Instilling Gospel values

Does Satan believe in chastity or rather does he believe that men and women in the past or even today could possibly live a chaste life where sex plays no part in their ordinary, daily life?

The answer to such an outrageous question, if posed to most people today, would most probably elicit a loud, resounding No. To live a chaste life (which is not just an abstention from exercising one's sexuality but something that goes well beyond) is considered to be something well nigh impossible, especially in our present erotic-saturated society. This is irrespective of whether one believes in the existence of the devil or not.

Yet the Gospel account of the temptations that Christ had to endure in the desert would seem to imply that Satan does indeed believe that chastity is possible because incredibly he did not tempt the Lord by presenting a woman to him. Surely a lascivious female figure is an easier temptation to fall for than the turning of stones into bread or throwing oneself from the pinnacle of the temple or the possession of all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

The conclusion reached is that the devil somehow perceived that the chastity of the Man he was trying to enslave was simply unassailable and therefore his efforts had to be directed elsewhere.

One has to admit that the figure of Christ would, today, pose almost insurmountable problems and would be highly problematic. His exhortations to love one another as brothers, his insistence on forgiveness, his compassion towards sinners and his wrath towards the rich and their indifference for the plight of the poor would be embraced enthusiastically as these principles are now shared by many.

But can one imagine what the reaction would be, especially in the media, if a 30-year-old Man, leading an irreproachable chaste life, would present himself saying that the pure of heart are blessed and shall be called the children of God for being so? Or what would we say if this same Man were to tell us that even looking lustfully at a woman in one's heart, one has already committed adultery with her? Or that it is preferable to pluck out one's eye and cut off one's hand or leg rather than allow oneself to fall into sin because of them? The reaction would be incredulous at best and derisory at best.

Recently a survey was published on the religious beliefs and attitudes among Maltese University students. The answers, especially those on premarital sex and cohabitation, were a cause of no surprise, considering the kind of society we live in and the values that are perpetually being presented and extolled.

What was very sad about the whole matter was the reaction of some adult Christians, and here I am especially referring to a section of the Catholic media and also of some priests who, possibly through a withering down of their faith in the Lord, have given the impression that it is the Church that must change its ways to 'accommodate' itself to the new realities that currently abound.

It is almost as if the state were asked to take into account the fact that theft and corruption are ever present in society and therefore it should not remain indifferent to such a state of affairs. In other words, the state should cease to insist that people do not rob or corrupt since this is going to happen anyway.

We seem to have lost the courage to promote chastity to the young and even to the not so young, for example separated couples, because the imitation of Christ, especially his chastity and obedience to the will of the Father, have lost its attraction.

Moreover, it is intolerable for Christian parents to be faced by the fact that their efforts to instill in their children the values of the Gospel are often frustrated and even nullified by the very same people whose task it is to impart these values to the young. It should be clear that the attempts of parents to pass on to their children the teachings of Christ and his Church are not always crowned with success (at least temporarily) and there is no guarantee that their children will not drink, take drugs, indulge in pre-marital sex, become pregnant or have a failed marriage.

Therefore, one can ask oneself why one should still insist on imparting values to one's children when their behaviour is sometimes not much dissimilar to that of those whose parents do not care to do so?

The answer lies firstly in the fact that if one believes strongly in something, or in this case in Someone, one tries to pass on this belief to others. Secondly, we try to give the best to our children, such as a good education, but this is very much secondary to what a deep faith in Christ will mean to them in their future life.

Finally, children grow and mature and the good seed that has been planted by word and example will surely one day, with God's help, sprout and produce good fruit. If no good seed has been planted in their hearts and minds with a clear indication of the difference between good and evil, the chances of their trying to lead a good Christian life are even more remote.

Above all, parents, educators and all those who come in close contact with the young must overcome the temptation to woo popularity by 'softening' the Gospel message or by censoring the truths that are deemed unacceptable to the mentality of youths. Such an attitude is simply a betrayal of their vocation as Christian parents, educators or priests and will surely earn them Revelation's stern words: "If you are neither hot nor cold I will vomit you out of my mouth."