{"id":28271,"date":"2016-01-05T16:26:25","date_gmt":"2016-01-05T22:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?p=22493"},"modified":"2017-05-24T16:44:20","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T20:44:20","slug":"ascetic-in-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/ascetic-in-the-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Ascetic in the City","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<div align=\"center\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-22515\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/asceticcity_Fotor-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"598\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/asceticcity_Fotor-1-2.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/asceticcity_Fotor-1-2-296x300.jpg 296w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>HOW <\/strong>can we, as Christians, live in this world without being consumed by it? How can we remain pure of heart in a generation that is immersed in impurity? How can we become holy in an era of unholiness?<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">Last year, there were two very strong words on my heart that I want to continue to augment. The first is an invitation from Jesus to &#8220;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/come-away-with-me\/\">Come away with Me into the desert<\/a><\/em>&#8221; (see <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/come-away-with-me\/\">Come Away With Me<\/a><\/em>). The second word expanded on this: a call to become like the &#8220;Desert Fathers&#8221;\u2014those men who fled the temptations of the world into the solitude of the desert in order to safeguard their spiritual life (see <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-hour-of-lawlessness\/\">The Hour of Lawlessness<\/a><\/em>). Their flight into the wilderness formed the basis of Western monasticism and a new way of combining work and prayer. Today, I believe\u00a0that those who &#8220;come away&#8221; with Jesus at this time will be forming the foundations of a &#8220;new and divine holiness&#8221; in the coming era. <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_28271_1('footnote_plugin_reference_28271_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_28271_1('footnote_plugin_reference_28271_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_28271_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_28271_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">cf. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-coming-new-and-divine-holiness\/\">The Coming New and Divine Holiness<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_28271_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_28271_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">Another way to state this invitation is to &#8220;<em>come out of Babylon<\/em>&#8220;, out of the powerful grip of technology, mindless entertainment, and consumerism that fills our souls with temporal pleasure, but ultimately leaves them empty and insatiated.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Rev 18:4-5)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">If this sounds immediately overwhelming, then read on. Because this spiritual work will primarily be that of the Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit. What is required of us is our &#8220;yes&#8221;, a <em>fiat <\/em>where we begin to apply ourselves to some simple ascetical practices.<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">THE RETURN OF ASCETICISM<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">asceticism<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"> |\u0259\u02c8sed\u0259\u02ccsiz\u0259m| \u2014 spiritual effort or excercise in the pursuit of virtue in order to grow in Christian perfection. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">Asceticism is a concept that makes no sense to our culture, which has been nourished at the sallow breasts of atheism and materialism. For if all we have is the here and now, why would one exercise self-control other than, perhaps, to remain out of prison or at the very least, to maintain one&#8217;s selfish pursuits (see <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-good-atheist\/\">The Good Atheist<\/a><\/em>)?<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">But Judaeo-Christian teaching has two important revelations. The first is that created things are deemed &#8220;good&#8221; by the Creator Himself.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. (Gen 1:31)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">The second is that these temporal goods must not become <em>gods<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven&#8230; (Matt 6:19-20)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">This is all to say that the Christian perspective of creation, of the fruit of man&#8217;s hands, and of his body and sexuality is that they are essentially <em>good<\/em>. For 2000 years, however, heresy after heresy has attacked this basic goodness such that even saints such as\u00a0Augustine or Gregory the\u00a0Great were at times tainted with a dimmed view of our essential goodness. And this in turn has resulted in either a harmful negativity towards the body or ascetical practices that were at times overly harsh. Indeed, at\u00a0the end of his life, St. Francis admitted that he had been &#8220;too hard on brother-ass.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">On the other hand is a temptation to &#8220;softness&#8221;, to the constant pursuit of comfort and pleasure, thus becoming a slave to the appetites of the flesh and dull to the\u00a0Spirit of God. For as St. Paul reminds us:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">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. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Rom 8:5-6)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">Thus, there is a balance we must find. Christianity is not simply &#8220;the\u00a0way of the Cross&#8221; without the Resurrection, nor <em>vice versa. <\/em>It is not pure banquet without fasting, nor fasting without delight. It is essentially setting one&#8217;s eyes on the Kingdom of Heaven, always putting God and neighbour first. And it is precisely <em>in\u00a0the self-denial this requires<\/em> that we begin to attain the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said,<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">You can begin to experience Heaven <em>now <\/em>the more you entrust yourself to Jesus. You can begin to taste the beatitude of Paradise the more you give of yourself. You can begin to taste\u00a0the fruits of the Kingdom the more you resist the temptations of the flesh.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matt 16:24-25)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">That is, Resurrection comes by way of the Cross\u2014the way of the <em>ascetic<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">ASCETIC IN THE CITY<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">The question is how we can live faithfully in contemporary society surrounded by so many goods, so many intrigues, technological advancements, comforts and pleasures? The answer today, at this hour, is in some ways not too unlike the Desert Fathers who literally fled the world into caves and solitudes. But how does one do this in the city?\u00a0How does one do this within the context of family, soccer clubs, and the workplace?<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">Maybe we need to ask the question how Jesus entered pagan Roman times, dining with prostitutes and tax collectors, and yet remaining &#8220;without sin.&#8221; <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_28271_1('footnote_plugin_reference_28271_1_2');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_28271_1('footnote_plugin_reference_28271_1_2');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_28271_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[2]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_28271_1_2\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">cf. Heb 4:15<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_28271_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_28271_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> Well, as Our Lord said, it is a matter of the &#8220;heart&#8221;\u2014where one\u00a0sets his <em>eyes<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light. (Matt 6:22)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">And so, here are ten simple ways that you and I can refocus our spiritual and physical eyes, and become ascetics in the city.<\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\">TEN MEANS TO PURITY OF HEART<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>I.<\/strong> Begin each morning in prayer, placing yourself in the arms, providence, and protection of the Father.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness&#8230; (Matt 6:33)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>II. <\/strong>Seek to <em>serve<\/em> those whom God has placed in your care: your children, spouse, your co-workers, students, staff, etc. placing their interests above your own.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. (Phil 2:3)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>III. <\/strong>Be content with what you have, relying on the Father for all your needs.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, &#8220;I will never fail you nor forsake you.&#8221; (Heb 13:5)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>IV.<\/strong> Entrust yourself to Mary, as John did beneath the Cross, so that she may mother you as the Mediatrix of grace\u00a0that flows from the Heart of Jesus.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. (John 19:27)<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000066; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: small;\">This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation&#8230; Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix. <\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u2014<em>Catechism of the Catholic Church, <\/em>n. 969<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>V.<\/strong> Pray at <em>all<\/em> times, which is to remain on the Vine, who is Jesus.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">Pray always without becoming weary&#8230; Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer&#8230; Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving&#8230; Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.\u00a0(Luke 18:1, Rom 12:12, Col 4:2, 1 Thess 5:16-18)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>VI. <\/strong>Control your tongue; be silent unless you need to speak.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain&#8230; Avoid profane, idle talk, for such people will become more and more godless&#8230; no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. (James 1:26, 2 Tim 2:16, Eph 5:4)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>VII. <\/strong>Do not befriend your appetites. Give your body what it needs, and no more.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor 9:27)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>VIII.<\/strong> Make idle time count by giving your time and attention to others, or filling your mind and heart with Scripture, spiritual reading or other goodness.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. If these are yours and increase in abundance, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Pet 1:5-8)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>IX.<\/strong> Resist curiosity: keep custody of your eyes, protecting the purity of your heart.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">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. (1 John 2:15-16)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>X.<\/strong> End your day in prayer with a brief examination of conscience, asking forgiveness where you have sinned, and entrusting your life again to the Father.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. (1 John 1:9)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">What is our ultimate goal? It is to <em>see<\/em> God. The more of Him we see, the more we will become like Him. The way to see God is to make\u00a0your heart more and more pure. For as Jesus said, <em>&#8220;Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.&#8221;<\/em> <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_28271_1('footnote_plugin_reference_28271_1_3');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_28271_1('footnote_plugin_reference_28271_1_3');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_28271_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[3]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_28271_1_3\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">cf. Matt 5:8<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_28271_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_28271_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> To become an ascetic in the city, then, is to keep oneself free from sin, all the while loving God with all one&#8217;s heart, mind, soul and strength, and one&#8217;s neighbour as oneself.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world&#8230; We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. (James 1:27, 1 John 3:2-3)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">Print these ten steps out. Keep them with you. Post them on the wall. Do them, and\u00a0by God&#8217;s grace, you will become the beginning of a new era.<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">RELATED READING<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-desert-path\/\"><strong>The Desert Path<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-coming-new-and-divine-holiness\/\">The Coming New and Divine Holiness<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-counter-revolution\/\">The Counter-Revolution<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-rising-morning-star\/\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The Rising Morning Star<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff0000;\"><strong>ATTENTION AMERICAN DONORS!<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>The Canadian exchange rate is at another\u00a0historic low.<\/strong> For every dollar you donate to this ministry at this time, it adds almost another $.40 to your donation. So a $100 donation becomes almost $140 Canadian.\u00a0You can help\u00a0our ministry even more by donating at this time.\u00a0<br \/>\n Thank you, and bless you!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/store.markmallett.com\/donate\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Donateovalbtnonbeige.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"112\" height=\"48\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">To journey with Mark in the\u00a0<em>The <\/em><em><strong>Now Word<\/strong><\/em>,<em><br \/>\n <\/em>click on the banner below to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/subscribe\/\">subscribe<\/a>. <br \/>\n Your email will not be shared with anyone.<br \/>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/subscribe\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-12200 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/NowWord-Banner.png\" alt=\"NowWord Banner\" width=\"460\" height=\"148\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/NowWord-Banner.png 798w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/NowWord-Banner-300x97.png 300w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/NowWord-Banner-768x247.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTE<\/strong>: <em>Many subscribers have recently reported that they are not receiving emails any longer. Check your junk or spam mail folder to make sure my emails aren&#8217;t landing there. That is usually the case 99% of the time. Otherwise, you may also need to resubscribe by clicking the banner above.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_28271_1();\"><h5>Footnotes<\/h5><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_28271_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_28271_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_28271_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\"><h5>Footnotes<\/h5><\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_28271_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_28271_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_28271_1_1');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">cf. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-coming-new-and-divine-holiness\/\">The Coming New and Divine Holiness<\/a><\/em><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_28271_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_28271_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_28271_1_2');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>2<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">cf. Heb 4:15<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_28271_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_28271_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_28271_1_3');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>3<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">cf. Matt 5:8<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_28271_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_28271_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_28271_1').text('\u2212'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_28271_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_28271_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_28271_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_28271_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_28271_1').is(':hidden')) { footnote_expand_reference_container_28271_1(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container_28271_1(); } } function footnote_moveToReference_28271_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_28271_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } } function footnote_moveToAnchor_28271_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_28271_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } }<\/script>","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; HOW can we, as Christians, live in this world without being consumed by it? How can we remain pure of heart in a generation that is immersed in impurity? 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