The Struggle For Purity...

[Catherine Therese]

For consideration of anyone who has ever struggled in the area of purity, I have found the daily prayer of the Confraternity of Angelic Warfare and the practice of wearing the cord/medal to be an immensely powerful weapon against temptation. 

 

I remember years and years ago on this phorum encountering a post about the Confraternity, but it was so long ago! I don't know how recently its been mentioned, but I thought I'd put it here for the benefit of anyone who is interested but may never have encountered it:

 

http://www.angelicwarfareconfraternity.org 

 

St Aloysius Gonzaga and Bl. Pier-Giorgio Frassati both belonged to the Confraternity of Angelic Warfare! 

 

"A Confraternity is a supernatural brotherhood or fellowship of men and women who make a sacred pact to pursue some good together in the Church. A Confraternity is a bond of love serving some good and holy purpose, and reflecting the communion of the Holy Trinity... The Angelic Warfare Confraternity is supernatural brotherhood or fellowship of men and women bound to one another in love and dedicated to pursuing and promoting chastity together under the powerful patronage St. Thomas Aquinas and the Blessed Virgin Mary."    

 

 

 

 

[Catherine Therese]

It displayed my link all funny, not sure what I did, and now I can't go back and edit! 

 

 

This is the URL.

[Kayte Postle]

Thank you so very much for sharing this ct!!

 

(ps: the link still wasn't working for me. Is this it?)

[CatherineM]

The purity prayer is a good one. I like the part where it asks God to shield your eyes. For years I fast forwarded through parts of movies. When I've watched them again with my husband, I was surprised at the parts I hadn't seen before.

[The Bus Station]

Thank you Catherine for sharing this.  I have been hearing a lot about this recently and I want to look into joining.

[AnneLine]

let's try this again!

 

In case it doesn't work, add WWW and .org to this:   angelicwarfareconfraternity

 

http://www.angelicwarfareconfraternity.org/

 

I have known people who insisted this made a HUGE difference in their lives.

 

I would also add.... the DESIRE TO be free of this is huge.  And the DESIRE TO DESIRE to be free of this is the first step.   (Think St. Augustine.)

 

If I were a little devil, I'd use every weapon I have and 'you will never get rid of ____' is one of the most powerful in his arsenal... and IT IS A LIE.

 

With God all things are possible.

 

I will pray for all who are struggling today/tonight.

[Winchester]

Never mind me. Just getting my name in all the forums.

[Anastasia13]

let's try this again!

 

In case it doesn't work, add WWW and .org to this:   angelicwarfareconfraternity

 

http://www.angelicwarfareconfraternity.org/

 

I have known people who insisted this made a HUGE difference in their lives.

 

I would also add.... the DESIRE TO be free of this is huge.  And the DESIRE TO DESIRE to be free of this is the first step.   (Think St. Augustine.)

 

If I were a little devil, I'd use every weapon I have and 'you will never get rid of ____' is one of the most powerful in his arsenal... and IT IS A LIE.

 

With God all things are possible.

 

I will pray for all who are struggling today/tonight.

 

How does one increase that desire?
 

[Catherine Therese]

How does one increase that desire?
 

 

On one's knees.

[Catherine Therese]

Figuratively speaking, that is. Feel free to sit comfortably :) But work on your relationship with Him. Pour everything of yourself into that relationship. Disordered self-love is the biggest killer of a desire for purity. Fall in love with Love Himself. It's a game-changer, I promise you. 

Edited October 9, 2013 by Catherine Therese

[Anastasia13]

Figuratively speaking, that is. Feel free to sit comfortably :) But work on your relationship with Him. Pour everything of yourself into that relationship. Disordered self-love is the biggest killer of a desire for purity. Fall in love with Love Himself. It's a game-changer, I promise you. 

I have a slightly disordered understanding of what that means.

[Catherine Therese]

I have a slightly disordered understanding of what that means.

 

Methinks rather that you have a slightly disordered need to beat a certain Winchester at his own game...

[Anastasia13]

Methinks rather that you have a slightly disordered need to beat a certain Winchester at his own game...

No, that's perfectly ordered. haha. And I think I do a better job at it.

 

And maybe I am overthinking things in an ambiguous slightly dark place in my mind and that really needs some sleep, but how do you keep yourself authentically in the Christ/Holy Spirit part and less in the Christians are "supposed to" part of that? And how do you find that balance of pushing yourself to seek God and not being legalistic?

 

I was going to say something else, but my brain is spinning. I think I'm going to go passout for the night, I hope.

Edited October 9, 2013 by Light and Truth

[Catherine Therese]

And maybe I am overthinking things in an ambiguous slightly dark place in my mind and that really needs some sleep, but how do you keep yourself authentically in the Christ/Holy Spirit part and less in the Christians are "supposed to" part of that? And how do you find that balance of pushing yourself to seek God and not being legalistic?

 

Ah. I THINK (I hope?) I get what you're asking. 

 

Purity is a legalistic thing if you're trying to exert your own willpower so that you can be a "better person"... if that is your reason for trying to maintain your purity then you will struggle, because that is a motive that is born of self-love. It is THIS kind of thing that gets legalistic. Its a type of perfectionism. Christian perfection, which is what we're REALLY shooting for, looks very different. 

 

It's not motivated by what we want for ourselves. Its a natural consequence born out of a love for God that simply overflows such that it impacts every aspect of our lives. And because goodness is diffusive, it doesn't just affect our own lives, it affects the lives of those around us in a beautiful and positive way, also. Which is why I'm saying don't spend all your energy squeezing your eyes shut and focusing on your own willpower and attempting to hypnotize yourself with "I must be pure I must be pure..." Waste of energy. 

 

Focus on getting to know who God is. Actually relating with Him. If, when you sit down to pray, you find that you end up just listening to the tape-recorder in your brain, and getting lost in your own thoughts, bring that very reality to Him and ask Him why it is that when you sit down to speak to Him you never connect, your eyes never meet. Don't demand, though - simply ask. If you really DO want a relationship with Him, it WILL be made possible. When things begin to improve in your relationship - receive it as gift, but don't grasp at it as if its something to master, something for the taking. Work on your relationship with Him. Fall in LOVE with Him. It is this authentic love that will then motivate your decision to maintain your purity. You will be doing it for love of Him... it will simply overflow from that love. And in so doing, you will avoid legalism. 

 

This is my understanding of the PRINCIPLES here. This is not a set of steps. I've tried to communicate a basic idea as I understand it, but there is no such thing as a "foolproof method" - as I said, its not something to be mastered. It's a relationship with someone so beyond our understanding... and yet He chooses to desire that we can come to know Him! I've shared these things based upon my own experience and struggles in my relationship with God. I haven't actually got this RIGHT yet! :) I'm afraid too often I'm still motivated by perfectionism rather than love. Mea culpa, it's a mean return for His goodness to me.