List of points

Don’t lose heart. Carry on! Carry on with that holy stubbornness which in spiritual terms is called perseverance.

You are not getting worse. — It is just that now you have more light to see yourself as you really are. You must avoid even the slightest hint of discouragement.

Never lose heart, for Our Lord is always ready to give you the necessary grace for the new conversion you need, for that ascent in the supernatural field.

By yourself, if you don’t count on grace, you can do nothing worthwhile, for you would be cutting the link which connects you with God.

—With grace, on the other hand, you can do all things.

Christian optimism is not a sugary optimism; nor is it a mere human confidence that everything will turn out all right.

It is an optimism that sinks its roots in an awareness of our freedom, and in the sure knowledge of the power of grace. It is an optimism which leads us to make demands on ourselves, to struggle to respond at every moment to God’s calls.