Overcoming Sin: Part Five

02-26-2017Weekly Reflection

St. Francis de Sales' most notable work is Introduction to the Devout Life — a guide to holiness written for lay people in 1609. Ralph Martin's book, Fulfillment of All Desire, gives excerpts from Francis and other Saints to inspire us to grow in the Spiritual life. Today's bulletin letter is the fifth and final part of a series about "Overcoming Sin" from Fulfillment of All Desire.

Venial Sin (Part B)

To nourish affection for venial sin, Francis points out, weakens the powers of our spirit, stands in the way of God's consolations, and opens the door to temptations. At the same time, Francis doesn't want to engender a morbid scrupulosity about the myriad temptations and sometimes inadvertent venial sins that are part of life in this world. He assures us that inadvertent venial sins and faults are "not a matter of any great moment" if as soon as they occur we reject them, and refuse to entertain any affection for them.

Francis makes clear that the process of purification will continue throughout our life, and so "we must not be disturbed at our imperfections, since for us perfection consists in fighting against them." Hatred for sin is important. Confidence in the mercy of God is even more important. May the LORD, who is good, grant pardon to everyone who has resolved to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, though he be not clean as holiness requires. (2 Chronicles 30: 18b–19).

Thérèse makes clear that growth in the spiritual life is usually a gradual process; Jesus is patient with us, "for He doesn't like pointing everything out at once to souls. He generally gives His light little by little." Thérèse also speaks of a "joyful resignation" to the lifetime struggle with faults. At the beginning of my spiritual life when I was thirteen or fourteen, I used to ask myself what I would have to strive for later on because I believed it was quite impossible for me to understand perfection better. I learned very quickly since then that the more one advances, the more one sees the goal is still far off. And now I am simply resigned to see myself always imperfect and in this I find my joy.

Thérèse's resignation was not one of despair, discouragement, passivity, or lack of effort, but a humble acceptance of her creaturely imperfection despite her efforts, infused with joy by her hope in God's transforming love eventually bringing her to perfection. In the last days of her life, when she was virtually suffocating from the tuberculosis, Thérèse was corrected for an impatient remark to a sister whom she found "tiresome." Her response? Oh! how happy I am to see myself imperfect and to be in need of God's mercy so much even at the moment of my death.

Realistically, Francis says, there will probably be falls along the way, but God can use even these to deepen our humility. Imperfections and venial sins cannot deprive us of spiritual life; it is lost only by mortal sin. Fortunately for us, in this war we are always victorious provided that we are willing to fight. Francis, like many of the saints, wants to encourage us on the spiritual journey. This is a journey on which we are all called to embark; and God will give us the grace to make progress on this journey, if only we are willing to persevere, to fight the good fight.