The more numerous her virgins, the greater the joy of mother Church

Today, July 14, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin, we are invited to read and reflect on a passage from the first letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (7: 25-40), entitled "Christian chastity". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon On the Dress of Virgins by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), known as the "Lily of the Mohawks," was the first Native American to be canonized a saint. Born to a Mohawk father and an Algonquin Christian mother, she survived smallpox as a child, which left her scarred and partially blind. After embracing the Catholic faith as a young woman, she endured ridicule and persecution from members of her village because of her commitment to Christ. Saint Cyprian of Carthage was a bishop, theologian, and martyr of the early Church who lived in North Africa during the third century. After converting to Christianity as an adult, he became Bishop of Carthage and courageously led the faithful through periods of persecution. He is best known for his teaching on the unity of the Church, emphasizing that Christians must remain united with their bishops and with the one Church founded by Christ. The Dress of Virgins, written in 249 by Saint Cyprian, is addressed to women ("flowers in the Church's garden") who have dedicated their lives to God's service. In this treatise on virginity Cyprian warns these women against seeking finery and the pitfalls of worldliness. The primary teaching in our "treasure" today entitled "The More Numerous Her Virgins, the Greater Joy of Mother Church," from The Dress of Virgins by Saint Cyprian, is that consecrated virginity is a beautiful gift to both Christ and His Church. Cyprian praises those who freely dedicate their lives to the Lord in lifelong chastity, describing them as a sign of the holiness and fruitfulness of the Church. He teaches that this vocation is not simply the absence of marriage but a positive call to love Christ with an undivided heart through purity, humility, prayer, and faithful living. While honoring marriage as a holy vocation, he presents consecrated virginity as a special witness to the life of heaven, where God will be all in all. The central message is that lives completely dedicated to Christ bring joy to the Church and point all Christians toward their ultimate destiny of perfect union with God. Our first reading teaches that every Christian is called to live chastely according to his or her vocation, whether married or unmarried. Saint Paul explains that both marriage and celibacy are gifts from God. He praises the unmarried state because it allows a person to devote himself or herself more completely to the Lord's work, while affirming that marriage is honorable and the proper path for those called to it. Paul's concern is not to impose burdens but to help believers live with undivided hearts, recognizing that this world is passing away and that their priority should always be pleasing God. The central message is that every state of life should be lived in faithful, self-giving love, with Christ at the center and eternal life as the goal.