Purifying the Heart
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified
Jesus Stresses the Heart (2517-2519)
Jesus said that evil acts come "out of the heart" (Mt 15:19). The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart (the seat of moral personality). "Be like little children who do not know the evil that destroys man's life" (Shepherd of the Hermas).
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" (Mt 5:8). "Pure of heart" means attuning the will and intellect to God's will, especially concerning charity, chastity, and the truths of faith. "Christians must believe the Creed so that by believing they may obey God, by obeying they may live well, and by living well they may purify their hearts. With pure hearts they can understand what they believe" (St. Augustine).
Being pure in heart is a condition of seeing God in heaven. On earth, this purity helps us to see according to God, to perceive the human body (our own and our neighbor's) as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Four Victories in the Struggle (2520)
Although Baptism purifies from all sin, the struggle against disordered desires continues. The person will prevail by:
- Chastity - By which the person can love with an undivided heart
- Purity of intention - By which the baptized seeks the right goals and fulfills God's will in everything
- Purity of vision - By which the person rejects impure sights and thoughts
- Prayer - By which the person seeks God's help
"I thought continence arose from my own powers. Yet no one can be continent unless you (God) grant it. You would surely have granted it if my inner-groaning had reached your ears" (St. Augustine).
Modesty Protects the Mystery (2521-2524)
Purity requires modesty (keeping veiled what should remain hidden). Modesty guards our looks towards others and behaves toward them according to their human dignity.
Modesty encourages moderation in loving relationships. It protects the mystery of the person and demands a definitive commitment between man and woman. Modesty is decency, both in choosing clothing and in keeping silence in the face of unhealthy curiosity.
A modesty of feelings protests voyeuristic advertisements and a media which goes too far in exhibiting the human body. Modesty resists the allurements of fashions and the pressure of prevailing customs.
Modesty is an intuition of man's spiritual dignity which results when the person becomes aware of being a human subject.
Modesty awakens (in both children and adolescents) a respect for the human person.
Purifying Our Society (2525-2527)
The social climate and the media must be purified. Only purity of heart brings a freedom from widespread eroticism and avoids voyeuristic entertainment.
Moral permissiveness is based on a false idea of human freedom. Educators must teach the truth about the human heart and the spiritual dignity of man.
The Gospel of Christ always renews a culture and removes evil present through sin. The Gospel elevates modesty and causes the gifts in every culture to blossom (Second Vatican Council).
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