The purgative way is the beginning stage of the interior life. In which a soul strives to be free from sin and to be purged from any inclination or attachment to sin.
Regarding the purgative way, St. Francis de Sales said, “We can never be wholly pure from venial sins, at least, never for any continuous length of time, but we can and may get rid of any sort of affection for these lesser faults. Assuredly it is one thing to tell falsehoods once or twice, lightly and thoughtlessly, and in matters of small importance; and another to take delight in lying and to cling fondly to this sort of sin.”
We must strive constantly to rid ourselves of any love, however slight, of the sin from which we have been cleansed, otherwise we shall be very likely to fall back into the sin again.
St. Bonaventure pointed out that mortal sin is putting a creature before God, whereas venial sin is loving a creature with disordered affection. St. Francis de Sales said, “Neither venial sin, nor even the affection to it, is contrary to the essential resolution of charity, which is to prefer God before all things; because by this sin we love something outside reason but not against reason. We make too much and more than is fit of creatures, yet we do not positively prefer them before the Creator. We occupy ourselves more than we ought in earthly things; yet we do not, for all that, forsake heavenly things.”
Bishop Jean Pierre Camus, a disciple of St. Francis de Sales, wrote: “Besides venial sins, there are certain natural propensities and inclinations which are called imperfections, since they tend towards evil, and, if unchecked, lead to excesses of various kinds. They are not, properly speaking, sins, either mortal or venial; nevertheless, they are true failings and defects of which we must endeavour to correct ourselves, inasmuch as they are displeasing both to God and man. Such are propensities to anger, grief, joy, excessive laughter, flattery, favouritism, self-pity, suspicion, over-eagerness, precipitancy, and vain affections. We must strive to rid ourselves of those defects which, like weeds, spring up without being sown in the soil of our corrupt nature, and incline us to evil from our birth.”
St. Francis de Sales told Bishop Camus that every venial sin is an imperfection, but not every imperfection is a venial sin. In sin there is always malice, and malice is in the will, hence the maxim that nothing involuntary is sin.
Regarding imperfection, St. Francis observed: “Some people have so high an opinion of their own perfection that should they discover any failings or imperfections in themselves they are thrown into despair. They are like people so anxious about their health that the slightest illness alarms them, and who take so many precautions to preserve this precious health that in the end they ruin it.”
Bishop Camus added: “The great imperfection of most of us proceeds from want of reflection, but, on the other hand, there are many who think overmuch, who fall into the mistake of too close self-inspection, and who are perpetually fretting over their failings and weaknesses.”
St. Francis de Sales encouraged confidence in the mercy of God saying, “The weakness and backwardness of a child displeases its mother, but she does not for that reason love it less. On the contrary, she loves it more fondly, because she compassionates it. So, too, is it with God, who cannot, as I have said, love our imperfections and venial sins, but never ceases to love us, so that David with reason cries out to him: Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak.”
聖人勸我們根除對罪的依戀
『煉路』是內在生命的開始階段。在那裡，靈魂奮力遠離罪惡並肅清罪惡的傾向和依附。
在這『煉路』方面，聖方濟各、沙雷氏說：『我們總不能免於小罪，不能維持一段長久的時間不犯小罪，但我們能夠並可以取締對這些小過錯任何的愛戀。肯定的是，在不大重要的事情上，一次或兩次輕微無心的說謊，有別於喜歡說謊和樂於依附於這等罪過中。』
我們應該不斷奮鬥去除對這些已被清洗過的罪惡的任何喜愛，無論是最輕微的喜愛，不然我們將很可能再墜入這罪惡中。
聖文都辣指出大罪是將一受造物放在天主之上，而小罪是以一個不當的愛戀去愛一個受造物。聖方濟各、沙雷氏說：『無論是小罪或甚至是對它的愛戀，並不相反於愛德的基本志向，就是愛天主在萬有之上。因為小罪使我們在理性以外愛事物，但不是違反理性。對受造物，我們太重視和過份着重了，可是未至於愛它們多於愛造物主。世間事物我們花上比必要更多的關注；可是我們沒有因此而摒棄了天國事物。』
聖方濟各、沙雷氏的門徒，加繆主教寫道：『除了小罪，還有一些自然的癖好和傾向，可稱之為不完美，因為它們都趨於邪惡，如果沒有加以剔除會引來多類的不同過分。正確地說它們不是罪惡，不是大罪或小罪；然而它們都是我們要自己勉力改正的弱點和缺點，由於它們使天主和人不悦。它們是忿怒，悲傷，喜樂，過份的大笑，奉承，偏愛，自憐，懷疑，過份的渴望，輕率和過分的感情的傾向。我們應該努力去掉這些缺點，它們像沒有被播種的野草種子在我們腐敗的土壤中突然湧現，使我們從出生，便傾向邪惡。』
聖方濟各、沙雷氏告訴加繆主教說，每一小罪都是一個不完美，但並不是每一個不完美都是小罪。罪惡是有一個惡意的，惡意在意志中，所以罪惡基本的準則在於沒有不自願的。
有關不完美，聖方濟各觀察：『一些人對自己的完美有很高的意見，如果他們發現自己有著任何缺點或不完美，他們便趨於絕望。他們像那些對自己健康十分關注的人一樣，驚惶於輕微的不適，過多的防禦去保衛健康最後是損害了他們的健康。』
加繆主教補充說：『我們大部份的不完美始於缺乏反思，可是在另一方面，有些過份思考，他們便敗於太緊密的自我檢測，他們恆常地因為他們的缺點和弱點而苦惱。』
聖方濟各、沙雷氏鼓勵要能信任天主的慈悲說：『孩子的缺點和改善的緩慢不悅於母親，但母親對它的愛不會因此而減少。相反，她更深深的愛它，因為她憐愛著它。所以，同樣，天主也是如此，一如我所說，祂不能愛我們的不完美和小罪，但卻永不或止地去愛我們，所以達味據理向祂呼喊：上主，我的體力衰弱，求你憐恤我』。
