Purity

Currently reading: Ivanhoe
Most recently watched movie: More Than a Game
Current favorite quote: "Perelandra and The Lord of the Rings seemed to me more in total than the simple sum of their parts. These books, I concluded, derived their value chiefly from this inner worth, this integrity that lay behind the stories themselves. But what was it?
"It was, of course, the Christian faith of the authors shining through the fabric of their work. I saw that faith informed the story, and infused it with value and meaning, lifting the tale above the ordinary expressions of the genre. Even though the stories of Lewis, Tolkien, or other Inklings like Charles Williams, were not explicitly promoting Christianity, nevertheless the books were ripe with it." -Stephen R. Lawhead on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien in his essay "J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of Middle-earth".
Picture of the day: I think I'll forego the picture today. I can't seem to find a good one that isn't from a movie. (I've posted way too many movie pictures.) :D

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Today I'd like to talk a little bit about purity. Any good Christian is aware of the world's view on chastity, and how much purity is disregarded.
I think the two questions here are "Why is there so much disrespect for purity?" and "How can I, as a Christian, change that?"
We realize that we have to be witnesses of holy purity. How do we go about doing that, though?
First we have to look at why there is so much impurity. I think there are two very good reasons:

Immodesty
A longing for real love

Immodesty really applies only to girls. Karol Wojtyla once said: "The evolution of modesty in woman requires some initial insight into the male psychology." I think many women do not realize that by dressing immodestly, they are not only degrading themselves, but also hurting the men they interacte with. There have been many men who have wished that girls would dress modestly. I think there are two reasons behind why girls dress immodestly. Number one is that perhaps they don't realize the seriousness of what they are doing, or have not been raised to know better; Number two is that they DO know what they are doing, and are setting themselves up as objects. If either one, it should be our job to try and lovingly teach them the beauty of modesty. Especially if number two, we should help them realize their dignity as women, children of God made in His image and likeness. They should also know that they don't need to dress provacatively in order to attract the guys; any man who is attracted to a woman because of her modestly covered outer beauty, AND her inner beauty, is truly worth attracting.

A longing for real love I think is what fuels a lot of the impure activity in our culture. Both men and women think that in order to find real love, they need to enter into a relationship where they are doing stuff that should only be done in marriage. So they hop from one boyfriend/girlfriend to the next, searching for love; and they are ignorant of the fact that real love only requires a little patience and a LOT of chastity. Most don't realize that living a life of chastity, even when you are in a relationship or engaged, intensifies love in ways they couldn't imagine. St. Josemarie Escriva says:

"When you decide firmly to lead a clean life, chastity will not be a burden on you: it will be a crown of triumph."

We should pray for these people. Many of them are not as lucky as we are in their upbringing, or their friends, or their faith. They need our prayers and our support; because no matter what they've done, they are still God's children and He loves them more than anyone could imagine.

"For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more." -(Hebrews 8:12)

So now, how do we go about changing the world? St. Francis of Assisi said:

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words."

By our example we can preach the Gospel of Jesus to all corners of the world. All it takes is a little bit of love. For those of you who have seen the movie Evan Almighty, God says to Evan: "You want to change the world? Do it by one small act of random kindness at a time." We know who we are: we are committed Christians whose mission is to bring the world to Christ. St. Catherine of Siena said:

"If you are what you should be, you will set the world ablaze!"

Our goal, then, is to live purity, to forgive others, to love "our neighbor as yourself", and to ultimately draw people closer to God.

"Then Peter approaching asked him, 'Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." -(Matthew 18:21-22)

Since we must be like Jesus in all things, we need to forgive and love others, even our worst enemies, as ourselves! Jesus begged forgiveness for his torturors as He was dying in agony on the cross! Can't we do the same?
We must live lives of love and purity. It is a tall order, but we are not alone, and we are ultimately not doing it for ourselves. Mother Teresa said:

"To be pure, to remain pure, can only come at a price, the price of knowing God and loving Him enough to do His will. He will always give us the strength we need to keep purity as something beautiful for Him."

That makes all the difference, doesn't it? From the song "Here I Am" by Janelle:

Here I am/Lead me on/Time to show the world true beauty!/Change the world by/Changing hearts/Let them in on what they could be!

Isn't there a psalm that says, "God is with me, I am not afraid"? With God, all things are possible. We just need to say yes and let Him enter our heart.

The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on high places." -(Habakkuk 3:19)


Pax!
-Limwen