Purity of Heart

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the youthful Jesuit who died while caring for victims of the Plague, and whose memory we commemorate today, was noted for his innocence and purity of heart. He has long been proposed as a model for youth and his intercession is sought by parents (and teens themselves) for the virtue of purity both of body and of heart. St. Marcellin was a strong proponent of the Presence of God and direct prayer for the preservation of "the angelic virtue", but the virtue of simplicity, being straightfoward and genuine, was also high on his list, and has indeed become a Marist characteristic and hallmark. Paul advised the young Timothy: "...turn from youthful desires (also translated "lusts") and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with purity of heart." (2 Tim 2:22). When we find a person who is pure of heart, it is as though we can see God living in that person's heart; God is reflected in his/her eyes and behavior. "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." (Matt 5:1), yes, and blessed are we who can see God because of that pure heart.
Bro. Rene