Page:Thecompleteascet01grimuoft.djvu/105

 Here, then,  I  mean  to  speak  only  of  deliberate  and fully voluntary  venial  sins. All these  may  be  avoided, and are  seldom  or  never  committed  by  holy  souls,  who live with  the  firm  and  constant  resolution  rather  to  suffer death  than,  with  full  advertence,  to  be  guilty  of  a venial  violation  of  God's  holy  law. St. Catharine  of Genoa  used  to  say,  that  to  a  soul  inflamed  with  the pure love  of  God  the  smallest  fault  is  more  intolerable than hell  itself. Hence she  frequently  protested  that, rather than  wilfully  commit  a  venial  sin,  she  would  suffer to  be  cast  into  an  ocean  of  fire. It is  no  wonder  that the saints  had  such  a  horror  of  the  smallest  sin:  for,  illuminated by  the  light  of  God,  they  saw  and  felt  that the least  offence  against  his  infinite  Majesty  is  a  much greater evil  than  the  death  and  destruction  of  all  men and angels. " What  sin,"  says  St.  Anselm,  "  will  the sinner  dare  to  call  small?  For  when  can  it  be  a  slight fault  to  dishonor  God?" ' Who  shall  ever  be  daring enough to  assert  that  such  a  sin,  because  it  is  venial,  is not  a  great  evil? Can it  be  ever  said  that  an  indignity to the  Lord  is  but  of  little  moment? If a  subject  said to his  sovereign,  In  other  things  I  will  obey  you,  but not in  this,  because  it  is  unimportant, — what  censure and chastisement  would  he  not  deserve?

Hence St.  Teresa  used  to  say:  "  Would  to  God  we  had  a horror  not  of  the  devils,  but  of  every  venial  sin  from  which we  may  suffer  far  greater  injury  than  from  all  the  devils in  hell." She would  frequently  say  to  her  spiritual  children,"  From  all  deliberate  sins,  however  small,  may  God deliver  you." Religious should  take  particular  care  to