It can happen, however, that this basic distinction in St. Paul’s teaching can be misunderstood. Sometimes an interpretation can suggest that there are two different “levels” of chastity here, one for the celibate and another for the married man or woman. People may consider that a priest or a religious sister or brother, or consecrated virgins, are called to a higher level of purity. Of course, that is simply not true.
In His “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus teaches us in the Beatitudes that ALL are called to purity, and that it is in fact a condition for eternal life and the beatific vision: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Purity of heart is something much broader than we imagine, for it has to do with the way we see and love God and those around us. It is an integral part of how we live and relate to God and others.
This is the comprehensive sense that St. John Chrysostom uses to interpret the Gospel we listened to this morning. Jesus enters the synagogue in Capernaum and begins to teach. Suddenly He is confronted by a man with an “unclean spirit.” Chrysostom asks the question of why the devil is impure or unclean. Certainly it is not some defect of his sexuality because he does not have one; he does not have a body. Chrysostom reasons that the evil one is unclean because of his impiety and because he withdraws from God; he recognizes the holiness of Jesus Christ, but he is not moved to charity.
For the person who is pure of heart, the holiness of Christ inspires love and devotion; they are moved to charity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in describing purity of heart, indicates that it “refers to those who have attuned their intellects and wills to the demands of God’s holiness, chiefly in three areas: charity; chastity or sexual rectitude; love of truth and orthodoxy of faith” (CCC, #2518). The pure of heart definitely strive to integrate their sexuality and to live the virtue of chastity, but they recognize that it involves much more than that. By attuning their will and intellect to the holiness of Christ they are also moved to become more charitable and to love the truth revealed by God.
How does purity of heart become rooted deeply within our souls and how do we grow in this essential virtue that leads us ultimately to the eternal vision of God? There is a powerful example for us in the Gospel we heard this morning. Jesus enters the synagogue in Capernaum and teaches the people. St. Mark relates, “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22). When they listened to the truth revealed by God they were moved to astonishment; they loved the truth that Christ was offering to them.
The second thing that Jesus does that purifies the heart is to address the unclean spirit directly and perform an exorcism:
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
—Mark 1:25-26
Jesus Christ has the power to drive away the unclean spirit and bring the soul deeper into purity of heart. He created us for this purity, and greatly desires to give it to us when we seek Him out for it and attune our intellects and wills to Him.
The late Fr. Gabriel Amorth was the chief exorcist of Rome for many years. He would say that there are two things that frustrate the work of the evil one more than exorcism. They are sacramental absolution and preaching of the word of God (he takes the Eucharist as a given).
With sacramental absolution, a person who is perhaps in the grip of sin and has lost the state of grace is suddenly healed and receives the forgiveness of God. By a humble acknowledgement of that need for forgiveness and a heartfelt confession of sin, sacramental absolution is given in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the soul is restored to the state of grace. It is an amazing and wonderful work of the power of Christ to drive away evil and draw the person towards purity of heart.
The second thing Amorth mentions is a bit curious: the preaching of the word of God. For the most part, the reviews of people in the pews show that our preaching is rather unsatisfactory and boring. Why should the devil be any more impressed? But Amorth is referring to the faithful preaching of the truth of the Gospel, something every priest is called to do. When that powerful message of salvation through faith in Christ and the Christian life is preached with all the passion it deserves, souls are changed. Amorth says it sets up a force-field of faith, an environment in which the virtues of the Christian life can grow and bear fruit. Evil has no place in that environment, and so the soul grows ever closer to God and in purity of heart.
Where is Jesus Christ calling us to experience His power more completely in our lives this week, as He drives away evil and restores us to the fullness of the Christian life? We seek the grace today to be attuned to the holiness of God in our intellect and will, and to be set on fire to embrace charity, chastity and love for the truth that God reveals.
