Untitled - Saints' Books

INSTR. in.] The Chastity of the Priest. 251
means shall be unprofitable unless we carefully watch
over the eyes. Tertullian 1 relates that a certain pagan
philosopher plucked out his eyes in order to preserve
chastity. This is not lawful for us. But if we wish to
avoid sins against purity we must abstain from looking
at women, and still more from looking at them a second
time. To look at dangerous objects, says St. Francis
de Sales, is not so hurtful to us as to repeat the look.
And St. John Chrysostom adds, that it is
necessary to
from women whose dress
turn away the eyes not only
or manner is immodest, but even from those whose de
meanor is full of modesty. 2 Hence holy Job made a
compact with his eyes not to look at any woman, even
at a chaste virgin; because he knew from looks evil
thoughts arise: / made a covenant with my eyes that I
would not so much as think upon a virgin? Ecclesiasticus
advises us to imitate the example of Job. Gaze not upon
a maiden, lest her beauty be a stumbling-block to thee? St.
Augustine says: From looks spring evil thoughts; the
thoughts produce a certain carnal delectation, though
indeliberate. To this indeliberate delectation succeeds
the consent of the will;
5
and, behold, the soul is lost.
Cardinal Hugo remarks that the Apostle commanded
women to keep their heads veiled in the church because
of the angels? that is, because of priests, lest looking at
their faces they should be 7
tempted to lust. Even while
1
Apolog. c. 46.
"Animus feritur et commovetur, non impudicae tantum intuitu, sed
etiam pudicae." De Sacerd. 1. 6.
3 "
Pepigi foedus cum oculis meis, ut ne cogitarem quidem de virgine."
Job,
xxxi. i.
"
Virginem ne conspicias, ne forte scandalizeris in decore illius."
Ecclus. ix. 5.
"Visum sequitur cogitatio, cogitationem delectatio, delectationem
consensus."
6 "
Propter Angelos."
1
"
Propter Angelos, id est, Sacerdotes, ne, in ejus faciem inspicientes,
moverentur ad libidinem." In i Cor. xi. 10.