There are two kinds of tepidity or lukewarmness: the one unavoidable, the other avoidable. Unavoidable tepidity is that which in the present life is endured even by fervent souls, because through natural weakness, they cannot avoid falling from time to time into some slight fault, but without full consent. From such defects, no one, because of the corruption of our nature through Original Sin, is free, without a special grace, which was granted to no one but the Mother of God.
God permits defects of this kind, even in His saints, to keep them humble. Often they find themselves without fervor, full of weariness and disgust in their devout exercises; and at such times of dryness they are more apt to fall into many defects, at least without deliberation. For the rest, let not those who find themselves in this condition leave off their usual devotions, nor lose courage, nor believe that they have fallen into lukewarmness. Let them go on with their accustomed exercises, let them detest their defects, let them often renew their resolution on giving themselves wholly to God, and let them have confidence in Him, for He will console them.
There is true and deplorable lukewarmness when the soul falls into venial sins which are quite voluntary, and grieves but little for them and takes even less care to avoid them, saying that they are trifles of no consequence. What! Is it nothing to displease God? Saint Teresa of Avila used to say to her nuns: “My daughters, may God preserve you from willful sins, however small.”
Some people say: “But such sins do not deprive us of the grace of God.” He who says this is in great danger of seeing himself one day deprived of divine grace and in a state of mortal sin .St. Gregory writes that whoever falls into deliberate venial sins habitually, without feeling pain at it and without thinking of correcting himself, does not remain where he is, but will go on and fall down a precipice.
Mortal diseases do not always spring from serious disorders, but often from many slight disorders of long continuance; and thus the fall of certain souls into a state of sin is often to be attributed to the repetition of venial sins, which make the soul so weak, that when attacked by any violent temptation, it has no strength to resist and therefore falls.
He that shows contempt for small things shall fall by little and little
He that makes no account of trifling falls, will one day find himself down a precipice. Our Lord said: “Because thou art lukewarm, I will begin to vomit thee out of My mouth.” This signifies that the soul will be abandoned by God, or at least deprived of those special divine aids which are necessary to preserve us in the state of grace.
Let us understand well this point: The Council of Trent condemns those who say that we can persevere in grace without a special help from God.
Therefore, we cannot persevere in grace without a special help from God.
But this special help God will justly refuse to one who makes no account of committing many venial sins with his eyes open. Is God bound to give this special help to one who does not abstain from willfully causing Him continual displeasure?
“He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly.” (2 Corinthians 9:6). If we are niggardly with God, how can we hope that God will be generous towards us?
Miserable is that soul which makes peace with sins, even when venial! He will go from bad to worse; for his passions, ever gaining ground upon him, will easily blind him; and when a man is blind, it is easy for him to find himself falling down a precipice when he least expects it. Let us fear to fall into voluntary tepidity, for it is like hectic fever [consumption, i.e., tuberculosis] which does not cause much alarm, but it is so malignant that with great difficulty is anyone cured of it.
For the rest, though it is very difficult for a lukewarm person to amend, yet there are remedies, if only he is resolved to amend. The remedies are: 1) a resolution to escape at all costs from this miserable state; 2) to remove the occasion of falling, without which there is no hope of amendment; 3) frequently to recommend himself to God with fervent prayer, that He would give him strength to come out of this deplorable condition and not to cease praying until he finds himself delivered from it.
O Lord, have mercy on me. I see that I deserve to be cast forth by Thee for so many defects with which I serve Thee. Miserable that I am, it is for this reason I find myself without love, without confidence, and without good desires. O my Jesus, abandon me not; stretch forth Thy powerful hand and draw me out of this depth of lukewarmness in which I see myself fallen.
Grant this through the merits of Thy Passion, in which I place my confidence. O holy Virgin, pray to Jesus for me.
Master – A general confession is the accusation of all the sins we have committed during our lifetime, or during a significant part of it (for example, since the last bad Confession, including all subsequent Confessions until present date).
D – Is general confession necessary?
M – It may be necessary for many people, for others it may be only useful, and it may be detrimental for several others.
D – When is it necessary to make a general confession?
M – It is necessary when all previous confessions were sacrilegious or null.
D – When is a confession sacrilegious and when is it null?
M - A confession is sacrilegious (and therefore also null) when the penitent conceals grave sins on purpose, knowing that he has the obligation to confess them, or when there is not enough sorrow or purpose of amendment; a confession is (only) null when the penitent is not aware of his lack of sorrow or purpose of amendment at the time of Confession.
D – Then, who needs to make a general Confession?
M – All those who either by malice or shame concealed or denied a mortal sin in previous confessions or a circumstance that changed the kind of sin, or did not specify accurately the number of mortal sins they were aware of, or confessed their sins in such a way that it was not possible for the confessor to understand them, or lied when answering to the questions asked by the confessor, absolutely need to make a general confession.
D – Would you be so kind as to explain to me with a few examples all the above-mentioned situations?
M – Let us assume that a poor sinner concealed, since his first confession, some sins due to shame; even if he had properly accused himself of all the others sins he committed, because of that first bad confession, none of the subsequent confessions would be valid or good, and therefore it would be indispensable for him to make a general confession in which he also would have to tell all the sacrileges he committed.
Let us assume that another sinner, who committed certain sins of deed in the past, always accused himself (only) of having bad thoughts; then, this person also made a bad confession and therefore needs to make a general confession.
Another example: someone had the misfortune of sinning, but with another person; and at the time of confession he concealed this specific circumstance, therefore he made a bad confession and needs to make a general one because he should have told to the confessor the specifics of the sins he committed, like the person he committed them with, and he knowingly concealed it.
Finally, let us assume that yet another person who had the habit of committing four or five mortal sins every week or every month, accused himself of only two or three sins, knowing with all certainty that he was lying, then all the confessions of this penitent were badly made, and just as the others I mentioned before, he must make a general confession.
D – Oh, dear God!
M – Secondly, a general confession is absolutely necessary for those who have always confessed their sins without sorrow and purpose of amendment, as we have mentioned before. Or for those who have not fulfilled the obligations imposed by the confessor, for example, abandoning all willful occasions of sin, destroying a forbidden book or hand it to someone with license to read it or retain it, breaking away from certain relationships, and similar cases. Having failed at the essential qualities of confession, these persons must put their conscience at peace through a good general confession.
D – Father, is the number of people who are in similar circumstances big or small?
M – Let us pray to God that those who find in these circumstances are few! But daily experience shows that the number is much bigger than we believe, even among seemingly good people.
We read in the life of Saint Agnes of Montepulciano about a rich man who was a great devotee of Saint Agnes and her monastery, and was deemed as a good Christian by everybody. He helped her by giving her many and generous alms; and in turn, the saint prayed much for her benefactor.
One day, when Saint Agnes was praying, she fell into an ecstasy, during which she saw in the middle of Hell a palace made completely out of fire, and heard a voice that said to her: “Agnes, this palace is for your benefactor, and he will be here very soon.” Saint Agnes was very impressed by what she saw and sent for her benefactor. When he arrived, the saint told him the horrible vision she had. The man trembled, turned pale and almost fainted, and he sincerely told her that he had been making bad confessions for almost thirty years, on account of having always remained in willful occasion of sin. The saint encouraged him to make a good general confession. He followed her advice, and then she had another vision in which she saw a palace in Heaven, and heard the same voice saying: “Very soon your benefactor will come to live in this palace.”
Now, all those who, due to their bad confessions, fear having their palace prepared in Hell, know what to do to be freed: make a good Confession.
D – Father, when we did not accuse ourselves of some sins due to forgetfulness or ignorance, and later on we learn that they were sins or we remember them, are we obligated to repeat all past confessions or to make a General Confession?
M – No, when sins were not accused because of ignorance or forgetfulness, then there is only obligation to redress partial omissions. General Confession is only necessary when we have knowingly received the sacrament of Penance badly and with all the intention of wanting to commit a sacrilege.
D – And what should we do when we are in doubt as to whether having to make a general confession or not?
M – If this were the case, then you should express all your doubts to the confessor, and follow his advice.
GENERAL CONFESSION IS ALSO USEFUL IN OTHER SITUATIONS
D – Thanks, Father; and now could you tell me: when is general confession useful?
M – 1. It is useful for those who have doubts about the value of their previous confessions, and need to put their conscience at peace.
2. It is useful for everyone who has never made a general confession, because it usually tends to produce a greater contrition of sins and to consolidate the strength and effectiveness of the purpose of amendment.
3. It is also very useful for those who are at a decisive point in their lives, or that are about to choose a state of life on which it will depend their spiritual future. These persons will be able to receive from the confessor, who acts as God, a better advice and greater light, and choose with more certainty.
D – For example, a couple, before their wedding day?
M – That is right. General confession is very useful for those who are about to get married, whether for achieving a better disposition to receive the sacrament that will join them together until the death of one of the spouses, or for providing the light and advice necessaries to govern themselves properly in such state. Marriage is an extremely important sacrament. Wo be unto him that receives it unworthily! God will never bless a marriage in which there is sin involved.
D – When is sin involved in courtship?
M – 1. When courtship is extended for a long time (when it is prolonged unnecessarily, the couple expose themselves to grave faults).
2. When the couple allow certain “liberties” in their conversations and dealings.
3. When, being in a state of mortal sin, the couple do not go to Confession, or, what is even worse, make a bad Confession to be able to get married.
D – Is it then necessary to say in such confession that one is about to get married, and to ask for the confessor’s advice?
M – Definitely. If not, how could the confessor advise them with regard to the new state they seek to embrace?
D – Father, when is it best to make a General Confession?
M – If one wishes to make a General Confession only due its usefulness or out of devotion, then the best time to make it would be during the Spiritual Exercises; but if the person wants to recover sanctifying grace, then it should be made as soon as possible.
D – Do we have to write down our sins to remember them better?
M – Not generally, but if there is need to write them down, then this should be done with due caution, destroying the writing as soon as the person leaves the confessional, so that no one is able to read it, not even the penitent (sins can also be written in a code that only the penitent understands).
Amongst the many humorous events that we read in Saint John Bosco’s life, we find the next one: A good boy, eager to make a general confession with the greatest possible accuracy, wrote all his sins in a booklet. But without knowing how, he misplaced the little booklet. He searched his pockets time and again, and looked for it everywhere. The writing did not appear. So, the poor boy, terribly despaired, began to cry. Fortunately, it was Don Bosco who found the booklet. When the boy’s friends took him crying to the saint, Don Bosco asked him:
- What is the matter, James? Did something upset you? Did someone hit you?
The boy, wiping away his tears and perking up a little, answered: I have lost my sins! When the other boys heard this erupted in laughter, and Don Bosco, who had immediately understood everything, told him:
- If you have lost your sins you should be happy, and even happier if you never find them again, because without sins, you will go straight to Heaven.
But James, thinking that Don Bosco had not understood him, explained himself by saying:
- I have lost the booklet where I wrote them!
Then, Don Bosco, took out from his pocket the big secret, and told him:
- Do not worry, my dear, your sins have fallen into good hands; here they are!
Upon seeing his booklet, the poor boy calmed down and said:
- If I had known it was you who found them, instead of crying I would have laughed. Tonight at my Confession I would have told you: Father, I accuse myself of all the sins that you have found and which are in your pocket.
D – Finally, Father, for whom could a general confession be harmful?
M – It could be harmful for scrupulous persons, or for those who are filled with anxieties and idle fears: for those who having made a general confession hundreds of times, are never at peace, and would like to say at every opportunity what they have already said. A general confession would only generate in these persons more anxieties and scruples. They must pay heed to their confessor when he assures them that they can be at peace… that he will answer before God for the state of their souls. The confessor sees and judges better than them. Therefore, they should be completely sure that in obeying their confessor, they are obeying God Himself.
D – Then, when a confessor does not allow a General Confession, should he be obeyed?
M – Definitely. When the confessor does not allow a general confession to be made, is using his full rights, and the penitent must obey him. It is only in this manner that the penitent will gradually be able to enjoy peace of mind and calmness. Wanting to attain peace by any other means would be to ask the impossible.
Now, do you see how important general confession is? After this, we should not be surprised that so many saints recommended it, for example, Saint Ignatius, Saint Charles Borromeo, Saint Francis of Sales, Saint Bonaventure, or Saint Thomas Aquinas, all of whom are renowned by their spiritual practices and their doctrine.
Therefore, do not be fooled by the devil; and if you need to, prepare yourself for a good general confession. Let us be encouraged by the thought that, through a good general confession, we can, in a sense, regain baptismal innocence.
We read in the lives of the holy monks of the desert that one day a young man, who was a great sinner, arrived at the monastery in order to become a religious. The Superior ordered him to make a general confession in the church of the monastery the following Sunday. To this end, the young man wrote down all his sins so he would not forget anything. While he was making his confession, one of the oldest and virtuous monks saw that an angel was crossing the sins out from the list the young man had in his hands, at the same time he was confessing them, until the list was completely white; this represented the immaculate whiteness that the soul of the young man had regained.
Saint Caesarius of Arles relates a similar event. There was a young student from Paris, who having been a great sinner, wanted to change his life, and decided to make a general confession with a good confessor from the Cistercian Order. But being unable to declare his sins due to his tears and sighs, the confessor encouraged him to write them down, and so the young man did. After he had finished, the confessor started to read the list, but found such grave and complicated cases that did not dare to solve them by himself, so he requested and obtained from the penitent the necessary license to consult them with his Superior. But when the abbot took the list to read it, said: “What am I supposed to read if there is nothing here?” – Indeed, God had miraculously erased from the paper all the sins of that young man, in the same way that He had erased them from his soul.
But, why keep giving examples provided by saints when Jesus Christ Himself tells us that general confession truly gives us back baptismal innocence. Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque confirms the above-mentioned.
One day, when Saint Marguerite was making the Holy Spiritual Exercises, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to her and said: “Marguerite, I want you to make again a general confession of the sins you have committed during your whole life, and I will give you a dress.”
To satisfy her Spouse, Saint Marguerite started to work, and after a careful examination of conscience, she made a general confession. Immediately after she had made it, Jesus Christ appeared to her again, bearing in His hands a white dress, and told her: “Marguerite, this is the dress I had promised I would give you.” That dress represented baptismal innocence.
Blessed be a thousand times general confession, that produces in our souls so wonderful effects, that purifies it more and more and leaves it again as beautiful as if it had just left the baptismal font!
D – Thank you, Father, I have understood everything perfectly, and I appreciate your teachings and doctrine; I will engrave it in my heart.
The beliefs we hide because we fear being called old-fashioned… The blasphemy or disrespectful joke we listen to complacently fearful of what people will think if we say something against it… The complicit silence when we do not manifest or defend the Truth, for fear of the opinions of others… The heresies we tolerate from the Modernist priests to avoid the embarrassment and discomfort due to what other people or the priest will say… The prayers we omitted and that resulted in souls who did not change their lives and were condemned because nobody prayed for them, ignoring what Our Lady asked and warned in Fatima… The Masses we did not order to be said and the prayers we omitted for our relatives and the souls in purgatory, in general, to help them to attain eternal happiness… Turning a blind eye to the bad behavior of our children to avoid problems… The admonishments we should have made but did not because we wanted to avoid the inconveniences… The souls that we, being able to, did not breed for God, and that our selfishness disguised as “responsible fatherhood/motherhood”, suppressing our duty of fruitfulness… The tears we saw streaming down someone’s face and did not wipe away because we did not want to get involved… The sweater we did not take off to give to that poor beggar that was shivering from the cold, because we had paid a lot money for it… The piece of bread we did not share, because no one gave it to us for free, justifying our behavior saying that we obtained it through our own efforts… The fight that we did not prevent because we wanted to avoid getting involved in problems that did not concern us… The wound we did not want to heal because it was not our fault… The word of encouragement or good advice that we never gave to someone who was afflicted or in need because we “did not have time for it”… The lack of patience in bearing the wrongs of others… The time we did not give to someone who needed to talk, excusing us by saying that we “didn’t have any time to spare”… The knowledge that we could have shared and that we selfishly kept only for ourselves… The alms that we did not give - without having real basis for it – under the pretext of not wanting to contribute to begging and idleness… The smile we did not give to those we crossed paths with because they were not related in any way to us… The forgiveness we did not offer… The apology that was silenced by our pride… The letter that someone was waiting and that we never wrote… The visit we did not pay to our elderly and lonely parents or relatives… The poor religious instruction we gave our children (or just barely enough for their First Communion) and the delayed sacraments (which should be: Baptism, in case of danger of death or before one month of age; Confession – first – and First Communion – after – when they have reached the use of reason, etc.)… The religious teaching that we did not give to our servants… The abortion that could have been prevented if we had given our advice… The visit we never paid to a sick person or prisoner… The medicine we could have given to a gravely ill person, but did not give because it would have affected our economy… The annual Confession and Communion that the Commandments of the Church oblige us to receive and that we omitted… The mandatory days of fasting and abstinence that we did not observe… The Sunday Masses that we did not assist to without a major reason… The prayers we did not say to thank God (but did not forget to say when we asked Him for something!), the visits we did not pay to the Blessed Sacrament, the study of our Faith that we always postponed, the spiritual reading that we never made… and all the other things that we did not do because we did not have time, or were very, very exhausted… In short … EVERYTHING that being able to do and should have done, did not do because of our laziness or selfishness… Right-doing does not consist only in avoiding evil, all the guilty omissions we commit are also sins. Therefore, in addition of avoiding evil we must do right.
What grief and sorrow for all the things we have omitted during our lives. Perhaps there are some omissions that can be mended… Others can no longer be remedied.
Let us ask God for forgiveness for all the omissions we have committed, and go to Confession to accuse those that involved grave matter, and correct everything that is still fixable.
The believer must really, positively, love God above everything else, and his neighbor, in the exact same way he loves himself. Therefore, do not forget to also examine yourself frequently for sins of omission (especially when making an examination of conscience, since it is not enough to examine ourselves according to the Commandments of God, of the Church and deadly sins). In this article, we have just named a few examples. Analyze your particular obligations according to your duties of state.
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