Defenders of Purity

Defenders of Purity – Men’s Household

We, the Defenders of Purity, recognize the great spiritual battle of our time as the attack on innocence, love, and friendship — on the purity of men and women. Our goal is to come together as a brotherhood to conquer sin and grow in virtue. With fortitude, forged with prayer and fraternity, and with meekness and humility, purity can be attained. Through these three Pillars of Purity, Humility, and Fortitude, we will achieve the ultimate goal of being a Christian: to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

 

It is difficult to move from worldly comfort to a pure and humble life. Saint Augustine spoke of this struggle when he said, “Lord, give me grace, but not yet.” We desire to change this common mentality and achieve perfection through Christ and brotherhood. We seek to defend purity against the will of the world, and to protect the humility of our spirits through a life of fortitude. We will be masters of ourselves, yet servants to Christ.

 

Pillar I: Purity

 

“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” – Matthew 5:8.

 

The road to purity begins with mastery of self. In 1 Corinthians 13:11, Saint Paul declares “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I gave up my childish ways.” Through a united struggle with our brothers in Christ, this maturity will be attained. Dedicated to the virtue of purity, we will form as a brotherhood and seek to evangelize those around us in the name of Christ. We recognize the struggle against purity as a daily battle. Accountability, and acknowledging where sins against purity occur, is a crucial part of our covenant; “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” Through Christ and solid relationships, the Defenders of Purity will defeat impurity and lust one man one at a time.

 

Pillar II: Humility

 

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” – James 4:10.

 

In accordance with purity comes the virtue of humility. Men can relate to Saint Augustine’s mentality; the attraction of lust and pride are strong in our culture. Defenders of Purity is counter-cultural, we strive to live Contra Mundum, or against the world. “Do not conform to this day or this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” – Romans 12:2. We will seek to live lives of humility. We will not boast or glorify mediocrity and sinful actions. Likewise, we will not boast in our improvements towards sanctity — by chastity, fortitude, humility, or otherwise — “for the Grace of God go I.” Indeed, those who struggle with sins against purity, like those of lust, pride, or sloth, are no less than those who have overcome those sins.

As one grows in purity, one realizes that purity at all, let alone perfect purity, is impossible without the grace of God. Saint Paul profoundly writes: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” If one becomes prideful in his ability to become holy and pure through his own power and begins to lean less and less on God for his sanctification, lust and vice will invariably slip back into his life. We are weak ourselves, but through Christ, and brotherhood, we are strong. In this struggle for humility, we look to our savior Jesus Christ, who, despite being the Creator and LORD of all, became man and “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross!” As a brotherhood, we will utilize one another through personal and group accountability so as to unify our aims towards Christ and overcome our individual weakness through his Body, which is the source of all grace.

 

Pillar III: Fortitude

 

“Be strong and courageous… Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command — be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” – Joshua 1:3-9.

 

One cannot consistently live out the other two Pillars without fortitude. Corinthians 16:13 instructs, “Be on your guard. Stand firm in the Faith, be courageous, be strong.” A sturdy and regimented prayer life is essential in conquering lust and pride. A weekly rosary, weekly confession, weekly praise and worship, and honesty in our accountability talks will allow us to attain this strength. In our day and age, the world tells us that it is okay to be mediocre. It tells us that it’s okay to live in a state of mortal sin, and the more that you indulge in this state of sin, the more that the world “worships and praises” you. This is why fortitude is a necessity; it is needed in order to remain in a state of grace. We need fortitude to be able to courageously say “no!” to what is evil and “yes!” to what is good. Without fortitude, we would not have the strength to reject what is morally wrong or to accept what is good.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, we strive to live out these three Pillars in order to achieve our ultimate goal of perfection in Christ. With humbling accountability amongst our brothers, we can fight through our daily struggles and achieve self-mastery. We look at the image of Christ, the Lamb of God, as an example of how to live our daily lives. That image epitomizes and exemplifies all of our Pillars, and is the basis of what our household represents. The lamb is the perfect sacrifice and symbol of purity and innocence. We venture to be as pure as Christ the Lamb of God, taking up our daily cross and sacrificing our temptations to Him.

Only through God’s grace can we have the fortitude to push through our struggles and have the humility to admit when we have failed. Our strong brotherhood keeps us accountable for our failings and helps us pursue sainthood. Jesus Christ glorifies the pure of heart, saying in Revelation 7:14, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Indeed, through His example, alongside our brothers, we can become pure. The blood and water that poured out of Christ’s side on the cross symbolized the Divine Mercy which Jesus pours out on us through the sacrament of Reconciliation. Through Divine Mercy, in sacrifice and commitment, we can attain our ultimate goal to be as Christ.

 

“The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort; you were made for greatness.” – Pope Benedict XVI