can come from religious faith, whatever the creed.
It was very refreshing for me to read a blog of sports and media celebrity, Chris Tiu. This famous basketball star wrote a commentary on an event he attended at the SMX of Mall of Asia where he joined some 8,000 people, most of them young women and men, to listen to Jason Evert, an American “Chastity” speaker.
Mr. Evert was in the Philippines during the last days of February, 2011, and spoke to various audiences in Metro Manila and Iloilo about the importance of fostering the virtue of chastity among the young people of the Philippines. Let us listen to what Chris Tiu said about the talk of Jason Evert.
“I never could have imagined myself attending a chastity talk although I am a believer of chastity and purity... Honestly, my understanding was that it was going to be a talk about love and relationships, not about chastity... The program started with a Holy Mass, after which I was introduced to Jason by a friend... Jason must have read what was going on in my mind and so he picked me as a volunteer at the beginning of his talk
He wanted to start his talk with the question, ‘How far is too far in a relationship.’ And to illustrate his point he made me put on a ‘Lady Gaga’ wig and acted out as if we were on a date. And in an instant, he lifted me upon his shoulders! One hand supporting me, and the other holding the mic! Deep inside, I was thinking, Wow! This guy is strong! I stand at 5’ 11” and Jason was just about 5’ 7.” He was probably 30 lbs lighter than I. Then he lifted me towards the end of the stage and asked me if he should still go on. Of course, I said NO! And he took me down and thanked me for volunteering!
“So, what’s his point? The point is not to put our loved ones in danger. We said that asking ‘How far can I go with a girl without sinning?’ can be put more positively into ‘How far can I go with a girl in protecting her innocence?’
Think of it this way.
He invited us to think of our future wife who may be dating another guy right now. How far do we want that guy to go with her? It is like Stephen Covey’s ‘thinking with the end in mind,’ the end here being marriage. Then he said, ‘Girls, do not allow a guy to lift the veil of your body before he lifts the veil on your head – in marriage.’
“To illustrate his point further, he cited statistics in the US which show that those who married as virgins had a divorce rate 70% less than those who were not. This was taken from a 700-page book compiling the results of a research that had the largest survey respondents.
What made me think deeper was his analogy of our love for our future wife with the love of Christ for the Church. He quoted St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I couldn’t help but think of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ where he described how Jesus suffered for us, His Church, His Bride.
He said that that’s how much we have to be willing to suffer for our future wife. And part of that sacrifice is to live a chaste life now. We need to free ourselves so that we can love!”
Chris Tiu was especially impressed with the candor with which Jason spoke about his own personal experience. The eloquent speaker from the US was addressing especially the girls in the audience. He wanted to disabuse them of the idea that by giving in to the lustful desire of a boyfriend, they would be loved more. On the contrary, that would be the best way to lose his respect. To demonstrate this point, he told the story of a lady named Cristalina:
“When she allowed her boyfriend to have sex with her, he started mistreating her and calling her names. After a while, the usual excitement of being together was gone. Love had been confused with lust. Until her mom insisted and dragged her to attend a chastity talk.
Finally, she decided to break off with the guy. Instead of engaging in sexual acts, what she did was she started writing love letters for her future husband whom she had not yet met. The letters indicated that ‘I did not give in to temptation tonight, because I am saving myself for you!’
After a few years, on her wedding day, she gave them all to her husband, who happened to be Jason himself! She also gave him a white candle with a fresh wick (as a symbol of preserving her body up to the time of marriage from her conversion).
I am sure there are numerous young women and men reading this article who can think as Chris Tiu does about the importance of chastity before marriage. They can distinguish between love and lust. They can have enough strength of character, reinforced by the grace from prayer and the Sacraments, so that chastity before marriage is not an impossible ideal for them.
They can give the lie to the insulting presupposition of those pushing for artificial contraceptives that chastity before marriage is an impossible ideal. For comments, my email address is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
TRIVIA: Anthonian symbols
conography of St Anthony includes a series of symbols: youth, the habit, a book, the baby Jesus, the lily, a flame, a heart, bread. These express either a characteristic of his personality (memory functions), or the gifts and qualities which popular devotion have attributed to him (symbolic function).
The most widely diffused image is of Anthony as a young religious, with the Christ child in his arms and a lily in his hand.
Youth is connected to the ideal image of him as, pure, good, receptive to everyone.
The Franciscan habit (brown or black) is reminiscent of the Franciscan Order, but with some particular characteristics. Some people think - wrongly - that he created his own order and they have problems connecting him to St. Francis.
The baby Jesus is reminiscent of the vision that Anthony had in Camposampiero.
It also expresses his attachment to the humanity of Christ and his closeness to God.
The Lily represents his purity and his battle against the demon since childhood.
The flame indicates his love for God and his neighbour.
Many votive offerings are heart-shaped, and the reliquary for the voice box (larynx), found intact at the last recognition, has been made in the shape of a flame.
Bread is reminiscent of his charity to the poor. This image is connected with the charity "St. Anthony's bread for the poor", which is still operating.
This is also connected with Saint Anthony's Charities, which spreads the solidarity of St. Anthony all over the world.
In the end, the oldest image and that which is nearest to reality is represented by the book, a symbol of his science, of his doctrine, of his preaching and of his teaching, always inspired by the book par excellence: the Bible.
The most widely diffused image is of Anthony as a young religious, with the Christ child in his arms and a lily in his hand.
Youth is connected to the ideal image of him as, pure, good, receptive to everyone.
The Franciscan habit (brown or black) is reminiscent of the Franciscan Order, but with some particular characteristics. Some people think - wrongly - that he created his own order and they have problems connecting him to St. Francis.
The baby Jesus is reminiscent of the vision that Anthony had in Camposampiero.
It also expresses his attachment to the humanity of Christ and his closeness to God.
The Lily represents his purity and his battle against the demon since childhood.
The flame indicates his love for God and his neighbour.
Many votive offerings are heart-shaped, and the reliquary for the voice box (larynx), found intact at the last recognition, has been made in the shape of a flame.
Bread is reminiscent of his charity to the poor. This image is connected with the charity "St. Anthony's bread for the poor", which is still operating.
This is also connected with Saint Anthony's Charities, which spreads the solidarity of St. Anthony all over the world.
In the end, the oldest image and that which is nearest to reality is represented by the book, a symbol of his science, of his doctrine, of his preaching and of his teaching, always inspired by the book par excellence: the Bible.
PRAYER FOR PRIVATE DEVOTION TO ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA-
PRAYER TO RECOVER LOST OR STOLEN THINGS
O Blessed St. Anthony, The grace of God has made you a powerful advocate in all necessities and the patron for the restoration of things lost or stolen. To you we return today with child-like love and heartfelt confidence. How many thousands have you miraculously aided in the recovery of lost goods. You are the counselors of sinners, the comforter of the afflicted, the healer of the sick, the raiser of the dead, the deliverer of the captive, the refuge of the afflicted. To you do we hasten O Blessed St. Anthony. Help us in our affliction. We entrust what we have lost to your care, in the secure hope that you will restore it to be the greater glory of God and to the benefit of our soul. Amen..
A STUDENT’S PRAYER
St. Anthony, you distinguished yourself for truly human and Christian wisdom, I entrust my studies to your guidance. You know how important they are for my life and what commitment they require of me: grant me a firm will to apply myself with constancy, the intelligence to penetrate the wonders of science, a memory to remember and use what I have been taught.
May school be for me an arena of life where I may learn together with human knowledge the teachings of the Gospel.
Through your help, may I continue and conclude successfully may studies and thus be useful to others and find my place in life with Christian responsibility. Amen.
O Blessed St. Anthony, The grace of God has made you a powerful advocate in all necessities and the patron for the restoration of things lost or stolen. To you we return today with child-like love and heartfelt confidence. How many thousands have you miraculously aided in the recovery of lost goods. You are the counselors of sinners, the comforter of the afflicted, the healer of the sick, the raiser of the dead, the deliverer of the captive, the refuge of the afflicted. To you do we hasten O Blessed St. Anthony. Help us in our affliction. We entrust what we have lost to your care, in the secure hope that you will restore it to be the greater glory of God and to the benefit of our soul. Amen..
A STUDENT’S PRAYER
St. Anthony, you distinguished yourself for truly human and Christian wisdom, I entrust my studies to your guidance. You know how important they are for my life and what commitment they require of me: grant me a firm will to apply myself with constancy, the intelligence to penetrate the wonders of science, a memory to remember and use what I have been taught.
May school be for me an arena of life where I may learn together with human knowledge the teachings of the Gospel.
Through your help, may I continue and conclude successfully may studies and thus be useful to others and find my place in life with Christian responsibility. Amen.
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