International chastity speaker Jason Evert speaking during his two-day tour of Perth. Photo: Feby Plando.
By Matt Lau and Josh Low
Motivational speaker Jason Evert hit home with his message about chastity and spirituality to about 2500 people in Perth last week.
The American author entertained his audiences with in-depth storytelling, advice, and sharing of knowledge across the two-day tour.
Evert presented his talks about purity, chasitity and how to find real love to more than 1500 students of Corpus Christi College, Divine Mercy College, Immaculate Heart College, Aranmore Catholic College, and Aquinas College.
Some 600 young people and couples were also present for his invigorating “How To Save Your Marriage… Before You’re Married” talk on 22 March at Sts John and Paul Church, Willetton.
The following day, Evert capped off his Perth visit by speaking to another 300 people at St Peter the Apostle, Bedford Parish, commencing with a presentation on “Parenting for Purity” before following on with his “Love or Lust” chastity talk for teenagers.
Speaking to The eRecord, Evert explained that he has been speaking about chastity for some 20 years, having first had the experience of supporting teenagers in youth groups and a later involvement in crisis pregnancy counselling while at university.
The inspiration for his Chastity Project ministry derived from witnessing a large number of teenagers wrestling with their faith because of issues related to their sexual well-being.
“Because of all the hurt I was seeing, I wanted to reach out to the teens, in order to show them how to find the real love they deserve,” he said.
By delving into Pope St John Paull II’s Theology of the Body and Love and Responsibility, Evert says he realised these works, by the now saint, were the “antidote to our culture of sexual hurt and confusion”.
He adds that at the heart of his message on chastity lies the words of John Paul II, that chastity can only be thought of in association with the virtue of love.
“It’s not about obeying rules to avoid hell or STDs, but about wanting what is best for your beloved.
“We are created for love, and it is the virtue of chastity that frees us to love, and frees us to know if we’re really being loved. A true and authentic love, which is not an emotion or a feeling, but an act of the will to do what is best for your beloved,” he explained.
Audiences were captivated by Jason Evert’s lively talks. Photo: Feby Plando.
Having been married for 14 years with seven children, Evert says there is no shortage of opportunities for him to work on this virtue himself.
“While I certainly have not perfected it, my family truly grounds me in the essential role that God is calling me to do. Vocation first, and occupation second,” he says.
“God willing, I will continue to spread this message as long as God allows. I love my work, and consider it a tremendous blessing that I am able to do this for a living.”
Evert says the two biggest issues he has witnessed the youth of today face are broken families and internet pornography.
He adds that other challenges include the ever changing landscape on issues related to human sexuality such as gender theory, internet pornography addiction, and the meaning of marriage.
“[Young people] are ready for a better kind of love than what the world offers them, and I have found them to be globally receptive to this message.
“It’s remarkably easy because of how starved they are for the truth. The Church needs to improve by getting over our insecurities about talking to teens about this, and parents as primary sex educators need to learn how to speak and listen effectively to their children regarding this topic.
“Although many adults today did not have parents who talked to them openly about chastity or sexuality, this silence today is unacceptable,” Evert said.
“The world is not ashamed to talk to our children about sexuality, and if we remain quiet, the world will fill the void of our silence with a message that is very contrary to all we hope for them.”
High schoolers were among those who listened to Evert’s words of wisdom. Photo: Josh Low.
Evert says his hope is that his presentations here in Perth and around the world will help young people realise that God has a plan for their lives, and their love lives, if they have the courage to trust him.
“My hope for the future is that more and more teens will be able to hear the good news of chastity, so that they can better discover their vocations and build up a true civilisation of love.
“And that they will realise that no matter what has happened in the past, it’s never too late to start over,” he concluded.
Corpus Christi College Head Girl Jessica Basilio attended a couple of Evert’s talks last week, and shared her thoughts in reflection.
“Jason really captivated his audience with relatable and relevant examples, funny stories and powerful messages.
“Many seemed surprised that the presentation was as worthwhile and enjoyable as it was and positive comments were all I heard during the following days.”
Jessica said Evert expertly highlighted the concept of “real, true love compared to lust”, and the importance of pure relationships.
“He explained how we need to think about our future spouses and helped me think about how I should go about trying to find that special someone,” she added.
“His presentations really helped me to see how God wanted relationships to be.”