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vice deprives one of
all light, for the impure
man becomes so blind as almost wholly to forget God, says St. Laurence
Justinian; which is in
accordance With what is said by the prophet Osee: They will not set their
thoughts to return to
their God; for the spirit of fornication is in the midst of them, and they have
not known God.
The impure man knows not God; he obeys neither God nor reason, as St. Jerome
says; he obeys only
the sensual appetite which causes him to act the beast.
This sin, because it flatters, makes us fall at once into the habit of it, a
habit which some carry
with them even to death. You see husbands, and decrepit old men, indulge in the
same thoughts
and committing the same sins that they committed in their youth. And because
sins of this kind
are so easily committed, they become multiplied without number. Ask of the
sinner how many impure
thoughts he has consented to: he will tell you he cannot remember. But, brother,
if you cannot
tell the number, God can; and you know that a single immodest thought is enough
to send you to
hell. How many immodest words have you spoken, in which you took delight
yourself, and by which
you scandalized your neighbor? From thoughts and words you proceed to acts, and
to those
innumerable impurities which those wretches roll and wallow in like swine,
without ever being
satisfied, for this vice is never satisfied.
But, Father, you will say, how can I hold out against the innumerable
temptations which assail me?
I am weak, I am flesh. And since you are weak, why not recommend yourself to
God, and to most
holy Mary, who is the mother of purity? Since you are flesh, why do you throw
yourself in the Way
of sin? Why do you not mortify your eyes? Why do you gaze upon those objects
whence temptations
flow? St. Aloysius never raised his eyes to look even upon his mother.
It is to be remarked, moreover, that this sin brings with it innumerable others:
enmities,
thefts, and, more
especially, sacrilegious confessions and Communions, by reason of the shame
which Will not allow these impurities to be disclosed in confession. And let us
remark here in
passing, that it is sacrilege above all things, that brings upon us sickness and
death; for says
the Apostle, He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh
judgment to himself, not
discerning the body of the Lord; and then he adds: therefore are many infirm and
weak among you.
And St. John Chrysostom, in explanation of that passage, says that St. Paul
speaks of persons
who were chastised with bodily infirmities, because they received the sacrament
with a guilty
conscience.
My brethren, should you ever have been
sunk in this vice, I do not bid you be disheartened, but arise at once from this
foul and
infernal pit; beg of God forthwith to give you light, and stretch out his hand
to you. The
first thing that you have to do is to break
with the occasion of sin: without that, preaching and tears and resolutions and
confessions, all
are lost. Remove the occasions, and then constantly recommend yourself to God,
and to Mary the
mother of purity. No matter how grievously you may be tempted, do not be
discourage by the
temptation; at once call to
your aid Jesus and Mary, pronouncing their
sacred names. These blessed names have the
virtue of making the devil fly, and stifling that hellish flame within you. If
the devil persists
in tempting you, persevere in calling upon Jesus and Mary, and certainly you
shall not fall. In
order to rid yourself. of your evil habits, undertake some special devotion to
our Lady; begin to
fast in her honor upon Saturdays; contrive to visit her image every day, and beg
of her to obtain
for your deliverance from that vice. Every morning immediately after rising,
never omit
saying three "Hail Marys" in honor of her purity and do the same when going to
bed; and above all
things, as I have said, when the temptation is
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