Putting God Into A Box

Returning to the idea of discernment as understood by St. Ignatius, an idea which I covered in some posts earlier this year and last month, I want to emphasize a few points which may help some readers avoid the deadly fall into deceit when the times of tribulation come upon us.

One falls into deceit when one does not know one's self, and when one does not have a relationship with God. For St. Ignatius, one's relationship with God was a constant, something which "happened" all day, in every circumstance.

If one is talking with a friend, God is there in the conversation, When one is shopping, God is there with one, and when one is walking in the sunshine, God walks with one.

There is never, for the Catholic who is in sanctifying grace, a time when God is not in relationship.

For those who have been in love, we understand this permeation of love in all things, at all times.

God is conscious of us all the time. If He was not, we would not exist. In prayer, we attempt to become conscious of God, Who is with us all the time.

But, too many Catholics want to put God in a box. They do not want God to be in their living rooms, sitting by them at the computer, in the midst of a conversation.  The God-in-a-box is a safe God, a God controlled by one's own will.

Sometimes people remember their "conversion" or "reversion" experience as if that was the only time God was with them in some way.

It is good to remember important encounters with God, such as our First Communion Day, or the day one got married, or made a vow to a religious order and so on.

But, those peak moments do not define one's relationship with God.

God in one's life is not now and then, but always, all the time, everywhere.

God may be most obvious in suffering. Lately, I have encountered much I suffering and have tried to find God in that suffering.

Of course, I do find God in the suffering--the God of the Passion.

Every Friday, as part of my prayers for the Auxilium Christianorum, I pray the Litany of Humility.

Now, when one prays this, one must expect God to answer this litany. God takes us seriously when we pray.

Let me remind you of this litany. And, let me give you real examples of how God answers this, the God Who encounters us in ordinary as well as extraordinary events of our days.

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus. Then, one loses a job, and loses status, becoming an invisible 

From the desire of being loved...Then, one is passed over by another, when one wants to be especially loved 
From the desire of being extolled ...Then, no one notices one's gifts or achievements
From the desire of being honored ...Ditto, and one is ignored even in small successes
From the desire of being praised ...Deeds are done unnoticed
From the desire of being preferred to others...One's friends have no time for one's company
From the desire of being consulted ...One is either told things one already knows, or one is not consulted when one has more knowledge
From the desire of being approved ...Then, one is actually not approved of, but finds only distrust and disdain from others; the following are the tests of saints...to no longer fear even betrayal or mistrust, or being unloved....because in holiness, they have found freedom...
From the fear of being humiliated ...Christ let Himself be put in a manger
From the fear of being despised...Christ allowed Himself to be hated by His Own People
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...Christ was slapped and spit upon
From the fear of being calumniated ...Christ was accused of false teaching
From the fear of being forgotten ...The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests....
From the fear of being ridiculed ..."If you are the Son of God, come down from the Cross."
From the fear of being wronged ...Judas, a friend, betrayed Christ
From the fear of being suspected ..."Is not this the carpenter's Son?"

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...Finally, one takes joy in this...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...Finally, one only wants to be hidden in God
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...One sits with Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...One comes to understand the truth of being lowly
That others may be preferred to me in everything...and, one rejoices in letting others be recognized over one
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…seeing that God has called one to be a little one, and not a great saint....

When one is able to fulfill the graces of this litany, a person would be completely free. God would not longer be in a box, but one would walk and talk and sleep in God constantly.

If a Catholic does not want to become truly humble, he or she should not say this prayer.

God answers this prayer and He is no longer in the box of one's own making.

Sometimes, God will take a person to the edge of Gethsemane and make one wait until one is strong enough spiritually to enter into the Garden. One can see the darkness, but not understand, until He allows one into the place of His Own suffering.

Then, and only then, does the Catholic become authentic. Until one really accepts suffering with Christ in His Passion, all is pretense and play.

Three times Christ asked Peter is he loved Him, because of the three denials of Peter.

Not only was Christ showing Peter how to forgive, but the necessity of being open to the daily encounter with God. 

It is too easy to betray God. It is too easy to put Him into a box.

Like St. Ignatius, one has to come to the knowledge that God is with us, all around us, in every circumstance, constantly.

In this realization, we come to knowledge of the self, and knowledge of God.

The more one knows one's self and knows God, the greater is one's capacity to love.

We meet Christ at Mass Who has allowed us to put Him in a box, the tabernacle.  Christ Present in the Host has become the Vulnerable God, the Hidden God in the Host. One thinks that one can manipulate this Small God. 

Those who have put God in a box cannot appreciate either spiritually or spiritually the great freedom which Christ has given us in the Eucharist.

We consume God. We become one with Him as He becomes one with us. We become the box, the tabernacle of God. We hold Him either in love and awe, or even in a darkness. For those who receive Him unworthily, (and only God can make us worthy), the Body of Christ is again, as during the Passion, put into the cell of satan, the prison of one's own making.

Christ has made Himself accessible to us in the Host. He is the God of Bethlehem's manger, the God of the prison of the Sanhedrin, the God on the Cross...

The sacrilege of receiving Christ when in serious sin is a mocking of the Passion of Christ, and a denial of His suffering.

Either one allows God to purify the body, soul, imagination, memory and will, in order to become a holy receptacle, or one mocks God by imprisoning Him in one's own self-centeredness and sin.

One loses the chance to become more like Christ, and in the narcissism of sin, one wants to make Christ into one's own image and likeness.

Only humilty and love can save one from this putting God into a box.

Once one understands and experiences love, the box of one's own self becomes a little place of heaven, the cell of contentment and peace.

But, this takes courage. 

Be a tabernacle, not a prison. Let God out of the box of selfishness, malice, mistrust, fear...let Him meet you in freedom.

He is always with us, always, desiring us to meet Him in freedom, humility and love.

All barriers, all boundaries melt away, and one becomes alive trusting in God.

Life becomes exciting and new, and one learns to live outside the box of conformity, false comfort, and selfishness.

Let God out of the box of your own making. Let Him lead you into freedom.

BTW, during the Protestant Revolt in England, the Protestants made fun of the True Presence, by referring to the Eucharist as the Jack-in-the-Box, a reference to an earlier myth that a local saint in Princes Risborough captured the devil and put him into a boot. This horrible disrespect and blasphemy of the Protestants towards the Eucharist displayed itself in the mockery of the Consecrated Hosts in many places, including the documented throwing of the Hosts on the ground at Fountains Abbey and the visitators forcing the horses to trample Christ.

They put Christ in the box of their own power, imaginations, hatred...

Those men crucified Him again and again and again...

The tabernacles of England were emptied for a long time because people wanted to put God into a box of their own making.

God is more than we know...

Framing Prayer 21 The Jesuits and Mary

While some orders have a day of discipline, by setting aside certain hours for prayer and some for work and necessities, such as eating and sleeping, the Jesuit must organize his own day according to his work.

In this way, the day of the Jesuit, especially in the missions, would resemble a lay day. And, if the Jesuit teaches at one of the many colleges or universities, his day would be similar to that of a college professor--with a huge difference.

I assume that most readers do not know that the patron of the Jesuit order is Our Lady Mary, under the title of Madonna Della Strada, Our Lady of the Road.

St. Ignatius chose this devotion to Mary as she interceded for him under this title. But, for me, this name of Mary evokes the peripatetic nature of missionary work and the movement of the Jesuit order across the world. In addition, such a patron would help a lay person realize, in his or her busy life, that Mary is with him or her on the way.

Like the popes before him, Pope Francis has a great love for Mary, especially Our Lady Undoer of Knots. But, this love of Mary has been a mark of the Jesuit order from day one. This image of Mary may be found in the Gesu, the main Jesuit Church in Rome. I was there twice.

Other chapels are dedicated to Our Lady of the Road, like the one at Loyola in Chicago.

Mary calls each one of us to follow her to Jesus, to take up a "way", a life, which includes prayer and discipline.  One of the readings for the Feast of Our Lady of the Way, or Road (May 24th) follows. In this selection from Proverbs, the reader is exhorted to become wise, become just, and then, perfect. 

Proverbs 4:10-18Douay-Rheims 

10 Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.

11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:

12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest thou shalt not meet a stumbling block.

13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.

14 Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.

15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.

16 For they sleep not except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.

17 They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.

18 But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.

Of course, one of my favorite paintings of Christ, mentioned several times on this blog, the original Sacred Heart by Batoni is also in the Gesu, and in the old Jesuit Church in Malta, the Church of the Circumcision, where I would go pray daily when I lived in Valletta.

This call to the devotion to Our Lady is advice not only for a Jesuit, but for us as well. Our prayers must be based on the words of God, on the Word of God and the Mother of the Word. We, too, must leave the way of evil and cling to Mary. The Post-Communion prayer for the day indicates that one must rely on Mary to intercede for us daily in our work and we are called to look to her for inspiration.

Lord,
we rejoice in your sacraments
and ask your mercy
as we honour the memory of the Virgin Mary.
May her faith and love inspire us to serve you more faithfully
in the work of salvation.
Grant this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

Perhaps Mary of the Road is a good companion for a lay person on the way to deep prayer and union with Christ.

to be continued....

Lesson from St. Ignatius

Detachment Again

A long time ago, I wrote in the perfection series about detachment.

When one truly becomes detached from one's own desires and no longer prefers something to something else, one can finally hear God.

People ask me, "How can I hear God."  I answer, "Become totally detached from everything."

In fact, imperfect love can be a distraction and is a sign of the lack of detachment. One can only truly love a person when one loves that person for the sake of Christ. One has to become detached from affections. One reason why so many marriages fail is the lack of detachment which allows one to love the other in the marriage freely.

This scares people, as they think that detachment means unlove. On the contrary, one is capable of real love, sacrificial love once one is detached. One loves more like God loves.

Too often, people cannot discern, (see my series on discerment), because they are too attached to people, things, places.

How can one know God's Will if one cannot determine what is from God and what is from the flesh, the world, or the devil? One learns how to determine God's working in one's life through detachment.

I write this for four men who are friends of mine and who are struggling with detachment. Not all of them read this blog, but I pray for them and ask that you do as well. They do not mind me referring to them in a general way, as it will help other men discern reality in their lives. These men are called to move on in their faith in a huge and demanding way. Without detachment, they cannot go on to the next stage of holiness to which God is calling them.

The same is true for each one of us. Without detachment even from our own desires, one cannot see what it is that God desires for our lives.

We must be detached so that we can hear God speaking to us in the quiet of prayer, and in the daily movements of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Repost

Monday, 8 December 2014

The Virtue of Studiosity

Posted by Supertradmum

Father Chad Ripperger has been one of the most influential priests in my life via his amazing set of talks and some personal input. He is the reason I am in the third order which he started. His intellect and spiritual insights are gifts from God.

One of the things he has pointed out is something I have written on this blog-the sin of curiosity.

This sin causes people to run after approved and unapproved apparitions. We do not need to concern ourselves with visions, but we do need to study our faith.

Recently, Father noted that curiosity is a vice, even when it is connected to wanting to know the latest about certain apparitions, even approved ones.

The virtue which is the opposite of this vice is studiosity, the virtue connected to temperance, which is a search for the truth which is disciplined and ordered. 

We are responsible for knowing the Faith, and we are also responsible for dulling our own intellects.

Raissa, as I noted, cried out in her diary for people to know their religion, the Catholic religion.

Without knowledge of the Faith, one easily falls into many other vices, and we are responsible for that type of falling away.

Studiosity is a virtue. If one is an adult and never studies the Faith in the Catechism or the encyclicals, or other excellent books, one is committing two sins at least. One is sloth and the other is neglect of conscience.

Ask yourselves honestly in your examination of conscience whether you are studying. If one merely chooses one author, such as St. Alphonsus, or the Pope Emeritus, or St. Augustine, or St. Therese of Lisieux, one is doing one's duty.

But the virtue demands that we study not only spirituality and prayer, but doctrine and dogma.

Studiosity is connected to the great virtue of temperance, the virtue which strengthens our reason. Temperance prepares us to combat temptation. Studiosity allows us to know the Faith so that we can avoid temptations and prepare for holiness.

Are you studying anything solid with regard to the Faith?

For those caught up with seers and visions, even approved ones, I challenge you to set those books aside and begin to study your Faith.

We are required to do this, and the fact that there is a virtue which helps us do so should be comforting.

Thomas Aquinas makes this distinction between curiosity, which actually is connected to lust and greed, and studying.  Curiosity connects us with the senses, not the intellect. Whereas studying increases our knowledge in order to help us know God and ourselves.

To be constantly distracted by trivia may be an indication that one has fallen into the vice of curiosity.



to be continued...

OK A Respite And A Post on A Common Sin

Mark 6:1-6

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

6 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.2 On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary[a] and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense[b] at him. 4 Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” 5 And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.

I am in a waiting mode and cannot do any of the work I need to do for some very good reasons. I also need surgery but cannot schedule that either. Pray for me. My only consolation is that I am joined to the Cross of Christ in a real way. I rely totally on Divine Providence alone.

Therefore, I am writing a post on the sin of sentimentality, one to which I am not personally prone, but one which I find is more common in America than in Europe. Europeans tend to fall into the sin of cynicism, which is that nothing is true or good or holy. The sin of sentimentality encourages a subjective thinking in which a person only sees the good, and never evil. A healthy objectivity marks the saint, who knows in the depth of his heart and soul that one could be the worst sinner ever, but for the grace of God.

This objectivity must be reached and is encouraged by God in the Dark Night, in the passive purgation.

One waits for God. One waits in God, but one must never fall into sentimentality.

Not being of a romantic nature, I have other sins, but this sin of sentimentality grips the GenXers, who look towards good feelings.

Sentimentality rests on bad theology, a theology which confuses natural law, and the dignity of the human person, seeing all things, all creation as equal, which it is most certainly not.

Now, my readers know that I really like animals. I am partial to birds, dogs, cats, and horses.

But, I am not sentimental about such creatures. They have animal souls and I shall not see my dead pets in heaven.

God gave me these pets for my comfort and amusement while on earth. Period.

GenXers were raised on sentiment, which comes from seeing the emotions as all-important and the reasoning faculties of humans as not worthy of consideration. When classical education fell into disuse, along with it was the loss of the training of the mind in rational discourse. How many times have I written on this topic on this blog and the Guild blog as well? Many.

Emotions clog up the soul, the mind, the heart, the imagination with goo and this goo bubbles up into sentimentality.

Catholics seriously lack discernment. Why? Three reasons. One, they refuse to admit that in Confirmation they are given the gift of knowledge which develops into discernment with prayer and practice. Sloth takes over the practice of virtue.

Two, discernment demands that one is absolutely ruthless about one's own sins. Humility brings about discernment.

Three, deceit in the world clouds many people's imaginations to be the point where they can no longer think like Catholics. Catholics, especially saints, know that the emotions must follow reason, or one becomes a slave of emotion and sentimentality.

God's justice must be the most misunderstood attribute of God in 2015, because people have fallen into sentimentality. Sentimentality will not judge between good and evil. We can name a very prominent priest who has fallen into heresy over sentimentality about God being so merciful that He would not allow anyone to choose hell.

Remember when I wrote about raising mushy kids instead of children in the Church Militant? This mushiness rises out of the sin of sentimentality.

The Church in the pew in America is weak because sentimentality creates nasty, long roots of false connections, tying one down to pagan families, immoral cultural pursuits, and even mortal sin. Sentimentality crushes truth, making one feel good about themselves, their families, even their friends.

Unbelief comes from many sources, but sentimentality and cynicism destroy belief. Christ in today's Gospel is seen as not being able to work in His own territory. Why?

The lack of discernment.....and if you remember, I have an entire series on discernment.

More later, maybe.....maybe.

Discernment Exercises

One of things I am learning is how to discern God's Will in an extremely difficult and immediate situation. Something happened today which I shall use as an example.

Three times in the past month, God warned me in prayer that something for which I was preparing and working towards was not going to happen. The first time I thought I heard God in prayer, I merely thought that this warning was my imagination, a warning growing out of my own self, based on anxiety.

The second time I hear this message, I thought that perhaps it could be God talking to me, but I doubted the message which I was hearing, and again thought that this message was from my own imagination.

The third time I heard this message, I began to listen and wondered, is God telling me this and if so why? Then, I asked for a sign in order to determine whether what I was hearing was true or false.

I did not get the affirmation I needed for the counter-decision not to do something I had planned for months. As I did not get the affirmation, I doubted the message.

Then, this morning, the thing for which I was planning blew up in my face. What I had heard came true and I was in the state of amazement that what I had heard had been, all these weeks, from God.

I am learning discernment at a different level. This level is one which demands listening, reflecting, but responding.

My spiritual director is out of the country, otherwise I would have discussed these stages with him.

Here is the situation.

I heard three times that I would not be flying out of Malta today. I heard that this would not happen and that I should listen. I did not trust myself or God well enough.

When I was at the check-in, I was told that my travel agent had made a mistake on my ticket, putting the wrong name on the ticket, using only my middle names and not my last name. I was not allowed on the plane and had to buy another ticket.

I do not know whether I shall get a refund from the travel agent or not, but I am not getting a refund on the fast train or the hotel, as I cancelled on the same day.

Thank God I had enough money for a new ticket-just.

So, what am I suppose to learn from this?

One, to know that God indeed "speaks" to me about things ahead of time to be able to change, to plan, to respond.

Two, to know that I am not trusting myself, but in God, and that I can trust Him, especially in Adoration.

Three, that God did not intend to change this situation of fault or even carelessness, or even mistakes, because people all have free will. But, what He wants to teach us is that He can train us to respond quickly to a situation even ahead of time.

If I had trusted in God and listened, I would have my two fees returned, the hotel and the train ticket refunded, and, also, I could have had my ticket taxes refunded.

But, more than that, God did not want me to fly out today, for some reason. I do not know the reason, except I did use the day to discuss Godly things and pray with a friend. Perhaps, God thought this was more important than my leaving today.

We need to learn to react quickly to situations which are awkward and even expensive, but according to God's Plan. God does not care about comfort or money or situations which we think are odd. He tests our obedience

His Divine Will shall be done. Can we discern early enough to respond properly?

Can we learn to trust in God and not our own self?

Help from Rome on Discernment....

SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH NORMS REGARDING THE MANNER OF PROCEEDING IN THE DISCERNMENT OF PRESUMED APPARITIONS OR REVELATIONS PRELIMINARY NOTE Origin and character of these norms During the annual Plenary Session in November 1974, the Fathers of this Sacred Congregation examined the problems relative to presumed apparitions and to the revelations often connected with them and reached the following conclusions: 1. Today, more than in the past, news of these apparitions is diffused rapidly among the faithful thanks to the means of information (mass media). Moreover, the ease of going from one place to another fosters frequent pilgrimages, so that Ecclesiastical Authority should discern quickly about the merits of such matters. 2. On the other hand, modern mentality and the requirements of critical scientific investigation render it more difficult, if not almost impossible, to achieve with the required speed the judgments that in the past concluded the investigation of such matters (constat de supernaturalitate, non constat de supernaturalitate) and that offered to the Ordinaries the possibility of authorizing or prohibiting public cult or other forms of devotion among the faithful. For these reasons, in order that the devotion stirred among the faithful as a result of facts of this sort might manifest itself in full communion with the Church, and bear fruits by which the Church herself might later discern the true nature of the facts, the Fathers judged that in this matter the following procedure should be promoted. When Ecclesiastical Authority is informed of a presumed apparition or revelation, it will be its responsibility: a) first, to judge the fact according to positive and negative criteria (cf. infra, no. I); b) then, if this examination results in a favorable conclusion, to permit some public manifestation of cult or of devotion, overseeing this with great prudence (equivalent to the formula, “for now, nothing stands in the way”) (pro nunc nihil obstare). c) finally, in light of time passed and of experience, with special regard to the fecundity of spiritual fruit generated from this new devotion, to express a judgment regarding the authenticity and supernatural character if the case so merits. I. CRITERIA FOR JUDGING, AT LEAST WITH PROBABILITY, THE CHARACTER OF THE PRESUMED APPARITIONS OR REVELATIONS A) Positive Criteria: a) Moral certitude, or at least great probability of the existence of the fact, acquired by means of a serious investigation; b) Particular circumstances relative to the existence and to the nature of the fact, that is to say: 1. Personal qualities of the subject or of the subjects (in particular, psychological equilibrium, honesty and rectitude of moral life, sincerity and habitual docility towards Ecclesiastical Authority, the capacity to return to a normal regimen of a life of faith, etc.); 2. As regards revelation: true theological and spiritual doctrine and immune from error; 3. Healthy devotion and abundant and constant spiritual fruit (for example, spirit of prayer, conversion, testimonies of charity, etc.). B) Negative Criteria: a) Manifest error concerning the fact. b) Doctrinal errors attributed to God himself, or to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or to some saint in their manifestations, taking into account however the possibility that the subject might have added, even unconsciously, purely human elements or some error of the natural order to an authentic supernatural revelation (cf. Saint Ignatius, Exercises, no. 336). c) Evidence of a search for profit or gain strictly connected to the fact. d) Gravely immoral acts committed by the subject or his or her followers when the fact occurred or in connection with it. e) Psychological disorder or psychopathic tendencies in the subject, that with certainty influenced on the presumed supernatural fact, or psychosis, collective hysteria or other things of this kind. It is to be noted that these criteria, be they positive or negative, are not peremptory but rather indicative, and they should be applied cumulatively or with some mutual convergence. II. INTERVENTION OF THE COMPETENT ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY 1. If, on the occasion of a presumed supernatural fact, there arises in a spontaneous way among the faithful a certain cult or some devotion, the competent Ecclesiastical Authority has the serious duty of looking into it without delay and of diligently watching over it. 2. If the faithful request it legitimately (that is, in communion with the Pastors, and not prompted by a sectarian spirit), the competent Ecclesiastical Authority can intervene to permit or promote some form of cult or devotion, if, after the application of the above criteria, nothing stands in the way. They must be careful that the faithful not interpret this practice as approval of the supernatural nature of the fact on the part of the Church (cf. Preliminary note c). 3. By reason of its doctrinal and pastoral task, the competent Authority can intervene motu proprio and indeed must do so in grave circumstances, for example in order to correct or prevent abuses in the exercise of cult and devotion, to condemn erroneous doctrine, to avoid the dangers of a false or unseemly mysticism, etc. 4. In doubtful cases that clearly do not put the good of the Church at risk, the competent Ecclesiastical Authority is to refrain from any judgment and from any direct action (because it can also happen that, after a certain period of time, the presumed supernatural fact falls into oblivion); it must not however cease from being vigilant by intervening if necessary, with promptness and prudence. III. AUTHORITIES COMPETENT TO INTERVENE 1. Above all, the duty of vigilance and intervention falls to the Ordinary of the place. 2. The regional or national Conference of Bishops can intervene: a) If the Ordinary of the place, having done his part, turns to it to judge the matter with greater certainty; b) If the matter pertains to the national or regional level; always, however, with the prior consent of the Ordinary of the place. 3. The Apostolic See can intervene if asked either by the Ordinary himself, by a qualified group of the faithful, or even directly by reason of the universal jurisdiction of the Supreme Pontiff (cf. infra, no. IV). IV. ON THE INTERVENTION OF THE SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH 1. a) The intervention of the Sacred Congregation can be requested either by the Ordinary, after he has done his part, or by a qualified group of the faithful. In this second case, care must be taken that recourse to the Sacred Congregation not be motivated by suspect reasons (for example, in order to compel the Ordinary to modify his own legitimate decisions, to support some sectarian group, etc.). b) It is up to the Sacred Congregation to intervene motu proprio in graver cases, especially if the matter affects the larger part of the Church, always after having consulted the Ordinary and even, if the situation requires, the Conference of Bishops. 2. It is up to the Sacred Congregation to judge and approve the Ordinary’s way of proceeding or, in so far as it be possible and fitting, to initiate a new examination of the matter, distinct from that undertaken by the Ordinary and carried out either by the Sacred Congregation itself or by a special Commission. The Present Norms, deliberated in the Plenary Session of this Sacred Congregation, were approved by the Supreme Pontiff, Paul VI on 24 February 1978. In Rome, from the palace of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 25 February 1978. Francis Cardinal Šeper Prefect Jérôme Hamer, O.P. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19780225_norme-apparizioni_en.htmlSecretary

"Diabolical Influence" Part Three

I have set forth the definitions of discernment by Garrigou-Lagrange earlier this week and followed up those posts with these on false apparitions. The reason for the connection is this: discernment, a gift given to all Catholics in confirmation as part of the gifts of counsel and knowledge. Counsel perfects the virtue of prudence.

Now, the charismatics and other groups have ruined definitions concerning "gifts" teaching people that not all gifts belong to all Catholics. This is an error. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to all Catholics. But, how these gifts are used determines a person's ministry. To deny that all receive the list of gifts below in confirmation would be bordering on heresy. That one needs to cooperate with the development of these gifts in grace is an essential truth. Some extraordinary gifts, as listed by Paul for the up building of the Church, are not given to all in the same way. But, Paul claimed he had all the gifts, and I think his comment was to make us all realize that this is a possibility, even for the extraordinary gifts. These two types of gifts are not to be confused, and some people want to make others think discernment is a special gift, when it is part of the gift of knowledge, which we all get in confirmation, and need.

When St. Paul writes that some people are prophets and some teachers, he is explaining that the roles in the Church use gifts in different ways. As written on this blog in the past on gifts and virtues, the gifts perfect the virtues received in baptism.

Baptism and confirmation are necessary for the life of the Catholic. The list is given below.

What diabolical influence does is twist the virtues and the gifts, taking away the clarity of discernment, knowledge, counsel and wisdom.

For example, in a false apparition or false messages, knowledge of the Church regarding salvation may be and is frequently twisted into heretical statements. One of the most obvious twisting of truths has to do with a famous seer telling people, as if God said this, that it is permissible for Catholics and Orthodoxs to attend regularly each other's liturgies. As this statement is against both the solemn teaching of the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, one sees immediately a discrepancy in truth.

Those who chose to follow the false teaching of this seer fall into error because of the demonic influences, a serious problem as souls are then led astray into heresy. The gift of knowledge is twisted and the virtue of prudence set aside by those who, instead of following the teachings of the Church, follow the seer.

As I have noted many times here, I found in the early days of the website The Warning many doctrinal errors. I have done what every Catholic adult has done and learned my Faith, which is not exhaustive, as one can study this rich deposit all one's life and not know all, but we must know the basics. That is our responsibility as adults.

Once people are led to leave one truth of Catholic teaching, they open themselves up to following other false teachings. The list of the above errors is on this blog.

We are responsible not to leave the teaching authority of the Church, preferring individuals who claim direct knowledge from God. The first test of authenticity is whether the messages conform to Catholic teaching and in no way contradict this.

The demons involved in the masterly deceit make some believe "truths" which are lies, contrary to God's Revelation to us already.

This demonic influence involves sin if the persons have been instructed as to the deviations from doctrine and still follow the seers, over the long heritage of teaching in the Church.

When one decides on private revelation over Church teaching, one is in serious sin, if one has had that knowledge shown to them by someone, including the CDF. If people ignore local bishops and the CDF, their souls are in danger of losing first wisdom, then counsel, then knowledge and then the Faith entirely.

Another example is a seer from many years ago who had visions of God the Father as a person, in human form. If one knows one's faith, one knows that the Father is a Spirit, that Christ in Incarnate, and that the Holy Spirit is likewise a Spirit. In the lives of the saints and in the visions of approved mystics, the Father comes to the person through Christ, and in Spirit. But, the setting aside of Catholic teaching reveals an ignorance, or worse, the purposeful acceptance of falsehood.

Satan and the demons of the air are smarter than we are. They have the ability to make something seem true which is false. But, we have the virtues, gifts and graces to withstand such deceit. One can see that if one allows diabolical influences into one's life, the danger of damnation becomes a real possibility. This is why knowing the Faith and obeying the Church regarding visionaries is essential.

Our souls are safe resting in the virtue of obedience. St. Teresa herself wrote that anything which was revealed and against the Creed would not be from God. So too, by extension, anything shared which is against Catholic doctrine would be from satan and not God.

Also, if you readers go back into my posts on St. John of the Cross, you will remember that he said clearly that a sign of holiness is the acceptance of suffering and the moving away from seeking consolation. A sign of those who are on the way to perfection is this acceptance of suffering and ignoring of spiritual consolations, seeing these as distractions. Follow the tags.

The popes and bishops determine true apparitions and messages, not individuals. And until Rome approves, one should avoid. This is more than common sense, it is imperative in order to protect one's soul from deceit.

St. John XXIII made a statement which is hardly considered on this subject on February 18th, 1959:

"We urge you to listen to the salutary warnings of the Mother of God
with simplicity of heart and uprightness of spirit. The Roman Pontiffs are constituted the guardians and interpreters of divine Revelation, as contained in Holy Scripture and Tradition; but they also have the duty to recommend to the attention of the faithful - when, following mature examination, they judge it opportune for the general good - those supernatural lights which it pleases God to dispense freely to certain privileged souls, not in order to propose new doctrines, but in order to guide our conduct." (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, II. 11 , q. 174, art. 6 ad 3m)

All Catholics have the gifts given and here, again, is the list from the CCC:

1. 1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.

To be continued....

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Discernment Part Five

There is much more in Garrigou-Lagrange's book and much more on this subject, but I want to highlight only this selection below. I have found that in my life there have been people who have seemed holy only for me to discover that they do not love the Church, or desire the Eucharist. One wonders at the discrepancies, until one realizes that all the virtues come to be exhibited by the person who is truly holy. All the baptized are called to holiness. but without discernment, we can be fooled in following erroneous ideas or waste time in groups or endeavors which actually lead us into pride.

Too many people also fall into the category described below as "exotic". Eccentricity is not a sign of holiness.  Simplicity and a genuine humility are always signs of the spirit of God, whether in priests or in lay people. That God allows humiliation in one's life is a sign that He is working on the virtues, freeing one from the ego so that these virtues may flourish.

I have emphasized some characteristics of this topic in order to show that we are capable of developing the gift of discernment which has a real purpose in our lives. It is too easy for anyone to fall into self-deceit concerning progress on the road to perfection without a grounding in discernment.

Here are the last paragraphs for consideration at this time. One can see how these ideas follow some of the entries in Raissa's Journal. That Garrigou-Lagrange was part of the lives of the Maritains should surprise none of my readers.

Therefore the spirit which chafes under humiliation is not a perfect spirit: neither is the spirit which neglects to deny itself a spirit of solid virtue, since all the virtues ought to develop in unison as they are so closely related to each other.

It follows, therefore, that a spirit which prompts a man to numerous acts of mortification but not to ready obedience is imperfect, and must be regarded at least to some extent as having an evil intention, since it is so insistent on following its own will. True it is that such a spirit is often the cause of many good works but these are not inspired by any love of God, as is evident from the lack of growth in humble obedience the sure sign of loving conformity to the will of God.

Neither is that spirit to be trusted which is always urging man to paradoxical action, which is continually forming judgments that conflict with the common opinion of prudent men. Such a spirit is, so to speak, exotic and artificial; it is impulsive rather than virtuous.

Similarly, there cannot be any doubt about the evil nature of a spirit which fosters in man a desire for what is extraordinary and willingly speaks of this to all and sundry. God would never lead a soul to the higher planes of the spiritual life without making it at the same time extremely humble, since all the virtues arc inter-related and so are perfected together. That is why it is so easy to distinguish the truly high-minded person from one who is presumptuous. It is part of the devil's plan to incite in man a desire for what is new, curious, abnormal, amazing, unusual, and so to excite the wonder and admiration of others that they will think of him as a saint.

The same holds true of a person not yet firmly grounded in the virtues of humility and obedience, who while professing a desire to imitate the saints, concentrates on details of their lives which were never intended to be imitated but simply admired, and dedicates himself to a life of extraordinary forms of prayer and penance.

How foolish to commence erecting a spiritual mansion from the top, like a bird trying to fly without wings! We should never be misled by the apparent success of a soul which makes such an attempt; its flight into the realms of mysticism is deceptive, dangerous, and to no purpose.

Discernment Part Four

Again, we see that one can discern, can judge actions. Again, we see that the call to perfection is not an option. Again, we see that Garrigou-Lagrange could stand back and criticize the actions of priests who had fallen from this path, this call.

But, we are all called to be fervent in prayer, attentive in Mass, giving God time in silence, and being absolutely obedient to the teachings of the Catholic Church. 

To discern the human spirit is not difficult for most of us.  However, what is more difficult for some is the discerning of the spirit of evil, as satan pretends to be an angel of light.

First, a review of a priest caught up in his human spirit.

On the other hand, when this interior spirit is allowed to grow and develop it produces fruits of real sanctity. We become all the more clearly aware of the value and excellence of our religious vocation.

"This interior spirit is formed in us by the practice of the means of perfection suggested by ascetical theology, but it is firmly established and perfected by spiritual growth in the different stages of the mystical life, as is well explained by St. Thomas. The mystical life is the completion of the ascetical life, the peak of the soul's ascent through the various stages of Christian perfection. There have been periods when this teaching was regarded with suspicion, when practical errors in this respect stunted the growth of the spirit of genuine piety; but now we can be grateful for the return to traditional teaching, which has re-opened the way for souls a thirst for the supernatural life to come to a knowledge of mystical realities And in this life of perfection the spirit of God is most certainly present revivifying the soul."

Obvious examples of the influence of the spirit of nature are tepidity in the celebration of Holy Mass, haste in the saying of one's Office almost like a machine. curiosity and eventually sloth in the pursuit of one's studies, carelessness in observing the rule of silence and other practical rules, restrictions attached to the extent of one's obedience, cringing obedience out of love for the human superior and not for God or with a view to the obtaining of new honours and dignities.

Now, the hard bit....discernment of evil. We must all, in these difficult times of chaos and "mess" learn to discern the spirit of evil. We have the gift, the grace to do so. It is imperative that we learn to discern evil.

In contrast to the spirit of God the spirit of the devil at first lifts the soul to the heights of pride and then plunges it down into turmoil and despair, just as the devil himself sinned through pride and is now condemned to an eternity of despair and hatred of God.

In order to recognize this evil spirit we must first observe its effect on mortification, humility, and obedience, and then its effect on the theological virtues.

Prudence, temperance and obedience are signs of the spirit of God. The opposites show something else.

The spirit of the devil does not always deter a soul from mortification; in this respect it differs from the spirit of nature. On the contrary, it often urges the soul to go to extremes in the practice of exterior mortification which everyone can see, which results in spiritual pride and injury to the individual's health. Such a spirit has no time for the interior mortification of the imagination, heart, and one's own will and judgment, although it pretends to be concerned about it by making the soul scrupulous over details but careless in matters of greater importance; for example, in the principal duties of one's state of life. It prompts the soul to hypocrisy: "I fast twice in the week" (Luke xviii, 12).

Humility is never encouraged by this spirit, for it gradually distorts the soul's vision to see itself as greater than it really is, greater than anyone else. Almost unconsciously it makes the prayer of the Pharisee its own: "I thank thee, God, that I am not like the rest of men ... or like this publican here" (Luke xviii, 11). This spiritual pride goes hand in hand with a false humility, which accuses itself of some evil so as to avoid being accused by others of even greater faults and in order to make them think that we are truly humble. Sometimes the evil spirit leads us to confuse humility with faint-heartedness, which is the daughter of pride and fears to ran the risk of contempt. The evil spirit is also an enemy of obedience, prompting us either to open disobedience or to servility according to circumstances.

If I know a seminarian is practicing fasting, I know he will be a good priest. But, if a young person is caught up either in a middle class lifestyle or the excesses of asceticism, one can be sure that pride, if not ignorance, is involved.

Garrigou-Lagrange shows how each virtue of faith, hope and charity can be distorted by the evil one.

I do not have time to go into each category, but this section applies to the laity especially with regard to private revelations.

As regards the virtue of faith the spirit of the devil distracts our attention from the truths of the Gospel which are simpler and yet more profound such as those contained in the Our Father which we ought always to say with special care and devotion, or those portrayed in the mysteries of the Rosary and encourages us to focus our mind on what is extraordinary. Remember his tempting of Christ: "If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down to earth; for it is written, He has given charge to his angels concerning thee, and they will hold thee up with their hands, lest thou shouldst chance to trip on a stone. Jesus said to him, But it is further written, Thou shalt not put the Lord Thy God to the proof" (Matt, iv, 6-7).

The spirit of God, on the other hand, shows us clearly how to discern a person of faith, and helps us on our way to perfection.

The spirit of God nourishes our faith on the simpler and more profound truths of the Gospel, such as those contained in the Our Father. It keeps us faithful to tradition and strangers to novelty. This genuine supernatural faith helps us to see God in our superiors, and thus our spirit of faith is perfected since we come to judge everything in the light of this virtue.

Garrigou-Lagrange then comes to the core of how to react to extraordinary graces. This section is important to all of us. Remember, revelations must tend towards bringing the person to greater holiness and greater humility.

It would be presumptuous on our part to crave for extraordinary graces, such as revelations or interior conversations. But a soul which lives and perseveres in humility, self-denial, and almost continual recollection often receives in accordance with the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost special inspirations which result in a wonderful blending of simplicity and prudence, humility and zeal, firmness and gentleness. This harmony and blending of the virtues is a sure sign of the presence of God's spirit.

Those who do receive extraordinary graces from God must be prepared to carry the cross, to maintain complete silence and secrecy, and to speak about their favours to no one other than their spiritual director. Otherwise they stand in grave peril of spiritual pride.

There is a special danger in revelations which seem to refer to future events or to questions of doctrine, since they so easily give rise to deception. Even if the original inspiration were from God, the individual could later on superimpose his own interpretation which may be to a greater or less extent erroneous and is usually too material. In conclusion, it cannot be stressed too often that ecstasies and revelations which do not result in a more perfect way of life and do not make the subject less sure of himself cannot be attributed to the spirit of God especially if they promote discord, and interfere with the fulfilment of the duties attached to one's state of life.

Therefore the signs of God's spirit are humble obedience, brotherly love, peace, spiritual joy which radiates itself to all around.

to be continued....

Discernment Part Three

Two of my male friends have been complaining to me of lazy priests in their parishes or nearby ones.

Sloth is a common sin among us. See my posts below.

Here is Garrigou-Lagrange on this point.

In the letter of Fr. de Paredes, General of the Order of Preachers in the year 1926, which is to be found at the beginning of the new edition of the Constitutions, the following description is given of the spirit of human nature (p. 20): "Although a man's holiness is the result of God's grace working in his soul, it presupposes on our part a long and difficult process of purification and transformation of everything within us, until we have destroyed completely the old self which is corrupted by the desires of the flesh and put on the new self 'which is created in God's image, justified and sanctified through the truth.' Hence the need for the spirit of obedience, self-denial, and sacrifice with which we must all observe these rules perseveringly and to the letter . . ."

In contrast: "Any human relaxation, any spirit of faintheartedness, any concession made on these matters to human considerations, any unlawful dispensation which is not based on the Constitutions, may all be considered as a deviation from duty on the part of superiors . . . and, on the part of his subjects, as a disowning of their obligation to sanctify themselves and make themselves fit instruments for carrying out their sacred ministry. Such surrender to slothfulness would make it clear that our motive in entering the religious state was not to pursue the ideal set before us by God and the Church but simply to solve the problem of life here on earth with the minimum of trouble, so that in the religious state we might be more certain of receiving all the necessities of life and the more easily provide for ourselves comforts which we might not have enjoyed in the world.

We are all called to this life of virtue...all by and in and through our baptism.

Pray for priests today to follow the way of perfection. We need holy priests, and we need holy families to raise holy priests.

to be continued....

Review of Thomas Aquinas Series and More on Sloth

01 Feb 2014

These are reviews of repeats this past week and long ago, but someone mentioned sloth to me and I guess I wanted to encourage this person on the way to perfection. Most Americans are work-alcoholics. We have the ...

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Etheldredasplace: Sins of Christmas Time-Sloth

21 Dec 2013

Those adult Catholics, who do not study their faith and persist in ignorance fall into intellectual sloth, leading to ignorance, for which one is culpable. In America and in Europe, I do not believe there is such a thing as invincible ...

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Etheldredasplace: Thomas Aquinas Series on Sloth ...

21 Jun 2013

I have noted that anti-intellectualism is not only dividing the Church into groupings, but weakening the Church's ability to evangelize. Sloth is behind this anti-intellectualism, as sloth is not only a sin of the body but of the mind.

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The Deceitfulness of Sloth-Thomas Aquinas Series

21 Jun 2013

Hence sloth implies a certain weariness of work, as appears from a gloss on Psalm 106:18, "Their soul abhorred all manner of meat," and from the definition of some who say that sloth is a "sluggishness of the mind which ...

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Etheldredasplace: Are you fighting the wrong battles? Could ...

26 Mar 2014

Could be a sign of spiritual sloth. Posted by Supertradmum. Lay people are in the world to make the world holy. We are called to convert, to evangelize those who are falling away. We are the salt of the world. Christ said this of ...

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Etheldredasplace: A Predominant Fault in Some Men

25 Sep 2013

Sloth leads to abdication of roles, a nine to five attitude towards duty, a curtailing of personal growth. That sloth can be found in some who are priests is a tragedy for the laity. Without leadership, the ship of the Church crashes ...

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Etheldredasplace: More on Perfection-some capital sins

06 Aug 2012

According to St. Gregory and St. Thomas,(12) pride or arrogance is more than a capital sin; it is the root from which proceed especially four capital sins: vanity or vainglory, spiritual sloth or wicked sadness which embitters, ...

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Etheldredasplace: A Rant

18 Nov 2014

I am beginning to believe that the basic sin of the laity is sloth. One will not get to heaven by feeding the emotions with consolations and messages, but one will form one's conscience by studying the CCC and the teachings of ...

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Etheldredasplace: Repost of Reposts on Predominant Fault

12 Sep 2014

(1) There are temperaments inclined to effeminacy, indolence, sloth, gluttony, and sensuality. Others are inclined especially to anger and pride. We do not all climb the same slope toward the summit of perfection: those who are ...

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Etheldredasplace: The Sins of Christmas Time-Envy

22 Dec 2013

Envy is, like sloth, not always considered a serious sin. There are three aspects to envy. The first is jealousy, in which one is fearful of losing something one has. This could be a girlfriend, or a position at work, for examples.

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The Virtues which Defeat the Vices with the Help of Prudentius

23 Jun 2013

The antidote to Sloth, according to Prudentius, is the virtue called Diligence, which may be seen as connected to Justice, Prudence and Temperance. Diligence is zeal for the Faith and industry-hard work, in other words.

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Etheldredasplace: Newman and Perfection Continued

12 Aug 2012

As I was defining and examining the great sins, here is Newman perfectly describing sloth and cowardice, as well as acedia, that melancholy which causes inaction in the spiritual life and a cynicism. And it must be confessed, ...

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Etheldredasplace: Perfection Series II: xxi

10 Feb 2014

Some souls, because of their negligence or spiritual sloth, do not pass from the age of beginners to that of proficients. These are retarded souls; in the spiritual life they are like abnormal children, who do not happily pass ...

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Etheldredasplace: An Anxiety Put Down

06 May 2014

Twice I started theses on Newman and have not, for good reasons, not sloth, not been able to finish these. I have been studying him off and on for over 30 years, but only really read this phrase today. Amazing how when one ...

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Etheldredasplace: Why The Church Is Weak Two

13 Aug 2014

Acedia (sloth), hatred of spiritual things, whence are born: malice, rancor, pusillanimity, discouragement, spiritual torpor, forgetfulness of the precepts, seeking after forbidden things. in regard to one's neighbour, Envy, from ...

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Consumerism, Materialism, Pride and the Theological Virtues

21 Aug 2013

For others, the cause could be sloth, not cultivating a prayer life, or not receiving the sacraments frequently. A habit of sin can destroy faith. One of the greatest enemies of faith is materialism, the belief that the life on earth is ...

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Etheldredasplace: On Natural Law And The Predominant Fault

12 Sep 2014

(1) There are temperaments inclined to effeminacy, indolence, sloth, gluttony, and sensuality. Others are inclined especially to anger and pride. We do not all climb the same slope toward the summit of perfection: those who are ...

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Etheldredasplace: Repost of my "witness"

07 Feb 2014

This psychiatrist explored the reality of evil,. and even more fascinating, the fact that some people actually choose evil on purpose, rather than the good. Peck pointed to self-deceit, laziness or sloth, and narcissism as some of ...

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Etheldredasplace: Lost Souls because.....

15 Nov 2014

The great sin of men who are refusing the call is one of sloth. It is too easy to just be single, go with the flow, live a completely self-centered life. Those who are answering the call understand that the day of the comfortable ...

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Etheldredasplace: The World of Manning Is Our World

14 Jun 2014

And what is it that clouds it? The venial sins that we commit so easily—sins of worldliness, sins of self-indulgence, sins of temper, sins of jealousy, sins of pride, sins of vain-glory, sins of sloth, and the like; wherever there is any ...

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Perfection Series: Our Predominant Fault Two

22 Jul 2012

Lust and Sloth (who has beads) point to the need for deep, persistent prayer, as do all the other Deadly Sins. Garrigou-Lagrange writes that we must ask God, seek Him, for enlightenment as to one's predominant fault.

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Etheldredasplace: The Potato Mind vs. the Mind of Christ

25 Jan 2013

I do not mind liberals having good arguments but if they refuse to read or study, I have no time for such laziness of mind. The sin of sloth is a deadly sin. We forget that this sin applies to the mind as well as the body.

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Etheldredasplace: Boot Camp and Ranger School

14 Sep 2014

This causes sorrow, but only for the person who has not put the nail in the predominant faults of vainglory, pride, presumption. sloth, gluttony, anger, and so on. When one is made holy, one is no longer upset about people ...

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Etheldredasplace: Levels of Prayer-Affective Prayer Three

10 Feb 2014

Perseverance is not easy: a struggle must be carried on against self, against spiritual sloth, against the devil, who inclines us to discouragement. Many souls, on being deprived of the first consolations which they received, turn ...

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Etheldredasplace: Doctors of the Church 2:70 Aquinas Day

28 Jan 2014

And, I state that sloppiness is Sloth. In the past 30 months, I have had the sad experience of meeting some priests who are anti-intellectual and think it a virtue. These priests, and they number four, are into private revelations, ...

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A Repost on Listening Three for St. Edmund's Day

01 Dec 2014

One, replace hatred, anger, sloth, and all the deadly sins with love and the other virtues. Without living a life of virtue, you and I shall not remain faithful to the end. Second, teach your children and help older family members ...

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Etheldredasplace: Why The Church Is Weak Three

13 Aug 2014

The list of this pre-saint's sin is staggering: lust, pride, curiosity, wastefulness of time, spiritual sloth, anger, heresy, and so on. I have actually, heard from the mouths of priests, that St. Augustine was too hard on himself.

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The Disappearance of Catholic Rationalism Five

09 Jan 2014

Most people who do not pursue knowledge fall into the sin of sloth. Another reason could be pride, as one may not want to know one is sinning, one is choosing evil. If one is running away from God, then one may ignore the ...

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Why People Follow False Seers-Their Predominant Fault

18 Sep 2013

If the predominant fault is sloth, one will not study the Catholic teachings, but want others, like seers, to tell them truths. Of course, this is a laziness. Garrigou-Lagrange states that sloth is the hardest fault of all to destroy as a ...

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The Stuff of Martyrs and Garrigou-Lagrange Part One

28 Jan 2013

The necessity of this purification, as the saint shows in the same book,(3) arises from the defects of beginners, which may be reduced to three: spiritual pride, spiritual sensuality, and spiritual sloth. St. John of the Cross teaches ...

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Etheldredasplace: Garrigou-Lagrange continued--sins ...

27 Jul 2012

According to St. Gregory and St. Thomas,(12) pride or arrogance is more than a capital sin; it is the root from which proceed especially four capital sins: vanity or vainglory, spiritual sloth or wicked sadness which embitters, ...

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The Dominant Passion Part Three on The Emotions

04 Aug 2014

At times they must be checked, and at other times awakened, jolted, in order to react against sloth, inertia, timidity, or fear. At times a great effort is required to break an impetuous horse; the same is true of disciplining certain ...

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