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78. Malice as the Cause of Sin

1. Malice is badly disposed reason. It is commonly calledbad will. A sin committed through malice or bad will is a kind ofcold-blooded sin. From the standpoint of the disposition of reasontowards sin, there are three types of sin: (a) sins of negligence;for example, sins that come from culpable ignorance; (b) sins ofpassion; (c) sins of malice.

2. There is malice in a sin committed through habit. For ahabit is not compelling; the victim of habit is free to reject itsinfluence. So long as a person knowingly allows a sinful habit tocontinue, and does not take effective measures to banish it, heshows malice or bad will.

3. Yet a man may sin, and sin with malice, without havingthe habit of such a sin.

4. Malice makes a sin more grievous than it would be if itwere committed under the stress of passion. For malice shows acoldly purposive will to sin, despite the clear judgment of reasonwhich is at the will's service. But passion surges hotly upon aperson and blurs the judgment that precedes the act of will.

"Those who love God are always happy, because their whole happiness is to fulfill, even in adversity, the will of God."
St Alphonsus de Liguori

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"It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides. "
Thomas á Kempis

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"The Lord has always revealed to mortals the treasures of his wisdom and his spirit, but now that the face of evil bares itself more and more, so does the Lord bare his treasures more."
St John of the Cross, OCD - Doctor of the Church

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