Custody of the Heart. Custody of the Heart . But few are those who realize it. What I’m speaking of is not the threat of terrorism, climate change, or nuclear war, but something more subtle and insidious. It is the advance of an enemy that has already gained ground in many homes and hearts and is managing to wreak ominous destruction as it spreads throughout the world: Noise. I am speaking of spiritual noise. A noise so loud to the soul, so deafening to the heart, that once it finds its way in, it obscures the voice of God, numbs the conscience, and blinds the eyes to seeing reality. It is one of the most dangerous enemies of our time because, while war and violence do harm to the body, noise is the killer of the soul. And a soul that has shut off the voice of God risks never hearing Him again in eternity. NOISEThis enemy has always been lurking, but perhaps never more than today. John warned that noise is the harbinger of the spirit of antichrist: Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever. Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. These are the means by which principalities and powers are directing a blast of noise against unsuspecting mankind. Men, more than women, are susceptible to this because there is a stronger chemical response in men. It is a terrible noise, for it pulls not only the eyes, but one’s very body into its path. To even suggest today that a half- clad woman is immodest or inappropriate will draw bewilderment if not scorn. It has become socially acceptable, and at younger and younger ages, to sexualize and objectivy the body. It is no longer a vessel for transmitting, through modesty and charity, the truth of who the human person truly is, but has become a loudspeaker blaring a distorted message: that fulfillment comes ultimately from sex and sexiness, rather than the Creator. This noise alone, now broadcast through rancid imagery and language in nearly every facet of modern society, is doing more to destroy souls than perhaps any other. NOISE OF ENTICEMENTIn the Western nations in particular, the noise of materialism—the enticement of new things—has reached a deafening pitch, yet few are resisting it. Ipads, ipods, ibooks, iphones, ifashions, iretirement plans. Even the titles themselves reveal something of the potential danger that lurks behind the need for personal comfort, convenience and self- pleasure. Heart in Custody is one of Guertena's paintings located in the Gray Area in the game Ib. It depicts a human heart held by two hands against a gray background, surrounded by a yellow frame. 9-10-2016 2/2 Heart In Custody. Other Files Available to Download Claire Raphael (Lorraine Bracco), a successful business woman is suddenly sued for custody of her children by her stay-at-home husband. She soon discovers that in a modern courtroom there are still traditional biases against. Over the course of time, this province of the Franciscan Order took the name “ Custody of the Holy Land ”. Saint Francis and the Franciscans always had at heart the love of the Incarnation of Jesus, and that is why they. Title: Heart In Custody Subject: Heart In Custody Keywords: Download or Read Online heart in custody PDF Created Date: 10/12/2016 9:40:33 AM. Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. The 'heart,' in Scripture, implies the whole spiritual end aspiring part in man. Keeping the heart is controlling the whole spiritual condition of our. The exportation of manufacturing to third world countries (often bringing about injustices in itself through pitiful wages) has brought about a tsunami of low cost goods, preceded by waves of relentless advertising that place oneself, and not one’s neighbour, on top of the totem of priorities. But the noise has taken on a different and more insidious tone in our day. The internet and wireless technology continually serve up a vast array of high definition color, news, gossip, photos, videos, goods, services—all in a split second. It is the perfect concoction of glitz and glamor to keep souls enamored—and often deaf to the hunger and thirst in their own soul for the transcendent, for God. We cannot deny that the rapid changes occurring in our world also present some disturbing signs of fragmentation and a retreat into individualism. The expanding use of electronic communications has in some cases paradoxically resulted in greater isolation. Joseph’s Church, April 8th, 2. Yorkville, New York; Catholic News Agency NOISE OF PRETENTIONSt. John warns about the temptation to . Today, it has taken on a more cunning temptation, once again, through technology. With communication services like Facebook or Twitter, the trend is to put one’s every thought and action out there for the world to see, fostering a growing trend of narcissism (self- absorption). This is really in direct opposition to the rich spiritual heritage of the Saints in which idle chatter and frivolity are to be avoided, as they cultivate a spirit of worldliness and inattention. During the summer of 2015, Fr Noah Waldman, Associate Pastor at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Catholic Parish in St. Louis, MO, created and shared a series he titled, 'Introduction to Prayer.' 'Custody of the Heart. Knowing how to win child custody for mothers is crucial for a female single parent. When it comes to affairs of the heart, how to win child custody for mothers depends largely on whether a single parent regularly dates or not. Title: Heart In Custody Subject: Heart In Custody Keywords: Download or Read Online heart in custody PDF Created Date: 10/6/2016 5:31:05 PM. CUSTODY OF THE HEARTOf course, all this noise must not be considered strictly evil. The human body and sexuality are gifts from God, not a shameful or dirty obstacle. Material things are neither good nor bad, they just are. And the internet can also be used for good. In the house of Nazareth and in the ministry of Jesus, there was always the background noise of the world. Jesus even walked into . But He did so because He always maintained custody of the heart. Paul wrote, Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. It means rediscovering the meaning of life and aligning my goals to it. He walked in the truth that women were not objects, but reflections of His own image; in the truth that material things are to be used for the glory of God and the good of others; and by being small, humble, and hidden, meek and gentle of heart, Jesus shunned the worldly power and honor that others would have bestowed on Him. KEEPING CUSTODY OF THE SENSESIn the traditional Act of Contrition prayed in sacramental Confession, one resolves to . Paul (see The Tiger in the Cage.) A good friend of mine says that he hasn’t eaten sweets or had any alcohol in years. A man who avoids even the near occasion of sin—and you can see the freedom in his eyes. Lust. Many years ago, a married fellow worker was lusting after the women who were walking by. Noting my lack of participation, he snorted, . The answer is to put the menu away all together. For one thing, women aren’t objects, commodities to be owned. They are beautiful reflections of the Divine Creator: their sexuality, expressed as a receptacle of life- giving seed, is an image of the Church, which is a receptacle of the life- giving Word of God. Thus, even immodest dress or a sexualized appearance is a snare; it is the slippery slope that leads to wanting more and more. What is necessary, then, is to keep custody of the eyes: The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. Avert your eyes from a comely woman; gaze not upon the beauty of another’s wife——through woman’s beauty many perish, for lust for it burns like fire. Paul perhaps summarizes it best: If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. The reason, Jesus warned, is that one cannot divide his heart between God and mammon (possessions). No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. The superflous riches which thou didst hoard and suffer to become rotten when thou shouldst have given them in alms to the poor, the superfluous garments which thou didst possess and preferred to see eaten by moths rather than clothing the poor, and the gold and silver which thou didst choose to see lie in idleness rather than spent on food for the poor, all these things, I say, will bear testimony against thee in the Day of Judgment. Robert Bellarmine, The Wisdom of the Saints, Jill Haakadels, p. Pretention. Custody of the heart also means to watch over our words, to have custody of our tongues. For the tongue has the power to build- up or tear down, to snare or liberate. So often, we use the tongue out of pride, saying (or typing) this or that in hopes of making ourselves appear more important than we are, or to please others, gaining their approval. Other times, we simply release a wall of words to entertain ourselves by idle chatter. There is a word in Catholic spirituality called . It means recognizing that His will is my food, and that, as His servant, I am called to follow Him in the path of charity. Recollection then, means that I . When it comes to social networking, we need to be careful. Is it humble to paste pictures of myself that stroke my vanity? Am I encouraging gossip or wasting other’s time? I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. Your mouth is the door. Every time you open the door, you are letting heat out. When you close the door, keeping recollected in God’s presence, the fire of His Divine love will grow hotter and hotter so that, when the moment is right, your words can serve to build up, liberate, and facilitate the healing of others—to warm others with God’s love. At those times, even though we speak, because it is in the voice of Love, it serves to stoke the fires within. Otherwise, our soul, and that of others, grows cold when we keep the door open in meaningless or sinful chatter. Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. We live in a world that encourages people to experiment with a multitude of sexual acts and lifestyles, plaster themselves all over You. Tube, seek to become a singing or dancing . In refusing this kind of noise, Jesus said that we would look odd in the world’s eyes; that they would persecute, mock, exclude and hate us because the light in believers would convict the darkness in others. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. It’s just that few are willing to take it, to resist the noise so that they can hear the voice of God that leads to eternal life. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few. RELATED READING: Thanks for your support!
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