The passions in the face of desires and temptations—known as the concupiscible passions—moderate things like eating, drinking, what one thinks about, looks at, says, and so on. These passions are love, hatred, desire, aversion, joy, and sadness. Note: the passions of love and hatred here refer not to moral virtue or vice, but to the natural attraction to what is fitting and the repulsion from what is not.

To bring these to life, imagine some friends invite you out for a night on the town after a tough week. If you feel you can enjoy the evening while remaining in control, you experience love—recognizing the gathering as good and fitting. That love then stirs desire, moving you to attend. If, on the other hand, you sense the night may lead to excess indulgence and regret, you experience hatred—not of the people, but of the situation, as it appears unfit for you. That hatred then stirs aversion, moving you to decline. If you go, enjoy yourself, and remain temperate, you experience joy. But if you give in to excess—of eating, drinking, or lack of self-control—you are left with sadness.

This is the pattern of the passions. And yet, many repeatedly give in to desires they know they should resist. They continue doing what, deep down, they despise. And so, they walk through life with an undercurrent of sadness—because they remain enslaved by vice.

But the way of virtue is the way of freedom and fulfillment. It does not silence desire; it sanctifies it. The virtuous one does not ignore the passions but orders them—redirecting the loves of the heart, the desires of the flesh, the aversions of the will—toward God, not the body. Knowing, “The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God” (St. Anthony of Padua). Thus, the will of self, the pull of the flesh, and the pressure of the world no longer rule them. Instead, they are ruled by grace. Their passions are not repressed but redeemed.

This is how you become who God wills you to be—not by killing the passions, but by sanctifying them. Ordered rightly, these passions become fuel for your journey, drawing you not into sin but deeper into the beauty of a virtuous and fulfilled life.

And so, “Desire to see God, be fearful of losing Him, and find joy in everything that can lead to Him. If you act in this way, you will always live in great peace” (St. Teresa of Avila). Learn to watch the movements of your desires. Reflect on what you are drawn to and why. Examine your aversions and what they reveal about your heart. Then choose what is good, not what is easy. Practice temperance. Practice clarity. And when the passions rise—as they always do—let your will, illuminated by grace, take the reins and guide them well. For in this ordered harmony, the soul begins to flourish, and life becomes a steady ascent toward the joy, freedom, and fulfillment God desires for you.