My summertime church sometimes has a penitential prayer at the beginning of the Sunday service. It is called “The Collect for Purity.” It is a short prayer with an interesting request to the Lord. Here it is:   

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets 
are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your 
Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your 
holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

It is recited by the congregation and is seen as preparation for receiving the Eucharist. While it is called the Collect for Purity, the word purity is not mentioned in the prayer. However, the words of the prayer set the example for purity in our lives with of goal of loving God perfectly and bringing Christ’s holy Name to the world.  

Purity seems a little old-fashioned in today’s world; we don’t hear about it very often. No one makes a big deal about it anymore. We talk about pure food and pure water and are these forms of purity are important for our well-being. However, we don’t think about purity in our actions, our thoughts and our speech. Would my life be different if I began to practice purity in my thoughts, words, and deeds. You bet! 

We might think about purity in relation to sexual behaviors, but not necessarily in the car when someone cuts you off and you respond with a line of abominable words. Or at the supermarket when Mom and three kids are struggling to get through the checkout line and she has to write a check. And you roll your eyes and sigh. There are a number of ways that I can practice purity (or not). 

But why do I want to practice purity. Purity assists me to have a right relationship with God. I need purity to have that relationship. Sin of any kind interrupts the relationship. I know that I cannot be perfect; you cannot be perfect, sorry to tell you. Only God is perfect, but the practice of purity puts us on the right track to a wonderful working relationship with God.  

When I was a child, I put a great deal of effort into keeping my speech pure. Okay, I went to a catholic school and had diligent nuns who helped with that practice. My mother and father and grandparents helped with that practice. I wanted to be good for them and for God, so I tried to keep my language pure. 

I did a pretty good job until I grew older and away from the concept of purity. I didn’t need that old-fashioned value. I wanted to be cool and fit in with others who used whatever words they wanted. It started on the golf course, when I missed an easy shot. It grew as people were not shocked or didn’t correct me. It continued to grow until I became aware that my language was an affront to God and embarrassing to me. I’m working on it, but I don’t always succeed.  

I think that I will tack this little Collect for Purity on my bulletin board and say it every day as a reminder that God loves me unconditionally all the time (just like He loves you!) and I want to please Him! He is my Father, and I want to demonstrate my love and thanksgiving for all He has sent my way. Amen! 

Terri