“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

SoulCore Living – Purity In the book Time for God, Jacques Philippe writes: “The pure in heart are not people without sin who never have anything to reproach themselves for, but those who are inspired in all they do, by a sincere intention, of forgetting themselves in order to please God. Living not for themselves but for Him.” 

Work hard every day at increasing your purity of heart, which consists in appraising things and weighing them in the balance of God’s will.” — St. Francis de Sales 

Because of God’s gift of free will, each day we get to make choices: how we nurture our minds, bodies and souls. what shows to watch, what books to read, what music to listen to; how we treat others; how we serve others; the words we speak… 

Before making a choice, how often do we ask, “is this my will or God’s will?” Do we appraise our choices and weigh them in the balance of God’s will? When we invite God into our everyday choices, and truly desire to do His will, God will purify our hearts, minds, souls and bodies. 

Thomas A Kempis writes in The Imitation of Christ: “If you had a heart that was good and pure you would see all things clearly and understand them well. A clean heart penetrates both heaven and hell.” (p.74) 

Purity and clarity work together. When our hearts are pure, not only are we free from sin, but we can see the truth of things, people, relationships, and situations. Impurities lead to sin and evil. Purity is the antidote to sin and evil. Purity of soul always leads to truth, beauty and goodness. 

“Therefore since we have these promises dear friends. let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit. Perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1 

St. Alphonsus wrote about the importance of purity of heart as it is another way of doing God’s will. The virtue of purity of heart focuses our choices on God and the things of God. It encourages us to recognize and avoid the occasions of sin and strengthens our holiness of life. 

Let us pray: 

Lord, in our daily lives, give us the clarity of mind to think about the motives for the good deeds that we do or fail to do. Place in our hearts the desire of receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Give us the discipline to read the Bible and to contemplate how the apostles and the others in the Gospels focused their eyes on God and based their choices on the things of God. Instill in us the habits of speaking the truth at all times, of doing the right thing even when no one is watching, and always seeking to mirror what Jesus would do. Amen. 

Under the title of Our Lady of Purity, we also ask in a special way for her intercession. Mary is the model of surpassing purity. May we imitate her in purity and in all her virtues. Page 2 of 2