danger and inspired to correct herself, which she soon did. Single drops of deadly poison may be harmless, but if taken steadily they will kill. Dropping water will wear away even stones, and so, too, venial sins wear out our good resolutions.
Q. Which are the effects of venial sin?
A. The effects of venial sin are the lessening of the love of God in our hearty the making us less worthy of His help and the weakening of the power to resist mortal sin.
The Bear and the Honey
Indulgence in venial sins weakens the will. A certain prince gave an entertainment to which he invited several persons of rank. After a sumptuous repast he took his guests on to a balcony overlooking the courtyard in which stood a caldron of boiling honey. Into this courtyard a bear was suddenly let loose. As soon as it smelled the honey, it rushed up to the caldron and burned its muzzle terribly. Roaring with pain, it fled to the opposite end of the yard. But after a while it came near and began to lick up the honey. It was still too hot; the bear burned its tongue and again retreated to a distance, yet not so far as before. Once or twice it came up and tried again; finally it devoured all the honey with such greediness that it burst. Thus it is with a man who is addicted to vice. When the evil consequences of his misdeeds make themselves felt, the sinner forms excellent resolutions, but presently he relapses again into sin. The more
