Custody of the eyes. What is it? It is when a man or a woman sees something indecent and they turn their eyes away, or better still, keeping the eyes down as much as possible in order to shut out all sinful objects. Jesus set the example in Scripture when Scripture noted ”And he, lifting up his eyes on his disciples…” St. Luke 6:20. St. Anthony Mary Claret said Our Lord was practicing custody of the eyes, keeping them downcast. Decency and modesty go together. Women are called to dress modestly, and men are called to guard their eyes in this regard. Our Lord said, “Whoever looks on a woman with lust, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28. “Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9. Neither shall the immodest woman enter into the kingdom of God. ” “[19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, [20] Idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects, [21] Envies, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like. Of the which I foretell you, as I have foretold to you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God.” Gal. 5:19-21.
St. Alphonsus relates the story of a young man who had the habit of lust, and he committed a crime, for which he was sentenced to death. The young man went to confession and made his peace with God. However, while on the gallows, a young woman walked by, and because he had the habit of lust which he had never broken, he lusted after her, was sentenced to death, dying in the act of sin, and losing his soul for all eternity. Even sinful thoughts, when they are consented to, are the same as the act. Because, what did Our Lord say? ”For from the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man.” Matthew 15:19–20.
The eyes are the windows of the soul, and it is through the eyes that sin enters the heart, by coveting the things which are forbidden by God. ”For death is come up through our windows, it is entered into our houses to destroy the children from without, the young men from the streets. ” [Jeremias (Jeremiah) 9:21]. Such as Eve in the Garden. She looked at the fruit, seeing it was pleasing to the eyes, and enticed by the devil, she broke the command of God and ate it. Then she drew Adam into the sin, and they both transgressed, and died the spiritual death, leading eventually to the death of the body, for them, and the whole human race. This is why Jeremias said, “For death is cometh up through our windows, it is entered into our houses to destroy the children from without, the young men from the streets.” 9:21. Our children and young men are now being destroyed by the internet phones, which are bringing all kinds of filth and pornography into their young minds. Mothers and fathers, make sure your children have filters on their phones: https://freefiltering.org/
This is what caused David to sin. His eyes looked upon Bathsheba in the wrong way, he didn’t turn his eyes away at first glance, nor was the temptation now in his head resisted, which led him to commit adultery with her, and later had her husband put on the front line so he would almost inevitably be killed, which he was. Then David married Bathsheba who had conceived his child. God was so angry with David that he sent the prophet Nathan to him, who brought him to repentance, but also warned him because of his sin, that God said, “The son that will be born to thee shall surely die, and the sword shall never depart from thy house.” All of which were fulfilled. His son did die, and David had to endure conflict for the rest of his life, for his sin. Even though he was repentant and the prophet told him that the Lord had forgiven his sin, he still had to do penance for the rest of his life. A concept the protestants have never seen to grasp. If he was forgiven, why was he still be punished? If a repentant sinner dies and goes to purgatory, why does he still have to be punished for his sins? The protestant says, “Oh , Jesus paid the whole price. You don’t have to suffer for that because Jesus paid the penalty!” Really? If that be the case, how come so many Christians who love and serve the Lord still have to suffer? If death is a penalty for sin, why do we still have to die if Jesus paid the whole price? Anybody got a good answer for that one? Jesus did pay the penalty but the doctor doesn’t give the patient the whole bottle of medicine the first day in the hospital. If it was that easy to get to heaven, just live however you wanted, tell Jesus you’re sorry on the day you died, and you shoot straight up to heaven. How convenient! What about the man who languished 38 years and could not get in the pool in time to be healed? Our Lord finally comes along and heals him, and tells him later, “Go and sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee.” Apparently his long 38 years had something to do with a previous sin. With reason did Jesus warn us, “Do penance or you shall all likewise perish.” And again, “Do penance or you shall be in very great tribulation.”
Therefore, men and boys must take great care and effort to guard their eyes. “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent bear it aways.” St. Matthew 11:12. That is, those who wish to gain heaven must do violence to their own wills in resisting sin, ” says St. Alphonsus. You must fortify yourself with much prayer, especially the daily rosary, devotion to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, frequent confession, and Holy Communion. Finally, you must avoid the occasions of sin. “He that loveth the danger shall perish in it.” Ecclus. 3:27, drbo.org. The occasions of sin inflame the heart with unruly passions, and if one does not run away, this lustful fire with consume them, and eventually lead them to hell. ‘Can a man walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be burnt?” [Proverbs 6:28]. “Can a man hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn?” Proverbs 6:27. St. Philip Neri used to say, “In the battle with the senses, cowards conquer.” That is, those who flee the occasions of sin.
Ladies, our Blessed Mother warned over 400 years ago to Mother Marianna de Jesus Torres, that in our time, there would be little innocence in children, nor modesty in women. You have two very grave obligations. First, you yourselves must dress very modestly; and secondly, you must make sure your daughters do likewise. You must read the Decree on Modesty by Pope Pius XI, issued in 1930, which has the guidelines that a good Christian woman must abide by. Sports are taboo, swimming, dancing, and such things where the garb is so skimpy and tight. Very few women, as the Blessed Mother warned, fulfill the Modesty Standards as laid down by Pope Pius XI in 1930. A PAPAL DECREE CONCERNING MODESTY – Pope Pius XI, 1930, https://motherofgodlibrary.org/2021/08/02/a-papal-decree-concerning-modesty-pope-pius-xi-1930/ or short link: https://tinyurl.com/2ardncx4.
I might also add the warning from Our Blessed Mother given to Enzo Alocci about 70 years ago about the sin of immodesty in the churches. Fr. Albert J. Hebert. S.M., said that Enzo had a statue of the Queen of the World which had actually shed tears of blood. When you search him online, you will see an image of the statue with blood covering her face! This instruction is especially addressed to the clergy who have a duty to uphold the Decree on Modesty by Pius XI. She said, “Son, go tell the priests to be stricter towards the faithful, and send away all persons entering the church in indecent dresses, because it is not suitable to come in the Presence of the Divine Majesty in such indecency.” This also applies to men and boys. Recently a young man was standing in line in confession with short pants on similar to the girls, although not quite as bad, but still most of his thigh was showing. He went to confession and then stayed for Mass in that attire. Many men and boys come to Mass in tee shirts and jeans. Does anyone really believe this is proper dress in the House of God, and in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the tabernacle? Would they visit a president or a king or queen in that attire? Many women and girls now are atrocious in their dress in church, and nobody ever corrects them! They walk right up and receive Communion without a blink of the eye from the clergy. Not so Father Schoenbaechler. His server said when he saw a lady improperly dressed at the Communion rail, he would lean over and whisper in her ear, “Go home and get dressed. Then come back.” Then Father would pass them up and go on to the next person. The Blessed Mother also told Enzo Alocci, “The Chalice is full and the moment of the Justice of God is about to strike. A great punishment will sweep down on the earth, for men have lost the sense of sin. Man will soon realize his nothingness and will be hurled down to his knees. The day is not far when the whole earth will abound with corpses. Only one quarter of mankind will survive.” Only one quarter of mankind will survive! Modesty also applies to men and boys. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost, but the Holy Ghost will not dwell in us if our bodies are subject to sins. “For wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins.” Wisdom 1:4.
She also warned through little Jacinta of Fatima, now St. Jacinta, that, “Fashions will be introduced, that will offend Our Lord very much.” So much so that many women are now being damned by them. WOMAN DAMNED TO HELL FOR THE SIN OF IMMODESTY , https://tinyurl.com/udnymr7p, Dec. 2019 post. How many mothers and fathers allow their children to don immodest clothing, and don’t think a thing about it. Woe to these mothers and fathers. Jesus said it would be better if they had a great millstone around their neck and drowned in the sea. In other words, the death penalty. In the book SO HIGH THE PRICE, it said, “If children go to hell for the sin of their parents, they will curse their parents for all eternity.” Sr. Josepha Menendez said, “I saw several souls fall into Hell, and among them was a child of fifteen, cursing her parents for not having taught her to fear God nor that there was a Hell. Her life had been a short one, she said, but full of sin, for she had given in to all that her body and passions demanded in the way of satisfaction…” – Sr. Josepha Menendez, THE WAY OF DIVINE LOVE.
“The number of fools is infinite,” says Ecclesiastes, 1:15, because most souls are lost. In that one letter on Fatima, the Rosary, and the Scapular, it said that the Blessed Mother revealed to the children that 75% of the people would perish. Are you in her small group? St. Bonaventure said that he who neglected the service of Our Lady would be damned and perish in his sins.
Pray the rosary every day; wear the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel; go to confession frequently and Holy Communion. Avoid those occasions of sin and bad company. Moses warned the people: “[26] He said to the multitude: Depart from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be involved in their sins. ” Numbers chapter 16. We cannot keep company with evil men, drunkards, drug dealers, sleeping together outside marriage, missing Mass on Sundays, taking God’s Holy Name in vain, profanity, etc. In short, we must keep the commandments, and we can only do this by a life of prayer, and following the steps enumerated above. LORD, ARE THEY FEW THAT ARE SAVED? https://tinyurl.com/bdz2tcc3
SOULS IN HELL. WHAT THE SAINTS AND SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT IT. https://motherofgodlibrary.org/2019/04/
A MILLSTONE AROUND HIS NECK! https://motherofgodlibrary.org/2023/04/
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