Like straw blown by the wind. Without weight and without fruit. For isolated faults one does not necessarily fall into lukewarmness. This sickness of the soul "is characterized by not taking seriously, in a more or less conscious way, venial sins, a state without zeal on the part of the will. It is not lukewarmness to feel and be in a state of dryness, disconsolation and repugnance of feelings against the religious and the divine, because, in spite of all these states, the zeal of the will, the sincere desire, can subsist. Nor is it lukewarmness to frequently incur venial sins, provided that one seriously repents of them and fights against them. Lukewarmness is the state of a conscious and willed lack of zeal, a kind of lasting negligence or a life of half-hearted piety, founded on certain erroneous ideas: that one should not be meticulous, that God is too great to be so demanding in small things, that others also practice it this way, and similar excuses "
Lukewarmness is born of a prolonged slackness in the interior life. It is usually preceded by a series of small infidelities, whose unresolved guilt is influencing the soul's relationship with God.
Laziness is expressed in the habitual neglect of small things, in the lack of contrition in the face of personal errors, in the lack of concrete goals in dealing with the Lord. One lives without true objectives in the interior life that attract and inspire. "We "go along. One has stopped struggling to be better, or one carries on a fictitious or ineffective struggle8. Mortification is abandoned, and "with the body heavy and fed up with maintenance, the spirit is very poorly equipped to fly high "
The state of lukewarmness resembles a steep slope that separates us more and more from God. Almost insensibly, a certain concern is born for not going too far, for staying within the limit, just enough so as not to fall into mortal sin, even though venial sin is neglected and accepted without difficulty.
The lukewarm soul justifies this attitude of little struggle and lack of personal demands with reasons of naturalness, efficiency, work, health, etc., which help the lukewarm one to be indulgent with his little disordered affections, attachments to persons or things, comforts that come to present themselves as a subjective need. The forces of the soul become weaker and weaker.
When there is lukewarmness, there is a lack of true internal worship of God at Holy Mass; Communions are often accompanied by a great coldness due to a lack of love and preparation. Prayer is often vague, diffuse, dispersed: there is no real personal contact with the Lord. Examination - the consequence of a special sensitivity - is now abandoned, either because it is not done at all, or because it is done in a routine way, without fruit
In this sad state, the lukewarm person loses the desire for a profound approach to God (which is practically considered impossible): "It pains me to see the danger of lukewarmness in which you find yourself," he says in The Way, "when I do not see you going seriously towards perfection in your state.
In short: "You are lukewarm if you do lazily and unwillingly the things that concern the Lord; if you seek with calculation or "quackery" the way to diminish your duties; if you think only of yourself and your comfort; if your conversations are idle and vain; if you do not abhor venial sin; if you work for human motives "
Let us fight so as never to fall into this sickness of the soul, let us be alert to perceive the first symptoms, let us go promptly to Our Lady. She always increases our hope, and brings us the joy of the birth of Jesus: Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold your King who is coming; fear not, O Zion, your salvation is at hand
Our Lady, when we come to her, brings us to her Son.
Hablar con Dios