In proclaiming continence for the kingdom of heaven, Christ fully accepted all that the Creator wrought and instituted from the beginning. Consequently, on the one hand, continence must demonstrate that, in his deepest being, man is not only “dual,” but also, in this duality, “alone” before God, with God.
Nevertheless, on the other hand, what is an invitation to solitude for God in the call to continence for the kingdom of heaven at the same time respects both the “dual nature of mankind,” that is, his masculinity and femininity, and the dimension of communion of existence that is proper to the person. Whoever, in compliance with Christ’s words, correctly comprehends the call to continence for the kingdom of heaven and responds to it thereby preserves the integral truth of his own humanity. He does this without losing along the way any of the essential elements of the vocation of the person created in God’s image and likeness.
