Introduction to the Devout Life

FURTHERMORE, my daughter, we have certain natural inclinations, which are not strictly speaking either mortal or venial sins, but rather imperfections; and the acts in which they take shape, failings and deficiencies. Thus S. Jerome says that S. Paula had so strong a tendency to excessive sorrow, that when she lost her husband and children she nearly died of grief: that was not a sin, but an imperfection, since it did not depend upon her wish and will. Some people are naturally easy, some oppositions; some are indisposed to accept other men’s opinions, some naturally disposed to be cross, some to be affectionate—in short, there is hardly any one in whom some such imperfections do not exist. Now, although they be natural and instinctive in each person, they may be remedied and corrected, or even eradicated, by cultivating the reverse disposition. 63 And this, my child, must be done. Gardeners have found how to make the bitter almond tree bear sweet fruit, by grafting the juice of the latter upon it, why should we not purge out our perverse dispositions and infuse such as are good? There is no disposition so good but it may be made bad by dint of vicious habits, and neither is there any natural disposition so perverse but that it may be conquered and overcome by God’s Grace primarily, and then by our earnest diligent endeavour. I shall therefore now proceed to give you counsels and suggest practices by which you may purify your soul from all dangerous affections and imperfections, and from all tendencies to venial sin, thereby strengthening yourself more and more against mortal sin. May God give you grace to use them.

⁷ Numb. xiii. 32. ⁸ Gen. i. 12. ⁹ It is probable that S. Francis here means to indicate Amadeo IX., Duke of Savoy, who died 1472. ¹⁰ Tob. v. 3. ¹¹ “Confesse-toi souvent, eslis un confesseur idoine, qui soit prudhomme, et qui te puisse seurement enseigner a faire les choses qui te seront necessaires.” ¹² Ecclus. vi. 14. ¹³ Ecclus. v. 16. ¹⁴ Ecclus. vi. 17. ¹⁵ Cant. ii. 12. ¹⁶ Deut. xxi. 12. ¹⁷ S. Francis suggests Grenada, Bruno, Arias, Augez, authors little known now, though we have the substance of their teaching in numerous valuable helps for those who are preparing for confession: such as “Pardon through the Precious Blood,” “Helps for Confirmation and First Communion” (Masters), “Manual for Confession,” “Repentance,” (Rev. T. T. Carter), “Hints to Penitents” (Palmer), Brett’s “Guide to Faith and Piety,” Crake’s “Bread of Life” (Mowbray), “Paradise of the Christian Soul,” etc. ¹⁸ Ps. ciii. 5, Bible version. ¹⁹ 2 Sam. xiv. 32. ²⁰ Isa. xxxiii. 14. “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” ²¹ S. Mark xiv. and S. Luke vii. 39. ²² S. Luke x. 16. ²³ Eccles. x. 1.