Conversion- the turning of the soul all its faculties from sin to
complete identification with the Will of God.
Contrition- sorrow for sin out of pure love for God.
Repentance- the mind itself changed and transformed, the supernatural
conquering the natural.
True repentance is easily discerned. Mortification is its soul. When
we repeatedly resist our ruling passion, when we remove the causes
that stir it into action, when we lay the axe to the root of sin, when
we are proof against the alluring voice of self-love that ever seeks
to discredit the claims of conscience, when we bridle the triple con-
cupiscence, when we are guided by the divine philosophy of the Gospel
and not by the uncertain, shifting maxims of the world, when the
spirit of self-denial has so thoroughly woven itself into the fibers
of our religious life as to make us impervious to the poisonous exhal-
ations of worldliness, sensuality, and pride; when there is a substan-
tial, not an accidental change in our attitude toward sin in its com-
plex guises, when for us the cross is the test and measure of success;
when we learn the secret of sanctity from its greatest Exponent and
Examplar, Jesus Christ, Who "did not please Himself" (Rom. 15:3),
when we "rend our heart and not our garments" (cf. Joel 2:13) and
turn wholly to the Lord, our God - then and then only are we truly
penitent.
True repentance seeks to make reparation for past sins: and the more
the soul emphasizes in its spiritual life the inexorable law of self-
sacrifice, the greater will be its progress in sanctity.
The infallible test of the truth and power of contrition is a firm
purpose of amendment. This is shown by the resoluteness of will, by
the rigidly fired determination to turn wholly to God. The secret and
unseen resolve of the resolute will is the best criterion that the
sould has risen from the death of sin and has, through correspondence
with grace, dedicated herself to God. Sorrow depends upon the self-
sacrifice, the self-denial the soul is willing to undergo rather than
sin again.
An amended life implies two distinct ideas: one objective, one sub-
jective. The purpose of amnedment involves an internal and external
change. Grace sharpens the soul's eyes the better to behold sin's
malice and strengthens the will to reject what the eyes see so vivid-
ly.
The universally applicable test of an amended life is not the mere
conquest of a ruling passion, but the development of its opposite
virtue.
Humility is another test also universally applicable. When the nat-
ural instinct of self-complacency ceases to rule us, when we so master
ourselves as to become lowly and mean in our own eyes and not to
hanker after the praises of our fellow-man, we are turning to God,
heart and soul
In the true realization of an amended life, our desires must expand
to the unlimited possibilities of perfection in God, though we can't
attain it here.
Our salvation depends more on hope than on its fruition here. We are
saved more by faith increasing, tendencies developing, and charity
expanding than by knowledge acquired, results obtained, and victories
won. Our pursuit of holiness, not its actual acquisition, is the
basis of our judgment of the extent of our virtue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From Approach to Penance
The most satisfactory proof of a soul's authentic penance is seeking
Christ, and to be like Him.
True penance is the healthy expression of the heart in love.
When the human heart loves according to God, it should grow increas-
ingly objective, outgrowing, unoccupied about balancing rival attrac-
tions.
For the confirmation of penance, there must be evidence of peace,
perseverance, joy, humility, and charity.
Obedience is the most effective of all penances because it brings the
soul into the obedience of Christ which was unto death.
1st consequence of penance performed under impulse of grace.
Neg.- remission of punishment incurred by sin.
Pos.- closer approximation to the mind of Christ.
If penance is working according to its purpose, it purifies while it
atones and atones while it purifies. In becoming masters of ourselves,
we stand a better chance of becoming servants of God.
From self-mastery, then, penance looks to the service of God.
This is signified by: greater detachment, greater understanding of
Christ's Passion, greater resignation to the difficulties of life,
greater insight into the ways of the spirit and the problems of other
people.
The best approach to penance is through the Mass.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible penances which do no harm to either charity, prudence & hum-
ility:
not talking whenever chance arises
keep custody of the eyes
dress cheaply and simply
ban useless questions in conversation
never cut short a person who bores you
single out less attractive acquaintances for attention & kindness
aim at a high standard of thoughtfulness
be as exact as possible in disagreeable things like accounts, corres-
pondence, and punctuality.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From "The Heart of the Gospel"
Devotion belongs to the will and has its source in solid convictions.
Give a man a firm unyielding grasp of a truth; follow that up with a
relentless determination to abide by that truth, and you have equipped
a man with full-fledged devotion.
-------------------------------
It is well to note it is not the absence of attention; it is rather
the absence of intention that makes insincerity.
If prayer or Mass or any other religious exercise is begun with the
earnest desire to please God, the mere wandering of the thought from
the words or acts, will not make them insincere. To have insincerity,
the wish itself must wander; the desire of pleasing God must be given
up. If the thought flies off in any direction, the words will still
ring true; the acts will not be mere acting as long as the heart turns
toward God.
______________________________________________________________________
The Matt Talbot Way
1. Daily offering
Heavenly Father, being mindful of the heroic example of Thy servant,
Matt Talbot, I offer Thee this day myself, all my works and prayers,
joys and sorrows, [and in particular, the pleasures and delights of
the food and drink I choose to do without], as an expression of love
for Thy Son, Jesus Christ I pray that these gifts may be pleasing to
Thee, and that Thou wilt favor me with Thy blessings, through the same
Christ our Lord. Amen.
2. Christ-centered prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,have mercy on me, a sinner. (others can
be used.
3. Dedication of the Prayers of the Day
O Blessed Mother of God, I beg thee that I may receive thy Son Jesus
into my heart, through the Holy Ghost by Whom thou conceived Him.
Teach me to know and love Him without measure, as thou adore Him as
Lord and Savior. Draw me to Him so that I may imitate Him in all
things and thereby obtain the blessing of our Heavenly Father, through
the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
4. Spiritual reading
5. Short prayers during the day.
6. Evening prayer
7. Christian living
______________________________________________________________________
From Love, Peace, and Joy
(31)
"Lord, I offer Thee all the sufferings of my sisters, with the desire
to endure them all till the end of the world if such is Thy good plea-
sure." (St. Gertrude)
"Always offer Me, with a contrite and humble heart, the desire to
endure, were it necessary for my Glory, all the sufferings of the
world till the end of time, and thou shalt obtain from My Heart what-
soever thou shalt choose to ask." (Jesus to St. Gertrude)
Desires will be accepted as the act accomplished.
-----------------------------
(43)
1. Let us pray, by means of the Heart of Jesus, by imbibing His
desires, loving with His love, wishing with His Will, and thus our
prayer will always be heard, because it will always be inaccordance
with the Heart of God.
2. Let us MAKE USE of the Heart of Jesus in all our actions, that He
may render them perfect.
3. Let us faithfully offer to Jesus all our sufferings, even the most
trivial, that He may unite them to his own, and enable us to accept
them with the love of His Divine Heart- a twofold condition which will
insure for them an incomparable merit.
4. In prayer let us, as we have said above, use the Heart of Jesus as
the instrument by which we express our love, our thanksgiving,, and
all the acts of worship we owe to God.
--------------------------
(53)
1. The daily OFFERING OF OUR FAULTS to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at
each examen, after every action, with a deep sentiment of confidence
and true love, saying to Him as He Himself taught St. Mechtilde: "I
wish to be perfectly faithful to Thee; I would much rather see my
faults repaired by Thy love than by myself, supposing I were able to
repair them, in order that a greater honor and glory may redound to
Thee>"
2. The offering of our involuntary failures, omissions, etc. result-
ing from our occupations, our distractions, our weaknesses, etc. say-
ing to Our Lord, as He again inspired St. Mechtilde: "Lord, I wish to
give to Thee according to the liberality of Thy generous Heart, accor-
ding to thy goodness, and not according to mine. Deign, then, to ret-
urn to me all that I have involuntarily lost, that I may give it back
to Thee with a liberality like to Thine own.
3. ..."Oh, my Brother, since Thou didst become Man to pay the debts
of mankind, deign now, I beseech Thee, to supply for my indigence, and
entirely acquit those debts which I have incurred."
---------------------------------
(104)
Those who thank God for the graces bestowed on others, and hope to
receive the like, will obtain them. Also, in thanking God for those
graces others have not accepted, or not made good use of, we appropri-
ate them to ourselves, and can be as if we made profit of them.
(108) General formula of reparation
Divine Savior, for Thee and by Thee I wish to repair, perpetually
and universally, all the evil committed in the world, and especially
in Thy sanctuary.
With regard to sinners, I unite myself-
1. To Thy contrition, which is able to repair all our iniquities, and
I apply it to them to cleansee them from our sins, all of which I
would take upon myself with Thee.
2. To Thy satisfactions, in order to cancel the debt of punishment
those sins have incurred.
With regard to God, I unite myself to thy act of unceasing atonement,
and to the love of thy Heart, by which Thou dost restore to Him the
glory and joy which sin has deprived Him.
With regard to the Church, I offer up the merits of thy Passion,
which, by virtue of the union which exists between us, I venture to
appropriate, in order to restore to the Church suffering, all the sat-
isfactory merits; to the Church militant, all the graces; and to the
Angels and Saints all the accidental glory, love and joy, of which
they have been deprived by the sins of men.
-------------------------------------
Per quem Majestatem tuam laudant Angeli-
"By Whom the angels praise thy Majesty- is said at Mass, let him pra-
ise Me in union with that divine praise by which the Holy Trinity
praises itself; that praise which flows first into the Blessed Virgin
Mary, then into all the Angels and Saints. Let him afterwards recite
a 'Pater' in union with that praise which from Heaven, earth, and all
creatures re-ascends to God. Let him, in fine, pray that his supplic-
ation and his praise may be accepted in my Name, since it is I alone
Who can have them graciously received by My Divine Father. Thus all
his sins and negligences will be repaired by Me." We can piously exp-
ect the same grace if we do the same.
______________________________________________________________________
From Simplicity according to the Gospel
The 2 indispensable qualities for beginners in the spiritual life:
joy & liberty of spirit.
The 4 principal signs you have acquired simplicity (purity of intent-
ion):
1. Indifference to your own success- When you don't succeed at some
undertaking, what is it that troubles and discourages you? It is the
failure to achieve the sought for end, a legitimate end, doubtless,
but human. You have had in view the result, the SUCCESS, the work it-
self. If your intention is pure, the success or failure of an under-
taking will be irrelevant to you.
2. Joy in the success of others or in their spiritual progress- If
your intention is pure, you must desire all that honors, rejoices, and
glorifies God. Purity of intention may be recognized by the sincere
and veritable joy that we feel (or at least that we FREELY WISH to
feel by scorning any adverse feeling) at the thought of another's
progress, or in view of the good that we see them accomplish.
3. Freedom from all willful preference for any one thing, from all
decided attachment to anything.
4. Neither to desire nor court the praise or approbation of men for
the good that you do, and to retain your calm and interior peace, if,
on the contrary, you receive only reproaches and blame. You must say
to yourself: If I have done the Will of God, it is all that I desired,
nothing else matters to me.
-------------------------------
O Lord, I desire no other aim in life than to do Thy work, no other
guide than Thy Will, no other happiness than to procure Thy glory by
laboring for the salvation of souls.
-------------------------------
Means of acquiring simplicity:
1. Meditating on the virtue, to understand its primary importance &
absolute necessity, and to arouse within yourself the most ardent des-
ire to possess it at any cost.
2. Order your life, establish a rule of life.
3. Morning offering
4. Frequently renew morning offering in some form throughout the day.
5. Make use of short prayers throughout the day.
Practice the Presence of God
Think of God as present and active, God Who sees, hears, and judges
you; and make acts of faith, adoration, submission, of supplication,
of love, and of total self-sacrifice. And above all, in thinking of
Jesus Christ make frequent acts of love, acts coming from the very
depths of your heart, by which, in a way, you place your heart wholly
in His.
From Patience and Humility
There are 4 virtues, the fruit of divine grace, which in their union
bring the soul to God: humility, faith, purity, and charity. And this
union is the distinctive sign of Christian holiness.
Humolity is a grace of the soul that cannot be expressed in words,
and is known only by experience. It is an unspeakable treasure of God,
and can only be called the gift of God. The more we are subject to
God, the nearer we are to Him. He is infinitely above us, but by this
very subjection we ascend to Him, and find in Him whatever is truly
great.
Humility is the interior, spiritual, sacrificial action through
which, with the profoundest veneration and gratitude, we offer to God
the being and life we have received from Him, with the desire and pra-
yer that we may die to ourselves and live to Him; that we may be whol-
ly changed and transformed into His likeness, detached from earth and
united with God. Butas we come to our God from sin and dark ingrati-
tude, we owe more to Him than our being and our life; we owe Him the
contrition, the breaking to pieces of our sinful form, with regret and
sorrow that we have defiled and defaced His beautiful work; we owe it
to Him to throw away every breath of vanity, falsehood, and evil,
which, when cast out of us, is nothing.
The 12 foundations of humility:
1st- Our vreation from nothing. God is the One, Absolute, Perfect be-
ing; we are but existences that are dependent on the Will of God. for
all we are and have.
2nd- Our intellectual light which makes us intelligent creatures. In
this light, we see the 1st principles of truth, order, and justice;
it is the foundation of our mind and conscience. Man is variable and
changeable, and one man differs from another, but this light shines
to all in the same way; the difference is in the degree of communion
with that light.
3rd- Our dependence on the Providence of God.
4th- Our sins, by them we have deformed and denaturalized our nature,
ungraced ourselves before God, and incurred His reprobation.
5th- the weakness, ignorance and concupiscence that we have inherited
from Original Sin, and have increased by our actual sins.
6th- the open perils and hidden snares with which we are surrounded.
7th- the special odiousness and deformity of pride, which is in dir-
ect oppostion, beyond every other vice, to the order, reason, and
truth of things. Pride turns all things from God; humility turns all
things to god.
8th- in the consideration of what virtue does for us. It opens the
soul to the truth of Christ, & opens the heart to the grace of Christ.
9th- the knowledge of God and His Divine Perfections.
10th- the secure rest provided for the soul in the unspeakable bene-
fits of our Divine Redeemer.
11th- our distance in this vale of tears from the supreme object of
our soul, and the risks we run in the meanwhile from our infirmities.
12th- holy fear of the judgments of God. Unless a humble dependence on
God is the foundation of our life, and the love of God is our ruling
affection, we know not what state God will find us at the moment of
death.
There are 2 things to be considered in every man, and these things
have to be well and carefully distinguished from each other: What the
man is of himself, and what he is by the superadded gifts of God. Ev-
ery man should subject what is purely his own to what is of God, whe-
ther that which is of God is in himself or in another.
This is the principle of humility in its exercise toward our neigh-
bor; it is not a reverence given to human nature, but to the gifts of
God within that nature. But this same humility forbids the unreason-
ableness of judging another man's soul.
Patience is an immediate exercise of the will, which is the spring of
all free and moral actions. When the will rests on God, looks to God,
and draws strength from God, the patience which resists all evils and
disorders, gives us the possession of ourselves, and keeps the soul
in peace, is generated.
Rules for acquiring patience:
1st- to hold its value in great estimation, and to have a great desire
for it.
2nd- to begin the exercise of patience within our own interior, and to
direct our chief attention to the controlling of our interior powers.
3rd- government of the tongue. Let thought go before speech, not the
reverse.
4th- to keep all things in their just and due order.
5th- to bear patiently with those whose tempers are infirm, and to
endure them with charitable kindness.
6th- to manage well our own infirmities of temper.
7th- is given by St. Paul. "Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil
by good."
8th- to bear our interior trials, crossed and aridities with peace and
resignation.
9th- to bear patiently with our own faults and failures.
10th- is that of the perfect, who find a cheering joy in trials, con-
tradictions, and sufferings, not only because they are great helps for
advancing toward God upon the groundworks of humility and patience,
but also because they can find nothing more conducive to detachment
from all that is not God; nothing more effective in subduing their
nature to the reign of grace.
The perfection of our ordinary actions depends on high motives, good
will, and cheerful patience. High motives give our ordinary actions
their value before God; good will makes them vigorous; cheerful pati-
ence makes them orderly, peaceful, effective, and pleasant.
The 1st condition of prayer is attention.
2nd is humility, whereby the soul is opened and made subject to God.
3rd is faith in God, and trust that He will hear our prayer, and grant
it according to His promises.
4th is the love of God, it makes our prayer generous and acceptable.
5th is obedience to the interior movement of the Holy Ghost.
6th is patience. This virtue should be present throughout every good
prayer.
From "How to get more out of Holy Communion"
When you make a resolution to practice a certain virtue, resolve to
practice it inwardly. Exercise that virtue in prayer, in habits of
thought, in meditation. Later on, you attain to its outward practice.
When you receive Communion, therefore, ask Our Lord to live in you
and let you live in him. This is something entirely spiritual.
The most solemn moments of your life are those you spend in thanks-
giving, when the King of Heaven and earth, Your Savior and Your Judge,
is yours, fully inclined to grant all you ask of Him.
Devote half an hour, no less than 15 minutes, to thanksgiving.
Having received Jesus and enthroned Him in your heart, remain quiet
for a moment, not praying in words, but resting in silent adoration.
Prostrate yourself in spirit with the most holy Virgin at the feet of
Jesus. Contemplate Him, while filled with wonder at the sight of His
love.
Proclaim Him King of your heart, Spouse of your soul, and hearken to
His voice. Say to Him, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." Lay
your heart at the feet of the Heavenly King. Offer your will to exe-
cute His commands; consecrate all your senses to His divine service.
Bind your intelligence to His throne so that it may nevermore go ast-
ray; or rather, lay it beneath His feet so that He may press forth
therefrom all pride and vanity.
Do not disturb your soul so long as it is recollected, at peace in
the presence of the Lord. In this gentle slumber on the Heart of
Jesus, it receives grace, which nourishes it, unites it most sweetly
to its Beloved, and profits it more than any other spiritual exer-
cise.
When the moment is past, begin your thanksgiving, for which you may
use with profit the 4 ends of the Holy Sacrifice.
During the day, be like an urn that has held a precious perfume, like
a saint who has spent one hour in heaven; do not forget the visit of
your King.
In thanksgiving after Holy Communion, join with the Blessed Virgin
Mary in adoration by:
1. humility
2. gratitude
3. devotion- offer youself and your life for the service of God.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From Guidance in Spiritual Direction
FOT TRUE CONVERSION:
1st- a knowledge of past guilt, so that the sinner is moved by God's
grace and may realize the cruel tyranny of his sins.
2nd- a great fear should be conceived on account of divine justice,
and a great sorrow for having offended a generous and loving Father.
3rd- comes an efficacious resolution of amendment, and sacramental
confession, accompanied by satisfaction through acts and works of pen-
ance, to which are also added confidence in Christ and hope in His
Blood, and love of so good a Redeemer and an ardent desire of obeying
Him and following in His footsteps, and embracing His cross without
counting the costs. Anyone attaining this stage of conversion may
rightly feel himself dear and acceptable to God.
THE FRUITS OF PENANCE:
1st- Past faults demand that the sinner ought to maintain a habitual
sorrow for his failures so that the mere perception of anything evil,
whether in reading, conversing, or by any other means or ways, at
once produces displeasure and sorrow.
2nd- the continual rememberance of sin in a general way- "my sin is
always before me."
3rd- satisfaction, and that is 2fold: 1, that some penalty unwelcome
to the body is undergone; the other and more excellent: that we may
cultivate those virtues which we have heretofore violated.
4th- fear and circumspection lest we sin again.
5th- solicitude and watchfulness in avoiding occasions of sin.
6th- diligent care in plucking up the roots of sin.
7th- to have a most lowly opinion and contempt of self. This should
not be too difficult when we reflect how we, by our sind, have offen-
ded an Infinite God.
8th- a firm resolution of amendment and eagerness to improve. Only he
is perfectly converted who, regretting his past sins, intends not to
repeat what he may again regret.
9th- the last fruit is the love of God, that is, perfect conversion
to God and aversion from all sins, and love of our neighbor.
Mental prayer- silent application and elevation of our heart and mind
to God, to offer Him praise and homage, and to promote His glory by
our advancement in virtue.
Principles of mortification:
1. It is a means and not an end, for perfection does not consist in
self-denial, but in charity, and so, mortification ought to be adap-
ted to the end that it develops charity.
2. It must include the whole man, body and soul.
3. It must be practiced with discretion and prudence.
4. Interior mortification is superior to exterior.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Capital Sins
PRIDE - inordinate self-love
Remedies:
1. humble prayer
2. deep conviction of our nothingness- that we are nothing, can do
nothing of ourselves, and that we are sinners.
3. frequent meditation on the words of Holy Scripture, "God resisteth
the proud." (Jas. 4:6)
Signs of eradication:
1. a holy fear of God stirs us, and if we strive constantly to acqu-
ire humility.
2. if we firmly believe that only sins and evil proceed from us, and
that all good things come from God.
3. if we subject ourselves to God, and for His love, submit likewise
to superiors, equals and inferiors.
4. if we covet in no way at all high station, office, and deem honors
as worthless, that we may gain Christ.
5. if we suffer abandonment, neglect, and false accusation.
6. if we bear with delight and patient spirit every adversity and hu-
miliation.
7. if wedesire to be unknown, to be accounted as nothing, and in the
innermost recessof the heart be really convinced that we are unworthy
of any honor, or any good, even life itself.
COVETOUSNESS - inordinate love of riches and temporal goods
Remedies:
1. to be satisfied with a few things.
2. to seek to possess only the barest essentials.
3. to meditate frequently on the worthlessness of earthly goods.
4. to be liberal in the sharing of what we do possess.
Signs of defeated covetousness:
1. joy rather than depression when we suffer a material loss.
2. constant and abiding realization that whatever we do possess comes
to us from God, and that we are only stewards bound to render a strict
account for the use of material goods.
3. careful avoidance of all acts of injustice.
4. a willingness to share our goods with the poor and needy.
LUST - a desire for impure pleasure
The vestiges of lust are:
1. impure thoughts not promptly expelled from the mind.
2. Insufficient regard for personal modesty.
3. lack of proper control over the senses of sight and touch.
4. too much delicacy in denying our bodies ease, exotic foods, perf-
umes, clothing, etc.
5. Dangerous reading material.
6. Over-familiarity with persons of the opposite sex.
Remedies:
1. Prompt rejection of impure thoughts or desires.
2. constant thought of the Presence of God.
3. ridding the mind of all inordinate affection for persons/things.
4. daily acts of mortification.
5. mortification of the imagination and the prompt rejection of mat-
erial that can produce immodest ideas.
6. careful avoidance of the occasions of sin, & prayer for strength
to cooperate with God's grace in this regard.
The overall remedies are: the Sacraments, prayer, meditation & morti-
fication, spiritual reading, frequent aspirations, lively realization
of the Presence of God, control of our 5 senses, and clear & open
manifestation to our spiritual father of all affections and besetting
temptations.
The signs of extinguished lust:
1. A burning love of and desire for chastity.
2. Only rare and sinless commotions of the flesh.
3. Prompt & easy rejection of impure thoughts & desires.
4. Ease in guarding the senses, especially sight and touch.
5. If stings of the flesh subside from lack of attention and without
any sense of pleasure.
6. If those of the opposite sex in no way stir concupiscence in us.
ANGER - can be defined as an inordinate desire for revenge. Its acts
are mainly of the will and thought; words and deeds.
Remedies (Remote):
1. careful self-scrutiny to discover its presence or likelihood.
2. the arousing of an abiding hatred for it.
3. daily prayers petitioning resistance to it.
4. frequentation of the Sacraments.
5. spiritual reading, especially lives of the saints.
6. counsel from superiors and spiritual directors.
Remedies (proximate):
1. faithful practice of humility, especially when subjected to abuse,
contempt, or aggravations.
2. avoiding the company of tale-bearers.
3. uprooting suspicions from the heart.
4. recourse to short prayer when excitement to anger is felt.
5. use of soothing words when one is subject to wrathful words or
actions. "A mild tongue breaketh wrath." (Prov 15:1)
Signs of anger subdued:
1. The prompt restraint of the external manifestations of anger.
2. Control of internal motions of anger, deeming as contrary to the
virtue of humility and unbecoming a child of God.
3. Prayer for those who have offended us.
4. Kind words and good deeds to those who have offended us.
5. Control of ourselves, even when violently moved by the force of
action against us, being mindful of the words of Holy Scripture: "Be
angry, and sin not."
GLUTTONT - inordinate indulgence in food and drink
Remedies:
1.The practice of some mortification at each meal.
2. Being satisfied with what is set before us.
3. care taken not to cultivate a taste for rare and expensive foods.
4. purity of intention in eating or drinking, "do all to the Glory
of God."
5. total abstinence from or great restriction in the use of alcohol.
6. moderation in quantity of food & dring consumed.
Signs of conquered gluttony:
1. pleasure in being served the smallest/least attractive portions.
2. no problem with no between-meals eating.
3. food taken with avidity.
4. when we are moved to take a little more of what we dislike & less
of what we do like, thus practicing mortification.
ENVY - tendency to be saddened by another's good as if that good were
an affront to our superiority. The 4 kinds of good productive of
envy:
1. honors & riches
2. qualities of the mind - science, learning
3. qualities of the soul - holiness, virtue
4. grace & giftd of the Holy Ghost in others
Remedies:
1. control & repression of the 1st movement of envy in the soul.
2. seeing in another's preferment to an honor or office, God's Will.
3. frequent meditation on Jesus' humility.
4. rememberance of the Mystical Body doctrine and awareness the one
we envy is a member of it as well.
5. seeing in the deprivation of worldly goods or honors, a hidden
blessing and something permitted by God for our spiritual good.
Signs of vanquished envy:
1. When we are happy others have special honors conferred on them.
2. When we suffer with others over their material losses.
3. When we come quickly to the defense of someone whose office or
good fortune we are tempted to envy.
4. When we are the 1st to congragulate those who have surpased us in
honors or learning.
5. When we hasten to help and console those who have suffered spir-
itual or temporal reverses.
SLOTH - a laziness which leads to our neglecting spiritual & temporal
duties.
Remedies (body):
1. stirring up in ourselves the realization that work is necessary
and omposed on man by God Himself.
2. a careful discharge of all the duties in our state in life.
3. avoiding procrastination.
4. setting up a rule of life.
5. frequent prayer for strength of will to do promptly and well what
is prescribed by rule or commanded by those over us.
Remedies (soul):
1. the undertaking with a certain joy all the works of religion and
charity.
2. meditations frequently made on the end of our life here on earth,
which is to know, love and serve God and that it is through love,
practice of virtue, and work that we shall reach heaven.
3. to have special intentionseach day for which to offer our work
and prayers.
4. daily reading of the lives of the saints.
Signs of vanquished sloth:
1. Prompt performance of duties.
2. when duties are never omitted or curtailed except for grave
reasons.
3. when even spare time/periods of recreation are used profitably.
4. No complacency in spritual progress, and daily aspiration to grow
in grace & holiness.
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LUKEWARMNESS, or TEPIDITY - a distaste for piety and spiritual things
in general, which causes a person to perform duties in a careless,
lazy manner.
Signs:
1. Great facility in omitting or negligent performance of our exer-
cises of piety.
2. The soul feels not altogether right with God.
3. Habitual acting without any intention at all, good, bad, or indif-
ferent.
4. Carelessness about forming habits of virthue.
5. Contempt of little things and of daily opportunities.
6. Thinking rather of the good we have done than striving for the
future.
Remedies:
1. Careful and diligent daily examination of conscience.
2. recourse to our director or confessor and the opening of our
heart to him.
3. fervent practice of the exercises of piety.
4. prayer for the strength of will that strives to never refuse God.
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That our actions be rightly performed and found perfect before God:
1. All things are to be done with the upright and simple intention of
their being done for God.
2. While engaging in exterior affairs, not to lose the spirit of int-
erior devotion.
3. All things are to be performed in the presence & the sight of God.
4. Apply ourselves diligently to the work at hand.
5. Think of the judgment at the end of our life and perform each and
every action as though it were to be our last.
6. Offer all our thoughts, works, and actions, to God, but uniting
them with that oblation by which Christ offered Himself and all man-
kind to God, thus making our oblation one with Christ's.
7. Have the right intention - that of having God as the end of our
work and referring all things to His honor and glory. "To them that
love God, all things work together unto good." (Rom. 8:28)
The Signs of a right intention:
1. When we are not upset when our undertakings do not turn out well.
2. When we rejoice over the good done by others as if it were done by
us.
3. When we neither desire to be praised for the discharge of our dut-
ies, nor to receive proofs from others of their satisfaction.
4. When what we do doesn't divert us from prayer, from attention to
conscience, from rememberance of God.
5. When we are prepared for, and indifferent to, whether we have adv-
ersity or prosperity, wealth or poverty, honor or contempt, sickness
or health, a long or short life, & embrace all with joy. We seek God,
what does it matter how we reach Him?
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Divine Spirit (intelligence)
1. Always teaches truth & can never suggest evil.
2. Never suggests anything vain, extravagent, useless or sterile.
3. Always brings light to the soul.
4. Always inspires docility, humility, and discretion.
(In the will)
1. Peace
2. Humility-sincere & not affected
3. Great confidence in God and distrust of self
4. Flexibility of will-great willingness to follow God's inspirations
but a facility to follow the advice of others.
5. Purity of intention in all our works.
6. Patience in suffering.
7. Voluntary interior mortification.
8. Simplicity, sicerity, and truthfulness.
Diabolical spirit (intellect)
1. prposal of false or erroneous things.
2. Inconvenient, light, and useless things.
3. Indiscretions.
4. Vain things & proud suggestions
(In the will)
1. Confusion, uneasiness, and fright.
2. Manifest pride or false humility.
3. Despair, defiance, vain security.
4.Disobedience or obstinacy to those in authority.
5. Evil motives & intention in one's works.
6. Impatience & revolt against adversities.
7. Resurgence of the passions.
8. Indifference to imitation of Christ's example.
9. False charity & false zeal.
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From Why am I Tempted
The Elements of Temptation
Presentation- The 1st step, it's the suggestion of evil. If it's wil-
led by you, it's sinful. If it's not willed by you, it's not sinful,
no matter how vivid it is, or how violently it assaults you. No cons-
ent, no willing = no sin.
Delectation- The sensation of pleasure which is caused directly by
the presentation. This, in itself, is not sinful. It is sinful only
when the pleasure is consented to. Mere perception or feeling is not
sinful, as long as there was not unnecessary or willful exposure,
without a good cause.
The Action of the Will- this is whether consent is given or not.
The essence of a sin consists, not in an outward bad action, but in
the deliberate adherance of the will to what is recognized as forbid-
den by the divine law. All sin is committed INTERIORLY by the mind
and will, or "in the heart" as it is commonly called.
When you resist temptation, it becomes the means of great spiritual
gain. It promotes growth in virtue, in the love of God, in grace and
in merit for heaven. Firm resistance to temptation means nothing less
than perfect love of God and fidelity in His service, and obedience
to His holy law.
Benefits of temptation
Probation of the soul-temptations are designed to be a means of prov-
ing and testing our fidelity & loyalty to God.
Growth in humility-They show us our weakness, and serve to remind us
that we are totally dependent on God.
Penance for past sins-By resisting, we can, in some measure, atone
for our past sins.
Growth in the love of God-
Increase of Merit and Eternal Glory-
Conduct during temptations
Be firm, but calm.
Don't fear temptation too much.
Offer indirect resistance-Pray,turn attention elsewhere; also the
cultivation of elevating & ennobling thoughts, especially those of a
religious character.
Reveal temptations to confessor.
Prayer & the Sacraments.
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From Basic Spiritual Means
Motivation-we must make a practical judgment that something (such as
acquiring a virtue, or conquering a vice) is desirable, good, and
beneficial for us. How do we motivate ourselves in a practical way so
that our will will spring into action seeking any particular good?
We must MEDITATE. We must think about, mull over, and ruminate about
all the compelling reasons for and benefits of having the virtue or
not having the vice until the result becomes appealing and beautiful
enough to trigger our will into action to get it.
These motives or reasons can be drawn from: FAITH, by examining the
teaching and example of our Lord on the subject in question; by exam-
ining the example of the saints, and perhaps even one's own compani-
ons; REASON, such as the difficult or absurd or un desirable consequ-
ences of taking the opposite course.
Basically, the best motivation is love of God, and His love for us.
The means is meditation on God's great love for us, and unceasing
earnest prayer to beg God for the grace to love Him enough to want to
combat our predominant fault.
Mental prayer is simply the talking over of ourselves with God each
day. It is a conversation with God about Him and us. It stresses the
use of the mental faculties, the memory, imagination, and particularly
the mind and the will.
We have not begun to pray until we start to use our will. The purpose
of our reflection is not to think beautiful thoughts, but that the
thoughts might move our will to act, that is, to make acts.
Some examples of this are: to tell God that we love Him, to tell God
that we are sorry for having hurt Him, to tell God that we want to
make reparation, etc.
These acts of the will are known as affections. We do not have to
feel these affections. Whatever our feelings if we kneel in meditation
and tell God we love Him, etc. we are praying.
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3 kinds of humble people:
1. Those who FEEL humble; lowdown.
2. Those who THINK they are humble.
3. Those who realize humility is based on the realization of what we
truly are in God's sight and demands that we act in accordance with
that realization.
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From "Ask the Headhunter"
The 4 questions:
1. Do you understand the job that needs to be done?
2. Can you do the job?
3. Can you do the job the way the employer wants it done?
4. Can you do the job profitably for the company?
The 6 Secrets of the New Interview
1. Insiders have the best shot at the job-Employer will usually hire
someone he knows. You must be perceived as a valued employee, not an
outsider.
2. The real matchmaking is done before the interview-You must know
the exact parameters of the job before you interview.
3. The interview is an invitation to do the job-An interview is an
exchange of information between 2 or more people. You must DO THE
JOB in the interview.
4. The employer wants to hire you, and he will help you win the inter-
view-He wants you to be the right candidate, so show that you are.
5.The boss wants one thing from you: he wants you to solve a problem
profitably-Know exactly what problem you have to solve in order to
win an offer.
6. You will win the job by doing it-By solving the problem in the
interview.
How will the 4 questions help you WIN the right job?