"Non secundum carnem ambulamus, sed secundum Spiritum." (Rom 8:4)
"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Rom 12:1)
"Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Mt 5:8)
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from unchastity; "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own. "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. "But fornication and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints. "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. The things of this world: "they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited."(CS Lewis, The Weight of Glory)
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. "Because we shall always have to put up with this little donkey which is our body, in order to conquer sensuality you have to practice daily and generously little mortifications--and sometimes big ones as well. And you must live in the presence of God, who never ceases to watch over you." (St Josemaría, The Forge 90)
"What has been lost through the flesh, the flesh should pay back: be generous in your penance." (St Josemaría, The Forge 207)
""You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' "'The devil only wishes us to begin,'says St Jerome. The devil only requires that we begin to open the door; he will afterwards open it entirely." (St Alphonsus de Liguori, Dignity and Duties of the Priest)
"St Bonaveture gives five marks by which we may know when a spiritual affection has become carnal. Cave a muliere quia habet oculos vocativos et manus ablativas. Si tu es dativus, illa est genetiva et postea accusativa. Deinde es nominativus. (Anonymous)
"My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways." (Prov 23:26)
"The saints had a liquid heart. When the heart is pure, it cannot help loving, because it has rediscovered the source of love, which is God." (St John M Vianney)
"Purity, which is love, cannot be separated from the essence of our faith, which is charity, a constant falling in love with God." (St Josemaría, "For They Shall See God," in Friends of God 186)
"It is a misfortune not to have a heart; we have to have a heart and to control it. This poor heart of ours has been born to love, my children. And when it is not given a pure, clean, and noble love, it turns vengeful and fills itself with misery, with corruption, with sensuality." (St Josemaría)
"The heart needs seven locks, no less." (St Josemaría) "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. "O GUARDIAN of Virgins and holy Father St. Joseph, into whose faithful keeping were entrusted Christ Jesus, Innocence itself, and Mary, Virgin of virgins, I pray and beseech thee by these dear pledges, Jesus and Mary, that, being preserved from all uncleanness, I may with spotless mind, pure heart and chaste body, ever serve Jesus and Mary most chastely all the days of my life. Amen.
"Faced with the cynicism of a certain contemporary culture, which too often seems not to recognize the value of chastity and degrades sexuality by separating it from personal dignity and God's plan, the Virgin Mary upholds the witness of a purity that illumines the conscience and leads to a greater love for creatures and for the Lord." (John Paul II, 1995)
"Mary, moreover, witnesses to the value of a life that is pure and full of tenderness for all men. The beauty of her soul, totally offered to the Lord, is an object of admiration for the Christian people. In Mary, the Christian community has always seen the ideal woman, full of love and tenderness because she lived in puirity of mind and body.
"Mary, loving Daughter of God the Father, I give my soul to your care. Protect the life of God in my soul. Do not let me lose it by serious sin. Protect my mind and my will so that all my thoughts and desires will be pleasing to God.
"Jesus, Fortress of mankind, You are Immaculate as God and Man! Bless me with Your infinite graces, That I may remain in a state of purity. Strengthen my body, spirit and soul To continually reflect Your chastity. Protect my soul in its daily struggles, Guiding it to ponder on Your Godliness. Defend me from the forces of evil, Those that seek to acquire my soul: I am truly Yours forever and ever. Holy is my King, the Conqueror of sin!" (http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=1595)
"Jesus, Lover of chastity, Mary, Mother most pure, and Joseph, chaste guardian of the Virgin, to you I come at this hour, begging you to plead with God for me. I earnestly wish to be pure in thought, word and deed in imitation of your own holy purity.
Obtain for me, then, a deep sense of modesty which will be reflected in my external conduct. Protect my eyes, the windows of my soul, from anything that might dim the luster of a heart that must mirror only Christlike purity.
And when the "Bread of Angels becomes the Bread of me" in my heart at Holy Communion, seal it forever against the suggestions of sinful pleasures.
Heart of Jesus, Fount of all purity, have mercy on us." (http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=2720)
"Dearest Jesus! I know well that every perfect gift, and above all others that of chastity, depends upon the most powerful assistance of Thy Providence, and that without Thee a creature can do nothing. Therefore, I pray Thee to defend, with Thy grace, chastity and purity in my soul as well as in my body. And if I have ever received through my senses any impression that could stain my chastity and purity, do Thou, Who art the Supreme Lord of all my powers, take it from me, that I may with an immaculate heart advance in Thy love and service, offering myself chaste all the the days of my life on the most pure altar of Thy Divinity.
Amen." (St Thomas Aquinas)
"He who has clean hands and a pure heart" (Ps 24:3-4)
"For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness." (I Thess 4:3,7)
"You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (I Cor 6:19-20)
Worldly Ways
"To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
"For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
"But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." (Rom 8:5-9)
"Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving.
"Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. " (Eph 5:3-5)
"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." (Rom 7:24-25)
"Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes!" (Mt 18:6-7)
And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever." (I Jn 2:16-17)
Far From the Fortress Walls
"But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell." (Mt 5:27-29)
(St Alphonsus de Liguori, Dignity and Duties of the Priest)
The Heart of the Matter
(JL Soria)
"A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
"And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.
"You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
"And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses; and I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you.
"I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.
"Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominable deeds.
"It is not for your sake that I will act, says the Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel." (Ez 36:25-32)
Praying for Purity
"Grant us, dear Joseph, to run life's pathway in innocent fashion:
May we be ever safe under thy blest patronage.
"O Saint Joseph, foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ and true spouse of Mary the Virgin, pray for us."
"Mary, loving Mother of God the Son, I give my heart to your care. Let me love you with all my heart. Let me always try to love my neighbor. And help me avoid friends who might lead me away from Jesus and into a life of sin.
"Mary, loving Spouse of the Holy Spirit, I give my body to your care. Let me always remember that my body is a home for the Holy Spirit who dwells in me. Let me never sin against Him by any impure actions alone or with others, against the virtue of purity."
(The Augustine Club at Columbia University, 2001)