Episode 43 -- Spiritual Combat c26.1 -- How to React after Sinning

What should my reaction be after I sin?

In trying to disturb our peace of soul, the devil likes to suggest not only evil desires, but also misguided good desires. How so? Good actions must be done at the right time and in the right way to be truly good. “It is not enough,” St Philip used to say, “that some action be good. But does the Lord want it done by me? at this time? in this way?”

The devil presents apparently good things to us. He then tries to make us over eager to fulfill them. Fr Scupoli tells us to make use of spiritual director in these times. Act under obedience. Get advice. And wait! Let the impulsiveness pass.

Our bad self-love likes to encourage us to do things that are self-aggrandizing. One of the dangers of the spiritual combat and all the acts of self-discipline that we practice is that our self-love gets inflated. We do things to grow in holiness that we think up and choose. In this way the spiritual combat can make us proud. Our ego gets inflated at all we are doing.

Thus, the Lord allows us to undergo trials. One use of trials is to weaken our self-love by showing us how limited and finite we are.

In this episode we read about a special trial. The trial of our our own sinfulness. What should we do after we sin? How can we keep peace of heart after being spiritually wounded?