372. Twenty-third Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Meditations no. 336 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Holy purity is positive, an action of love.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. St Paul invites us to place our hope in heaven, where God reigns in glory, and to detach ourselves from earthly things. Among the many virtues that this requires is that of chastity, which our Father taught us always to see in a positive way: because purity is a consequence of our love, our self-giving to God, body and soul, with all our faculties and senses.

Only love can lead us to dedicate our whole life to God and to be constantly apostolic in our work. Only love for God is capable of preserving the purity of heart we need for our life of service. It is not a renunciation, but a joyful affirmation, a free and cheerful self-giving, our Father stresses. Your chastity cannot be limited to avoiding falls and occasions of sin… , it cannot in any way be a cold and mathematical denial. Do you realize that chastity is a virtue, and that, as such, it ought to grow and be perfected? It’s not enough, then, for you to be continent, according to your state in life: you must be chaste, heroically so. It is an affirmation, a positive act, a response to God’s plea: Praebe, fili mi, cor tuum mihi et oculi tui vias meas custodiant; my son, give me your heart, and set your eyes on my ways.

St Augustine says: There is a war being waged in our very bodies; our lives are a dangerous battleground. And victory is impossible without the help of the one who loves us … Do you want your flesh to obey your soul? Then have your soul serve God. In order to govern yourself, you must let yourself be governed. Here lies the positive struggle which our Father always showed us to be so necessary in the area of purity.

Holy purity is given by God when it is asked for with humility, our Founder wrote. And the foundation for humility is the truth about our weak human nature, which is inclined toward evil, but redeemed by our Lord. We will advance with the help of God’s grace, not like angels - that would be a disorder, since angels have a different nature from ours - but like clean, strong men and women, normal people! What so many people do for the sake of their home, what our parents did through their life of Christian fidelity, let us also do for the sake of the Love of all loves. Therefore have a great love for holy purity! Invoke holy Mary, Mother of Fair Love, and we will persevere - cheerful and supernaturally fruitful -, along this divine Path of our Work.

If you were ever to sense that this gift from God is in danger, don’t be surprised, since as I’ve already told you, we are made of clay: habemus autem thesaurum istum in vasis fictilibus, we carry a divine treasure in earthen vessels. I’m not speaking to you for the present moment. I’m speaking to you in case, at some stage, you ever feel your heart wavering. For that occasion, I ask you, from this moment on, for a fidelity which is shown in the way you make good use of your time and fight against your pride, in your determination to obey selflessly, in your commitment to control your imagination, and in so many small but effective details that both safeguard and reflect the quality of your dedication.

Modesty and temperance are necessary for purity.

Since we have given our hearts to God, there needs to be struggle, a loving battle, so that the love of God grows in our soul. And where should this battle of love take place? Far away from the main walls of the fortress, as our Father taught us: Bashfulness and modesty are younger brothers of purity. We need to take care of those virtues which are its safeguard. We need to control our senses and be prudent. Then our struggle will be humble, and the Lord will help us win through.

Temperance will also help us to have the strength to be clean and faithful. Temperance in eating: habitual mortification at meals keeps us alert and on guard, for gluttony is the forerunner of impurity, and the enemy can win small but real successes, catching us unawares in this area. Temperance in our conversations too, which should reflect the tone of Christ’s own conversations. St Paul wrote: all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints. Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting. And our Father insisted: Never speak, not even to lament them, of impure things or events. -Remember that such matter is stickier than tar. -Change the subject or, if that’s not possible, continue with it, speaking of the need and beauty of holy purity, a virtue of men who know what their souls are worth.

We must not dialogue with temptation. At times, a lack of determination to cut temptation can mean that we are seeking petty consolations, which would signify a cooling off in our love. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire and… put away … foul talk from your mouth.

By our positive struggle, and by always talking of the love of God, we show not only that chastity is possible, but that it is a source of joy. There is need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and undo the savage work of those who think man is a beast. -And that crusade is a matter for you.

Ours should be a calm and constant struggle on all fronts. All of us have to put up with an unceasing barrage of propaganda that saps so many people’s spiritual strength. By the witness of our clean lives, we will bring many souls to God. May all of us - each in our own state in life: single, married, widowed or priest - be refined in practising chastity, which makes men strong and masters of themselves, gives them optimism, cheerfulness and fortitude. It draws them close to Christ our Lord and to our Mother holy

Mary; and it is an indispensable condition for our service to the Church and souls.

A life of intense work helps chastity.

The Fathers of the Church often recommended serious, self-sacrificing work as an effective defence for chastity. The spirit of the Work helps us to understand this very well. “All the sins,” you told me, “seem to be just waiting for the first moment of idleness. Why, idleness itself must be a sin!”

-A person who has committed himself to work for Christ should never have a free moment, because to rest is not to do nothing: it is to relax in activities which require less effort.

Certainly we work for higher motives. We don’t work to distract ourselves, to keep our senses distant from the danger of impurity. We work because it is our divine vocation: our sanctity is to be found precisely in and through professional work. Our whole vocation is bound up with the quality and rectitude of our work. Therefore our Father put us on guard against a difficulty, and it is the danger of becoming “bourgeois”, in our professional or spiritual life; the danger of feeling we are old bachelors or old maids, selfish, loveless people.

Never forget that it is Love, the Love of all loves, that is the reason for our celibacy. We are not old bachelors, since they are poor unfortunate people who know nothing about love.

If someone were to get enmeshed in this temptation, help them promptly. For if they don’t cast aside that thought, they will leave the boat, stray from the path, from our home; they will lose their vocation.

If we should ever notice that we or any of the others are slackening in daily work, we should examine ourselves or make the appropriate correction. A great deal is at stake, since work is a channel of our love for God. And without love, our holy purity and perseverance are at risk.

And in the Work we have a sure and effective remedy: sincerity. Our Father spoke of it often: If you are sincere you will be faithful; and it’s worth it.

Our Blessed Lady, Mater pulchrae dilectionis, Mother of fair love, will give us the humility, the strength of character and the sincerity we need to be faithful to our commitment of love to her Son. Tell our Lady right now, in the accompanied solitude of your heart, without speaking aloud: “Mother, this poor heart of mine rebels sometimes… But if you help me…” She will help you to keep your heart pure and to continue along the path God has called you to: our Lady will lead you to fulfil God’s will.