Struggle with Chastity? Join the Angelic Warfare Confraternity
Struggle with Chastity? Consider joining the Angelic Warfare Confraternity.
The Angelic Warfare Confraternity is a “supernatural brotherhood or fellowship of men and women bound to one another in love and dedicated to pursuing and promoting chastity together under the powerful patronage St. Thomas Aquinas and the Blessed Virgin Mary.” It is a Dominican confraternity.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, chastity is “the virtue which excludes or moderates the indulgence of the sexual appetite.” Both single and married people are to be chaste.
Why Chastity is Important
It is incredibly hard to advance in the spiritual life if you commit sins against chastity.
St Alphonsus says: ” it blinds the sinner, hardens the heart, and it leads to a multitude of other sins, such as anger, hatred, blasphemy, false oaths and perjury. Demons delight in sins of impurity, because “it is difficult for a person who indulges in impurity to be delivered from it.[note]Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Complete Aesthetical Works Volume XVI, treatise on the sixth commandment.[/note]
Sins of impurity dishonor your body, which is the temple of God. It is a direct affront to our creator. Yet, so many struggle with chastity.
St Alphonsus explains:
“Some heretics and servants of the devil teach, “Sins of impurity do not dishonor anyone.” Obstinate sinners often try to excuse themselves by saying, “sins of impurity are just little sins.” Or “because they are sins of habit, their gravity is diminished.” Ah what fools they are! They are so blinded, dearest soul, by their sins, that they do not see what terrible damage it does to themselves and to the body of Christ.
You are a soul created in the image and likeness of God, a child of God, and an heir of heaven. Your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost, and you have been redeemed by the blood of Christ!This is what impurity dishonors! The marital act is a sacramental privilege, reserved only for those united within the sacrament. Sins of impurity dishonor your soul because you lose God’s life of grace, they dishonor your body because you are a temple of the Holy Ghost, and they dishonor God because you are using the marital act, which the Almighty created as good, to commit evil.” Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Complete Aesthetical works Volume XVI, treatise on the sixth commandment.
You Place Yourself in Danger of Hell
Our Lady of Fatima said that “More souls go to Hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.” Since we know exactly what is likely to send us to hell and deprive us of the presence of God, doesn’t it make sense to avoid the very thing?
The Angelic Confraternity is one aid that the Church has given us to aid those who struggle with chastity and to avoid sins of impurity.
History of the Confraternity
How God Gave St Thomas Aquinas a Special Grace of Chastity & Purity
Born in 1226, St Thomas Aquinas was the son of a noble. His parents had high aspirations of him becoming a benedictine monk and the Abbot of a prestigious monastery. Apparently, that was a coveted position in those days. Instead he fell in love with the Dominicans. His family tried to dissuade him and after numerous attempts his brothers came up with one last evil plan.
How many of us have friends who know that we struggle with chastity, but instead of supporting our desire to become more virtuous, actually put stumbling blocks in our path or try to sabotage us. This is more common than we realize. It’s the same with friends who attempt to sabotage your weight loss efforts.
“So one night, the brothers introduced a scantily clad prostitute into the room where St. Thomas was being held. The plan did not work as intended. Immediately, St. Thomas snatched a burning brand from the hearth, drove the woman out of the room, slammed the door behind her, and emblazoned the sign of the cross on the door with the red-hot brand. He then fell to his knees with tears of thanksgiving and prayed to be preserved in his chastity, purity, and intention to live the religious life.
According to the records of his canonization, Thomas fell at once into a mystical sleep and had a vision. Two angels came to him from heaven and bound a cord around his waist, saying, “On God’s behalf, we gird you with the girdle of chastity, a girdle which no attack will ever destroy.” In the records of his canonization, many different witnesses who knew St. Thomas at different points in his life remarked about his evidently high degree of purity and chastity. The angels’ gift preserved St. Thomas from sexual temptation and bestowed upon him an enduring purity that ennobled all his thoughts and actions. Pope Pius XI wrote: “If St. Thomas had not been victorious when his chastity was in peril, it is very probable that the Church would never have had her Angelic Doctor.”
Over his lifetime, St. Thomas’s conduct revealed that he had indeed received a special grace of chastity and purity – a grace that he is now ready to share with others through the communion of saints.” History: St Thomas Aquinas & Charity. Angelic Warfare Confraternity.
Bernardo Daddi [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The Founding of the Confraternity
After St Thomas Aquinas died, the cord that he used was preserved of course, as we preserve all the relics of our Saints. Fr. Francis Duerwerders, OP, is credited as being the one who founded a confraternity in Belgium in the 17th Century. Pope Pius XII officially founded it in 1727. And so we have a wonderful gift from the Church to aid us in the virtue of chastity.
Sounds Great! How Do I Enroll in the Angelic Warfare Confraternity?
Easy. Follow the link below to get the details.
How to Enroll in the Angelic Warfare Confraternity
As a member of the confraternity, you get to wear the Cord of St Thomas Aquinas, or the medal, which will help you immensely. You also will have recourse to some very effective prayers. The Confraternity is open to both single and married people.
So if you struggle with chastity or even ifyou just need a little help, what are you waiting for? Join the Angelic Warfare Confraternity and watch your life in the spirit change.
Updated 2018.
Resources for Those Who Struggle with Chastity
The Angelic Warfare Confraternity
Complete Aesthetical Works Volume XVI, treatise on the sixth commandment by St Alphonsus Liguori
I am very happy to know that, there are still Catholics who want to make a difference. Thank you for your efforts. I thank God for catholics who believe that God still give those who ask for the grace to live a holy life to become saints. Unfortunately, many Catholics ignore the advantage Catholics have. May God bless you all Catholics.
You’re welcome Margaret. God bless you and yours!