The Movement of Pure Hearts (11/2008)

By Father Mieczysław Piotrowski TChr,
Love One Another! 11/2008 → True Love Waits - Pure Hearts

Jesus Christ bestows upon all of us His love and eternal life; that is, He gives us as a free gift all that we need to make us perfectly happy. Yet for our part there are obstacles and problems to overcome. These include a weak faith or lack of faith, selfishness, enslavement to sin, religious ignorance, and so on. All this is related to our immaturity in accepting the gift of Divine Mercy.

It is therefore our chief task and purpose in this life to remove these obstacles by struggling against sin, mastering our selfishness, strengthening our will, acquiring a pure heart, and growing in love. Jesus tells us that we can do none of these things without His help. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15: 4-5). Only Jesus Christ can free us from sin and the power of the Evil One. Only He can heal the greatest spiritual wrongs and wounds. Only He can make our hearts pure again and capable of loving, for only He is God — the giver of love. Dear friends! If you wish to join MPH, Christ’s “clinic for pure hearts,” and become a more loving person, go first to Confession, confess to Him all your misery and, after receiving Holy Communion, offer up the following 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 vow 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 watch pornographic materials. [Here, girls may wish to add: I vow 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 ‘swim against the current’ in my daily walk through life. Help me to avoid everything that weakens and enslaves the will: nicotine, alcohol, and 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 Servant of God, 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!”

This giving of yourself to Jesus is a great event in your life. Say the prayer of consecration every day, so that you do not forget your commitments and your closeness to Jesus. Inform us of your decision to join the MPH community. We in turn will enrol you in The Book of Pure Hearts and send you our special blessing. Write to us and submit your testimonies. Share your experiences in writing with the readers of Love One Another. Tell us how you picked yourself up after falling into sin, how you struggled for a pure heart, how you found the treasure of faith. We ask all MPH members to remember one another every day in prayer. Remember never to give in to discouragement. Rather, keep heart and encourage others to walk with Jesus in the Movement of Pure Hearts.

Who can join the Movement of Pure Hearts? Anyone who desires to heal his wounded heart and learn from Jesus how to love as He loves.

What are the expectations? A genuine desire to fulfil all the promises contained in the Prayer of Consecration.

What if I should fall into sin? You must go to Confession as soon as possible. MPH members pledge to pick themselves up the instant they fall into sin and not lose heart

It is extremely important to follow a daily routine. As a member of MPH you should draft a daily plan that provides for prayer, solid study, work, and rest, and then strive your utmost to put it into practice. The powers of evil are doing everything possible to sow chaos and disorder in your life. Make concrete demands of yourself and never become discouraged by failure. Working on your character takes a lot of effort, time, and patience. Of paramount importance is daily prayer. Fight hard against sloth and laziness. Learn how to rest by practicing some kind of sport or outdoor activity. Exhaust your body completely at least once a day. By conquering your inertia, you strengthen both your body and soul. Go to bed early and get up early, as the monks do.

Remember St. Peter’s advice: “Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Pet 5:8-9).

“What does it mean to be watchful?” John Paul II asked the Polish youth at Jasna Gora. His answer speaks to all people everywhere: “It means that I strive to be a person of conscience, that I do not silence or deform my conscience. I call good and evil by their name, without blurring them. I develop the good in myself, and try to correct what is bad. This is an extremely important matter that must never be made light of or pushed to the background. No, it must remain in the foreground — always and everywhere. It is all the more important when circumstances seem to favor our tolerance of evil and our absolving ourselves of it — even more so when others conduct themselves in this way. My dear friends! It is your task to hold back the forces of moral disintegration — to check these social vices, which I will not name here, but which you know very well. You must be demanding of yourselves, even when others do not demand this of you. Our historical experience has taught us how much our nation had to pay for her periods of moral decay. Today, when we struggle to shape our future community, remember that this will depend on the people that constitute it. So, be watchful! “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation,” said Jesus to his apostles in Garden of Olives (Matthew 26: 41).

“To be watchful also means that I am aware of my neighbor. I do not shut myself away in the backyard of my own interests, or even my own judgments. To be watchful means to love your neighbor. It means a basic interpersonal solidarity….To be watchful also means that I feel responsible for this great common heritage which bears the name of [our country]. This name defines us all. This name commits us all. This name costs us all…. Let us not wish for a country that costs us nothing. Rather, let us watch over all that represents the authentic heritage of the generations, and strive to enrich it. The wealth of a nation is its people. Its wealth is Man. Its wealth is the youth! Its wealth are those stand watchful in the name of truth, for it is the truth that shapes love” (Jasna Gora, June 18, 1983).

Dear friends! May these words of Servant of God John Paul II inspire us to work harder on ourselves. Let us set out with courage on the journey that Jesus marks out for us in the Movement of Pure Hearts. May your encounters with the Risen Christ in the mystery of the Eucharist bestow upon you the spirit to witness joyfully to His infinite mercy. Blessings to you all.

The above article was published with permission from Miłujcie się! in November 2010