In God’s pedagogy, love always stands supreme. Sexual pleasure and the affective domain (our emotional states) need to be ordered to the law of love—that is, to the total, disinterested gift of the self to the other—and this forever.
Willfully and knowingly committed sins of impurity—premarital and extramarital sex, contraception, as well as every intentional and conscious arousal of sexual pleasure through masturbation, petting, oral sex, homosexual acts, the consumption of pornography, etc.—are a terrible evil. All these acts fly in the face of God’s commandments, since they are a contradiction of the disinterested gift of the self. They are gross acts of self-absorption, which draw human beings into the hell of selfishness, enslaving them to sexual experiences, addicting them even as do narcotics and alcohol. They are considered mortal sins, since they destroy the gift of a pure heart, degrade the human person, and bring about a state of spiritual death and enslavement by the powers of evil.
During her apparitions at Fatima, Our Blessed Mother revealed to Blessed Jacintha that the sins leading most people into the reality of hell (the terrible state of absolute selfishness) were the sins of carnal impurity. These are not then trifling sins, but rather acts that kill love and lead to the greatest misfortune, which is the loss of eternal happiness.
Only in the sacrament of matrimony does Christ entitle the couple to express their mutual love in sexual intimacy. “Because I love you, I will not go to bed with you until our wedding night.” Only such an attitude is the true test of the couple’s love for each other. To propose sexual intimacy before marriage is sign of plain selfishness. Only pure-hearted married couples are able to lead a sexual life as God desires it, and the practice of chastity even before marriage is a necessary preparation for it. The great gift of a pure heart requires that the couple work hard on themselves in union with Christ.
Dear reader! Jesus desires your happiness. He wishes to give meaning to your life, to fill the emptiness you feel within yourself, to offer you the fullness of happiness. Today he invites you to enjoy a special intimacy with Him in the Movement of Pure Hearts. Regardless of your past life, you can entrust yourself to Jesus. You can begin the greatest adventure of your life—learning to be a loving person. Jesus has the power to raise you up, heal all the wounds of your heart. He desires to do this, but He respects your freedom and awaits your “yes.” Today you can offer Him your sense of powerlessness, impotence, and discouragement. You can offer Him your dreams, aspirations, and hopes. Give Him your life as it is, and allow Him to change you. Do not fear to reject everything that is but the illusion of happiness. If you only desire it, Jesus will give you the fullness of joy in life.
You are not alone in choosing Jesus and living the Gospel without compromise. Thousands of young people like you have entrusted their lives to Jesus by joining the Movement of Pure Hearts. They have accepted the daily challenge of living a chaste life. And they do not walk alone. They walk with Jesus who in rising from the dead conquered all evil. You too can discover the joy of life with Jesus! If you wish to entrust your life to Him and join the Movement of Pure Hearts, make a sincere confession of your sins to Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation, receive Him in Holy Communion, and say the following Prayer of Consecration:
“Lord Jesus, I am thankful that You love me with a love that rights the greatest wrongs and heals the most hurtful wounds. I offer You my memory, my mind, my soul, my body, my sexuality.
“I pledge not to engage in sexual acts until I am united with my spouse in the Sacrament of Marriage. From this day forth, I will not read, buy, or look at pornographic materials. [Here, girls may wish to add: I pledge to dress modestly and in no way to arouse lustful thoughts or desires in others.] I solemnly promise to meet You every day in prayer, scriptural meditation, frequent reception of Holy Communion, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I also pledge to avail myself regularly of the Sacrament of Penance, not to give in to discouragement, and to pick myself up promptly every time I fall into sin.
“Dear Jesus, teach me the practice of self-discipline and to control my sexual desires and feelings. Give me the courage to resist the easy way in my daily walk through life. Help me to avoid everything that weakens and enslaves the will, be it nicotine, alcohol, or drugs. Teach me to place love at the very center of my life.
“Mary, my Mother, guide me in my journey of faith. Lead me to the very source of Love—to Jesus, that I may trust and believe in Him alone. After the example of Saint John Paul II, I desire to entrust myself entirely to you: Totus Tuus, Mary! Blessed Caroline, procure for me the gift of a pure heart.
Amen!”
We ask you to inform LOA of your decision to join the Movement. Send us your first and last name, exact postal address, e-mail address, date of birth, and the date you joined MPH. We in turn will enter your name in our Book of Pure Hearts and mail you our special blessing. Renew your act of consecration every day. Invite Jesus into your life that He may act in it and transform your heart. And if you fall into sin, pick yourself up without delay. Return to the One Who awaits you in the sacrament of penance, for He wishes to show you His love by forgiving your sins.
Do not forget to draw up a concrete daily plan, allotting time for prayer, diligent work, rest, and recreation. This way you will avoid wasting precious time, which is God’s gift not only to you, but also to others—for “time is love.”
If you are already a member of the Movement, then Jesus is calling on you today to renew your act of consecration, to make an even greater act of trust, to enter into a closer relationship with Him, and to work on yourself with even great resolve. With the help of His grace make the effort of deepening your spiritual life. Discover the inexhaustible riches of daily Holy Communion. Allow Jesus to heal the wounds of your heart through regular confession. While adoring Him in the Blessed Sacrament, allow Him to act within and through you. Discover God’s presence in the daily events of your life and share His love with others by writing down and submitting your personal testimony to LOA. Remember you have been sent to proclaim to others the words of life which you have received. It is Christ’s wish that you do this.