TREATISE ON THE LOVE OF GOD

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BOOK 12: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Book-XII, Chapter 07

WE MUST TAKE CARE TO DO OUR ACTIONS MOST PERFECTLY

Our Lord, as the Fathers of the Church say, used to tell his own disciples: “Be good money changers."[1] If the crown[2] is not of good gold, if it has not its weight, if it is not struck with the legal stamp, it is rejected as unacceptable. If a work is not of good quality, if it is not adorned with char­ity, if the motive is not pious, it will not be accepted among good works. If I fast for saving money, my fast is not of good quality. If it is for temperance, but I have some mortal sin in my soul, this good deed has no weight. For it is charity that gives weight [value] to all that we do. If I fast because of the company and to adjust to my companions, this deed is not signed with an approved intention. Instead if I fast for temperance and I am in the state of grace of God and I have the intention to please his divine Majesty by such temperance the action will be good money fit to increase in me the treasure of charity.

The best way to do small actions is to do them with great purity of intention and a strong will to please God. Then they sanctify us very much. Some eat much and they are always lean, weak and tired because they do not have good digestion. There are others who eat little. They are always in good form and energetic because they have a good diges­tion. Similarly there are people who do a lot of good works but make very little progress in charity. It is because they do it either coldly and carelessly or by natural instinct and inclination rather than by inspiration from God or heav­enly fervour. On the contrary, there are some who do little work but with a holy will and intention. So they make very great progress in love. They have little talent but they use it so faithfully that the Lord rewards them generously (Mt 25:21, 23)[3]

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[1] TLG Bk XI, Ch.13

[2] An old French gold coin

[3] Chapters 6 & 7 of Bk XII were generally thought of as the personal confidences of St Francis de Sales by his contemporaries who saw him living it. Pleiade, p. 1782.