88. Third Thursday of Lent
Meditations no. 134 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
Holy purity is a virtue for everyone; it is a joyful âyesâ from the fullness of love.
The Church invites us to consider the life of the holy Patriarchs of the Old Testament, so that by reading their story we may know of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the just men, and by following their footsteps, we may tread the path of sanctity which they made accessible through their efforts. St Ambrose goes on to tell us: I have often spoken of them, and today we come to the story of Joseph. He had many virtues, but that which stands out most is his chastity. We have learned about unshakeable faith from Abraham, about the purity of a sincere heart from Isaac, and about marvellous patience in difficulties from Jacob. It is only natural that the saintly Joseph should now be offered to us as a model of chastity.
The Apostle Paul exhorts us: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints.
Anything that could tarnish holy purity, which is a virtue for everyone, must be kept far from our soul. When I remind you now that Christians must keep perfect chastity, I am referring to everyone: to the unmarried, who must practise complete continence; and to those who are married, who practise chastity by fulfilling the duties of their state in life.
If one has the spirit of God, chastity is not a troublesome and humiliating burden, but a joyful affirmation. Will-power, dominion, self-mastery do not come from the flesh or from instinct They come from the will, especially if it is united to the will of God. In order to be chaste (and not merely continent or decent) we must subject our passions to reason, but for a noble motive, namely, the promptings of Love.
We have to go through life with love: with a love that is whole and entire, untarnished by anything. St Paul reminds us: Once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light. Walking as children of light means that we have to struggle to keep our integrity, never dialoguing with those foul things that continually seem to boil and rise within you.
One day we decided to serve God in his Work. On that day we chose a way, and our choice was final. We will fight every time the Lord allows us to be tempted, but our attitude should be clear-cut: there is no room for partial concessions because every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.
Humility, sincerity and holy purity.
Our chastity is a joyful âyesâ. It is a triumph which gives us a marvellous parenthood, far superior to that of the flesh.
But letâs not be afraid of admitting that we have defects. We will feel the same evil inclinations of the flesh when we are fifty as we did when we were twenty. We should be able to say no for the sake of our great Love, with a capital âLâ. My children, never forget this as long as you live! To say no, we have to be humble.
In order to be chaste and clean, we depend on the knowledge of our own personal weakness and on our love for God and for his most pure Mother, who do not deny us their help. Let us learn to be humble, our Father insists. We need prudence to protect our Love. We must keep a careful watch and not be overcome by fear. Many of the classical spiritual authors compare the devil to a mad dog tied down by a chain. If we do not go near him, he cannot bite us, no matter how much he barks. If you foster humility in your souls, you will certainly avoid the occasions of sin, and you will react by having the courage to run away from them. You will have daily recourse to the help that comes from heaven and you will make lively progress along this path of true love.
Humility will also bring us to use another very effective means, which is sincerity. Always be sincere. Be sincere with your Directors and with your brothers the priests. Finally, be very sincere with yourselves.
It is only natural for us to feel the effects of concupiscence in our hearts. But in order to overcome them, with the grace of God, all we have to do is go to spiritual direction with humility and sincerity. A sick person who wants to be cured, our Father wrote, will go to a doctor who knows him well and not just superficially. He does not object to the doctor making a thorough examination of him.
If the doctor does his duty, he will see to it that the patient tells him everything. He will make sure that the patient does not hide, out of weakness or forgetfulness, anything that might be significant. Moreover, if the patient is not insane, he will make every effort to tell the doctor all the symptoms and circumstances, even the tiniest ones, that may be signs of his illness.
If we were to hide anything, even in small things, we would be moving away from the light and playing a dangerous game that would open the gates to impurity. On the other hand, sincerity in itself is a clear sign of good will. It shows that we want to live as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.
Our Fatherâs advice on how to overcome the dumb devil.
Now he was casting out a demon that was dumb. Reminding us of this passage from the Gospel, our Father told us: In the Work, we speak about everything that bothers us, because none of us wants to harbour the dumb devil. Isnât that so, my children?
The dumb devil is the only really powerful enemy. The Lord worked three miracles to cure that possessed man in the Gospel. He made him listen, because he did not want to listen. He made him speak, because he did not want to speak. He made him go away, because he did not want to go away either. So donât make it necessary to have those three miracles performed on you. Speak clearly!
What do you think the rest of us are like? I too feel that I am very wretched. If God were to let go of me, I too would be quite capable of doing the most vile, wretched and villainous things that anyone could do. I will never be shocked by anything that a child of mine might tell me: neither will your Directors.
We have to speak with full confidence. If you do not speak out, itâs the end of you; itâs the beginning of the end. If you are sincere, you will be faithful no matter what happens, and you will be happy.
If we ever find it more difficult to speak, because of false shame or hidden pride, and the dumb devil begins to take hold of us, we have to react promptly and energetically, with common sense. When I used to go with your brothers to teach catechism in certain poor areas of Madrid, our Father told us, we used to teach the children to be sincere in Confession. And I used to tell the children the same thing that I so frequently say now to older people and to my children: Imagine that a man is walking along with a large stone on his shoulder and his pockets filled with pebbles that together might weigh 100 grams⌠When he reaches his destination, surely he wonât start taking the pebbles out of his pockets one at a time, while still keeping the large stone on his shoulder! My children, the same applies to you. The first thing you must do is to get rid of whatever is heaviest. Is that clear?
I will repeat it always and keep on insisting. In order to be faithful, be sincere. In order to be faithful, be very humble and never allow yourselves to be afraid of the Directors. They are there to help us, and that is equally true when they use a fatherâs hand, strong and sure as well as affectionate, in order to prevent us from taking the wrong path.
Our Lady, Mother of Fair Love, wants us to be humble and sincere. She will help us keep our heart clean, and fill it with love for God.