Introduction to the Devote Life - as inspired by St. Francis De Sales

I am currently reading St. Francis of De Sales', "Introduction to the Devote Life," and  I am discussing it with a friend. I think that St. Francis has a very simple and direct way to approach holiness.

He really has helped me become more aware of how to complete the journey, as opposed to just being on it. I believe that St. Francis addresses exactly the way to overcome sin and reach the perfection that Jesus Christ calls us to: "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." St. Francis breaks this journey down into simple steps. 

• Stop committing mortal sins!
• Get rid of the attachments to mortal sin!
• Stop committing venials sins!
• Get rid of the attachments to venial sin! 

As a a refresher, I am breaking out the Baltimore Catechism (didn't you just love it as a kid?):

66 - 67, 69. What is mortal sin? Why is the sin called mortal? 

What are the three things necessary to make a sin mortal?

 Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God. This sin is called mortal, or deadly, because it deprives the sinner of sanctifying grace, the supernatural life of the soul. To make a sin mortal these three things are necessary:

i) first, the thought, desire, word, action or omission must be seriously wrong;

ii) second, the sinner must be mindful of the serious wrong;

iii) third, the sinner must fully consent to it.

So... in other words to do the first thing St. Francis recommends, we must stop fully consenting to and committing grievous offenses against God. Easy! Right? :-)

After we become a master of this, the second task is to rid ourselves of the delight we experience with these sins: "I would commit these, if only the fear of God wasn't stopping me!" vs. "I hate doing that because it is harmful to me and the relationship I have with God and my neighbor. I am disgusted by the thought of doing that!"

And lastly (in my summary of his way), St. Francis recommends the purging of venial sin.

70 &71. What is venial sin? How can a sin be venial?

Venial sin is a less serious offense against the law of God, which does not deprive the soul of

 sanctifying grace... A sin can be venial in two ways:

i) first, when the evil done is not seriously wrong;

ii) second, when the evil done is seriously wrong, 

but the sinner sincerely believes it is only slightly wrong, 

or does not give full consent to it.

For both mortal and venial sins, their sources come from the following vices: pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth. These are also known as Capital or Deadly Sins. (75. They are called capital sins because they, in themselves, are not the greatest sins, but they are the chief reasons why men commit sin.)

Since all sin is displeasing to God, and sometimes, even deadly for us, I think it is wise to try and cut off every source of sin in our lives. For myself, I am going to look at each capital sin closely for a week . In doing so, I will compare them to the virtues opposite to them. I desire to develop the virtues that counter them such as humility, gratitude, chastity, charity, temperance etc.,. Therefore, I will include the prayers and ideas that I have come across to help root out the vice and strengthen the virtue. I will chose a new capital sin to examine each Sunday. Today, I will start with.... PRIDE. See my next blog entry for today.

Happy Sunday!

Meanwhile, you might find this article helpful: Examination of Conscience for Adults
or, try this quiz for a quick examination :-): Seven Deadly Sins Quiz - What's Your Sin?