“The Church and humanity entrust to you the great reality of that love which is the basis of marriage, the family, and the future. The Church and humanity firmly believe that you will bring about its rebirth; they firmly believe that you will make it beautiful: beautiful in a human and Christian way” (John Paul II).
“I do not cease to pray to Christ and to the Mother of Fair Love for the love that is born in young hearts. Many times in my life it has been my task to accompany in a sense more closely this love of young people. Thanks to this experience I have come to understand just how essential the matter that we are dealing with here is, how important and how great it is. I think that to a large extent the future of humanity is decided along the paths of this love, initially youthful love, which you and she, you and he discover along the paths of your youth. This can be called a great adventure, but it is also a great task.
“Today, the principles of Christian morality concerning marriage are in many circles being presented in a distorted way. Attempts are being made to impose on environments and even entire societies a model that calls itself ‘progressive’ and ‘modern.’ It then goes unnoticed that this model transforms a human being and perhaps especially a woman from a subject into an object (an object of specific manipulation), and the whole great content of love is reduced to ‘pleasure,’ which, even though it involved both parties, would still be selfish in its essence. Finally the child, who is the fruit and the fresh incarnation of the love between the two, becomes ever more ‘an annoying addition.’ The materialistic and consumeristic civilization is penetrating this whole wonderful complex of conjugal and paternal and maternal love, and stripping it of that profoundly human content which from the beginning was also permeated by a divine mark and reflection.
“Dear young friends! Do not allow this treasure to be taken away from you! Do not inscribe in the plan of your life a deformed, impoverished and falsified content: love ‘rejoices in the truth.’ Seek out this truth where it is really to be found! If necessary, be resolved to go against the current of popular opinion and propaganda slogans! Do not be afraid of the love that places clear demands on people. These demands—as you find them in the constant teaching of the Church—are precisely capable of making your love a true love.
“I (…) repeat the hope (…) that you will be ‘always prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you!’ The Church and humanity entrust to you the great reality of that love which is the basis of marriage, the family, and the future. The Church and humanity firmly believe that you will bring about its rebirth; they firmly believe that you will make it beautiful: beautiful in a human and Christian way. In a human and Christian way great, mature and responsible” (John Paul II, Dilecti Amici, 1985, 10).
Many of us have accepted this marvelous invitation to embark on a journey of maturing in love through a deep friendship with Christ by joining the community of the Movement of Pure Hearts. You too can respond in this way to God’s immense love for you! Here are a few excerpts from letters sent to LOA:
Greg
“I have been stuck in the habit of masturbation for several years. A few months ago, I met a marvelous girl who has come to mean a lot to me. Only then did I become aware that I was not capable of loving with a pure heart. I had gone through better and worse periods of struggling with the habit, but when I met this girl something burst inside me. I felt Jesus’ presence in my life more than ever before. I realized that in order to be able to love with my whole heart, I had to seek healing for myself. My girlfriend is very devout, and she is my incentive for struggling with the habit. We spend a lot of time praying together. Although we we live far apart live far apart, we feel a close spiritual bond uniting us.
“Not long ago, I came across your magazine where I read about the Movement of Pure Hearts (MPH). For a while I wondered if I was capable of such great self-denial, but in the end I decided to say the Prayer of Consecration and join MPH. I entrusted myself to Jesus and resolved to make of my pledge a modest proof of my love for my girlfriend. Now, whenever I am with her, I feel the close presence of Our Friend, who is Jesus. Now I am encouraging her to join MPH as well. When we stand before the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel, we feel that our relationship rests on the Solidest of Foundations. Thanks to MPH, I have a real chance of a successful relationship. As St. Paul writes, ‘Husbands must love their wives as their own bodies.’ And so, before I can really love anybody, I must first learn to love and respect my own body. MPH enables me and others like me to do this!”
Kate & Bart
“We have been going together for over a year. Since we wanted to have a chaste relationship right from the start, we decided to join MPH. We made this decision for several reasons. The most important of these is our faith. We do not wish to break God’s commandments. We want to preserve Christianity’s most important values. We are confident that sexual abstinence will bear fruit in an eventual happy marriage. We are now growing in the conviction that we love each other truly and unconditionally. Our ability to resist temptation is proof of our authentic mutual love. Motivating us also is the desire to make of our wedding night an extraordinary and unforgettable experience, for we want each other to be the first to enjoy this physical and spiritual “becoming of one body” in the sacrament of marriage. We want to offer ourselves to each other fully by first discovering each other’s souls, and only then our bodies. Though not an easy challenge, chastity yields many fruits. It enables us to know each other better, to deepen our bond, and to build an enduring relationship. In this way, neither of us needs to fear being used. We can be confident that we are bestowing true love on each other, and this we find beautiful. This is particularly important to us girls who need to know that the man does love us for our body alone, but rather delights in our whole person. There is also the sense of security it provides, for we can be confident that we are together, so that we can create that extraordinary thing, which is our relationship.
“Since chastity is not easy for us, we have established principles that help us to persevere in it. We try to avoid situations that can lead us into sin. We are learning to respect each other. We talk a lot and read all kinds of publications on the subject. Above all, we pray for the grace of remaining pure in heart. We ask for your prayers and moral support, that we may enjoy being together and gift each other with authentic love.”
Margaret
“When I first came across the idea of the Movement of Pure Hearts, I thought it was very worthwhile. At the same time, I considered it to be entirely out of touch with the times, and its demands, impossible of realization. Though I read the Prayer of Consecration, I never imagined I could keep its promises. The demands were simply too great. I considered myself a practicing believer, and yet I found confession, Holy Communion, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament extremely difficult. And so I decided MPH was not for me. Still, I could not forget about it. I began to pray more often and, from time to time, read the Prayer of Consecration. But still I thought I was not equal to its demands. At the same time, with a pounding heart, I read the testimonies of those who had decided to join MPH.
“I found it incredible that men, engaged couples, people of various ages, and often people who had had difficult experiences were joining the movement. I continued to read the prayer and my inner resistance gradually crumbled. I asked myself the question: since I was a believer and loved Jesus, could I really not receive Holy Communion more often? Would it really be so difficult to devote a little time every day to reading Holy Scripture? The answer was clearly no. I was reaching the point of joining MPH. But I was still afraid of failure and temptations. I told myself I was too old for it. But when I finally did decide to start working on myself, I shared this information with a man I had once known but—fortunately—broken up with. His response was curt: “You will never get married.” It was then that I realized I wanted no truck with the modern practice of treating sex before marriage as normal. I wanted to live according to Christ’s teachings—with Him and for Him—since only then did everything make sense.
“I have been a member of MPH for some time. No more Masses without Holy Communion! Every day I recite the Prayer of Consecration and read from Holy Scripture. If it were not for MPH, I would never have been able to discover this fascinating letter, which God has written to me. Adoration gives me peace and joy of heart. Now and then, I stumble, but I know where and of Whom to seek help. I dream of marrying and having a family, but I will not deny my principles, just to be with a man. I believe and I trust!”
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