Purity and the Cross

"Nothing unclean may
Enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

Let’s put things in perspective. Purity is not an end unto itself. It is a means to an end.

From the vantage point of eternity, the ‘end’ that we seek is salvation. Purity is one of the prerequisites to that salvation. For, as scripture clearly says, “Nothing unclean may enter the kingdom of Heaven.”

In order that we, too, may someday enter the kingdom of Heaven, we must clothe ourselves with the garment of purity. There is no getting around it.

How do we do this? We begin with a change in attitude and behavior, examining what is required of us from a faith-based perspective. There are three basic shifts in attitude and behavior that, at first glance, are new, frightening and overwhelming in scope. We must embrace them nonetheless. They are –

Sacrifice – Learning to live without the “fix” by keeping ever in mind that it no longer has any place in our lives. Saint Paul says that we must “Put on the new man.”

Self-denial – Requires breaking the habit and working to avoid the near occasion of sin. Also, it means disciplining ourselves to keep away from all things that can tempt or lead us to falling back into old habits.

Contrition – Embodied in sincere sorrow for past offenses and occasions of impurity and making atonement for them to Almighty God.

Don’t let these things intimidate you. Implementing each of these things in your own life takes time and courage. They require humility and honesty on our part to even acknowledge that there is something wrong with us in the first place.

A word of Caution -
The most common pitfall is discouragement in the face of failure.

Don’t get discouraged. Don’t worry about being perfect! None of us are, so why should you be? Remember, you won’t be 100% successful, especially at the beginning. The important thing to keep in mind is -

NEVER GIVE UP! DON’T QUIT!

Keep Working. Keep Trying. Keep Going. You can do it!

Falling down isn’t nearly as important as how quickly you get back up.

It is imperative to always keep in mind that none of these things can be accomplished alone! Only with God’s help, (which we must ask of Him on a constant and continual basis), along with the help, support and guidance of others who have been there before can we ever hope to be successful.

The most important first, middle and last steps in the process are
PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!

Our Lord Himself said to us all, “Take up your cross each day and follow Me.”

Like it or not, this is our cross. We must each recognize this inescapable fact.
Then, every day we have to recommit ourselves to picking up this heavy cross with love and carry it as far and as long as our loving God requires of each of us,
most likely for the rest of our lives.

The time to start is now.