Posts Tagged ‘Venerable Louis of Granada’
The Privilege of Virtue: the Confidence of the Just
The joy of a good conscience is always accompanied by that blessed hope of which the Apostle speaks when he tells us to rejoice in hope and to be patient in tribulation (cf. Rom. 12:12). This is the rich inheritance of the children of God, their general refuge in tribulation, and their most efficacious remedy…
Read MoreRemedies 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…
Read MoreRemedies 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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreRemedies 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,…
Read MoreRemedies 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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreDeferring 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…
Read More