divine-mercy-in-my-soul

Q. Is every bad thought a sin?
A No, every bad thought is not a sin; it becomes so only when the acquiescence of the
will and consent are joined to the consideration of the mind.
Q. Is there anything, over and above sins against chastity, which is detrimental to the
virtue?
A. Lack of custody of the senses, of the imagination, of the feelings; familiarity and
sentimental friendships are detrimental to the virtue.
Q. What are the means by which this virtue may be preserved?
A. To conquer interior temptations with the thought of the presence of God, and
moreover to fight without fear. And for exterior temptations, to avoid occasions.
There are, in all, seven principal means: to guard the senses, to avoid occasions, to
avoid idleness, to remove temptations promptly, to remove oneself from all – and
especially particular friendships, the spirit of mortification, and to reveal all these
temptations to one‟s confessor.
Besides this, there are also five means of preserving this virtue: humility, the spirit of
prayer, modesty of the eyes, fidelity to the rule, a sincere devotion to the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
The Vow of Obedience
The vow of obedience is superior to the first two. It is, to tell the truth, a holocaust, and it
is more necessary because it forms and animates the monastic body.
Q. To what does the vow of obedience oblige us?
A. By the vow of obedience, the religious promises to God to be obedient to his
legitimate superiors in everything that they will ordain in virtue of the rule. The vow of
obedience makes the religious dependent on his superior in virtue of these rules for
his whole life and in all his affairs. A religious commits a grave sin against the vow
every time he disobeys and order given (43) in virtue of obedience and of these rules.
The virtue of obedience goes further than the vow; it embraces the rules, the
regulations and even the counsels of the superiors.
Q. Is the virtue of obedience indispensable for a religious?
A. The virtue of obedience is so indispensable to a religious that, even if he were to
perform good actions contrary to obedience, these would be evil and without merit.
Q. Can we sin gravely against the virtue of obedience?
A. We sin gravely when we scorn the authority or the order of the superior, or when
spiritual or temporal harm to the community results from our disobedience.
Q. What faults endanger the vow?
A. To be prejudiced against the superior, or to harbor an antipathy for him – murmuring
and criticism, tardiness and negligence.
The Degrees of Obedience
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