Navigating Spiritual Desires

The struggle with impurity and fornication in our day is so fierce - as well as accepted and embraced by most of the secular culture - that those seeking purity of heart not only have to engage in the ascetic life deeply but also have to embrace a living martyrdom. 

The fathers understood how powerful our natural desires can be; in particular our sensuality. They also understood the devil‘s machinations and the relentless nature of temptations that also come to us  from our own imagination and memory. What is captured for us in the writings of this hypothesis is the necessity of engaging in the spiritual battle. We must of course cling to the grace of God and engage in constant prayer. Yet knowing the devil‘s actions, we must embrace many different remedies; such as doing violence to the self and depriving ourselves of the things that the culture freely embraces.  

What we heard tonight from multiple writers is the need to remember our own mortality. What we behold as beautiful and covet with the eyes quickly turns to dust. With salvation in the balance, the devil can often tempt us to give ourselves over to satisfying a passion “just once” - as if that would resolve our need. We have to understand that desire does not work in that fashion. The more that it is fed the more its longings increase. 

If we could only understand this in light of our desire for God! The more that we desire him in love, the more that we pursue him through prayer, the greater our longing becomes. Soon our attachment to lesser things begins to diminish and we are freer to pursue the Beloved. 

Finally, we are encouraged to look to the heroes of our faith; in particular those who wage war against this particular passion or who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their purity. In them, we see those whose hearts belong to the Lord and to Him alone. May God give us the grace to imitate them.

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Text of chat during the group:

00:03:25 Tracey Fredman: I apologize if I'm in and out this evening. I'm on call for work and may need to in/out.

00:13:39 Anthony: Well, some of the women were looking for a female take on 6th commandment concerns...here is a lead...

00:13:56 Bob Cihak: P. 202, top of page

00:24:32 Lee Graham: Brother Sun and Sister Moon

00:24:46 Nypaver Clan: Reacted to "Brother Sun and Sist..." with 👍🏼

00:26:50 Anthony: This reminds me of an apocryphal story that after Adam and Eve sinned, they withdrew from each other for the sake of doing penance. They had the right to each other, but living a time of repentance is withdrawing from comfort - which is what vowed religious have chosen. 

00:31:26 Forrest Cavalier: Father, I am wondering how to see this advice to control the imagination to see horrible things as being honest and pure of heart. I understand how it can be effective, but it seems to be contrary to reality and second, to rely on willpower, which is less admirable than a more excellent submission to grace, (as previous warnings we have read recently here.)

00:41:07 Una: The Buddhists have a meditation on rotting corpses too.

00:48:51 Kathleen: Interestingly Sirach 11:27-28 speaks about how death brings full understanding of one’s life

00:53:57 Anthony: Thomas Sowell wrote about the violent, irreverent character of the Scots and English Colonists in the South during the time of the American colonies.  They have left their mark on American character and culture.  There's an audiobook version of his book on YouTube where I heard it.

00:54:19 paul g.: Reacted to "Thomas Sowell wrote …" with ✔️

00:56:53 Nypaver Clan: Reacted to "Thomas Sowell wrote ..." with 🥰

00:57:35 Nypaver Clan: Replying to "Thomas Sowell wrote ..."

Thomas Sowell is so gifted!

00:58:03 Bob Cihak: Replying to "Thomas Sowell wrote ..."

Amen.

00:58:03 Anthony: Replying to "Thomas Sowell wrote ..." 

 I should clarify Sowell was talking about places like the Ozarks, that prioritized excessive pride and vendettas.

00:58:24 Jacqulyn: Reacted to "Thomas Sowell is so ..." with 👍

00:59:17 Nypaver Clan: Replying to "Thomas Sowell wrote ..."

👍🏼

01:09:58 iPhone (61): Thank You Father Blessings

01:10:27 Sr. Charista Maria: Thank you dear Fr. Abernethy!

01:10:39 ANDREW ADAMS: Thank you, Father!

01:10:41 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂

01:10:46 Kathleen: Thank you

01:11:02 Troy Amaro: Thank You Father

01:13:03 Kathleen: Hahaha

01:14:04 iPhone (61): Beautiful Icon

01:15:22 iPhone (61): Who is Saint Catherine

01:16:38 Suzanne Romano: Replying to "Who is Saint Catheri..." 

 https://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/St.%20Catherine%20of%20Alexandria.html

01:16:47 Anthony: Replying to "Who is Saint Catheri..." 

 An Egyptian philosopher whi also found Christ, decided to be a consecrated virgin.  Virginity angered pagans and they tortured her on a wheel, to death.

01:16:51 Forrest Cavalier: Great story! Thank you!

01:17:07 Suzanne Romano: Replying to "Who is Saint Catheri..." 

 She's beyond the pale awesome!