ness which is criminal and voluntary, that languor which is our own doing, and, through cowardice, makes us throw off the yoke of Christian regularity — induces us to neglect the ordinary exercises of piety and prayer, causes us to feel a distaste for penance, so much so that we withdraw from the Sacraments, cease from performing good works — in short, makes us feel that religion is so wearisome that we can no longer serve the Lord our God in spirit and truth.
This is what St. Bernard means when he depicts spiritual tepidity; and God wills that we should reflect on our past tepidity and attend to what His saints teach us.
The state of lukewarmness is hurtful to every one, inasmuch as it is one of those maladies of the soul to cure which the strongest remedies are often found to be ineffectual.
Such a state is also in direct opposition to the grace of penance, because, in lieu of that holy fear which it ought to excite within us, it substitutes fruitless fears which result in nothing.
We must try to check the growth of tepidity by thinking of the holiest Christian duties, and fortify our will by prayer and watchfulness.
In lesser attacks of lukewarmness which are not actually criminal, far from lessening our devotions, we should, on the contrary, try to be more fervent, more regular in our exercises of piety.
To succeed in this it is preferable to practise solid devotion, to encourage the most generous piety, because it often happens that he who serves God with less sensible devotion serves Him with more merit and perfection.
This lukewarmness does not come upon us suddenly. Like unto the foolish virgins mentioned in the Gospel, it changes from a drowsiness to a deep slumber. Dormitaverunt omnes et dormierunt.
