Today, I would like to talk about Purity

Today, I would like to talk about Purity.

Or chastity, if you prefer. It is something which is mentioned often enough, but not always as openly or comfortably as I think it should be. The marathon-like struggle to attain it is something with which I have intimate familiarity. For me, personally, today also marks some important breakthroughs in the pursuit of that elusive yet necessary virtue. I would like to share my thoughts on it with the world including some of the prayers and practices which have worked for me (and which ones really haven't) in the sincere hope that many of you who read this find peace and joy for your hearts all the sooner.

Purity is not a "thing."

What I mean by that is that, like all virtues, it is not exactly something to hold in your hand. With purity, however, it is even less obvious or tangible. Instead of being an easily presentable action, it is more like the result of the culmination of all other virtues and simply avoiding sin. In this way, the refraction and re-concentration of light from white light to a rainbow and back actually make a natural demonstration of how this "pure light of the soul" works in the spiritual world!

The Hans Memling painting "Allegory of Virgin" and Lorenzo Lotto's "Allegory of Chastity" depict this in a visually effective way: In each work, the focus of the piece is a gentlewoman who very simply rejects the moving, external representations surrounding her, while she remains in a supernaturally peaceful state. There is nothing else for her do or speak of, because she is centered and perfect.

Mary is generally necessary.

And speaking of allegories, let us return our minds frequently and now to Mary, who is so "full of grace" that she is a mother (both in fact and ours by adoption) and a virgin (both in reality and in the intense nature of her suffering). In considering these profundities, perhaps we actually can say with truth that at least in this pinnacle of creation, purity is a "thing!"

Marian devotion is extremely efficacious for acquiring and keeping the graces we pursue. While God is always considered the ends for our path in life, Mary should not be shunned because she is God's chosen example and means for being united to Him. For this and because of her own direct relation to all Persons of the Trinity (daughter, mother, and spiritual spouse), intense devotion to Mary is something meant to be practiced by anyone. She is so close to God that there is nothing she will ask of Him that, being in conformity with His Will, would ever be rejected.

Some of the most obvious devotions are the daily Rosary, and confraternity with the Brown and Green Scapulars, and the Immaculate Heart. Another devotion I have found to be effective is St. Louis Montford's pattern of Total Consecration to Mary and "loving slaveship" to her. TAN Books has an easy-read for following this method (ISBN: 978-0-89555-961-6), along with other useful meditations, practices, and confraternities.

So love Mary for being an advocate to you; love her for being your queen; love her for being a mother to you; love her for being a mother to your God! Love her because you choose to! This cannot be stressed enough!

Prayers...

As I mentioned before, purity is "essentially" the culmination of other graces in us presenting at once. It therefore stands to reason that the acquiring of any grace, especially by means of prayer and Sacraments. This is a way of being dependent on God for God Himself, and by humbly submitting ourselves to him we present Him with that best-loved attitude of humility. Besides the devotions mentioned above, here are some prayers that I've found helpful:



(While contemplating the Sacred Heart overlaying the Image of Divine Mercy):

"Oh, Christ Jesus, be Thou glorified in me."

This prayer is especially useful late at night or when suffering from intense temptation, perhaps because of its brevity, simplicity, and intentions flowing from purity of heart. We essentially pray that God will mercifully preserve us from sin at a crucial moment, and in that doing so He will be all the more glorified. It is even more effective after Communion, when we are filled with the grace of God, when our bodies become living tabernacles like Mary herself, and it is critical that we preserve God's real presence within us from any abuse. Think "Theology of the Body," a bit elevated.


Ave Maris Stella

The Daughters of Mary sing a beautiful rendition of it on YouTube. It also carries a usual 300 day indulgence.


Psalm 42, part 1 "Sicut Cervus" and response "Sitivit Anima Mea" (as composed by Palestrina)

I bring this up as an F-type and a hopeless romantic. It simply "clicks" with me, and allows me to use my own passionate tendency to ponder God. More on this later.
I know of no particular indulgences except the regular indulgence that comes with reading scripture. "He who sings prays twice." -St. Augustine


Daily Rosary

I mention the Rosary again for many reasons. It is important to emphasize as a favorite devotion of God and Mary. The Blessed Mother promises that daily recitation is a STRONG SIGN OF PREDESTINATION (which follows that you would be free from impurities at the moment of death). Simply holding a physical Rosary in your pocket carries enormous protection. It is a great way to practice all forms of prayer at once, and both Marian and Dei-centric. It is convenient for sharing the simple communion of prayer with other people and God, who are aware of the method. It is useful for asking for virtues while contemplating the Divine Life of Christ and the hidden wellspring of secrets throughout. It carries its own indulgences which increase over time. It is a means of spending time with your family and away from sin. Rosaries are available.


True Letter of Jesus

(This consists of carrying a copy of the True Letter of Jesus Christ discovered by St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and praying every day at 3:00 for at least three years: 2 Our Fathers, 2 Glory Be, and 2 Hail Mary to honor the drops of blood and specific pains of the Passion).

It carries with it promises of sparing from certain painful deaths, freedom from Purgatory's pains, and a provided-for death, even of relatives to the fourth generation. These are powerful promises, which are relatively simple to set an alarm and devote a few moments' focus on loving Jesus in order to acquire. It also stands to reason here that a "provided death" would include purity of heart at the last hour.


Mortification

I do not always 100% pursue every possible mortification to the point of masochism. But it's useful to use pain of any type, especially the pains Heaven sends us that we did not ask for ourselves, to unite ourselves to Christ's very real pain in life and on the Cross. In uniting our deserved torment to the holy torment of God, we are investing in our own salvation through union with God (which is our ultimate goal, at any rate). It "transforms" a mere opportunity or impotent happenstance in our lives into a humble offering which we hope an omnipotent God may be pleased with, patterned after the example of Jesus Christ.

Physical mortification also helps us to acquire a built-up taste for not having things our way according to the senses at a given moment. Like working out properly enlarges the muscle through "pain = gain," so does focusing our discomfort towards a constant, ever-present strength lead to greater chastity of the body. Think of the Prophetess Anna, who prays constantly in with fasting in humility and obscurity, living as a widow for a long time after her husband dies shortly. She is the one who receives God and gives the message of His Passion and death.


Pleasure

What, did you think I would prescribe nothing but suffering without mentioning the other ways God provides for us? I want to talk about pleasure because it is a temporal mercy from God, and like mortification, it relates to how we refocus experiences from the natural world into a spiritual way.

We can the glories God has sent his favorite style of creature (humankind) to praise, thank, and further crave the activity of God in our lives. In doing so without falling into the tendency towards hedonism, we are using other impotent happenings in our lives to become fruitful creatures for God no matter what He chooses to send us. In refocusing, we are again thinking of the seemingly chaotic natural universe in a proper way (is this sounding familiar?).


Let's have more general discussion.

With the last comments on pain and pleasure, I also want to interject right here the notion that Mary is considered to be "clothed in the sun and crowned with the stars with the moon at her feet" (Apoc. 12:1). The reason for mentioning this is it points out the truth that while grace and virtue can be very "hidden" or hard to find while we struggle through this earthly life, we need to have confidence that God through Mary is always in control of our final destination. We need to have faith in almighty God by aligning our lives with His vision of goodness: even when the world including our own earthly tendencies protest otherwise; even when the things asked of us don't make a lot of sense at the moment.

And with that, let's reflect on the element of time. It's my opinion that for most people, purity is a virtue to be long and vigorously pursued. It generally doesn't come overnight, and as one Confessor once explained to me, realizing it sometimes takes regular submission of the will to God "in order to allow it to cool and settle like a bowl of gel." For youth especially who suffer from the adverse effects of poor education, rampant pornography, and loose divorce. These combined with the facts that humans are sexual creatures and that young people usually haven't lived long enough to learn about and temper their natural inclinations. For these people, I recommend to start the battle early, to offset any vicious habits with more good deeds and regular confession, and to keep selective company.

The company you keep is important for anyone. And it starts even with yourself, because that directly affects the relationship you will have with God. Be sure to hold yourself in agreement to all the moral proscriptions of the Church. Try to keep company with others who are open or not directly opposed to it, because they can affect the way you think (and therefore behave).

Even part of keeping selective company is having good friends at all. Hang out and talk with people who are loving and forgiving. Good people will understand that men are not angels, and will be more likely to pray for you. This is all part of the "Communion of Saints" we profess in and are strengthened by (Catechism, Art. 9).


"Beloved, let us love."

(1John 4:7) Allow me to continue this discussion on purity with my personal bemoaning a bitter absence of romance in this world. Taking from the previous discussion on the functional essence of purity, which needs various elements of virtue to survive and thrive, so too are we suffering this lack of love and romance from malnourishment of purity (and therefore the lack of virtues). Are we ignoring our Christian duties one at a time? Is God simply upping the ante for those of us left? Or could He slowly be withdrawing Himself from an unloving people?

I hope to Heaven it's not that last one. But I think there are so many pig-headed notions we have about love. I think lack of pity and courage closes our minds off to love. I think lack of forgiveness and tolerance prevents us from pursuing it. I think fear and erosion of the will over personal comfort have increasingly presented their own problems over time.

We also have false notions of consecrated virginity as nothing but penance rather than one loving pursuit of union with an aspect of God. We have notions of free sex, and even in faith circles that sacramental marriage is centered around sex, rather than the other way around. It is my opinion that we ought to ponder both sex and virginity as lofty decisions, with love as their object, and easily symbolized by more intense figures of romantic love than the human mind can encompass.

Aren't all these ideals of romance present in scripture? Isn't it the express purpose of Christ's Passion, that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," etc.? Aren't the gifts of loving hands rewarded both to allow husbands the exclusive privilege of touching their wives, and priests the exclusive privilege to touch and speak ordinary bread into GOD!?

What with good company and romance, I am also in agreement with Dr. Peterson's "rule" that it's psychologically important to have a good friend of the opposite sex. I think this helps keep a person well-rounded and well-grounded, whatever that person's state in life. It's important to be able to cry with someone if necessary. It's good to have a friend from the "other side" who doesn't necessarily represent all the worst experiences from that side, and who genuinely wants good things for you.


So what doesn't work?

Forgive me today, because this will involve sharing some things I may be guilty of in my "past life."

SIN DOES NOT WORK! There is no such thing as "sinning just a bit to ease your temptation." This still cuts you off from God's grace, which cuts you off from Communion, which cuts you off from God's grace, which cuts you off from Communion...

In the same way, there is no such thing soft-core pornography or "porn lite." It is the same essential sin of impurity, as is intentionally summoning impure thoughts. It also needs to be remembered that pornography and masturbation are each separate mortal sins, and that the two in conjunction are its own compounded mortal sin which needs to be confessed together.

GIVING UP DOES NOT WORK! This can be a more difficult concept at some times, because sin tends itself to more and deeper sin, which can ultimately lead to despair of combating a natural force. What needs to be remembered is all natural force is subject to supernatural instruction. Even if you are cut off from God's grace, and under the heel of forces in rebellion to Him, you continue to have an obligation to obey God. Fortunately, He mercifully provides the salvific opportunity to be brought back into His good graces, which is to present your whole contrite self to Him through the confessor.

WITHDRAWING FROM THE HARDSHIP OF THE WORLD DOES NOT WORK! Unless you are called to some form of monasticism, do not think that victory over temptation is always as simple as running away. In that regard, you have to be running towards something wholesome rather than just flight. To occupy your time with an art or hobby is useful. To be working for pay is also a good way to boost your self-esteem (and therefore get the good perspective that you are personally, spiritually worthwhile). Spending free time in prayer is even more fruitful. But all these things at some time take place "in the world."

FEAR DOES NOT WORK! From this instruction, do not pursue marriage because you are "afraid of dying alone," do not give in to sex because you're "afraid of virginity," and do not run into holy orders or burden yourself with penances because you're "afraid of hell." Remember what we were talking about purity taking time? Making the right life-choices for purity (of heart) means time and forethought from purity (of mind).

SELFISH CONTROL DOES NOT WORK! St. John of the Cross's "fourth level" of prayer involves submission to God's will in your life. Don't think that you can always get whatever you want, whenever you want! The best you can possibly for anything is... just the best you can do, and God will take care of the rest if He decides it's better than an alternative. Theologically speaking, this kind of humility is one of the best ways we are capable of loving God: by presenting our weak selves and acknowledging our ultimate dependence on His love. It is not just by doing everything we can for ourselves, but by Jesus doing everything He could for us that saves us from misery.

 

Thanks for bringing that up.
Yeah, sometimes I just word things a bit strangely. What it's trying to get across is we tend to go from "fundamental human knowledge" to "being filled with understanding and virtue" and from there being able to "properly hear the message."