The Gospel of Purity of Heart

Over the last several months, we have been exploring Pope St. John Paul II’s reflections in TOB on “historical man” — that is, human beings who are fallen, who struggle with sinful inclinations and often succumb to them, but have been redeemed by Christ and called to holiness.  Before going on to his reflections on the human person in view of the next life (i.e., “eschatological man”), let us conclude by briefly reviewing what John Paul II called the “gospel of purity of heart” (TOB 58ff). 

We have seen in these reflections that out of love for us God Himself took on our human nature to redeem us from sin.  Through His teaching, His example, His passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ opened a path for us to follow so that our fallen human nature can be healed and sanctified — a work that begins now but will not be complete until the next life.  Integral to this work of redemption is the gift of the moral law — the most perfect expression of which is found in Catholic moral teaching — which Christ gives us so that we can be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. 

Even more wonderfully, He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we can not only achieve exterior conformity to the moral law but also experience the inner transformation of our hearts.  Indeed, Christ taught us that — while essential — exterior obedience is not enough.  Rather, He continually calls us to conversion of heart and makes it possible through the Spirit. Through the work of the Spirit within us, Christ seeks to make our hearts anew so that we passionately long for holiness and naturally shun what is beneath our dignity as sons and daughters of God.

Purity of heart is the term that Christ uses for the fruit of this interior transformation.  From a pure heart flows holy desires and intentions.  Pope St. John Paul II taught us in TOB that such purity is essential if we are to love one another rightly.  Without purity of heart, our sexual desires easily degrade into lustful using of one another for selfish gratification.  Wherever this looking at another as a mere object of my gratification happens — even within marriage — we fall into adultery of the heart. 

If we are to truly love one another and experience sexual intimacy in a healthy, holy way, we must learn to always honor the dignity of the other person (in our thoughts, intentions, and actions).  Pope St. John Paul II taught that this requires abstaining from all forms of unchastity and cultivating an attitude of reverence toward the human body, sexuality, and indeed, toward all that is good and holy.  We are aided in this pursuit by the Spirit’s gift of piety.  This spiritual gift makes us more “sensitive to the dignity that belongs to the human body in virtue of the mystery of creation and of redemption” (TOB 57.2).  It reminds us that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and moves us to never profane this temple (ours or others’).  It helps us to see the body as the sacrament of the person and our sexuality as having a spousal significance — meant for a total, permanent, exclusive gift of self in marriage.

Through studying the teachings of the Church, a rich prayer life, and frequent reception of the sacraments, we invite the Holy Spirit to continually renew our hearts and ennoble them with His gifts, including the gift of piety.  We must also cooperate with the Spirit by disciplining our hearts and desires so that we do not give in to concupiscence.  Even more, we must work together to cultivate reverence for the human body through the way we dress, the way we speak, the way we behave toward each other.  Indeed, if we are to experience purity of heart and thereby engage in true spousal love, we must establish a culture of reverence in our homes, our workplaces, and in society.  We need this desperately now more than ever.  The good news is that Jesus Christ has already won the battle for us and gives us everything we need to experience His victory.  He only needs our daily, total surrender — our yes! — to His offer of redemption. 

Note:  This article is part of an ongoing series on Pope St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.”

Written by, Dr. Andrew Sodergren, M.T.S., Psy.D.,
Director of Ruah Woods Psychological Services

(Article originally published in The Catholic Telegraph, September 2024 Issue, the official magazine of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati)