The Wasteland of Lust: Church Fathers Cry of Repentance
Hearken, O brethren, and incline your ears! The earth lies desolate, the cities in ashes, and the hearts of men are hardened, not by famine nor by war, but by the insatiable craving of the flesh, which is always disordered, enslaving, and without end. Augustine teaches that concupiscence, flowing from the first transgression, bends reason to serve desire, and darkens the mind. Chrysostom cries: pleasure of the flesh sought for itself never rests, never satisfies, and enslaves the soul.
Scripture commands: “Flee fornication” (1 Corinthians 6:18), and, “the unmarried man cares for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:32). Let all know: virginity and continence are the crown and weapon of the faithful, for the flesh finds rest only in restraint, and the soul ascends to God in purity. Jerome declares: “Virginity is a crown, continence a weapon; he who conquers the flesh reigns with God.” Gregory of Nyssa exclaims that the soul “rises above the slavery of the passions, free to commune with the eternal.”
Brethren, hear the Fathers: all carnal pleasure of man and woman is disordered because of Original Sin. The corruption of our first parents inclines the flesh to itself, bending reason to desire, enslaving the will. Consider Onan, whom God struck down: he “spilled his seed upon the ground,” acting without intent toward generation, and thus in rebellion against God. Chrysostom warns: no act of the flesh, however lawful in itself, is without sin if the will of the soul turns from God’s ordinance for generation.
Hearken, O faithful: it is the will, the intention of the soul, that makes a generative act moral or sinful. Every carnal act willed without intent to procreate is sin. Let all understand clearly: fornication is possible even in the marriage bed when the union is unclean, unnatural, not intended for generation, or seeks pleasure with parts of the body not meant for procreation. All carnal pleasures using any parts of the body outside the natural use of the generative organs are intrinsically evil, prior to or after the natural act of generation. Every indulgence of lust, every act in which the flesh calculates with nature hoping the seed be barren, and every unnatural act—are sins of rebellion, enslaving the soul, and spreading corruption. Relief of desire excuses nothing. Augustine teaches: “It is not the act itself, but the will of the soul, that draws judgment or grace,” yet even acts intrinsically disordered are always evil.
Thus the ruin spreads: the wasting of seed in solitude, indulgence of lust, acts against nature, calculation with nature hoping for barren seed, unnatural acts of the flesh, and the killing of the fruit of the womb even before birth—all these are works of the flesh, enslaving, corrupting, and spreading profane corruption. Chrysostom laments: men scatter seed in vain, mock the ordinance of God, and leave ashes where life should flourish.
Yet take heart, brethren, and repent! Basil exhorts that even barren wombs may bear life, and Gregory of Nyssa teaches that the soul may bloom again if it turns from pride, concupiscence, and self-will. Let every act be rightly willed, subordinated to God, restrained by reason. Let the flesh serve the law, not desire. Let carnal pleasures be tolerated only when willed and intended toward the begetting of life.
Repent, O faithful! Cast down the insatiable craving of the flesh, flee the rebellion of your members, and walk in the law of God. Then shall the wasteland bloom. Then shall the desert rejoice. Then shall the soul ascend free, holy, and pure, bearing the crown of virginity and continence before the face of God. Amen.