Book 1, Chapter 21: On Compunction of Heart
Comment: Compunction is a $50 word for the feeling of contrition, guilt, regret 
or sorrow for sin. It’s a heart-based incident relating to your conscience. Contrition, regret and a stirring of your conscience are worthwhile, especially when you are trying to improve yourself or, in this meditation, recognize the sadness behind rejecting God’s love by choosing our favorite sins. In this role, compunction of heart is a path to holiness.
Aslan & Jesus
Second is “Fear of God.” In this writing, “fear of God” is a healthy, sovereign respect for the awesome nature of God. God is all powerful. Recognizing this power is similar to recognizing the power of a tornado or a bonfire – when you encounter such power, you know your limits within its presence. Like the children of Narnia understanding the power of Aslan the Lion.
Thomas wants us to reflect upon our sins, our vices, our bad habits and our pursuit of meaningless prattle in a way to feel this profound sorrow. We should experience loss. We should grieve over our transgressions because, like an insult to a lover, we have offended God. And while we deserve rejection in kind for our sinful commissions and omissions, instead, our Lord offers consolation and healing.
As such, Thomas wants us to use this “holy compunction” as a path to reconciliation with God as His disciple. Through a serious reflection upon our
shortcomings and sins-especially those sins of the past, we can pursue spiritual disciplines that will bring us closer to God’s comfort and salvation now and in the future.
Book 1, Chapter 21
On Compunction of Heart
If you will make any progress, keep yourself in the fear of God, and never wish to be completely free. Restrain all your senses with discipline and do not give yourself over to senseless amusements. Rather, focus your reflection on heartfelt compunction and you shall find interior peace.
Compunction opens the way for many good things, which dissipation soon destroys. It is a wonder that any one can ever rejoice fully in this life who considers and weighs their given banishment from God, and the many dangers which beset the soul.
2. Because of our lightness of heart and neglect of our shortcomings we do not recognize the sorrows of our own soul. We often laugh vainly when we should weep. Except in the fear of God and a good conscience, there is no true liberty nor true joy.
The happy disciple is the one who can cast away every distraction and face up to holy compunction’s one purpose. The happy put away whatever may stain or burden their conscience.
Strive courageously. Habit is overcome by habit. Do not make excuses that others hinder you: If you leave them alone, they will gladly leave you alone to do the works that you must.
3. Stay away from the affairs of others. Do not entangle
yourself with the business of the famous and powerful. Always keep your eye on yourself, and give advice to yourself rather than to your dearest friends.
If you do not have the favor of others, do not be cast down, but let your concern be that you do not regard yourself so highly and thoughtfully: this becomes a servant of God and devout disciple. It is often better and safer for a disciple not to have many comforts in this life, especially those which concern the flesh. When we do not seek compunction of heart we lack divine comforts or feel these rarely. In this case, we must blame ourselves or instead cast away those comforts which are vain and worldly.
4. Know that we are all unworthy of divine consolation, and instead are worthy only of tribulation. When a disciple has perfect compunction, the world is only burdensome and bitter.
A devout disciple finds sufficient cause for mourning and weeping -you know that no one lives here without suffering; neither you nor your neighbor; and the more thoroughly you look into your own heart, the more thoroughly you will grieve.
In our sins and vices there are grounds for real grief and inward contrition. We lie so entangled in these sins that we are only seldom able to contemplate heavenly things.
Dante’s Hell
5. If you thought more about your impending death rather than than how long your life will be, you would strive eagerly to improve your life. And if you seriously consider the future pains of hell and purgatory, I believe you would willingly endure such toil and pain rather than facing the hardships of a disciplined life. But because these things do not reach the heart, and we still love pleasant things, we remain cold and miserably indifferent.
6. In this spiritual poverty our wretched bodies are lead easily to complaining. Therefore, Pray humbly to the Lord that He will give you the spirit of compunction and say in the words of the Prophet, “Feed me, O Lord, with bread of tears, and give me plenteousness of tears to drink (Ps 80:6).