How to keep your mind pure
“More souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.”
Our Lady of Fatima
As a Catholic, there are many ways to keep your mind pure and focused on the teachings of the faith. One of the most important ways is to pray and meditate regularly. This can help to remind you of the principles and values that are at the heart of the Catholic faith, and can help to keep your thoughts focused on what is good and pure.
One way to pray is to set aside time each day to spend in quiet contemplation or meditation. This can be a time to reflect on the teachings of the Bible or the writings of the saints, to listen for the voice of God, or to simply be still and quiet in His presence.
Another way to pray is to participate in the liturgical life of the Church. This can include attending Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, as well as praying the liturgy of the hours, which is a daily cycle of prayers that has been practiced by Catholics for centuries.
In addition to prayer, there are also other things that you can do to keep your mind pure. One of these is to avoid exposure to harmful or immoral influences. This can include avoiding violent or sexually explicit media, as well as avoiding situations or environments that might tempt you to sin or engage in behavior that goes against the teachings of the Catholic faith.
Another way to keep your mind pure is to surround yourself with people who share your values and who can support and encourage you in your efforts to live a virtuous life. This can include family members, friends, and other members of your faith community who can offer guidance and support as you strive to grow in holiness.
Finally, it is also important to regularly confess your sins and seek the sacraments of the Church. This can include participating in the sacrament of reconciliation, also known as confession, in which you confess your sins to a priest and receive absolution. It can also include regularly receiving the Eucharist, which is the sacrament in which Catholics receive the body and blood of Christ.
By participating in these practices, you can help to keep your mind pure and focused on the teachings of the Catholic faith. In doing so, you can grow in holiness and become a better witness to the love of Christ in the world.
Words of the Saints on Purity:
St Teresa of Calcutta
“Purity is the fruit of prayer.”
“A clean heart is a free heart. A free heart can love Christ with an undivided love in chastity, convinced that nothing and nobody will separate it from his love. Purity, chastity, and virginity created a special beauty in Mary that attracted God’s attention. He showed his great love for the world by giving Jesus to her.”
St John Henry Newman
“Purity prepares the soul for love, and love confirms the soul in purity.”
St. John Bosco
“Holy Purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those who possess it become like the angels of God in heaven, even though clothed in mortal flesh.”
St. Josemaria Escriva
“As soon as you willfully allow a dialogue with temptation to begin, the soul is robbed of peace, just as consent to impurity destroys grace.”
“Temptation is necessary to make us realize that we are nothing in ourselves.”
“That conversation . . . was as dirty as a sewer! It is not enough for you to take no part in it. You must show your repugnance to it strongly!”
“Never talk of impure things or events, not even to deplore them. Look, it’s a subject that sticks more than tar. Change the conversation, or if that’s not possible, continue, but speaking of the need and beauty of holy purity–a virtue of the men who know what their souls are worth.”
“I have never talked about impurity. . . . But I have spoken many times, as I have to do, about chastity, purity, and the joyful affirmation of love.”
St. Clement of Alexandria
“Filthy talk makes us feel comfortable with filthy action. But the one who knows how to control the tongue is prepared to resist the attacks of lust.”
St. John Vianney
The man of impure speech is a “person whose lips are but an opening and a supply pipe which hell uses to vomit its impurities upon the earth.”
St. Jerome
“Either we must speak as we dress, or dress as we speak. Why do we profess one thing and display another? The tongue talks of chastity, but the whole body reveals impurity.”
