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Living in a fallen world, we will never be free from every influence of sin. Even the saints could not fully escape from their sins while on earth.
However, this reality does not mean we should give-up the fight.
What we need to do is continually combat against our sinful tendencies in order to prepare our hearts for the eternal bliss that awaits us in Heaven.
Rooting out the little sins
While the first priority in any person's life is to root out the bigger mortal sins, it is also important to focus on the little venial sins.
St. Francis de Sales explains the reason why in his Introduction to the Devout Life:
[T]hey weaken the mental power, hinder Divine consolations, and open the door to temptations;—and although they may not destroy the soul, at least they bring on very serious disease.
He then goes on to use various analogies to explain what happens to our soul when we neglect these little sins and never address them:
“Dead flies cause the ointment to send forth a stinking savor,” says the Wise Man. He means that the flies which settle upon and taste of the ointment only damage it temporarily, leaving the mass intact, but if they fall into it, and die there, they spoil and corrupt it. Even so venial sins which pass over a devout soul without being harbored, do not permanently injure it, but if such sins are fostered and cherished, they destroy the sweet savor of that soul—that is to say, its devotion.
St. Francis de Sales encourages us to do what we can to sweep out these little sins, before they take hold in our heart:
A trifling inaccuracy, a little hastiness in word or action, some small excess in mirth, in dress, in gaiety, may not be very important, if these are forthwith heeded and swept out as spiritual cobwebs;—but if they are permitted to linger in the heart, or, worse still, if we take pleasure in them and indulge them, our honey will soon be spoilt, and the hive of our conscience will be cumbered and damaged.
The sacrament of confession is a great way to address these little sins, confessing them on a regular basis.
In addition to confession, the next step is to try and take concrete steps to avoid the occasion of sin as best we can.
We won't be able to avoid sin entirely while on earth and we shouldn't expect to be free from every sin.
However, we can strive to conform our lives more and more closely to Jesus Christ and to do what we can to prepare our hearts for our eternal destination.
