De feditate luxurie ac periculo et tactu. Item de malo auaricie, et de inepta leticia

De feditate luxurie ac periculo et tactu. Item de malo auaricie, et de inepta leticia

When someone does not marry for the pure love of God, virtue, and chastity, but strives to live in continence and adorns themselves with all virtues, they will undoubtedly gain a great name in heaven. For just as here one does not cease to love God, so there one will never cease to praise Him. Marriage is good in itself, but when people bind themselves in marriage to satisfy their lust, they turn something good into something bad, and from what they think will help them, they only become worse. But whoever loves marriage for this reason, because he hopes to become rich from it, will undoubtedly try to loosen the reins of his lust, overflowing with pleasures and wealth, and he boasts that he has found a moderate remedy for his slippery flesh. Moreover, perverse men are those who, even for the beauty of their own wives, become excessively inflamed, and their bodies are broken by their desires all the sooner, as they are more relaxed in satisfying the cravings of the flesh. While they indulge in pleasure, they weaken; and while they prosper, they perish; and while they strive to satisfy their desires through pleasures, they miserably pour out their mental and physical strength. Nothing is more dangerous, nothing more shameful, nothing more foul for a person than to pour out his mind in the love of a woman and to long for her as if she were a blessed rest. Afterward, it quickly begins to fade, which before it longed for as the highest bliss. Indeed, he realizes afterward, while he reflects on the brief pleasure and the long anxiety, that he was wildly and shamefully led astray by such love. It's clear that he was strongly bound by the weak chain of vanity. But because he did not want to turn to God with his whole heart, he did not recognize his misery until he had experienced it. And so he fell into the pit of captivity because he did not look to the sun of glory. If one could perceive even a drop of the sweetness of eternal life, the fleeting beauty of carnal allure, which is deceptive and vain, would never seem so sweet to the mind. But alas, because this miserable delight does not catch the attention of the all-powerful God, it remains fetid and loathsome, and one does not realize how deceived they are in their own conscience. No one can finally give in to the temptations of the flesh and not stray from the paths of righteousness. For the fire of earthly love never stops inflaming the mind of man; indeed, it consumes all the moisture of divine grace within it, leaving it empty and dry, causing its heat to grow ever stronger. It also stirs up the fire of greed, igniting the fire of lust, so that in a strange way, the captivated soul, driven mad, desires nothing but carnal pleasures or the accumulation of wealth, setting its end in these things and burning with a constant longing for them, unaware of the torment it is rushing toward. The person who cares nothing for the words of God and His commandments only seeks after external and visible comforts; blinded in the inner and invisible things, they go toward the fire as if their eyes were closed. But when the wretched soul has been freed from the body, it will quickly and undoubtedly know in its own manifestation how miserable it was while it lived in the flesh, thinking itself not only innocent but also happy. In everything we do, we should always care more about the purity of our minds than about the purity of our bodies. It’s worse to touch a woman’s flesh with bare hands than to corrupt the mind with evil pleasure. If we touch a woman but in our hearts think of nothing but good, it shouldn't be called a sin. Even if some temptation of the flesh arises from this, a person does not fall into evil as long as their mind remains fixed on God. When the heart is drawn into various desires, it can easily be led astray; or it may also be diverted into a harmful sweetness, and it won't be quickly restrained by the love of the Creator and the constancy of virtues. You should know without a doubt that such a person bears the guilt of impurity within themselves, even if they are far removed, not only from a woman but also from a man. If a faithful man is joined to an unfaithful woman, it's likely that his mind will turn toward infidelity. Indeed, it’s the nature of women that when they feel they are loved by men beyond measure, they deceive their hearts with enticing flattery, drawing them toward the wicked desires that their corrupt will suggests, which they previously attempted to conceal with clear words. Indeed, Solomon was wise and faithful to God for a time, but later, because of his excessive love for women, he fell far from faithfulness and the commandments of God; he was more worthy of a serious downfall, given that he was placed in great wisdom, yet allowed himself to be overcome by a foolish woman. No one should flatter themselves in vain, nor should anyone presume to say, 'I am secure; I do not fear.' The world, with its seductive allure, cannot deceive me, especially when I hear about the most sensible man and the most foolish outcome. Spiritual fornication is also greed, because the greedy person, driven by love of money, opens his heart to the den of demons. But when someone loves money too much and forsakes God, the true spouse, because of excessive desire, what else does that person do but commit fornication and idolatry? Let us therefore show our hearts to the all-powerful God as best we can, suffocating all poisonous delights, even if something in us sometimes stirs due to our fragility; yet in our hearts, before God, nothing should be seen except what is perfect and supreme. Sometimes, due to excessive joy, we become trivial; at other times, we rejoice in words and sight. And although these things and similar ones can be done with a good spirit before God, before men we sometimes fail to recognize when we go too far. Therefore, we must be careful to guard ourselves against negligence, especially where we fear we might give the appearance of evil in some way. It is good for the servants of Christ to cling to God, because in their longing for Him they feel the fervor of the Holy Spirit's fire and sing the delights of eternal love with the sweetest sound of heaven. Therefore, the heavens have become sweet as honey, namely the saints, who love Christ all the more ardently as they know how much He has endured for them. While the minds of the saints are inseparably immersed in the love of eternity, they at least take delight in tasting the sweetness of heavenly life, even if only briefly, and they boast of savoring it with melody.