The young man's guide/Part 2: The struggle and the prize
PART SECOND:
Conflict and Conquest
"The life of man upon earth is a warfare" (Job vii. i).
"Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called." (i Tim. vi. 12).
"Labor as a good soldier of Christ Jesus; for he also that striveth for the mastery is not crowned, except he strive lawfully " (2 Tim. ii. 3, 5).
" Every one that striveth for the mastery refraineth himself from all things; and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one" (1 Cor. ix. 25).
The Struggle and the prize
"The flesh lusteth against the spirit; and the spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary one to another, so that you do not the things that you would" (Gal. v. 17).
LX. Your most precious treasure
1.Let us now direct our attention to the contest in which you must engage in behalf of holy purity. I desire with all the fervor of my soul, with all the earnestness at my command, with the most tender solicitude of a father, to arouse within your breast an enthusiastic love for this angelic virtue and to urge you on to struggle with valor and perseverance for its preservation.
It behooves me also to warn you against the opposite vice, to point out to you the varied forms which the enemy you have to encounter is wont to assume, and to describe the most efficacious means to protect and defend yourself against all attacks.
In God's name, go forth to do battle manfully on behalf of the virtue of purity, and to fight with courage and perseverance against your most terrible enemy, the vice of impurity. It may help you to fight this battle aright, if you consider with me and reflect earnestly upon the following points: namely, the prize in the contest, the reward of victory, the enemy, and the weapons to be employed against him.
2. The prize that you are to win in the fierce conflict of your youth is something celestially fair and infinitely precious; it is the pearl of virtues, your most costly treasure - purity of heart.
With what a mystic charm, with what grace and beauty, does this virtue of innocence invest the child, the chaste young man! That is what the poet means when he sings of the sweet charm of youth which has never known defilement. And so great is this charm, that frequently even the evil man, the libertine, feels its influence, and is filled with veneration. For instance, the poet Heine sings of an innocent child in the following beautiful lines:
"Thou'rt like a tender floweret,
Innocent and pure and fair:
I gaze on thee with joy, and yet
'Tis not without a shade of care;
It seems to me I needs must lay
My hand upon thy head, and pray
That God would keep thee as thou art,
So innocent and pure of heart."
3. How great is the value that most precious treasure possesses in the sight of God I "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." Yes, in order to atone for our sins, the Son of God submitted to all human infirmities; to hunger and thirst, to heat and cold, to weariness, and the need of sleep, but He did not will to enter the world in the same manner as the rest of mankind, but He chose to set aside the laws of nature, and through a miracle of His omnipotence He was "conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary."
And what a love she had for virginal purity! According to the opinion expressed by holy men, she would have been willing to renounce the sublime dignity of becoming the Mother of God rather than to lose the dignity of virginity, by exchanging it for the dignity of motherhood.
4. And we may go yet farther! The Redeemer permitted the devil to tempt Him in the wilderness, to tempt Him to ambition, even to idolatry, but not to a sin against holy purity. In order to atone for our sins He allowed the Jews to blaspheme and revile Him; but He did not permit them to cast upon Him the merest shadow of an accusation of the sin of impurity.
Fire is opposed to water, and on this account does a flame sputter if a candle is ever so little moistened with water. In the same way does God detest the impure, and love the pure, because He Himself is a pure spirit, and must therefore necessarily abhor the impure, who are like unto the beasts.
5. With whom is a pure soul to be compared? As Holy Scripture tells us, she can not be compared to anything in this world. "What," says St. Bernard, "is more precious than chastity, which makes an angel out of a man? " The chaste man is especially distinguished for his courage and fortitude in the struggle of life. O my dear young man, H you regard your body as the temple of the Holy Ghost, and desire to preserve it as such, understand, and inscribe it deeply on the tablets of your heart, that in days to come you may be sick, and poor, and wretched, despised by your fellow-men, but if you remain pure of heart, you are and remain a being worthy of veneration, beloved by God as He loves His angels.
6. If the Redeemer, as He lay in the manger, listened with complacency to the songs of the celestial choirs, He will not fail to receive your prayers as long as you are adorned with the precious jewel of purity, (or He then regards you as if you were an angel.
He does not look upon riches, nobility, and honor as the world views these things, else He would not have summoned poor, obscure shepherds to His manger; no, He looks upon a pure heart, upon the heart that is adorned with that most precious treasure - angelic virtue. Therefore Holy Writ says: "Oh, how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory I For the memory thereof is immortal; because it is known both with God and with men" (Wis. iv. i).
LXI. The Vision of God
"How blest is he who pure in word and act Preserves baptismal innocence intact."
1.In these words the poet lauds the happiness of a pure and guileless heart. What would Jesus Christ say, were He to come down in person upon earth once more; how would He comfort and encourage the chaste? Not otherwise, assuredly, than He did formerly, in His Sermon on the Mount, when He thus addressed His hearers: "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God." Yes, the vision of God is the reward of the conflict, the bright encouragement for the chaste.
"O how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory; it triumpheth crowned forever winning the reward of undenied conflicts" (Wis. iv. 2).
" Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? The innocent in hands and clean of heart" (Ps. xxiii. 4).
2. During the journey of life every Christian longs to attain the blessed goal, to be admitted into the heavenly paradise. God strews afflictions like thorns along the path of men, in order that their hearts may not cling to earth, nor take delight in the tinsel and false glitter of this world, but seek for true gold, for eternal blessedness, for the vision of God.
3. If, at any time, the weather becomes dull and rainy while you are traveling through life, and you long more than you ever did before for the everlasting sunshine of heaven, then turn to your diary or journal.
This journal is your conscience. If you find that no sin against purity is inscribed on the pages of your conscience, in that case I congratulate you, and rejoice with your holy angel guardian, for you are "blessed," you are destined to enjoy the vision of God.
4. According to a remark of St. Gregory the Pope, chastity does not suffice of itself to open to us' the gates of heaven. If, for instance, you were merely to keep the sixth and ninth commandments, and in some weighty matter fail to observe some other commandment, you would resemble the foolish virgins, who had no oil in their lamps, and were excluded on this account from the heavenly banquet. For in that case you would be destitute of charity, without which r o one can enter heaven.
But note well why " many are called, but few are chosen." It is because so few observe the chastity required by their state of life.
5. On the other hand, a young man who leads a chaste life generally finds no difficulty in keeping the other commandments. If he can fight to a successful conclusion the difficult battle on behalf of chastity - th' " will he certainly not fail in the easier warfare against the remaining foes of his salvation.
O purity, sweet encouragement for the heart of man! "The clean of heart shall see God!"
6. A legend which was current among the ancient heathen, relates the following circumstance concerning Hermione,the Persian princess. She used to wear a magnificent opal as an ornament for her hair. This precious stone was of infinite value, yet so exceedingly delicate and sensitive that when once but a single drop of water happened to fall upon it, it turned to dust immediately, the wearer sharing the same fate.
Now, dear reader, understand that the celestial blossom of purity is as fair and precious as this opal was said to be, but also just as delicate and sensitive. "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God."
Aye, they will be blessed, they will see God In a way, even while they continue to sojourn upon earth! The chaste soul resembles heaven; it is a paradise, a garden of delights for the Spirit of God, a throne of the Redeemer, from which grace and blessings flow forth for the entire period during which this soul is united in beauteous harmony with an equally chaste body.
7. Well, then, does not this pearl of virtues, which leads us to the everlasting vision of God, deserve that we should sacrifice everything, renounce everything, in order to preserve it? Daily, aye, many times a day, and especially in temptation, let us invoke our Queen and cur Mother, Mary, the protectress of purity, that she may help us in the conflict for the preservation of chastity; let us say frequently: "Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee! Help me to be clean of heart, that thus I may attain to the everlasting vision of God!"
"So dear to heaven is saintly chastity
That when a soul is found sincerely so,
A thousand liveried angels lackey her,
Driving far off each thing of sin and guilt,
And in clear dream and solemn vision
Tell her of things that no gross ear can hear
Till oft converse with heavenly habitants
Begins to cast a beam on the outward shape."
"O holy prerogative of youth," exclaims Father Von Doss, "to be able to practise, in its entire extent, a virtue which is the admiration of heaven and earth! A virtue which is so admirable that, without it, all other virtues lose their brilliancy; so sublime that he who possesses it may be said to equal the angels of heaven; so useful, that the words of Holy Writ are applicable to it: 'All things came to me together with her, and innumerable riches through her hands!' (Wis, vii. 11).
"Justly, then, is chastity compared to a lily for this flower not only delights the eye with its brilliant whiteness, but refreshes the sense of smell by the balsamic odor which it exhales.
"Exceedingly lovely is the lily of chastity, spreading abroad its precious perfume, and refreshing the heavenly Bridegroom, of whom it is said that He feedeth among lilies (Cant. ii. 16). The pure young heart draws him down into its fragrant depths, so that it becomes a veritable garden of the Lord.
"Chastity has the sublime prerogative of not only adorning the soul with its brilliant whiteness, but also of being, at the same time, the best ornament of the body.
"Look into the clear eyes of innocence; what a luster, what quiet majesty I How the purity of God is reflected therein! No springtide sky shines forth as cloudlessly, no dew-drop sparkles as brightly in the rays of the morning sun, no brooklet is as clear. Thus would the angels appear, if they would assume corporal form. O blessed, indeed, are the undefiled in the way (Ps. cxviii. i), in the dust-covered road of this lower earth.
" O how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory! for the memory thereof is immortal: because it is known both with God and with men. When it is present, they imitate it; and they desire it when it hath withdrawn itself: and it triumpheth crowned forever, winning the reward of undefiled conflicts (Wis. iv. i, 2).
" Sublime praise, bestowed upon the virtue of chastity, by the Holy Ghost himself."
"Heaven rejoices over chaste souls, and looks down with pleasure upon them.
"God is a spirit; and the chaste soul approaches the spiritual nature of God, by the overcoming of the flesh.
" The angels are spirits; how much they must love mortals, who, through a fierce combat, obtain as a virtue that which they have by nature, and without any effort or struggle!
" Chastity appears worthy of veneration in the eyes of men. There are none so abandoned as not to highly value that which their cowardice alone prevents them from imitating.
" O blessed religion, which teaches, nourishes, and perfects so admirable and prolific a virtue! By it thou restorest man to himself, preservest his heavenly origin, and in a purified heart enkindlest a divine flame.
"And what is the reward for this holy virtue of chastity?
"From the complacency wherewith an infinitely pure God regards chaste souls, measure the grace and the reward he reserves for chastity.
"From the struggle to which the acquisition of this virtue gives rise, and without which, in the majority of mankind, there is no victory you may form some idea of its recompense, its crown.
"Truly, he that loveth cleanness of heart shall have the king for his friend (Prov. xxii. n).
"Behold how God communicates himself to chaste souls: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God (Matt. v. 8).
" See how he prefers them, drawing them close to himself, and permitting them to lean upon his bosom, like the disciple whom Jesus loved (John xxi. 20).
"Mark how he prepares a heaven especially for them; in robes of gladness, and adorned with signs of victory, they follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth (Apoc, xiv. 4).
" Behold how he teaches them to sing a new canticle before his throne, one which none but virgins' lips are able to sing (Apoc. xiv. 3).
"O yes, whoever loves purity of heart, has the King of kings for his friend, for his confidant, for his eternal Bridegroom. One spirit with God is he who is joined with Him by self-denial and flight from all vice (1 Cor. vi. 17).
"O heaven of chaste souls, how lovely thou art! What a chosen spot, a high mountaintop, an exclusive sanctuary. 'Who shall ascend to the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand m his holy place? The innocent in hands, and clean of heart' (Ps. xxiii. 4)."
"Look here, upon this picture, and on this," days Hamlet. You have looked with delight Upon the lily of purity. Now look in the opposite direction and contemplate what a monster impurity is.
Father Schuen says: The alarming growth of this evil (impurity) makes it necessary to speak in plain, unequivocal terms upon this subject, which the priest, were he to consult his own inclination, would fain pass over in silence.
In the scales of divine justice impurity weighs very heavy. Consider what the sin of impurity really is. It is a profanation of the image of God. Man has received from God exceptional favors and privileges: "God created man to His own image and likeness" (Gen. i. 26). "The man is the image and glory of God" (1 Cor. xi. 7). By impurity the image of God is disfigured, for the impure man gives himself to the gratification of his animal desires and thereby desecrates his soul, upon which the image of God is stamped. Luxury is likewise a desecration of the body. In this a great deal is implied. The body of man is made a member of the body of Christ in Baptism: "Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? " (1 Cor. vi. 15). The body of the Christian is the temple of the Holy Ghost: " Know you not that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God?" (1 Cor. vi. 19). The libertine makes the body an instrument of bestial lusts, and thereby degrades and profanes that which is a member of the body of Christ and a temple of the Holy Ghost. What a grievous sin this is I Hence you may understand the horror which God has for the sin of impurity.
Consider in what terms God speaks of this sin. At all times He has manifested the greatest abhorrence for the sin of impurity. Holy Scripture gives abundant proof of this. It is said of Onan that the "Lord slew him because he did a detestable thing" (Gen. xxxviii. 10). St. Paul exposes the abominable character of luxury in these words: "Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I take the members of Christ and make them members of an harlot?" (i Cor. vi. 15). "He that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." Such is the magnitude of the abhorrence which God has for this sin that under the Old Law certain sins of this nature were punished by death (Lev. xx. 12, 13).
Impurity is a grievous sin even in matters that might seem of little importance.
Even a thought freely consented to is a sin worthy of eternal damnation. A thought arises in a moment in the mind, the intellect sees its sinfulness, and the will adheres to it - a mortal sin is committed. Such is the teaching of the theologians. What must be the gravity of the sin of impurity when even the thought of an impure thing freely entertained constitutes so grievous a sin!
Consider the sins of the eyes. A glance as quick as thought is cast upon an impure object, and yet such a glance, quick though it be, may lead to mortal sin. "I say unto you that whosoever shall look upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. v. 28). What importance attaches to unchaste looks!
Consider the gravity of impure speech. The lips are opened in a moment, how quickly a word is spoken! Yet every impure word is abhorrent to God, and may become a mortal sin. "The venom of asps is under their lips" (Ps. cxxxix. 4). "The tongue," says St. Bernard, "is the most to be feared of all vipers; it imparts its poison in a single breath."
If God is ready to punish with eternal hellfire a mere thought, a look, a word, what must be the gravity of a sin committed in deed against the virtue of chastity. Do not imagine that you can escape the guilt by saying that it is a mere weakness of nature; do not excuse yourselves by referring to the great number of those round about you that may be guilty of these sins. No excuse will avail; God has set His law against this sin and will pronounce judgment according to His justice. Beware of this poison, watch over your thoughts and desires, guard against evil associations; for these things will lead you into the commission of such sin. Never carry the load of such a sin upon your conscience, if you should have fallen into it; the load will bear you down, even to the depths of hell.
1. God judges and punishes impurity severely in this life. This we can learn from the chastisements which in the past He has sent upon men guilty of this sin. The deluge was largely owing to this sin: " God saw that the earth was corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon earth" (Gen, vi. 12). Remember also the fate of the cities of the plain: "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin is become exceeding grievous" (Gen. xviii. 20). At Settim four and twenty thousand were put to death by God's command on account of this sin (Num. xxv. 9). How God must hate the sin of impurity can be learned clearly from these punishments.
Besides these punishments by which God showed His judgment of impurity, He has also connected certain chastisements directly with the indulgence of sensuality. These are terrible as they affect the body. Holy Scripture describes them when it says of the impure: "Rottenness and worms shall inherit them" (Ecclus. xix. 3). Debauchery often brings most loathesome diseases in its train. Many a one goes about with pallid countenance, an unsteady gait, a living corpse, on account of his sins. Many a one is a mere wreck of humanity on account of sins of impurity committed in his youth. In the hospitals of the larger towns sights may be seen too revolting to describe here, men of whom the doctors can tell you that the seeds of their present condition were laid in their youth by an impure life. "The Nazarites were whiter than snow, purer than milk. Their face is now made blacker than coals, their skin hath stuck to their bones, it is withered, and is become like wood" (Lam. iv. 7, 8). Not unfrequently the libertine is carried to an early grave by reason of his sins.
Still more terrible are the consequences of sensuality as they affect the soul. The curse of heaven is poured out upon the soul of the sinner. Sins of impurity inflict a deep wound upon the soul and awaken the terrors of conscience in the breast of the sinner. If persevered in, impurity blinds the sinner and renders him indifferent to his state, it draws him farther and farther from God and produces obduracy of heart, which resists conversion and penance Sensuality is the parent of impenitence.
2. God punishes impurity with the greatest Feverity in eternity. This we know from Holy Scripture, where God states that the impure will be excluded from the kingdom of heaven: " Do not err: neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate shall possess the kingdom of God" (i Cor. vi. , 10). "Know ye this and understand, that no fornicator or unclean person hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" (Eph. v. 5). By the inheritance of Christ the kingdom of heaven is understood, and of this God said: "There shall not enter into it anything defiled" (Apoc. xxi. 27). Terrible indeed are the judgments of God as regards the impure; He shuts them out from His kingdom and will not tolerate them in His presence. Nor is this all; they are cast into hell. "They shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Apoc. xxi. 8). In the fire of hell they will groan forever in despair. u The smoke of their torments shall ascend for ever and ever: neither have they rest day nor night" (Apoc. xiv. 11).
Here we see the chastisements meted out to the impure. God punishes them in this life and in the next. "He shall rain snares upon sinners: fire and brimstone and storms of wind shall be the portion of their cup " (Ps. x. 7). Even in this life they shall suffer for their crimes, but far more sharp will be their suffering in eternity, when the gates of eternal life shall be closed against them and the gates of death shall open to receive them. "They will descend to the place where everlasting horror dwelleth" (Job x. 22).
To-day we have considered the gravity of sins of impurity and the chastisements which are inflicted upon the impure. The words I have spoken are words of truth, and they will remain unshaken even if the whole world conspire to treat the matter lightly and to declaim against them as fables. God grant that they may sink deep into your hearts and leave there an everlasting impression. Let these words be before you through life and be with you in the hour of temptation. Form a solemn resolution to abhor this sin from the bottom of your heart. Never listen to the voice of the tempter; the fruit may be pleasing to the eye, but within it is filled with bitterness beyond expression. Be masters, not slaves, of your desires. The means to overcome temptation are found in prayer, custody of the senses, watchfulness over one's thoughts and speech, avoidance of evil companions, and the reception of the sacraments. By the use of these means the soul will live in peace. Go to the sacraments monthly and you will have no difficulty in overcoming temptation. St. Bernard says: " Let the glowing heat of the fire in hell extinguish in thee the fire of sensual desires, let the greater heat overcome the lesser, the horrible crackling of the flames that are unquenchable will banish from your soul all delight in unchaste pleasures."