Virginity is a very precious gift from God.  He has given you many precious gifts so that you can demonstrate your love for Him by using them as He wills and one day share eternal life with Him in Heaven.  Scripture, the Ten Commandments, and Church teaching make it very clear that God wills virginity to be preserved for marriage.  Physical intimacies outside of marriage are serious sins.

If your virginity is already lost, don't feel that you are ruined.  Don't think that you have to continue in sins of the flesh just because you can't get your virginity back.  Jesus loves you and is waiting for you to be faithful to Him.  If you are living in sin, make a promise to God to live purely from now on.  Confess your sins to a priest and begin anew.

Saint Mary Magdalene used to be a prostitute.  Sorrowing for her sins, she washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.  She made a sincere commitment to chastity.  Jesus not only forgave her, but she became one of His closest friends.

You can regain your purity, even after virginity has been lost by promising to live chastely from now on.  If you are living in the state of serious sin, any sin, make a strong commitment not to repeat that sin.  When you feel sorry, confess your sins to a priest as soon as you can.  Thanks to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you know that Jesus forgives sins.  You are very precious to Jesus.  Right now is the best time to seek forgiveness for your sins.  Fill your soul with the peace of God's loving forgiveness.

No sin is too big for Jesus to forgive.  He waits with open arms, ready to forgive you and to welcome you back, just as the Father waited for the return of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).  Feeling ashamed after sinning is a sign that the Holy Spirit is giving you grace to repent.  Mary Magdalene humbled herself at Jesus' feet.  He forgave her without hesitation.

No sin is too great for the confessional.  Don't commit the sin of pride by thinking that your sins are too horrible to be forgiven.  Jesus gave priests the power to forgive sins.  When the priest forgives you, Jesus Himself forgives you.  Jesus loves you very deeply.  Since Jesus forgives you, you should also forgive yourself.

The Sacrament of Confession takes away sin and restores God's divine life within you.  Despite Mary Magdalene's grave sins, she received the special blessing of being the very first one to see Jesus after His glorious resurrection!  God's forgiveness brings special graces to you also.  Seek His forgiveness now!    REJOICE IN FORGIVENESS!

Avoid situations where you may be tempted to commit impure acts.  Go out with groups of wholesome friends rather than go out on one- on-one dates.  It's less likely that you'll be tempted to impure behavior.

Someone who wants physical intimacy probably won't ask just once.  If someone persists in asking for physical intimacy after you refuse, discontinue the relationship.  This person does not respect you and may lead you to serious sin.

Impure thoughts lead to impure acts.  Thinking purely will help you act purely.  Avoid anything that causes you to think impure thoughts, including all kinds of pornography, dirty pictures, magazines, books, films, TV shows, and impure conversations.  Don't attend sex education classes.

Avoid tempting others to impure thoughts.  Immodest dress and dirty talk send erotic messages.  Speak and dress modestly.  Don't lead someone else into sin.

Someone who truly cares about you will never ask you to sin.  If someone is tempting you to commit a sin, you're probably being used.  A person who truly cares for you will never jeopardize your salvation.

If you truly respect yourself, you won't submit to sinning for someone else, even for someone you love.  Respecting yourself means insisting upon purity.  Choose friends who embrace sound Christian morals and principles.
 

BE STRONG!  Avoiding temptation to sin can be very difficult and often requires a strong, disciplined will.  Pray for fortitude, that is, strength, to avoid sin.  Fortitude is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Receive the Blessed Sacrament and confess your sins frequently.  Living in the state of grace, God will do His part to give you strength of will, but you must do your part too.  Consider...

In physically intimate relationships outside of marriage, the partners use each other for pleasure. Since physical gratification is their ultimate goal, the couple is unable to grow in true friendship or holiness.  These rela- tionships must be completely dissolved, difficult as it may be.  Your eternal life is more important than any earthly pleasure.

Some people give in to sin because they are afraid to hurt others' feelings or to suffer rejection. Always remember that hurt feelings and feelings of rejection, even if they're your feelings, will heal.  Protecting your purity and staying in the state of grace are more valuable than anyone's hurt feelings!  Don't let feelings cloud your good judgement.  Think with your head, not with your emotions.

Choose friends who encourage wholesome activities.  People who pressure you to commit sin, any kind of sin, are looking for reassurance to continue sinning themselves.  They don't care about God's divine image in you, about your prospect for eternal life or about the earthly consequences you may face because of sin.  Peer pressure is temptation to sin.  Be wise!  Don't compromise!
 

CHASTITY REGAINED  "A woman known to be a sinner learned that He was dining in [Simon] the Pharisee's home.  She brought in a vase of perfumed oil and stood behind Him at his feet, weeping so that her tears fell upon his feet.  Then she wiped them with her hair, kissing them and perfuming them with the oil...[Jesus said to Simon,] 'her many sins are forgiven -- because of her great love.  Little is forgiven the one whose love is small'" (Luke 7:36-38,47).