When he holds someone in the slavery of
sin, the demon has no other goal than to blind him all the more and to
remove him from whatever thought may lead him to an awareness of his
miserable life. Nor does the demon content himself merely by directing
him away from thoughts and inspirations that would call him to
conversion, but with ready and diligent promptness the demon occasions
a fall into the same sin or even into greater ones. For this reason
the blindness grows thicker and darker; the victim
comes to plunge all the deeper into sin and accustoms himself to it.
His miserable life flows as if in a vicious circle until his death,
unless God should supply him with his grace.
The remedy for this, as far as we are concerned, is that if someone
should discover himself in this desperate state, he should make room
for reflection and for the inspirations that call him from the shadows
towards the light. He must cry with all his heart to his Creator: "My
Lord, help me! help me quickly, and do not leave me any longer in these
shadows of sin!" Nor must he give up repeating this or something
similar, shouting it many times.
If possible,
he should hasten quickly to
a spiritual father, to seek
help and advice on freeing oneself from the enemy. If it will be some
time before he can go, he must make promptly for a crucifix, throwing
himself before its sacred feet with his face to the ground; he should
also hurry to the Virgin Mary, asking for pity and help. He must
realize that
victory stands on this
promptness, as the next chapter will help you understand.
"the blindness
grows thicker and darker": Literally,
diventando più folta e cieca la sua
cecità, "the blindness growing thicker and more blind."
"hasten quickly":
Literally,
corra subito subito,
"he should run quickly quickly." Italian sometimes uses the repetition
of an
adverb or adjective to heighten the effect.