Changing the Plan Without Fault

As we said at the start, the intention of the mind brings a man either reward or condemnation, according to this passage: “Their thoughts among themselves accusing or else defending one another, on the day when God will judge the secrets of men,” and this one too: “But I am coming to gather their works and their thoughts, together with all nations and tongues.” So, as I see it, it was from a desire for perfection that you bound yourselves with the chain of these oaths, because you then thought that perfection could be gained by this plan. Now that a riper judgment has come in, you see that you cannot climb to its heights by this means. So any departure from that arrangement that may seem to have taken place will be no hindrance, provided only that no change follows in your original purpose. For changing the tool does not mean abandoning the work, and choosing a shorter and more direct road does not prove the traveler lazy. So in this matter, improving a short-sighted arrangement is not to be counted as breaking a spiritual promise. [a]

For whatever is done out of love for God and desire for goodness, which has “promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come,” is most worthy not only of no blame but actually of praise, even though it may seem to begin with a hard and unfavorable start. So breaking a careless promise will be no hindrance, provided that in every case the end, that is, the aim of goodness we set before ourselves, is kept. For we do everything for this reason: that we may be able to show God a clean heart. If reaching this is judged to be easier in this country, the change in the agreement extracted from you will be no hindrance to you, provided only that the perfection of that purity, for whose sake your promise was first made, is reached all the sooner, according to the Lord’s will.