
“God, who gives his creatures all that is necessary for their perfection, has planted the seed of virtue in the soul of man, and has endowed him with a natural inclination for good and instinctive hatred of evil. This inclination may be weakened and perverted by a habit of vice, but it can never be totally destroyed” (page 147). Our topic today is on having a guilty conscience.
The above quote comes from the extraordinary work, The Sinner’s Guide, by Venerable Louis of Granada. What follows are more excerpts on the topic of conscience. Particularly, he highlights how having a guilty conscience means a soul has no peace, and has no hope for salvation.
Our author cites many Biblical passages throughout the book, including this chapter. These two speak to our topic at hand:
“The wicked man fleeth when no man pursueth, but the just, bold as a lion, shall be without dread.” Proverbs 28:1.
“Who hath resisted God and hath had peace?” Job 9:4.
Elsewhere Venerable Louis of Granada shares some insightful observations on those having a guilty conscience. Here are some of his best insights:
“So the faithful servant, conscience, always remains with the sinner in the midst of his disorders to show him what he has lost and the state to which his sins have reduced him” (page 147).
“If thy action be good all the world may witness it; if it be evil what will it avail thee to hide it from others, since thou cannot hide it from thyself? Alas for thee if thou makest no account of such a witness, for its testimony is worth that of a thousand others” (page 151).
“‘Consider,’ the saint [Eusebius] again says, ‘the tear which will seize the negligent soul when she is entering eternity; the anguish with which she will be filled when, foremost among her accusers, her conscience will appear with it innumerable retinue of sins. Its testimony cannot be denied; its accusations will leave her mute and helpless; there will be no need to seek further witnesses, for the knowledge of this lifelong companion will confound her’” (page 208).
“Distrust and fear as inevitably accompany a bad conscience as the shadow does the body” (page 158).
“There is no torment which exceeds that of a guilty conscience. If, then, you desire to live in peace, live in the practice of virtue” (page 150-51).
“’A wise man is always cheerful, and his cheerfulness comes from a good conscience’” (page 153).
This is why mankind turns to sex, drugs, and alcohol so often, in order to numb away ping of a guilty conscience. The Left can celebrate vice in the streets with “Shout your abortion” campaigns and gay pride parades. But all the while, they know deep down their lifestyles defy their human nature. Hence, they are trying to create a new one with all this transgender nonsense.
The Left can try to intimidate us. They can try to silence us. They can close down our bakeries, and cause our photography businesses to go bankrupt. But they still will have their consciences to bear, each and every day. Even though they don’t want us to remind them of this fact.
We all betray our consciences. That’s what sinning entails. Just some of us do it louder and more frequently than others. Some of us can live with ourselves, but most of us cannot.
YOUR TURN
What are your thoughts on these insights?
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