By the Publisher,
Love One Another! 3/2004 → True Love Waits - Pure Hearts
Dear Readers! Jesus invites you to join the Movement of Pure Hearts,
the most exhilarating adventure that life has to offer.
What should we strive for more than anything else in life? We find
the answer in Holy Scripture: He chose us … before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He
destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ…
(The
Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians 1:4-5). Growing
and maturing in love, uniting ourselves ever closer to Christ, learning
to love as He loves us – this is our chief aim in life. People
who love unconditionally, with a pure heart, are holy people. That
is why God calls us all to holiness. Jesus wants you to be holy
too. He wants to teach you to love with a pure heart. So why not
take this moment to say to Him: Lord, I know that You want me to
be holy and blameless. Even though I am weak and sinful, I want
with all my heart to learn from You how to love as You love, and
become holy. That is why I am offering my enslaved and wounded heart
to You to be healed. Cleanse it of all imperfection and selfishness,
that I may love more fully and know the joy of pure love.
Tell Jesus every day how much you want to be holy. Remember that
Satan does everything in his power to convince you otherwise.
By joining MPH, you are embarking on life’s greatest adventure
– the adventure of walking with Jesus, of growing and maturing
in love, of becoming holy. The road Jesus calls you to take is hard
and demanding, but it is the only way to perfect happiness. The
way proposed by Satan may be very easy and pleasant at first, for
it imposes no demands and responsibilities, but it will lead to
terrible enslavement, suffering and, ultimately, to eternal ruin.
What prevents us from embarking on this road with Jesus is fear.
But why should the only road to perfect happiness frighten us? Isn’t
this one of Satan’s cleverest temptations? It is the Devil
who tries to convince us that we are not up to it, that it is not
for us, since we are too weak-willed to strike out on such a path.
Jesus invites all of us to join the Movement of Pure Hearts. For
Him there is no one too weak, sinful or enslaved. When we fall into
sin, no matter how seriously, He raises us up. He heals the most
grievous wounds. All we have to do is cling to Jesus with great
trust. With our consent and cooperation, He will mold our character,
strengthen our will, and lighten the task of living by faith on
a daily basis.
The Movement of Pure Hearts is Christ’s school for molding
splendid, strong and crystal-pure characters. We should not give
up or become discouraged if we fail or lapse into sin. When that
happens, we simply pick ourselves up immediately and walk on with
Jesus toward our chosen goal. For this, He gave us the Sacrament
of Penance – to raise us up and prevent us from languishing
on the way. What we should never do is renounce the way once we
have embarked on it with Jesus.
In joining MPH, you pledge to remain in a state of sanctifying
grace. If you fall into serious sin, you promise to go to confession
without delay. Remember that it is not a serious sin to occasionally
neglect saying the rosary or reading Holy Scripture. In such instances,
you can simply express your sorrow to Jesus in prayer. When you
are tested by the spirit of laziness and are reluctant to pray,
study, work, or share your time with someone, there is a way of
dealing Satan and your weakness a knockout punch. How? When you
really don’t feel like doing something, simply force yourself
to do your duty in the best way possible and for longer than the
time normally allotted. Thus, you end up studying and praying more.
At first, this is very painful and your selfish spirit will rebel
against it. But do not let this deter you. If you persevere, great
joy and peace of heart will be your reward. The road to love has
no place for changing moods and feelings. You must be demanding
of yourself.
Plan your day to include prayer, work, study and rest. Do some
gymnastics every morning, engage in a sport or do some exercise
in the fresh air. Do not forget to practice some act of self-denial
on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Do not waste your precious time watching
TV. Always keep the chief aim of life in mind. Strive toward it
with all your might, with Jesus at your side, without becoming discouraged
by the hardships, failures and relapses – no matter how many.
In advancing daily toward your goal, you will require self-reliance
and discipline, as well as considerable patience and perseverance.
Then, Jesus will be able to heal your wounded heart and mold your
character into something beautiful. The road God calls us to take
is not easy, but it is exhilarating when you walk it every day.
Only, you must hold tightly to Christ’s hand, otherwise you
will get lost.
Before joining MPH, go first to meet Jesus in the Sacrament of
Penance and confess all your sins and weaknesses. After receiving
the Eucharist, say the following prayer:
We also encourage you to inform us in writing of this great event.
Give us your address so that we can send you a special blessing
and enroll you in the Book of Pure Hearts.
I wish to thank you, our readers, for all your personal testimonies.
Jesus wants you to use this magazine to share your stories with
your peers who are seeking after the Truth. For our part, we surround
you every day with our prayers. Please also remember us in your
prayers. May the love of the Risen Lord be your greatest joy.
F. M. Piotrowski
the entire LOA team
The Prayer of Pure Hearts
Lord Jesus,
I am thankful that You love me with a love that rights the
greatest wrongs and heals the most hurtful wounds. Cleanse my
heart of any evil that prevents me from knowing and enjoying the
gift of pure love. Lord, I give You my memory, my mind, my soul,
my body, my sexuality; I promise not to engage in sexual acts
until I am united by the Sacrament of Marriage. From this day
on, I will not read, buy, or watch pornographic materials. I solemnly
promise to pray every day, to read the Holy Bible, to go to Confession
regularly, to receive Holy Communion as often as possible, and
to live my life according to the Ten Rules of the Crusade for
Love. Lord Jesus, be the one master of my life. Teach me to control
my sexual desires and emotions. Help me avoid everything that
weakens and enslaves the will: cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs.
Teach me to place love at the center my life. Mary, my Mother,
lead me along the way of faith, to the very source of Love, to
Jesus, that I may trust in Him only, and believe in Him alone.
Help me to pick myself up every time I fall.
Amen!
The article was published with the permission from "Love One Another!"
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