Ch. XXIV. Lust

vientes, neque adulteri, neque molles regnum Dei possidebunt (Fly fornication. . . . Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers shall possess the kingdom of God).—1 COR. vi. 9.

THE third of the seven deadly sins is lust. It is of all vices the one which most dishonors humanity. It is a vice which the tongues of all peoples proclaim infamous; a vice which is the shame of a reasonable creature, a dishonor to the Church of Christ, the pest of souls, the triumph of hell; a vice the very name of which, according to St. Paul, should be ignored among Christians, and we would we were dispensed from naming it before the children of the purest of virgins. But as it hides 'neath a flowery veil, in the shelter of which it exercises its ravages, we must destroy the veil and exhibit the monster in its hideous turpitude. Let us speak, then, of impurity; let us show its malignity and the remedies against it.

I. Hideousness and malice. Impurity is a vice degrading, abominable, contagious, disastrous in its consequences.

1st. A degrading vice. It is not without reason that two of the most unclean animals, the goat and the hog, have been chosen as emblems of impurity, which pollutes and profanes all that is noblest and holiest in man. The image of God imprinted in his soul; the thoughts of his mind, the affections of his heart; his body, become through baptism the temple of the Holy Spirit; his flesh, all his senses, his eyes, his ears, his hands, his mouth, his tongue sanctified in Holy Communion by the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ—all are polluted and profaned by the uncleanness of the impure vice.

The human creature whom God has raised almost to the rank of the angels lowers himself by impurity to the level of an animal. The sin of a proud man is that of a fallen angel; the covetous man sins as a man; the impure man imitates the animal who delights in his uncleanness and wallows in the mire, who has no other instincts but the enjoyment of the most ignoble pleasures. Not only does he follow the instincts of the brute, but he degrades his whole being to the point of losing all sentiment of honor, or thought of God or of death which threatens him; just as an animal sees the companion sleeping at its side led off to the slaughter and scarcely raises its head, but continues its sleep.

The Christian raised to the dignity of a child of God by baptism becomes through impurity a vile slave—the slave of the devil and the most tyrannical passions. After having spent all his means in riotous living he went, says our Saviour, speaking of the prodigal, and cleaved to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him (Luke xv. 15, 16).

2d. An abominable vice. The fruit of lust is mortal sin, but mortal sin multiplied infinitely and under every form. Impurity, once mistress of the heart, becomes a source of criminal thoughts, words, and actions, of envy, of hatred, of theft, of sacrilege. . . .

3d. A contagious vice. The impure man seeks accomplices; he becomes a corrupter of others. He spreads corruption wherever he goes; he is a pestilence which we must fly as we would death.

4th. A vice disastrous in its consequences. Impurity withers the flower of youth, poisons health and life. It fills hearts with despondency and remorse. It robs its victims of honor, mind, and fortune, and their families of peace and happiness; finally it leads them to a bad death and eternal perdition. Impurity is the largest gate of hell. . . .

Such is the vice of impurity. Shall we not abhor it, fly from it, and resist it with every remedy?

II. Remedies. There are remedies against impurity, either to cure wounds it has already made in the soul or to preserve the soul from its stains. The following are the principal remedies:

1st. The triple flight of occasions, idleness, intemperance. . . .

2d. Love of chastity. This virtue, the charms and beauty of which are extolled in Holy Scripture, is like the pearl of Christian virtues. It renders men like unto angels; it is the guardian of peace of heart, and becomes a fruitful source of other virtues and of all kinds of good works. . . .

3d. Prayer and devotion to the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and our good angel. . . .

4th. Frequenting the sacraments.

5th. Prayer, mortification, and labor.

6th. Modesty and guarding the senses.

7th. Humility.

8th. The remembrance of our last end and of the presence of God. . . .

9th. Respect for ourselves, for our bodies, for our dignity. As Christians we should preserve our bodies and our souls in the most perfect purity, for they have been consecrated to God in Holy Baptism, which made us members of Jesus Christ, living temples of the Holy Spirit; and because we have been sanctified by the Body and Blood of the Son of God in Holy Communion.

Behold the remedies and the preservatives of this beautiful virtue of chastity. Let us ask the Blessed Virgin, our Mother, to inspire us with a keen and ever-increasing horror for all that could tarnish it.