Vices, flaws, imperfections, sins, and evil inclinations

Intelligence is a great gift of God. But it is a gift to be used wisely. Otherwise it is like certain medicines that, when taken in the wrong way, kill instead of curing.

• God's gifts
• Intelligence
• Poison
• Words of wisdom

I will go back to my father! This pride of mine is silly, as it deprives me of my freedom. And why? Why should I suffer in my body and even more in my heart when I can be forgiven and receive comfort? I will go back to my father. That is settled.

• Confession - Sacrament of reconciliation
• Conversion
• God's mercy and forgiveness
• Mercy and forgiveness
• Pain and suffering
• Pride
• Silliness

One must always keep the dress clean through humility. It is so easy to dim the purity of the heart. And those

whose hearts are not pure cannot see God. Humility is like water that washes. A humble man soon notices that he has darkened his robe, because his eyes are not dimmed by the fumes of pride and thus he runs to his Lord and says: “I have stained the purity of my heart. I weep at Your feet to be cleansed. Oh! my Sun, purify my heart through Your benign forgiveness and Your paternal love!”

• Cleanliness
• Coming to God and Jesus
• Confession - Sacrament of reconciliation
• God's mercy and forgiveness
• How to perfect and sanctify yourself
• Humility
• Prayers from the EMV
• Pride
• Purity
• Repentance and contrition
• Sin
• Tears - Crying

Oh! the freshness of a heart! Children have it by gift of God. The just have it by gift of God and through their own will. Saints have it by gift of God and through their will elevated to heroism. But will a sinner, whose soul is torn, burnt, poisoned and disgraced, ever be able to have a fresh robe? Oh! of course he will. He begins to have it the moment he looks at himself with disgust. He increases its freshness when he decides to change life. He brings it to perfection when through penance he washes, detoxicates, cures and recomposes his poor soul. And with the help of God, Who does not refuse assistance to anyone who asks Him for holy help, and through his own will elevated to super-heroism — because it is not necessary for him to protect what he has, but to rebuild what he destroyed and thus he must work twice, three times, seven times as much — and with untiring penance, relentless against his sinful ego, he will take his soul back to the freshness of a child’s soul. A new freshness, made precious by experience, which makes him the master of other people who were once like him, that is, sinners.

• Children - Innocents
• Contempt - Disdain
• Conversion
• Fishermen
• God's gifts
• Heroism
• Innocence
• Jesus Christ's words to a sinner
• Penance
• Purity
• Saints and blessed
• Soul
• The righteous
• To be like a little child - To have the soul of a child
• Will

Humility! I said: “When you pray or do penance, do not let the world see you”. In the Wisdom Books it is written: “It is right to keep the secret of the King”. Humility is the candid veil worn to defend the good we do and the good God grants us. We must not be proud of the privileged love granted to us by God, nor seek foolish human glory. The gift would be taken away at once. But from the depth of our hearts we must sing to our God: “My soul proclaims Your greatness, o Lord… because You have looked upon Your lowly handmaid”.

• Acting in secret
• Bible - Book of Tobit
• God's gifts
• How to perfect and sanctify yourself
• Humility
• I'm a useless servant: I've only done my duty
• Penance
• Praise and acclaim
• Prayer

How refulgent faith is, and what a kind friend it is! It gives a flame as bright as a star, a flame that smiles because it is sure in its certainty, a flame that also brightens the instrument supporting it. Also the flesh of man nourished with faith seems to become brighter and more spiritual, even in this world, free from premature withering. Because he who believes holds onto God’s words and commandments in order to possess God, his ultimate aim, and therefore he shuns corruption, he is not perturbed or afraid, he feels no remorse, he is not compelled to make an effort to remember lies or to conceal evil deeds and remains young and handsome by means of the beautiful incorruptibility of saints: flesh and blood, mind and heart free from lust to contain the oil of faith, to give light without smoke. A constant will to feed that light forever. Everyday life, with its disappointments, ascertainments, contacts, temptations, disagreements, tends to diminish faith. No! It must not happen. Go every day to the source of the sweet, sapiential oil of God. A lamp with little oil can be put out by the least puff of wind or by the heavy dew of the night. The night… The hour of darkness, of sin, of temptation comes for everybody. It is night for the soul. But if the soul is filled to the brim with faith, its flame cannot be put out by the wind of the world or by the fog of sensuality.

• Acts - Actions
• Anxiety - Fear - Fearfulness
• Commandments
• Corruption
• Disorder
• Faith
• How to perfect and sanctify yourself
• Light
• Lust
• Nuit de la foi - Abandoning God
• Purity
• Sensuality - Pleasure of the senses - Enjoyment
• Sons of Light
• Temptation
• Will

Vigilance, vigilance, vigilance. He who is unwarily trustful and says: “Oh! God will come on time, while my light is still on”, and makes up his mind to go to sleep instead of keeping awake, and goes to sleep without providing what is necessary to get up and be ready at the first call, and he who waits until the last moment to procure the oil of faith or the strong wick of goodwill, runs the risk of being left out when the Bridegroom arrives. Be vigilant, therefore with prudence, perseverance, purity, confidence, so that you may always be ready for God’s call, because you really do not know when He will come.

• Caution
• Constance
• Faith
• God's call
• Goodwill
• Imprudence
• Life and death
• Pride
• Purity
• Trust
• Vigilance

I do not want you to be afraid of God, on the contrary I want you to have faith in His goodness.

• Anxiety - Fear - Fearfulness
• Fear of God
• God's goodness
• Trust in God
• Words of wisdom

The poor keep in their hearts the pearls of the words of God. They are their only treasure. He who has only one precious thing, watches over it. He who has many, is bored and absent-minded, proud and sensual. That is why he does not admire with humble loving eyes the treasure given by God, and confuses it with other treasures, only apparently precious, treasures which are the riches of the earth.

• God's gifts
• Pride
• Restlessness - Preoccupation
• Sensuality - Pleasure of the senses - Enjoyment
• Word of God - Law of God
• Words of wisdom

Jesus’ birth and His presence in the world were to appear devoid of uncommon features, which might arouse Satan… And you are aware that the present bitter hatred of Bethlehem people towards the Messiah is a consequence of Christ’s first epiphany. Demoniacal hatred made use of the revelation to cause bloodshed, and thereby intensify hatred.

• Hate
• Lucifer - Satan
• Manifestations of Jesus Christ
• Messiah