I. Curiosity is made a snare of by the enemy of souls, and to some persons he gives a great craving to behold some miracle, or to have revelations. Then, either in sleep or when awake, he shows to such certain deceitful appearances, to allure them to falsehood under the guise of truth, or to lift them up to pride. The devout soul ought therefore to flee such desires and detest them above all things. What others have experienced in these matters ought to be enough for us.
- Sometimes the enemy pushes a man on to look into the sins of another, either to show them up and take away his good name, or that he may lose all love for him, and despise him, or that all wholesome counsel from his mouth may be rejected, or that all he does may be attributed to some bad intention. If the sins we observe are in our superior, he gives them as a reason why we should not be bound to obey him. If they are in a subject, they are esteemed a valid reason for most cruel treatment, and that such an one should be corrected without any mercy. Or again, the enemy tempts us to think that because we do not the like sins, we are therefore much better, and so he leads us perhaps into that pride which makes us really much worse. For this pride is a sin far more grievous than all the defects which, with such diligence and curiosity, we explore and consider in our neighbour.
We ought, then, to turn away our eyes from the looking on our neighbour’s faults, and employ them in beholding our own. If we have the duty of examining or searching into the sins of others, it should be done with great compassion; for if we pity people for diseases of the body, how much more ought we to grieve for their diseases of the soul.
We ought also to pray God for them, considering that our own sins are still more grievous, or at least, had it not been for God’s mercy, we should have been entangled in more heinous crimes. He who does not implore the divine mercy on the sins of others, as well as on his own, seems really guilty of hating his neighbour.
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By curiosity, in searching into the wealth of our neighbour, the enemy of souls leads some into envy, trouble of mind, and melancholy. For by the sight of the pomp of riches, of carriages and horses, servants, fine clothing, &c., the mind becomes inflamed with covetousness, and a restless desire to be possessed of the same earthly glory.
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A prying mind that would search too subtilly lays itself open to the most foolish and hurtful suspicions. The devil has a great hold of some souls by making them continually surmise that this or that thing was done for the very purpose of vexing them, or to make a mock of them, or to do them some injury. By these silly suspicions and misunderstandings temptations arise between husband and wife, between brother and sister, between friend and friend. To suspect easily is a most fatal evil, for such suspicions, after having worked incredible mischief, are almost always discovered to be utterly groundless. They ought therefore never to be listened to. But if it is found impossible to get rid of them, it is a good plan that the one suspecting should ask of the other some satisfaction or explanation of the thing that causes the suspicion, so that there may be an opportunity of giving a reason that may dissipate all these doubtings.
But the devil takes good care often that the person he tempts shall keep the temptation quite a secret in his own heart. By this secrecy he prevents all hope of the clearing up of the circumstances that cause it, and he adds to it safely, as no opportunity of excuse or explanation is given.
However, sometimes he uses the very opposite method, and gets the person to blurt out his suspicions in a hot, rash manner, and most unseasonably. By this means a fierce tempest of anger is excited, which ends perhaps in the most malignant hatred. For the person feeling injured by the suspicion says to himself, “So this is the opinion that this man entertains of me, to suspect me so vilely without all reason. What have I done to merit it? Can he have a friend’s feelings towards me who can so suspect?” The devil then makes his gains both ways, by silence and by speaking.
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Some are tempted by the devil with a vehement longing to be present at the festival of a wedding, or other worldly vanities, and he so arranges that at the time, although they witness things and hear things not proper or modest, yet they feel in no way tempted against chastity. This makes them very bold on this point, thinking they have reached a high degree of purity. Then by their presumption they give way to a proud elation, or they are emboldened to venture themselves more, and fall into immodest sins, or into very unclean thoughts. This does not always happen in the place, but perhaps afterwards, when they are alone, and when all they have seen and heard returns and fills their memory. It is safest, then, never to risk oneself needlessly, but to avoid the danger, and to put no trust in one’s virtue.
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The devil sometimes pushes a man to search into his predestination, to inquire whether God has destined him to glory, or foreknown that he will perish everlastingly. Then, if he thinks himself predestined to glory, he runs a danger of being lifted up by a presumptuous confidence; and if he think the contrary, he goes headlong into a reckless despair. A man, then, ought not to form a judgment either way, but he should hope in the mercy of God, with a great fear of the strictness of His justice.
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Sometimes a man is tempted to question within himself whether he would rather die, or would choose instead to be damned for ever; or again, whether he would be willing to commit a mortal sin rather than die. Now, if he choose rather to be damned, or to commit a mortal sin, rather than to die, he does by such a choice sin grievously, for we may not offend God to escape any misfortune whatsoever. But if he affirm that he would choose the other part, first, it may be a lie on his part, or self-deceit; then again, he may fall into a boastful arrogance, on account of the seeming firmness of his virtue. Such manner of questions, then, ought to be avoided. If they arise in the mind, we should reject them without giving any answer to them. Instead of answering, we should say to God, “Thou knowest my frailty, O Lord; I confess that even a small pain would make me fall from Thee, were it not fpr the help of Thy grace. I cast myself therefore into Thy hands, beseeching of Thee never to let me be so tempted as to consent to transgress Thy commandments.”