Virtue:
PurityOther names:
Definition:
Proper care regarding the external signs relating to sexual activity (kissing, cuddling, etc.); cf. II-II Q. 151, a. 4
Advice:
Empirical Research:
Case examples:
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Further reading:
Vices opposed:
Lust
Further reading:
Vices opposed:
Lust
Case Study
ReplyDeleteEWTN founder Mother Angelica took great care to preserve her company’s image in a media environment where modesty was less than prized. As biographer Raymond Arroyo explains, she was even willing to take financial risks in order to stay true to her principles. On May 11, 1983, a summons arrived at Angelica’s Our Lady of Angels Monastery from EWTN’s former satellite partner, Wold Communications, demanding $1,440,000 for breach of contract. “According to Matt Scalici, EWTN’s engineer, Mother Angelica had pulled the plug on the Wold deal when she discovered that EROS, a soft-core-porn channel, appeared in close proximity to EWTN’s four-hour programming block, in violation of their agreement. She had conveniently found carriage on a better satellite in June 1982. A month later, pleased with the new arrangement, Mother had instructed [associate] Bill Steltemeier to terminate the Wold contract, contending that the transponder was ‘bleeding pornography’ near her signal.”
The litigation process that followed proved costly and time-consuming for the fledgling network. Eventually, Wold lawyers and executives agreed to meet with Steltemeier for a three-hour negotiation, while Angelica and her fellow nun, Sister Joseph, prayed in a nearby church. “Steltemeier was clear that EWTN did not have the requested funds and simply could not comply with the conditions of the settlement. Wold initially demanded that EWTN pay the $1.4 million penalty for breaking the contract, then unexpectedly softened its position.
“‘A miracle took place before my eyes,’ Steltemeier said. ‘They agreed to settle for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.’ What’s more, Stelemeier convinced Wold to stagger the payments over a two-and-a-half-year period.
“A beaming Stetlemeier ran back to the church to report the final settlement to Mother and Sister Joseph. When Angelica heard the news, she turned toward the tabernacle. ‘Oh, thank you, Jesus. I knew you’d do it,’ she said.” (Arroyo, Mother Angelica, pp. 179-80)