62. Impurity

"Give me not over to a shameless and foolish heart" (Ecclus. 23: 6.)

If other vices are streams which sweep away millions on their waters, the vice of Impurity is a real deluge which engulfs almost everything in its remorseless torrent.

Old men, mature men, young men, are tossed in these filthy, stormy floods, some nearer to, and others farther from, the shore; they rise and sink alternately, all making more or less efforts to escape, only to fall back again, and surrender themselves helplessly to destruction. Very few succeed in reaching the shore, while the great majority go down, and are lost for ever.

O bitter truth!—Man might be in honor, if he would assert his dignity, and keep himself undefiled; but he prefers to equal himself to senseless beasts, and to become like to them. (Ps. 48: 13.)

Yes, the profligate puts himself on a level with the brutes, which know no other law than their instinct. He who has reason and understanding, should bridle his unworthy and unholy desires.

O Lord, take from me the greediness of the belly: and let not the lusts of the flesh take hold of me: and give me not over to a shameless and foolish mind. (Ecclus. 23: 6.)

Alas! our generation has become flesh (Gen. 6: 3); it has stripped off the higher, the spiritual. The flesh has made the soul tributary to itself; memory, imagination, desires, thoughts, will,—they are all directed towards the flesh. But the flesh surrenders itself to carnal lusts; it dishonors itself, it acts contrary to its destiny and God's holy purposes, forfeits its high prerogative of membership with the body of Jesus, and, in an especial manner, renders itself unworthy of a glorious resurrection.

O saddest of all aberrations, to which it is reserved to strive for two things at the same time: The destruction of everything spiritual and noble in the individual, and the annihilation of the whole human race!

No wonder, that the sin of impurity is an abomination in the sight of heaven and earth!

Truly—an abomination before God!

The heavenly Father destroys by fire from heaven five sinful cities, addicted to such vices! Approach the Dead Sea, whose briny floods seem, even to-day, still occupied in eating away the foul deeds of an impure generation from the face of the earth. How could God do otherwise than hold in utmost detestation, a vice which so sadly disfigures his image, pushing the noblest work of his hands from the elevated rank which he had intended for it, down into an abyss of all rottenness and corruption?

The Son of God, to whom every other insult was offered; who allowed himself to be called a seducer of the people, a glutton, and a wine-bibber; the friend of publicans and sinners,—never permitted his chastity to be called in question. If he, the purest of all, has espoused us through his Heart's blood—shall we be faithless enough to break this holy bond, and surrender our members, which have become his members (1. Cor. 6: 15), to sins of impurity?

The Holy Ghost who, in a special manner, is called a Spirit, holds this vice in utter detestation, because it, more than any other sin, desecrates his temple (1. Cor. 6: 19), and drives him out of his own dwelling. And why is the dove his emblem or figure, but because it flies from all uncleanness and filth?

The holy Angels, those pure spirits, shrink back with horror from a vice which makes them ashamed of their relationship to us earth-born mortals, and frustrates their guardian care over innumerable multitudes of souls.

The Saints of heaven hate impurity in the same degree in which they now enjoy, there above, the society of the all-pure God; or, as they, here below, either victoriously resisted this sin, or revenged it on themselves by frightful penances.

Even men, on their part, no matter how low they may have fallen, can only feel detestation for vices of this sort. Tell me, my young friend, if you knew of another that which you know of yourself,—if his secret shame and his unbridled passions were laid bare before you, would you not feel an unspeakable repugnance for him? Though he should possess every other virtue together with this one vice of impurity, you would refuse him your respect—he would be disgusting and offensive in your eyes You yourself, unclean young man, are an abomination to yourself. Do you not loathe this filth of iniquity in which your soul is plunged? Do you not blush for this nameless weakness and cowardice? these constant relapses? this willing and not willing? this unspeakable slavery of habit? Does not your torn, wounded conscience torment you? Are you not terrified at the thought, at the awful prospect, of eternity?

And yet, innumerable young men are addicted to this abominable vice,—in thought, word, and deed; alone, and in company with other depraved characters.

They fall into this vice through imprudence, through rash curiosity, through want of watchfulness over their eyes, ears, hands; through the reading of bad books, through intercourse with bad people, through dangerous friendships, through idleness, through an effeminate life, through separation from God.

How many young men are there who, otherwise noble, and good, and almost faultless, would be the delight of heaven, the glory of the Church, the hope of the state and of the family, if this vice did not disfigure them!

Alas, the protecting hedge around this most precious portion of the vineyard of the Church, is broken down, and every passer-by ravages it. A vice, savage as the boar out of the wood, hath laid it waste: and a singular wild beast hath devoured it. (Ps. 79: 14.)

Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes? and I will weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people. (Jer. 9: 1.)