De inordinatis affectibus.

The Restlessness of Disordered Desire

Disordered desire breeds inner restlessness, especially in the proud and greedy, while the humble in spirit enjoy true peace.

Whenever a person desires something in a disordered way, they immediately become restless within themselves. The proud and the greedy never find rest. The poor and humble in spirit live in an abundance of peace.^✦

The Weakness of the Half-Detached Heart

Those not yet dead to self are easily overcome by small temptations and struggle to withdraw from earthly desires, often reacting with sorrow or resentment.

A person who isn't yet perfectly dead to themselves is quickly tempted and overcome in small, worthless matters. One who is weak in spirit and still somewhat carnal, inclined toward sensible things, can hardly withdraw entirely from earthly desires. And so they often feel sorrow when they withdraw from those things. They also take it lightly amiss if anyone resists them.

True Peace Through Resisting the Passions

Following disordered desire brings guilt and unrest, while true peace comes from resisting passions and living as a fervent spiritual person.

But if a person goes after what he wants, he's immediately weighed down by a guilty conscience, because he followed his own passion—and that does nothing to bring the peace he was looking for.¹ So true peace of heart is found by resisting passions, not by giving in to them. Peace isn't found in the heart of a carnal person, nor in someone absorbed in external things, but in a fervent, spiritual one.

Read the original Latin

Quandocumque homo inordinate aliquid appetit statim in se inquietus sit. Superbus et avarus nunquam quiescunt. Pauper et humilis spiritu in multitudine pacis conversatur. Homo qui necdum in se perfecte mortuus est, cito tentatur et vincitur in parvis et vilibus rebus. Infirmus in spiritu, et quodammodo adhuc carnalis ad sensibilia inclinatus, difficulter potest se a terrenis desideriis ex toto extrahere. Et ideo sæpe habet tristitiam cum se subtrahit. Leviter etiam dedignatur, si quis ei resistit.

Si autem prosecutus fuerit quod concupiscitur, statim ex reatu conscientiæ gravatur, quia secutus est passionem suam, quæ nihil juvat ad pacem, quam quæsivit. Resistendo igitur passionibus invenitur vera pax cordis non autem serviendo eis. Non est ergo pax in corde hominis carnalis, non in homine in exterioribus dedito, sed in fervido spirituali.

Scripture echoes

↩Matt.5.5 — Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Notes

1 ↩Passio rendered as 'passion' in the sense of disordered appetite or craving, not mere emotion.