The Shield of Chastity

READING 2 Sermon 108
From the Sermons by St. Peter Chrysologus
You must be both sacrifice and priest in God’s presence
“I beg you by God’s mercy,” – Paul speaks thus – in fact, God speaks thus through Paul because he wants to be loved rather than feared. Come, then, test this Father’s love and see that he returns good for evil, affection for hatred, and love for the many wounds he has received.
But let us go on to what the Apostle asks of us: “I beg you to make your bodies a living sacrifice.” In saying this he exalts all men to priestly rank. And what a splendid role the Christian priest has! For man is now both offering and priest. He need not look around outside himself for something to offer to God; he bears his sacrificial gift within himself, and it is offered for his own sake. Priest and victim are one; the victim is sacrificed yet lives, and the priest who celebrates the mystery is not a slayer. It is a marvelous sacrifice indeed in which a body is offered but there is no corpse, and in which blood is offered but there is no bloodshed.
Brothers, such a sacrifice takes its form from Christ, who made himself a living Victim, for he lives though slain. In such a sacrifice the victim lives and death is their beginning in their end, and live because they are slain; they shine in heaven after their light was thought to have been forever extinguished.
Christian men, be God’s offering and priest. Do not neglect the role God himself has given you. Put on the robes of holiness and take up the shield of chastity; let the cross on your forehead be your protection, and divine knowledge the armor on your breast. Grasp the sword of the Spirit. Let your own heart be your altar and offer yourself with untroubled conscience as a sacrificial victim to God.
God looks for your faith and not your death, for your prayers and not your lifeblood. What pleases him is not your death but your good will.

Resp. Worthy are you, O Lord, to receive the scroll and break open its seals, for you were slain and you redeemed us unto God in you, alleluia.
V. You made of us a kingdom, and priests to serve our God. In your blood.

Celibacy and the Priesthood
Scripture says
Matthew 10:37- 39 (Jesus said) Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me, whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 19:10- 12 The disciples said, “If this is the case (concerning divorce and remarriage), it is better not to marry.” Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only to those whom it has been given. – The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Matthew 19:28- 29 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, - everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my sake (Mark 10:28- 30 and for the gospels sake) will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
1Corinthians 7:32- 35,37 (St. Paul) I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs how he can please the Lord. A married man – his interests are divided. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. The man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion, but has control over his will, who has made up his mind not to marry – does better.