Father Jean Pierre de Caussade taught that purity of intention is acquired by close attention to ourselves at the beginning and above all during the course of our actions.
Close attention is necessary at the beginning of our actions. Father de Caussade explained: “Because if these actions are pleasing, useful, or in harmony with our natural attractions, nature at once moves to perform them of its own accord, attracted by pleasure and self-interest alone. But we must pay great attention to ourselves, indeed we must have great command over ourselves, if we are to prevent the will from being rushed off its feet, so to speak, by the appeals of natural motives with their flattery, solicitations, and attractions.”
St. Faustina explained her method of being watchful before undertaking an action: “Before each important action, I will stop to consider for a moment what relationship it has to eternal life and what may be the main reason for my undertaking it: is it for the glory of God, or for the good of my own soul, or for the good of the souls of others? If my heart says yes, then I will not swerve from carrying out the given action, un-mindful of either obstacles or sacrifices. I will not be frightened into abandoning my intention. It is enough for me to know that it is pleasing to God. On the other hand, if I learn that the action has nothing in common with what I have just mentioned, I will try to elevate it to a loftier sphere by means of a good intention. And if I learn that something flows from my self-love, I will cancel it out right from the start.”
It is a beautiful practice to begin our action with the prayer taught by Our Lady in Fatima: “O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
We must also pay attention to ourselves during the course of our actions.
Father de Caussade explained: “Because even when a person has the strength to repudiate, at the outset, every seductive appeal of sense and self-love, in order to follow in all things nothing but the direction of faith, in all purity of intention; nevertheless if he forgets, later on, to keep a close watch on himself, the actual enjoyment of the pleasure that makes itself felt, or of the advantages that accrue during the course of certain actions keep piling up new impressions and appeals, and the heart yields little by little, so that nature, although mortified by the first refusals, comes to life again and regains its ascendancy.”
He continued, “Pretty soon, self-love subtly and almost without our being aware of it, begins to insinuate its selfish motives, and substitutes them for the good motives with which our actions were taken up and begun. From this fact, it many times happens, as St. Paul says, that what began in the spirit ends up in the flesh, that is in low and worldly and selfish views.”
During our activities, we should turn our heart to God from time to time. St. Francis de Sales called this “spiritual retreat.” The saint wrote, “Devotion’s principal work lies in this exercise of the spiritual retreat and in ejaculatory prayers. Here is an exercise that can make up for the lack of all the other forms of prayer, but the lack of this one is practically irreparable by any other means. Without it, it is impossible to lead the active life otherwise than badly . . . and work will always be an obstacle to us.”
Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard wrote, “During this brief moment, I shall keep my eyes directed, without strain, upon all the motives of my soul’s acts, and I shall forgive no fault. My good will, too, will be fervently determined to let nothing slip through that might make my living less perfect during this interval, brief as it is!”
Josemaría Escrivá wrote, “Rectitude of intention consists in seeking ‘only and in all things’ the glory of God.”
『一切為光榮天主』
履行宗徒事業時常要以純正的意向。卡薩德神父教導說，為達到純正的意向，我們要在行動開始，和它的過程中，在一切事情之上都要留意自己。
在我們行動前是需要留意自己以避免只是為了私愛而作。卡薩德神父解釋說：『因為如果這行動是令人喜悅的，有用的或與我們自然魅力相和應的，自然地它會自動運行，它只是由喜樂和自身的興趣引發。但我們要對自己特別小心，真的如果我們要防止我們的意願被沖擊，我們要能有碩大的自我控制能力，所以說，自然動機以它奉承的籲請所作的沖擊。』
聖傅天娜解釋在行動前她是怎樣的警惕：『在每個重要行動之前，我會停一停去考慮一會，它與永生有何連系，我作這行動的主要理由是什麼：它是否為光榮天主—或是為我靈魂的好處，或是為其他人靈魂的好處？如果我內心應同去做，我不會為實行這行動突然轉向，不介意一切阻礙和犧牲。我不會受到恐嚇而放棄我的意圖。我知道這是能為天主喜悅的，一切已經足夠。另一方面，如果我知道這行動並不是如前所說的，我會以好的意圖將它提升到一個高一點的境界。如果我知道這是由我自己的私愛所發，我會從開始處立即撒消它。』
以花地瑪聖母教導的禱交作我們的行動的開始是個美麗的習慣：『噢耶穌，這是為愛祢，為罪人的悔改，並為賠補冒犯瑪利亞無玷聖心的罪惡。』
在行動進行中，我們也要留意自己。卡薩德神父解釋道：『因為甚至一個人能夠有力量在一開始去拒絕每一私愛追求的誘惑，好能懷著純正的意向只跟隨信德的指引；儘管如此，稍後，如果他忘記小心留意自己，所享受到的快感，或者在某行動過程中利益的凝聚，不斷累積成新的印象和追求，內心一點一點地放棄，因此自然地，它雖然由第一次的拒絕所克制的，再一次活出來，並重振它顯赫的權勢。不久，私愛巧妙的，在我們不覺中開始影射它私愛的意圖，替換了我們這行動開始的良好的意圖。從這事實中，它發生了很多次，一如聖保祿說，由神靈開始的卻終結於肉慾中，就是在低的，世俗的和自私的角度。』
在我們活動中，我們要時常把我們的心轉向天主。聖方濟、沙雷氏稱之為『靈魂的退省』。這聖人寫道：『敬拜的主要工作，在於靈魂退省的神工和熱心短禱。這裡是一個神工可補足其他形式祈禱的不足，但缺少這個神工，實際上其他的是方法是不能修補的。沒有它，是沒有可能達到妥善的活躍生活，只有壞的…並且工作將會對我們是一個阻礙。』
若翰肖塔爾院牧寫道：『在這短短的時刻，我會保持我目光，不被扭曲，目向我靈魂工作的所有意圖，我不會寬恕任何的過失。在這時段，甚至是短暫的，我良好的意願，也一樣，會熱切地堅決不讓任何可以令我生命稍缺完美的事物溜走』。
若瑟瑪利亞、施禮華寫道：『純正的意向在於「唯有並在萬物中」尋求天主的光榮。』
