After losing his faith at Cambridge University, Malcolm Muggeridge, one of England’s greatest journalists and writers of the Twentieth Century, became a fervent advocate of liberal ideology. Seeking happiness in the madness of sensual pleasures, he led an immoral life, cheating on his wife and drinking and smoking heavily.
At the age of thirty, during his sojourn in the USSR, Muggeridge came to the realization that socialism, communism, and the entire liberal ideology were based on a lie that led to moral destruction, totalitarianism, and, ultimately, self-annihilation. The destructive power of the liberal ideology consisted in the rejection of moral norms and the belief that happiness and the fullness of life flowed from sensual pleasures, sexual delights, and worldly success.
Seeking a solution to his sex-related problems, Muggeridge turned to the Bible. He was struck by Saint Paul’s statement: “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). These words preyed on his conscience. After each act of adultery he felt great suffering and a sense of deep spiritual emptiness. Finally he realized that the road to happiness lay in abstinence, while lack of self-discipline, immorality, and self-indulgence in sexual matters enslaved the soul and made one unhappy.
Muggeridge began to experience a longing for a pure heart and a deep contempt for his selfish, immoral conduct. He yearned to put into practice the Christian principle which held that true happiness was to be found not in giving in to selfish desires and gratifying one’s sexual impulses, but rather in turning away from, and subduing, them. He had experienced for himself the unhappiness and spiritual suffering that come from breaking the Sixth and Ninth Commandments. Consequently, he sought with all his strength to extinguish his selfishness, his self-pride, and every manner of sexual lust, immoral desire, and cupidity.
After many years of painful struggle Muggeridge finally succeeded in mastering his sexuality. It was the greatest triumph of his life, which bore fruit in the joy of chaste love, harmony, and peaceful relations with his wife. Thus began the happiest period of their married life, which lasted until his death.
Separating sex from procreation
We need to unmask the greatest lie of liberalism: namely, that happiness comes from gratifying the senses and the unlimited experience of sexual pleasure. God has revealed to us—and His law stands inscribed in our hearts—that love takes precedence over sensual pleasure. True happiness is achieved only when we command a chaste heart capable of loving God and our neighbor; when the senses are ordered to the law of love. We develop a pure and selfless love through abstinence, ascetic practice, and learning to control our senses and emotions.
One of the most insidious lies of liberalism consists in the claim that the unlimited experience of sexual pleasure brings happiness. Muggeridge was not yet a Christian when he realized that the liberal mind separated sex from procreation, the aim being to make possible the enjoyment of sexual pleasure without limits. Thus God’s law and our obedience to Him stand challenged. The separation of sex from procreation has led to the fear of conceiving a child and, consequently, to the introduction of contraception. At the same time, the conceived child has come to be seen as an aggressor, who needs to be eliminated by the crime of abortion. A further consequence of separating the two indissoluble aspects of sex (the unitive and procreative) has been the discrediting of the institutions of sacramental marriage, fatherhood, and motherhood, the promotion of informal unions, the acceptance of sexual perversions and homosexual sex, and the treating of these as equal to authentic married sexual relations that are open to life. All this has led to the horrific holocaust of unborn children through the legalization of abortion and the barbarity of euthanasia. The countries ruled by the liberal ideology are losing their reproductive capability, and their populations are dropping dramatically. They are committing demographic suicide.
Muggeridge saw the Roman Catholic Church as the only existing institution capable of effectively opposing the destructive and suicidal force of the liberal ideology. As Rector of the University of Edinburgh, he scorned the student rebellion with its demands for the legalization of drugs and contraceptives. He described the demands as macabre and amusing, a pathetic attempt to escape life’s duties and hardships. “Dope and bed!—he quipped—the resort of any old slobbering debauchee anywhere in the world at any time.”
Love takes precedence
God, man’s creator and the creator of his sexuality, tells us that love takes precedence over everything. Sexual pleasure cannot be an end in itself. It was a loving God who joined the experience of sensual pleasure to the sexual act. But He intended this pleasure to serve, not as an end in itself, but as an adjunct to the loving conjugal act. It is meant only to accompany the physical and spiritual union of a sacramentally married couple. The end of the marital act is love—i.e. the total, unconditional, and unselfish mutual self-giving of the married couple in Jesus Christ forever.
The marital act must always be open to the miracle of God creating a new human being. Pope Pius XI states clearly in his encyclical Casti connubii: “Those who use marriage in such a way as to deliberately thwart the natural reproductive force break God’s law and the law of reproduction and burden their conscience with a grave sin.”
One may never separate the sexual act from procreation. In God’s plan, the purpose of sexual intimacy is to experience His love in the mutual love of the married couple. This intimacy is always open to life. On the other hand, sexual relations are morally reprehensible when their overriding aim is to experience sensual pleasure.
The hedonistic desire for gratifying sexual pleasure is a denial of love, even when it takes place within a sacramental marriage. Modern hedonism is evidence of an appalling selfishness since it parades the desire for an ever-greater experience of sensual delight as a supreme value. This is the sin of immorality, which enslaves us to sexual experiences, making of us “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4).
God warns us sternly: “The body is not meant for immorality. (…) Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (2 Cor. 6:13; 18-20).
The Movement of Pure Hearts
The Movement of Pure Hearts (MPH) is a community created by Christ Himself. Christ invites everyone without exception to join this community and embark on the most challenging adventure life has to offer: that of maturing in love and achieving the gift of a pure heart. Satan and his minions who promote the liberal ideology will do everything possible to thwart your acceptance of this invitation to grow in love and fight for a pure heart.
In joining MPH, you agree to entrust yourself to Christ as His exclusive possession; to walk with Him in the journey of faith. You pledge to make a complete break from sin and all sinful habits and remain pure in your thoughts and actions. If you happen to fall into sin, you promise to pick yourself up without delay by making a sacramental confession. The Movement of Pure Hearts is a five-star clinic in which Jesus heals the most painful wounds and every disease of the soul. He forgives all your sins and frees you from every kind of addiction.
If you find yourself in the grips of an addiction, cling all the more to your Physician. Tell Him you are powerless and that without His help you are unable to wage a decisive struggle for a pure heart. The day will surely come when together with Christ you will emerge victorious. He will give you His strength through prayer, the sacrament of reconciliation, and the Eucharist. With Him you will overcome every obstacle and impediment. But you will need to trust in Him implicitly and be patient and persevering in making the daily journey of faith, being sure always to pick yourself up from every sin. Victory is then assured.
In making this journey you will need to make certain practical demands on yourself. Above all, you will need to make a daily plan that includes time for praying the rosary, the chaplet of Divine Mercy, reading Scripture and, if at all possible, attending Holy Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Your mornings and evenings need to be a time reserved exclusively to God. You will need also to allot suitable time for study, work, and rest; and then realize this plan with iron resolve.
Naturally, where there is good, you will encounter opposition. Your self-love will put up the greatest resistance. Satan’s temptation will certainly reinforce any disinclination to carry out your daily plan. Be like a good soldier of Christ Jesus (cf. 2 Tim. 2:3). It is precisely in these ordinary, everyday situations, when you have to make a concrete decision, that the battle is being fought for your future, the shape of your character, and the purity of your heart. This is the way of overcoming your self-love and other weaknesses that beset your daily journey in faith.
Remember that time is a priceless gift. Do not waste it in inordinate TV viewing, idle surfing of the Web, and other useless activities.
You need also to learn the art of rest and recreation. Remember that sleep is very important. Most people require seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep a day. So try to get up early, at a regular hour, and go to bed at a suitably early hour. Physical exercise (some sport, regular form of gymnastics, or contact with nature’s beauty) is an excellent form of rest and recreation. Regular physical activity contributes to a strong and beautiful character.
Put your heart into everything you do. It is not your mood and feelings but rather your will that determines the value of your prayers, study, and work. Regardless of your feelings and frame of mind, will to carry out your planned activities of the day as best as you can. It is precisely such an attitude that has greatest value in God’s eyes. God sees our efforts and attempts. In this way Jesus will overcome your selfishness and teach you to love with a chaste heart. He invites you to join the Movement of Pure Hearts.
When and how can you join? You can join any time. First, make a sacramental confession. Then, on receiving Holy Communion, consecrate yourself to Him as His exclusive possession by saying the MPH 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 Blessed 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 of Pure Hearts. 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 and keep reading Love One Another Magazine.
We pray for you every day. Please remember us in your prayers too.
Fr. M. Piotrowski & the LOA staf