Remedies against negativity in our lives

The Introduction to the Devout Life: The Fourth Part

Monday, 14 December 2015
Group: M. Vijaya Prakash Reddy, Benjamin Gahungu, Yoshikazu Tsumuraya and José Antonio Santís Pinedo

Chapter 1, We must Ignore the Negative Remarks of Worldly People

Chapter 2, We must have Great Courage

• The world is always critical and acts as a judge. 
• The world has criticized John the Baptist because he did not eat or drink, he criticized Jesus because He ate and drank with people.
• It does the same thing to devout people.
• The mountain of Christian perfection is very lofty. We are still little bees in devotion. 

Chapter 3, The Nature of Temptation:

The Difference Between feeling Temptation and Yielding to it
Satan, the world and the flesh, seeing a person espoused to the son of God, send suggestions and temptations by which:

1. Sin is proposed
2. The person is pleased or displeased with the suggestion
3. The person either consents or refuses

These are the three steps which lead down to sin: temptation, delight and consent.

Chapter 5, Encouragement to those in Temptation

• God allows these great trials and temptations only to those whom he wishes to raise to His pure and excellent love. 
• Do not be too sure of your ability to overcome small temptations because you have overcome great ones. 
• Trust only in a constant fidelity to God.
• By means of continual prayer, the Sacraments and confidence in God, we shall regain our strength to lead a whole and happy life.

Chapter 7, Remedies Against Great Temptations

• Have recourse to God, imploring his mercy and his help. 
• Pray that you may not enter into temptation (Mt 26:41). 
• Never look at the temptation itself, but look at our Lord.
• The best remedy against temptations whether great or small, is to open our hearts and make known our suggestions, feelings and affections to our spiritual director.

Chapter 9, Remedies Against small Temptations

After having performed an act of the contrary virtue, on recognizing the real nature of the temptation, turn your heart simply to Jesus Christ crucified and in a spirit of love kiss his sacred feet. Love of God containing in itself all the perfections of all the virtues, and more excellently than the virtues themselves, is also the most perfect remedy against all vices. Speak often in praise of purity and simplicity of heart, conforming your actions to such words and avoiding all affectations and flirtations. In this way you will strengthen your heart against future temptations.

Chapter 11, Anxiety

• Anxiety is a source from which and by which many temptations come.
• Anxiety increases sadness, making it extremely dangerous. 
• Anxiety arises from an inordinate desire to be freed from the evil we experience or to acquire the good we hoped for.

Chapter 12, Sadness

Sadness can be good or evil depending on the different effects which it produces in us. It produces more evil effects than good.
Good effects: Compassion and repentance
Evil effects: anxiety, sloth, anger, jealousy, envy and impatience
Sadness kills many, and there is no profit in it (Sir 30:24).
Remedies for sadness: Prayer is the sovereign remedy.

Chapter 13, Spiritual and Sensible Consolations and our Conduct with Regard to them

We must try to keep a constant and unchanging balance of mind in the midst of this great variety of changes. The good movements they had, are only spiritual mushrooms. The heart is good which has good affections and passions; and the affections and passions are good which produce in us good effects and holy actions.
We must humble ourselves profoundly before God. Let us admit that we are still small children in. When we have received some spiritual consolation, we must be particularly earnest in doing good and in being bumble on that day.

Chapter 14, Spiritual Boredom and Absence of Sensible Consolations

You must discover the source of the evil:

1. God deprives us of his consolations when we take some vain pleasure in them
2. When we do not care to gather the sweetness and the delights of the love of God in its proper time, he withdraws them from us in punishment of our sloth
3. If you are not simple and sincere like a little child, you will not receive the sweets of little children
4. Those who are rich in worldly pleasures are not able to receive spiritual delights
5. If you been careful to preserve the fruits of the consolations, you will receive more

Chapter 15, A Remarkable Example to Support and Clarify what has been said
Almost all the beginners in the service of God, are still inexperienced in the withdrawals of sensible favors as well as in the ups and downs of spiritual life. Persons lifted above themselves by spiritual joys, easily renounce material things.
Instructions:

1. God usually gives a foretaste of heavenly delights to those who begin to serve Him 
2. Very great storms sometimes arise in the midst of dryness and desolation
3. We must never lose courage in the midst of interior troubles
4. It is a very good remedy to make known our trouble to some spiritual friend who can comfort us

Summary by Prakash