I. The Importance of Motives
I have called a good motive and simplicity the window of the spiritual house. What is a motive? It is, as it were, the internal spring of action that prompts or influences a particular deed. For example, if I give alms to obtain God’s grace or, conversely, to gain human praise, then the desire for God’s grace or human glory is the motive of my action.
It is easy to understand that the motive depends solely on us and is entirely subject to the kingdom of our soul, for who can force us to want what we do not wish or to want in a way we do not desire?
It is also not difficult to grasp that the motive is the source of an action and, as it were, its soul, for the moral value of the action depends on it. Therefore, I have called it a window: just as the amount of light entering a house depends on the window, so the value of an action depends on the motive.
If the motive is good, the action is also good, provided its object is good or at least indifferent. If the motive is evil, the action itself is evil, even if its object is the best. Our Lord Jesus Himself illustrated this, saying: “The lamp of thy body is thy eye. If thy eye be single, thy whole body will be lightsome; but if it be evil, thy whole body will be darksome” (1). That is, as the eye directs the body, so the motive directs the soul. A single eye is a good motive, which casts its light on the entire spiritual life and every member—that is, every deed—such that even an indifferent action becomes good in its light. An evil eye is an evil motive, which transforms even good deeds into works of darkness.
What is more common than sleep or eating? Yet, when performed in a state of grace and with a supernatural motive, these actions become supernatural and meritorious for eternal life. Conversely, what is more glorious than apostleship or martyrdom? Yet, if these arise from an evil motive, such as vainglory, they not only lack value but become blameworthy.
For God values the soul of an action, not its body—that is, He looks at the motive, because through it the soul reveals its fidelity or infidelity, its love or lukewarmness.
Behold, Our Lord Jesus sits by the treasury in the temple of Jerusalem, observing with divine eyes those who approach. The Pharisees come and offer generous gifts; a poor widow approaches and casts in two mites. Then the Lord turns to His disciples and says: “Amen I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury” (2). Why, O Lord? For she gave only two mites. Because her motive was the most perfect.
The motive distinguishes actions that appear similar outwardly and gives them varying value. Our Lord illustrated this in the parable of the sower, where some seed yielded thirtyfold, some seventyfold, and some a hundredfold. The Apostle Paul, in turn, used the analogy of a building, stating that all build on the foundation of faith, but some use gold, silver, and precious stones, while others use wood, hay, and stubble, which will burn on the Day of the Lord (3).
From this, you see the importance of the motive (4). It is the foundation of every virtue; just as a house rests on pillars, and pillars on their bases, so our spiritual life rests on virtues, and virtues rest on the motive (5). It gives our actions supernatural value, for it frees them from the dominion of passions and self-love, subjecting them to the kingdom of God’s grace.
It increases our merits, for whatever we do in a state of grace and with a good motive becomes meritorious for eternal life, even if the act is small; the more perfect the motive, the greater the merit. Thus, the motive is rightly compared to a rudder, which, as it steers a ship to port, directs human actions toward God and the heavenly harbor.
What great consolation this brings us, that God does not measure our gifts by their outward size but by their inward motive. In this way, the poorest beggar can amass more merits than a king on his throne, and no one should complain that they can do nothing for God. For who among us is so poor as to be unable to offer something pleasing to God? If one cannot give a coin or another offering, one can give a sincere and willing heart, and this gift is most pleasing to God.
Likewise, who cannot become perfect? If one cannot do great things, one can do small things and, with a perfect motive, make them great. For good deeds are not valued like pieces of gold, which are worth more the heavier they are, but rather like a flame, which is purer and brighter the less smoke and moisture it contains (6).
Yet alas, there are few people rich in merits, few who are perfect, because few act with good motives. Thus, the Lord’s warning is fulfilled in them: “Thou shalt sow much seed in the field, and shalt gather little, because the locusts shall consume all” (7). People sow abundant seeds of prayers, fasts, offerings, and the like, but their harvest will be meager, for the locusts of evil motives destroy nearly everything.
**II. Types of Motives**
**1. Evil Motives**
What, then, are the possible motives? Some are evil, and among them, the most common and worst is the desire for vainglory. It is the most common, for who is free from it? Even the holy and perfect are assailed by it; even the solitude of the desert or the cloister’s gate cannot restrain it. St. Gregory the Great recounts that while writing his excellent book *Liber Moralium*, he intended solely the glory of God and the benefit of souls, yet during the writing, a secret desire to please people and gain applause crept in. Who, then, will not fear the snares of vainglory, especially since it is abominable and blameworthy before God, dangerous and harmful to the soul? God created all things for His glory, so that every creature might sing an unceasing hymn of praise to Him. With humanity, He made, as it were, a covenant: that all glory from good deeds be referred to God as due tribute, and in return, we would have all their benefits on earth and both benefit and glory in heaven.
If, therefore, a person appropriates the glory of good deeds, they overturn God’s order and become rebels, thieves, traitors, and idolaters. God said: “My glory I will not give to another” (8), yet a person deceives God and steals glory for themselves. God desires to be the sole Bridegroom of the soul, yet the soul adorns itself in beautiful garments—that is, good deeds—to please another. God wishes to be the only God of humanity, yet a person makes themselves a god and demands incense be burned to them. Thus, vainglory is an object of God’s hatred and punishment.
How diligently the soul must guard against being ensnared by it, especially since it is a cunning and treacherous enemy. First, vainglory follows virtue like a shadow (9) and arises from good deeds, whereas other vices stem from sins. It is like a moth, born from the garment and destroying it. Second, it creeps into the soul subtly and slyly, like a robber who joins a traveler, pretending to take the same path, then attacks and takes their life when they feel safe. Finally, it is hard to be rid of, for it insinuates itself everywhere, gnaws constantly, and cannot be wholly uprooted. Even when defeated, it profits from its defeat and often overcomes its victors. It is the last garment the soul removes (10), the last battle it must fight (11); often, even on the deathbed, the soul cannot be free of it, and the life of many a soul is, from beginning to end, a continuous farce.
The harm this vice causes to the soul is inexpressible. It strips good deeds of all value, so that the most splendid works, if rooted in vainglory, not only lack merit but become sinful.
Thus, the Lord says of the Pharisees that they have received their reward on earth and admonishes all: “Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven” (12). The prophet Haggai says to those who seek vainglory: “Set your hearts upon your ways: You have sown much, and brought in little; you have eaten, but have not had enough; you have drunk, but have not been filled with drink; you have clothed yourselves, but have not been warmed; and he that hath earned wages, put them into a bag with holes.”
How many people cast their merits into the perforated bag of vanity! The Fathers rightly call it a flattering thief of spiritual goods, a sweet but deadly poison, a swift arrow that wounds deftly but fatally, and they urge us to flee from it with fear. (…)
Guard yourself against vanity as much as you can. To this end, remember that all glory from your deeds belongs to God alone, that God’s eye is constantly fixed on you, that you should heed the words and example of the Savior, the ruinous effects of vanity, and the reality of death, judgment, and eternity. When you undertake something, do not consider whether people will praise or blame you; strive only to please God and, insofar as love of neighbor requires, to please others. Do not act to avoid censure or gain a good name, for such a motive is always imperfect and can easily become evil. If you please God alone, you will also please people. When you do something good, seek to hide it, so that your right hand does not know what your left hand does, unless God’s glory, love of neighbor, or duty requires you to act openly, in which case, let your light shine before men so that they may glorify your Father in heaven.
Especially beware of Pharisaical hypocrisy, which does many good things but for human glory and self-satisfaction, which idolizes itself and despises others, which outwardly appears virtuous but inwardly is full of perversity and filth. Truly, nothing is more abominable before God and humanity than this vice.
Evil motives also include those that aim to harm a neighbor while seeking personal gain, rooted in selfishness and marked by duplicity.
Finally, evil motives include those rooted in self-love, with the goal of personal comfort. Although a good deed naturally brings comfort, and it is not sinful to accept such comfort, it is wrong to do good solely for the sake of that comfort. For, as St. Gregory says, God attached comfort to actions as a seasoning, not the action to comfort as a means. Whoever seeks only comfort in an action perverts God’s order, making the means the end, and thus sins.
Unfortunately, this happens frequently, even to more perfect souls, who may disdain human praise but seek the secret satisfaction of doing good and being pleasing to God.
A holy hermit once meditated long into the night on the scriptural saying that all our deeds will be weighed on a scale. Exhausted, he fell asleep and dreamt that he saw the Judge, Christ, seated on a throne, with an angel holding a scale. The deceased came for judgment, each bearing two burdens—one of good deeds, the other of sins. The angel placed these burdens on the scale, and the judgment of salvation or damnation depended on which was heavier. An old woman approached, carrying a large burden of good deeds, but to the hermit’s astonishment, when the angel weighed them, her smaller burden of sins proved heavier. “Who, then, can be saved,” he cried in fear, “if this woman, with so many good deeds, is rejected?” An angel approached and unfolded her burden, revealing many smaller burdens labeled prayers, fasts, alms, Holy Communions, and the like. The hermit was even more astonished that such good deeds weighed so little. The angel said: “Open these burdens.” He did, and found them empty. “See,” said the angel, “these deeds have value only in human eyes but are worthless before God, for they sprang from a desire for personal glory and gain. Thus, the prophet’s words are fulfilled in this woman: some fell asleep thinking themselves rich, but awoke with empty hands. She fell asleep in death, believing herself rich in good deeds, but now awakens with empty hands.” The hermit awoke and took these words to heart; may you do the same.
**2. Natural and Earthly Motives**
There are other motives that, while not contrary to God’s will, do not directly aim at God. These arise from reason or the heart without regard for God’s revealed will and are thus called natural. Such is the motive when we do something good because it is noble and beautiful to do so, because we are drawn by an innate feeling, or because our position, need, or propriety demands it. Such is also the motive when we do good to oblige a neighbor, encourage reciprocity, or show our kindness and gratitude.
Actions stemming from these motives are not sinful, but they are not supernatural or meritorious for eternal life, for they lack the “divine seal.” To make them meritorious, one must be in a state of grace and frequently refer all actions to God through acts of love. The saints advise offering all our actions to God’s glory each morning in prayer and renewing this intention often throughout the day.
Here belong earthly motives, which aim at God but only to obtain earthly goods or avert temporal punishment. Such is the motive when we do something good, such as praying, fasting, or giving alms, to receive good health, abundant harvests, or success in some endeavor. These motives are not supernatural but are not evil, and they may be used, provided they are accompanied by due submission to God’s will.
**3. Supernatural Motives**
Supernatural motives are those rooted in the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity.
Motives of faith include the command or example of Jesus Christ and the supernatural perfection found in practicing every Christian virtue. These motives are highly beneficial and should always be kept in mind, especially by frequently contemplating Jesus Christ with the eyes of the soul. Motives of fear are also good, provided the fear is filial, not servile.
Motives of hope aim at our supernatural good. We have such a motive when we do good to obtain forgiveness of sins, satisfy divine justice, overcome temptation, acquire virtue, or merit heaven. These motives are good and can inspire us to work and struggle, as the prophet said: “I have inclined my heart to do thy justifications forever, for the reward” (13). So too did the martyrs encourage themselves.
Before a tribunal, the mother Felicity stood with her seven sons. The judge tried to persuade her with fair words to offer sacrifice to idols, but she boldly replied: “Do not expect, Publius, that I will renounce my faith in Jesus Christ. Almighty God will strengthen me and not allow His servant, fighting for His glory, to be overcome.” “Wretched woman,” the judge replied, “if death is so dear to you, go and die; but what madness drives you to deprive your children of the life you gave them?” Felicity answered: “My children will live forever in Jesus Christ if they remain faithful to Him; they should fear torments without end if they sacrifice to idols.” Turning to her sons, she said: “See this beautiful and lofty heaven—there Jesus Christ awaits to crown you. Remain in His love and fight for the salvation of your souls.” Strengthened by these words, all her sons and their mother willingly faced death. Let this hope be our comfort and strength. We must only ensure that our happiness is not the sole and ultimate goal. For if someone served God only to avoid hell and gain heaven, such that they would cease serving if there were no hell or heaven, they would gravely sin against God, making Him a means rather than the end.
Motives of charity aim at God and all that is connected to Him. We have such a motive when we do good to glorify God, honor His Majesty, or please Him; to express gratitude for all His blessings on us and others, on the Most Holy Humanity of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, the angels, and the saints; to extend the glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ and make fruitful His Most Precious Blood; to honor the Most Holy Mother of God and the entire heavenly court; to gladden the Church Triumphant, adorn the Church Militant, and console the Church Suffering; to obtain graces for our brethren, convert unbelievers or sinners, or fulfill God’s will and sanctify our soul, making it a more beautiful temple of the Holy Spirit and a worthier vessel of grace (14).
These motives are the most just, for if God is our beginning and end, and if He has loved us and done so much for us, is it not right that we do all things for His glory and out of love for Him? He Himself demands this: “If then I be a father, where is my honor? And if I be a Lord, where is my fear?” (15). The Apostle exhorts: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God” (16). These motives are most pleasing to God, for they best fulfill the purpose He set for creation, which is His glory.
These motives are the most perfect, for they spring from the most perfect source—charity. In them, the soul seeks neither its own glory nor its own happiness but God’s glory and happiness alone. It loves God not because He is good to it but because He is most perfect and most worthy of love. Such a soul would renounce heavenly glory if it could thereby glorify God and would not hesitate to descend to hell if it could love God there. Thus do the blessed in heaven love, and thus do holy souls on earth.
These motives are the most beneficial for us, for God repays great love with great love, as He said in a revelation to St. Catherine of Siena: “My daughter, think of Me, and I will think of you; strive by all means to serve Me most perfectly and spread My glory, and fear nothing, for I will be your defense, grant you victory over enemies, perfect you in virtues, enrich you in merits, and save you.” (…)
Dear soul, if you desire that the arrows of your deeds always strike the Heart of Jesus and draw from it streams of grace, do all things out of love and for love.
How, then, shall you do this? First, each morning, offer yourself and all you have to God, saying:
I offer You, O God, myself and all that is mine: my thoughts, words, deeds, sufferings, every breath, every step, even my sleep and my food; accept this, O Lord, as a pleasing offering for Your glory and the fulfillment of Your will, and grant me the grace to do all this perfectly, or rather, do it through me, O Lord.
Renew this intention often during the day, for example, when the hour strikes, when you see a cross or an image, and so on. Let acts of inner devotion and holy desires rise from your heart like sparks from a fire.
Likewise, when you are about to do or suffer something, especially something significant, lift your soul to God, saying: For You, O Lord, I desire to do or suffer this.
It is also good to act with the intention God Himself had for that action, for such an intention is the most perfect. You may say:
O God and my Lord, I desire to perform this action for the purpose Your wisdom has deemed fitting; guide me now, that I may do only what You desire and as You desire.
But you will do best if you unite all your thoughts, words, deeds, and sufferings with the thoughts, words, deeds, and sufferings of Our Lord Jesus, to purify, perfect, and ennoble them. For as a branch that does not abide in the vine bears no fruit and withers, so a soul is barren and lifeless if not united to Jesus. This union is effected by sanctifying grace in the sacraments. And as a branch grafted onto a vine produces finer fruit, so a soul that unites its works with those of Jesus gives them a brilliance and value they lacked before.
Our Lord revealed this to St. Gertrude. Once, He appeared to her seated on a throne of glory, with St. John the Evangelist at His feet, writing as if with a pen. At times, the Apostle dipped his pen in an inkwell and wrote black letters; at other times, he dipped it in the open wound of Jesus’ Heart, and the letters were red; then he retouched these with black and golden ink. The saint understood from the revelation that the black letters signified good deeds, the red letters prayers offered in memory of Christ’s Passion, and the gold and purple, blended together, represented virtuous deeds done solely for God’s glory in union with the merits of Jesus Christ.
You now understand the great value of a perfect motive. Strive, then, to infuse this motive into every action, even the most insignificant, and especially to remain constantly united to Our Lord Jesus. In this way, your base metal will be transformed into gold. As in Solomon’s temple, everything was of gold or covered with gold, so let every action of yours flow from love or at least be united with love.
**4. The Pure Motive**
Many souls seem to do everything for God, yet their actions are not perfect. Why? Because their motive is impure, that is, mixed with an evil motive or at least a lesser one.
For example, someone may give alms out of love for God but subtly seeks human praise; another prays to glorify God but also seeks personal satisfaction. Rarely, except among holy souls, does a person have only one motive for an action, and even more rarely is that motive pure love for God. Alas, such is our weakness that we struggle to cast aside all regard for others and ourselves and to “be content with the judgment of God alone” (17), that is, to achieve a pure motive. Usually, we offer God “wine mixed with water,” and thus there are so few perfect deeds.
A pure motive sees only God, seeks only God, and seeks itself only in God. Thus, St. Alphonsus Liguori beautifully says (18) that the saints have but one eye, fixed on God, while worldly people have many eyes, eagerly gazing at its vain goods.
A pure motive is like a clear sky, unmarred by any cloud. You can recognize it by these signs:
If you do not wish to be seen or praised by people, do not desire their applause, do not seek their gratitude, do not fear their judgments, do not grieve at their reproaches, nor even track how they value your actions; if success does not make you proud, nor failure disturb you; if human honor and love do not flatter you, nor ingratitude discourage you; if you feel no envy when others act while you remain hidden, but rejoice in others’ deeds as in your own; if you are content with what God gives you and have no feverish desires; and finally, if you perform public and hidden, glorious and lowly, praised and despised actions with the same care and zeal—then it can be said that you have a pure motive (19).
Strive earnestly for such a motive, not only that it aims at God—that is, is simple—but that it has God alone as its goal. As the book *The Imitation of Christ* teaches: “Man rises above earthly things on two wings, simplicity and purity; simplicity should be in the intention, purity in the affection; simplicity aims at God, purity reaches Him, embraces Him, and delights in Him” (20). To acquire such simplicity and purity, first ask Our Lord Jesus to grant you His motives and purify your heart.
Consider further that your heart was created solely for God, so any affection that cannot be referred to God is a loss to it. Consider the rewards of a pure motive: if a cup of water given to the poor does not go unrewarded, how much more will God reward great labors and sufferings undertaken for love of Him. “If you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Jesus; but if you seek yourself, you will find yourself, to your own ruin” (21).
Consider the example of Our Lord Jesus, who says of Himself: “I seek not my own glory,” but “I do always the things that please Him” (22). Consider the examples of the saints, whose sole motto was St. Ignatius’ words: “All for the greater glory of God,” and whose entire happiness and reward was God Himself.
When the great scholar and saint Thomas Aquinas prayed before a crucifix, he heard a voice from Our Lord Jesus: “Thomas, you have written well of Me; what reward do you desire for this?” The saint replied: “None other, O Lord, but You Yourself.”
Walk constantly in God’s presence, and remember that your Guardian Angel stands by you, carrying every good deed, like an offering of love, before God’s throne. Above all, love God ardently, for love will initiate you into the desires of Jesus’ Heart and perfect your motive. When you begin an action, examine carefully whether you seek God and God alone; during the action, look only to God, as if no one else existed in the world but God and you.
**Bishop Joseph Sebastian Pelczar – *Spiritual Life, or Christian Perfection According to the Most Eminent Spiritual Masters*, Vol. II, Kraków, Jagiellonian University Press, 1886, pp. 130–143.**
1) Matt. 6:22
2) Mark 12:43
3) 1 Cor. 3:12–14
4) Note: If an action is inherently evil, even the best motive cannot sanctify it, for the Apostle says: “We are not to do evil that good may come” (Rom. 3:8).
5) St. Bernard, *Moralia*, Book XXVIII, Ch. VI, 3.
6) St. Francis de Sales
7) Deut. 28:38
8) Isa. 42:8
9) St. Jerome, *To Eustochium*
10) Plato
11) St. Bernard
12) Matt. 6:1
13) Ps. 118:112
14) Faber
15) Mal. 1:6
16) 1 Cor. 10:31
17) St. Jerome, *Against Lucifer*
18) *On the Love of Our Lord*, Ch. VII
19) Ibid.
20) *Imitation of Christ*, Book II, Ch. IV, 1
21) Ibid.
22) John 8:50, 8:29
Catholic during the Great Apostasy 
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