Remedies Against Anger and Hatred

Anger is an inordinate desire of revenge. Against this vice the Apostle strongly speaks: “Let all bitterness and anger, and indignation and clamor, and blasphemy be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, merciful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you in Christ” (Eph. 4:31-32). And…

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Remedies Against Gluttony

Gluttony is an inordinate love of eating and drinking.  Our Savior warns us against this vice, saying, “Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life.” (Lk. 21:34).  When you feel the promptings of this shameful disorder, subdue them by the following considerations: Call to…

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The Mortification of the Passions

Having thus regulated the body and all it senses, the most important reformation still remains to be effected, which is that of the soul with all its powers.  Here the first to present itself is the sensitive appetite which comprises all our natural affections: love, hatred, joy, sorrow, fear, hope, anger, and other sentiments of…

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Remedies Against Pride (PART II)

Consider also the danger of vainglory, the daughter of pride, which St. Bernard says, enters lightly but wounds deeply.  Therefore, when men praise you, think whether you really possess the qualities for which they commend you.  If you do not, you have no reason to be proud.  But if you have justly merited their praise,…

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Remedies Against Pride (PART I)

We have generally called the deadly or capital sins the sources of all iniquity.  They are the roots of the mighty tree of vice, and if we can destroy them the trunk and branches must soon decay.  With them, therefore, we shall begin, following the example of Cassian and other spiritual writers, who were so…

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The Peace Enjoyed by the Just

The liberty of the children of God is the cause of another privilege of virtue, no less precious than itself – the interior peace and tranquility which the just enjoy.  To understand this more clearly, we must remember that there are three kinds of peace: peace with God, peace with our neighbor, and peace with…

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The Happy Death of the Just

The end, it is said, crowns the work, and, therefore, it is in death that the just man’s life is most fittingly crowned, while the departure of the sinner is a no less fitting close to his wretched career. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Ps. 115:15), says…

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Deferring Conversion Until Death

“We must bear in mind an undeniable principle, concerning which St. Augustine and all the holy Doctors are agreed – namely, that as true repentance is the work of God, so He can inspire it when and where he wills.” -Ven. Louis of Granada The excerpt below is taken from the 16th-century TAN classic known…

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