who owns you?
“Shun lewd conduct.” —1 Corinthians 6:18
The sexual revolution has produced disastrous consequences in so many ways. Individual lives have been ravaged. Society has suffered serious moral decline. Marriage and family have been redefined far from God’s original plan. Birth rates have fallen to the point that there are not enough workers to fill the demands of labor. The tug and lure of our human passions are already strong enough without adding sexual pressures from society at large (see Jas 1:14; 4:1; 1 Jn 2:16). When we stoke that passion by watching “entertainment” or listening to music which promotes immorality and fans the flames of our human lusts, we are in effect loading bullets into the chamber of Satan’s gun pointed at our heart.
How can we overcome these passions? Make a covenant with your eyes and ears (see Jb 31:1). Stop listening to and stop watching immoral entertainment. Let God take custody of your eyes and heart (see Prv 4:23). Think only of holy and good things (Phil 4:8). Beg the Lord for the Holy Spirit, Who fights against the flesh (Gal 5:17). Go to the Lamb of God in Mass often, even daily.
“The Lord is for the body” and the body (including our eyes, ears, skin, and mind) “is for the Lord” (1 Cor 6:13). Our bodies, minds, and desires do not belong to us; Jesus has purchased us at the price of His own blood (1 Cor 6:20). If you don’t give yourself to the Lord Jesus, Satan will make himself at home in you instead (see Lk 11:24-26). There is no neutral ground in the “body battle.” Give your body and your life to the Lord.
Prayer: Father, this is my body, to be given up for You.
Promise: “To do Your will, O my God, is my delight, and Your law is within my heart!” —Ps 40:9
Praise: “All this I tell you that My joy may be yours and your joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11). We rejoice in You, risen Jesus!
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from December 1, 2023, through January 31, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio March 17, 2023"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.