Part 1, Chapter 21
We have done it! St. Paul says it well, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). We have finished the meditations; we have made a resolution and are now done with the first purification. (I feel like a cheerleader and saying “Great job,” “God is so proud of you.”) Still, we are not done yet, many more pages and chapters to read before that happens. So we keep going on this journey of the devout life. It isn’t easy and we will fall down along the way. There is more to be purified in our lives. We are closer to God, and yet there is more that we have to do to get even closer. We want to make sure to leave behind all mortal sin, but even venial sin we don’t want to do. St. Francis De Sales wants to lead us to this.
But forasmuch as these affections are easily rekindled, thanks to our infirmity and concupiscence (which may be mortified, but which can never be altogether extinguished while we live, I will give you certain counsels by the practice of which you may henceforth avoid mortal sin, and the affections pertaining thereto (Introduction to the Devout Life, 32).
As I heard it said lately, we must keep moving forward toward God because if we stop, we are moving in the wrong direction. In other words, we have to work on getting rid of the affections towards sin and those pesky venial sins so that we are continually moving toward the Lord.