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Title: |
Sacra Virginitas
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Descr.: |
On Consecrated Virginity
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Pope: |
Pope Pius XII
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Date: |
March 25th, 1954
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To
Our Venerable Brothers, the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops,
Bishops, and Other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with
the Apostolic See.
1.
Holy virginity and that perfect chastity which is consecrated to
the service of God is without doubt among the most precious
treasures which the Founder of the Church has left in heritage to
the society which He established.
2.
This assuredly was the reason why the Fathers of the Church
confidently asserted that perpetual virginity is a very noble gift
which the Christian religion has bestowed on the world. They
rightly noted that the pagans of antiquity imposed this way of
life on the Vestals only for a certain time;(1) and that, although
in the Old Testament virginity is ordered to be kept and
preserved, it is only a previous requisite for marriage;(2) and
furthermore, as Ambrose writes,(3) "We read that also in the
temple of Jerusalem there were virgins. But what does the Apostle
say? 'Now all these things happened to them in figure',(4) that
this might be a foreshadowing of what was to come "
3.
Indeed, right from Apostolic times this virtue has been thriving
and flourishing in the garden of the Church. When the Acts of the
Apostles(5) say that Philip the deacon was the father of four
virgins, the word certainly refers to their state of life rather
than to their age. And not much later Ignatius of Antioch salutes
the virgins,(6) who together with the widows, formed a not
insignificant part of the Christian community of Smyrna. In the
second century, as St. Justin testifies, "many men and women,
sixty and seventy years old, imbued from childhood with the
teachings of Christ, keep their integrity."(7) Gradually the
number of men and women who had vowed their chastity to God grew;
likewise the importance of the office they fulfilled in the Church
increased notably, as We have shown more at length in Our
apostolic constitution, "Sponsa Christi."(8)
4.
Further, the Fathers of the Church, such as Cyprian, Athanasius,
Ambrose, John Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, and many others, have
sung the praises of virginity. And this doctrine of the Fathers,
augmented through the course of centuries by the Doctors of the
Church and the masters of asceticism, helps greatly either to
inspire in the faithful of both sexes the firm resolution of
dedicating themselves to God by the practice of perfect chastity
and of persevering thus till death, or to strengthen them in the
resolution already taken.
5.
Innumerable is the multitude of those who from the beginning of
the Church until our time have offered their chastity to God. Some
have preserved their virginity unspoiled, others after the death
of their spouse, have consecrated to God their remaining years in
the unmarried state, and still others, after repenting their sins,
have chosen to lead a life of perfect chastity; all of them at one
in this common oblation, that is, for love of God to abstain for
the rest of their lives from sexual pleasure. May then what the
Fathers of the Church preached about the glory and merit of
virginity be an invitation, a help, and a source of strength to
those who have made the sacrifice to persevere with constancy, and
not take back or claim for themselves even the smallest part of
the [offering] they have laid on the altar of God.
6.
And while this perfect chastity is the subject of one of the three
vows which constitute the religious state,(9) and is also required
by the Latin Church of clerics in major orders(10) and demanded
from members of Secular Institutes,(11) it also flourishes among
many who are lay people in the full sense: men and women who are
not constituted in a public state of perfection and yet by private
promise or vow completely abstain from marriage and sexual
pleasures, in order to serve their neighbor more freely and to be
united with God more easily and more closely.
7.
To all of these beloved sons and daughters who in any way have
consecrated their bodies and souls to God, We address Ourselves,
and exhort them earnestly to strengthen their holy resolution and
be faithful to it.
8.
However, since there are some who, straying from the right path in
this matter, so exalt marriage as to rank it ahead of virginity
and thus depreciate chastity consecrated to God and clerical
celibacy, Our apostolic duty demands that We now in a particular
manner declare and uphold the Church's teaching on the sublime
state of virginity, and so defend Catholic truth against these
errors.
9.
First of all, We think it should be noted that the Church has
taken what is capital in her teaching on virginity from the very
lips of her Divine Spouse.
10.
For when the disciples thought that the obligations and burdens of
marriage, which their Master's discourse had made clear, seemed
extremely heavy, they said to Him: "If the case stands so
between man and wife, it is better not to marry at all."(12)
Jesus Christ replied that His ideal is not understood by everybody
but only by those who have received the gift; for some are
hindered from marriage because of some defect of nature, others
because of the violence and malice of men, while still others
freely abstain of their own will, and this "for the kingdom
of heaven." And He concludes with these words, "He that
can take it, let him take it."(13)
11.
By these words the divine Master is speaking not of bodily
impediments to marriage, but of a resolution freely made to
abstain all one's life from marriage and sexual pleasure. For in
likening those who of their own free will have determined to
renounce these pleasures to those who by nature or the violence of
men are forced to do so, is not the Divine Redeemer teaching us
that chastity to be really perfect must be perpetual?
12.
Here also it must be added, as the Fathers and Doctors of the
Church have clearly taught, that virginity is not a Christian
virtue unless we embrace it "for the kingdom of
heaven;"(14) that is, unless we take up this way of life
precisely to be able to devote ourselves more freely to divine
things to attain heaven more surely, and with skillful efforts to
lead others more readily to the kingdom of heaven.
13.
Those therefore, who do not marry because of exaggerated
self-interest, or because, as Augustine says,(15) they shun the
burdens of marriage or because like Pharisees they proudly flaunt
their physical integrity, an attitude which has been condemned by
the Council of Gangra lest men and women renounce marriage as
though it were something despicable instead of because virginity
is something beautiful and holy, - none of these can claim for
themselves the honor of Christian virginity.(16)
14.
Moreover, the Apostle of the Gentiles, writing under divine
inspiration, makes this point: "He that is without a wife is
solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may
please God...And the unmarried woman and the virgin thinketh on
the things of the Lord, that she may be holy in body and
spirit."(17)
15.
This then is the primary purpose, this the central idea of
Christian virginity: to aim only at the divine, to turn thereto
the whole mind and soul; to want to please God in everything, to
think of Him continually, to consecrate body and soul completely
to Him.
16.
This is the way the Fathers of the Church have always interpreted
the words of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the Apostle of the
Gentiles; for from the very earliest days of the Church they have
considered virginity a consecration of body and soul offered to
God. Thus, St. Cyprian demands of virgins that "once they
have dedicated themselves to Christ by renouncing the pleasures of
the flesh, they have vowed themselves body and soul to God...and
should seek to adorn themselves only for their Lord and please
only Him."(18) And the Bishop of Hippo, going further, says,
"Virginity is not honored because it is bodily integrity, but
because it is something dedicated to God...Nor do we extol virgins
because they are virgins, but because they are virgins dedicated
to God in loving continence."(19) And the masters of Sacred
Theology, St. Thomas Aquinas(20) and St. Bonaventure,(21)
supported by the authority of Augustine, teach that virginity does
not possess the stability of virtue unless there is a vow to keep
it forever intact. And certainly those who obligate themselves by
perpetual vow to keep their virginity put into practice in the
most perfect way possible what Christ said about perpetual
abstinence from marriage; nor can it justly be affirmed that the
intention of those who wish to leave open a way of escape from
this state of life is better and more perfect.
17.
Moreover the Fathers of the Church considered this obligation of
perfect chastity as a kind of spiritual marriage, in which the
soul is wedded to Christ; so that some go so far as to compare
breaking the vow with adultery.(22) Thus, St. Athanasius writes
that the Catholic Church has been accustomed to call those who
have the virtue of virginity the spouses of Christ.(23) And St.
Ambrose, writing succinctly of the consecrated virgin, says,
"She is a virgin who is married to God."(24) In fact, as
is clear from the writings of the same Doctor of Milan,(25) as
early as the fourth century the rite of consecration of a virgin
was very like the rite the Church uses in our own day in the
marriage blessing.(26)
18.
For the same reason the Fathers exhort virgins to love their
Divine Spouse more ardently than they would love a husband had
they married, and always in their thoughts and actions to fulfill
His will.(27) Augustine writes to virgins: "Love with all
your hearts Him Who is the most beautiful of the sons of men: you
are free, your hearts are not fettered by conjugal bonds...if,
then, you would owe your husbands great love, how great is the
love you owe Him because of Whom you have willed to have not
husbands? Let Him Who was fastened to the cross be securely
fastened to your hearts."(28) And this in other respects too
is in harmony with the sentiments and resolutions which the Church
herself requires of virgins on the day they are solemnly
consecrated to God by inviting them to recite these words:
"The kingdom of this earth and all worldly trappings I have
valued as worthless for love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom I have
seen, loved, believed, and preferred above all else."(29) It
is nothing else but love of Him that sweetly constrains the virgin
to consecrate her body and soul entirely to her Divine Redeemer;
thus St. Methodius, Bishop of Olympus, places these beautiful
words on her lips: "You yourself, O Christ, are my all. For
you I keep myself chaste, and holding aloft my shining lamp I run
to meet you, my Spouse."(30) Certainly it is the love of
Christ that urges a virgin to retire behind convent walls and
remain there all her life, in order to contemplate and love the
heavenly Spouse more easily and without hindrance; certainly it is
the same love that strongly inspires her to spend her life and
strength in works of mercy for the sake of her neighbor.
19.
As for those men "who were not defiled with women, being
virgins,"(31) the Apostle John asserts that, "they
follow the Lamb wherever he goes."(32) Let us meditate, then,
on the exhortation Augustine gives to all men of this class:
"You follow the Lamb because the body of the Lamb is indeed
virginal...Rightly do you follow Him in virginity of heart and
body wherever He goes. For what does following mean but imitation?
Christ has suffered for us, leaving us an example, as the Apostle
Peter says 'that we should follow in his footsteps'."(33)
Hence all these disciples and spouses of Christ embraced the state
of virginity, as St. Bonaventure says, "in order to become
like unto Christ the spouse, for that state makes virgins like
unto Him."(34) It would hardly satisfy their burning love for
Christ to be united with Him by the bonds of affection, but this
love had perforce to express itself by the imitation of His
virtues, and especially by conformity to His way of life, which
was lived completely for the benefit and salvation of the human
race. If priests, religious men and women, and others who in any
way have vowed themselves to the divine service, cultivate perfect
chastity, it is certainly for the reason that their Divine Master
remained all His life a virgin. St. Fulgentius exclaims:
"This is the only-begotten Son of God, the only-begotten Son
of a virgin also, the only spouse of all holy virgins, the fruit,
the glory, the gift of holy virginity, whom holy virginity brought
forth physically, to whom holy virginity is wedded spiritually, by
whom holy virginity is made fruitful and kept inviolate, by whom
she is adorned, to remain ever beautiful, by whom she is crowned,
to reign forever glorious."(35)
20.
And here We think it opportune, Venerable Brothers, to expose more
fully and to explain more carefully why the love of Christ moves
generous souls to abstain from marriage, and what is the mystical
connection between virginity and the perfection of Christian
charity. From our Lord's words referred to above, it has already
been implied that this complete renunciation of marriage frees men
from its grave duties and obligations. Writing by divine
inspiration, the Apostle of the Gentiles proposes the reason for
this freedom in these words: "And I would have you to be
without solicitude...But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for
the things of the world, how he may please his wife; and he is
divided."(36) Here however it must be noted that the Apostle
is not reproving men because they are concerned about their wives,
nor does he reprehend wives because they seek to please their
husbands; rather is he asserting clearly that their hearts are
divided between love of God and love of their spouse, and beset by
gnawing cares, and so by reason of the duties of their married
state they can hardly be free to contemplate the divine. For the
duty of the married life to which they are bound clearly demands:
"They shall be two in one flesh."(37) For spouses are to
be bound to each other by mutual bonds both in joy and in
sorrow.(38) It is easy to see, therefore, why persons who desire
to consecrate themselves to God's service embrace the state of
virginity as a liberation, in order to be more entirely at God's
disposition and devoted to the good of their neighbor. How, for
example, could a missionary such as the wonderful St. Francis
Xavier, a father of the poor such as the merciful St. Vincent de
Paul, a zealous educator of youth like St. John Bosco, a tireless
"mother of emigrants" like St. Francis Xavier Cabrini,
have accomplished such gigantic and painful labors, if each had to
look after the corporal and spiritual needs of a wife or husband
and children?
21.
There is yet another reason why souls desirous of a total
consecration to the service of God and neighbor embrace the state
of virginity. It is, as the holy Fathers have abundantly
illustrated, the numerous advantages for advancement in spiritual
life which derive from a complete renouncement of all sexual
pleasure. It is not to be thought that such pleasure, when it
arises from lawful marriage, is reprehensible in itself; on the
contrary, the chaste use of marriage is ennobled and sanctified by
a special sacrament, as the Fathers themselves have clearly
remarked. Nevertheless, it must be equally admitted that as a
consequence of the fall of Adam the lower faculties of human
nature are no longer obedient to right reason, and may involve man
in dishonorable actions. As the Angelic Doctor has it, the use of
marriage "keeps the soul from full abandon to the service of
God."(39)
22.
It is that they may acquire this spiritual liberty of body and
soul, and that they may be freed from temporal cares, that the
Latin Church demands of her sacred ministers that they voluntarily
oblige themselves to observe perfect chastity.(40) And "if a
similar law," as Our predecessor of immortal memory Pius XI
declared, "does not bind the ministers of the Oriental Church
to the same degree, nevertheless among them too ecclesiastical
celibacy occupies a place of honor, and, in certain cases,
especially when the higher grades of the hierarchy are in
question, it is a necessary and obligatory condition."(41)
23.
Consider again that sacred ministers do not renounce marriage
solely on account of their apostolic ministry, but also by reason
of their service at the altar. For, if even the priests of the Old
Testament had to abstain from the use of marriage during the
period of their service in the Temple, for fear of being declared
impure by the Law just as other men,(42) is it not much more
fitting that the ministers of Jesus Christ, who offer every day
the Eucharistic Sacrifice, possess perfect chastity? St. Peter
Damian, exhorting priests to perfect continence, asks: "If
Our Redeemer so loved the flower of unimpaired modesty that not
only was He born from a virginal womb, but was also cared for by a
virgin nurse even when He was still an infant crying in the
cradle, by whom, I ask, does He wish His body to be handled now
that He reigns, limitless, in heaven?"(43)
24.
It is first and foremost for the foregoing reasons that, according
to the teaching of the Church, holy virginity surpasses marriage
in excellence. Our Divine Redeemer had already given it to His
disciples as a counsel for a more perfect life.(44) St. Paul,
after having said that the father who gives his daughter in
marriage "does well," adds immediately "and he that
gives her not, does better."(45) Several times in the course
of his comparison between marriage and virginity the Apostle
reveals his mind, and especially in these words: "for I would
that all men were even as myself...But I say to the unmarried and
to widows: it is good for them if they so continue, even as
I."(46) Virginity is preferable to marriage then, as We have
said, above all else because it has a higher aim:(47) that is to
say, it is a very efficacious means for devoting oneself wholly to
the service of God, while the heart of married persons will remain
more or less "divided."(48)
25.
Turning next to the fruitful effects of virginity, our
appreciation of its value will be enhanced; for "by the fruit
the tree is known."(49)
26.
We feel the deepest joy at the thought of the innumerable army of
virgins and apostles who, from the first centuries of the Church
up to our own day, have given up marriage to devote themselves
more easily and fully to the salvation of their neighbor for the
love of Christ, and have thus been enabled to undertake and carry
through admirable works of religion and charity. We by no means
wish to detract from the merits and apostolic fruits of the active
members of Catholic Action: by their zealous efforts they can
often touch souls that priests and religious cannot gain.
Nevertheless, works of charity are for the most part the field of
action of consecrated persons. These generous souls are to be
found laboring among men of every age and condition, and when they
fall worn out or sick, they bequeath their sacred mission to
others who take their place. Hence it often happens that a child,
immediately after birth, is placed in the care of consecrated
persons, who supply in so far as they can for a mother's love; at
the age of reason he is entrusted to educators who see to his
Christian instruction together with the development of his mind
and the formation of his character; if he is sick, the child or
adult will find nurses moved by the love of Christ who will care
for him with unwearying devotion; the orphan, the person fallen
into material destitution or moral abjection, the prisoner, will
not be abandoned. Priests, religious, consecrated virgins will see
in him a suffering member of Christ's Mystical Body, and recall
the words of the Divine Redeemer: "For I was hungry, and you
gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a
stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you covered me; sick, and
you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me...Amen I say
to you, as long you did it to one of these my least brethren, you
did it to me."(50) Who can ever praise enough the
missionaries who toil for the conversion of the pagan multitudes,
exiles from their native country, or the nuns who render them
indispensable assistance?" To each and every one We gladly
apply these words of Our Apostolic Exhortation, "Menti
Nostrae:" "...by this law of celibacy the priest not
only does not abdicate his paternity, but increases it immensely,
for he begets not for an earthly and transitory life but for the
heavenly and eternal one."(51)
27.
The fruit of virginity is not only in these external works, to
which it allows one to devote oneself more easily and fully, but
also in the earnest prayer offered for others and the trials
willingly and generously endured for their sake, which are other
very perfect forms of charity toward one's neighbor. To such also
the servants and spouses of Christ, especially those who live
within the convent or monastery walls, have consecrated their
whole lives.
28.
Finally, virginity consecrated to Christ is in itself such an
evidence of faith in the kingdom of heaven, such a proof of love
for our Divine Redeemer, that there is little wonder if it bears
abundant fruits of sanctity. Innumerable are the virgins and
apostles vowed to perfect chastity who are the honor of the Church
by the lofty sanctity of their lives. In truth, virginity gives
souls a force of spirit capable of leading them even to martyrdom,
if needs be: such is the clear lesson of history which proposes a
whole host of virgins to our admiration, from Agnes of Rome to
Maria Goretti.
29.
Virginity fully deserves the name of angelic virtue, which St.
Cyprian writing to virgins affirms: "What we are to be, you
have already commenced to be. You already possess in this world
the glory of the resurrection; you pass through the world without
suffering its contagion. In preserving virgin chastity, you are
the equals of the angels of God."(52) To souls, restless for
a purer life or inflamed with the desire to possess the kingdom of
heaven, virginity offers itself as "a pearl of great
price," for which one "sells all that he has, and buys
it."(53) Married people and even those who are captives of
vice, at the contact of virgin souls, often admire the splendor of
their transparent purity, and feel themselves moved to rise above
the pleasures of sense. When St. Thomas states "that to
virginity is awarded the tribute of the highest beauty,"(54)
it is because its example is captivating; and, besides, by their
perfect chastity do not all these men and women give a striking
proof that the mastery of the spirit over the body is the result
of a divine assistance and the sign of proven virtue?
30.
Worthy of special consideration is the reflection that the most
delicate fruit of virginity consists in this, that virgins make
tangible, as it were, the perfect virginity of their mother, the
Church and the sanctity of her intimate union with Christ. In the
ceremony of the consecration of virgins, the consecrating prelate
prays God: "that there may exist more noble souls who disdain
the marriage which consists in the bodily union of man and woman,
but desire the mystery it enshrines, who reject its practice while
loving its mystic signification."(55)
31.
The greatest glory of virgins is undoubtedly to be the living
images of the perfect integrity of the union between the Church
and her divine Spouse. For this society founded by Christ it is a
profound joy that virgins should be the marvelous sign of its
sanctity and fecundity, as St. Cyprian so well expressed it:
"They are the flower of the Church, the beauty and ornament
of spiritual grace, a subject of joy, a perfect and unsullied
homage of praise and honor, the image of God corresponding to the
sanctity of the Lord, the most illustrious portion of Christ's
flock. In them the glorious fecundity of our mother, the Church,
finds expression and she rejoices; the more the number of virgins
increases, the greater is this mother's joy."(56)
32.
This doctrine of the excellence of virginity and of celibacy and
of their superiority over the married state was, as We have
already said, revealed by our Divine Redeemer and by the Apostle
of the Gentiles; so too, it was solemnly defined as a dogma of
divine faith by the holy council of Trent,(57) and explained in
the same way by all the holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church.
Finally, We and Our Predecessors have often expounded it and
earnestly advocated it whenever occasion offered. But recent
attacks on this traditional doctrine of the Church, the danger
they constitute, and the harm they do to the souls of the faithful
lead Us, in fulfillment of the duties of Our charge, to take up
the matter once again in this Encyclical Letter, and to reprove
these errors which are so often propounded under a specious
appearance of truth.
33.
First of all, it is against common sense, which the Church always
holds in esteem, to consider the sexual instinct as the most
important and the deepest of human tendencies, and to conclude
from this that man cannot restrain it for his whole life without
danger to his vital nervous system, and consequently without
injuring the harmony of his personality.
34.
As St. Thomas very rightly observes, the deepest natural instinct
is the instinct of self-preservation; the sexual instinct comes
second. In addition, it is for the rational inclination, which is
the distinguishing privilege of our nature, to regulate these
fundamental instincts and by dominating to ennoble them.(58)
35.
It is, alas, true that the sin of Adam has caused a deep
disturbance in our corporal faculties and our passions, so that
they wish to gain control of the life of the senses and even of
the spirit, obscuring our reason and weakening our will. But
Christ's grace is given us, especially by the sacraments, to help
us to keep our bodies in subjection and to live by the spirit.(59)
The virtue of chastity does not mean that we are insensible to the
urge of concupiscence, but that we subordinate it to reason and
the law of grace, by striving wholeheartedly after what is noblest
in human and Christian life.
36.
In order to acquire this perfect mastery of the spirit over the
senses, it is not enough to refrain from acts directly contrary to
chastity, but it is necessary also generously to renounce anything
that may offend this virtue nearly or remotely; at such a price
will the soul be able to reign fully over the body and lead its
spiritual life in peace and liberty. Who then does not see, in the
light of Catholic principles, that perfect chastity and virginity,
far from harming the normal unfolding of man or woman, on the
contrary endow them with the highest moral nobility.
37.
We have recently with sorrow censured the opinion of those who
contend that marriage is the only means of assuring the natural
development and perfection of the human personality.(60) For there
are those who maintain that the grace of the sacrament, conferred
ex opere operato, renders the use of marriage so holy as to be a
fitter instrument than virginity for uniting souls with God; for
marriage is a sacrament, but not virginity. We denounce this
doctrine as a dangerous error. Certainly, the sacrament grants the
married couple the grace to accomplish holily the duties of their
married state, and it strengthens the bonds of mutual affection
that unite them; but the purpose of its institution was not to
make the employment of marriage the means, most suitable in
itself, for uniting the souls of the husband and wife with God by
the bonds of charity.(61)
38.
Or rather does not the Apostle Paul admit that they have the right
of abstaining for a time from the use of marriage, so that they
may be more free for prayer,(62) precisely because such abstinence
gives greater freedom to the soul which wishes to give itself over
to spiritual thoughts and prayer to God?
39.
Finally, it may not be asserted, as some do, that the "mutual
help,"(63) which is sought in Christian Marriage, is a more
effective aid in striving for personal sanctity than the solitude
of the heart, as they term it, of virgins and celibates. For
although all those who have embraced a life of perfect chastity
have deprived themselves of the expression of human love permitted
in the married state, nonetheless it cannot thereby be affirmed
that because of this privation they have diminished and despoiled
the human personality. For they receive from the Giver of heavenly
gifts something spiritual which far exceeds that "mutual
help" which husband and wife confer on each other. They
consecrate themselves to Him Who is their source, and Who shares
with them His divine life, and thus personality suffers no loss,
but gains immensely. For who, more than the virgin, can apply to
himself that marvelous phrase of the Apostle Paul: "I live,
now not I; but Christ liveth in me."(64)
40.
For this reason the Church has most wisely held that the celibacy
of her priests must be retained; she knows it is and will be a
source of spiritual graces by which they will be ever more closely
united with God.
41.
We feel it opportune, moreover, to touch somewhat briefly here on
the error of those who, in order to turn boys and girls away from
Seminaries and Religious Institutes, strive to impress upon their
minds that the Church today has a greater need of the help and of
the profession of Christian virtue on the part of those who,
united in marriage, lead a life together with others in the world,
than of priests and consecrated virgins, who, because of their vow
of chastity, are, as it were, withdrawn from human society. No one
can fail to see, Venerable Brothers, how utterly false and harmful
is such an opinion.
42.
Of course, it is not Our intention to deny that Catholic spouses,
because of the example of their Christian life, can, wherever they
live and whatever be their circumstances, produce rich and
salutary fruits as a witness to their virtue. Yet whoever for this
reason argues that it is preferable to live in matrimony than to
consecrate oneself completely to God, without doubt perverts the
right order. Indeed We earnestly wish, Venerable Brothers, that
those who have already contracted marriage, or desire to enter
this state, be properly taught their serious obligations not only
to educate properly and carefully whatever children they have or
will have, but also to help others, within their capacity, by the
testimony of their faith and the example of their virtue. And yet,
as Our duty demands, We cannot but censure all those who strive to
turn young people away from the Seminary or Religious Orders and
Institutes, and from the taking of sacred vows, persuading them
that they can, if joined in marriage, as fathers and mothers of
families pursue a greater spiritual good by an open and public
profession of their Christian life. Certainly their conduct would
be more proper and correct, if, instead of trying to distract from
a life of virginity those young men and women, who desire to give
themselves to the service of God, too few alas today, they were to
exhort with all the zeal at their command the vast numbers of
those who live in wedlock to promote apostolic works in the ranks
of the laity. On this point, Ambrose fittingly writes: "To
sow the seeds of perfect purity and to arouse a desire for
virginity has always belonged to the function of the
priesthood."(65)
43.
We think it necessary, moreover, to warn that it is altogether
false to assert that those who are vowed to perfect chastity are
practically outside the community of men. Are not consecrated
virgins, who dedicate their lives to the service of the poor and
the sick, without making any distinction as to race, social rank,
or religion, are not these virgins united intimately with their
miseries and sorrows, and affectionately drawn to them, as though
they were their mothers? And does not the priest likewise, moved
by the example of his Divine Master, perform the function of a
good shepherd, who knows his flock and calls them by name?(66)
Indeed it is from that perfect chastity which they cultivate that
priests and religious men and women find the motive for giving
themselves to all, and love all men with the love of Christ. And
they too, who live the contemplative life, precisely because they
not only offer to God prayer and supplication but immolate
themselves for the salvation of others, accomplish much for the
good of the Church; indeed, when in circumstances like the present
they dedicate themselves to works of charity and of the
apostolate, according to the norms which We laid down in the
Apostolic Letter "Sponsa Christi,"(67) they are very
much to be praised; nor can they be said to be separated from
contact with men, since they labor for their spiritual progress in
this twofold way.
44.
From the Church's teaching on the excellence of virginity, let Us
now come, Venerable Brothers, to some points which are of
practical application.
45.
In the first place, it must be clearly stated that because
virginity should be esteemed as something more perfect than
marriage, it does not follow that it is necessary for Christian
perfection.
46.
Holiness of life can really be attained, even without a chastity
that is consecrated to God. Witness to this are the many holy men
and women, who are publicly honored by the Church, and who were
faithful spouses and stood out as an example of excellent fathers
and mothers; indeed it is not rare to find married people who are
very earnest in their efforts for Christian perfection.
47.
It should be pointed out, also, that God does not urge all
Christians to virginity, as the Apostle Paul teaches us with these
words: "Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the
Lord; but I give counsel."(68) We are, therefore, merely
invited by counsel to embrace perfect chastity, as something which
can lead those "to whom it is given"(69) more safely and
successfully to the evangelical perfection they seek, and to the
conquest of the kingdom of heaven. Wherefore it is "not
imposed, but proposed," as St. Ambrose so aptly observed.(70)
48.
Hence, perfect chastity demands, first, a free choice by
Christians before they consecrate themselves to God and then, from
God, supernatural help and grace.(71) Our Divine Redeemer Himself
has taught us this in the following words: "All men take not
his word, but they to whom it is given...He that can take it, let
him take it."(72) St. Jerome, intently pondering this sacred
phrase of Jesus Christ, exhorts all "that each one study his
own powers, whether he can fulfill the precepts of virginal
modesty. For of itself chastity is charming and attractive to all.
But one's forces must be considered, that he who can may take it.
The Lord's word is as it were an exhortation, stirring on His
soldiers to the prize of purity. He that can take it, let him take
it: let him who can, fight, conquer and receive his
reward."(73)
49.
For virginity is a difficult virtue; that one be able to embrace
it there is needed not only a strong and declared determination of
completely and perpetually abstaining from those legitimate
pleasures derived from marriage; but also a constant vigilance and
struggle to contain and dominate rebellious movements of body and
soul, a flight from the importunings of this world, a struggle to
conquer the wiles of Satan. How true is that saying of Chrysostom:
"the root, and the flower, too, of virginity is a crucified
life."(74) For virginity, according to Ambrose, is as a
sacrificial offering, and the virgin "an oblation of modesty,
a victim of chastity."(75) Indeed, St. Methodius, Bishop of
Olympus, compares virgins to martyrs,(76) and St. Gregory the
Great teaches that perfect chastity substitutes for martyrdom:
"Now, though the era of persecution is gone, yet our peace
has its martyrdom, because though we bend not the neck to the
sword, yet with a spiritual weapon we slay fleshly desires in our
hearts."(77) Hence a chastity dedicated to God demands strong
and noble souls, souls ready to do battle and conquer "for
the sake of the kingdom of heaven."(78)
50.
Prior, therefore, to entering upon this most difficult path, all
who by experience know they are too weak in spirit should humbly
heed this warning of Paul the Apostle: "But if they do not
contain themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than
to be burnt."(79) For many, undoubtedly, the burden of
perpetual continence is a heavier one than they should be
persuaded to shoulder. And so priests, who are under grave
obligation of helping by their advice young people who declare
they are drawn by some movement of soul to aspire to the
priesthood or enter religious life, must urge them to ponder the
matter carefully, lest they enter a way which they cannot hope to
follow sturdily and happily to its end. They should prudently
examine the fitness of candidates, even obtaining, as often as is
proper, the opinion of experts; and then, if serious doubt
remains, especially if it is based on past experience, they should
make use of their authority to make candidates cease from seeking
a state of perfect chastity, nor should these latter ever be
admitted to Holy Orders, or to religious profession.
51.
And yet, although chastity pledged to God is a difficult virtue,
those who after serious consideration generously answer Christ's
invitation and do all in their power to attain it, can perfectly
and faithfully preserve it. For since they have eagerly embraced
the state of virginity or celibacy they will certainly receive
from God that gift of grace through whose help they will be able
to carry out their promise. Wherefore, if there are any "who
do not feel they have the gift of chastity even though they have
vowed it,"(80) let them not declare they cannot fulfill their
obligations in this matter. "For," says the Council of
Trent, quoting St. Augustine, " 'God does not command the
impossible, but in commanding serves notice that one do what he
can, and pray for what he cannot,'(81) and He helps us to
accomplish it."(82) This truth, so full of encouragement, We
recall to those also whose will has been weakened by upset nerves
and whom some doctors, sometimes even Catholic doctors, are too
quick to persuade that they should be freed from such an
obligation, advancing the specious reason that they cannot
preserve their chastity without suffering some harm to their
mental balance. How much more useful and opportune it is to help
the infirm of this type to strengthen their will, and to advise
them that not even to them is chastity impossible, according to
the word of the Apostle: "God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but will
make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear
it."(83)
52.
Here are the helps, commended to us by our Divine Redeemer, by
which we may efficaciously protect our virtue: constant vigilance,
whereby we diligently do all that we can; moreover, constant
prayer to God, asking for what we cannot attain by ourselves,
because of our weakness. "Watch and pray, that you enter not
into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak."(84) A vigilance which guards every moment of our lives
and every type of circumstance is absolutely necessary for us:
"For the flesh lusteth against the spirit: and the spirit
against the flesh."(85) But if anyone grants however little
to the enticements of the flesh, he will see himself quickly
pulled toward those "works of the flesh" which the
Apostle lists,(86) the basest and ugliest vices of man.
53.
Hence we must watch particularly over the movements of our
passions and of our senses, and so control them by voluntary
discipline in our lives and by bodily mortification that we render
them obedient to right reason and God's law: "And they that
are Christ's have crucified their flesh, with its vices and
concupiscences."(87) The Apostle of the Gentiles says this
about himself: "But I chastise my body, and bring it into
subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself
should become a castaway."(88) All holy men and women have
most carefully guarded the movements of their senses and their
passions, and at times have very harshly crushed them, in keeping
with the teaching of the Divine Master: "But I say to you,
that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath
already committed adultery with her in his heart. And if thy right
eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is
expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather
than that thy whole body be cast into hell."(89) It is
abundantly clear that with this warning Our Savior demands of us
above all that we never consent to any sin, even internally, and
that we steadfastly remove far from us anything that can even
slightly tarnish the beautiful virtue of purity. In this matter no
diligence, no severity can be considered exaggerated. If ill
health or other reasons do not allow one heavier corporal
austerities, yet they never free one from vigilance and internal
self-control.
54.
On this point it should be noted, as indeed the Fathers(90) and
Doctors(91) of the Church teach, that we can more easily struggle
against and repress the wiles of evil and the enticements of the
passions if we do not struggle directly against them, but rather
flee from them as best we may. For the preserving of chastity,
according to the teaching of Jerome, flight is more effective than
open warfare: "Therefore I flee, lest I be
overcome."(92) Flight must be understood in this sense, that
not only do we diligently avoid occasion of sin, but especially
that in struggles of this kind we lift our minds and hearts to
God, intent above all on Him to Whom we have vowed our virginity.
"Look upon the beauty of your Lover,"(93) St. Augustine
tells us.
55.
Flight and alert vigilance, by which we carefully avoid the
occasions of sin, have always been considered by holy men and
women as the most effective method of combat in this matter; today
however it does not seem that everybody holds the same opinion.
Some indeed claim that all Christians, and the clergy in
particular, should not be "separated from the world" as
in the past, but should be "close to the world;"
therefore they should "take the risk" and put their
chastity to the test in order to show whether or not they have the
strength to resist; therefore, they say, let young clerics see
everything so that they may accustom themselves to gaze at
everything with equanimity, and thus render themselves immune to
all temptations. For this reason they readily grant young clerics
the liberty to turn their eyes in any direction without the
slightest concern for modesty; they may attend motion pictures,
even those forbidden by ecclesiastical censorship; they may peruse
even obscene periodicals; they may read novels which are listed in
the Index of forbidden books or prohibited by the Natural Law. All
this they allow because today the multitudes are fed by this kind
of amusement and publication and because those who are minded to
help them should understand their way of thinking and feeling. But
it is easily seen that this method of educating and training the
clergy to acquire the sanctity proper to their calling is wrong
and harmful. For "he that loveth danger shall perish in
it;"(94) most appropriate in this connection is the
admonition of Augustine: "Do not say that you have a chaste
mind if your eyes are unchaste, because an unchaste eye betrays an
unchaste heart."(95)
56.
No doubt this pernicious method is based upon serious confusion of
thought. Indeed Christ Our Lord asserted of His Apostles, "I
have sent them into the world;"(96) yet previously He had
said of them, "They are not of the world, as I also am not of
the world,"(97) and He had prayed to His Heavenly Father in
these words, "I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of
the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from evil."(98)
Motivated by the same principles, and in order to protect priests
from temptations to evil, to which all those are ordinarily
subject who are in intimate contact with the world, the Church has
promulgated appropriate and wise laws,(99) whose purpose is to
safeguard sacerdotal sanctity from the cares and pleasures of the
laity.
57.
All the more reason why the young clergy, because they are to be
trained in the spiritual life, in sacerdotal and religious
perfection, must be separated from the tumult of the world before
entering the lists of combat; for long years they must remain in a
Seminary or Scholasticate where they receive a sound and careful
education which provides them with a gradual approach to and a
prudent knowledge of those problems which our times have brought
to the fore, in accordance with the norms which We established in
the Apostolic Exhortation "Menti Nostrae."(100) What
gardener would expose young plants, choice indeed but weak, to
violent storms in order that they might give proof of the strength
which they have not yet acquired? Seminarians and scholastics are
surely to be considered like young and weak plants who must still
be protected and gradually trained to resist and to fight.
58.
The educators of the young clergy would render a more valuable and
useful service, if they would inculcate in youthful minds the
precepts of Christian modesty, which is so important for the
preservation of perfect chastity and which is truly called the
prudence of chastity. For modesty foresees threatening danger,
forbids us to expose ourselves to risks, demands the avoidance of
those occasions which the imprudent do not shun. It does not like
impure or loose talk, it shrinks from the slightest immodesty, it
carefully avoids suspect familiarity with persons of the other
sex, since it brings the soul to show due reverence to the body,
as being a member of Christ(101) and the temple of the Holy
Spirit.(102) He who possesses the treasure of Christian modesty
abominates every sin of impurity and instantly flees whenever he
is tempted by its seductions.
59.
Modesty will moreover suggest and provide suitable words for
parents and educators by which the youthful conscience will be
formed in matters of chastity. "Wherefore," as We said
in a recent address, "this modesty is not to be so understood
as to be equivalent to a perpetual silence on this subject, nor as
allowing no place for sober and cautious discussion about these
matters in imparting moral instruction."(103) In modern times
however there are some teachers and educators who too frequently
think it their duty to initiate innocent boys and girls into the
secrets of human generation in such a way as to offend their sense
of shame. But in this matter just temperance and moderation must
be used, as Christian modesty demands.
60.
This modesty is nourished by the fear of God, that filial fear
which is founded on the virtue of profound Christian humility, and
which creates in us utter abhorrence for the slightest sin, as Our
predecessor, St. Clement I, stated in these words, "he who is
chaste in flesh should not be proud, for he should know that he
owes the gift of continence to another."(104) How important
Christian humility is for the protection of virginity, no one
perhaps has taught more clearly than Augustine. "Because
perpetual continence, and virginity above all, is a great good in
the saints of God, extreme vigilance must be exercised lest it be
corrupted by pride...The more clearly I see the greatness of this
gift, the more truly do I fear lest it be plundered by thieving
pride. No one therefore protects virginity, but God Himself Who
bestowed it: and 'God is charity.'(105) The guardian therefore of
virginity is charity; the habitat of this guardian is
humility."(106)
61.
Moreover there is another argument worthy of attentive
consideration: to preserve chastity unstained neither vigilance
nor modesty suffice. Those helps must also be used which entirely
surpass the powers of nature, namely prayer to God, the Sacraments
of Penance and Holy Eucharist, [and] a fervent devotion to the most holy
Mother of God.
62.
Never should it be forgotten that perfect chastity is a great gift
of God. For this reason Jerome wrote these succinct words,
"It is given to those,(107) who have asked for it, who have
desired it, who have worked to receive it. For it will be given to
everyone who asks, the seeker will find, to the importunate it
will be opened."(108) Ambrose adds that the constant fidelity
of virgins to their Divine Spouse depends upon prayer.(109) With
that fervent piety for which he was noted St. Alphonsus Liguori
taught that there is no help more necessary and certain for
conquering temptations against the beautiful virtue of chastity
than instant recourse to God in prayer.(110)
63.
To prayer must be added frequent and fervent use of the Sacrament
of Penance which, as a spiritual medicine, purifies and heals us;
likewise it is necessary to receive the Eucharist, which as Our
predecessor of happy memory Leo XIII asserted, is the best remedy
against lust.(111) The more pure and chaste is a soul, the more it
hungers for this Bread, from which it derives strength to resist
all temptations to sins of impurity, and by which it is more
intimately united with the Divine Spouse; "He who eats my
flesh and drinks my blood, abides in me and I in him."(112)
64.
The eminent way to protect and nourish an unsullied and perfect
chastity, as proven by experience time and again throughout the
course of centuries, is solid and fervent devotion to the Virgin
Mother of God. In a certain way all other helps are contained in
this devotion; there is no doubt that whoever is sincerely and
earnestly animated by this devotion is salutarily inspired to
constant vigilance, to continual prayer, to receive the Sacraments
of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Therefore in a paternal way We
exhort all priests, religious men and women, to entrust themselves
to the special protection of the holy Mother of God who is the
Virgin of virgins and the "teacher of virginity," as
Ambrose says,(113) and the most powerful Mother of those in
particular who have vowed and consecrated themselves to the
service of God.
65.
That virginity owes its origin to Mary is the testimony of
Athanasius,(114) and Augustine clearly teaches that "The
dignity of virginity began with the Mother of the Lord."(115)
Pursuing the ideas of Athanasius,(116) Ambrose holds up the life
of the Virgin Mary as the model of virgins. "Imitate her, my
daughters...!(117) Let Mary's life be for you like the portrayal
of virginity, for from her, as though from a mirror, is reflected
the beauty of chastity and the ideal of virtue. See in her the
pattern of your life, for in her, as though in a model, manifest
teachings of goodness show what you should correct, what you
should copy and what preserve...She is the image of virginity. For
such was Mary that her life alone suffices for the instruction of
all...(118) Therefore let holy Mary guide your way of
life."(119) "Her grace was so great that it not only
preserved in her the grace of virginity, but bestowed the grace of
chastity upon those on whom she gazed."(120) How true is the
saying of Ambrose, "Oh the richness of the virginity of
Mary!'(121) Because of this richness it will be very useful for
religious men and women and for priests of our day to contemplate
the virginity of Mary, in order that they may more faithfully and
perfectly practice the chastity of their calling.
66.
But it is not enough, beloved sons and daughters, to meditate on
the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary: with absolute confidence
fly to her and obey the counsel of St. Bernard, "let us seek
grace and seek it through Mary."(122) In a special way
entrust to her during the Marian Year the care of your spiritual
life and perfection, imitating the example of Jerome who asserted,
"My virginity is dedicated in Mary and to Christ."(123)
67.
In the midst of the grave difficulties with which the Church must
contend today, the heart of the Supreme Pastor is greatly
comforted, Venerable Brothers, when We see that virginity, which
is flourishing throughout the world, is held in great honor and
repute in the present as it was in past centuries, even though, as
We have said, it is being attacked by errors which, We trust, will
soon be dispelled and pass away.
68.
Nevertheless We do not deny that this Our joy is overshadowed by a
certain sorrow since We learn that in not a few countries the
number of vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life is
constantly decreasing. We have already given the principal reasons
which account for this fact and there is no reason why We should
return to them now. Rather do We trust that those educators of
youth who have succumbed to errors in this matter, will repudiate
them as soon as they are detected, and will consequently seriously
resolve both to correct them and to do what they can to provide
every help for the youth entrusted to their care who feel
themselves called by divine grace to aspire to the priesthood or
to embrace the religious life, in order that they may be able to
reach so noble a goal. May God grant that new and larger ranks of
priests, religious men and women, equal in number and virtue to
the current necessities of the Church, may soon go forth to
cultivate the vineyard of the Lord.
69.
Moreover, as the obligation of Our Apostolic Office demands, We
urge fathers and mothers to willingly offer to the service of God
those of their children who are called to it. But if this be a
source of trouble, sorrow or regret, let them seriously meditate
upon the admonition which Ambrose gave to the mothers of Milan.
"The majority of the young women whom I knew wanted to be
virgins were forbidden to leave by their mothers...If your
daughters want to love a man, the laws allow them to choose whom
they will. But those who have a right to choose a man, have no
right to choose God."(124)
70.
Let parents consider what a great honor it is to see their son
elevated to the priesthood, or their daughter consecrate her
virginity to her Divine Spouse. In regard to consecrated virgins,
the Bishop of Milan writes, "You have heard, parents, that a
virgin is a gift of God, the oblation of parents, the priesthood
of chastity. The virgin is a mother's victim, by whose daily
sacrifice divine anger is appeased."(125)
71.
Before We come to the end of this Encyclical Letter, We wish,
Venerable Brothers, to turn Our mind and heart in a special manner
to those men and women, who, vowed to the service of God, are
suffering bitter and terrible persecutions in not a few countries.
Let them imitate the example of the consecrated virgins of the
early Church who with courageous and indomitable hearts suffered
martyrdom for the sake of their virginity.(126)
72.
May all who have vowed to serve Christ, bravely persevere
"even to death."(127) May they realize that their pains,
sufferings and prayers are of great value in the sight of God for
the restoration of His Kingdom in their countries and in the
universal Church; may they be most certain that those "who
follow the Lamb whither He goeth,"(128) will sing forever a
"new canticle,"(129) which no one else can sing.
73.
Our paternal heart is filled with compassion for priests,
religious men and women, who are bravely professing their faith
even to the extent of martyrdom; and not only for them, but for
all those who in every part of the world are totally dedicated and
consecrated to the divine service, We implore God with suppliant
prayer to sustain, strength and console them. We earnestly invite
each and every one of you, Venerable Brothers, and your faithful
to pray with Us and to implore for all these souls the
consolations, gifts and graces which they need from God.
74.
Let the Apostolic Blessing, which with loving heart We impart to
you, Venerable Brothers, to all priests and consecrated virgins,
to those especially "who suffer persecution for justice's
sake"(130) and to all your faithful, be a pledge of heavenly
grace and a testimony of Our paternal benevolence.
Given
at Rome, at St. Peter's, March 25th, Feast of the Annunciation of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1954, in the sixteenth year of Our
Pontificate.
Endnotes:
1.
Cf. S. Ambros., De virginibus., lib. I, c. 4, n. 15; De
virginitate, c. 3, n. 13; PL XVI, 193, 269. | 2. Cf. Ex. XXII,
16-17; Deut. XXII, 23-29; Eccli. XLII, 9. | 3. S. Ambros., De
virginibus, lib. I, c. 3, n. 12; PL XVI, 192. | 4. I Cor. X, 11. |
5. Act. XXI, 9. | 6. Cf. S. Ignat. Antioch., Ep. ad Smyrn., c. 13;
ed. Funk - Diekamp, Patres Apostolici, Vol. I, p. 286. | 7. S.
Iustin., Apol. I pro christ., c. 15; PG VI, 349. | 8. Cf.
apostolic constitution Sponsa Christi, AAS XLII, 1951, pp. 5-8. |
9. Cf. C.I.C., can. 487. | 10. Cf. C.I.C., can. 132, section 1. |
11. Cf. apostolic constitution Provida Mater, art. III, section 2;
AAS XXXIX, 1947, p. 121. | 12. Matth. XIX, 10. | 13. Ibid., XIX,
11-12. | 14. Ibid., XIX, 12. | 15. S. Augustin., De sancta
virginitate, c. 22; PL XL, 407. | 16. Cf. can. 9; Mansi, Coll.
concil., II, 1096. | 17. I Cor. VII, 32, 34. | 18. S. Cypr., De
habitu virginum, 4; PL IV, 443. | 19. S. Augustin., De Sancta
virginitate, cc. 8, 11; PL XL, 400, 401. | 20. S. Thom., Summa
Th., II-II, q. 152, a. 3, ad 4. | 21. S. Bonav., De perfectione
evangelica, q. 3, a. 3, sol. 5. | 22. Cf. S. Cypr. De habitu
virginum, c. 20; PL IV, 459. | 23. Cf. S. Athanas., Apol. ad
Constant., 33; PG XXV, 640. | 24. S.Ambros., De virginibus, lib.
I, c. 8; n. 52; PL XVI, 202. | 25. Cf. Ibid., lib. III, cc 1-3, nn.
1-14; De institutione virginis, c. 17, nn. 104-114; PL XVI,
219-224, 333-336. | 26. Cf. Sacramentarium Leonianum, XXX; PL LV,
129; Pontificale Romanum: De benedictione et consecratione
virginum. | 27. Cf. S. Cypr., De habitu virginum, 4 et. 22; PL
IV, 443-444 et 462; S. Ambros., De virginibus, lib. I, c. 7, n.
37; PL XVI, 199. | 28. S. Augustin., De sancta virginitate, cc.
54-55; PL XL, 428. | 29. Pontificale Romanum: De benedictione et
consecratione virginum. | 30. S. Methodius Olympi, Convivium decem
virginum, orat. XI, c. 2; PG XVIII, 209. | 31. Apoc. XIV, 4. | 32.
Ibid. | 33. I Petr. II, 21; S. Augustin., De sancta virginitate,
c. 27; PL XL, 411. | 34. S. Bonav., De perfectione evangelica,
q. 3, a. 3. | 35. S. Fulgent., Epist. 3, c. 4, n. 6; PL LXV, 326.
| 36. I Cor. VII, 32-33. | 37. Gen. II, 24; Cf. Matth, XIX, 5. |
38. Cf. I Cor., VII, 39. | 39. S. Thom., Summa Th., II-II, q. 186,
a. 4. | 40. Cf. C.I.C., can. 132, section 1. | 41. Cf. Iitt. enc.
Ad catholici sacerdotii AAS XXVIII, 1936, pp. 24-25. | 42. Cf.
Lev. XV, 16- 7; XXII, 4; I Sam. XXI, 5-7; cf. S. Siric. Papa, Ep.
ad Himer. 7; PL LVI, 558-559. | 43. S. Petrus Dam., De coelibatu
sacerdotum, c. 3; PL CXLV, 384. | 44. Cf. Matth. XIX, 10-11. | 45.
I Cor., VII, 38. | 46. Ibid., VII 7-8; Cfr. 1 et 26. | 47. Cf. S.
Thom., Summa Th., II-II, q. 152, aa. 3-4. | 48. Cf. I Cor., VII,
33. | 49. Matth. XII, 33. | 50. Matth. XXV, 35-36, 40. | 51. AAS
XLII, 1950, p. 663. | 52. S. Cypr., De habitu virginum, 22; PL IV,
462; cfr. S. Ambros., De virginibus, lib. I, c. 8, n. 52; PL XVI,
202. | 53. Matth. XIII, 46. | 54. S. Thom., Summa Th., II-II, q.
152, a. 5. | 55. Pontificale Romanum: De benedictione et
consecratione virginum. | 56. S. Cypr., De habitu virginum, 3; PL
IV, 443. | 57. Sess. XXIV, can 10. | 58. Cf. S. Thom., Summa Th.,
I-II, q. 94, a. 2. | 59. Cf. Gal. V, 25; I Cor. IX, 27. | 60. Cf.
Allocutio ad Moderatrices supremas Ordinum et Institutorum
Religiosarum, d. 15 septembris 1952; AAS XLIV, 1952, p. 824. | 61.
Cf. Decretum S. Officii, De matrimonii finibus, d. 1 aprilis 1944,
AAS XXXVI, 1944, p. 103. | 62. Cf. I Cor. VII, 5. | 63. Cf. C.I.C.,
can. 1013, section 1. | 64. Gal. 11.20. | 65. S. Ambros., De
virginitate, c. 5, n. 26; PL XVI, 272. | 66. Cf. Io. X, 14; X, 3. |
67. Cf. AAS., XLIII, 1951, p. 20. | 68. I Cor. VII, 25. | 69.
Matth. XIX, II. | 70. S. Ambros., De viduis, c. 12, n. 72; PL XVI,
256; cf. S.Cypr., De habitu virginum, c. 23; PL IV, 463. | 71. Cf.
I Cor. VII, 7. | 72. Matth. XIX, 11, 12. | 73. S. Hieronym,
Comment. in Matth., XIX, 12; PL XXVI, 136. | 74. S. Ioann.
Chrysost., De virginitate, 80, PG XLVIII, 592. | 75. S. Ambros.,
De virginitate, lib. I, c. 11, n. 65; PL XVI, 206. | 76. Cf. S.
Methodius Olympi, Convivium decem virginum, Orat. VII, c. 3; PG
XVIII, 128-129. | 77. S. Gregor. M., Hom. in Evang., lib. I, hom.
3, n. 4; PL LXXVI, 1089. | 78. Matth. XIX, 12. | 79. I Cor. VII,
9. | 80. Cf. Conc. Trid., sess. XXIV, can. 9. | 81. Cf. S.
Augustin., De natura et gratia, c. 43, n. 50; PL XLIV,271. | 82.
Conc. Trid., sess. VI, c. 11. | 83. I Cor. X, 13. | 84. Matth.
XXVI, 41. | 85. Gal. V, 17. | 86. Cf. Ibid. 19-21. | 87. Ibid. 24.
| 88. I Cor. IX, 27. | 89. Matth. V, 28-29. | 90. Cf. S. Caesar.
Arelat., Sermo 41; ed. G. Morin, Maredsous, 1937, vol. I, p. 172. |
91. Cf. S. Thomas, In Ep. I ad Cor. VI, lect. 3; S. Franciscus
Sales. Introduction a la vie devote, part. IV, c. 7; S. Alphonsus
a Liguori, La vera sposa di Gesu Cristo, c. 1, n. 16; c. 15, n.
10. | 92. S. Hieronym., Contra Vigilant., 16; PL XXIII, 352. | 93.
S. Augustin., De sancta virginitate, c. 54; PL XL, 428. | 94.
Eccli., III, 27. | 95. S. Augustin., Epist. 211, n. 10; PL XXXIII,
961. | 96. Io. XVII, 18. | 97. Ibid. 16. | 98. Ibid. 15. | 99. Cf.
C.I.C., can. 124-142. Cf. B. Pius PP. X, Exhort. ad cler. cath.
Haerent animo, AAS, XLI, 1908, pp. 565-573; Pius PP. XI, litt.
enc. Ad catholici sacerdotii AAS, XXVIII, 1936, pp. 23-30; Pius
XII, adhort. apost. Menti Nostrae, AAS, XLII, 1950, pp. 692-694. |
100. Cf. AAS XLII, 1950, pp. 690-691. | 101. Cf. I Cor. VI, 15. |
102. Ibid. 19. | 103. Alloc. Magis quam mentis, d. 23 Sept., a.
1951; AAS XLIII, 1951, p. 736. | 104. S. Clemens Rom., Ad
Corinthios, XXXVIII, 2; ed. Funk-Diekamp. Patres Apostolici, vol.
I, p. 148 | 105. I Ioann., IV, 8. | 106. S. Augustin., De sancta
virginitate, cc. 33, 51; PL XL, 415, 426; cf. cc. 31-32, 38;
412-415, 419. | 107. Cf. Matth. XIX, 11. | 108. Cf. Ibid. VII, 8;
S. Hieron., Comm. in Matth. XIX, 11; PL XXVI, 135. | 109. Cf. S.
Ambros., De virginibus, lib. III, c. 4, nn. 18-20; PL XVI, 225. |
110. Cf. S. Alphonsus a Liguori, Practica di amar Gesu Cristo, c.
17, nn. 7-16. | 111. Leo XIII, encyclica Mirae caritatis, d. 28
Maii, a. 1902; A. L. XXII, pp. 1902-1903. | 112. Io. VI, 57. |
113. S. Ambros., De institutione virginis, c. 6, n. 46; PL XVI,
320. | 114. Cf. S. Athanas., De virginitate, ed. Th. Lefort,
Muséon, XLII, 1929, p. 247. | 115. S. Augustin., Serm. 51, c. 16,
n. 26, PL XXXVIII, 348. | 116. Cf. S. Athanas, Ibid. p. 244. |
117. S. Ambros., De institutione virginis, c. 14, n. 87; PL XVI,
328. | 118. S. Ambros., De virginibus, lib. II, c. 2, n. 6, 15; PL
XVI, 208, 210. | 119. Ibid., c. 3, n. 19, PL XVI, 211. | 120. S.
Ambros., De Institut. virginis, c. 7, n. 50; PL XVI, 319. | 121.
Ibid., c. 13, n. 81, PL XVI, 339. | 122. S. Bernard., In
nativitate B. Mariae Virginis, Sermo de aquaeductu, n. 8; PL 183,
441-442. | 123. S. Hieronym., Epist. 22, n. 18; PL XXII, 405. |
124. S. Ambros., De virginibus, lib. I, c. 10, n. 58; PL XVI, 205.
| 125. Ibid., c. 7, n. 32; PL XVI, 198. | 126. Cf. S. Ambros., De
virginibus, lib. II, c. 4, n. 32; PL XVI, 215-216. | 127. Phil.,
II, 8. | 128. Apoc. XIV, 4. | 129. Ibid., 3. | 130. Matth. V, 10.
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