The Question of Chastity.

 As we have seen from the letter of Justin, the early Catholic Church was rigid in following the commandments of Christ as regards to marriage and chastity.   Of course it was surrounded by a pagan society where trying to abort the babies was acceptable.    Those who failed would bring the baby to a part of Rome where babies were abandoned, but pimps came to claim the girls to be prostitutes from an early age, or the boys were brought up to serve the needs of homosexuals.   Sexual orgies of course, flourished in Rome.   Perhaps the most important reason for the Christian Faith to flourish was its very opposition to these practices within its community.   On the other hand, perhaps the failure of the Christian Church today is its failure to promote these values.    And yet the Church through the centuries has always failed at times, and it was scandals among the clergy that was responsible for  the Protestant Reformation.   But we know from history that there is always a 'cleansing', a counter-reformation,  that restores the Church to holiness again.    So the Church in France is called to a restoration of holiness, and in America, where a Cardinal is now in custody for sexual abuse, and bishops are under attack for covering up sex abuse among the clergy, there is a movement calling for reform among the clergy from the laity.   But such things are just a symptom of a greater injustice, the refusal to bring back to the our young people the teachings of Christ.   Yes sex is difficult to cope with in adolescence.   It is a powerful drive and if young people are taken from Jesus at a time when they need to be close to Him, for He is th Way, the Truth, and the Life, when that relationship is broken, when we dare not mention chastity in a Catholic School, or Catholic Church, in case we are laughed at then why not close the Churches altogether.