July 7, 2005
Purity of Heart
"Everyone who looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Mat 5:28 ). With this statement, Jesus shows us that the battle for purity within our lives is not simply an exterior struggle. Not acting on the misdirected desires within us is not enough to be sinless. Purity is first and foremost a condition of the heart and mind. Purity of heart demands prayer, the practice of chastity, purity of intention and of vision" (CCC 2532). The battle for purity of heart applies to all parts of our lives where our passions rear up and can gain control, not just in regards to sexual desires. For example, the desire to lash out in anger unjustly, or the desire to talk about somebody else behind their backs must be interiorly controlled just as much as sexual inclinations. Purity of heart requires a reordering of the desires back to the original direction toward which our God-given passions were intended. Here is what I hope you will find to be a helpful technique to reorder the desires you have in your battle for purity. I will use the example of sexual temptation, simply because it is usually the most obvious, but the same steps can be applied to any passion.
First, recognize the desire that has arisen in you. You see a beautiful person and you recognize the attraction you have. Praise God for that natural desire. Thank him for your desire to love and be loved in an intimate relationship, and for your desire to have kids. This reminds you of what this particular passion which has arisen is really for. Then thank God for the beauty he has created in the other person that is so attractive. That too is a gift that points toward the beauty in God himself. Then pray for that person, that their inner selves may be even more beautiful and attractive than their outer selves. Pray that they may be protected and become, or remain, pure for the spouse for whom God has intended them. Then pray that if you never see them again in this life that you will see them in heaven. This all helps you recognize them as persons with an eternal destiny, and not just an object. Then thank God for the test which you are undergoing, and for the strength and grace that He is pouring out in you in order to grow in virtue. Recognizing each temptation in life as an opportunity for growth makes you view the spiritual battle in a positive light, and not just something to be endured. Then repent for what ever extent that you have not been pure on this occasion or others. This will help you realize your own weakness, and your need for his grace in this area. Finally, thank him for his mercy. It may sound like a lot of steps, but as you apply them, you will see how they work in every area of temptation, and how God helps you grow.
Fr. John Anthony Boughton, CFR
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