'Another very treacherous temptation of Satan is that
of a false sense of security. It consists in a certain confident
conviction that we could never return to our former faults, or to
worldly pleasures. We seem convinced of the nothingness of this world,
and of its fleeting character, and we imagine that our sole delight is
the service of God. This temptation is particularly dangerous when it
appears at the beginning of the spiritual life, because the soul,
blinded by this sense of security, takes no precautions against the
occasions of sin, and so succumbs to them. God grant that this second
fall be not worse than the first!'
