He wants to teach us to love with a pure heart and take us up with Him to heaven. More and more young people are deciding to join the Movement of Pure Hearts (MPH), for, in this school of Christ, they want to obtain those greatest of treasures – the gift of a pure heart and the joy of pure love.

 

“Everyone has his own road to walk in life” – writes Peter. “Sometimes it is straight and smooth, but most of the time it is full of intersections and looks more like a chessboard. That’s because people chose such paths for themselves, often without giving a thought to where their actions will lead. I thought that there was nothing left for me in life, that I had lost everything. I was unemployed and in debt. On top of that, I had been unsuccessful in my love life. But, on talking my situation over with a friend, I came to realize that there was still love in the world, and that this was the most important thing, since it came from God. I reached for the Scriptures and carefully read Saint Paul’s hymn of love (1 Cor 13). One verse in particular jumped out at me: the one that says that love ‘never falleth away.’ I decided that, despite all my failures in life and the fact that I was already twenty-seven years old, all was by no means lost. It was time to start a ‘new life.’ I thought of the girl I had loved and how I had wounded her by hiding the truth about myself. I think that, by joining the Movement of Pure Hearts, I will be able to address my weaknesses and learn from Christ what real love is, that is, pure love that ‘never falleth away’.”

 “I have decided to join MPH” – writes John. “My life has been full of emptiness, mainly because of my self-abuse, which I have been addicted to since I was very young. Now, at the age of seventeen, I want to build everything on the Merciful Christ, for I know that He will never disappoint me. Eventually, I want to have a loving family of my own, but I know that whatever one sows, one reaps. That is why I have decided to open my heart to God’s grace and live by to His precepts. Please pray for me, that I can persevere in my promise.”

“Love” – writes fifteen-year-old Ania – “is the one thing worth living for. The path of love is the shortest and surest way to heaven; in fact, it is the only way. After the evening liturgy last Holy Thursday (which is truly a feast day of love), I said the “Prayer of Pure Hearts” and entrusted my whole life to God once more. Keeping myself pure for marriage has never been a question for me for as long as I can remember. That is how my parents raised and taught me. I could never imagine it being any other way. I have always known that I would save sex for marriage. But now, for several important reasons, my decision has become more conscious and my own. I want to preserve my purity as a gift to Jesus, to my future husband, and to our future children. I know that this is the only way to happiness. Chastity teaches real, responsible, and unselfish love. I pray for this gift, and also that the man I will spend my life with may enjoy friendship with Jesus. It sounds funny, but I already love my husband and wish for his happiness, even though I do not know who or where he is. I thank God for him, and I pray that Saint Joseph will look after him. I gladly trust that one day I will meet him.”

 

To all those who feel discouraged by failure and setbacks, and who feel tempted to give up, Jesus has this to say: Abide in my love! (Jn 15 : 9); Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me (Jn 15 : 4). If, after joining MPH, you experience a setback, remember that, in entrusting yourself to Jesus in the “Prayer of Pure Hearts,” you promise to allow Him to raise you up each time you stumble, and that you will immediately go to confession and say the “Prayer of Pure Hearts” over again. This is a serious part of your commitment. After each failure, no matter how serious, you must, without hesitation and with great trust, seize the hand that Jesus extends to you in the Sacrament of Penance. Only then can He raise you up, treat the wound, and lead you along the road of maturity in love. There could be nothing more foolish than not to take advantage of this golden opportunity, which our Savior offers every one of us. Remember that for Jesus there are no hopeless or irremediable situations. With Him you will always triumph; but you must trust in Him and continue each day to walk the arduous road of faith. Saint Edith Stein – the world-famous philosopher, who, upon discovering the treasure of the Faith, cast off her atheism, was baptized, and became a Carmelite nun – had this to say: We must always live in contact with God, hear the words He reveals and conveys to us, and act in accordance with them. Above all, we must pray as the Savior taught us to, and bear in mind what He constantly drums into our heads. “Ask, and you shall receive.” This is the most solid assurance possible that we will be heard. The person who says “Thy will be done” earnestly and every day can be certain he will carry out God’s will, even though, subjectively speaking, he lacks assurance of this.

Jesus invites everyone to join MPH. He wants us to admit our hearts into His Clinic of Pure Hearts. Only He can cleanse them and make us apt for pure love, which is a foretaste of Heaven. If you are willing to undertake this arduous yet exhilarating adventure of maturing in love with the MPH community, first go to confession, then, after receiving Holy Communion, say the following prayer of consecration:

 

We also encourage you to inform us in writing of this great event. Send us your address, date of birth, and also the date that you joined the MPH community. We, in turn, will send you a special blessing and enroll you in our Book of Pure Hearts.

Dear readers, Jesus clearly wishes you to write down and send us your testimonies. We do not have to tell you how much this helps others to return to the path of faith and seek the gift of a pure heart.

This Year of the Eucharist we wish that you would gaze into the face of the Risen Jesus through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. May you accept with a pure heart all the gifts that Jesus desires to offer you.

We continue to surround you with our prayers.