“These eyes will behold…”

Near the end of my rosary this morning before Mass, as I gazed at the Tabernacle, these words came to my mind, brought to me by the Holy Spirit:  “These eyes will behold the Glory!” The Glory of Christ, of the Blessed Trinity—all that awaits us in Heaven!  These physical eyes of mine that gaze at the Tabernacle, at the wonder of the Eucharist, our Bread Who has come down from Heaven will still be my eyes in Heaven!

The same eyes that I use in Adoration, in my home, in the streets, in watching television….  I realized how precious is the purity of our eyes.  How critical that we “guard our eyes.”  The Fathers of the Church have much to say about “custody of the eyes.”

I read online:  “At its most basic level, custody of the eyes simply means controlling what you allow yourself to see. It means guarding your sense of sight carefully, realizing that what you view will leave an indelible mark on your soul.

 “Many of the saints, in their zeal for purity, would never look anyone in the face. ‘To avoid the sight of dangerous objects, the saints were accustomed to keep their eyes almost continually fixed on the earth, and to abstain even from looking at innocent objects,’ says St. Alphonsus de Liguori.” [https://www.catholicgentleman.net/2014/06/custody-of-the-eyes-what-it-is-and-how-to-practice-it/]

Sam Guzman, the author, offers many practical suggestions as to how to maintain custody of the eyes, so difficult in today’s world.

I am a rather solitary person, but I have had an experience recently while watching television which has prompted me to sharply reduce the amount of time and what I watch.  As I viewed a movie, suddenly erotic scenes erupted before me.  To my shame, I was caught off-guard and did not turn away.  This failure I had to bring to confession.  Because we never know when such scenes may rise, we need to be prudent and eliminate all possibilities.  Safest to watch older films which never tread on purity or engage in content offensive to faith.

“If your eye offends you, pluck it out.” – Jesus

 “The thought follows the look; delight comes after the thought; and consent after delight.”  -Saint Augustine – Bishop of Hippo, Father, and Doctor of the Church

 “Oh! how many are lost by indulging their sight!”  – St. Alphonsus de Ligouri

“The eyes, because they draw us to sin, must be depressed. He that looks at a dangerous object begins to will what he wills not.”-Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Father and Doctor of the Church, Mor. J. 21, c. 2.

Sister Maria Catherine, O.P. asks us: “What am I thinking about all day long? What am I putting into my mind to nourish it? Monastic writers discuss a practice called “custody of the eyes,” at length. These wise fathers in the faith encourage me to discipline my eyes. When I’m driving along the highway, do I have to look at every billboard? When I go grocery shopping, do I dwell on a Kardashian gracing the cover of People?

 “My mind needs something life-giving to feast on. Paul emphasizes this, when he says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious if there is any excellence or anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). How do I find more of these things to dwell on? A twofold approach could be helpful: Where am I wasting time on frivolous images?  What am I reading? What do I listen to? Minimizing the time spent on what doesn’t lead me to God, will help me to make room for the things that will deepen my relationship with Christ and open my heart to what is truly restorative. ”  [http://www.catholic-sf.org/CSF-home/voices/article/csf/2017/01/01/practicing-custody-of-the-eyes]

As with the eyes, so with the ears; and equally, with the tongue.

Last night as I listened to Marino Restrepo,  Catholic Evangelist from Colombia, he advised that the first thing that we should do when we rise in the morning is to “consecrate our tongue to the Lord,” for custody of the tongue is equally important.  Even in the Old Testament, we read:  “Set a watch, Lord, beside my mouth and a door about my lips.” [Psalm 38:1]  The same tongue that we use daily to talk to our family, to visit with co-workers, will be the same tongue with which we will adore the Holy Trinity for all eternity.

St. James cautions us about the use of our tongues: “So the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire.” [James 3:5-6]

What is obvious is all the sins, venial and mortal, which we commit with the tongue, sins against charity, patience, even purity.  What is not so obvious is the seriousness of the wasteful and idle words we speak.  Jesus told us in the New Testament:  “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment.” [Matthew 12:36] This “idle” has alternately been translated as “careless,” “thoughtless,” “empty,” and “worthless.”  Mea Culpa. This teaching of Jesus has always struck me with a pang of dread and fear. Which of us has not been guilty of idle talk often, if not constantly?

In the midst of His teachings in the discourse on the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us:  “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”   [Matthew 5:37] Jesus urges no subterfuge, duplicity, dishonesty, but purity in speech, simplicity, and transparency. I see in His words also an urgency to paucity, not to multiply words, but to respect silence as an option in many situations, with many people.

As we approach Lent, let us seriously consider working on custody of the eyes, ears, or tongue—wherever we most grievously offend our Lord.