Lest You Remain

8 For spiritual sluggishness, that is laziness or discouragement which are the source of numerous imperfections and trespasses. Just as at a busy farm, the fields are always green, the crops grow, and there is a harvest; at a neglectful one, they lie fallow and bring a vast amount of useless weeds. It is same is with a spiritual man, who loves progressing in all the virtues; his soul is full of life, his spirit blossoms and great and rich fruit appear; conversely with a sluggish and frigid one, nothing good appears in his mind or heart, they rather get infested with the weeds of imperfections, if not with the dirt of nasty sins. [...] Idleness and nothing else is the source of all sins. According to the opinion of many saints, the enemy from hell fears to approach peo- ple who are diligent and tend to their development. But as soon as we turn our atten- tion away from honest and holy works, the enemy plants in us the seeds of evil thoughts and sows for himself the field of the Heavenly Lord. Beware of idleness. ( Inspectio Cordis ) 9 Contemplate what happens frequently to people who lead a spiritual life, who try with their hearts to serve God: they experience moments of the deepest aban- donment. It appears to them, that they were deserted by God, like a ship during the strongest storm was deserted by its captain. Complaining about it, the greatest friend of God, the king of Israel, sings: “Why do you keep me so far away? Why must I go about in mourning, with the enemy oppressing me?” (Ps 42:2). Yet, in this internal desolation, as we understand it, the Most Merciful Lord does not abandon us entirely, but remains apparently asleep, to give us the oppor- tunity to gather greater merits, and to learn to fight unaided. When his great ser- vant, St. Catherine of Siena was amicably complaining and asking where He went when she experienced the greatest temptations, and why He did this to her, He answered that He was in her heart. He allowed the evil spirits to attack her, so that she had the merit of perseverance, and the virtue of courage was tested, yet He never allowed her to fall, protecting her from disgrace and condemnation. ( Inspectio Cordis ) 10 From this, you should learn that there are many people in the world, who do not experience temptations because the evil spirit considers them his own and does L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 134