「四旬期」快要結束，我們一連串探討「德行」的文章，亦以此篇為終結。

我們以前提過其中保守「潔德」的兩種方法，是謙遜和責任感，今天我們談談餘下的兩種方法：克己和愛天主。

克己

鄧奎利神父在「神修生活」一書中指出，我們要知道如何克制自己的內外感觀，和內心的私愛。

內在感觀包括：視覺、言語、聽覺及觸覺。

聖經中「約伯傳31:1」告訴我們克制眼目的重要：「我同我的眼立了約，決不注視處女。」德訓篇9:8-9寫著：「當轉移眼目，不看美麗的婦女，也不要注視別人妻子的美容。為了婦女的美容，許多人走入迷途；從此，慾情熾燃，有如烈火。」瑪竇福音5:28亦記載耶穌了的警誡：「凡注視婦女，有意貪戀她的，他已在心裡姦淫了她。」

鄧奎利神父解釋說：「眼睛看到的可以觸發幻想，燃起慾望，繼而轉化為意願。如果意願付諸行為，便成了靈魂的罪污。」在今天的世界，用傳播媒體的克制或自律，對保守潔德，非常重要。

言聽的克己就在交談中。聖保祿宗徒致厄弗所人的信函中寫著：「至於邪淫，一切不潔和貪婪之事，在你們中間，連提也不要提：如此纔合乎聖徒的身分。同樣，猥褻、放蕩和輕薄的戲言，都不相宜；反而要說感恩的話。」(5:3-4)

「有關感官的觸覺，」鄧奎利神父續寫道：「更是危機重重，所引發的感覺，很容易趨向於不正當的快感。」

貞潔的身體源自一顆貞潔的心，要護衛貞潔的心，必須克制想像力或幻想，戒除無用的白日夢，對於內心的意向和愛慕，要謹慎警覺，力求以純愛天主和鄰人的動機行事；應循著責任感和愛德來表達心裏的愛慕。

愛天主

我們的心是因去愛而受造，故此亦需要被愛；要培育潔德，不獨要消除邪念和私慾，也要被天主的愛充盈。鄧奎利神父寫著：「愛天主的心抵擋多情的愛慾，免除眾多的誘惑。」

聖若望鮑思高神父建議年青人護衛潔德的方法：多領聖體、勤辦告解、孝愛聖母。

一位倫理神學家指出：年青人守潔德的最有效的方法，是每天參與彌撒和領聖體，因為實踐這神業要求克己和沒有大罪；同時也要求不幸犯了大罪的人去盡快辦妥當告解，好能善領聖體。

孝愛聖母能幫助保守潔德。誦唸玫瑰經、配帶聖母聖衣、奉獻給聖母無玷聖心等敬禮，十分有幫助。鄧奎利神父認為：「聖母聖名呼出聖潔。我們一向她呼求，誘惑頓逃之夭夭。」

聖施禮華神父說：「祈禱和克己，是奇妙的貞潔之德兩大支柱。」

We are coming to the end of the Lenten Season, and this is the last article of the series on the moral virtues. Last week we looked at two guardians of chastity: humility, and devotion to the duties of state. This week we are looking at the other two: mortification, and love for God.

Mortification

Father Adolphe Tanquerey, in his classic The Spiritual Life, points out that we must know how to mortify exterior senses, interior senses, and affections of heart.

The exterior senses that need to be mortified are sight, speech, hearing, and touch.

Holy Scripture reminds us of the importance of mortifying our eyes. Holy Job said, “I made a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much as think upon a virgin” (Job 31:1).

“Turn your eyes away from a handsome woman; do not stare at a beauty belonging to someone else. Because of a woman’s beauty, many have been undone; this makes passion flare up like a fire” (Sir 9:8).

“If a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5:28).

Father Tanquerey explains: “The eye acts as stimulus to the imagination, this enkindles the desire, and the latter solicits the will. If the will yields consent, sin enters into the soul.”

In today’s world, mortification in the use of media is extremely important for the safeguarding of chastity.

Speech and hearing are mortified by reserve in conversation. St. Paul wrote, “Among you there must be not even a mention of sexual vice or impurity in any of its forms, or greed: this would scarcely become the holy people of God! There must be no foul or salacious talk or coarse jokes; all this is wrong for you; there should rather be thanksgiving” (Eph. 5: 3-4).

Regarding the sense of touch, Father Tanquerey writes, “The sense of touch is fraught with even more danger, for it provokes sensual impressions which easily tend towards illicit pleasure.”

Purity of the body comes from purity of heart. To safeguard purity of the heart we must mortify the imagination and useless day-dreaming. We must also be vigilant about intentions and affections. We should strive to do all things with the pure intention of loving God and others. Our expression of affection should be guided by our duties and by charity.

Love for God

Our heart is made for love, and we have the natural desire for love. In order to foster the virtue of chastity we should not only dispel evil thoughts and desires, we should also open our heart to be filled with the love of God. Father Tanquerey writes, “Love for God shields the heart from sentimental affections, and thus spares us many a temptation.”

St. John Bosco urged young people to achieve chastity through frequent Communion, frequent confession, and devotion to Our Lady.

A moral theologian pointed out that the most effective assistance for a young person to be chaste is daily Mass and Communion; for this practice requires both discipline and freedom from mortal sin. This practice also requires anyone who is struggling with mortal sin to have frequent recourse to the sacrament of penance.

Devotion to Our Lady is extremely helpful for the virtue of chastity. Praying the rosary, wearing the brown scapular, and entrusting oneself to the Immaculate Heart are powerful devotional practices. Father Tanquerey writes, “Her name breathes forth purity, and, it seems, no sooner do we confidently invoke her than temptation is put to flight.”

“The miracle of purity has prayer and mortification as its two points of support” (St. Josemaria Escriva).