Saint John Cassian
On The Eight Vices 

On the Demon of Unchastity and the Desire of the Flesh

Our second struggle is against the demon of unchastity and the desire of the flesh, a desire which begins to trouble man from the time of his youth. This harsh struggle has to be fought in both soul and body, and not simply in the soul, as is the case with other faults. We therefore have to fight it on two fronts.

Bodily fasting alone is not enough to bring about perfect self-restraint and true purity; it must be accompanied by contrition of heart, intense prayer to God, frequent meditation on the Scriptures, toil and manual labor. These are able to check the restless impulses of the soul and to recall it from its shameful fantasies. Humility of soul helps more than everything else, however, and without it no one can overcome unchastity or any other sin. In the first place, then, we must take the utmost care to guard the heart from base thoughts, for, according to the Lord, 'out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, unchastity' and so on (Matt. 15:19).

We are told to fast not only to mortify our body, but also to keep our intellect watchful, so that it will not be obscured because of the amount of food we have eaten and thus be unable to guard its thoughts. We must not therefore expend all our effort in bodily fasting; we must also give attention to our thoughts and to spiritual meditation, since otherwise we will not be able to advance to the heights of true purity and chastity. As our Lord has said, we should 'cleanse first the inside of the cup and plate, so that their outside may also be clean' (Matt. 23:26).

If we are really eager, as the Apostle puts it, to 'struggle lawfully' and to 'be crowned’ (2 Tim. 2:5) for overcoming the impure spirit of unchastity, we should not trust in our own strength arid ascetic practice, but in the help of our Master, God. No one ceases to be attacked by this demon until he truly believes that he will be healed and reach the heights of purity not through his own effort and labor, but through the aid and protection of God. For such a victory is beyond man's natural powers. Indeed, he who has trampled down the pleasures and provocations of the flesh is in a certain sense outside the body. Thus, no one can soar to this high and heavenly prize of holiness on his own wings and learn to imitate the angels, unless the grace of God leads him upwards from this earthly mire.

No virtue makes flesh-bound man so like a spiritual angel as does self-restraint, for it enables those still living on earth to become, as the Apostle says, 'citizens of heaven’ (cf. Phil. 3:20). A sign that we have acquired this virtue perfectly is that our soul ignores those images which the defiled fantasy produces during sleep; for even if the production of such images is not a sin, nevertheless it is a sign that the soul is ill and has not been freed from passion. We should therefore regard the defiled fantasies that arise in us during sleep as the proof of previous indolence and weakness still existing a us; since the emission which takes place while we are relaxed in sleep reveals the sickness that lies hidden in our souls. Because of this the Doctor of our souls has also placed the remedy in the hidden regions of the soul, recognizing that the cause of our sickness lies there when He says: 'Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart' (Matt. 5:28). He seeks to correct not so much our inquisitive and unchaste eyes as the soul which has its seat within and makes bad use of the eyes which God gave it for good purposes. That is why the Book of Proverbs in its wisdom does not say: 'Guard your eyes with all diligence' but 'Guard your heart with all diligence' (Prov. 4:23), imposing the remedy of diligence in the first instance upon that which makes use of the eyes for whatever purpose it desires.

The way to keep guard over our heart is immediately to expel from the mind every demon-inspired recollection of women - even of mother or sister or any other devout woman - lest by dwelling on it for too long the mind is thrown headlong by the deceiver into debased and pernicious thoughts. The commandment given by God to the first man, Adam, told him to keep watch over the head of the serpent (cf. Gen. 3:15. LXX), that is, over the first inklings of the pernicious thoughts by means of which the serpent tries to creep into our souls. If we do not admit the serpent's head, which is the provocation of the thought, we will not admit the rest of its body - that is, the assent to the sensual pleasure which the thought suggests - and so debase the mind towards the illicit act itself.

As it is written, we should 'early in the morning destroy all the wicked of the earth' (Ps. 101:8), distinguishing in the light of divine knowledge' our sinful thoughts and then eradicating them completely from the earth - our hearts in accordance with the teaching of the Lord. While the-children of Babylon - by which I mean our wicked thoughts - are still young, we should dash them to the ground and crush them against the rock, which is Christ (cf. Ps. 137:9; 1 Cor. 16:4). If these thoughts grow stronger because we assent to them, we will not be able to overcome them without much pain and labor.

It is good to remember the sayings of the Fathers as well as the passages from Holy Scripture cited above. For example, Saint Basil, Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, said; 'I have not known a woman and yet I am not a virgin.'

He recognized that the gift of virginity is achieved not so much by abstaining from intercourse with woman as by holiness and purity of soul, which in its turn is achieved through fear of God. The Fathers also say that we cannot fully acquire the virtue of purity unless we have first acquired real humility of heart. And we will not be granted true spiritual knowledge so long as the passion of unchastity lies hidden in the depths of our souls.

To bring this section of our treatise to a close, let us recall one of the Apostle's sayings which further illustrates his teaching on how to acquire self-restraint. He says; 'Pursue peace with all men and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord' (Heb. 12:14). It is clear that he is talking about self-restraint from what follows: 'Lest there be any unchaste or profane person, such as Esau' (Heb. 12:16). The more heavenly and angelic the degree of holiness, the heavier are the enemies' attacks to which it is subjected. We should therefore try to achieve not only bodily control, but also contrition of heart with frequent prayers of repentance, so that with the dew of the Holy Spirit we may extinguish the furnace of our flesh, kindled daily by the king of Babylon with the bellows of desire (cf. Dan. 3:19). In addition, a great weapon has been given us in the form of sacred vigils; for just as the watch we keep over our droughts by day brings us holiness at night, So vigil at night brings purity to the soul by day.

The Purpose of The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments Are A Reflection Of God’s Character And An Expression Of Who He Is.

We can know God by the ten commandments. If the law is a reflection of God’s character and humans are made in God’s image, then the law fits human nature as well as that of God. It follows that humans are structured to follow certain laws and operate in certain ways. For instance, a car that is not made for diesel fuel will not be able to run well on diesel. The car might stop altogether with water or sugar in the gas tank. Likewise, if one runs full speed into a brick wall, chances are that one will do more damage to himself than to the wall because the wall is stronger. If a person jumps from a plane, he may feel as free as a bird for a moment, but unless he has a parachute, the law of gravity will bring him crashing to the ground.

The second Purpose of the law is the pedagogical use of the law, in which the law is a Custodian.

Wherefore the law was our pedagogue (Custodian) in Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after the faith is come, we are no longer under a pedagogue (Custodian). For you are all the children of God by faith, in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:24-26)

Jerome: A Custodian is given to infants to rein in an age full of passion and to restrain hearts prone to vice until the tender infancy is refined by growth...yet the custodian is not the Father,....The custodian guards another person's son and will depart from him when the lawful time of inheritance arrives.
Theodoret: Now it was necessary that the law be given, as it fulfilled our need of a custodian. And it freed us from our previous impiety, taught us knowledge of God and then brought us to Christ the Lord as though to some wise teacher, so that we might be instructed by him in perfect learning and acquire the righteousness that is through faith.

Chrysostom: Now if the Law was a custodian and we were confined under its direction, it was not opposed to grace but cooperated with it. But if it continues to bind us after after grace has come, then it is opposed to grace....Those who maintain their custody at this point are the ones who bring the child into the greatest disrepute. The custodian makes the child ridiculous when he keeps him close at hand even after the time has come for his departure.
The individual called in some translations "schoolmaster" was actually not headmaster or teacher, but rather a faithful slave whose duty it was to conduct his master's sons to and from school and prevent them from getting into mischief. Paul was comparing CHRIST with the real teacher, and the law was like the slave whose duty it was to conduct the pupil to the teacher.- Manners And Customs of Bible Lands: by Fred H. Wight, Copyright @ 1953

The Ten Commandments Exposes the Nature of Man

Since the Fall of Adam and Eve every person is born into this condition of sin "For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me" (Psalm 51:5) "For as by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners; so also by the obedience of one, many shall be made just." (Romans 5:19). God gave us His law to reveal not only His holiness, but our sinfulness.

“Now the law entered in, that sin might abound. And where sin abounded, grace did more abound." (Romans 5:20) In other words, God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were.

Through the law we are reminded and convicted of how far we have fallen from an relationship with God and the impassable chasm that exists between us.
“Whosoever committeth sin committeth also iniquity; and sin is iniquity (Lawlessness)." The person who sins breaks God’s law. Sin is living against God’s law. (I John 3:4)

 “What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? God forbid. But I do not know sin, but by the law; for I had not known concupiscence, if the law did not say: Thou shalt not covet. But sin taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. And I lived some time without the law. But when the commandment came, sin revived, And I died. And the commandment that was ordained to life, the same was found to be unto death to me. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, seduced me, and by it killed me. Wherefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was that then which is good, made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it may appear sin, by that which is good, wrought death in me; that sin, by the commandment, might become sinful above measure.” (Romans 7:7-13)

A person can be told he has dirt on his face. The person will go to a mirror to take a look. The mirror accurately reflects a true image. The dirt is indeed there. The person might walk away from the mirror, but his “dirty face” condition remains. Washing the mirror or taking it away does not clean the face. God’s law is like a mirror. When gazed into it shows man’s true condition. Ignoring or rejecting the law does not take away our condition of sin. When facing the standard of God’s holy law we realize there is not one of us who has not sinned. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard.

“As it is written: There is not any man just. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. All have turned out of the way; they are become unprofitable together: there is none that doth good, there is not so much as one.” (Romans 3:10-12)

“Now we know, that what things soever the law speaketh, it speaketh to them that are in the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be made subject to God. Because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified before him. For by the law is the knowledge of sin....For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God…” (Romans 3:19-20; 23)

Let’s say that a chain represented our lifeline to God. It was the means by which we could reach Him. The way by which we could restore the position once lost. And each link in the chain represented a law of God.

We would need to keep each law perfectly in order to be reconciled with God. In fact we would have to be born in this perfect condition. Only two people were born in this perfect condition. And that was Jesus who was the Son of God, and the Virgin Mary, born full of the grace of God from conception.

Let's say a person were only to break one of the ten commandment once in his life? That would be a pretty righteous person. But are they good enough for God’s requirements?

If a person were hanging by a chain and one link broke, they would fall. It doesn’t take breaking every link to fall from God – just one!

“And whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offend in one point, is become guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

Who is God? He is a Holy God. Who is man? He is A Sinner. Sin has alienated mankind from God. It has made the whole human race at enmity with Him. We selfishly seek after those things that fulfill our depraved passions. We lift ourselves to be our own gods, running our own lives, controlling our own destinies. Humankind is bent toward evil as a tree bends to the light. Human nature is to operate in contradiction to the law of God! Why? Because we are born sinners.

As if this were not bad enough…there’s more! Not only have we been separated from God because of sin, but this separation brings with it consequences.
When we go to work at a job we receive wages (pay) for the work we did. It is inevitable – that is why we are employed.

In life, wherever there is a work of sin, there is an accompanying wage (payment) for the sin worked or committed. It is called the wage of death. When man works sin he receives death.

“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)

“The soul that sinneth, the same shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20)

“Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned. For until the law sin was in the world; but sin was not imputed, when the law was not. But death reigned from Adam unto Moses, even over them also who have not sinned after the similitude of the transgression of Adam, who is a figure of him who was to come.” (Romans 5:12-14)

When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. And though there was no law to break, since it had not yet been given, they all died anyway—even though they did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did.

God is life. When separated from him there is inevitable death. Like a grape on a vine. When the grape is cut from its source of life, it dies.

When Adam sinned there was immediate death and alienation from the life that is within God. Sin also brought physical death. A dead person does not respond to sights, sounds, or touch. In the same way, the spiritually dead are unable to see, hear, or touch Him. The fact of our death in sin explains our helplessness. Without life there is hopelessness and despair.

We were created eternal beings (this is part of being in the likeness of God). He created us to enjoy fellowship with Him forever. When sin entered, our physical bodies would perish, but our spirit would live forever. For those who have sinned (all of mankind) separation from God is for eternity. This means suffering eternal death in a place God created for Satan and his angels called Hell. It is a place of torment and fire. Though there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” the worst part is being banished from God for all eternity with no hope of ever getting out. Does this make God unreasonable? Does it make Him merciless and unrelenting? Not at all! God in His holiness can not abide sin in man. It’s like trying to mix light and darkness, or good and evil.

Left to himself, mankind’s condition of sin leaves him helpless, destitute, alone, hopeless, and separated from God.

But remember, after Adam and Eve sinned, God promised he would provide an answer to this devastating separation of man from Himself. And that answer was Jesus Christ and what did he did on the cross for us. So what is our part?

 I. Realize You're a Sinner:

 As we said, one of the reasons the Ten commandments were given to us, is to show how sinful we really are.

 II. Believe on Jesus as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected.

"But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them
that believe in his name." (John 1:12)

 III. Repent

Repentance is to have such a sorrow for something, that it makes you want to change
your mind and your actions toward that thing.

"Be penitent, (repent) therefore, and be converted (turn back or change your mind),
that your sins may be blotted out." (Acts 3:19)

IV. You must desire and seek to be baptized.

"Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

V. If you will do these four things and truly mean it then this is what God will do.

And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in the midst of you: and I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to keep my judgments, and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

In the next 10 lessons, we will discuss each of the ten commandments and what they mean. But beware, the more you learn the commandments of God, the more you are held accountable for in eternity. So please prepare for your eternity by fully committing your life to Christ so that he can give you a new heart and so that he can "put His spirit in you"and give you the power of that spirit at your confirmation so that you may be able "to walk in His commandments, and keep His judgments, and do them".

READ MORE FROM THE TRADITIONAL CATECHISM AT THE WEBSITE: https://www.traditionalcatechism.com

From Rebellion to Freedom in Christ

A young woman’s testimony of God’s transforming grace

Even though both of my parents are believers in Jesus Christ and sought to raise my siblings and me in a way that honored God, my life was headed for destruction from an early start.

A Death and Disillusionment

When I was 4 years old, my parents were expecting their fourth child. My dad worked ten-hour days and rarely had time for the family. My mom was also very busy with three young children and a fourth one on the way. My parents were busy, and I often got into trouble, but I was excited about the coming of a new baby. If it was a girl, I thought she and I would be best friends—unlike my relationship with my younger sister Sarah, with whom I often quarreled.
When my mom had an ultrasound, we found out that the baby was a girl but that she would not live. She had anencephaly, a brain deformity that prevented the top half of her brain from developing. When my mom went into labor, the birth process would end the baby’s life.
I was heartbroken, but having been taught that God answers prayer, I dutifully prayed every night and every morning for the next five months that my sister would live. Seven weeks before her due date, my mom’s labor was induced at the hospital to prevent uterine rupture from excessive amniotic fluid. The baby was stillborn.
When I went to the hospital to see her, I remember telling myself that if God would not answer my prayers, He did not love me and that I did not need Him or anyone else. From then on, I believed the lie that I had to take care of myself in the world. I started on the long road toward self-dependency and spent the next eleven years battling against my need for others and for God.

Locked Up in Rebellion

I became what one might call a silent rebel—silent for awhile at least. My parents home schooled, and when I was old enough I attended some Seminars. Yet, I was not dissuaded from my doubts and bitterness.

The adults at the parish we went to were oblivious to the state of my heart, but the kids knew everything. I had lots of friends, but I hung out with the wrong crowd. My morals were set by my peers’ morals, and the person I admired most was also in rebellion. I was so controlled by the actions of those I looked up to that I stopped doing things like participating at the Mass and focusing on the prayers—simply because my friends weren’t doing it.

By the age of 13 or 14, I was completely locked up emotionally. I refused to cry about anything. The effects of my sin, the grief I brought my parents, and my stubborn will did not soften my emotions at all. I thought crying was a sign of weakness rather than humility, and the only time I gave in to selfish tears was when I was completely alone.
I began having a horrific nightmare—the same dream every night. I ground my teeth until my jaws ached so much that I had to take a large dose of Advil to cover the pain. I was in deep depression and I was truly suicidal.

Going on a Journey

When my parents first proposed sending me on a discipleship retreat, I refused to go. After a month or two, my parents contacted the staff of the discipleship retreat and gained permission for me to attend. My mom packed my bags, signed my papers, and walked me to the plane. I was not pleased! I told my parents that I would not change and that not even God could change me. I no longer believed in God’s existence.
When I go off the plane at the airport, the spiritual director chosen for me knew right away that something was going on inside of me. Although I had successfully concealed the true condition of my heart from hundreds of adults over the years, she saw right through me.

On the way to the retreat house, our van blew a tire. We were hauling a luggage trailer as well, and I knew that fifteen-passenger vans don’t just keep driving in a straight line when they have a tire blowout big enough to burst the antifreeze line! God saved our lives that day and kept the van from swerving off the four-lane highway. I am convinced He did it to show me that He is real and to preserve the lives of all the young ladies in the van with me.

A Turning Point

I spent the first four days of the retreat in resistance, but God got a hold of my heart on Thursday night. I stuck my head into my sister’s room and found that she and her friend were praying for me. Then our group watched a film about the love God has for me. Although I had not cried for as long as I could remember, I was overwhelmed with the idea presented in the film—that someone loved me. Because I had shut out my family’s love, it was a new thing to know that I was loved, and it was a new thing to realize that I needed someone to love me.

I felt my heart being ripped into shreds. However, I was determined not to give in. I had encountered similar things in the past, which I had resisted, and I was not planning on giving in this time. I strained every muscle in my jaw and face to keep from bursting into tears. As I sat there with my jaws clenched shut and my eyes closed so tight that they ached, I wondered if I’d actually make it through this experience unscathed.

At that moment, my roommate leaned over and started praying for me. As soon as I felt her hand on my shoulder, I couldn’t stop crying. Her prayer was beautiful, and although I don’t remember all the words, I do remember that it came from a heart that desperately wanted me to experience lasting freedom from sin.
I surrendered to God that night. I chose not to hold back the one thing I had vowed never to give up. The moment I released it, I felt like a ton of baggage was lifted off my back. I will never be able to accurately describe how much lighter I felt after that night! I was freer than I had ever been in my life. God began a change in my life. I repented of my sin and laid my life before the feet Jesus to do with as He willed.

Hoping in God’s Faithfulness for the Future

Looking back, I see how much God has done in my life. Once I had repented of my sin and surrendered my life to Christ, I was baptized, I went to confession, was able to participate in Holy Communion and then I was confirmed. God has changed my heart and my attitude through the graces I have received through the sacraments. But I also understand that this life in Christ is not over. I have a longways to go in becoming like Christ and living in His truth. It’s a very long way, but I know God is faithful. And through much prayer, reading God's written word meditating on Him day and night, allowing his graces to flow through me, I will become that much closer to being more like Him.

In the last two years, I’ve learned that true freedom is actually found in being a bond slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no real freedom if you are “free” by the world’s definition (to live without restraint). It brings only fear and turmoil, and sometimes temporary happiness that leads to disillusionment when it fades away.
As God continues the work He began in me, I look forward to seeing how much more He will do with my life as He makes me more like Christ. “But as for me, I will appear before thy sight in justice: I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.” (Psalm 17:15)