Introduction to the Devout Life: Structure of 1-5 through 1-24.

Yeah, I skipped blogging 1-4.  It's about having a spiritual director.  I don't have one and I don't anticipate getting one anytime soon, so I didn't pay a lot of attention to it.

I have, however, read quickly through the rest of Part 1.  I want to take a moment to step back from the details and look at the general overview, because it struck me that it makes one cohesive chunk, telling you how to start your program of learning devotion.  Here's an outline of these sections:

Introductory Remarks

• 1-5.  "The Purification of the Soul."  It takes time to learn devotion, we have to purify our soul to do it, and we don't get to stop purifying our soul as long as we live. 
• 1-6.   "Purification from Mortal Sin." Continuing the introductory remarks:  "Purification from mortal sin is the first step, and the sacrament of penance is the means of effecting it."  St. Francis explains that he's going to send you to confession, preferably a general confession, and explains why he advises it.
• 1-7.  "Purification from Attachment to Mortal Sin."  Francis explains that the purification referred to in the previous paragraph, confession and absolution, isn't enough:  "If you desire to embrace the devout life...you must not only give up sin but also free your heart from all attachment to it, for such attachment not only places you in danger of relapsing but is a constant source of weakness and discouragement, preventing you from doing good readily, diligently, and frequently, which is the essence of devotion."  

A Three-Step Program For Getting Rid of Mortal Sin and Attachment To It

Step one:  How to obtain perfect contrition so you can make your good general confession and to help root out attachment to mortal sin.

• 1-8.  "The Means to the Purification."  "The first step towards this purification is a clear and vivid realization of the terrible effects of sin, leading to sincere and vehement contrition... To obtain such perfect contrition you must carefully make the following meditations..."
• 1-9 through 1-18 are the ten meditations, which are designed to progressively instill contrition.  I will write more on them later; they would make a great "examination of conscience" novena, I think.

Step two:  How to make your general confession.

• 1-19.  "General confession."  This is really no more than brief encouragement to make a good one.

Step three:  Make a firm resolve not to sin again... hmm, this sounds familiar.

• 1-20.  "Solemn resolution."  Francis provides a model of the kind of prayer he means.
• 1-21.  "Conclusion."  "We can never really uproot our attachments to sin as long as we live; we can, however, mortify them, so I will give you some further advice which, if practised, will preserve you from yielding to them..."

Other things that will Obstruct You From the Devout Life:  

• 1-22  "Purification from attachment to venial sins."  "Now to be attacthed and inclined to venial sin is a very different thing from actual venial sins themselves, for it is not in our power to avoid venial sins altogether for any length of time but it is within our power to avoid being attached to them."

  (Hold on there --  I said I was not going to get into details but I can't help myself here.  Is that not precisely the opposite of what we might intuit?  Don't we usually say, "You can't help your inclinations, but you can choose not to act on them?"  Here Francis is saying that we can't actually avoid sinning -- not completely anyway -- but that we can do something about the underlying inclinations that lead us to sin.  Which is right?  Are they both right? )

  Anyway, here Francis is explaining why attachment to venial sin will get in the way of the devout life.  And there are two other things that will also get in your way:

• 1-23.  "Purification from attachment to useless and dangerous things."  
• 1-24.  "Purification from evil inclinations" -- by which he really means "imperfections" that "give rise to various faults and failings which are in no way sinful."  "Just as there is no natural temperament so good that it may not be perverted with bad habits, so there is no natural temperament so difficult that it may not be overcome with care and perseverence and the grace of God."

Conclusion of the Mortal Sin Part, and Transition to Part II.

• The very end of 1-24:  "I will now advise you on the various means by which you may purify your soul from
  • attachment to venial sin
  • and to dangerous things,
  • and from your imperfections,
  so that your conscience may be fortified more strongly than ever against mortal sin."

So there you have it:  St. Francis de Sales's self-help program, outlined.  At least the first part of it.  

I'll write more about the ten meditations next time, but before I close, I just want to add that I think as I read this I feel a missing piece falling into place.  You see, I know about getting rid of an attachment to venial sin, dangerous things, and imperfection, because I have done it once in one area of my life.  Will this book help me take what I've learned from that and make the necessary analogies to apply it in other areas of my life?  Because it's not like gluttony was my only vice...