St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, advised the following for novices seeking to enter his order: “All should take the most diligent care to guard the gates of the senses—particularly the eyes, ears, and tongue.” Guarding the senses and not allowing them free rein is good advice for all of us, not just novices embarking on holy orders. One way that we can do this is to maintain “custody of the eyes,” meaning that we should not allow our eyes to look anywhere we please, giving idle curiosity the power to direct our gaze. There are many things that it would be better not to see.
