There is a traditional concept in Catholic moral teaching known as “Custody of the Eyes” wherein a person is very careful as to what they allow themselves to see (cf Job 31:1; Mat 5:28; Psalm 119:37 etc.) My daughter and I were talking about this teaching which I remember from my childhood but which we never hear of now. The principle behind the idea is that what we permit ourselves to look at will inevitably have an effect on what we think. Obviously true when you think about it, isn't it?
Our Lord clearly taught that we can sin - mortally - with our eyes if we look at others (or pictures, or films etc.) in a sensual way. Mortal sin is a very serious reality, and has almost been forgotten in a world where we are surrounded with endless images of the naked human body adorning every hoarding, bus shelter, magazine, TV screen. So ubiquitous is the practice that we have almost cease to notice the endless vulgar crudity which fills our daily environment. Even school textbooks and information leaflets show graphic images that would a generation ago have been called pornography, and to even posess them would have drawn down the threat of prosecution through the Courts.
But not today. To show any embarrassment or dislike of the situation is to immediately draw down the accusation that we are 'prudish' or 'insecure' or 'unsophisticated'. Parents who try to protect their children from looking at such things can even find that Social Services begin to take an interest in their childrearing practices, because they may be 'brainwashing' their children and depriving them of their human and sexual rights!
But the truth is still the truth whether it is politically acceptable or not. If we are created by God to 'know, love and serve Him in this life and be happy with Him in Heaven forever' as the old Catechism used to say, then we must follow the Laws He has given us in the Old and New Testaments, in the Church founded by Jesus Christ, and in the guidance of the Holy Spirit through our consciences. So we must not only practice custody of the eyes ourselves, but as parents and teachers, we must teach our children practice the same discipline of averting the eyes from immoral pictures, bad scenes on media screens, and anything that could lead to sinful thoughts.
However, I want to consider the wider aspect of 'custody of the eyes'. Here are some ideas I have come across and have begun meditating on. At the moment I am not sure where this exploration will lead me, but I am begining to realise that there is something incredibly profound in this apparently old-fashioned concept. I hope to develop my understanding of the idea, and will return to it in future posts.
Something to consider:
1. Apparently there is a rabbinic tradition about the reading of scripture in worship. When the scriptures are to be read in synagogue public worship, the reader is enjoined not to lift his eyes off the text he's reading. That seems counter-intuitive, and indeed counter all that we have ever been taught. But what if we, as individuals, not as Readers, were to practice doing this when we are praying or reading the Scriptures. During our own private prayer times, what if we really honoured the text and used this method to really focus ourselves and ground ourselves in waht we were meditating upon?
2. Try not looking around you during Mass or Benediction. Resist the impulse to look up, or greet others as they go past, or to look around at the source of any noise or disturbance elsewhere in the Church. Easy? Childs play? Try it! I can tell you from my own experience of having begun to try to put this idea into practice that this amazingly difficult. The self-control and self-discipline needed for such an apparently simple act is enormous. Indeed I would go so far as to say that the apparent simplicity of this practice hides one of the truly heroic virtues.
3. What about 'Custody of the ears?' 'Of the mouth?' 'Of the intellect, imagination and will?' One of the difficulties of living in the modern world is that we are daily beseiged by the influence of philosophies and errors that can totally mislead us. What if we resisted our passion to know the latest news, read the latest opinions, listen to the latest popular music, buy the latest clothes styles, taste the latest culinary delights, follow the latest fashion in ... well, in whatever we like to follow. Chose your poison, as the saying goes - but in this case choose it in order to destroy it. And of course, realise that you will never manage to do this on your own. Pray for the grace to do battle and overcome. You will need prayer, because each one of these 'poisons' represents a spiritual battlefield, and so without God's help, you haven't a hope in succeeding!
We need to remember St Paul's reminder that we must “work out [our] salvation in fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
Fr. Daren Zehnle, an American Catholic Priest, in his blog 'Servant and Steward' has also focused on this whole idea of 'custody of the senses'. He says:
"we must constantly return to two key questions: Do I welcome the love of Christ? And, Do I share the love of Christ?
One sure way that we can both welcome the love of Christ and share it is to keep “custody of the senses.” We must keep custody of the eyes lest we see something that leads us to sin. We must keep custody of the ears lest we hear something that leads us to sin. We must keep custody of the mouth lest we lead others to sin. The well-known phrase, “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” is quite poignant, even today.
Keeping custody of the tongue is, perhaps, the most difficult to control but at the same time it is the one that does the most harm. When we are tempted to gossip about someone or some situation, we would do well to remember the words of Jesus: “What comes out of a person, that is what defiles” (Mark 7:20).
Let us make a concerted effort this Lent to root out the evil of gossip from our lives. Let us not only refuse to listen to it or to read it, but also and especially let us refuse to speak it.
Let us pray not only for ourselves but for each other that sin may be removed from our lives. Let this be our prayer: “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew with me… Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12, 14). Amen."
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