Whether people realize or not, we easily commit sins, be it venial or mortal, especially more people today do not have God in their lives. All the more when people do not humble themselves but easily give in to their pride. Without humility we will not recognize the grace of God and to turn away from our sinful ways. Without humility we will not be able to be docile to God’s grace to turn to the Sacrament of Penance, to be reconciled with God. Always remember that no matter how often we fall into sin we have to confound the devil by turning to the Sacrament of Penance and confess one’s sins and to receive spiritual guidance from a priest. It does not matter how often you repeat the same sin, you should confess it; put your trust in God’s mercy. Strive to be resolute in amending your life. When you realize that you have been wounded by sin, whether through weakness or malice, do not lose your courage or become panic-stricken. Be of hope, turn to God with a great and humble confidence saying: “See, O Master, what I am able to do, when I rely on my own strength, I commit nothing but sins.” Meditating on this, recognize the extent of your humiliation and express to our Lord your sorrow for the offence committed. With an unperturbed heart, indict your vicious passions, especially the one that has occasioned your fall, and confess: “ O, Lord, I would not have stopped at this had not Your goodness restrained me.” (Being humble and docile, one recognizes God’s grace working within oneself.) Give thanks to God, and more than ever give to Him the complete love of your heart. What generosity on His part! You have offended Him and, despite this, He extends His hand to prevent another fall. With your heart full of confidence in His infinite mercy, say to Him: “O, Master, show forth Thy Divinity and pardon me! Never permit me to be separated from Thee, (to be) deprived of Thy help; never permit me to offend Thee again!” *After you have done this, do not upset yourself by examining whether God has forgiven you or not. This is a complete loss of time, an outcropping of pride, a spiritual sickness, an illusion of the devil who seeks to harm you under the cover of an apparent good act. Place yourself in the merciful arms of God, and plunge into your usual duties, as though nothing had happened. (Don’t dwell in *scrupulosity.) The number of times during the day that you fall cannot shake the basis of a true confidence in Him. Return after your second, your third, your last defeat, with the same confidence. Each lapse will teach you greater contempt for your own strength, greater hatred for sin, and, at the same time, will give you greater prudence. This will dismay your enemy because it is pleasing to God. The devil will be thrown into confusion, baffled by one he has so often overcome. As a result, he will bend every effort to induce you to change your tactics. He frequently succeeds when a strict watch is not kept over the tendencies of the heart. The efforts expended in conquering yourself must correspond to the difficulties encountered. A single performance of this exercise is not sufficient. It should be frequently repeated though but one fault has been committed. Consequently, if you have fallen, if you are greatly perturbed and your confidence is shaken, you must first recover your peace of mind and confidence in God. Raise your heart to heaven. Be convinced that the trouble that sometimes follows the commission of a fault is not so much a sorrow for having offended God, but is a fear of punishment. The way to recover this peace is to forget, for the moment, your fault and to concentrate on the ineffable goodness of God and His burning desire to pardon the gravest sinners. He uses every possible means to call the sinners back, to unite them entirely to Himself, to sanctify them in this life, and make them eternally happy in the next. This consideration, or others of its kind, will bring peace back to your soul. Then you may reconsider the malice of your error in the light of what has been said above. Finally, when you approach the sacrament of Penance, - I advise you to do this frequently - recall all of your sins and sincerely confess them. Reawaken your sorrow for having committed them, and renew your resolutions to amend your life in the future.
Never forget that the devil continually seeks your destruction but more importantly that God will never leave you without His graces that strengthens you. Book source: Chapter 26 of The Spritual Combat and a treatise on peace of soul, by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli |
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January 2024
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