A simple greeting

I'm sure you have experienced a time when in the midst of a gloomy day, God brought you sunshine through a greeting from a stranger. Perhaps it was a cheerful clerk at a store, or a friendly person who held the door for you with a smile. But regardless of who it was, or how it was done, that warmth went through a crack in your armor. You remembered that it is good that you are alive and you were filled with a renewed vigor for life.

We all need to make an effort to use this to bring joy to the world; but how much more so should we ensure that we greet our Lord and His Mother throughout the day? What joy you would bring to them, as they watch so many of their beloved children walk the road to perdition without so much as a glance in their direction. And if you do, you will find that they have been trying to greet you all along, if only you had turned to them! If a smile from a stranger can do so much to lift your spirits, imagine if we accepted a smile from our Lady? Or a loving hello from our Lord?

Mortification of the mind

The most difficult mortifications are those of the mind, specifically that of the memory and the imagination. Yet they are the most important to retain holy purity-- not simply purity in regards to our sexuality, but our whole heart. We cannot claim to be pure of heart if we are concocting scenarios that degrade our brothers and sisters. Perhaps it is imagining how a person will insult you so that you can retaliate. Perhaps it is imagining a friend to perfection, such that you love not the person, but some imaginary portrait of her. These taint your heart and keep you from being able to love.

And memory: only such a great gift from God could be so twisted by the devil! When thoughts of the past come, you must wave them on through, as a police keeps traffic moving through a complicated intersection. Perhaps they are thoughts of past glory, perhaps thoughts of past sins that torment you; either way, you must not dwell on them, especially if they cause you to resist living fully in the present, in the presence of our Lord.

Memory and imagination, like every sense of the body, must be subjugated to the will in order to serve God's will. Only when used prayerfully to contemplate the Goodness of God, to enter into a closer connection with Him and His path for you, are they being used rightly. And indeed in these cases, what Goods they are! Their ability to recall and enter into scripture, to discern the will of our Lord, is truly a precious gift. But they cannot be used for these Goods if we have them occupied with other thoughts. Practicing on thoughts that are not evil in and of themselves, will make it that much easier to wave past any thoughts that are. This is the healthiest of mortifications: give up that which is good, because you love our Lord more.

With a smile

When you turn down an invitation or look away from something to avoid infecting yourself with its perversity, do so with a smile. There is no better way to invite others to the joyful life of purity, than to knowingly smile and turn the magazine around at check out. It will disarm them, and also the devil who is trying to get you to reject the goodness that these temptations pervert. That simple smile will remind you to turn to our Lord, and relish Him that is the source of all Goodness. It will allow you to keep alive in your heart the hope of the redemption of the world.

Custody of the Eyes

How easy it is to say that this is only for men! But it is not true. A woman must also have custody of her eyes, in order that her heart and mind may remain pure. Maybe not arouse, but poison ability to love

Perhaps her imagination and lustful appetites are different from a man's, but this does not exempt her from a struggle for purity. She must not allow herself to look at any picture or movie a man should not. To constantly feed her mind and heart with pictures of "super models", or even more normal women who are dressing and acting in sexual, provocative ways, poisons her soul. She may respond by subconsciously adopting similar dress and habits; she may respond by associating all things related to sexuality as forbidden and perverse. Both responses are harmful to her soul and her pursuit of holy purity.

Let her instead guard her heart through custody of her eyes. If a man should not look at something because it is revealing and perverse, then neither should she. In this way, her heart can be pure and she can respond with a deep and holy love to her husband's overtures, rather than suspicion or degradation.

Manners

Manners are not inconvenient social customs for the high brow. Manners are reflective of the fact that we are not animals and uphold our dignity as human persons with innate, immeasurable worth. Manners respect the dignity of the other persons around us, conscious of our actions’ effects on others. Manners allow us to practice self-restraint, and are a training ground for the self-sacrificial love necessary for purity and true love.

Not a good girl

Our goal in life is not to be "good girls and boys". What husband wants a wife who is simply a "good girl"? He wants her to be Good, not just good. He yearns for his wife to do things not out of duty, but with a lively and passionate love, because she is in love. How is this possible day after day and year after year? By being in love with Our Lord. Neither does He desire you to just be a good girl or boy, but Good, passionately in love with Him, laying aside all other things besides. We must love Him (and him) for His own sake with a noble and devoted affection.

Our sins, not us

John 13:5-11; Jesus washes the Disciples feet.

If we do not go to Christ in confession to be cleansed, Jesus will say to us "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."

If we go to confession acknowledging our sins and wishing for our very personality to be changed, He will say "Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all."

Christ will not wash us away; the Lamb of God takes away sins, not personalities, quirks, or weaknesses.