Lest You Remain

disobedient, because disobedience renders any remedies futile. A christian poet so says about spiritual laziness and frigidity: “Spiritual laziness is a virulent plague which inflicts wounds with its invisible tooth.” ( Inspectio Cordis ) 6 Reflect whether you have used all means to protect this virtue. Have you curbed your eye, have you restrained your hand, have you cared for your thought to be spotless and pure? Have you restrained from soft fabrics, sophisticated meals, idleness which are robbers of purity and have you avoided indecent books? Although all these should be alien to you, as a religious person, if you have read, listened to or by other means found out that various occasions may lead you to fall into a deep abyss, examine yourself concerning the issues which may threat- en the chastity of your soul. ( Inspectio Cordis ) 7 “Blest are the single-hearted for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8). The gradual steps employed by Jesus Christ, the Divine Teacher, are worth the deepest contem- plation. Starting from poverty, kindness, sorrow, and mercy, He reaches chastity of heart. He promised the heavenly Kingdom to the poor, inheritance of the land to the lowly, eternal consolation to the greeving, fulfillment to these who hunger and thirst for holiness, mercy to the merciful. And what did He promise to the single- hearted? He secured for them the delightful vision of God. So when you see that greater awards are set for chastity, all the more careful- ly guard your heart. If tainting the heart leads to losing the sight of God, then keep- ing it pure ensures seeing Him. ( Inspectio Cordis ) 8 Since obedience guards chastity, and poverty feeds it, therefore a soul fervent- ly pursuing chastity, should practice obedience and poverty to get it. Especially L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 148