Lust

Fr Antoni Tatara

Lust is most frequently associated with sexual impurity although in accordance with the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth 'the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart and it is these that make a man unclean' (e.g. Matthew 15:19ff). Every man who commits sins becomes unclean before God and his own conscience and thus he desecrates his holiness. These are the unclean: slackers, gluttons and drunkards, the greedy, slanderers, thieves, the jealous, the haughty and the proud.
But it is sexual impurity that is commonly connected with lust as such. Once the following story was told to illustrate the destructive influence on man and his relationship with the Creator: Satan married Godlessness and had a few daughters whose hands were given to people of various classes. Pride married a nobleman. Meanness married a burgher and Fraud married an officer. But Satan did not let his most beloved daughter marry anyone. He ordered her to have sex with all people so that he could snare as many people as possible.

Consequences of 'cleansing' lust

Nowadays, more than in any period of history, the lifestyle that lets people do anything they want is promoted. This freedom concerns first of all human sexuality. One can say that at present even the government and politicians support certain unnatural tendencies connected with this intimate and at the same time beautiful sphere of our life. Take for example the Dutch party supporting the legalisation of paedophilia and zoophilia may soon to enter the Parliament. And the mayor of Amsterdam accepted the participation of homosexual teenagers in the 'love' parade whereas the German media report that certain sister and brother demand the legalisation of incest (they have four children).
Sins related to human sexuality are committed because people have access to numerous pornographic materials (e.g. via the Internet). Many a time these materials promote various deviations or sexual perversions, which lead to total subjectivisation of other people's bodies. This instrumentalisation of sex deprives sex of its spiritual beauty and certainly causes infidelity and breakdown of marriage.
Contemporary men, especially young people, want to have all things quickly, easily and pleasantly. This concerns sexuality. The Internet forums promoting the so-called cybersex are very popular. Furthermore, many people date through the Internet and the dates end with sex without any obligations in some hotel room.
We could multiply examples. I would like to mention only the common escort agencies, which mean brothels. The slave trade is often connected with this and we can hear about such cases in the media. Moreover, other 'fruits' of lust can be abortions and various sexually transmitted diseases (e.g. AIDS).

Order of love

Lust is the sin against the body and the spirit. A man whose desires are disordered wants to fill up, at all costs, his inner emptiness, which he has built and nurtures himself. Such an attitude practically kills all human feelings, making a concrete man a thing and treating him in this way (a used thing is replaced by a new one).
In his First Letter to the Corinthians the Apostle of the Nations writes, 'Your body, you know, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you since you received him from God' (6:19). He directs this message to the Christians who lived in the pagan environments and committed all kinds of fornication. He tells them that they are holy by the power of God himself. And He is love (cf. 1 John 4:8ff). Following his example and his love we can put our desires and ourselves in order. Since love is the power that can order the world.
Positive examples of the order based on love include intensive efforts among young people to preserve chastity before marriage or to promote and use natural methods of family planning.

"Niedziela" 11/2007

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl