(LifeSiteNews) — Joining me on this episode of The John-Henry Westen Show is Catholic chastity speaker Jason Evert. We discussed the importance of modesty for both Catholic men and women, Pope St. John Paul II’s “Meditation on Givenness,” his JP2 Trails ministry, and more.
After discussing his JP2 Trails ministry, I asked Evert about Pope John Paul II’s “Meditation on Givenness,” a beautiful, lesser-known 40-page meditation on the theology of the body, womanhood, human sexuality, and more. Evert emphasized that part of these meditations on chastity describe how, in a relationship, men often look to the woman to enforce chastity.
“A lot of times in dating relationships, even Christian men leave it to the woman to be the ‘chastity cop.’ (They think,) ‘You tell me when I go too far, and I’ll be a good boy and stop there,’” he said. “But, wait a minute, it’s not really her job to be your chastity cop. It’s your job not to put her in a situation where she’d need to say ‘no’ to you in the first place.”
Evert stressed how John Paul II reminds men that they are the keepers of the holiness of the woman’s body.
“(Pope John Paul II) says to the men, ‘Yes, you are the keeper of the holiness of her body,’” he said. “‘It is to ever remain an object of your respect.’ And if it is, then John Paul said, ‘You can delight in the beauty that God has given to her, and she will delight, and she will rejoice in the gift that her womanhood was created to be, because she will feel safe under her brother’s gaze.’”
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“Imagine that as a guy, imagine the satisfaction, the peace that you would have knowing that ‘the woman I love can rejoice in the fact that I know how to look at her rightly, and I see her as more than a collection of body parts,’” he added. “This is the way I love John Paul. He doesn’t just present what’s good and what’s true. He shows you what’s beautiful, and what’s beautiful is irrefutable.”
A bit later, after underscoring how both men and women need to dress modestly, Evert delved into how men should respond when they see a woman who is dressed immodestly, stressing that they can’t simply avoid looking at attractive women for their entire lives.
“How do you respond to an immodest woman with love other than just (thinking), ‘I’m not going to lust, I’m not going to lust’? One is you could see (the woman’s) beauty and say, ‘Thank you, God, for making her beautiful,’” he said. “And you could think of that as an act upwards towards God instead of shame and guilt. … But then come down (and say) ‘But, God, I’m sorry for the times I’ve lusted after your daughters. Give me a clean heart.’”
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“Then you could think of up, look at her hand. Does she have a wedding ring? Pray for her and her husband. No wedding ring? Pray for her future vocation,” he added. “So you’re transforming temptation with intercession. But then don’t stay focused on her, go away from her. What is the beauty you ultimately crave? It’s the Blessed Trinity, and adore that.”
To hear more from Jason Evert, tune in to this episode of The John-Henry Westen Show.
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