Classification of souls on a ladder to holiness (from Jean-Baptiste Chautard, in "The Soul of the Apostolate")

Chautard wrote: "We have thought fit to attempt … a classification here below, testing souls on one hand by sin and imperfection, and on the other by their degree of prayer.
This compendium will not only facilitate the diagnosis and classification of souls but will also give precise information on the methods suggested to help souls in every state to launch out into the deep, and strive after serious progress."

Chautard, Jean-Baptiste. The Soul of the Apostolate - Chautard, Jean-Baptiste (Kindle Locations 2615-2617). Kindle Edition.

The states of the soul are:

"1. HARDENED IN SIN
Mortal sin. Stubborn persistence in sin, either out of ignorance or because of a maliciously warped conscience.
Prayer. Deliberate refusal to have any recourse to God.

2. SURFACE CHRISTIANITY
Mortal sin. Considered as a trifling evil, easily forgiven. The soul easily gives way and commits mortal sin at every possible occasion or temptation.—Confession almost without contrition.
Prayer. Mechanical; either inattentive, or always dictated by temporal interest. Such souls enter into themselves very rarely and superficially.

3. MEDIOCRE PIETY
Mortal sin. Weak resistance. Hardly ever avoids occasions but seriously regrets having sinned, and makes good confessions.
Venial sin. Complete acceptance of this sin, which is considered as insignificant. Hence, tepidity of the will. Does nothing whatever to prevent venial sin, or to extirpate it, or to find it out when it is concealed. Prayer. From time to time, prays well. Momentary fits of fervor.

4. INTERMITTENT PIETY
Mortal sin. Loyal resistance. Habitually avoids occasion. Deep regrets. Does penance to make reparation.
Venial sin. Sometimes deliberate. Puts up a weak fight. Sorrow only superficial. Makes a particular examination of conscience, but without any method or coherence.
Prayer. Not firmly resolved to remain faithful to meditation. Gives it up as soon as dryness is felt, or as soon as there is business to attend to.

5. SUSTAINED PIETY
Mortal sin. Never. At most very rare, when taken suddenly and violently by surprise. And then, often it is to be doubted if the sin is mortal. It is followed by ardent compunction and penance.
Venial sin. Vigilant in avoiding and fighting it. Rarely deliberate. Keen sorrow, but does little by way of reparation. Consistent particular examen, but aiming only at avoidance of venial sin.
Imperfections. The soul either avoids uncovering them, so as not to have to fight them, or else easily excuses them. Approves the thought of renouncing them, and would like to do so, but makes little effort in that direction.
Prayer. Always faithful to prayer, no matter what happens. Often affective. Alternating consolations and dryness, the latter endured with considerable hardship.

6. FERVOR
Venial sin. Never deliberate. By surprise, sometimes, or with imperfect advertence. Keenly regretted, and serious reparation made.
Imperfections. Wants nothing to do with them. Watches over them, fights them with courage, in order to be more pleasing to God. Sometimes accepted, however, but regretted at once. Frequent acts of renunciation. Particular examen aims at perfection in a given virtue.
Prayer. Mental prayer gladly prolonged. Prayer on the affective side, or even prayer of simplicity. Alternation between powerful consolations and fierce trials.

7. RELATIVE PERFECTION
Imperfections. Guards against them energetically and with much love. They only happen with half-advertence.
Prayer. Habitual life of prayer, even when occupied in external works. Thirst for self-renunciation, annihilation, detachment, and divine love. Hunger for the Eucharist and for Heaven. Graces of infused prayer, of different degree. Often passive purification.

8. HEROIC PERFECTION
Imperfections. Nothing but the first impulse.
Prayer. Supernatural graces of contemplation, sometimes accompanied by extraordinary phenomena. Pronounced passive purifications. Contempt of self to the point of complete self-forgetfulness. Prefers suffering to joys.

9. COMPLETE SANCTITY
Imperfections. Hardly apparent.
Prayer. Usually, transforming union. Spiritual marriage. Purifications by love. Ardent thirst for sufferings and humiliations. Few and far between are the souls that belong to the last two, even to the last three categories."

Chautard, Jean-Baptiste. The Soul of the Apostolate - Chautard, Jean-Baptiste (Kindle Locations 2624-2685). Kindle Edition.

Brother Chautard wrote " Few and far between are the souls that belong to the last two, even to the last three categories." I write: the Church needs more members that belong in this "few and far between" fellowship. As the world grows darker, sin grows more common, more "normal", more acceptable and is even embraced more and more by "Catholics" and even "prelates" of the Church! This cannot stand, and will not stand. The patience - the tolerance - of God is not limitless. A day of Judgment will come, one day. And then will the Church have done, and have been all she could have been as living witness to His holiness, His glorious salvation for the poor lost souls?

The grace received and lived for others, for the lost especially - have we done and been all that that was due to our Savior? Have we lived in His Name? Or have we been as so many others, mere part-time Catholics, part-time disciples, part-time representatives of Christ for the world?

1Cor 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
1Cor 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

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When one member is faithful, all are blessed in his light;
when one's eyes are set on Holy Glory, all are fortified in the trial;
when one's heart overflows to the poor, all are kindled aflame in Holy Love.

The Church is weakened by carnal compromise and she is uplifted by witnesses of Truth lived.

May we be awakened, and soon.