Thursday 26 February 2009

Today's morsel - just!

Well it's still the 26th, so here's the extract from the Devout Life:

Now the first motive for affecting [the purgation of sin] is a strong and lively apprehension of the great harm that sin does to us, and by this means we conceive a deep and vehement contrition; for just as contrition, provided that it be true even though it be but weak, especially when joined to the virtue of the sacraments, purges us sufficiently from sin, so when it is strong and vehement, it purges us from all the affections which are connected with sin. A feeble and weak hatred or rancour makes us dislike him whom we hate, and causes us to avoid him; but it it be a deadly and violent hatred, not only do we avoid and dislike him whom we hate, but we loathe him, and cannot endure the society of his friends and relations, yea we abhor even his picture and everything that belongs to him. So when the penitent only hates his sin with a weak, though true, contrition, he resolves indeed not to sin anymore; but when he loathes the sin with a powerful and vigorous contrition, not only does he detest the sin, but also all affection to the sin and all that springs from it or leads to it. Therefore, Philothea, we must enlarge our contrition as much as possible, so that it may embrace everything that is connected with sin. [...] in this point consists the rejuvenation of the soul which [the prophet David] compares to the renewal of the eagle (Ps 103: 5).

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