^, "^r ,' •'• *: • . - .' •* - r ', . i • . ' . Ut in omnibiis Honorificetiir Deus per Jesum Christum AD. TANQUEREY >, I ssy, ^France, the Feast of the Annunciation, 1923 r .. : •-,.'; - p ...... : .: •-• . . '..- ?; I?!. (A- ' TABLE OF CONTENTS. Bibliography. •••*>'- " - - • ' • ' • • ' • • • Introduction. V , ' . - . • • - • • ' ''•''•'."'". " . . -• The Nature of Ascetical Theology . x. . . . ". • -z " Its Sources . . . . . •.'.,-. . . , . 7 Its Method ... . . . . . . . 12 Its Excellence arid Necessity . . .; . . "V. . 18 Division of Mystical and. Aseetical Theology . . . .24 PART FIRST : Principles. CHAPTER I. Origin of the Spiritual Life . " . . . • 29 ART. I. THE NATURAL LIFE OF MAN '.."" . . . ,.'.". . . 29 ART. II. THE ELEVATION OF MAN TO THE SUPERNATURAL STATE 32 ART. III. THE FALL AND ITS CONSEQUENCES' . . .,,. -35 ART. IV. THE, REDEMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS . . .. -39 CHAPTER II, Nature of the Spiritual Life . , ..44 ART. I. THE ROLE OF GOD IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE . . . „ 46 § I. TRe rtte of the Blessed Trinity -. . .-.- . . . 46 How the Three Divine Persons dwell within us ' . . v 47 Our duties towards the Blessed Trinity . . >. . .' . 52 How the Three Divine Persons give AIS a supernatural life : - Sanctifying Grace, Virtues and Gifts, Actual Grace . -55 § II. The rdk of Christ . . . '. .,.•-.• . . 70, Christ, the Meritorious Cause . . . . ....... . . 76 Christ, the Exemplary Cause . . ". . . . . 72 Christ; The Head of the Mystical Body . . . . , 75- Devotion to Christ, the Incarnate Word . . . . .78 § III. The Part of the Blessed Virgin, the Angels, and the Saints . . . ... . . . - . . 80 The Part of the Blessed Virgin ..... . '".• %q Mary," Mother of God, and Our Mother . ... ... 81 Mary, a Meritorious Cause of Grace . . . .'.;. .82 Mary, Universal Mediatrix of Grace . . 'i . <• 84 Devotion to the Blessed Virgin . . . ... 86 The Part of the Saints . . . . . . ., . .-93 The Part of the Angels - . . . . . ; . . 96 ART. II. THE PART OF MAN IN: THE SPIRITUAL LIFE '•'•;• .99 § I; The fight against spiritual enemies : ..'•'. . .'•'••• .'•' ioi , Against Concupiscence . . . . . ". . ." : . ioi Against the World . V' . V ., . !. . " . 109 Against the Devil . ... . .- . . . .. .114 X. TABLE OF CONTENTS. § \\. The growth of the spiritual life by good works . . : 119 Nature of Merit ; . . -• . • -. . . . / . 120 Conditions for increasing Merit . . . . . '.123 Sanctification of all our actions . . . . . .129 § III. Growth of the spiritual life through the Sacraments. . 130 Sacramental Grace . . . ...... 131 Necessary dispositions for fruitful reception of the Sacraments. 133 Dispositions for the Sacrament of Penance . . '. . -134 Dispositions to profit well by the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 138 CHAPTER III. The Perfection of the Christian Life . . .153 ART. I. FALSE NOTIONS CONCERNING PERFECTION . . . 153 ART. II. TRUE NOTION OF PERFECTION . . . . .156 § I. The Essence of Perfection consists in Charity . . .158 Proofs of the -Thesis . . . . ...... . .159 § \\.LoveonEarthRequiresSacrifice . . . . . 163 § III. The Part of Love and the Part of Sacrifice in the Christian Life . . . . . . ___ ; ... 166 § IV. Does Perfection consist in the Commandments or in the Counsels? . . . . . ... . . 169 § V. The different Degrees of Perfection . . . . .171 Degrees of Perfection . . . . . . . .171 The Limits of Perfection" here on Earth . . . . .172 CHAPTER IV. The Duty of Tending to Perfection . ... 176 ART. I. THE DUTY INCUMBENT UPON ALL CHRISTIANS IN GENERAL TO TEND TOWARD PERFECTION . . / . 176 § I. The Obligation Itself . . , •--..- • • • *?6 The Argument from Authority. . . . . . .177 ~~ The Argument from Reason . . .... . .179 § 1 1. Motives that Make This Duty Easier . . . .181 ART. II. THE OBLIGATION INCUMBENT UPON RELIGIOUS OF TENDING TOWARD PERFECTION ... . . .183 § I. The Obligation Based on the Vows . . . . .184 § II. The Obligation Based on the Constitutions and the Rules . 186 ART. III. THE OBLIGATION INCUMBENT UPON PRIESTS OF TENDING TO PERFECTION . . . . . : . .. . l88 '§ I. The Teaching of Our Lord and of St Paul . . - . .189 § II. The Teaching of the Pontifical . , . . . . 192 • § III. The Nature of the Priestly functions demands Holiness of Life . . . . . ' . . . ..... 196 CHAPTER V. General Means of Perfection . , . . .203 ART. I. INTERIOR MEANS OF PERFECTION . . . .205 § \, The Desire for Perfection . . . • . ... 205 The Nature of this Desire . . . . . . 305 The Necessity and Efficacy of the Desire for Perfection -206 The Qualities Which the Desire for Perfection should possess . ..... . . . . 208 TABLE OF CONTENTS. x xi. - Means to Stimulate.this Desire for Perfection . . .211 § II.' TKe Knowledge of God and the Knowledge of Self , • . 213 The Knowledge of God ' '. .... ' . . . ". . 213 i° What we must know of God . . . . . . 213 2° Means of knowing God -.„• . . . . . .217 Conclusion. Exercise of the Presence of God . i . 219 The knowledge of Self . . . . . ... .221 i° Necessity and Object of Self-knowledge . . . •; . 222 2° Means of knowing ourselves. . . . .;< /. 222 3° General and Particular Examination of Conscience •>' I 225 § III. Conformity to God's Will. . . . . . . 232 Obedience to God's Will . - . . . . '". ' ;. 233 Submission to God's Will . . . ... . . 236 Degrees of Conformity to God's Will . . . . . 239 Sanctifying power of Conformity to God's Will . . ' .240 § IV. Prayer . . . . . . .... 243 Nature of Prayer , ..243 Various forms of Prayer . . ..... 244 The most excellent Prayer, The Lord's Prayer. , . . 249 Efficacy of Prayer for Sanctification . . . . ..251 How we can transform ouv actions info prayer . . . 253 ART. II. EXTERIOR MEANS OF PERFECTION ...... . .. 257 § I. Spiritual Direction . . . -257 Necessity . . . , . . ; ... . . 257 Object ... . . . . . . . . 262 Duties of the Spiritual Director . . . . . .264 Duties of the Penitent . . . . . . . ., 267 § \\.ARuleofLife ..'.'. , 270 Usefulness . . . . . . . ...... • 270 Qualities . . . . . . . ... 272 • Observance . . . . . , , , . . 274 § \\\. Spiritual Readings and Conferences . -.•'-.- . . 276 Usefulness of reading Holy Scripture and Spiritual Writers, — of Spiritual Conferences . ' ... .276 Requisite dispositions for Spiritual Readings and Con- ferences . . . . . .' . . 278 § IV. Sanctification oj 'Social Relations . . . .280 General Principles . .... 280 Family relations . . . . .. . 282 Friendship's . . . . . . .285 Social and Business relations . . . 291 Works of Zeal ., .'..... , . . . 293 General Summary of Part First . . . 295 ' ' / . -. - PART SECOND : The three ways ; PRELIMINARY REMARKS , • The Distinction of the three ways . ... . 297 ; The Right Use jof this Distinction . .•'.. . . . .301 The Study of the three ways . . .'-•'.'• . • • 3°3 BOOK ONE. The purification, of the soul, or, .'• . the purgative way. ... Introduction . -: Those in the Purgative Way," or, Beginners > . .. . . 305 Work to be done in the Purgative Way . . . .... . 308 Division of this First Book v. , -. ... , . 309 .- - ' -.•"'"" •'.-' CHAPTER I. The prayer of beginners. ART. I, NECESSITY AND CONDITIONS OF PRAYER . . ; .310 § 1. Necessity of prayer . . ... . . :. • . 310 . § II. Conditions of prayer . . . . . ... ••.-, 312 ART. II. SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR BEGINNERS. ,.,,, . -,.\ . 317 ART. III. THE MENTAL PRAYER OF BEGINNERS. . V .319 \ § I. Notion of Mental Prayer and Meditation . . . . 319 .' § II. Advantages and necessity . '. . . . ; ; . 321 v •§' III. General Characteristics . . . . . . . 326 '•'••% IV. Chief Methods . '. .,/" . ; . ' . '."329 ••' ; Points common to all Methods . . . . -33° •.^ ' Method of St. Ignatius . . . .' .: ' -.; -33' :---- Method of St. Sulpice . . . ... . J35 CHAPTER II. Pen&nce. . ... . . . .340 ART. I. MOTIVES FOR HATING AND AVOIDING SIN . . . 341 :. § I. Mortal sin . . . . . . . . . ..." 342 •• § H. Venial Sin . .. . . . . . '. • . - 349 ART. II. MOTIVES AND MEANS OF ATONING FOR SIN • • . • . 354 Motives fdr doing Penance . .' . .; . . , 354 Sentiments of penance . . . . . ''"• ." -. 358 Works 'of penance . . . , , . . . 359 CHAPTER III. Mortification. ' - '• •-••- ' - v^ . • :; ART. I. NATURE OF MORTIFICATION . , . . \ • .;..,:• • 362. ART. II. NEED FOR MORTIFICATION . . . . . .364 ART. III. PRACTICE OF MORTIFICATION :. -. . . .371 ' § I. Mortification of 'i 'he 'body . ; ;/. ;. . . . . ... . = . . 373 -§ II. Mortification of the memory and imagination - . . . 376 § III. Mortification of the Passions , . . . ... . 377 The psychology of the passions' . '. -. ' . . . 378 Effects of the passions ..... . . . 379 The good use of passions . • : ; . . . .382 § IV. Mortification of our spiritual faculties . ... . . • .. . 387 ]':'•• The discipline of the mind . ••", . ;. . ; .. ..-...-• • '387 The training of the will. . . •• ' ^ •' • :,: TABLE OF' CONTENTS. - -Kill. _ i__< : CHAPTER IV. The struggle against capital sins and vices . ' . 392 ART. I. PRIDE AND KINDRED VICES • . 393 § \, Pride itself , .:. .-,',• . .- v . -:\ . ,. \-,-k/ ,' ^"393. ; ;•'..-'. Various forms . . . . . . . : . '.394. ."_'-• Faults Corn of pride :. Presumption, Ambition, Vanity. .396 .'.'•' Malice and evil effects of Pride . . . - . , • • 39,8 -Remedies . . . . . .••' . . ; • ; 401 : § II. Envy and jealousy : . . . . . . ; 404 "•§ Hi. Anger. . . . •-.-' . . '. . • . . 407 ART. II. SENSUALITY . ; . . . . \. > ; 411 § L Gluttony •"'.. ". : . . . V ,; : . , . . ' ;.; 411 \ll.Lust \ . . ; . . . . . , .' ', . 414 '§111. sioth. . . . . .: . . ; '.- •".. .;;:;.. 420 ART. III. AVARICE-. . . ...''. .:".! .."423 CHAPTER V. Temptations . '... '.;:-.;.•/..; . . . . ." • . 427 ART. I. TEMPTATIONS IN GENERAL . . . , , .427 Providential purposes of temptations .,"••_ ... ., • . 427 • The Psychology of temptations . . . '. . ' . 429 The Right attitude towards temptations . . . ; . / . 432 ART. II. CHIEF TEMPTATIONS OF BEGINNERS . , . ; . 436 Illusions about consolations and dryness . . .- • ', ,, .. 436 Inconstancy . . . . .... . . 441 • '. OverHgagerness. . .:. ;. . ... ...... ',.,.-.- :. 442- . Scruples ... . . •"';-.• ... ... 443 APPENDIX : The Discernment of spirits . . . . ., ' .'450. Summary of the first book . . . . . . ".. " , -452 - BOOK TWO : Progress in Christian virtues, or, ; . . the illuminative way. ,;,.,, Introduction. ._. • n Those in the illuminative way . . - . : . . v 454 . Work tq be done : to form Christ in us . ' . - . . ' . 456- Two classes of. souls, the devout and the:. Fervent,; in' i. the-' illuminative way . ... . . . -.. . -459 Division of this second Book \ ". . . ..... 460 CHAPTER I.'Affective prayer. . ., , ;:' ;; - . V"- ' . 461 ART. I. NATURE OF AFFECTIVE PRAYER . . .: .. . . :.: 461": ART. II. ADVANTAGES OF AFFECTIVE PRAYER .. . ,. . • . 464 ART. ill. THE DANGERS OF AFFECTIVE PRAYER. : ; .-; . . 465 ART. IV. METHODS OF AFFECTIVE PRAYER . . v-; ; . 467 CHAPTER II. The moral Virtues ."./ - .;; ::.'..- :_ : .• :: . ;:: . : . 472 ....^Preliminary Notions -.;.;'-.-.-> :••.-. ;. . •'.. ••••.••.•.-.'.,. .."••;! :..'. : ".-.'.- 472' Infused Virtues in general . . . . ... -472 v . Moral Virtues in'particUlar . . ;v . . •. '-. 477 xiv. TABLE OF CONTENTS; V ART. I. PRUDENCE . 479 § I. Nature . . ",,.., . . -479 ,: •§, II. Necessity . .> . . ;: ; ; --; ''•,- l •;"'"•' .' . -.483- ;;•.§, III. Practice . . , > . , . -I 485 ART. II. JUSTICE ... . . . . ., .; ', . 488 .\\.Jusiiceproperlysa-calied ... . ' , : ,,....; .488 "-'*•§- I.I. Religion . - . . ... ", , ^. ' .492 '', § III. Obedience . . . . ... '-.,... . . .497 ARTf 1 1 1. FORTITUDE .. . . . . . . . ; ,\ 506 . § I. Nature and Degrees . . . ... . . : . 506 , § II. Virtttes allied to Fortitude ': Magnanimity^ Munificence. Patience, Constancy . . . . .'/•.. .509 § III. Means to perfect this "virtue . . . '. . .515 ART. IV. TEMPERANCE. . . . . ..... 517 § I. Chastity. ... . . . . . . . 518 Chastity in the married state . . ':, . . . 519 Celibacy . . . . . . , . . . 521 § II. Humility . . • ". . . « . . . . 530 Nature of humility . . . . . , . . • 530 Degrees. . . ... ... v ... -S32 Excellence . . . . . . . .' . 536 Practice. . . . .' . . V . . ' 538 § III. Meekness . •. '.-.•'. . . • •'. ' . . . 545 CHAPTER III. The theological virtues. . < ' .. . . 549 ART. I. FAITH . . . . . . . . . .550 , § 1. Nature .... . . . 550 § II. Sanctifying power 552 § III. Practice . , . . . . . . . .556 ART. II. HOPE . . . 559 - § I. Nature . . . . -559 § II. Sanctifying power . ... . . . . 561 \ III. Practice . . •. . .. . .. , . .563 ART. III. CHARITY . . . . . ... .567 Charity in general . . . . . , , . . 567 § \. The love of God . . . . . ' . . •' . .569 Precept and motive . . . . . , . . 569 . Sanctifying power. . . ... ,. . . , . 571 Growth in the love of God . . . . . . 574 .. § II. Charity towards t/te neighbor . . . . . -578 •.". Nature. v , ... . ;•••.• - :. ; . -.- . . .578 Sanctifying power . .. . , ..-.-.. . .... . -579 Practice. . .. . . • • • • ... 580 § III. The Sacred Heart, model and_ source of charily . .584 The Sacred Heart and the spiritual life ~ : .'• . . ' . 586 CHAPTER IV. Counter-attacks of the enemy ... .590 ART. I. THE RE-AWAKENING OF THE' CAPITAL; SINS . , . 590 \ "• TABLE OF CONTENTS. -XV. ART. II\LUKEWARMNESS . . . ' . •> • • -592 APPENDIX: The discernment of spirits in the illuminative way .. 597 Summary of the second Book . -. . . . . . .598 BOOK THREE : The unitive way. Introduction The end to be attained . . . . . ,'...• .601 .Characteristics of the unitive, way ... . . .602 General notion of contemplation '..'.• . . . . . 604 Division of the third Book .606 CHAPTER I. The simple or active unitive way. . , . .607 ART. I. THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST . . . , . 609 § -.1. In general . -609 Nature and excellence . ... . . . . 609 Cultivation and classification . . . . . .612 § II. In -particular . . . . . ... 616 The gift of counsel ..... 616 The gift of piety The gift of fortitude The gift of fear The gift of knowledge The gift of understanding The gift of wisdom 618 621 623 624 627, 629 § 1 1 1. The gifts pf the Holy Ghost in grayer and contemplation . 63 1 § IV. The fruits of the Holy Ghost and the beatittides. , . 635 ART. II. THE PRAYER OF SIMPLICITY. . . . . -637 § \.Natureofthisprayer . . . . . , 637 § II. Its advantages . . . . . , .•••'. 640 § III. How to make it. . . .•'.-•. "... 642 § IV. Is this prayer acquired or infused contemplation? . -646 CHAPTER II. Infused contemplation. . ; . , . , . 649 ART. I. 'INFUSED CONTEMPLATION IN GENERAL. . . .649 § I. Nature of this contemplation . - . . • • 649 Definition • . • • . • 649 The action of God in contemplation . . . . . 650 The share of the soul . . ... . . 653 ^ \\. Advantages of contemplation ... . . - ..- .658 § III. The call to contemplation . . ..... . .661 To whom does God grant the gift of contemplation? . . 661 The signs of a call . . . . . . . . 663 ART. II. THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF CONTEMPLATION . . 666 .§ I. The Prayer of 'Quiet ., . ... .667 I. " Arid" quietude, or, the Night of the senses . . . 667 Constituent elements . • •' . . ... 668 Trials. . • . • • • . ... 670 -r XVi. 'TABLE OF CONTENTS. ' - Advantages .' . . . . . •-.../ -. .'. .•/ • What. the soul should do .. . . • ,•/• II. "Sweet" quietude . ..,.-, • >", .••-..•.,;:>"•;••;. 674- Passive recollection . . . T . . • •', . 675 Quietude properly so-called- . . . . . .677 The sleep, of the faculties . . . . M . < . .681 § \\.Prayeroffullunion . . . . .... .682 § 111. Ecstatic union (Spiritual espousals) . . . . . 684 ,, I. "Sweet" ecstatic union; nature; degrees; effects . .. 684 , II. "Arid" union or the Night of the spirit. ... .. .,.688 § IV. The transforming union or spiritual inarriage. « -691 APPENDIX : False Mysticism or quietism . . . . . . 696 §:\.QuiestismofMolinos . . . . . . ....... 696 § II. The mitigated Quietism of Ftnelon . .. . . .697 § III. Semi-quietistic tendencies . . . . . ". . .698 CHAPTER III. Extraordinary mystical phenomena . . . 700 ART. I. DlVINfi PHENOMENA . . . . . . .700 ^ Private revelations . . . . . . . , .700 : Nature. . . . . . . . ..' ... 700 Rules for discerning them . . . . . . * • 703 Various psycho-physiological phenomena^ especially stigrria- tization . . . . . . . \ . : ...? . 711 Supernatural and morbid phenomena . . . ". •.; .715 .ART. II. DIABOLICAL PHENOMENA . . .... 718 Obsession. . . ... ... . . . 718 Possession . ... . ... . . 720 CHAPTER IV. Controverted questions .-..-• • ' .. . 727 Sources of these controversies . . . . > . i . 727 ' Controversy regarding the nature of contemplation. .' . 728 • . .; Controversy regarding the call to contemplation . . • . 731 , Where does contemplation begin? . . . . . -73° CONCLUSION : The spiritual Direction of conlemplatives , ..738 EPILOGUE : The three ivays and the liturgical cycle . , . 741 ', The prayer, 0 Jesu -uivens in Maria APPENDICES •: II. The spiritttaUty of the New Testament . .. ' . : ,, , ., : • ; : . i* ' .' r The spirituality of" the Synoptics .. . . , . ; . . I* The spirituality of St. Paul . . .... i . 3* The spirituality of St. John . . . , . . , .6* II. The study of characters , . ..' . . « . . 8* Characters in relation to feeling . . , .' , ' 9* Characters in relation to spiritual activities . . . i . .12* Characters in relation to external activities .' • . . : ; . 13* BIBLIOGRAPHY The authors consulted are listed in their chronological instead of alphabetical ' order. They are 'further arranged methodically and, beginning with the ; Middle Ages, grouped according to schools of mysticism. This was thought of greater service for the reader. . Only the most important authors are mentioned. For a complete survey of the field see Rev. P. FouRRAT -.Christian Spiritua- lity^ E.. tr. .Mitchell and Jacques, 4 vols. New York^Tgzli- 1930". W6rks~of non-Catholics sjioujd only, be i.read .with required. ;permissio,n -and, due caution.' I. —THE PATRISTIC AGE During the age of the Fathers the elements of a theory of spiritual life come progressively to light and mature into a valuable body -of teaching with the work oLCassian in the West and that of St. John Climacus in the East. I. THE FIRST THREE CENTURIES. St. Clement of Rome, Epistle to the Corintians, written c. 95 to restore peace in the church of Corinth. Gr.-Lat. : P. G. i1; Gebhardt and Harnack : Patr. Apost. i, Leipzig, 1876, edit. min. 1877; Funk : Pair. Ap. i. Tubingen, 1890. Gr.-Eng : J. B. Lightfoot : St. Clement of Rome, z vols. adedit. London, 1890, the best text and discussion; K. Lake : Apostolic Fathers, i (in Loeb .•" Clas. Lib.) New York : Putnam. Eng. tr. A. C. Coxe mANF. i; A. Menzies in -ANF. ixz;iH. E. Hall in Christian Classics, Lond. R. T. S.; J. A. -F. Gregg in Early Church Classics, Lond. S. P. C. K. ; W. Burton in Ancient'and Modern Library of Theological Literature, London : Griffith. - ._ . Hermas, The Shepherd (140-155), in which are described at length the conditions for true penance. Gr.-Lat. PG. ii. 891-1012; Gebhardt, Harnack and'Zah'n : Patr.. Apost., iii. 1-272; Funk : Pair. Apost., i. 334-563; a more recent edition of the Greek text according to the Cod. Petropolit. was given out by K. Lake, Oxford, 191.1. Gr.-Eng, K. Lake : Apostolic Fathers ii, hi Loeb Clas. Lib. Eng. tr: F..Cronibie mANF., ii; W. Burton : Apost. Fathers, pt .1, m.Anc. and Mod. Lib. of Theo.-lit., London : Griffith; C. Taylor : The Shepherd of Hennas, z vols. in Early Church Classics, London :'S. P. C. K. Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Padagogus), written after 195, describes the spiritual progress of a true gnostic. The best Greek text is that ofO. Stahlin : Clemens Alexandrians,, i. 89-292, Leipzig, 1903. Gr.-Lat. PG. ix. 247-794, reproduces with additions the. Oxford edition of 1715. Eng. tr. ' W. .Wilson in ANF. ii. 209-298; P. "M. Barnard in Early Church Classics, London : S. P. C. K., 1901; R. Ornsby (selections). in The Month, xix 1873; cf. E. G. Sihler : From Augustus to Augustine, Cambridge, 1923. St. Cyprian, (200-258), De hdbitu mrginum, De dominica oratione, De opere et eleemosynis, De bono patieniia, De zelo et Iwore^ Delapsis. PL. iv3 ; 1 Migne, edr., Patrologia Cursus Cpmpleius, Series Gmca, 161 quarto volumes,. Paris, 1857-1866. The Series gresca prior 'con tains the w.orks of the Fathers and Ecclesiastical writers down to Photius (c.: 867). The Series posterior, down to Cardinal Bessarion (d. 1472.) • . s Anie-Nzcene Fathers, the Edinburgh Edition text edited by Drs. Roberts and Donaldson, Chronologically arranged with Notes and Historical Prefaces, by Rt. Rev. A. Cleveland Coxe, D. D., Supplemented with General Indextand Bibliogra- - phical Synopsis, and a new volume containing manuscripts discovered since the completion of the Ante Nicene Library. Edited by A. Menzies. ip vols., New York.1 Scribners,.i926. ' - ". : 3' Migne, e&r., Patrologia Cursus Completus, Series Latina, 221 quarto vols., Paris, 1844-55, and 1865-66 for the last four volumes containing the index tables.. The Series prior goes as far as St. Gregory the Great (d. 604). The Series posterior, as far as Pope Innocent III (d. 1216). -> XV111. BIBLIOGRAPHY. , Hurter : SS. Pat. Opttsc. select., i; the best text is that of W. Hartel1 : Si Thasd ,deciUi Cypriani opera omnia, 3 vols., Vienna, 1868-71. Eng. tr. J. /H. New- man, Oxford, 1839 in LF. '; E. Waln'sin^A^., v; T. N. Bindley : St. Cyprian on the Lord's Prayer, London : S. P. C. K. 2. — THE FOURTH TO THE SEVENTH CENTURY A) In the West : St. Ambrose, (333-397), De offidis ministrorum, De virginibus, De viduis, De virginitate. PL. xvi. 25-302, reprints the editions of J. du Frische and N. Le Nourry, first issued, Paris, 1686-90; J. G. Krabinger has edited separa- tely the De offidis ministrorum, Tubingen, 1857. Eng. tr. Rev. H. De Romestin : Some of the principal works of St. Ambrose, in NPNF. 2d series vol. x, New York, 1896 2. , St. Augustine, (354-430), Confessiones, Soliloquia, De doctrina Christiana, De dvilate Dei, Epistola ccxi, etc. St. Augustine's works contain the elements of a complete theology of asceticism and mysticism. His teaching supplements and corrects that of Cassian, For an exposition of it see Pourrat, op. dt. I, c. viii. The Latin text of the works listed above is found in PL. xxxii, xxiv, xli, reprinting the edition of the Maurists Blampin and Constant. A better text is given by the Corf its Script. Eccles. Latin., Vienna : Confessionum libri xiiitA. P. Knoll, 1896 ; Epistolcs xxxi-cxxiii, ed. A. Goldbacher, 1898 ; De civitateDei, ed. E. Hoffmann, 1900. Also, The Confessions of. St. Augustine ed. J. Gibb and W. Montgomery, (Cambridge Patristic Texts) 1908, 2d edit. 1927; De civitateDei, ed. J. E. C. Welldon, 2 vols., 'London : Macmillan, 1924; De doctrina Christiana, St. Louis : Concordia Publish. House; Soliloqidorum libri ii, ed. P. E. Tourscher, Phila : Reilly, 1922. Confessions ed. and tr. by W. Watts (Loeb Clas. Lib.) New York : Putnam, 1912; Eng. tr. in NPNF. 1st Series : Confessions by J. G. Pilkington and Letters by J. G. Cunningham, vol. i, City of 'God and Christian Doctrine by M. Dods and J. F. Shaw, vol. ii, Soliloquies by C. C. Starbuck, vol. vii, 219-593. Also, Confessions tr. W. Hut- chings, London : Longmans, 1883; C. Bigg (Library of Devotion) London : Methuen; J. Healy (Temple. Classics) New York': Button, 1903; E. B. Pusey (in LF. i, zxA Everyman's Lib.) New York : Button, 1907; Tobie Matthew revised by Dom R. Iluddleston, New York : Benziger; City of God, tr. Healy (Temple Classics) 1903; F. R. M. Hitchcock (Early Church Classics) London : S. P. C. K.; M. Dods, New York, Benziger; Letters, tr. W. J. Sparrow Simpson (Handbooks of Christian Lit.) London : Macmillan, 1920; sel. and tr. Mary H. Allies, London : Burns and Oates, 1890. cf. also, Mary H. Allies : Leaves, from St. Augustine, London : Washbourne, 1900; E. L. Cutts : St.Atigustine ( Fathers for English Readers) London : S. P. C. K. cf. Hewitt : Studies in St. Augttstine, New York, 1868; E. C. Butler :. Western Mysticism, New York; Button, 1923; A. Hatzfeld : St. Augustine (it.) 3d ed. London : Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1924. Cassian, (360-435), Collationes xxiii recens. M. Petschenig, Vienna, 1886; De institutis ccenoMomm et de octo prindpalium vitiomm remediis libri xii. — De Incarnatione Domini contra Nestorium libri vii recens. M. Petsche- nig, Vienna, 1888. The older and less critical edition by Gazet is found in PL. xlix-1. The works of John Cassian tr. by E. S. S. Gibson in NPNF. 2d Series • vol. xi. Cassian's Conferences sum up the spiritual doctrine of the first four centuries as practiced in monasteries, and they became a storehouse from which all subsequent writers on spiritual life have drawn. 1 Pusey, Keble, Newman et al. , A Library of the Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church, 47 vols. , Oxford : Parker, 1838-1880. 2 Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, 28 vols. New York : Scribners 1886-1898. First Series edited by the late Philip Schaff. Second Series edited by the late Philip Schaff. and Henry Wave. Dominican Contemplative^, by a Dominican of Carisbrooke, with Preface by V. Rev. BEDE JARRETT, O. P., London : Burns Oates and Washbourne. \ vv ,1 . ' *- > • \ ' , ' - ' - \ . ' x , BIBLIOGRAPHY, v XIX, St. Leo I, the Great, Pope 440-461, Sermones. The discourses of St. Leo for the principal feasts of the -year'are full of piety. The Church has borrowed from them for her liturgy; 96 of the sermones current under his name are genuine. Quesnel's edition, Paris, 1675, improved by P. and G. Ballerini, Venice, 1753-57, is reprinted in PL. liv. 158-458. Hurter-: SS. Pat. optisc. sel. xiv, xxv,-xxvi. Eng. tn by Charles L. Feltoe in NPNF. 2d Ser. xii. cf. 0. Gore ; Leo the Great (Fathers for English Readers) London : S. P. C. K. Si Benedict of Niirsia, (480-543). His rule, brought from 66 to 73 chapters in its ad edition, has become that of almost all the monks in the West from the 8th to the i'3th century. It 'can be easily adapted to the conditions of any country and time and this is the key to its great success. The text of the Regula is available in L. Ixvi, 215-932; -better editions are those of E. Wb'lfflin : Benedicti regula monachorum, Leipzig, 1895; Dom O. Hunter Blair (with tr. and, notes)' London : Sands, 1906, ad ed. St. Louis : Herder, 1907 ; Abbot C. Butler, London : Herder, 1912. Eng. tr. London, 1886 and 1896 in Thatcher and McNeal, Source Book, pp. 432-485; in Henderson, Documents, pp. 274-313; by D. O. H. Blair, cf. above ;~Rt. Rev. Paul Delatte, The Rule of St. Benedict : A Commentary, London : Burns Gates and Washbourne. New' York : Benziger, 1921; The R^tle of St. Benedict translated with an introduction by Cardinal Gasquet, Oxford, 1925. Rt. Rev. Ildephonsus Herwegen, O. S. B. : St. Benedict, A character study, translated by Dom Peter Nugent, O. S. B. London : Sands and Co., 1924. .St. Gregory I, the Great, Pope, (540-604), Expositio in Libmm Job, sive Moralium libri-xxxv, Liber regulee pastor alis cum, Dialogorum librilV. The edition of the Maurist Sainte-Marthe, Paris 1705, reprinted with additions by J. B. Gallicioli, Venice, 1768-76 is reprinted in PL. Ixxv-Ixxvii. The Dialogues- have been of ten separately edited, particularly the 2nd Book on the Life and Miracles of St. 'Benedict. The Pastoral Rule also, cf . ed. Westhoff, Munster, 1860; Hurter S. J.. in SS. Pat. optisc. sel. xx; A. M. Michelletti, Tournai, 1904; B. Sauter, Freiburg, 1904; Rt. Rev. J. C. Hedley : Lex Levitaruin, New York : Benziger, 1905, St. Louis : Herder, with the Regida pastoralis of St. Gregory the Great. Bishop Hedley's work is a set of lectures adapting the work of St. Gregory to the needs of our time. Eng. tr. The Morals of the Books of .Job in three volumes in LF. Oxford, 1844-50. King Alfred's West Saxon version of Gregory's Pastoral Care ed. H. Sweet, London, 1871; The Book of Pastoral Care tr. J. Barmby in NPNF. 2d Series xii. An old English tr. of the Dialogues by J. W., Paris, 1608, was reprinted by H. Coleridge, S. J., London, 1874, and more recently reedited by E. G. Gardner with annota- tions by G. F. Hill, London : Macmillan, 1911. cf. Rt. Rev. Abbot Snow, . 0. S. B., St. Gregory the Great .: His Work and His Spirit, 2d edition, London : Burns Gates and. Washbourne, 1926. B) In the East : St. Athanasius, (297-373), Life of St. Anthony gives an account of the spiritual doctrine of the great organizer of Egyptian monasticism. PC. xxvii. 838-976 reprints the edition of N. A. Giustiniani, Padua, 1777, based on that of the Maurists J. Lepin and B. de Moritfaucon, Paris, 1627. Handy edition of the Greek by Maunoury, Paris, 1887 and 1890. The credibility of the work attacked by Weingarten : Der Ursprung des Monachtums im nachconstantini- schen^Zeitalter, Gotha, 1877 was defended by A. Eichhorn : Athanasii devita ascetica testimonia collecta (inaug.-diss.) Halle, 1886; Mayer in Der Katholik, 1886,. I. 495-516, 619-636, II. 72-86; Dom C. Butler : The Lausiac .History of Palladius I, Text and Studies, Cambridge, 1898. Eng. tr. T. W. Allies in Monastic Life (vol. ''vii of Formation of Christendom} London, 1869-96; H. Ellershawan NPNF. 2d Series iv. 188-221 ; J. B. McLaughlin -..St. Anthony the Hermit, London : Burns, Oates and Washbourne, New York, Benziger, 1924. -St. Cyril of Jerusalem, (315-386), in his Catechetical Lecttires portrays the life of a true Christian. PG. xxxiii reprints the ed. of the Maurist A. A. Tout- tee, Pads,- 1720. A better edition is that of W. K. Reischl and J. Rupp. ., Munich, 1848 and 1860. Eng. tr. J, II. Newman in LF; ii, Oxford^' XX. ' BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1838 ; H. de Romestin : Mysteries and qther Sacramental Lectures (the five catecheses on the Sacraments) ; E. H. Gifford in. NPNF. 2d Series yiir i:-I57* ; St. Basil the Great, (330-379), describes in his book On the Holy Ghost the workings of the Holy Spirit in ar regenerated soul, and in his two works oil Hie rules of monastic life, the' fundamentals of asceticism. ;The 55 longer rules, Rules at length (Horoi kata, platds) ;set 'forth the principles. * The 313 shorter rules, Rules in abridgement (Horoi .kat' epitomen), their application td the daily life of a monk. These rules were universally received in the East and have survived to this day in the Greek. Church. The best ed., of the works .of St. Basil is still that of the Maurist J. -Gamier, Paris, 1721 and 1730 in three yqls., the last of them issued after the editor's death by his colleague P. Maran. .-An excellent critical ed. of 'the treatise On the Holy Ghost is'.that^o.f-C.^-.ii. Johnston, Oxford : Parker, 1892. A Latin version of the work is, found in Hurter : SS. Pat.-opusc. sel. xxxi. Eng. fcr. G. Lewis : Treatise -911 the. Holy • Spirit; London, 1888; B. Jackson : The Book on the Holy Spirit \nNPNF. 2d- Series; viii. I-.5O; E. F. Morison : St. Basil and his Rule, Oxford,- 1913; W. K. L; Clarke : St. Basil's Ascetical Works, London : Macmillan, 1925. St. John Ghrysostom, (344-407), has left 'in his Homilies & vast storehouse of materials on both ethics and ascetics, and in his tract On '• .the -. Priesthood, a stirring praise' of the sacerdotal dignity.: PG. xlviii-lxiy reproduces.:B. . de MontfauCon's edition, Paris, 1718-38, except for the Homilies on St. Matthew for which the text edited by Field, Cambridge, 1839, is given. J. A. Nairn, (Cambridge Patristic Texts) 1906, has brought out a separate edition^ of: the tract On the Priesthood. Eng. tr. of the. Homilies in LF. .iy-yii, ix, xi-xii, xiv- xv, xxvii'xxviii, Oxford, 1842-52; in NPNF. 1st Series ; ix-xiv, New York, .1903-1906. On the Priesthood tr. B. H. Cowpers, Lond. 1866 ; W. Ji, W. Stephens in NPNF. New- York, 1903; P. Boyle, C. M., New York.: Benziger,. 1903; T. A. Moxon (Early Church Classics) London : S. P. C. K-'igo?. Selections by Mary A. Allies : Leaves from .Chrysostom, -London : Burns and Oates, 1889. cf. A. Puech, St. John Chrysostom (tr.) 2d. edn. London :.Wasli- bqurne, 1917. " ' - ; ; - . • .. . St. Cyril of Alexandria, (f 444), Book of Treasures ori the Holy and Consitbstantial Trinity, his chief work on the subject, studies the relations, of the soul to the Trinity. PG. Ixxv reprints Canon J. Aubert's ed. Paris, 1638, with Latin version by. B. Vulcaiii, Basle, 1676., Cardinal Pitra has edited fragments ' of the work in Analecta Sacra and -Cldssica, Paris, i888.-While St. Cyril's works have received a great deal of attention on- the part of modern scholars, (cf. Bardenhewer-Sbahan : Patrology, p. 367-368) this book has not , been the: object of recent study, /nor has it beeri translated into English. Pseudd-Dionysius Areopagita, (c. 500), On the Divine Names, Ecclesias- tical Hierarchy, Mystical Theology; has influenced considerably later writers on the subject. The best complete edition of his works is that of B. Cordier, S. J., Antwerp, 1634, often reprinted. It is reproduced from the Venice edition of 1755-56 in PG.. iii-iv. It is based on only some of the numerous . Greek mss. and makes no account of the Syriac, 'Armenian, and Arabic versions. A great deal remains to do for the criticism of the text. A separate edition of the . Greek of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy was issued by J. Parker, London, 1899. J.1 Parker's translation of the works of Dionysius, London, 1897, is trustworthy, cf . A. B. Sharpe : Mysticism, its true Nature and Values, London : Sands and Co., St. Louis : Herder, 1910. , - ... St. John Clitnacus, ;(t:649), Ladder to Paradise. PG. Ixxxviii. 632-1164, reprints the editio ' princeps. .of the famous work by M. Rader, Paris, 1633-. J A more recent edition, of the^Greek is that of-Soplironios Eremites, Constanti- nople, ,1883. , John; the Scholastic or the Sinaite owes. his .surname Climacus to his book (Klirriax), which contains a summary of .ascetical and mystical theology.- This work gained as much popularity in the East as Cassian's Institutes in the West, and remained for centuries a classic on the subject of spiritual life/ . • St. Maxirnus; Confessor, (580-662),- als6 known as .the Theologian, or Maximus of Constantinople, developed the teaching of Pseudo-Dionysius on BIBLIOGRAPHY. XXI. contemplation, but threw greater light on the part played in spiritual life by the sacred humanity of the Savior, our leader and model. His Scholia on Dionysius are reprinted in PC., iv, from the Venice edition of the works of the Tseudo- Areopagite. His Treatise on Asceticism, PG.-xc.: 912-956, in the form of a dialogue/between an abbot and a young monk, and his Mystagogia^ PG. xci. 657-717, a series of, considerations on the symbolism of the Church and her liturgy, are reprinted from the edition of. Fr. Combefis, O, P., Paris, 1675* The doctrine of St. Maximus is discussed by H. Weser : S. Maximi Confes- soris praceptade Incarnatione Dei _et deificatione hominis, Berlin, 1869; A. Preuss' :' Ad Maximi Conf. de Deo hominisque deificatione adnotationes, Schneeberg, 1894; E. Micbaud : St. Maximele Confesseur etfapocatastase, in Revue Internationale de Thiologie, 1902, pp. 257-272. . The writers of the- 8th, and 9th centuries need not be mentioned. They contribute no element of importance to our subject. .•-._' : II — THE MIDDLE AGES. We shall indicate "only the most noted writers of 'the principal schools of mysticism. • , . •. - ••' -..:,. •'•'.' *\ -'•'.' ' '-'.'' I. THE BENEDICTINE SCHOOL :.— ". In the Abbey of Bee, in Normandy : St. Anselm, (b. 1033, Archbishop of Canterbury 1089, d. 1 109), one of the most attractive writers of the-Middle Ages. His Meditations and Prayers are full of tinction and doctrine, Libet Medit'ationum et Orationum, PL. clviii. 709-826, a reprint of the Venice, 1744, edition of St. Anselm's works by the Maurist G. Gerberon, first issued Paris, 1675, the- best as yet. ' Orationes, PL. clviii. 855-1016. Cur Deus homo,, an important treatise replete with solid considerations on Christ's atonement, PL. clviii. 359-432, or the separate edition by A. F. Fritzsche, Zurich : Schultes, 1894. Eng. tr. Meditations and Prayers with pref. by Card. Manning, London, 1872. Cur Deus Homo?^\x. by Prout, London,' 1887-; S. N.. Deane, with introd. and bibliography,, Chicago, 1903. . . , ; In the Abbey/of Citeaux : St. Bernard of Clairvaux, (1090-1153), whose' lofty piety and practical knowledge have deeply "influenced' the Middle Ages : Sermones de tempore, de sanctis, de diversis, in Cantica Canticormn; De consi- deratione; Tr. de gradibus et humilitatis el superbue^Ltb. de diligendo Deo, ed. J. Mabillori, Paris, 1667, 1690, 1719. The 3d ed. is reprinted- in P.L, clxxxii-iv, and for the Sermones de tewpore, de sanctis, de diversis m P. L. Janauchek : Xenia Bernardina', vol. i-ii, with variants from additional vmss., and a bibliography of St. Bernard to the year 1890, vol.- iii-iv, Vienna :'H61der, 1892. . Selections from the Sermones in Cdnti'ca Canticorum ed. with notes by B. Blaxland; New York : Gqrham. De diligendo Deo ed. with tr. and notes by E.. G. Gardner; New York .: IDuttpn, 1916; the same ed. W. W. Williams and De gradibus4 et humilitatis et superbia ed. B.. E. W. Mills (Cambridge Patristic Texts) 1926. Eng, tr. S. J.' Eales : Life and Works, of St. 'Bernard, from the ed. of Mabillon, 4^yols. -London, • 1888-97. (contains letters' and . sermons only); Serjiiojij. ^on . .the Canticle of~. Canticles, tr. by a priest of. Mount Melleray, 2 vols., Dublin : Browne and Nolan, 1920; Sermons for Seasons and Principal Festivals of the Year, id., ,3 vols., rib. 1921-23-25. De consideratipne ••, tr, introd. and notes by G. Lewis, Oxford, 1908; by a Priest of ; Mount Melleray, Dublin: Browne and Nolan, 1921, St. Louis ;: Herder ; De '.dili- gendo Deo tr. M. C. and M. Tatmbre, London : Paul, 1881 • W. H. Van Allen, New York : Young, 1910. Vilis Mystica ' : the True Vine "(tr.), London ;: Washbourne, 1884. 'The Virgin Mother^.), London, 1886. Cf. E. C. .Butler : Western Mysticism, New" Yorker Diitton,: 1923; A. J. Luddy .: Life and Teaching of St. Bernard, Dublin : M.: H. Gill and Son, 1927. Sermons on Advent and Christmas, New York : Benziger; Some Letters selected by F. A. Gasquet, St. Louis : Herder, 1904. - .. In the Monastery of Rupertsberg, hear Bingen : St. Hildegarde, rAbbess, (1098-1179), whose voluminous works are in need of further criticism..: Her xxil. BIBLIOGRAPHY, revelations entitled Sdvias (scire vias Domini vel lucis) first ed.' by Lefevre "d'Etaples, Paris, 1513 are reprinted in PL. cxcvii.- 383-738 from the edition of Cologne, 1628. Her Liber divinorum operum simplicis hominis first edited by J. Mansi (in Baluze : Miscell. ii. 337) Lucca, 1761 reprinted in PL. cxcvii. 739-1058, is a contemplation of all nature in the light of faith. Her Liber vita meritorum, first edited by Card. Yitisc \aAnalecta Sacra, viii, Monte Cassino, 1882, is a picturesque description of Christian -life. cf. F. M. Steele : Life and Visions of St. Hildegarde, St. Louis, 1915. In the. Monastery. of Ilefla (or Helpede) near Eisleben, Saxony : St. Ger- trude the Great, (1250-1302-1311), a simple nun, not to be confused with the Abbess Gertrude von Hackebom, The Herald of Divine Love. The German original of the work is lost. There remains its Latin version first printed by the Carthusian Johann von Lansperg, Cologne, 1536. The best edition of the Legatus divin® pietatis is that of the Benedictines of Solesmes~in Revelationes Gertrudiana et Mechtildiana, Paris, 1875-77. Eng. tr. Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude, London : Burns and Gates, 1892, New York : Benziger; The characteristic of St. Gertrude's mysticism 4s devotion to the Sacred HeWt. cf. Dom Gilbert Dolan : St. Gertrude, London : Sands and Co., St. Louis : Herder, 1913; Loveof the Sacred Heart illustrated by St. Gertrude, New York : Benziger, 1921; Exercises of St. {Sertrude, same publisher ; L. J. M. Cros, S. J. ; The Heart of St. Gertrude, same publisher. St. Mechtilde (Matilda von Heckeborn-Wippra), a sister of the Abbess Gertrude von Hackebom, and the teacher of St. Gertrude the Great, (f 1298), Book of Spiritual Grace, shows the same concept of spiritual life and the same devotion to the Sacred Heart as her disciple, who took down, unknown to her at first, the revelations consigned in this book. The original German, Das Buck geistlicher Gnade, was first printed at Leipzig, 1503, and a Latin version of it at Wiirtzburg, 1510 with the title Speculum spirituatis gratia. A critical edition of this version is found in the Revelationes Gertmdiana et Mechtildzancz, already mentioned, cf. Life of St. Mechtilde, St. Louis : Herder, 1900. - St. Mechtilde (Matilda von Magdeburg) at first a Beguine in her native town, later a nun at -Hefta, where she died in 1280, wrote down her revelations in Low German. They were translated into High German, then into Latin as Sororis Mechtildis hix divinitatis fluens in corda veritatis, and are found in the Revelationes Gertrudiance et Mechtildiana. . The Divine Light flowing into hearts without guile is marked by the same characteristics, as the revelations of the preceding saints, cf. Love of the Sacred Heart illustrated by St. Mechtilde with a foreword by the Lord Bishop of Salford, London : Burns and Dates, New York : Benziger, 1912; A. Kemp-Welch : Six Medieval Women, London : Macmillan, 1913. In the Monastery of Vadstena, Sweden, the mother house of the Order of . Saint Savior or Brigittines founded by her, St. Bridget, (1302-1373), whose Revelations describe with great realism the life and particularly the passion of Christ. These revelations translated freely from the Swedish into Latin were first printed at Llibeck, 1492, from the official mss. preserved at Vadstena. The Roman edition of 1628 is considered the best. Heuser has published an abridged edition, Revelationes selectee, Cologne, 1851. cf. F. G. Partridge-: Life of St. Bridget of Sweden, London : Burns and Oates, 1 888; F. M. Steele : St. Bridget of Sweden,- New York : Benziger, 1910. . In the Monastery of Cassel, Palatinate, Germany : John of Cassel, 1410, De adhcerendo Deo, De lumine increato. cf. Dom J. Huybe'n in Vie Spirituelle, Nov. 1922, p. 22 ss. Jan. 1923, p. 80 ss. 2. THE SCHOOL OF ST. VICTOR. This school .of mysticism which developed among the Augustinian Canons of the Abbey of St. Victor near .Paris made most correct use of Platonism. Its main representatives are : Hugh of St. Victor, '(1097-1141), the most influential theologian of the I2th century, who describes the progressive steps of the soul in the way to contem- plation in his chief work De sacramentis Christiana ftdei, on the mysteries of the Christian faith. Among his other spiritual treatises must be mentioned •: BIBLIOGRAPHY. XX111. He vanitate mundi, Soliloquium de arrha (mimes, De laude caritatis, De amort sponsi ad sponsam, De meditando, etc. The Rouen, 1648, edition of his works . is considerably, better than the editio princeps, Paris, 1518, but is hardly satis- factory, cf. Haureau : Hugues de St. Victor : nouvel exainen de I'edition de ses ceuvres, Paris, 1859. The Praise of Love has been tr. byj. Me Sorley, New York : Paulist Press; the Explanation of the Rule of St. Augustine, by A. Smith, St. Louis : Herder, 1911. .Richard of St. Victor, (f H73), Benjamin minor, sen de anirni prapara- tione: ad contemplationem] Benjamin major, seu de gratia contemplations, Expositio in Cantica Canticontm, PL. cxcvi, are print of the best edition of his works by J. Bertelin, Rouen, 1650. cf. Von Htigel : The Mystical element in Religion, London, 1909. Adam of St. Victor,~the most important liturgical poet of the Middle Ages, (t Ii77)> Sequentia, PL. cxcvi. 1421-1534, a reprint of L. Gauthier's ed., Paris, 1858. Eng. tr. D. S. Wrangham : The Liturgical Poetry of Adam of St. Victor, 3 vols., London, .1881. Julian : Diet, of Hymnology, New York, 1892. .'.'_'.. 3.— THE DOMINICAN SCHOOL, unites liturgical prayer and contemplation with the ministry of preaching, according to the maxim of its founder, " Con- templari et contemplata aliis tradere" *. St. Dominic, (1170-1221), the founder of the Dominican Order patterned his Constitutions after those of the Premonstratensian Canons. . Life of St. Dominic by T. Alemany, New York : O'Shea, n. d. ; A. T. Drane, New' York : Longmans, 1892 : B. Jarret London : Burns and Oates, New York : Benziger, 1924. J. Guiraud (Eng. tr.) London-New York, 1901 and 1925; Jordan of Saxony (his first biographer, new translation) Columbus, 0., Aquinas College, 1926. Albertus Magnus (Blessed Albert the Great, 1206-1280), for a time bishop of Ratisbon, no less zealous for piety than for scientific and theological studies, has left many writings touching upon spiritual life, Commentarii in Dionysium Areopagitam, In qtiatuor libros sententiantm, Summa theologies, De sacrificio miss®. His works were edited by P. Jammy, O. P., Lyons 1651, and A. Borgnet; Paris, 1890-99. Cf. P. de Loe, O. P., De vita etscriptis B. Alberti Magni'm Analecta Bollandiana xix (1900) 257-316 xxi (1962) 301-371; J. Sighart (Eng.' tr. by T. A. Dixon) : Albert the Great, his-life and scholastic labors, London, 1876- Dougherty : Albertus Magnus in Cath., World xxxvii (1883)' p. 197 ff; v Hewit . Albertus Magnus vindicated m. Cath. World 'xiii (1871) p. 712 ff. The Paradise of the Soul :. a Treatise on Virtues Suitable for Mental Prayer, by Blessed Albert the Great, edited by Raymond Deyas, O. P., London : Burns Oates and Washbourne 2. ' St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, (1225-1274), has treated excel- V'- lently all the important questions of asceticism and mysticism in various parts of his works, but more especially in his Summa theolo^ica, Expositio omnium epistolaniin D. Pauli, In Canticum Canticontm, In Evangelia, De perfections vita spiritualis opusc. etc. and Officium de. Corpore Christi, which he prepared in 1254 for Pope Urban IV. Among the many editions of his works the Leonine edition, begun in Rome under the patronage of Pope Leo XIII in 1882 and * See Vie spiritttellt for Aug. 1921 ; the whole number is devoted to the ascetical and mystical teaching of the Dominican order. P. MANDONNET : St. Dominique^ I' idee; I'homme et I'csuvre, 1921. Also, Analecta Sacri Ordinis Prcsdicatorum, Rome, 3 volumes in-folio, a review published by wish of the Master General' of the Orden * The little treatises, On union with God (De adhasrendo Deo), and The Paradise of Ike Soul (Paradisus animas), published under his name, (St. Louis : Herder), are npt.his, but works of the i4th or i5th centuries. . XXIV. BIBLIOGRAPHY. continued under the Master General of the Dominicans is no doubt the best, although somewhat unwieldy on account of 'its size. The texts relating to ascetical and mystical theology have been excerpted from St. Thomas' works and arranged in a logical order by Th. de. Valgornera : Mystica theologia D, ...Thames, Barcelona, 1665, Turin, 1889 and 1911. F6T"aii"l.ccount of' St. Thomas see D. J. Kennedy in Cath. Encycl. xiv (select bibliography pp. 675-676); R. B. Vaughan, O. S. B., Life and Labors of St. Thomas of Aquin, London, 1872; Cavanaugh : Life of St. Thomas Aquinas, London, 1890; Gonway : St. Thomas Aquinas, London-New York, 191 i; A. Whitacre ; St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Louis, 1925. Eng. tr. The Summa.theologica by the Dominicans of the English Province in 21 vols. and Index, London-New York, 1911-25. Under -the title "Aquinas Ethicus" Jos. Rickaby, S. J., transl. the 2nd part of it in 3 vols. London-New York, 1892. A Compendium de Snmma theologica was published in English by B. Bonjoannes, revised by W. Lescher, New York : Benziger, 1908. Of the minor works of the great Doctor the following are translated : Apology for Religious Orders, New,York : Benziger, 1902; On the Lords' 's Prayer, On the Commandments (both by H. A. Rawes) New York : Benziger; Religious State, Episcopate and Priestly Office (by J. Proctor) St. Louis : Herder, 1902; On Prayer arid Contemplative Life (by H. Pope) New York : Benziger, 1914. Selections translated and adapted : Devout Commentary on the. Epistle to the Ephesians, drawn chiefly from the works of St. Thomas Aquinas by B. A. H. Wilberforce, St. Louis : Herder, 1902; The Bread of Life, or St. Thomas Aquinas on the' adorable Sacrament of the Altar arranged as meditations by H. A. Rawes, New York : . Benziger; Jesus Christ, the Word Incarnate, gathered from St. Thomas Aquinas by R. Fredt, transl. from the Ital. by F. J. Sullivan, St. Louis : -Herder, 1904; New Things and Old in Thomas Aquinas transl. with introd. by H. C. Neill, New York : Dutton, 1909. . - - ' ^ St. Vincent Ferrer, (1346-1419), De vita spirituali, a true masterpiece, a great favorite with St. Vincent de Paul. This little treatise was first printed at Magdeburg in 1493; it is found in the edition of the complete works of our Saint, Valencia, 1591, and in appendix to his Sermons, Augsburg, 1729. Sepa- rate editions, Mechlin, 1888; Paris, 1899 with French tr. by Rousset, O. P.;. A. Pradel : St. Vincent Ferrer, his Life, Spiritual Teaching, and Practical Devotion (tr. from the French) London, 1875; Mary H. Allies, Three Catholic Reformers of the i^th Century, London, 1879; S. M. Hogan, St. Vincent Ferrer, London-New York : Longmans, 1911. ' " . St. Catherine of Siena, (1347-1380), The Dialogue, exalts particularly the goodness of God who has created us, sanctifies us, and shows us his mercy even in the punishments He sends. Best edition of Complete Works G. Gigli, Siena, 1707-26, of the Letters N. Tomasso, , Florence, 1880. Eng. tr. The Dialogue by A. Thorold, London : Paul, 1898 and 1907; the Letters with a brief introduction to each in V. D. Scudder, St. Catherine of Siena as seen in her Letters, London : Dent, New York uDutton, 1905. ZyfebyBl. Raymond of Capua, her confessor, tr. from the French, St. Louis : Herder, .New York : Kenedy; A. T. Drane, London-New York : Longmans, 1880, 4th ed. 1914; A.. T. Pierson, New York : Funk and Wagnalls, 1898; M. Roberts, New- York : Putnam;. E. L. Ayine", New York : Benziger; F. A. Forbes, St. Louis : Herder 1914; C. M. Anthony ed. by B. Jarrett, O. P., St. Louis : Herder; Edmund G. Gardner, London : Dent, 1907, New York : Button, 1908 (the most elaborate and critical Bibliography). , 4.— THE FRANCISCAN SCHOOL, faithful to the spirit of its founder, is marked by a preference for affective spirituality, love of the Cross, and absolute poverty. For a more detailed bibliography of the Franciscan School 'see V. Mills, 0. F. M., Bibliography of Franciscan' Ascetical Writers vo. Fran- ciscan Educational Conference, Washington, 1926, pp. 248-332. St. Francis of Assisi, (1181-1226), Opuscula, ed. crit, Quarracchi (near Florence) 1904. Eng. tr. P. Robinson, O. F. M., The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi newly translated, Philadelphia : Dolphin Press, 1906, St. Louis : Herder. Oldest and weightiest sources for the Life of St. Francis : the two BIBLIOGRAPHY. - XXV. Vita of Thomas of Celano (written 1228-9. and 1246-7) ed. Rosendale Lond. : - Dent, New- York : Button, 1904, E. d'Alengon, Rome, 1906, tr. A. C. Ferrer Howell, London : Methuen, New- York : Button, 1908; The, Speculum perfec- tionis of Leo of A ssisi (written 1227), ed. Sabatier; Paris, ,1898, tr. S. Evans, London, 18.90, Countess de la Warr, ib. 1902, R. Steele (m-.Temfle Classics) ib. 1903, New- York -.Button: the Chronicon of Jordan of Giano (written about 1262) ed. Bb'hmer, Paris, 1908; the Legenda trium sociomm (Leo, Rufinus, 'and Angelas, written not later than 1270) ed. Faloci, Foligno, 1898, tr. Salter, London, 1902; the Sacruni commerdum (anonymous of the year 1227) ed. E. d'Alengon, Rome, 1900, tr. M. Carmichael, Lond. 1901; .the Legenda dua by St. Bonaventure (written after 1260) ed. Quarracchi, 1898 tr. Salter (Temple Classics) London : Bent,. New- York : Button, 1964. The autobiography of Salimbene (1221-1388) throws much light on St. Francis' times and indirectly 6n his life and the first developments, of his work. It was translated under the title, From Francis to Dante, London : Nutt, 1906, 2d ed. 1907. Modern lives by Catholic writers : L. Le Monnier (tr. from the French) London: Paul; New-York : Benziger, 1894; J. Jorgensen (tr. from the Banish) London and New-York :' Longmans, 1912; Fr. Cuthbert, (X" S. F. C., New edition, London and New- York : Longmans 1921 ; Gilbert K. Chesterton, New-York : Button, 1924! Cf. also J. Herkless -.Francis and Dominic and the Mendicant Orders, New- York : Scribners, igoi^Fr. Cuthbert': St. Francis and Poverty, New- York : Benziger, 1910; id. The Ronianticism of St. Francis, London- New-York : Longmans, 1915; 2d "edition ~i 924; B. H7 "STNicholson : The Mysticism of Si. Francis, Boston : Small Maynard and Co. 1923. A. Linne- weber, 0. F. M., Asceticism and Mysticism of St. Francis of Assisi (Fran- ciscan Educational Conference, Washington, 1926, pp. 37-96); II. Felder : The Ideals of St. Francis^of Assisi'(a.), New- York : Benziger, 1926. Fora short bibliography of St. Francis cf. P. Robinson : A Short Introduction to Franciscan Literature, New- York, 1907 and id. Art. Francis of Assisi in Cath. Encycl. The spirit of St. Francis is well illustrated by the exquisite compilation known as the Little Flowers of -St. Francis of Assisi, Lat. original ed. Sabatier; Paris, 1902, Italian version considered the best by Cesare, Verona, 1822, often reprinted and translated into other languages; there are several Eng. tr. of the same v. g., T. A. Arnold, New- York : Stokes, 1926, T. Okey, New- York : Button, 1919, the first English translaiion (by Lady Georgina Fullerton, published 1864) rev. with introduction by B. Bevas, New- York : Benziger, 1927 etc. • - St. Bonaventure, (1221-1274), nas devoted a comparatively small part of his writings to mystical or ascetical theology. The many editions of his com- plete works are superseded by the critical edition of the Friars Minor, Quarracchi, 1881-1902. His ascetical treatises are gathered in vol. viii. Among them must be mentioned Soliloquium, Lignum vita;, .Vitis mystica, a work on the Passion, De perfectione vita, a treatise on religious perfection, but espe- cially De triplici via, the shortest and most complete summary of his mysti- cism, sand doubtless the first systematic exposition of the famous distinction between the three ways of the spiritual life: the purgative way, the illuminative way, and the uriitive-way. This excellent work in also known as Stimulus amoris, or Incendinm amoris. His Breviloqimtm, 'one of the best expositions of dogmatics, and his Itinerarium mentis ad Deum, a tract on theodicy, contain also suggestive references to mystical theology. They are found, the former in vol. v, and the latter in vol. vii of. the Quarracchi edition. The Soul 's Progress to God is available in English in Journal of Speculative Philosophy xxxi (1887). Other works in Eng. trns. Stimulus divini amoris tr. B. Lewis, ' edited by Phillipson, New- York : Benziger, 1927 ; De perfectione vita;, tr. L. Costelloe edit, by Fr. Wilfrid, St. Louis : Herder, 1923 ; Franciscan view of the Spiritual and Religious Life, being three treatises of Bl. Bonaventure tr. by P. B.- Bevas, New- York: Benziger, 1920. On the Life and Writings oj St. Bonaventure see Ignatius Jeiler in vol. x of the Quarracchi edition. Also, L. C. Skey, Life of St., Bonaventure, London, 1889, New- York : Benziger; L. Costelloe, St. Bonaventure, London-New-York: Longmans, 1911, and St Louis : Herder ; B. Bobbins, O. M. Cap.: Franciscan Mysticism; XXVl". BIBLIOGRAPHY. A Critical Examination ofjhe Mystical Theology of the Seraphic Doctor, New-York :':Joseph F. Wagner, 1927. " r/ The Meditationes vita Christi, for a long time attributed to St. Bonaventure, is a mystical biography of Christ,- introducing many pious reflections in the ; narrative drawn from the Gospels and also from personal revelations. ..Its author was certainly a Franciscan of the I3th century and probably an Italian. It was done into English by N. Love in the I5th century. This translation has been edited by L. F. Powell, Mirrotir of the blessed lyfe of Jesus Christ, Oxford : Clarendon Press,' 1908; Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by St. Bona- venture, New- York : Benziger. • , Bl. Angela of Foligno, (1248-1309), the Umbrian penitent and mystical writer sets forth specially God's transcendence and Christ's sufferings in the Book of Visions and Instructions, which she dictated to her Franciscan confessor Fr. Arnold. The editio princeps of this work, known as The Theo- logy of the Cross, Paris, 1598, remains the chief source for her life and teaching. It was reprinted at Cologne, 1601, B. Angela de Fulgineo Visionum et instructionum liber, and was reedited by Bollandus in Acta SS. I. Jan. 186- 234. The work .is available in English as Book of Visions and Instruction \x, Cruikshank, Derby, 1872 and New- York: Benziger, 1903, or Book of Divine Consolation tr. Steegmann, London, Duffield, 1909, and Oxford : Clarendon ' Press. 1922. ', St. Catherine of Bologna, (1413-1463), Abbess- .of the Poor Clares of Bologna, an experienced master ,of the spiritual combat, has left in her Treatise on the Seven Spiritual Weapons, written in Italian in 1438, and translated into Latin by her first biographer Dionysius Paleotti, profound considerations on the ways of overcoming temptations. Her Life written by Paleotti appeared in 1502 and a fuller Life by Christopher Mansuetti was published .in 1595. A Latin translation of both is included in the Acta SS. March II, 35-89. Leo : Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the. Three Orders of St. Francis, Taunton, 1885, I, 394-437- - , - 5. — THE GERMAN SCHOOL OF MYSTICS is indebted for' its theology to the theories of pseudo-Dionysius and to Neoplatonism. Cf. J. B. Dalgairns: The German Mystics of the Fourteenth (7fi«7z«7, London, 1850. John Eckhaft, O. P., (f 1327), generally known as Meister Eckhart, may be considered as its founder. His last years were clouded by the accusation of heresy brought against him by' the Archbishop of Cologne. Two years;after his death 28 propositions drawn 'from his writings were condemned by Pope John XXII, March 27, 1329 (cf. Denziger's Enchir., nos. 501-529). This has interfered with the preservation of his works, and renders it difficult, now to form a correct estimate of his teaching. His Sermons in German were edited by Kachelouen at Leipzig in 1498, and at Basel in 1521 and I522'by A. Petri. A more complete edition is that of Franz Pfeiffer in Deutche Mystiker der 14. Jahrhunderts, Stuttgart, 1857, but it is far- from exhaustive. Additional material has been brought to light by Franz Jostes (Collectanea Friburgensis, ix, Freiburg, 1895), Sievers (Z.f. d. A. xv. 73sqq. I56sqq. i72sqq.), Berlinger (Alemannia, iii. I5sqq.), and Bech (Get-mania, viii. 223sqq. x. 39lsqq.). His • Latin works bore the title Opus tripartitum. Portions of them have been recovered at .Erfurt and edited by II. Denifte, Meister Ecltharts lateinische Schriften in A.f. L. u. K. G. d. M., ii (1886) 417-615 and Supplement 616- 640. Cf. R. A. Yaughan: Hours -with the Mystics, 8th ed., London, n. d. Eckhart's best known disciples were John Tauler and Bl. Henry Suso. . . John Tauler, 0. P., (t 1361), one of the greatest preachers and mystics of the Middle Ages, often called Doctor sublimis or Doctor illuminatus has left- Sermons which rank among the finest monuments in the German language. Of the three early editions, Leipzig, 1498, Bazel, 1521, Cologne, 1543, the 2d and the 3d contain much that is spurious. The 3rd edition. was translated or rather paraphrased into Latin by L. Surius, Cologne, 1548, whose! work was. translated into various modern languages, including a German retranslalion, Cologne, 1660. The best edition of the original German is that of F. Vetter, f BIBLIOGRAPHY. XXV11. Berlin, 1910,- largely based upon the Engelbert manuscript, which represents substantially the collection as revised by hauler ..himself. There are available in English :' A. 'W. Hutton : The Inner Way, 36 Sermons for Festivals by John Tauter, London, 1911; History and Life of John Tattler, with 25- Sermons tr. by S. Winkworth, New-York, 1907; Conferences^ and Sermons of John Tauter, first complete trn. by V. Rev. W. Elliott, Washington, 1911. -Tauler's _ Of era Omnia edited by L. Surius, Cologne, 1603, contain additional works which are doubtfully; genuine, or certainly spurious. The Medttlla anitncs and the Institutiones divines were compiled in part from his genuine writings. Though not his work, they fairly represent his doctrine. The Exercitia super vita et passione* Christi, in English, Meditations on the Life and Passion, of Our Lord Jesus Christ, tr. from the French by A. P. G. Cruicshank, with preface by B. Wilberforce, new edition, New-Yprk: Benziger, 1925, though 'current under his name are almost certainly not his work. Blessed Henry Suso (Sus, Suse, or Seuse), also called Amandus, a name adopted in his . writings, (t 1366). His works were edited by F, Fabri, Ausburg, ..1482, and A. Sorge, in 1512; L. Surius edited them in a Latin translation at Cologne in 1555. Modern editions of the original German are those of H. Denifle, Munich, 1880 arid II. E. Bihlmeyer, Stuttgart, 1907. His chief, work is Das- Buchlein der ewigen Weisheit, composed probably in 1328, and translated into Latin, with some additions, by Suso himself under the title Horologi urn Sapientia. It is accessible in English in the "translation made by C. H. McKenna, Q. P., The Little Book of Eternal Wisdom, New- York: Benziger, 1889. Denifle. calls this Book the most, beautiful fruit of German mysticism, and places it next to the Homilies of St. Bernard and the Following of Christ, It was one of the favorite books of meditation in the Middle Ages. Cf. also The Life of BL Henry Suso written by himself, tr. from the German by T. F. Know, London, 1865. . Blessed John Ruysbroeck (Jan van Ruusbroec) *, one of the greatest mystics, surnamed Doctor Extaticus, (1293-1381). Despite the precision with which he was able to express the prof oundest thoughts, his . language is frequently obscure, through digressions, repetitions, and subtle divisions2. His works were translated into Latin by his disciples, and published by the Carthusian L. Surius at Cologne in 1552. The best Latin edition is that of Cologne 1609. The best edition of the original Flemish is that of J. B. David : Werken van Jan van Ruusbroec, 6 vols., Ghent: Annoot andJBraekman, 1858- 69. iTe was a prolific writer. Twelve of his treatises have come down to us. The most important are : The Mirror of Eternal Salvation or The Blessed Sacrament, The Book of the Enclosures, The Seven degrees -of the Ladder of Spiritual Laye, The Kingdom of the -Lovers of God, The Adornment of the Spirittial Marriage. Are available in English: Reflections from the Mirror of a Mystic : being gleanings from the works of Ruysbroeck, tr. E. Baillie, London, 1905. New-York: Benziger, 1906;; The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage, The Sparkling Stone, The Book of.Siipreme Truth, tr. from the Flemish by Dom A. C. 'Wynschenk, ed. with an introduction and notes, by Evelyn Underbill, New- York : Dutton, 1916; Love's Gi-adatory tr. with preface by Mother St. Jerome, New- York: Benziger, 1915; The Kingdom of the Lovers of God, now tr. for the first time from the Lat. of L. Surius, with an introd. by T. A. Hyde, New-York : Dutton, 1919. Ruysbroek's life written by Henry Pomerius- is edited in Anal, Boll, iv (1885) pp. 263 sqq. Cf. also V.;.Scully : Short Account of the Life and Writings of the Blessed John Ritys- ^Though belonging to the Low Countries, Ruysbroeck must be. added to. the list of German mystics. His writings show. markedly the influence of Meister Eckhart. .He was strongly encouraged in his work -by Tauler and Suso, who were his friends, and his writings have contributed not" a little to further the teaching of the German School. : 2 His doctrine is explained by G;. J. Waffelaert, S. T. D., Bishop of Bruges, in The Union of the Loving Soul with God, or Guide to Perfection, according to the teaching of Blessed Ruysbroeck, -Tr.- from the Flemish by R. Hornaert, Paris. Lille, Bruges, 1916. . xxviii. BIBLIOGRAPHY, broeck, London, 1916; id. Mediaval Mystic, New-York : Benziger, 1911; E. Underbill: Rtiysbroeck, London-New-York : Macmillan, 1915: Watitier d'Aygalliers : Ruysbroeck the Admirable, authorized trn. New- York : Dutton, 1 925. , 6. — THE FLEMISH SCHOOL is closely connected with the German School, but leaves aside pure speculation to concentrate on practical mysticism. . Mysticism in the Low Countries is chiefly represented by the Brethren of the Common Life and the Canons Regular -of Windesheim. Among them we. may mention : . . ' • . Gerard Groot (Geert de Groote), (1340-1384), called Gerardus Magnus, the founder of the Brethren of the Common Life. His activity was predominantly pastoral. The complete list of his writings, some still unpublished, is given by Bonet-Maury: Gerard de Groote, Paris, 1878, p. 91 .sqq., and A.'; Anger in Memoires... publics par I'AcadSmie Royale de Belgiqiie, xlvi (Brussels, 1892) pp. 266 sqq. His life written by Thomas a Kempis, in Founders of the New devotion, tr. J. C. Arthur, London and St. Louis, Herder, 1905. Florentius Radewyns (Florens Radewijns, (1350-1400), the head of the community of the Brethren of the Common Life after the death of Groote, left but few writings, which were collected by his disciples, Gerard de Ziitphen and Thomas a Kempis. His principal work is Tractatulus devotus de extirpatione vitiorum et de acquisilione veranim ,mrttitum, ed. H. Nolte, Freiburg, 1862. His life by A Kempis in Founders of the new devotion, London and. St. Louis: Herder, 1905. Gerard of Zutphen (G. Zerbolt van Ziitphen), (1367-1398), also a member of thle community of the Brethren of the Common Life, left among other writings, some of disputed authorship,, two works which established his fame,, De reformatione animce and De spiritualibus ascensionibus. /His 'earliest life is by T. a Kempis : Founders of the new devotion, as above. 'A translation of the De Ascensionibus under the title, Spiritual Ascent, .was issued by "Benziger, New- York, 1908. " Gerlach Petersen (or Peters), (1378-1411), a scholar of Radewyns and a canon regular at Windesheim, presents great similarity to the doctrine of the Imitation of Christ in his various writings, the principal of which is the Igni- tum cum Deo soliloquium, first edited Cologne 1616, and by Strange ib. 1849. Eng. trn. The Fiery Soliloquy with God, New-York : Benziger. The text of \\is.Breviloqtiium de accident, exterior., has been edited by^ W. Moll in Kerkhistorisch Archief, ii (Amsterdam, 1859) 179 sqq. An account of his acti- vity is found in J. Busch: Chronicon Wendeshewense, ed. Grube, Halle, 1886, pp. 157 sqq. See also R. A. Vaughan: Hours with the Mystics^.i, 356 sqq., London, 1879. T%e ^ery Soliloquy with. God, by Rev. Master Gerlach Petersen of Deventer, London, Burns, Gates and Washbourne. Thomas (Hemerken) a Kempis, (1379-1471) owes the surname a Kempis to his birthplace, Kernpen, in the Rhine Province. After studying under the Brethren of the Common Life at Deventer, he became ah Augustinian at Mount St. Agnes, Zwolle, near Amsterdam. His writings are all of a devotional character, and include tracts, meditations, sermons, letters, the Life of St. Lydewine, and biographies of Groot, Radewyns and nine other Brethren of the Common Life. The first edition of his works, Utrecht, 1475, included 15 different titles, but not. the ImitationD/ Christ. The last and best edition of the Opera omnia is by' M. J. Pohl, in 7 volumes, with an 8th volume containing a dissertation on the Life and Writings of the author, Freiburg : Herder, 1903-1922. Are accessible in English: Alphabet of a scholar in the School of Christ; Garden of Roses 'and Valley of Lillies, Baltimore : Murphy ; Golden Words, New- York: Benziger; The Little Follower of Jesus, N.^Y.: Kenedy ; Lesser Imitation, New-York : Benziger ; Meditations on the .Incar- nation of Christ, tr. V. Scully, St. Louis: Herder, 1907; Meditations on the Life of Christ, tr. Wright and Kettlewell, New- York: Dutton; Meditations oh the Passion and Resurrection of Our Lord, New- York: Benziger; Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ, tr. W. Duthoit, St. Louis: Herder, 1904; Sermons to the Novices Regular, tr. V. Scully, St. Louis: Herder, 1907; True BIBLIOGRAPHY,- XXIX, Wisdom, tr. F. Byrne, New- York : Beriziger ; Acceptable Time, Daily Readings for Lent, Babe of Bethlehem, Daily Readings for Advent, Thoughts on Holy Week, New-York: Paulist Press;' Si. Lydwine of Schiedam, 'New-York: Benziger, 1912; Founders of the 'New Devo'tiom Lives of G. Groote, F. Rade- wein, and their Followers, tr. J. P. Arthur, St. Louis: Herder, 1905; Chronicle of the Canons Regular, of Ml. St. Agnes, tr. J. P. Arthur, St. Louis: Herder, 1906. On the author see: S. Kettlewell: Thomas a. Kempis and the Brethren of , the Common Life, London, 1882, 2 vols., abridged edition 1885; Dom V. Scully: Life of Thomas a Kempis, London and New- York: Benziger, 1901; J.E. De, Montmorency : Thomas a Kempis, New-York : Putnam, 1906. .• „ The Imitation of Christ, first issued anonymously about 1418, is ascribed to Thomas a Kempis by a great number of critics, although it would appear that this authorship is not fully, settled. For a sketch of the history of -the fascinat- ing controversy on the question see .L. A. Wheatley : Story of the Imitation of Christ, : London, .1891-, and Pourrat, op. cit., ii. 262sqq. and Kettlewell : The' Authorship of the Imitation of Christ, London : Rivington, 1877. John Mauburne (or Mombaer), Abbot of the Augustinian monastery of Livry, treats of the principal questions of ascetical theology, and in particular of the various methods of meditation, in \\\§Rosetum spirituale, Spiritual Rosebush, first printed at Basel- in 1491. Cf. L. E. Du Pin, Bibliotheqiie des Auteim eccUsiastiques du 15* siecle, Paris, 1698, p." 581. 7. — THE CARTHUSIAN SCHOOL counts four main writers : Ludolf of Saxony, or the Carthusian, (t Apr. 13, 1378), is commended to posterity by his twp principal works, while many of his other writings .whether tracts or sermons are either lost or doubtful. His Commentary on the Psalms, first edited in 1491 and more recently by the Carthusians of Montreuil in 1891, develops particularly the spiritual sense. }:\\s- Life, of Christ, repea- tedly edited since it was first printed at Strasbiirg and Cologne in 1474, and translated^.into various .languages, is less a history than a series of meditations on the Gospel narrative? together with instructions on dogmatic or ascetical subjects related^ to it. It has been sometimes called Snmma Evanselica and has been very popular in the past. Ludolph the Saxon : Hours of the Passion (tr.), London: Burns, and Oates, 1887. On Ludolf cf. Dorean : Ephemerides of the Carthusian. Order, iv. 384-393, Montreuil, 1900. Dionysius (van Leeuwen) the Carthusian, the Ecstatic Doctor, (1402-1471), one of the most learned theologians of 'his time, is chiefly esteemed as an asce- tical writer. His works include 187 titles in the catalogue issued by his first biographer, the, Carthusian 'D. von Loher: D. Dionysii Carthusiani, doctoris ecstatici, vita simul et operum ejus Jidijsimus catalogus, Cologne, 1532. The same irresponsible for the first edition of Dionysius' works, Cologne, 1530 and Paris; 1531. A more complete edition to bejn 45 volumes, when finished, has been undertaken by the Cartliusians of Montreuil in 1896, and is being conti- nued at' Tournai. Among Dionysius' ascetical works may be mentioned : De arctq, via sahitis et de contemptu nnindi, De gravitate et enormitate peccati, De conversione peccatoris, De remediis tentatiomun, Defonle lucis el semitis vttce, the most complete and solid treatise of spiritual life, often reprinted separately, and" translated into various languages. This treatise deals also at the same time 'with the mystical conceptions of the author. The same must be said of the De discretione spiriluum, a much neglected work, which was only printed in 1620 at" Aschaffenburg. The principal treatises of Dionysius on mystical theology have been separately edited under the title, Opuscula aliquot qua ad theoriam mysticam egregie instituunt, Cologne, 1534, reprinted at Montreuil in 1894. The most remarkable of these treatises is. the De contemplatione, in which the author seems to have been the first to make a formal distinction between active or ordinary and passive ox extraordinary contemplation. His Commentaries on Pseudo- Dionysius Areopagita has two separate editions at Cologne in 1536. They appeared also in one volume with his simplification of Boethius and his explanation of the Ladder of St. John Climacus, Cologne, \ XXX. BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1540. His tract De quatuor hominis nbvissiniis with its appendix De particii- larijudicio\a& been.reedited more than 40 times, ;aiid- particularly commended by the Directorium on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, approved by the general assembly of the Jesuits' in 1549. The chief source for the biography of Dionysius is his Life by Dietrich von Loher, reprinted with annotations by. the Bollandists in Act, SS., March, ii. 245-255!' •..:•. :. John Lansperg (Johann Gerecht von Landsberg), a Carthusian fa'mous for his devotion to the Sacred Heart, (t 1539). His teaching paved the way for St. Margaret Mary and her mission. To him is due the first Latin edition of the Revelations of St. Gertrude, Cologne, 1536. A new revised edition of ; his works in Latin has been issued in 5 quarto volumes by the Carthusians of Notre Dame des Pres, Tournai, 1890. His chief work, Alloqtiium Jesu Christi ad animam fidelem, Louvain, 1572, was translated into English by Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel, who died in the Tower under Elisabeth. This translation reached its 4th edition, London, .1867. Cf. Dom Boutrain: Lansperge le Chartreux et la devotion au Sacre-C&ur, Grenoble, 1878. Laurentius Surius, (1522-1578), the hagiographer of the Carthusian school, translated into Latin many of the works of the German .mystics. He is known chiefly by his Vita Sanctorum, 6 vols., Cologne, 1570-75, continued after his death by a Cologne Carthusian, and republished under the title De probatis Sanctorum historiis, Cologne, 1618. It was reprinted in 12 volumes at Turin • in 1875. Surius followed in the footsteps of his older contemporary A. Lippo- mani, Bishop of Verona (1560), but greatly improved upon him. Although his historical sense is 'not unimpeacheable, the Bollandists have recognized Surius as the best predecessor of their work. 8. — INDEPENDENT FROM THE PRECEDING SCHOOLS are : Peter d'Ailly, (1350-1420), Chancellor of the University of Paris and later Archbishop of Cambrai and Cardinal. His numerous works are as yet partly unpublished. His two tracts 'De falsis prophetis have been edited by Ellies Du Pin in the 1st volume of Gerson's Opera omnia (pp. 499-603) Antwerp, 1706. His mystical writings, Tractatus and Sermones, printed at Strassburg in 1490, at Mainz in 1574, and at Douai in 1634, are of great merit despite some blemishes coming from his leanings to Nominalism. His Com- mentary on the Canticle of Canticles gives further proof that he deserves an honorable mention in the history of mysticism. Cf. Hurter: Nomenclator lit., iv. 6oisqq., Innsbruck, 1899; L. Salembier: Petrus de-Alliaco, Lille, 1886 (Bibliography). John Gerson, (1363-1429), whose, patronymic was Le Charlier, has adopted the name of his birthplace as his surname. A disciple of Peter d'Ailly at the College of Navarre, he became his successor in the chancellorship of the Uni- versity of Paris. _His works, first printed at Cologne in 1483 in four volumes, have been more completely edited by Ellies Du Pin in five volumes at Antwerp in 1706, thus far the best edition. In vol. iii are gathered most of his mystical or ascetical writings; The most important of his mystical treatises are : De monte contemplation-is, De theologia mystica speculativa et practica, De elucida*. Hone scholastica mystica theologia, &a& several smaller tracts as De meditatione, De perfections cordis, De simplicitate cordis, De directione cordis, Alphabetum divini amoris etc. In vol. i are found treatises on : Deprobatione spirituum, • De examinatione doctrmarum,:and De distinctione -verarum msionum a falsis, which also belong with mystical theology. Gerson reacted against the exagge- rations of some mystical writers and emphasised the fact that the mystical process culminated not in an actual, but in a close moral union of the soul with God. His ascetical writings are full of unction a.s well as doctrine. Among them may be mentioned: De vita spirituali animce, De passionibus animce, De oratione et suo valore, De tentationibus diaboli diversis, De censciencia scrupulosa, De oratione, De Sacramento Altaris, De exerciim diversis devotorum simplidum, etc. and written in French : Dialogue spirituel, Discours sur la virginite, Considerations sur St. Joseph and Confirences spirituelles.. Gerson was one of the first promoters of the devotion 'to .V- ' - BIBLIOGRAPHY. ~ xxxi. St. Joseph, and one of the great leaders in the field of. catechetics. His little tract De parvulis ad. Christum trahendis, Eng. trn. A Treatise on Bringing Children to Jesus Christ, St. Louis: Herder, is justly famous. His Ad Deum vadil has-been edited by D. H. Carnahan, University of Illinois Studies \in Lang.. .and Lit. vol. 3, n. ij 1917. Gf. also, Jourdain : Doctrina Joannis Ger- sonii de iheologia mystica, Paris, .1838 ; Reynolds : Early reprints for English readers: John Gerson, London, 1880; L. Salembier: The Great Schism of '; the West (tr.) New- York: Benziger, 1907; id. Gerson in Diction, de Thio. Cath. vol. vi, Paris, 1920 ; J. L. Connolly : John Gerson, Reformer and Mystic, Louvain : Uystpruyst, London and St. Louis: Herder, 1928. - Walter Hilton, (t- 1.396), an Augustiniari monk at Thurgarton (Notting- shire), who exercised great influence in England in the 1 5th century. Hist mystical system is in the main a simplification of that of Richard of £>t Victor. The most famous of his works is the Scala perfections printed in London in 1494, 1517, 1659, Eng. trn. by Fr. Guy, O. S. B., London, 1869, reprinted by Fr. Dalgairn, London, 1870, The Scale or Ladder of Perfection, New- York: Benziger. The Scale of Perfection modernized from the First Printed Edition with an Introduction by Dom M. Noetinger, London: Burns, dates and Washbourne, 1927. . His Letter to a devout man in temporal estate first printed in London in 1506 is generally appended to the Scala in later edition's. His Song, of Angels, first printed London, 1521, is properly mystical and deals with spiritual consolations. It is included in Gardner: The Cell of Self -Knowledge, London and New- York, 1909. A number of other works, most of them unpu- blished, are ascribed to Hilton, cf. list given by S. Autore in Diet, de Th^o. Cath>, vi. 2480-81, Paris, 1920. On Hilton consult Horstman: Richard Rollt of Hampole and his Followers, London, 1895 and W. R. Inge : Studies in English Mystics, New- York : Dutton, 1906. Juliana of Norwich, (t 1442), probably a Benedictine' nun, whose doctrine is clearly influenced by the teaching of W. Hilton recorded in her book$ Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love, written about 1393, the. mystical manifes- tations she had experienced some twenty years before on May the 8th or the 1 4th, 1373. Her book was first edited by S. Cressy, O. S. B., London, 1670. This was reprinted ib. 1845 and 1907. Other editions are by Collins, ib., 1877; G. Warrack, ib. 1901. 4th edn. New-York: Gprham, 1911; Tyrrell, London, 1902, new edn. New- York: Button, 1920. On the author see W. R. Inge, op. cit. Extracts from her writings in Meditations on the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus culled from the Writings ofjttliana of Norwich by F. A. Forbes, New- York : Benziger, 1921. " . St. Lawrence Justinian, (1380-1456), Bishop and first Patriarch of Venice, noted as a zealous reformer of religious orders and distinguished by his practical piety. His ascetical writings include : De compunctione et complanclu chris- tiana perfection^, De vita solitaria, De contemptu mundi, De obedientia, De humilitate, De ferfectionis gradibus, Deincendio dirnni amoris, De regimine pralatoruin (a treatise on pastoral theology). They were first published in 1.506 at Brescia. Their best edition is in the 2nd volume of his Opera omnia, 2 yols., Venice, 1751. His biography was written by his nephew, Bernardino Giustiniani, Venice, 1574. "It is reprinted in Act. SS., January, i. 501 sqq. St. Catherine of Genoa (Caterina Fieschi Adornojy (1447-1510), whose mystical experiences are described in her life written by her confessor, Mira- tolli, first _edited by Genuti at Florence in 1551. This life is as much .a treatise on mysticism as a biography, and its editions usually include the works of the. Saint, which are: A Dialogue between the Soul and the Body; Self Love, The Mind and Humanity of^ Our Lord, and A Treatise on Purgatory. They are translated from the original Italian in Life and Doctrine of St. Catherine of Genoa, London, 1858, New-York, 1874; Life of St. Catherine of Genoa, New- York.: Christian Press, n, d. The Treatise on Purgatory, new edition, with _pref ace by Cardinal Manning, London: Burns and Gates, New- York : Benziger, n. d. Consult further F. von Huegel: .The Mystical Element o) Religion as.Studied in. St. Catherine of Genoa and her Friends, London : Dent, New- York: Dutton, 1909, and edn., 1923. xxxii. - BIBLIOGRAPHY. III. MODERN TIMES - : The, ancient schools continue to refine their doctrine, while- under the influence of the Council of Trent and of the Counter-Reformation new-schools come into being and bring about a renewed spirituality. Hence one sometimes finds conflict in points of detail, but the doctrinal basis remains constant arid rounds out through discussion. . ,. .' . Three ancient schools keep on developing : the Benedictine, the Dominican and the Franciscan. . I. The BENEDICTINE School holds to its tradition of affective and liturgical piety, adding to these certain'refinements .in doctrine. ; • - - : : Blosius (Louis de Blois) (1506-1566), Abbot of,.Liesse, published a great many spiritual 'tracts the chief of which is his Institutio spiritualis, a synthesis of asceticism and of mysticism containing the substance of his other works. Besides the edition of his complete works published at Antwerp (1632), there is a\so~Manuale vita spirituals, Freiburg : Herder, 1907; this ed. unfortuna- tely lacks the Institutio spiritualis. Eng. tr. Spiritual Works, 6 vols., New- York : Benziger, 1926, include the following : Book of Spiritual Instruction, Comfort for the Fainthearted,- Mirror for Monks, Sanctification of the Faithful Soul, Paradise of the Faithful SouL Cfr. Opera, ed. A. de Winghe, 2 fol., Cologne, 1633. " . '"" Baker, IX A. (1575-1641) wrote several treatises which were condensed by S. Cressy m.Sancta Sophia.; Holy Wisdom, Cressy-Sweeney ed., London : Burns Gates and Washbourne, New- York : Benziger, ,n. d. ; Contemplative Prayer, abgd. ed. of Sancta Sophia, Weld-Bluridell, London : Washbourne, New- York : Benziger, c. 1908. . Bona, Giovanni Cardinal (1609-1674), general of the Feuillants. Manududio ad ccehim, Eng. tr. A Guide to. Eternity, L'Estrange, London, 1900; Prindpia et documenta vita Christiana; De sacrificio misses, Eng. tr. Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Cummins, St. Louis : Herder, 1903; De discrelione spirituum; Horologium asceticum, etc. Many eds. have been, published, particularly at Venice, 1752-1764; cfr. extracts in Opuscula ascetica selecta, Freiburg': Herder, "1911. '-...- Castaniza, John of, .(f 1598) : De la perfecciSn de Id vida christiana; Institutiotmm divince pietatis libri quinque. • . Schram, Dominicus (1722-1797) : Institutiones theologia mystica,& didactic treatise of asceticism and of mysticism with excellent advice for spiritual directors; 2 vols., ed. Paris, 1868; .Little Manual of Direction for Priests, Eng. tr. I-L Collins, London, 1882. "••'-' , Ullathorne, W. B., Bishop .(1806-1889) : The Endowments of Man, London, 1880; Groundwork of the Christian Virtues, 1882; Christian Patience, 1886. : ! . Gueranger, Dom P. (1805-1875) : restorer of the Benedictines in France, he rendered an inestimable service to souls by \as Annee liturgique; The Liturgical Year, Eng. tr. Shepherd, ' Dublin, 1870 sqq., Worcester, Eng., 1895-1903, in 15 vols. , ' Lehodey, Dom Vital, Abbot of Notre-Dame de Grace : Les Votes de Toraisonmenlale, 1908; Eng. tr. Ways of Mental Prayer, Dublin : Gill, 19243; Le saint abandon, 1919; Directoire spirituel a Pusage des Cisterciens reformes, 1910. These works are characterized by clarity, precision and sureness of doctrine. ^ ... . '- . . . Abbess of Ste Cecile (C. J. Bruyere, Madame Cecilia) : Spiritual. Life and Pfayer (tr.), London, 1905. , Marmion, Dom Columba, late Abbot of Maredsous, Belgium (1858-1923) : Christ the Life of the Soul (tr.), London : Sands, St. Louis : Herder, 1925*5 BIBLIOGRAPHY. ' XXX111,. 2 . I I Christ in His Mysteries, London and .: St. Louis, 1924"; Our Way and Our Life (abgd. ed. of previous), St. Louis : Herder, 1927; Christ the Ideal of the Monk., London and St. Louis, 1926. Hedley, J, C., Bisho^ (t 1915) : The Holy Eucharist, London, 1923; A Retreat, 33 Discourses, ib., 1894'°; Spiritual Retreat for Priests, ib., Burns Gates and Washbourne, 19273 ; Spiritztal Retreat for Religious, ib., Lex Levi' iantm or Preparation for the Cure of Souls, New- York : Benziger, 1928*; Christian Inheritance set forth in Sermons, London, 1896; Our Divine Saviour ; London, n. d., 7th ed. ; Light of Life, London, 1899; Spirit of Faith,. New- York, 1896. ' ; Gasquet, F. Aidan Cardinal (1846-1929) : Religio Religiosi, New- York, 1923, on the purpose and end of the religious life; Monastic Life^in the Middle Ages, ib., 1922. . Chaiitard, Dom J. B. : VAme de tout apostolat, 1915*; The True Apostolate, tr. Girardey, St. Louis?. Herder, 1918; also another tr., The Soul of the Apostolate, tr. Moran, S. M., London and New- York, 1926. Morin, Dom G. : The Ideal of the Monastic Life found in the Apostolic Ages, tr. Gunning, London. , Butler, Dora E. C. : Western Mysticism, New -York : Button, 1927 Benedictine Monachism, London : Longmans, 1924 2. v Cabrol, Dom F. : Liturgical Prayer, tr. Benedictine nuns of Stanbrock, London : Burns Gates and Washbourne, 1922. Louismet, Dom L. '.'Mystical Knowledge of God, London and New- York, 1917; Mystical Life, ib., 1916; Mysticism True and False, ib., 1919; Divine Contemplation for All, ib., 1920; Mystical Initiation, ib., 1923; The Burning Bush, a treatise on Ecstatic Contemplation, London, 1924. Doyle, Dom F. C. : The Teaching of St. Benedict, 1887; Principles of Religious Life', London : Washbourne, 1890". 2. The DOMINICAN SCHOOL, deeply rooted in the teachings of- St. Thomas, clearly and methodically explains and clarifies his doctrine on asceticism and contemplation. • * ' Cajetan, Thomas (1469-1534), in his profound commentary on IheSumma. Louis of Granada (1504-1588), without attempting to write ascetical theology, treats with solidity and unction all .the elements' of Christian^ perfection. The Sinner's Guide (tr.), New- York, 1889. Bartholomew of the Martyrs, Abp. -of Braga (1514-1590) : Compendium doctrines spiritualis, first published at Lisbon, 1582; other eds. at Madrid,' Paris, etc., the last appearing in Venice (1711) under the title Compendium mysticce doctrine with additions made by Ildephonso Manrique ; cfr. Compen- dium spiritualis doctrine, ed. Fessler, New- York : Benziger, 1864; Lady Herbert, Dom Bartholomew of the Martyrs, London, 1880. • John of St. Thomas (1589-1644) in his course of theology, which is partly a commentary on St. Thomas, treats in quite remarkable a manner of the gifts of the Holy Ghost. . - • Thomas of Vallgornera (f 1665) : Mystica theologia D. Thoma, latest' ed. Turin, 1911. Here the complete teaching of St. Thomas on the three ways is gathered and classified. -' Contenson, V. (1641-1674) : Theologia mentis et coi-dis, 2 vols., Cologne, 1722; at the end of each section the author draws certain ascetic conclusions or corollaries. Massoulie, A. (1632-1706) : TrailS de PAmour\de Dieu; Traitt de la veritable oraison; Meditations sur les trois votes. The writer explains the doctrine of St. Thomas in refutation of the errors of the Quietists. -..-'.. Piny, A. (1640-1709) : L' Abandon a la volontede- Dieu ; L' oraison dn emir;. La clef du pur amour; La present de Dieu; Le plus parfait, and so on. The leading idea in these volumes is that perfection consists of conformity to God's will and of holy abandonment. . . . , . N° 680. — 2 XXXiv. : BIBLIOGRAPHY. Rousseau, R. P, i Avis sur les divers Stats d'oraison, 1710; ed. Paris : Lethielleux, 1913. - Billuart, C. R. (1685-1757) : Summa S. Thoma kodiernis academiarum moribus accommodata, 1746-1751. Lacordaire, H. D. (1802-1861) : Letters to Young Men, London and New-York, I9032; Conferences, London, \%$\\ Jesus Christ, 1869; God^ 1870; God and Man, 1872 (3 last in I vol. Manchester : Robinson, London : Chapman, 1902 9); see especially Chocarne, Inner Life of Pere Lacordaire (tr.), London : Burns and Gates, 1923"; also, Thoughts and Teachings, New- York, 1904'. . Meynard, A. M. : Traits de la vie int&rieure, Clermont-Ferrand and Paris, 1884, 1899; an adaptation of the work of Thomas of Vallgornera. Froget, B. : The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Souls of the Just, Eng. tr. and adap. Raemers, New- York : Paulist Press, 1921; a very solid theological study; Rousset, M. J., Doctrine spiriluelle, Paris : Lethielleux, 1902; a treatise on the spiritual life and union with God according to Catholic tradition and the spirit of the saints. Cormier, P., Instructions des novices, 1905; Retraite ecclesiastique d'aflres VEvatigile et la vie des saints, Rome, 1903. Gardeil, P., Les dons du S. Esprit dans les saints dominicains, Paris.: Lecoffre, 1903; in course of translation by Dominicans of Washington, D. C.; cfr. author's article on the same subject in Dictionnaire de Theologie Catho- Hqtie; also La structure de Vame et V experience mystique, 2 vols., Paris, 1927. Hugueny, P. Et., Psauwes et canliques du brdviaire remain, Brussels, 1921-1922. Janvier, M. A., Exposition de la morale catholique, Paris, Lethielleux; the conferences given at Notre Dame of Paris in which Christian morality and asceticism are eloquently expounded; Joret, R. P., La contemplation mystique, d'apres St. Thomas d'Aquin, Lille, 1923. Jarrett, Bede, The Abiding Presence of the Holy Ghost in the Soiil, New- York : Catholic Library, 1918. Raymond, V., Spiritual Director and Physician, Eng. tr. Smith, London : R. and T. Washbourne, 1917 2. ,' Naval, Theologies asceticce et mystica cursus, Turin, Marietti, 1925% Garrigou-Lagrange, R., Perfection chretienne et Contemplation selon St. Thomas d'Aquin et St. Jean de la Croix, 2 vols. , Paris, 1923 3. Ridolfi, N., A Short Method of Mental Prayer, Eng. tr. Devas, London : Burns Gates and Washbourne, 1920. Arintero, J., Cuesti6nes misticas, Salamanca, I9202. Francis Raphael, Mother, Spirit of the Dominican Order, London and Leamington : Art and Book'C0., 1896. Ollivier, M. J., The Friendships of Jesus, Eng. tr. Keogh, St. Louis : Herder, c. 1903. Capes, F. M., St. Catherine de Ricci, 0. P., with treatise on the Mystical Life by Wilberforce, London, c. 1907. See also two Dominican reviews, La vie spiriluelle (1919 sqq.) and La Vida sobrendtui-al (i. A) In order to make a distinction between them, we may thus define Ascetical Theology : that part of spiritual doctrine whose proper object is both the theory and the practice of Christian perfection, from its very beginnings up to the threshold of infused contemplation. We place the begin- ning of perfection in a sincere desire of advancing in the spiritual life; Ascetic Theology guides the soul from this beginning, through, the purgative and illuminative ways, as far as ^/^contemplation or \&Q simple unitivevtay. _11. B) Mystical Theology is that part of spiritual doc- trine whose proper object is both the theory and the prac- 6 INTRODUCTION.. tice of the contemplative life, which begins with what is called the first night of the senses, described by St John of the Cross, and the prayer of quiet, -described by St. Theresa. a) We thus avoid defining Ascetical .Theology as the science of the ordinary ways of perfection, and Mystical Theology as the science of the extraordinary ways. Now- adays the word extraordinary is rather reserved to designate a. special- class of mystical phenomena such as ectasies and revelations which are special gifts (charismata) superadded to contemplation. b) We do not distinguish here between acquired and infused contemplation so as not to become involved in controversy. Acquired contemplation being as a rule a preparation for infused contemplation, we shall treat it when speaking of the unitive way. We purposely unite in this one treatise both Ascetical and Mystical Theology, i) Surely there are profound dif- ferences between them. These we shall take care to point out later. There is, all the same, a certain continuity running through these two states, ascetic and mystic, which makes the one a sort of preparation for the other. When He sees .fit ', Almighty God makes use of the generous dispo- sitions of the ascetic soul and raises it to the mystic states. 2) One thing is certain, the study of Mystical Theology throws no little light upon Ascetic Theology and , vice versa. This, because there is harmony in God's ways; the powerful action which He exercises over mystic souls being so striking, it renders more intelligible the milder influence He exerts over beginners. Thus the passive trials, descri- bed by St. John of the Cross, make us understand better the ordinary 'aridity that is experienced in lower stages. Again, we understand better the mystic ways, when we see to what degree. of docility and adaptability a soul .can arrive that has for long years given itself up to the laborious practices of asceticism. . -•'..,.,. These two parts of one and the same science .naturally throw light on one another and their union is profitable to both. § II. The Sources : of Ascetical and Mystical Theology 12. Since this spiritual science is one of the branches of Theology, it has the same sources as the others. We must INTRODUCTION. give the first place to those that contain or interpret the data of revelation, that is, Holy Scripture and Tradition. Next in turn come the secondary sources, that is, all the knowledge that we acquire through reason enlightened by faith and experience. Our task is simply to point out the use we can make of them in Ascetic Theology. I. HOLY SCRIPTURE We do not. find in Holy Scripture a scientific exposition of spiritual doctrine, yet, scattered here and there both in the Old and the New Testaments, we do find the richest data, in the form of teachings, precepts, counsels, prayers and examples. 13. i° We find there the speculative doctrines concerning God, His nature and attributes, His immensity that per- vades all things, His infinite wisdom, His goodness and justice, His mercy, His Providence exercised over all crea- tures and above all on behalf of men, in order to effect their salvation. We find likewise the doctrine concerning God's own life, the mysterious generation of the Word, the procession of the Holy Spirit — mutual bond of union between Father and Son. Lastly, we- find God's works, in particular, those wrought for the welfare of man : man's share in the divine life, his restoration after the fall through the Incarnation and the Redemption, his sanctification through the Sacraments and the promise of* everlasting ' joys. _ It is obvious that such sublime teaching is a powerful incentive to an increased love for God and to a greater desire for perfection. 14<. 2° As to the moral teaching, made up of precepts and counsels, we find : The Decalogue, which is summed up in the love of God and one's neighbour. Next, comes the high moral teaching of the Prophets, who ever proclaiming the goodness, the justice, and the love of God for His people, turn Israel away from sin, and especially from idolatrous practices, whilst at the same time they inculcate into the nation respect and love for God, justice, equity and goodness towards all, chiefly towards the weak and the oppressed. We have further the Sapiential Books, whose counsels, so full pf wisdom, contain an anticipated exposition of the Christian virtues* ' : Towering above all else, however, stands the wonderful teaching of Jesus, His Sermon on the Mount is a condensed 8 INTRODUCTION. synthesis of asceticism. We find still higher doctrines ; in His discourses as recorded by St. John and commented upon by the same apostle in his Epistles. Finally, there is the spiritual theology of St. Paul, so rich in doctrinal ideas and in practical application.- Even the bare summary which we shall give in an Appendix to this volume will show that the New Testament is already a code of perfection. 15. 3° We find also in Holy V^ni prayers to nourish our love and our interior life. Are there any prayers more beautiful than those of the Psalter? The Church has deemed them so fit to.proclaim God's praises and so apt to sanctify us, that She has incorporated them into her Liturgy, the Missal and the Breviary. Other prayers we also find" here and there in the historical and sapiential books. But the prayer of prayers is the Lord's Prayer, the most beautiful, the most simple, and in spite of its brevity, the most complete that can be found. Added to this we have Our Lord's Sacerdotal Prayer, not to mention the doxologies contained in the Epistles of St. Paul and in the Apocalypse. 16. 4° Finally there are in Scripture examples that incite us to the practice of virtue : a) The Old Testament musters before us a whole series of patriarchs, prophets and other remarkable personages who were not indeed free from weaknesses, yet, whose virtues merited the praise of St. Paul, and are recounted at length by the Fathers, who propose them to us for imitation. Who would not admire the piety of Abel and Henoch, the steadfastness of Noe, who wrought good in the midst of a corrupt generation? Who would not pay homage 'to the faith and trust of Abraham, the chastity and prudence of Joseph, the courage, the wisdom and constancy of Moses, the fearless zeal, devotion and wisdom of David? Who would not admire the aus- terity of life in the Prophets, the heroic conduct of the Maccabees and countless other examples? b) In the New Testament, it Is of course Jesus Christ who appears as the ideal type of sanctity. Next, Mary and Joseph, His faithful imitators. Then, the Apostles, who imperfect as they were at first, gave themselves up so completely in body and soul to the preaching of the Gospel and to the practice of the Christian and Apostolic virtues, that their lives cry out to us, even louder than their words, " Be ye followers of me as I also am of Christ. " * '•/Car., IV, -16. INTRODUCTION. If some of these holy ones had their faults, the manner in which they redeemed; them adds greater worth to their example, for it shows us how we can, by penance, atone for our faults.1 II. TRADITION 17. Tradition completes Holy Writ. It hands down to us truths which are not contained in the latter. More, it interprets Scripture with authority. It is known to us by the solemn and ordinary teaching of the Church. i° The Solenm Teaching consists chiefly in the definitions of Councils and Sovereign Pontiffs. Itjias but : j;arely ^con- cerned itself, it is. true, with questions ascetical or, mystical properly so-called; yet, it has often had to come to the fore in order to clear up and define those truths* tKat form "the bases of the science of perfection, to wit : God's life con- sidered at its source; the elevation of man to a supernatural state ; original jsi'n and its consequences ; the Redemption ; grace communicated to regenerated man; merit, which increases in our souls the divine life ; the sacraments, that impart grace ; the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in which the fruits of Redemption are applied. In the course of our study we shall have to make use of all these definitions. 18. 2° .The ordinary teaching is exercised in two ways, theoretically, and practically. - A) The theoretical teaching is given us first in a negative •••„,- way, by the condemnation of the propositions of false mys- tics; secondly, in a. positive manner, in the common doc- trine of the Fathers and theologians or in the conclusions that follow from the lives of the Saints. a) False mystics have at different times altered the true ^ notion of Christian perfection. Such, were the Encratists and the Montanists in the first centuries, the Fraticelli and * the Beguines or Beghards2 of the Middle-Ages, Molinos and the Quietists 3 in modern -times. By condemning them, the Church has pointed out to us the rocks we must avoid and marked the course to which we must hold. 1 In order to give an idea of the ascetical treasure contained in Holy Writ, we shall give, in the from of an Appendix, a synthetic summary of the spirituality of the Synoptics, St. Paul and St. John. 2 DENZINGER, Enchiridion, 471-478; CATH.' ENCYCL. , 5e^wz««j. 3DENZINGER, Enchiridion, 1221-1288, 1327-1349; CATH. ENCYCL., Molinos and Qfnestism, ' ; • . - ' 10 INTRODUCTION. 19* Tb) On the other hand, a common doctrine has gra- dually evolved from all those major questions that make up the living commentary of biblical teaching. This doctrine is found in the Fathers, the theologians and spiritual writers. In reading them we are impressed with their agreement on all vital points that have reference to the nature of perfection, the necessary means of arriving thereat, and the principal stages to be followed. Doubtless, there remain a few controverted points, but these concern secon-' dary questions. Their very discussion simply brings into relief the moral unanimity that exists with regard to the rest. The .tacit approval which the Church gives to this common teaching is for us a safe guarantee of truth. 20. B) The practical teaching is to be found chiefly in the processes of the canonization of Saints, who have taught and practised the whole of these spiritual doctrines. We are all acquainted with the meticulous care exercised both in the revision of their writings and in the scrutiny of their virtues. It is easy to find out from the study of these documents just what principles of spirituality are the expression of the Church's mind with regard to the nature and the means of perfection. - This can be clearly seen by perusing the learned work of Benedict XIV entitled : De Servormn Dei Beatificatione et Canonizatione, or some of the processes of Canonization, or even by reading biographies of the Saints, written according to the rules of sound criticism. III. REASON ENLIGHTENED BY FAITH AND EXPERIENCE / 21. Human reason is a gift of God absolutely indispen- sable to man. for the attainment of truth, whether natural or supernatural. It plays a very important role in the study • of spirituality, just as it does in the study of the other ecclesiastical .sciences. When it is question, however, of revealed truth, it needs to be guided and complemented by the light of faith; and in the application of general principles to souls, it must look for help to psychological experience. 22. . i° Its first task is that of gathering, interpreting and setting in order the teachings of Scripture and Tra- dition. These are scattered through many books and need to be put together if they are to form one consistent whole. INTRODUCTION. 11 Besides, the sacred utterances were pronounced, under diverse circumstances, elicited by particular questions, spo- ken to different hearers. - In the same way, circumstances of "time and place are often responsible for the texts of Tradition. • a) Therefore in order to grasp their meaning, we must needs place them in their proper setting, harmonize them with analogous teachings, and lastly, arrange them and interpret them in the light of the sum-total of Christian truths. ••'.'. "" b) Once this first work is done, we may draw conclusions from these principles, show their legitimacy and their manifold applications to the thousand and one details of human life in its most varied situations. e) Lastly, these principles and conclusions will be coordi- nated into one vast synthesis and thus will constitute a real science. d) It is likewise the work of reason to defend ascetical doctrine against its detractors. Many attack it in the name of reason and science, seeing nothing but illusion in what embodies, sublime reality. It is in the province of reason to make answer to such criticisms with the aid of phi- losophy and science. 23. 2° Spirituality is a science that is -lived. It is important therefore to show historically how it has been car- ried out in practice. This requires the reading of the biog- raphies of the Saints both ancient and .modern, who lived in diverse, countries and under different conditions. Thus we make sure of the way in which ascetical rules were inter- preted when adapted to different epochs and peoples and to. peculiar duties of state. More, since the members of; sthe Church are not all holy, we must be thoroughly acquainted with the .obstacles encountered in the practice of perfection and with the- means employed to surmount them. Psychological studies then are paramount, and to reading must, be joined observation. 24. 3° It is further the task of reason enlightened by faith to apply principles and general rules to each person in particular. In this, account must be taken of the indi- vidual's temperament, character, sex and age, social standing, duties of state, as well as of the supernatural attractions of grace. One must also be mindful of the rules governing the discernment of spirits. 12 INTRODUCTION. In • Qrder to fulfil this threefold role, it is not only neces- sary to possess a keen mind, but also a sound judgment and great tact and discernment. One must add to this the study of practical psychology, the study of tempera- ments, of nervous -ailments and morbid conditions, which exert such a great influence over mind , and will. Then, since it is question of a supernatural science, one must not forget that the light of faith plays a predominant part, and that it is the gifts of the Holy Ghost that bring this science to its supreme perfection. This is true in particular of the gift of "knowledge which makes us. rise even up to God ; of the gift of understanding which gives us a deeper insight into the truths of faith; of the gift of wisdom which enables us to discern and relish these truths ; of the gift of counsel that ^gives us skill to apply them to each individual case. Thus it is that the Saints, who allowed themselves to be led by the Spirit of God, are the best fitted to understand and the best to apply the principles of the spiritual life. They have a sort of instinct for divine things, a kind of second nature, that enables them to grasp them more readily and to relish them more. "Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to little ones."1 § III. The Method to be followed2 What method must be followed in order to make the best possible use of the sources we have just described? Ought we to employ the experimental, also called the descriptive method? the deductive one? or the combination of both? What attitude should we adopt in the employment of these methods? What aim should control their use? 25. I ° The experimental method, also called descriptive and psychological, consists in the observation of ascetical or mystical phenomena in oneself or in others, and in clas- sifying these, in order to glean from them the characte- ristic marks peculiar to each state, as well as the virtues and dispositions proper to them. This, without taking into account the nature or cause of these facts, without any further inquiry as to whether they have their origin in vir- tues, or proceed from the gifts of-the Holy Ghost or from 1 Mattfi., XI, 25. 8 R. GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE, 0. P., La Vie spirituelle, 10 Oct. 1919, p. u. INTRODUCTION 13 miraculous - graces. This method, on its positive side, has many advantages, since facts must be well ascertained before we proceed to explain their nature arid their cause. 26. a) But if this method were employed to the exclu- sion of the others, Ascetical Theology could not be made into a real science. This method does furnish .the bases for a science, that is, facts and conclusions from these facts; it can even establish which are the practical means that ordi- narily succeed the best. Yet, as long as one does not go on to the intimate nature and to the cause itself of these facts, one is dealing with psychology rather than with theology. Again, if one simply describes in detail the means of practising such or such a virtue, one does not sufficiently disclose the principle that motivates that virtue. b) One would thus be exposed to form ill-founded opi- nions. For instance, if in studying contemplation, one does not make a distinction between what is miraculous, like ecstasy or levitatipn, and that which constitutes the essential element of contemplation, to wit, a prolonged and loving regard of God under the influence of a special grace, then one can easily reach the conclusion that all contemplation is miraculous. This, however, is opposed to the common doctrine, , e) Many a controversy over the mystic states would amount to little, if to the descriptions of these states were joined the distinctions and accuracy, which the study of - theology supplies. Thus a distinction between acquired and infused contemplation enables us to understand better some very real states of soul and to narmonize some opi- nions which at first sight appear to contradict One another. Again, there are numerous degrees in passive contemplation; some may be accounted for by the habitual use of the gifts of the Holy Ghost ; in other cases, God intervenes in order to provoke ideas and to aid us in drawing to the most strik- ing conclusions. Finally there are some that can be hardly explained by anything save infused knowledge. All thesis distinctions are the result of long and patient research in the fields of speculation and practice. In abiding by them we shall reduce to a minimum the differences that divide the various schools. . 27. 2° The doctrinal or deductive method consists in studying the teaching of Holy Scripture, Tradition, and theology (especially the Summa of St. Thomas) concerning 14 INTRODUCTION the spiritual life, and in drawing conclusions about its- nature and perfection, about the obligation we have of making it the aim of our efforts, and about the means to be employed. In this method not enough stress is placed on psychological phenomena, on the temperament and character of individuals, on their special attractions, on the effects produced on individuals by certain particular means; nor is there a detailed study made of the mystic phenomena experienced and described by such persons as St. Theresa, St John of the 'Cross, St. Francis de Sales, etc. As we are liable to err in drawing conclusions, especially if ^we multiply them, it is simply wisdom to control our conclusions by facts. If, for instance, we discover that infused contemplation is rather rare, we shall then lay a few restrictions round the thesis sustained by some schools, namely, that all souls are called to the highest degrees of contemplation.1 28. 3° Combination of both methods. > A) Evidently, one must know how to harmonize both methods. This is in fact what most authors do, with this difference, that some lay more stress on facts, others on principles.'2 We shall try to keep the golden mean without, however, making bold of success, a) The principles of mystical theology, drawn by the great masters from revealed truths, will help us to a better observation of the facts, to analyze the facts more thoroughly, to arrange them more systemat- ically, and to interpret them more wisely. We must not forget the fact that, at least very often, the mystics describe their impressions without meaning to explain their nature. The principles spoken of will aid us also in seeking the cause of the facts, by taking' into account truths already known, and to; coordinate them into a real science. ;'•:';; .'.'--'.-•-• ' - \ b) The study of the facts, ascetical and mystical, will in turn correct whatever is too rigid . arid, too absolute in purely dialectic conclusions. The truth is that there can be '.We rejoice therefore that t\vo Reviews of different tendencies, La Vie Spiri- tuelle and la Revue d'Ascttique et de Mystique have entered .upon the course pf making most careful and precise distinctions with regard to the call to contempla- tion : the general and individual call, the proximate and remote, the efficacious and sufficient. By narrowing down the sense of these wofds and studying the faqts, the different schools come to understand one another better./ ..-.'_* "Thus Th. de Vall%ornera gives more prominence to the deductive method 'while P. Poulain, in the Gnices d'oraiton, emphasizes the descriptive^ method. :.;;-,•.•.: INTRODUCTION 15 no absolute opposition between the principles and the facts. Hence, if experience shows us that the number of mystics- is quite limited, we cannot hasten to the 'conclusion that this is due solely to resistance to grace. x It is also well to keep in mind that in the-process of canonization the Church ascertains genuine sanctity rather from 'the practice of heroic virtue than from the kind of contemplation. This goes to show that the degree of sanctity is not always and necessarily in proportion to the kind and degree of mental prayer. 29. B) How can these two methods be combined?, a) It is necessary first of all to study the deposit of revelation ,as presented to us by Scripture and Tradition, including, of course, in the latter the ordinary teaching of the Church. From this deposit of truth we must determine by the deductive method what is Christian perfection and Christian life, what are its different degrees, what are the stages usually followed in order to reach contemplation, passing through mortification and the practice of the moral and theological virtues. Finally, from it we must also determine in what this contemplation consists, considering it either in its essential elements or in the extraordinary phenomena that at times accompany it. 30. b) This doctrinal study must be accompanied by methodical observation : i) Souls must be examined with care; their qualities "and their faults, their peculiar traits,.' their likes and dislikes, the movements of nature and of grace that take place within them. This phychological data will allow us to know better the means of perfection that are' best suited to them; the virtues they stand in greatest need of and towards which they are drawn by grace ; their cor- respondence with grace; the obstacles they encounter and the means most apt to insure success. 2) To widen the field of experience we must read attentively the lives of the Saints^ especially those that, without hiding their defects, describe their tactics in combatting them, the means they availed themselves of to practise virtue, and lastly, how they rose from the ascetical to the mystical life, and under what influences. 3) It is also in the life of the contemplatives that we must study the different phenomena of contemplation, from its first faint glimmers to its full splendour. In them 1 The full meaning of these remarks will.be better understood when we come to the study of the contemporary discussions on contemplation. 16 INTRODUCTION we must study the^ effects of sanctity these graces work,- the. trials they had to undergo, the virtues they practised. All this, will complete and, at times, correct the theoretical knowledge we may already possess. < 31. e) With clear theological principles, with well-stud- ied ..and well-classified mystic phenomena, we can rise more easily to the nature of contemplation, its causes, its species, and distinguish what is normal from what is extra- ordinary in it. i) We shall investigate how far the gifts of the Holy Ghost are formal principles of contemplation, and in what manner they must be cultivated so as to enter into the interior dispositions favorable to mystic life. 2) We shall examine whether the duly verified phenomena can "all be accounted for by the gifts of the Holy Ghost, whether some of them postulate infused' 'species, and how these work in the soul. Again we may have to inquire further and see whether love alone produces these states of soul without any added knowledge. 3) Then we shall be able to see better the nature of the passive state, in what it consists, to what extent the soul' remains active, and what part is of God and what of the soul in infused contempla- tion. We shall be able to determine what is ordinary in this state and what is extraordinary and preternatural. Thus we shall be in a better position to study the problem of vocation to the mystical state and of the number of reaj comtemplatives. Proceeding in this manner, we shall have a better hope of arriving- at the truth, and at real practical conclusions for the .direction of souls. Such a study will -prove as attrac- tive as it is sanctifying. -. 32. 4° What must be our attitude in following this method? Whatever the method employed, it is essential that we study these difficult problems with calmness, aiming at knowing the truth, not at making capital at all costs in behalf of a pet system. a) Hence it is fundamental to seek out and place to the fore whatever is certain or commonly admitted, and to rele- gate to a second place whatever is disputed. The direction souls must be given does not depend on controverted questions, but on commonly accepted doctrine. All schools are unan- imous. in recognizing that chanty and renouncement, Jove and sacrifice are indispensable to all souls and in all the ways of perfection, and that the harmonious combination of INTRODUCTION 17 this twofold element depends largely upon the character of the person directed. It is admitted on all hands that no one can afford at any time to put out of his life the spirit of penance, even though it may take different forms according to the different degrees of perfection. In the same manner, it is agreed that, in order to arrive at the unitive way, one must exercise oneself more and more perfectly in the prac- tice of both the moral and the theological virtues ; that the gifts of the Holy Ghost, cultivated with care, endow the soul with' a certain docility that renders it more submissive to the inspirations of grace, and, should God call it thither, prepares it for contemplation. No one questions the important fact that infused contemplation is essentially a free gift of God ; that God bestows it upon whom He wills, •and when He wills; that consequently it is not in anyone's power to place himself within the passive state, and that the indications of a proximate call to such a state are the ones described by St. John of the Cross. Likewise, all agree that once souls have reached contemplation, they .must advance in perfect conformity with God's will, in a holy abandon and above all in humility. 33. b) It is our opinion that if we approach these prob- lems in a conciliatory -manner, looking lor what tends to harmonise, rather than for what would emphasize differences, we shall eventually not indeed eliminate these controversies, but shall certainly mitigate them and come to recognize. the souL.oL-truth...,c.ontained ,'.jn.,. every system. -- This is the most we can do here and now. .For the solution of certain difficult problems we must patiently await the light of the Beatific Vision. . § IV. Excellence and Necessity of Ascetic Theology . The little we have said on the nature, sources, and method of Ascetical Theology will enable us now to survey briefly its excellence and its necessity. I. EXCELLENCE OF ASCETICAL THEOLOGY 34. Its excellence comes from its object, which is one of the most exalted man can possibly study. It is in fact NO 680. -3 18 / INTRODUCTION the divine life present and constantly" fostered in the soul, of man. If we analyse this notion we shall readily note how worthy of our attention this branch of theology is. * i° First of all, we make a study of God in His most intimate relations with the soul. That is, we consider the Most Blessed Trinity dwelling and living in us, giving us a share in the divine life, collaborating in our good works and thus ever aiding us to develop that life; we see the same Triune God helping us to purify and beau,tify our soul by the practice of virtue, transforming it till it be ripe for the beatific vision. Can we imagine a like grandeur? We cannot think of anything more sublime than this trans- formation God works in souls in order to unite them to Himself and assimilate them perfectly. 2° We next study the soul itself cooperating ivith God. We see it weaning itself little by little from its faults and imperfections, nursing Christian virtues, making efforts to imitate the virtues of its Divine Model in spite of the ob- stacles it finds both within and without, fostering the gifts of the Holy Ghost, developing a marvellous responsiveness to the least touch of grace, and becoming each day more and more like its Father in Heaven. To-day, when life •and the questions related thereto are considered the ones most worthy of our attention, we cannot overestimate the import of a science that treats of a supernatural life, of a participation in God's own life, that tells us its origin, its growth and its full development in eternity, ts it not the most noble object of study? II. NECESSITY OF ASCETICAL THEOLOGY To be the more precise in such a delicate matter, we shall explain : 1° Its necessity for the priest; 2° fa usefulness for the faithful; 3° the practical way of studying it. / - . . i° Its necessity for the Priest. 35. The priest is bound to sanctify himself and his brethren, and from this twofold point of view, he is obliged to study the science of the Saints. 1 « The value of the science of Ascetic Theology is so obvious from its very defini- .tion that it need not be dwelt upon at any great length. The higher Christian life is the noblest arid greatest thing in the world. Its principles and its laws are of more importance to the Christian than all other philosophies and legislations, its methods more important to know than those by which fame is won and wealth accumulated. 1> HOGAN, Clerical Studies, p. 265. INTRODUCTION . 19 A) We shall demonstrate with St. Thomas, later on, that the priest is not only obliged to strive after perfection, but that he must possess perfection in a higher degree even than the simple religious. Now, a knowledge of what the Chris- tian life is and of the means of perfecting it is normally ' necessary to reach perfection, for nil volitum quin praeco- gnitum, \ a) Knowledge fires and stimulates desire. To know what sanctity is, its sublimity, its moral obligation, its wonderful effects on the soul, its fruitfulness, to know all this, we say, is to desire sanctity. ' One cannot for any length of time behold a luscious fruit without conceiving the thought of tasting it. Desire, espe- cially, when vivid and sustained already constitutes an inci- pient act. It sets the will into motion and urges it on to the possession of the good the . mind has apprehended. It gives •-. it impulse .atid energy to obtain it; it sustains the effort required to seize upon it. This is all the more necessary when one considers how many are the obstacles, that work counter to our spiritual advance, b). To know in. detail the various steps in the way to perfection, and to see. the sustained efforts made by the Saints to triumph over difficulties and to advance steadily towards the desired goal, will stir up our courage, sustain our enthusiasm in the midst of the struggle and prevent us - from becoming lax or tepid, especially if we recall the helps and consolations which God has prepared for souls of goodwill., e) This study is of capital importance and. all the more in our day : we actually live -in an atmosphere of dissipation, of rationalism, of naturalism and sensualism. It envelopes even unawares a multitude of Christian souls, and finds its way into the sanctuary itself. It is idle to repeat, that the very best way to react against these fatal tendencies of our time is to live in close contact with Our Lord by a systematic study of the principles of the spiritual life — principles that are in direct opposition to the threefold concupiscence, • 36. B) For the sanctification of the souls entrusted to their care, a) Even in the case of sinners, the priest must know /V • Ascetical Theology to teach them how to avoid the occa- sions . of sin, how to struggle against their passions, resist 20 " INTRODUCTION temptations and practise the virtues opposed to the vices they must avoid. No doubt Moral Theology suggests these things, but Ascetical Theology coordinates and develops them. b) Besides, in almost every parish one finds chosen souls whom God calls to perfection. If they are well directed, they will by their prayers, their example, and the thousand means at their disposal, be a real help to the priest in his ministry. At all events a priest can train up such by choosing carefully from among the children attending Sunday school or sodalities. In order to succeed in this important task, the priest must of necessity be a good guide of souls. He must know thoroughly the rules given by the saints, which are contained in spiritual books. Without this, he will have neither the taste nor the ability required 'for this difficult art of guiding souls. 37. e) One more reason for the study of the ways of per- fection lies in the guidance to be given fervent souls. These one meets with, at times, even in the most secluded country districts. In order to lead these souls to the prayer of sim- plicity and to ordinary contemplation one must, not to blunder and actually place obstacles in their way, know not only Ascetical but also Mystical Theology. On this point St. Theresa remarks : " For this, a spiritual director is very much needed — but he must be experienced... My opinion is, and will always be, that as long as it is possible, every Christian must consult learned men — the more learned the better. Those that \vallt in the ways of prayer have more need of such than the rest; and the more so, the more spiritual they are... I am thoroughly persuaded 'of this, that the devil will not seduce with his wiles the man of prayer who takes counsel with theologians, unless he wishes to deceive himself. According to my opinion, the devil is in mortal fear of a science that is both humble and virtuous; he knows full well that it will tear his mask and rout him. " * St. John of the Cross speaks in the same way : " Such masters of the spiritual life (who know not the mystic ways) fail to understand the souls engaged in this quiet and solitary contemplation... they make them take up again the ordi- nary ways of meditation, to exercise the memory, to perform interior acts in which, such souls meet with nothing but dryness and distraction... Let this be well understood : i Life by Herself, ch. 13. The whole passage to be read with others scattered through the works of the Saint. •INTRODUCTION '21 Whoever errs through ignorance, when his ministry imposes on him the duty of acquiring knowledge that is indispen- sable, shall not escape punishment in proportion to the resultant evil. " J Let no one say to himself: If I encounter such souls, I will abandon them to the guidance of the Holy Ghpst. — The Holy Ghost will make answer that He has entrusted them to your care, and that you must cooperate with Him in guiding them. Without doubt, He can Himself guide them, but to preclude any fear of illusion, He wills that such inspirations be submitted to the approbation of a human counsellor. / 2° Its usefulness for the Laity. 38. We say usefulness and not necessity, since lay .folk can well entrust themselves to the guidance of a learned and experienced director and are not therefore absolutely bound to the study of Ascetical Theology. • ~ Nevertheless the study of Ascetical Theology will be most useful to them for three good reasons: — a) In order to stimulate and sustain the desire of perfection as well as to give a definitive knowledge of the Christian life and of the means which enable us to perfect it. No one desires what one does not know, ignoti nulla cupido, whereas reading spiritual books creates or increases the sincere desire to put into practice what has been read. Many souls, as is well known, are ardently carried on to perfection by reading The Following of Christ, the 'Spiritual Combat, The Introduction to a Devout Life or the Treatise on the Love of God. b) Even when one has a spiritual guide, the reading of a good Ascetical Theology facilitates and completes spiritual direction. One knows better what must be told in confes- sion, what in direction. It makes one understand and retain better the advice of one's spiritual adviser because it may-be found again in a work to which one can return arid reread. It, in turn, relieves the. spiritual director from entering into endless details.' After giving some solid advice he can have the penitent himself read some treatise where he will find supplementary information. Thus he can shorten^ his direction without causing any' loss' to his penitent. La vive flamme d'etmoztr, strophe 111,'v. 3, § n, p. 3087311. 22 ' INTRODUCTION e) Finally, if a spiritual guide cannot be had or if spiri- tual advice can be had but at rare intervals, a treatise on the spiritual life will, in a way, take the place of spiritual direction. There is no doubt, as we shall repeat later on, that spiritual direction constitutes the normal means in the training to perfection. But if for some reason or other one is" unable to find a good adviser, God provides for the lack;" and one of the means He uses is precisely some such book as points out in a definite and systematic manner the way to perfection. 3° The Way to study this Science. 39. Three things are needed to acquire the knowledge necessary for the direction of souls : a Manual, reading the great masters ', and practice. ....... (A) The Study of a Manual. The seminarian is indeed helped in acquainting himself with this difficult "art by the spiritual conferences he listens to, the -practice ,0f spiritual direction, and above all by the gradual acquisition of virtue. To this, however, the study of a good Manual must be added. . • -' i) The spiritual conferences are chiefly 'an. "exercise'', of piety, a series of instructions, of advice and exhortation concerning the spiritual life. Rarely, however, dp .they treat all the questions concerning the spiritual life in a methodical and complete fashion. 2) At all events, sem- inarians will soon forget what they heard and will lack competent knowledge, unless they have a Manual to which they can relate the varied advice given them arid which they can reread from time to time. Rightly did Pius X say that one of the sciences young clerics should acquire at the Seminary is : " The science of Christian piety and practice \ called ascetical theology. " * 40. (B) A deep study of the Spiritual Masters, par- 1 Motu proprio, 9 Sept. 1910, A. A. S., II, p. 668 — Pope BENEDICT XV has ordered that a chair of Ascetical Theology be established at the two great theolog- ical Schools of Rome. In the meeting of the Seminary Department of the Educational Association at Cincinnati in 1908 the late Bishop Maes of Coyington complained that our young men do not seem to be acquainted with the spiritual life and added : " If I were to put my finger on the great defect in the training of many Seminaries, I would point to the absence of a course of Ascetic Theology. " In the meeting of the same Seminary Department at Milwaukee in 1924, the following resolution was passed : " That ascetical theology should be systematically studied with a suitable text, and that the curriculum should be so ordered as to provide for such courses. " INTRODUCTION ticularly those who have been canonized 'or those, who although not canonized, have lived saintly lives. ; a) As a matter of fact, it is by coming into contact with these that the heart glows, that the mind, enlightened by faith, sees more clearly arid relishes better the. great prin- ciples of the spiritual life. It is at their touch that the will, sustained by grace, is drawn to the practice of the virtues so vividly described by those who have lived them in the highest degree. By the perusal of the lives of the Saints one will understand even better why .and how one must imitate them. The irresistible influence of their examples will add new strengh to their teaching : " Verba movent, exempla trahunt." (b) This study, begun at the Seminary, ought to be continued and perfected in the ministry. ' The direction of souls will render it more practical. Just as a good phy- sician is never through advancing in knowledge by prac- tice and study, just so a good spiritual adviser will com- plement theory by actual contact with souls and by further studies, according to the needs of the souls entrusted to his care. • 41. e) The practice of Christian and Priestly virtues, under the care of a wise director ; To understand well the various stages of perfection, the best means is to go through them oneself, just as the best mountain-guide is the one" th'at is familiar on first-hand information with the trails. Once one has been wisely guided, one is more competent to direct Bothers for the simple reason that it is experience itself that shows us how to apply the rules to particular cases. •. If these three elements are combined the study of Asce- tical Theology will prove most fruitful both to self and to others. . 42. Solution of some difficulties. A) A reproach often directed against Asceticism is that it produces a false conscience, by going so far beyond Moral Theology in its exactions, and by demanding of souls a perfection that is well-nigh beyond realization. This reproach would be indeed well grounded if Asceticism >w©u Id not make a distinc- tion between commandment and counsel', .between souls, called to high perfection and those not so called. This -is not so, for while it does urge chosen souls toward heights that are out of the reach of ordinary Christians, it does not lose sight of the difference between command- ment and counsel, between the conditions that are essential for salva- tion and those that are necessary to perfection. It keeps in view on the other hand, that the observance of certain counsels is indispen- sable to the keeping of the commandments. 24 INTRODUCTION 43. B) Asceticism in also attacked, on the ground that it fosters egotism since it puts personal sanctification above all else. But Our Lord Himself teaches us that our chief concern must be the salvation our souls : '•''For what doth it pro fit- a man, if he gain the whole "world and suffer the loss of his own soul?"1 In this there is not the least egotism, for one of the essentials for salvation islove of one's neighbor. This love is manifested by works both corporal and spiritual, and perfection precisely demands that we love our neighbor to the point of sacrifice as Christ loved us. Should this be egotism, we must acknow- legde that we have little to fear from it. We have only, to read the lives of the Saints to see that they were the most unselfish and the most charitable of men. ••.•".".' C) The further objection is m.ade that -Asceticism, by impelling souls towards contemplation, turns them from a life of action. To state that contemplation is detrimental to an active life is to pass over historical facts. " Real mystics, " says M. de Montmorand, ' an unbeliever, "are practical men of action .not given to mere thought and. theory; They possess the gift and the knack of organization as well as talent for administration showing themselves well equipped for the handling of affairs. The works instituted by them .are both feasible and lasting. In the conception and conduct of their undertakings they have given proof of prudence and enterprise. and full evidence of that exact appre- ciation of possibilities which characterizes common sense.- In fact, good sense seemed to be their outstanding quality, — good sense undisturbed either by an unwholesome exaltation, or a disordered imagination, but rather, -possessed of an uncommon and powerful keenness of judgment. " . Have we not seen in Church History that most of those Saints who have written on the spiritual life were at the same time men both of learning and action? Consider Clement of Alexandria, St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, St. Gregory, St. Anselm, St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure, Gerson, St. Theresa, St. Francis de Sales, St. Vincent de Paul, Cardinal de Berulle, M. Aca- rie, and numberless others. Contemplation far from hampering action, enlightens and directs it. - There is therefore nothing worthier, or more important, or more useful than Ascetical Theology rightly understood. § V. Division of Mystical and Ascetical Theology ' . I. THE VARIOUS PLANS FOLLOWED BY AUTHORS We shall first enumerate the various plans generally fol- lowed and then present ^he one which seems best suited to our purpose. Different points of view may be taken when making a logical division of the science of spirituality. i° Some look at it chiefly as a practical science. They leave aside all the speculative truths that form, its > Matih., XVI, 26. ' - . 3 M. jJE MONTMORAND, Psychologie des Mystiques, 192®, p. se-ai. ' INTRODUCTION 25 basis and limit themselves to coordinate as methodically as possible the rules of Christian perfection. So did Cassian in his Conferences, and St. John Climacus, in the Mystic Ladder. Rodriguez in modern times did the same in his ; Practice of Christian Perfection. The advantage this plan offers is it take's up at once the study of the practical means that lead to perfection. Its drawback is to leave out the 'incentives given by the consideration of what God ano! Jesus Christ have done and still do for us, and not to base the practice of virtue upon those deep and allrembracing convictions that are formed, by reflecting on the truths of dogma. 45. 2° Likewise the most illustrious among the Fathers^ both Greek and» Latin, to wit, St. Athanasius and St. Cyril, St.-Augustine and St. Hilary have taken care to base their teachings regarding the spiritual life upon the truths of faith and to build on them the virtues, the nature and degrees of which they explained. The same is true of the great theologians of the Middle Ages, Richard of St. Victor, Blessed Albert the Great, St. Thomas and St. Bonaven- ture. This is exactly what was done by the French School of the XVII century, through such men as Be"rulle, Condren,_01ier, St. J. Eudes. * Its great merit lies in the fact that it makes for the enlightenment of the mind and the strengthening of convictions so as to render more easy to men the practice of those austere virtues it proposes, It is accused. at times of being given too much to specu- lation while touching little on practice. To unite; these two plans would be the ideal. Several have attempted it and with success. 2 ' s .• ' ' - - 46. 3° Of those who strive to combine these two essential elements, some adopt the ontological order treating successively of .the various virtues; others follow the psychological order of • development of the said- virtues throughout the .course of the purgative^ illuminative and unitive ways. ' ' A) Among the former we find St. Thomas. In the Summa he. treats successively of the theological and moral virtues, and of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which correspond to each virtue. .He has been -followed by the principal \ BREMOND, Hist. Hit. du sentiment religieux, III, L'Ecole frarujaise, 1921. -been very well done, among others, by St. Jean Eudes in his writings; \ T , . IT A RONS0^ in particular Examens, in which making use of the works of J • J. OLIER, he has aptly condensed the asceticism of the latter. 26 INTRODUCTION authors belonging to French School of the XVII century and by other writers. * B) Among the latter are all those whose principal aim was to form directors of souls. They describe the progress of the soul through the three ways; at the head of their treatises they simply give a short introduction on the nature of, the spiritual life. Such are Thomas of Vallgornera, O. P., Mystica Theologia Divi Thomae, Philip of the Blessed -Trinity, O. C. D., Summa theologiae mysticde, Schram, O. S. B., Institutions theologiae mysticae, Scaramelli, S. J., Direttorio Ascetico, and today, A. Saudreau, The Degrees of the Spiritual Life, Fr. Aurelianus a SS. Sacramento, 0. C. D., Cursus Asceticus. 47. 4° Others, like Alvarez de Paz,S. J.'and P. Le Gau- dier, S. J., have combined both methods : they treat at length, from the point of view of dogma, whatever apper- tains to the nature of the spiritual life and the chief means' of perfection ; then they make application of these general principles to the three ways. It seems to us that to attain the end we have in view, that is, to form spiri- tual directors, the last is the best plan to follow. No doubt, with such a scheme, one is. bound to repeat and to parcel out, yet any division of the subject would necessarily offer like inconveniences. For these one can make up by proper references* to subjects already dealt with or to be unfolded later on. II. OUR PLAN.. 48. We divide our Treatise of Ascetic Theology into two parts. The first is above all doctrinal. We entitle it Principles, In it we explain the origin and nature of the Christian life and its perfection, the obligation of striving after it and the general means of attaining it. We designate the second part as the Application of prin- ciples to the different categories of souls. In it we follow the gradual rise of the soul that, desirous of perfection, goes successively through three ways, purgative, illuminative, and unitive. . Although resting on dogma this latter part is chiefly psychological. The first part is designed to throw light on our path by showing us the divine plan of sanctification. It should : J In our day by MGR.GAY, De la vie et des vertus chrttiennes; CH. DE SMET.S. J. , Notre vie surnaturelle. INTRODUCTION 27 inspire us with courage m our efforts, for it remind^ us of God's generosity toward us. It traces for us as in a fore- ground the great lines we are to follow in order to corres- pond to this bounty of God Almighty by the complete giving of self. The second part is meant to guide us in the detailed exposition of these successive stages, .which, God helping, must be traversed, to reach the .goal. This plan, we hope, will unite the advantages of the various other divisions. FIRST PART PURPOSE AND DIVISION OF THE FIRST PART. 49. The aim of this first part is to call briefly to mind .the principal dogmas upon which our spiritual life rests, to show the nature and perfection of this life, and the general means by which perfection is reached. Here we follow the ontological order, assigning to the second part the task of describing the psychological order normally followed by souls in the use they make of the various means of perfection. C. I. Origin of the • supernatural life: the raising of man to the supernatural state, his fall, and* redemption. C. II. Nature of- the Christian life: God's part and the soul's part. C. III. Perfection .of this life : the love of God and of the neighbor carried to -the point of sacrifice. C. IV. Obligation for laymen, religious and priests to - strive after this perfection. C. V. General means, interior and exterior, of attain- ing perfection. o I-H C/J 50. The reason for such a division is easily perceived. The first chapter, by taking us back to the source, itself of the supernatural life, helps us to a better grasp of its nature and its excellence. - The second chapter reveals the nature of the Christian life in regenerated man ; the part God takes therein by giving Himself to us through His Son ; and by assisting us through the agency of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints. It likewise explains the rdle man plays in giving himself to God by a constant and generous cooperation with grace. The third chapter shows that perfection in this life essen- tially consists in the love "of God and of one's neighbor for God's sake. It shows further, however, that this love here on earth cannot be exercised without generous sacrifices. CHAPTER I. — ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. 29 In the fourth^ the obligation of tending to "perfection is determined and the extent to which the faithful, religious, and priests are respectively bound. A fifth chapter is devoted to specifying the general means that help us to advance in perfection, means com- mon indeed to allf yet susceptible of degrees. These degrees will be treated in the second part when speaking of the three ways. - CHAPTER I. 1 . - Origin of the spiritual life -'* . - 51. This chapter is intended to give us a better know- ledge of the excellence of the supernatural life in as much as it is a free gift; and of the nobility as well as the weakness of man, upon whom it has been bestowed. To 'help us understand it better we shall see : I. What the -natural life of man is. II. Man's elevation to the supernatural state. III. His fall. - IV. His restoration by a Divine Redeemer. • ART. I. THE NATURAL LIFE OF MAN 52. Here we must describe man's condition as it would have been in the purely natural state, such as it is described by Philosophers. It is important to recall to mind, though briefly, what right reason teaches us on tfiis point, because our spiritual life, while preserving and perfecting our natural life, is grafted on.it. J 53. i° Man is a mysterious compound of hody and soul. In him spirit and ^matter closely unite to form but one nature and one person. Man is, so to speak, the nexus, the point of contact between spiritual and bodily substances — -• an abstract of all the marvels of creation. He is a little world gathering in itself all other worlds, a microcosm, show- " ing forth the wisdom of God who united in this fashion two ' things so far apart. " This little world is full of life : according to St. Gregory, one finds there three sorts of life, vegetative, animal and 1 Besides Philosophical Treatises, cf. CH. DE SMEDT, Notre. Vie surnaturelle, * Introduction p. 1-37; J. SCHRYVERS, Les Princifes de la Vie spirituelle, p. 3I. .... • 30 -.'....- CHAPTER 1. intellectual.'1 Like plants .man takes food, grows, and reproduces himself. Like animals, he is, aware of sensible objects, towards' which he is drawn by sensitive appetite, emotions and passions, and like animals he moves sponta- neously from within. Like angels, though in a different manner and in a lesser degree, he knows intellectually suprasensible being and truth, while his will is freely drawn towards rational good. 54. 2° These three kinds of life are not superimposed one on the other, but they blend and arrange themselves in due relation in order to converge towards the same end — the perfection of the whole man. It is both a rational and a biological law that in a composite being life cannot subsist and develop save on condition of harmonizing and bringing its various elements under the control of the highest of them. The former must be mastered before they can be made to minister. In man, then, the lower faculties, vegetative and sensitive, must needs be subject to reason and will. This condition is essential. Whenever it fails, life languishes or vanishes. Whenever this subordination ceases altogether, disintegration of the elements sets in ; this means decay of the system and, finally, death. 2 55. 3° Life is, therefore, a struggle. Our lower faculties tend lustily toward pleasure, whilst the higher ones are drawn towards moral good. Often conflict goes on between these ; what pleases us, is not always morally good, and, to'establish order, reason must fight hostile tendencies and actually con- quer. This is fas. fight of the spirit against the flesh, of the will against passion. This struggle is at times hard and painful. Just as in the springtime of y the year the sap rises up within plants, so at times violent impulses towards plea- sure rise in the sensitive part of our soul. 56. These impulses, nevertheless, are not irresistible. The will helped by the intellect exercises over these move- ments of passion a fourfold control, i) The power of foresight which consists in foreseeing and forestalling a great many dangerous fancies, impressions and emotions, by a constant and intelligent vigilance. 2) The power of inhibi- tion and moderation, by means of which we either check or at least allay the violent passions which arise in the soul. • ' He says (Homil. 29 in Evangeliaj : <( Homo habet vivere cum flantis, sentirt cum animantibus, intelligere cum angelis ». . 8 A. EYMIEU, Le Gouvernement de soi-mhne, t. Ill, La Lot de la Vie, book III, p. 128 .ORIGIN, OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. 31 Thus we are able to prevent our eyes from lighting upon dangerous objects, our imagination from dwelling upon unwholesome pictures ; should a fit of anger stir, we are able to stem it. 3) The power of stimulation, which through the will stirs and gives impetus to the movements of the passions. 4) The power of direction, which allows us to direct those movements towards good and thereby to divert them from evil. 57. Besides this inward strife, there may be other .con- flicts between the soul and its Maker. Although it is evident that our plain duty is that of entire submission to Our Sovereign Master, yet for this subjection we must pay the price. A lust for freedom and independence ever inclines us to swerve from Divine Authority. The cause lurks in our pride, which cannot be trampled upon, except by the humble admission of our unworthiness and our littleness in the face of those absolute rights the Creator has ii]3d'n a creature. Thus it is that even in this purely natural state we would still have a fight to wage against the threefold concupiscence. ' 58. 4° If far from yielding to these evil inclinations we had done our duty, we could have justly expected a reward. For our immortal soul, this reward would have consisted, first, in a deeper and a greater knowledge of God and of truth — a knowledge, of course, analytical and discursive; then, in a love, also purer and more enduring. If, on the contrary we would have voluntarily violated the law in grave matter and remained unrepentant, we should have failed of our end, meriting as punishment the privation of God a'nd such torments as would fit the gravity of our faults. This would have been our condition had we been consti- tuted in a merely natural state. This state has not, as a matter of fact, ever existed, for according to St. Thomas, man was raised to the supernatural state at the very moment of creation, or immediately after, as St. Bonaven- ture says. ' God in His infinite goodness, was not satisfied with con- ferring upon man natural gifts. He willed to elevate him to a higher state by granting him still .others of a preter- natural and supernatural character. '. , 32 CHAPTER I. ART. II. THE ELEVATION OF MAN TO THE SUPERNATURAL STATE * I. Notion of the Supernatural i_ 59. Let us call to mind that Theology distinguishes between what is absolutely and what is relatively super- natural. > i° An absolutely supernatural gift is one which in its very essence (quoad substantiam) transcends nature altogether, so that it cannot be due to nor be merited by any creature whatsoever. It surpasses therefore not only all the active powers of nature, but even all its rights, all its exigencies. Because it is given to a creature it is something finite; but 'since only what is divine can surpass the exigencies of all creation, it is also something divine. It is the commu-. nication of a divine thing, yet, it is shared in a finite way. We therefore keep clear of pantheism. Actually, there are only two instances of the <2&y0/#&-supernatural : the Incar- nation and Sanctifying Grace. A) In the first instance, God, in the person of the Word, united Himself to man in such wise that the human nature of Jesus belonged absolutely to the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. Thus Jesus is, on account of His human nature, true man, whilst as regards His person He is very God. This is a substantial \m\Qn.. It does not blend the two natures in one, but whilst preserving their integrity, unites them in one and the same person — that of the Eternal Word. It constitutes, then, a personal or hypostatic union. This is the absolute supernatural at its-'highest. i . • ' • - B) The other absolute supernatural — a lesser degree — is exemplified in sanctifying grace. Grace does not change the person of man. It does not make him God. It does indeed modify his nature and powers, but only accidentally. He becomes similar to God — God-like, divinae consors naturae, — capable of possess- ing God directly through the Beatific Vision, and of con- templating Him face to face even as He beholds Himself when grace will finally be transformed into glory. Evid- ently this privilege of knowing and loving God as the 1 St. THOMAS, I, q. 93-102; J. BAINVEL, S. J., Nature et wrnaturel; ABBfi DE BROGLIE, Confir. sur la vie surnaturelle, t. II, p. 3-80; L. LABAUCHE, God ana Man. vol. II, P. II, c. I-II; R. GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE, 0. P., ch. II, art. II. 'ORIGIN: OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. 33 Father, Son and Holy Ghost know and love one another surpasses all the exigencies of eyen the -most perfect creature, since it actuary makes us share in God's intellec- tual life and in His nature, 60. 2° What is called the relative supernatural, is in itself something that would not be beyond the capacity or the exigencies of all creatures, but. simply beyond the powers and actual needs of a certain particular nature, for example, infused knowledge, which is beyond the capacity of man but not of angels. If then it is granted to man, it , is supernatural relatively ', that is with regard to man, but not in itself, in its very substance, since it is natural to angels ;. hence it is called also preternatural. God gave man the supernatural in these two forms. In fact, He bestowed upon our first parents the gift of preter- natural integrity ) which, whilst- completing their nature, fitted it for grace itself. The sum total, of these two endowments constitutes what is called original justice. I ..'••;• \\.PreternaturalgiftsconferredonAdam . 61. The^z/7 of 'integrity perfect nature without raising it to the level of the divine. This is, indeed, a gratuitous gift, preternatural, ' above the wants and capacity of man, yet not absolutely supernatural. This gift comprises three great privileges, which without altering human nature in its essence, gave man a perfection to which he had no title. These are infused knowledge, control of the passions or the absence of concupiscence, and immortality of the body. 62. A) Infused science. Our nature does not require it, since it is the privilege of angels.. Man -left to his own resources can acquire knowledge only gradually and pain- fully and in subjection to certain psychological laws. In order to fit Adam for his role of first educator of the human race God granted him infused knowledge of all .the truths he needed to know, and a facility for the acquisition of experimental knowledge. In this Sense man approached- the likeness of angels. - 63. B) The control of the passions, that is, exemption from the sway of concupiscence which renders so difficult the practice of virtue. We' have already remarked that, owing to his very constitution, .there takes place in man a terrible struggle between the sincere desire for what is'good/ on one side, and a reckless lust for ^pleasure and sensible. 34 CHAPTER I. goods on the other, to say nothing of a marked proneness to pride. This is really what we call the threefold concu- piscence. To counteract this natural drawback God endo- wed our first parents with a certain control of the passions which, without rendering them impeccable, made easy for them the practise of virtue. That tyranny of concupiscence that so vigorously pushes on to evil did not exist in Adam ; there was simply a certain tendency toward pleasure but in due subordination to reason. Because his will was sub- ject to God, his lower faculties were in turn subservient to reason and his body to his soul. This was order — perfect rectitude. 64. C) The immortality of the body. By nature man is subject to sickness and to death. In order that his soul could attend unencumbered to higher duties, a special disposition of Providence preserved him from this double infirmity. These three privileges were designed to fit man better for the reception and the. use of a gift still more pre- cious, a gift absolutely supernatural — sanctifying grace. III. The supernatural privileges conferred on Adam 65. A) By nature man is the servant of God, His pro- perty. — In His infinite goodness God willed to incorpo- rate us into His family. He made man His heir-apparent when He reserved for him a place in His kingdom. For this bounty man will never be able to thank God ade- quately. In order that this adoption might not remain a mere for- mality, He gave him a share in His divine life. This communication of God's life to man is, indeed, a created quality but none the less real. It enables man here on earth to enjoy the light of faith (a light greater by far than that of reason), and in heaven, to possess God by the Bea- tific Vision and with a love corresponding to the clearness of that vision. 66. B) This was> habitual grace. It perfected and. deified, so to speak, the very substance of Adam's soul. To it were added the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost, which in turn deified his faculties. Lastly, actual grace came to set in motion all this supernatural organism enabling man to 'elicit supernatural acts, -^-God- like acts, meriting eternal life. This grace is in substance the same as is granted to us by justification. _We shall not explain it in detail now, ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE, 35 but later when in the second chapter we .speak of regenera- ted man. •. ; -',--' : ' •'- ~ : - All these prerogatives, 'with the exception of infused knowledge, were given to Adam, not as a personal gift, but as a family possession — a patrimony to be. handed down to his heirs should he abide faithful to God. ART. III. THE FALL AND ITS CONSEQUENCES1 I. The fall 67. In spite of these privileges man remained /h?^, and in order to merit heaven he was put to a test. This test consisted in the fulfilment of the divine law. It consisted in particular in the carrying out of a positive command added to the natural law. Genesis expresses it in the form of a prohibition which forbade eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Holy Writ narrates how the devil in the guise of a serpent came to tempt our first parents by raising a doubt in their minds as to 'the legit- imacy of this ban. He tried to persuade them that if they ate the forbidden fruit, far from dying, they. would become like gods, since' they would know for themselves what was good and what evil, without need of recourse to .the law of God: " You shall be as Goafs, knowing good and evil." z This was a temptation to pride, to revolt against God. Man fell and committed a formal act of disobedience, as St. Paul remarks, 3 but an act inspired by pride and soon followed by further delinquencies. It was a refusal to submit to God's authority, therefore, a grievous fault. The prohibit tion being an instrument to test the fidelity of the first man, this refusal amounted to a negation of God's wisdom and of His -sovereign dominion. The violation was all the more grave since our first parents had full knowledge of God's liberality towards them, of His inalienable rights, of the importance of a precept carrying such a sanction, and since they were in no wise swept away by passion, having had ample time to weigh the frightful consequences of their act. - 68. The question even suggests itself : how could they sin at all, since they were not under the sway of concupis- cence. This we understand if we recall that no creature 'St-TnoM., IIa II* q. 163-165; de Malo, q. 4; BAINVEL, Nature et Surnaturel, ch. VI- VII; A. DE BROGLIE, op. cit., p. 133-134; L. LABAUCHE, op. cit., Part. II, ch. i-V; AD. TANQUEREY, Syn. theol. dogm. t. II, n. 882-886 ed; 1926. 2 Gen., Ill, S. ' 86 CHAPTER I. having a will of its own is impeccable. Free-will gives it the power of turning away from real good towards what is but apparent good. It implies the power of holding to the latter, preferring it to the former. This very choice is what constitutes sin. As St. Thomas says, impeccability can only be found where free will identifies itself with the moral law. This is God's privilege. •II. The consequences of the fall 69. Punishment followed quickly for our first parents and for their posterity. ' - A) The personal sanction visited upon them is described in Genesis. Here again God's goodness is to the fore. He could have on the spot punished them with death. His mercy halted Him. He merely left them shorn of those special privileges with which He had vested them, that is, stripped of the gifts of integrity and of habitual grace. He did not touch their nature or the prerogatives flowing therefrom. Doubtless, man's will is weakened compared with the strength it possessed when integrity was his. However, there is no conclusive evidence that it is actually feebler than it would haye been in a purely natural state, at any rate it remains free in choosing, good or evil. God even condescended to leave our first parents in possession of faith and hope and gave their forlorn souls the hopeful assurance of a redeemer, — their own offspring, who would one day vanquish the devil and reinstate fallen humanity. By His actual grace, at the same time, He invited them to repentance, and as soon as they repented, He granted them pardon of their sin. . 70. B) But what will be the condition of their descen- dants? The 'answer is that mankind will be likewise deprived of original justice, that is to say, of sanctifying grace- and the gift of integrity. Those endowments, free gifts in every sense, a patrimony, so to speak, were to be handed to his heirs should Adam prove faithful. This condition unfulfilled, man comes into the world deprive'd of original justice. When through penance our first parents regained grace, it was no longer as a heritage for their posterity, but solely as a personal possession, a grant. to a private individual. To the new Adam, Christ Jesus, who would in time become the head of mankind, was reserved the expiation of our faults and the institution of a sacra- ment of regeneration to transmit to each of the baptized the grace forfeited in Paradise. ORIGIN OF THE: SPIRITUAL LIFE. 37 71. Thus it is that the children of Adam are born into this world, without original justice, that is, without sanctifying grace and the gift of integrity. The la'ck of this grace is called original sin, sin only in the broad sense of the term, for.it implies no guilty act on our part, but simply a fallen condition. It constitutes, considering the supernatural des- tiny to which we are called, a privation of a quality that should be ours, — a blemish, a moral taint that places us out of the pale of God's kingdom. 72. Moreover, on account of the forfeited gift of- integ- rity, concupiscence rages in us and unless courageously withstood, it drags us into actual sin. With regard, then, to ,our primeval state we are as it were withered and wounded, subject to ignorance, prone to evil/weak against temptation. .. Experience indeed shows that the force of concupiscence is not equally strong in all men. Each differs in tempera- ment and character and therefore passions also vary in ardor and violence. Once the controlling check of orig- inal justice was lifted, explains St. ^homas, the passions, regained full sway and prove more unruly in some, more subdued in others. 73. Must we go further and admit, with the Augusti- nian school, a positive, intrinsic, impairment of our natural energies and faculties? It is quite unnecessary.. There is nothing to prove it. Should we admit, though, with some of the Thomists an extrinsic impairment of our powers? It consists, they say,, in the fact that we have more obstacles to surmount, specially, the tyranny the devil wields over the vanquished, and the withdrawal of certain natural helps God would have granted us in a purely natural state. This is possible, nay/rather probable. .But, in justice, we must add, that such hindrances find compensation in actual grace given us by God in virtue of the merits of His Son, and also in the protection accorded to us by His angels, particularly, our guardian angels. ' 74. Conclusion. This much we can safely say : owing to the • Fall, man has lost the right balance he had as he came from the hands of God ; in comparison with his primer val state, he. is now injured, unbalanced, as the actual plight of his faculties plainly shows., A) This unbalanced condition becomes evident first of all with regard to our sensitive faculties, a) Our exterior 88 : CHAPTER I. senses^ our eyes, for instance, eagerly light on What our curiosity craveSj our ears are ever ready to catch every novelty, our flesh is alive to every sensation of pleasure, heedless the while of the moral law. b) The same is true of our interior senses. With ea;ch flight of fancy our imagina- tion represents to us all sorts of images more or less sen- sual. Our passions run headlong, oft times madly so, toward sensible or sensuous good> and. utterly ignoring all moral good, endeavor to wrest compliance from the will. True indeed, such tendencies are not irresistible, for our lower faculties remain, in a measure, under the control of the will, yet, their submission, once they revolt, demands much strategy and effort. 7.5. B) The intellectual faculties, intellect and will, also have been injured by original sin. There is no doubt that our intellect remains capable of knowing truth, and that with patient labor, even without the aid of revelation, it can obtain knowledge of certain funda- mental truths in the natural. order. The failures, however, in this regard, are most 'humiliating. The preoccupations of the present blind the mind to the realities of eternity, a) Instead of seeking God and the things that are God's, instead of rising spontaneously from the creature to the Creator, as it would have done in the primeval state, man's intellect gravitates earthward. The study of creatures frequently absorbs it and prevents its ascent to their Maker, i) Its power of attention, drawn by .curiosity, centres round its own whims to the neglect of the realities that lead man to his end. 2) It falls most readily into error. Innu- .merable prejudices to which we are victims and the passions that agitate our spirit drop a thick veil between our souls and the truth. Alas! only too often we lose our bearings upon the most vital questions, on which the course and direction of our moral life depend. b) Our will, instead of paying homage to God, has, on the contrary, the most daring and pretentious aspirations to independence, It finds it bitter and painful to submit to God or to yield to His representatives on earth. .When the issue is to .conquer those difficulties that oppose themselves to the realization of good, its efforts are weak and incon- stant. How frequently does it not allow sentiment and passion to carry it away! Saint Paul describes such weakness in striking terms : " For the good which I will, I do not : but the- evil which I will not, that I do. Foi ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. 39 I am delighted with the law of God, according to the inward man : but I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind and captivating me in the law of sin that is in my members. Unhappy man that I am; who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God, by Jesus Christ Our Lord."1 On the testimony of the Apostle the remedy for this wretched condition is the grace of redemption. . . ART. IV. REDEMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS2' ; 76. Redemption is a wondrous work — God's master- piece. By it, man disfigured by sin is remade. He is, in a sense, placed above his primordial state before the fall, so much so, that the Church in her liturgy does not hesitate to bless the fault that secured for us such a Redeemer as the God-man : " O happy fault, that merited such and so great a Redeemer ! " I. The nature of Redemption 77. God who from all eternity had foreseen man's fall, willed -likewise, from all .eternity to provide a Redeemer for men, in the person of His Son. He determined to become man so that becoming the head of mankind He could in full measure expiate our sin and give us back, to- gether with grace, all our rights to heaven. Thus He drew good out of evil and harmonized the rights si justice with those of His goodness. He was not indeed bound to demand full justice. He could have pardoned man and contented Himself with the meagre and imperfect reparation that the latter could have proffered. But He regarded it more worthy of His glory and more salutary for man to enable him to offer full repa- ration for his fa.ult. 78. A) Full justice required an adequate reparation, in proportion to the offense, and offered by a lawful representa- tiveof mankind. God brought this about by the Incarna- tion and the Redemption. . - ....... a) The Son of God takes flesh and thus becomes the chief of humanity, the head of a mystical body whose members *Rom., VII, 19-25. - — 2 St. THOM., Ill, q. 46-49; HUGON, O. P., LeMystkre de la Redemption; BAIN- VEL, op. tit., ch. VIII; J. RIVIERE, The Atonement; AD. TANQUEREY, Synopsis theol. dogmat., t. II, n. 1124-1216; L. LABAUCHE, God and Man, .vol. I. P. III. 40 CHAPTER I. we are. By this very fact, the Son can of right act and make atonement in our name. b) This atonement is a satisfaction not only equal to the offense, but .above it by 'far. _-If the moral; value of any . action proceeds first and foremost from the worth, the dignity of the person performing it, this reparation made by the God-Man has a moral worth that is infinite. A single act of the Son of God would have sufficed to make adequate reparation for all the sins of the human race. 'Now, as a matter of fact, Jesus, moved by the purest love, did make such acts of reparation without number. He filled the measure and crowned it with the greatest, the most sublime and heroic of actions, — the total immolation of self on Calvary. He has, indeed, made abundant and superabundant satisfactions : " Where sin abounded, grace did more abound. " r e) The atonement is the same in kind as the offense. Adam's sin was disobedience and pride. Jesus makes repa- ration by humble obedience, inspired by love, — an obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. " becoming obedient tmto death, even to the death of the cross. " 2 Again, just as a woman was instrumental in Adam's fall, so a woman intervenes in man's redemption with her power of interces- sion arid her merits. Although in a secondary r61e Mary, the Immaculate Virgin Mother of the Savioyr, cooperates with Him in the work of reparation. " 3 . Thus God's justice is fully, satisfied, and His goodness even more. • . - 79. B) Holy Scripture, in fact, attributes the work of our redemption to the infinite mercy of God and His exceeding great love for us. In the words of St. Paul: " God, who is rich in mercy for his exceeding charity where- with He- loved us, ..... hath quickened us together in Christ, " 4 The three divine persons vie one with the other in this work, each moved by a love which, in truth, would seem to be excessive. " a)' The Father has- an only-begotten Son, equal to Him, whom He loves like another self, and by whom He is loved with the same infinite love. It is this very Son whom He gives and sacrifices for us that we may rise again to life ., V, 5. Philip., II, i. 3 Here it is question of the merit called de congruo, which we shall explain later on. • • . ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. 41 from the death of sin : " For God so loved the world, as to give His Only-Begotten Son : that whosever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. " * Could His generous love give more? In giving us His Son, has He not given us all other things.? " He that spared not even His own '.Son ', but delivered Him for us all, how hath He not also, with Him given us all things." * 80. b) The-Son joyously and generously accepted the mission entrusted to Him. From the first instant of His Incarnation, He offered Himself to the Father as the victim thatjreplaced all the sacrifices of the Old Law. His' entire life was a long sacrifice completed by His immolation on Calvary — a sacrifice born of the lovers bore us : "Christ also hath loved us and hath, delivered Himself for us, an obla- tion and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness. "3 81. C) In order to finish His work He sent us the Holy Ghost. This Divine Spirit, who is none other than the substantial love of the .-Father and the Son, was not satis- fied with instilling grace into our souls together ' with the infused virtues, especially divine charity, but gave Himself to us in order that we might not only enjoy. His presence and possess His gifts, but even His very person : " The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts^ by the Holy Ghost who is given to us." *< Redemption is therefore, the masterpiece of divine love : this fact enables us to forecast its effects. \\.TheEffectsofRedemption 82. Jesus did not stop short once He had offered repa- ration to God for our offense and reconciled us to Him. He merited for us all the graces lost to us by sin, and many more. First of' all, He gave us back all the supernatural goods we had lost by sin : .' • ~ a) Habitual grace with all the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost; then, to adapt Himself better to our human nature He instituted the Sacraments, sensible signs that confer grace upon "us in every important circum- stance of our life and thus furnish us with greater security and greater confidence, b) He secured for us actual graces in a full measure, and according to the word of St. Paul,* 1 John, III, 16., — = Rom., VIII, 32. — 3 Efhes., V, 2. — •* Rom.,V, 5. 42 . CHAPTER I. we are justified in judging them even more abundant than those we should have received in the state of innocence: " Where sin abounded^ grace did more abound. " I 83. e) It is true that the gift of -integrity was not given back to us immediately, but it is given . us gradually. The , grace of regeneration leaves us still exposed to the attacks of the threefold concupiscence and subject to the burden of life's sufferings, but it gives us the needed strength to sur- mount them, rendering us more humble, more vigilant, more active in warding off and conquering temptation. ' Thus it grounds us in virtue and gives us the opportunity of increas- ing our merit. The example of Jesus, who so coura- geously carried His cross and ours, gives us new energy and sustains our efforts in the fight. The actual graces^ which He has merited for us, and which He bestows with a lavishness truly divine make effort and victory easier. In proportion as we struggle under the leadership and pro- tection of the Master, concupiscence weakens, our power of .resistance grows, and a time comes when privileged souls are so grounded in virtue, that ever free as they remain to do evil, they never commit any fully deliberate venial sin. The final victory will come only with our entrance into heaven, but it will be all the more glorious having been bought at a greater price. Gan we not also repeat : 0 happy fault! 84. d) To such interior helps our Lord lias joined external ones, particularly, that of the Visible Church, founded and designed by Him to. enlighten our minds by her teaching, to stay our wills by the warrant of her laws and judgments, to sanctify our souls by sacraments, sacra- mentals and indulgences. In her we have an immense treasure-house of help for which we must thank God : Ofelix culpa! 0 happy fault! 85. e) Lastly, it' is not certain that the Word of God would have taken flesh had the fall of our first parents not occurred. Now the Incarnation is such a priceless boon that it alone would suffice to explain and justify the cry of the Church : 0 happy fault! Instead of having for the head of the race a man richly endowed, indeed, but liable to error and to sin, we have one who is none other than the Eternal Son of God. The head of mankind is the Word, clothed in our nature, true man as 1 Rom. , V, 20. ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. ' 43 well as true God, He is the ideal mediator, a mediator for worship as well as for redemption, who adores His Father not merely in His own name but in the name- of the entire human race, nay more, in the name of the angels, for it is through Him that the heavenly hosts praise and glorify theirlCreator : "through Whom the angels praise."1 He is the perfect priest who, while having free access to God on account of His divine nature, stoops down to His fellow- men, His brethren, to deal them kindness and indulgence the while He knows their weakness : " Who can have com- passion on them that are ignorant and that err : because He Himself also is encompassed with infirmity. " 2 With Him and through Him we can render to God the infinite homage to which He is entitled. With Him and through Him we can obtain all the graces we need both for ourselves and for others. When we adore, it is He that adores in us and through" us; when we ask for help, it is He that supports our requests ; and for this reason, whatsoever we shall ask of the Father in His name shall be graciously, given us. . • We must, therefore, rejoice in the possession of such a Redeemer, such a Mediator,' and have a trust in Him that knows no limits. CONCLUSION 86. This brief historical survey brings out most strik- ingly the supreme worth of the supernatural life and the grandeur and weakness of man on whom it is bestowed. i° This life is, indeed, excellent since : a) It is born of cloving thought of God, who has loved us from all eternity and has willed to unite us to Himself in the sweetest and closest intimacy: " I have loved thee with an everlasting love, and therefore I have drawn thee to myself. " 3 b) It is a real participation, even if finite, in the nature and in the life of God, enabling us to know and to love God even as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost know and love one another : "partakers of the divine nature." (See n. 106) e) It has such worth in God's eyes that, to give it to us, the Father sacrifices His Only-Begotten Son, the Son makes a complete immolation of self, and the Holy Ghost comes to impart this life to our souls. ' / Indeed, it is the pearl of great price : "By whom he hath 1 Pfeface of the Mass. — " ffe&r, , V, 2. — 3 Jer. , XXXI, 3. 44 ' CHAPTER II. given us most great and precious promises, -" * which we must hold dearer than all else and keep and cherish with jealous care : its worth is that of God Himself! 87. 2° Still, we carry this treasure in earthen vessels. If our first parents, endowed with the gift of integrity and enriched 'with all, sorts of privileges, had the mis- fortune of forfeiting it both for themselves and their posterity, should we entertain no fear? We, who in spite of our spiritual regeneration, carry within us the threefold concupiscence? , No doubt, there are within us generous and noble impulses born of what is good in our nature. Jhere are, besides, the supernatural forces which come to us through Christ's merits and through our incorporation into Him. However, we remain weak and inconstant, unless we lean upon Him who is our strength as well as our head. The secret of our -power does not rest-with us, but with God and Christ Jesus our Lord. The history of our First Parents and their lamentable fall shows us that the great evil in the world, the only evil, is sin. It shows us that we must be ever on . our guard to repel at once and with all our might every attack that the enemy may make against us, be it from without or from within. We are nevertheless well pro- tected and fully armed against his onslaughts, as our second chapter, dealing with the nature of the Christian life, will prove. CHAPTER n The Nature of the Christian Life 88. The supernatural life which, by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, is a participation in God's life, is .often t called the life of God in us or the life of Jesus in us. Such expressions are correct provided one takes care to explain them, so as to avoid anything savoring of pantheism. We have not a life identical with that of God or our Lord ; we only have a-life similar to theirs, a finite participation, yet most real. We may define it thus : a share in the divine life given us by the Holy Ghost who dwells in us, because of the merits of Jesus Christ; a life which we must protect against all destnictive tendencies. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 45' s 89. We see, then, that as regards -our supernatural life God plays the principal role, we a secondary one. It is the Triune God that comes Himself to confer it upbn us, for He alone can make us share m His own life. He commu- nicates it:to us in virtue of the merits of Christ (n. 78), who is the meritorious, exemplary and vital cause of our sancti- fication. It is perfectly true that God lives in us, that .Jesus lives in us\ yet, our spiritual life is not identical with that of God or of our Lord. It is distinct from but similar to the one and the other. Our role consists in making use of the divine gifts in order to live with God and for God, in order to live in union with Jesus and to imitate Him. But we cannot live this supernatural life without a continual struggle against the threefold concupiscence which still remains in us (n. 83). And moreover, since God has endowed us with a supernatural organism, it is our duty to make that life increase in us by meritorious acts and the fervent reception of the sacraments. This is the meaning of the definition we have given, and this whole chapter is but its explanation and development. From it we shall draw practical conclusions concerning devotion to the Most Holy Trinity, devotion to arid union with the Incarnate Word, and even concerning devotion to the Blessed Virgin and the Saints, since all, these devotions flow from their relations with the Word of God-made- Flesh. , . ' Although the action of God and that of the soul have parallel developments in the Christian life, we shall for the sake of clearness treat of them in two successive articles, one on the rdle of God and the other on the rdle .of man. 46 CHAPTER II. God acts in us i. By Himself 2. Through His Word Incarnate, who is primarily 3. Through Mary who is secondarily Through the Saints and Angels He dwells in us : hence devo- tion to the Blessed Trinity. He endows us with a super- natural organism. ' ; - ' Meritorious cause "j Exemplary cause V of our life. Vital cause J : . 'Hence devotion to the Incar- nate Word. • 'Meritorious cause ) r ,.r T- i [of our life. Kxemplary cause J Distributive cause of grace. Hence devotion to Mary. Living images of God : hence venerate them. - - , • Intercessors : Invoke them. Models : Imitate them. We live and act for God i. By fighting against I" concupiscence. I the world, [the devil. 2. By sanctifying our actions ' Their threefold value. Conditions for merit Way of rendering our acts more meritorious. 3. By receiving ( Sacramental grace, the Sacraments •< Special] of Penance, worthily [ grace J of the Eucharist. .ART. I. THE ROLE OF GOD IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE God acts Tn us either directly, by Himself, or through the Incarnate Word, or through the mediation of the Blessed Virgin, the Angels and the Saints. § I. The Role of the Blessed Trinity 90. The first cause, the primary, efficient cause and the exemplary cause of the supernatural life in us is no other than the Blessed Trinity, or by appropriation, the THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 47 Holy Ghost. True, the life of grace is a work common to the Three Divine Persons, for it is a work ad extra, yet, . because it is a work of love, it is attributed especially to the Holy Ghost. Now the Most Adorable Trinity contributes to our sanc- tification in two ways : the Three Divine Persons come to dwell in our souls ; there they create a supernatural organ- ism which transforms and elevates them, thus enabling them to perform Godlike acts. I. The Indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the Soul x 91. Since the Christian life is a participation in God's own life, it is evident that none but God Himself can confer it upon us. This He does by coming to dwell in our souls and by giving Himself wholly to. us in order that we may first of all render Him our homage, enjoy His presence and allow ourselves to be led with docility to the practice of Christ's virtues and into the dispositions of His holy soul. 2 Theologians call this uncreated grace. Let us then examine first how the Three Divine Persons live in us, and next, what our attitude must be toward Them. i° How THE THREE DIVINE PERSONS DWELL WITHIN Us , 92. God, says St. Thomas, 3 is -in all creatures in a threefold manner : by His power, inasmuch as' all creatures are subject to His dominion; by His presence, because He sees all, even the most secret thoughts of the soul, " All things are naked and open to his eyes; " 4 by His essence, since He acts everywhere and since everywhere He -is the plenitude of being itself and the first cause of whatever is real in creation, giving continually to creatures riot only life and movement, but their very being : " In Him we live and inove and are. "5 Yet, His presence within us by grace is of a much higher and intimate nature. It is no longer the presence of the Creator and. Preserver who sustains the beings He created; 1 St. THOM., I, q. 43, a. 3; FROGET, Indwelling of the H. Ghost; R. PLUS, God within Us; MANNING, Int. Mission, I; DEVINE, Ascet. TJieol., p. 80; TANQUEREY, Syn. Theol. Dog., Ill, 180-185. a It is upon this truth that Father OLIEE bases his spiritual system. See Cate- chism for an Interior Life, P. I, C. Ill-: "Who deserves the name of Christian? He who is possessed by the Spirit of Jesus Christ... that makes us live both inte- riorly and exteriorly like Jesus Christ ". — " He (the Holy Ghost) is there with the Father and the Son, and there infuses, as we have said, the same dispositions, the same sentiments and the same virtues of Jesus Christ ". 3 Sum. theol., I, q. 8, a. 3. 4 Heb., IV, 13. — 5 Acts, XVII, 28. 48 CHAPTER II. it is the presence of, the Most Holy Trinity revealed to us by faith. The Father comes to us and continues to beget His Word within us. With the Father we receive the Son equal in all things to the Father, His loving and substantial image, who never ceases to love His Father with the same infinite love wherewith the Father loves Him. Out of this mutual love proceeds the Holy Spirit \ a person equal to the Father and the Son and a mutual bond between Father and Son. The Three are withal distinct one from the other. These wonders go on continually within the soul in the state of grace. . The presence of the Three Divine Persons, at once physical and moral, establishes the most intimate and most sanctifying relations between God and the soul. Gathering all that is found here and there in the Scriptures, we can say that God through grace is present within us as a father, as a friend, as a helper, as a sanctifier, and that in this way He is truly the very source of our interior life, its efficient and exemplary cause. 93. A) By nature He is simply in us to give us natural . endowments; by grace He gives Himself to us that we may enjoy His friendship and thus have a foretaste of the happiness of heaven. In the order of nature God is in us as the Creator and the sovereign Master; we are but His servants, His property '. • In the order of grace it is different ; here He gives Himself to us as our Father; we are now His adopted children ; an unspeakable privilege and the basis of our supernatural life. St. Paul ancVSt. John repeat it again and again : " For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear : but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons, ^whereby we cry Abba (Father), For the Spirit himself giveth testimony to our spirit that we are the sons of God. " I God, therefore, adopts us as His children and in a way more thorough and more complete than men are adopted in law. By legal adoption men are, indeed, able ,to transmit to others their name and their possessions, but they cannot transmit to them their blood and their life. " Legal adoption," says Cardinal Mercier, 2 " is .a fiction." The adopted child is considered .by its foster parents just as if it were their child and receives from them the heritage to which their offspring would have had a right. Society recognizes this fiction and sanctions its effects. Withal, the object of such fiction is in no wise changed. But the grace of divine adoption is by no means a fiction... it is a 1 Rom., VIII, 15-16. — "La Vie Inttrieure, ed. 1909, p. 495. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 49 reality. God gives divine sonshi p to those v/ho have faith in His Word, as St. John says : "He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believed in his name." * This sonship is not such merely in name, but in very truth : "that we should be called and should be the sons of God." * By it we come into the possession of the divine nature, "partakers of the- divine nature." 3 • 94. No doubt, this divine life in us is only a participa- tion, a sharing, " consortes, " a similitude, an assimilation which does not make us gods, but only Godlike. None the less, it constitutes no fiction, but a reality ', a new life, a life not, indeed, equal but similar to God's and which, on the testimony of Holy Writ, presupposes a new birth, a regeneration : •" Unless a, man- be born again of water and the_ Holy Ghost... by. the laver of regeneration -and renovation-of the Holy Ghost... he hath regenerated us , unto a lively hope... of his own will hath he begotten us. by the word of truth. " 4 All these expressions show us that our adoption is not merely nominal, but true and real, although distinct and different from the sonship of the Word-made- Flesh. By it we become heirs, by full right, to the kingdom of heaven and coheirs of Him who is the eldest-born ampng our brethren : "heirs indeed of G-od and joint heirs with Christ../ that -he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. "5 Is it not, therefore, most fitting to repeat the touching words of .St. John : " Behold what, manner of charity the Father hath bestowed Upon us, that we should be called and should be the sons of God !" 6 God has for us then the tenderness and devotedness of a father. Does He not compare Himself to a mother that can never forget the child- of her womb? " Can a woman forget .her infant, so as not to have pity on the^son of her •womb? And if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee."7~ He has most assuredly given proof of this, since in order to save His fallen children He hesitated not to give and sacri- fice His only-begotten Son: "For God so loved the world; as to give his only Begotten Son.: that whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting."* The same love prompts. Him likewise to- give Himself wholly, and from now on, in a permanent manner to His children by dwelling in their hearts-: " If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will ' John, I,- 12. — * I. John, III, i. — 3 // Peter, 1,4. ^John, III, s; Tit., Ill, s\ f Peter, I, -3-, Jama, I, 18. 5 Rom., VIII, 17, 29. — « I John, III, i. — l ha., XLIX, 15. — 8 John, III, 16. NO 680. --4. 50 - CHAPTER II. come to hint) and will make our abode with him. " r He lives in us as a most loving and most devoted Father. 95. B) He gives Himself also as a friend. Friendship adds to the relations between father and son a sort of equality : " amicitia cequales accipit aut facit. " It adds a kind of familiarity, a reciprocity' whence flows the sweetest intercourse. It is precisely such relations that grace establishes between us and God. Of course, when it is question of God on one side and man on the other, there can be no real equality, but rather a certain similarity :sufficient to engender true intimacy. In fact, God confides to us His secrets. He speaks to us not only through His Church, but also interiorly through His Spirit : "He will teach you all tilings and bring all things to your mind whatsoever I shall have said to you. " 2 At the Last Supper Jesus declared to His Apostles that from that time on they would not be His servants, but His friends, because He would no longer keep any secrets from them : "/ will not now call you servants : for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends : because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. "3 A sweet familiarity will from now on pervade their intercourse, the same that exists between friends when they meet and speak heart to heart : " Behold that I stand at the gate and knock; if any man shall hear my voice and open to me the door, I will come into him and I will sup with him; and he with me." * What an unspeakable familiarity is this ! Never would man have dared dream of it or- aspire to .it had not the Friend Divine taken the initiative ! This very intimacy has been" and is an every- day fact not only between Almighty Gpd and His Saints, but between Him and every man who by leading an interior life consents to throw, open the gates of his soul to the Divine Guest To this the; author of the" Imitation" bears witness when he : describes the oft-repeated visits of the Holy Spirit, to interior souls, the sweet converse He holds with them, the consolations and the caresses He imparts to them, the peace He infuses, the astounding familiarity of His dealings with them : " Many are His visits to the man of interior life, and sweet the conversation that He holdeth with him ; plenteous His consolation^ His peace and His familiarity." '$. The life of contemporary mystics, of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, of Elizabeth of the Blessed ' John, XIV, 23. — 2 John, XIV, 26. — 3 John, XV, 15. 4 Apoc,, III, 20. — 5 Imitation, II, c. I, v. r. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 51 Trinity, of Gemma Galgani and of so many others,, gives... proof that the. words of the Imitation are daily realized. There is no doubt that God does live in us as- the most intimate of friends. ., , . • > 96. C) Nor is He idle there. He acts as .our most powerful ally, our most efficient helper. Knowing but too well that of. ourselves we can not. foster the : life He has engendered in as, He supplies for our deficiencies by .work- ing with us through actual grace. Are we in need of light to perceive the truths of faith which shall from now on guide our steps? The Father of Lights will be the one to enlighten our intellect pointing out clearly our last end and the means to reach it. He will suggest, to us the godly thoughts that inspire godly actions. Again, .'dp. we : want strength to give our life its orientation, to direct it towards its last end, the one great object of all our strivings, of all our efforts? The same God and Father will bring to, us the supernatural help that gives the power to .will and; to- do : "for it is God who workethin you both to will and .to accomplish." T- When it comes to combatting .and 'con- trolling our passions or overcoming the temptations that at times assail us, once more it is none other than God who gives us the power to resist them and even to draw profit from them : " God is faithful who will not suffer you. to be tempted above that which you are able, but will- make also with temptation issue> that you may be able to bear it. " 2 If weary of well-doing and if discouraged we begin to falter., He draws. close to sustain us and to secure, our per- severance : " He: who hath begun a -good 'work in you will perfect it unto the.: day of Christ J'esus. "• 3 No, we are -never alone. .Even when devoid of all. consolations we think ourselves abandoned, God's grace' is ever close at hand as - . . .,.•-./-- .. ,- C* .-* i -i • -1 .-'•.-„- ; ! I long as we are willihg;to, cpQperate, with it : " And his grace in me hath not been 'vdtU:bul_I%^j^b^r^d'more abundantly than all they : yet not I ^ but the ''grate 'of God with me." * Leaning on this all-powerful Helperwe become invincible : " / can do all things in him who strengtheneth me. " s 97. D) This divine Helper is at the same time our Sanc- tifier. Coming to live in our soulHe transforms it into a sacred temple enriched with all manner of virtues : " the temple 1 Philipp., U. 13. 2 / Cor., X, 13. --.:..-. . . - "" •''' 4 / Cor., XV, 10. ., IV, 13, 52 CHAPTER II. of God is holy ', which you are," * The' God that lives in us is not merely the God of nature, 'but the Living God, the Blessed Trinity, the infinite source of divine life, whose only longing is to make us share in His holiness. Often this indwelling of God in the soul is attributed or assigned to the Holy Ghost by appropriation, since it is a work of love; but being a work ad extra, it is common, to the Three Divine Persons. This is why St. Paul calls us alike the temples of God and the temples of the Holy Ghost : '•''Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? " 2 : Our soul, therefore, is made the temple of the Living God, a sanctuary reserved to the Most High, a Holy of Holies, a throne of mercy where He is pleased to-be lavish with His 'heavenly favors and which. He enriches with every virtue. It follows that the presence within us of a Thrice Holy God, as just described, cannot but sanctify us. The Most Adorable Trinity living and acting within us must, indeed, be the principle of our sanctification, .the source of our interior life. This holy presence constitutes likewise its exemplary cause, for being sons of God by adoption we are bound to imitate our Father. This we shall understand better when we examine what our. attitude should be towards these Three Divine Guests. 2° OUR DUTIES TOWARDS THE MOST HOLY TRINITY LIVING WITHIN Us3 ; . ' 98. Possessing such a treasure as the Most Holy Tr]nity, we ought to make it the object of frequent meditation — " to walk inwardly with God." Such a thought awakes in us chiefly three sentiments : adoration, love and imitation. 99. A) The very'first impulse of the heart is that of adoration : " Glorify and bear God in your body, " 4 How could we do otherwise v than glorify, bless and thank that Divine Guest who transforms our soul into a sanctuary? From the time Mary received the Incarnate Word in her virginal womb her life was but one perpetual act of adora- tion and thanksgiving : " My soul doth magnify the Lord... He who is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is his name. " 5 Such are, even if lesser in degree and intensity, the sentiments that lay hold of the Christian on becoming 1 / Cor., Ill, 17. — * / Cor., Ill, 16. 3 All these sentiments are wonderfully expressed in the beautiful morning prayer composed by Father OLIER, cf. Manual of Piety. • < / Cor., VI, 10. — s Luke, \, 46, 49. x ' . , THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 53 aware of the Holy Ghost's presence within him. He under- stands that being God's dwelling he ought to offer himself constantly as a sacrifice si praise unto the glory of the Triune. God. a) He begins his actions by making the Sign of .the Cross, in the-nameof the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and thus consecrates them all to the Three Divine Per- sons; he ends them by acknowledging that whatever good , he has done must be attributed -to Them : .Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the -Holy Ghost, b) He loves tOL repeat the x liturgical prayers that proclaim Their praises • the Glbria in excelsis Deo, which so well expresses all the religious sentiments towards the Mqst Holy Trinity, espe- cially towards the Incarnate Word; the Sanctus, proclaiming the awful holiness of the Godhead; the Te Deum, the song of thanksgiving, e) This Divine Guest the Christian recognizes as his first beginning and last end. He realizes his inability to praise Him adequately and unites Himself to the Spirit of Jesus who alone can render to God that glory which by right is His : " The Spirit also helpeth :our infirmity .'for, we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself askethfor us with unspeakable groanings. " * ' • • 100.: B) After having adored God and proclaimed his own nothingness, the Christian gives vent to sentiments of the most confiding love. Infinite as He is, God never- theless stoops down to us like a loving father toward his child, asking us to love. Him and to give Him our heart : "My son, give me thy heart. " 2 He has a strict" right to demand this love, yet He prefers to entreat us with the sweetness of affection so that our return may be, so to speak, more spontaneous, and our recourse to Him more confident and childlike. Could we refuse our trustful love to such . thoughtful advances, to a solicitude so truly maternal?' . . ' , Our love should be ^repentant love, a love" that expiates infidelities past and present; a grateful love that renders thanks to our great Benefactor, the devoted Co-worker who labors without stint and without rest. Above all, it should be the love of friend for friend holding -sweet converse with the most faithful, the most generous of friends, whose part we should take, whose glory we should make known) whose name we should forever bless. This love then .should not be a mere feeling, but a generous, daring love, forgetful of 1 Rom., VIII, 26.— a Prav;, XXIII, 26. 54 ," CHAPTER II. self to the point of sacrifice and the renunciation of our own wills, by a willing submission to the precepts and counsels of God. 101. C) Such love will lead us to imitate the.Most Ador- able Trinity in the measure in which this is compatible with human weakness. Adopted children of an all-holy Father, living temples of the Holy Ghost, we can better appreciate the reason why we must be holy in body and soul. This was the. lesson learned by the Apostle $nd repeated by him to his followers : " Know you not that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? But if any man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of 'God is holy, which you are. " x . Experience is witness to the fact that with generous souls this is the most powerful motive to turn them away from sin and incite them to the practice of virtue. Temples wherein the thrice Holy One resides can never be too rich in beauty, too glorious in sanctity. It is remarkable that when our Lord 'wished to propose to us an ideal, a model of perfection, He pointed to God Himself: " Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. " 2 At first sight this ideal does seem too high. But when we recall that we are the adopted children of God and that He lives in us in order to impress upon us His image arid to collaborate in our salvation, then we realize that a high rank imposes obligations, noblesse oblige, and that it is no more than our plain duty to approach ever nearei the divine perfections. It is. chiefly in view of the fulfilment of the precept of fra- ternal charity, the love of our fellows, that Jesus Christ demands of us to keep before our eyes this perfect model, the indivisible oneness of the Three :Divine Persons.: "That they all may be one, as thou, Father in me and linthee; that they also be one in us. "3: What a tender prayer! St. Paul echoes it later on begging his dear disciples not to . forget that since they are but one body and but .one spirit, and since they have but one Father who: lives in all, -just souls, they should preserve the unity of spirit .in the .bond of peace. 4 To sum up, we may say that the Christian . life consists above all in an intimate, affectionate and sanctifying union with the Three Divine Persons who sustain us in the spirit of religion, love and sacrifice. 1 / Cor., Ill, 16-17. — = Matt/i., V, 48. — 3 John, XVII, 21. — < Eph., IV, .3-6. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 55 II. The Organism of the Christian Life J- 102. The three Divine Persons inhabit the sanctuary of our soul, taking their delight in enriching it with supernatural gifts and in communicating to us a Godlike life, similar to theirs, called the life of grace. ' All life, however, implies a threefold element : a vital prin- ciple that is, so to speak, the source of life itself; faculties which give the power to elicit vital acts; and/lastly, the acts themselves which are but its development and which minister to its growth. . In the supernatural order, God living within us produces the same elements, a) He first communicates to us habitual grace which plays the part of a vital, super- natural principle. 2 This principle deifies, as it were, the very, substance of the soul and makes it capable, though in a remote way, of enjoying the Beatific Vision and of per- forming the acts, that lead to it. 103. to) Out of this grace spring the- infused virtues 1. and the gifts of the Holy Ghost which perfect our faculties and endow us with the immediate power of performing Godlike, supernatural, meritorious acts. c) In order to stir these faculties into action, He gives us actual graces which enlighten our mind, strengthen our will, and aid us both to act supernaturally and to increase the measure of habitual grace that has been granted to us. 104. Although this life of grace is entirely distinct from, our natural life it is not merely superimposed on the latter; Impenetrates it through and through, transforms it and makes it divine. It assimilates whatever is good in our nature, our education and our habits. It perfects and supernaturalizes all these various elements, directing them toward the 'last end, that is toward the possession of God through the Bea- tific Vision and its resultant love. In virtue of the general principle explained above, n. 54, that inferior beings are subordinated to their superiors, 4 it is the part of the supernatural life to direct and control our 'St. THOM., la II35, q, no; ALVAREZ DE PAZ, De vita spirituali ejusque perfe- ctione, 1602, t. I, II, c. i ; TERRIEN, La Grace el la Gloire, t. I, p. 75 sq. ; BELLAMY, La vie surnaturelle. • • 2 " Gratia prsesupponitur virtutibus infusis, sicut earum principium et finis. " (Sum. tlieol., la I lee, q. no, a. 3). 3 "Sicut ab essentia animee effluunt ejus potentire, quEe sunt operam principia, ita etiam ab ipsa gratia effluunt virlutes in potentias animse, per quas potentise moventur ad actum ". (Ibid., a. 4.) 4 EYMIEU, op. tit., p. 150-151. '56 CHAPTER II. natural life. The former cannot develop nor endure unless it reigns supreme and keeps under its- sway the. acts, of the mind, of the will and of the other faculties. This dominion in no way dwarfs or destroys our nature, but rather it elevates and completes it. We shall show this' in the subsequent study of these three elements. i° HABITUAL GRACE' . > . ' 105. God out of His infinite goodness wills to lift us up to Himself in the measure that our weak nature allows, and for this purpose gives us a principle of supernatural life ; a Godlike, vital principle, which is habitual grace. It is also called created grace 2 in contradistinction to uncreated grace, which is the indwelling itself of the Holy Ghost within us. Created grace makes us like unto God and unites us to Him in the closest manner: " This deification ' consists, in so far as is possible,, in a certain resemblance to God and union with Him. " 3 These two points of view we shall explain presently by giving the traditional definition and by determining precisely the nature of the union that grace produces between God and the soul. A) Definition 106. Sanctifying or habitual grace is commonly de- fined as a sitpernatural qualify inherent in the soul, which makes us partakers of the divine nature and of the divine life in a real and formal, but accidental manner. , • . a) Grace is a reality of the supernatural order, but not a substance, for no created .substance could be supernatural. It is but a mode of being, a state ' of soul, a quality inherent in the soul's substance that transforms it and raises it above all natural beings, even the most perfect. It is a permanent quality remaining in the soul as long as we do not forfeit it by mortal sin.: " It is, " as Cardinal Mercier says, 4 on the authority of Bossuet, " a spiritual quality infused into our 1 SeeSt.THOM., la II*, q. no; Syn. Theol. Dog., Ill, n. 186-191 ; FROGET, op. cit., IV« P. ; TERRIEN, La GrQ.ce et la Gloire, p. 75 ss. ; BELLAMY, La vie surna- turelle, 1895 ; SCHEEBEN, The Glories of Divine Gnzce/ MANY, La vraie vie, 1922, p. 1-79 _ - . • 2 This expression is not altogether exact, since grace within us is not a substance, but an accident, an accidental modification of the soul. But because it is some- thing finite and can originate only in God, not being merited by .us, this name of created or con-created is given to it, to show that it is derived from the power the soul as a created thing has of. becoming whatever the Creator wills it to become. 3 " Est autem hsec deificatio, Deo queedam, quoad fieri potest, assimilatio unio- que". Ps.-DiONYS, De eccl. hierarckia, c. I, n. 3, P. G., Ill, 373. < La Vie infe'rieure, p. 401. THE NATURE OF THE -CHRISTIAN -LIFE. 57 souls by Jesus Christ, which penetrates our inmost being, instils itself into the very marrow of the soul arid goes forth (through" the virtues) to all its faculties. The soul that possesses it is made pure and pleasing in the eyes of God. He makes such a soul His sanctuary, His temple, His tabernacle, His paradise. " 107. to) This quality, according to the forceful expres- sion of St. Peter, makes us "partakers of the divine nature. " J According to-Sti Paul, it. causes us to enter into communion with the Holy Ghost, " the communication of the Holy Ghost, "2 and St. John adds that it establishes a sort of fellowship .between us and the Father and the Son : upur fellowship... with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. "3 It does not" make us the equals of God, but it changes us into Godlike beings, makes us like unto God. Nor does it give us the life of the Godhead itself which is incommunicable, but it imparts to us a life similar to God's. Our task is to explain this, so far as the human mind is able to comprehend it. 108. i ) God's own life consists in direct selfrcontemplation and love of Himself. . No creature whatever, no matter how perfect, could of itself contemplate the essence of the God- head, " who dwells in light inaccessible ;" 4 but God, by a privilege, gratuitous in every sense of the word, calls man to contemplate this* divine essence in heaven. "As man is utterly incapable of this, God lifts him up, makes his intelli- . gence transcend its natural capacities, and confers on him this power through the -light of glory. Then, says St. -John, we shall be like unto God because we shall see Him as He sees Himself, that is to say, exactly as He is in Himself: " We shall be like him • becaiise we shall see him as he is. " 5 We shall see, adds St. Paul, no longer through the mirror of creatures, ,but face to face with luminous clearness : " We see now through a glass in a dark manner : but then face to face.'' '6 Since. we shall know and love God as He knows and loves Himself, we shall also share 'in God's own life, even if it be in 'a finite way. Theologians explain this by saying that the divine essence will come and unite itself with the soul's inmost being, so as to allow us to contem- plate the Divinity directly, with the aid of no image or of created intermediary. ' ' 1 // Peter, 1 , 4. '— ' II Cor. , XIII, 13. — 3 / John, 1,3. * / Tim., VI, 16. - S I John, III, 2. - 6 / Cor., XIII, 12-13. 58 'CHAPTER n. 109. 2) Habitual grace is already a preparation for the Beatific Vision' and a foretaste, as it. were, of that unspeak- able boon; it is the bud that needs but to open to. show forth the flower. Habitual grace 'and the Beatific Vision are, then, one in kind and one in nature. A comparison, no matter how inadequate, will not be out of place. We can know an artist in three different ways : by studying his works, through friends, or by personal intercourse with him. The first is the kind of knowledge we get of God through His works, by the contem- plation of His creatures. This is an inductive, imperfect knowledge ; for though creation reveals His wisdom and His power, it tells us nothing of His personal, interior life. The knowledge we derive from faith illustrates the second manner in which we come to know God. On the authority of the sacred writers and, above all, on the testimony of the Son of God we believe what it has pleased Him to disclose to tis,-not only concerning His works and His attributes, but concerning His personal, interior life. Thus, we believe that from all eternity He begets the Word, His Son, that there exists a mutual love between Them, and that out -of this reciprocal love proceeds the Holy Ghost. We do not, indeed, understand, nor do we in. any way see, but we believe with invincible certainty. This faith makes us share in the knowledge that God has of Himself. But this is 'a veiled knowledge, rather obscure, though none the less real. Only eventually through the Beatific Vision shall we. acquire direct knowledge of Him. Still, this second mode of knowledge, as can be readily seen, is at bottom of the same nature as the first, and assuredly far superior to mere rational or reasoned knowledge. • 110. e) This participation in the divine life, is formal; it is not simply virtual. Virtual participation means that we share a quality in a different way from that in which it is possessed by the principal, where it is found. Thus, reason is simply a virtual participation in the divine intellect, because reason gives us a knowledge of truth, but vastly different from that knowledge of truth which God possesses. Mindful then of disparity and distinction, we can. say that such is not the ..case between the Beatific Vision and faith. Both cause us to know God as He is, not in the same degree, it is true, but the knowledge acquired through either of them is the same in kind. 111. d) The participation we have in God's life is acci- dental^ not substantial. It is thus distinct from the generation of the Word, who receives the whole substance of the Father. It is likewise distinct from the hypostatic union, which is a substantial union of the divine and human natures, in the •person of the Word. In our union with God we keep our personality; and therefore, this union is not ; substantial. "This is the doctrine of St. Thomas : " Grace, being alto- gether above human nature, can neither be a substance nor the soul's substantial form. It can only be its accidental K THE NATURE. OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFXE. 59 form."1 Explaining his thought he adds that what exists in God substantially is given us accidentally, and makes us partake of the divine goodness; - With such restrictions we steer clear of pantheism and still conceive a very exalted idea of the nature of grace. It reveals itself to us as .a likeness, of God stamped by Him on our souls : " Let us make man according to our image and likeness. " 2 . 112. In order to help us to understand this divine resem- blance the Fathers have employed various comparisons, i) Our soul, they say, is like to a living image of the Most Blessed Trinity, for the Holy Ghost Himself impresses His features on us as a seal does on molten wax, stamping and leaving there, the divine likeness. 3 They conclude that the soul in the state of grace possesses an entrancing beauty since the author of that image is. none other than God Him- self who is infinitely perfect : " Behold thy likeness, O man; see thy likeness beautiful, made by thy God, the Great Artist, the Master-Painter. " 4 They rightly reason that, far from disfiguring or destroying such resemblance, we must perfect it more and more. At times they compare the soul to those transparent bodies that receiving the sun's rays become all aglow and reflect in turn a marvellous light all around. 5 113. 2) To show further that this divine resemblance is not merely on the surface, they have recourse to the analogy of iron in the fire. As a bar of iron, they say, plunged into, a glowing fire soon acquires the brightness, the heat and the . pliancy of fire, so the soul in the fire of divine love is rid of impurities, burns, glows and becomes docile to God's inspirations. 114. 3) To express the idea that grace is a new life, the Fathers and spiritual writers liken it to a divine branch ingrafted into the wild stock of our nature, there combining with it to form a new, vital principle and, therefore, a life far superior in kind. Yet, in the same way that the branch does not give its life to the stock in all its essence and partic- ulars but only such or such of its vital properties, so sancti- fying grace does not give to us God's entire essence but simply something of .His life, which is for us a new life, ' Sum. Theol., I* 11^, q. no, a. 2. — * Gen. I, 26. 3HomU. .Paschal., X, 2, P. G., r.,XXVII, 617. 4 St AMBROSE, In Hexcem., 1. VJI, c. 8, P. L., XIV, 260. = St. BASIL, P? Sfir. S., IX, ?3r.P. G., XXXII, 109. 60 CHAPTER II. We share then in the life of "the Godhead, but by no means possess It in Its fulness. This resemblance of the soul to the Divinity evidently prepares it for a most intimate union with the Most Holy Trinity that dwells in it. B) Union of God and the Soul - 115. From what we have said concerning the indwelling ' of the Most Blessed Trinity in the -soul (n. 92) it follows that there is the closest and most sanctifying union between our souls and the Divine.Guest. But is this all? Is there not something physical besides this moral union? 116. a) The comparisons the Fathers employ would seem to imply so. - i) A great many of them tell us that the union of God with the soul is like that of the soul and the body. There are in us two lives, says St. Augustine, the life of the body and the life of the soul; the life of the body is the soul, the life of the soul is God. x Evidently, these are only analogies ; let us try to bring out the truth they contain. The union of body and soul is a substantial union/ so much so, that they form but one nature and only one person. The union between God and the soul is different. We retain always our own nature and our own personality and thus remain essentially distinct from the Godhead. However, just, as the soul gives the body its life, so God (without becoming the form of the soul, as the soul is of the body) gives the soul supernatural life, a life not equal to His, but •truly and formally 'like unto His, producing a union that is most real between the soul and God. This implies a con- crete reality which God communicates to us and which constitutes the bond of union between Him and us. Assur- edly this new relation adds nothing to God, but it perfects the soul and makes it Godlike. Thus the Holy Ghost is not the formal cause, but the efficient and exemplary cause of our sanctification. 117. 2) The very same truth flows from the other com- parison made by other authors.'2 They liken the union of the soul with God to the hypostatic union. Again, there is an essential difference. The hypostatic union is substantial and personal, for though the human and the divine natures 1 " Sicut vita corporis anima, sic. -vita animce Dens* " '(Enaxrat. in psal, 70» sermo 2, n. 3. P. L. XXXVI, 893. . ....-' 3 BELLAMY, La Vit surnaturelle, p. 184-191. -.-,'/ f • „..-_- THE NATURE ^ OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 61 are absolutely different, yet, they constitute but one and the same person in Jesus Christ. The union of God with the soul through grace, on the contrary, leaves us our own per- sonality, essentially distinct from that of God, and unites us to God in a merely accidental manner. "It is brought about in fact through the medium of sanctifying grace, an accident superadded to the soul's substance. Accidental union is the , name given by the Scholastics to the union of an accident with a substance; " J . . '. None the less it is true that the union of the soul and God is a union of substance with substance^ 2 that 'man and God are in contact as closely as the incandescent iro'n is with the fire which permeates it, as closely as the glowing crystal is with the light that penetrates it. We can sum it up briefly in these few words : the hypostatic union makes a "God-man, the union of grace makes deified men. In the same way as the actions of Christ are both divine and human, thearidric actions, so those of the just man are Godlike, performed at once by God and by man. They are thus meritorious, worthy of eternal life/which is nothing else but direct union with Divinity. We can say with Father de Smedts that " the hypostatic union is the^type, the model,'of our union with God by grace and that the latter is the most perfect imitation of the former that can be found among creatures. " . We. conclude with this same writer that the union of God and the soul by grace is not a .mere moral union, but rather one which contains a physical element and which justifies the *name of physico-moral union : "The divine nature. is truly and properly united to the substance of the soul by a special bond and in such a way that the soul really possesses the divine nature as if. it were personally its own. As a consequence, the soul possesses a divine, character, a divine perfection and a divine -beauty which is infinitely superior to all possible natural perfection wherever found and in whatsoever creature, whether actually existing or capable of existing. 4 1 CARDINAL MERCIER, La Vie inttrieure, ed.. 1919, p. 392. 2 This is perhaps the thought of Cardinal Mercier when he adds '(/. c.) : "-In. a sense, however, this union is a substantial one. On the one hand, it takes place between substance and substance without the interference of any natural accident. On the other, it places the soul in direct contact with the divine substance ; it places the latter within the irnmediate reach of the former after the manner of a gift which the soul has the power both to possess and enjoy. " N In this way are explained the expressions of tile-Mystics who with St. John of the Cross speak of the divine contact " that takes place between the substance of the soul and the Divine substance in the course of intimate and loving friendship. " Father Poulain in "Graces of Interior Prayer," C. VI, has gathered a great many texts from the Contemplative* on this point. 3 Notre Vit surnaturelk, p. 51. — * Op. cit,} p. 49. 62 - CHAPTER II, 118. b) If we leave comparisons aside and. look for the exact theological doctrine on the question, we arrive at precisely the same "conclusion, i) In heaven the Elect see God face to face without the aid -of any intermediary. It is the divine essence itself that acts as the principle of knowl- edge or species impressa as it is called. r This means that there exists between God and the Elect a true and real union that can be called physical, since God can not be seen and possessed unless He be present to them by His essence, nor can He be loved unless He be actually united to their wills as the object of their love. But grace is nothing less than the beginning, the inception, the seed of glory. 2 Hence the union between the soul and God begun here on earth by grace is in fact of the same kind as that in heaven; it is real and, in a certain sense, physical, like the latter. The following is the conclusion of Father Froget in his beautiful work, " The Indwelling of the Holy Ghost." Supported by numerous texts from St. Thomas he says : " God is then 'truly, physically and substantially present in the Christian in the state of grace; this is no mere presence/ but a real possession with the initial enjoyment thereto attached. " 2) We draw the same conclusion from the analysis of grace itself. According to the teaching of the Angelic Doctor, based on the very texts of Holy Scripture we have quoted, habitual grace is given us in order that we may enjoy the possession not only of divine gifts but also of the Divine Persons. 3 But to enjoy anything whatever, adds a disciple of St. Bonaventure, the presence' of the said thing or object is absolutely necessary, and therefore, in order to enjoy the Holy Spirit, His presence is necessary as well as the presence of the created gift which unites us to Him. 4 If the presence of the created gift is real and physical, should not that of the Holy Ghost be likewise real and physical? Therefore, our deductions from Dogma as well as the comparisons employed by the Fathers authorize us to say that the union of the soul with God is not merely moral, nor on the other hand substantial, in the strict sense of the term, t 1 In visione qua Deus per essentiam videbihir, ipsa di-uina essentia erit quasi forma intellectus quo intelliget. St. THOMAS, Sum. Theol, , Suppl. , q. 92, a, i. 2 "Gratia nihil est quam itichoatio glorias in nobis ". Sum. theol.^ IIa II«, q. 24, • a. 3. — : This is likewise the thought of Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical, Divinum illud munus : " HffiC autem mira conjunctio, quse sup nomine innabitatio dicitur, conditione tantum sen statu ab ea discrepat qua cselites D.eus beando complecti- tur,". CAVALLERA, Thesa urus doctrines cathol. < n. 546. 3 " Per donum gratice gratum facientis perficitur creatura rationalis ad hoc quod libere non solum ipso dono create utatur, sed ut ipsa divina persona fruatur. ' Si. THOMAS, Sum. Theol., I, q. 43, a. 3. :. < PS. RONA VENTURE. Com paid. Theol. veritalis,}. I7"c. 9. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 63 - ,j_ ..- • -,- r ....... -,-_ — :---- - L ,;_.,.,..r_,i _._,-,- ^-i-,,— „. ' - . --" but that it is so real , that it may .be justly called a. physico- inoral union. However, it remains veiled and obscure; its growth is. gradual, its effects are perceived more and more clearly in proportion as we make efforts to cultivate faith • and the gifts of the Holy Ghost. .Fervent souls who long for this divine union are ever possessed of an urgent desire to advance, further each day in the practice of virtue and the use of these gifts. 2° THE VIRTUES AND THE GIFTS , • • ~ ' . A) Existence and Nature 119. In order to act and develop, the supernatural life ingrafted into our souls by-habitual grace demands faculties likewise of a supernatural character. These the bounty and liberality of God have given us in the form of infused virtues and gifts of the Holy Ghost. As Leo XIII tells us: " The just man living the life of grace and acting through tile virtues that fulfil the function of faculties, stands also in need of the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. " x In fact, it is only meet that our natural faculties which of themselves can produce but natural acts, should be perfected and deified by infused habits to place them on a supernatural plane and enable them to act supernaturally. Because God's liberality knows no bounds, He has granted us a twofold boon : first, the virtues which, directed by prudence, enable us to act supernaturally with the help of actual grace ; then, the gifts • making us so docile to the influence of the Holy Ghost that we are, so to speak, moved and directed by that divine Spirit, guided by a sort of divine instinct. Here it must be noted that these gifts, conferred as they are together with the vir- tues and habitual grace, do not exert a frequent or an intensive action except in mortified souls who have by a prolonged practice of the moral and theological virtues ac- quired that supernatural docility and ease that render them completely obedient to. the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. 120. The essential difference between the virtues and the gifts consists in their different mode of action within us. In the practice of virtue grace lets us act under the influence of prudence. In the use of the gifts, once they have reached their full development, grace demands docility rather than activity. We shall go deeper into this question when treat- - . •# , 1 " Homini justo vitam scilicet viventi divings : gratice et per congruas virtutes tamquam facilitates agenti, opus plane est septenis illis quse proprie dicuntur Spiri- tusSancti donis. " LEO XIII, Encyc.,Divinum illudmumis. See the English translation in The Great Encyclicals of Leo XIII, p. 422-440. 64 CHAPTER II. ing of the unitive way. In.the meantime, a comparison will help us, to understand it : when a mother teaches her' child to walk, she at times simply leads him supporting him at the same time so that he may not fall; at. other times she takes him in her arms to help him over some hindrance in the way or to let him rest a while. The first instance illustrates the influence of the virtues, the latter that of the gifts. From this it follows that normally the acts performed under the influence of the gifts are more perfect than those accomplished under the sole influence of the virtues precisely because in the former case the operation of the Holy Ghost is more active and also more fruitful. . B) The Infused Virtues 121. It is certain from the Council of Trent that at the very moment of justification we receive the infused virtues of faith, hope and charity.-1 The common doctrine, confirm- ed by the Catechism of the Council of Trent, 2 is that the moral-virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance are likewise communicated to us at that same moment. We must remember that these virtues endow us, not with facility, but with a supernatural, proximate power of'eliciting supernatural acts; In order to acquire- that facility of , action which acquired habits give, :we . need to perform repeated acts of such virtues. Let us now see how these virtues supernaturalize our faculties. ' x V a) Some of these virtues are theological, because their material object is God, their formal object some divine attribute. Faith, for instance, unites us to God, the Supreme Truth, and aids us to see all, to view all things by His divine light. Hope unites us to God, the source of our happiness, who is ever ready to pour forth upon us all His favors so that our transformation may be perfected, and to tender us His all-powerful help to enable us to elicit acts of absolute trust in Him. Charity takes .us up to God, infinitely good in Himself. Under the influence of this love, we delight in the perfections of God even more than if they were our own; we desire to make them known and have them praised; we form with Him a holy friendship and a sweet intimacy. Thus we become more and more like unto Him. 1 " In ipsa justificatione... hsec omnia simul infusa accipit homo, fidem, spem et caritatem. (Trid., sess. VI, c. 7). — 2 P. n. de Baptismo, n. 42. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.. 65 ^ __ I 122. b) These three theological virtues" unite us directly to God ; the moral virtues remove the obstacles to that union and thus prepare_ for and perpetuate it. The object proper of these moral virtues is a moral good 'distinct from God. Ouractions are so regulated by them that, in spite of obsta- cles from within or without, they are kept in steady course towards God. Thus, prudence makes us choose those means best adapted to the pursuance of our supernatural end. Justice, by having us render to others what is due them, sanctifies our relations with them, so as to bring us close to God and to make us more like Him. ' Fortitude equips our soul for trials and struggles. It makes us endure suffering with patience and causes us to undertake with holy ardor and daring the most painful and laborious tasks for the glory of God. Lastly, since guilty pleasure would lead us astray, temperance controls our thirst for pleasure and brings it under subjection to the law of duty. All these virtues have their part to play either in removing obstacles or in supply- ing positive means to' press onward towards God. * C) The Gifts of the Holy Ghost 123. Here we shall not describe the gifts in detail, but; simply show how they correspond to the virtues. First, the gifts are in no way superior to the theological virtues. This becomes, evident -if we but think of divine charity. Their function, however, is 'that^of perfecting the exercise of the virtues. By the gift of understanding we can penetrate farther into the truths of faith to discover the hidden treasures and discern the mysterious harmony therein contained. The gift of knowledge makes us look upon creatures from the point of view of their, relation to their Maker. The gift of fear, by weaning us from the false goods of earth that might allure us into sin, fortifies the virtue of hope and intensifies -the desire for the happiness of heaven. Wisdom makes us relish divine things thus increasing bur love of God. The .gift of counsel crowns the virtue of prudence by showing us in exceptional or difficult cases what.it behooves us to do or not to do. Piety perfects the virtue of religion, making us recognize in God a Father whom we delight in glorifying by love. The gift of fortitude completes the virtue which bears the same name by urging us on to what is more heroic in .endurance and in daring. 1 In the second part of this work where we shall treat of the illuminative way, we shall explain these virtues in detail. The explanation of the gifts of the Holy Ghost we shall join to the treatment of the unitive way. 66 . CHAPTER II. The gift of fear, besides rendering easy the practice of hope, perfects temperance by begetting in us a dread of the penalty and of the ills issuing from the illicit love of pleasure. In this fashion the virtues and the gifts receive their har- monious development in our souls- under the influence of actual grace, of which we must now briefly speak. 3° ACTUAL GRACE l In the order of nature we can do nothing to bring power into action without the concurrence of God. The same is true in the supernatural order; without actual grace we cannot set our faculties into operation. 124. We shall explain : i° the notion of actual grace; 2° its mode of action, 3° its necessity. A) Notion. Actual grace is a supernatural, transient help given us by our Lord to enlighten our mind and strengthen our will in the performance of supernatural acts. a) Its action on our spiritual faculties is direct. Now, grace acts on the mind and the will not simply to raise them to the supernatural order, but to set them in motion and cause them to elicit supernatural acts. For instance, before justification, that is, before the infusion into the .soul of habitual grace, actual grace makes us see the malice and frightful consequences of sin in order to have us loathe it After justification actual grace shows us by the light of faith God's infinite beauty and His loving kindness, in order to have us love Him with all our heart. b) Besides these interior helps, there are others called exterior graces. These latter act directly on our senses and our sensitive faculties. They, therefore, indirectly reach the spiritual faculties, especially since they are often attended by real, interior helps. To this category of exterior graces belong, :for instance, the reading of Holy Scripture or the perusal of some spiritual work, the hearing of a sermon or a piece of religious music, a pious conversation, etc. These do not of themselves strengthen the will, but they produce in .us favorable impressions which by quickening the mind and rousing the will predispose them towards the supernat- ural good. Besides, God often gives in addition inward promptings which by enlightening the mind and giving strength to the will, move us on to amendment, conversion 1 Cf. S. THOMAS, Ia Use, q. 109-113; TANQUEREY, Syn. Theol. Dog., Ill, n. 122- 123. •- Besides Latin works see WAFPELAERT, Meditations thtol., I, p. 606-650; DE RROGLIE, Confer, surlaviesnrnaturelle, I, p. 249; LABAUCIIE, God and Man, IIle P., C. i; VAN DKR MEERSCH, in the Diet, de the"ol: "Grdce". THE NATURE. OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 67 or advancement in the way of perfection. This is what we draw from the Book of the Acts where the Holy Ghost is spoken of as opening the heart of a woman named Lydia " to attend to those things which were said by Paul. " x As for the rest, God who knows that it is through things sen- sible that we rise to things spiritual, adapts Himself to our weakness and makes use of the visible things of this world to bring us to the practice of virtue. 125. B) Its mode Of action, a) Actual grace exerts its influence upon us both in a moral and & physical manner. In a moral way, by means of persuasion and attraction, just as a mother might in teaching her child to walk, call him to herself with a promise of something good. It influences us physically z by adding new forces to our faculties, too weak to act of themselves, as a mother not only coaxes her child to try to walk, but actually takes him by the arms and helps him to take a few steps. All schools admit that oper- ating grace acts physically by producing in our souls inde- liberate impulses. As to co-operating grace various schools of theology hold different opinions; these differences, however, have but little importance in practice. We shall not discuss them here since we do not wish to base the doctrine of the spiritual life upon questions that are matter for controversy. to) From another point of view, grace either goes before the free assent of the will or accompanies it in the performance of an act. Thus, for example, the thought of making an act of love of God suggests itself to us without any effort on our part. This is a preventing grace, a good thought that God gives us. If we acquiesce in it and make an effort to perform the act of love, we then accomplish this thorough the help of a grace called concomitant. Another distinction analogous to this is the one between operating and co-operating grace : through the former God acts in us without us; through the latter God acts in and together with us, that is with the free co-operation of our will. 126. C) Its necessity. 3 The general principle is that actual grace is necessary for the performance of every super- natural act, since there must be a proportion between an effect and its cause. 1 Acts, XVI, 14. ' 2 This is at least the Thomist teaching thus summarized by Father Hugon, Tract. Dog., II, p. 297 : " Gratia actualis... est etiam realitas supernaturalis npbis intrin- seca, non quidem per modum qualitatis, sed per modum motionis transeuntis". 3 Cf. Syn. Theol. Dog., Ill, n. 34-91. There we also examine how far grace is needed for the performance of natural acts. 68 CHAPTER II. •a) Thus, when it is question of conversion, that is, of tl^e passing from mortal sin to the state of grace, supernatural grace is needed to perform the preliminary acts of faith, hope, sorrow and love; nay, such a grace is needed even for that devout desire of believing which is the first step, the very starting point of faith, b) Our steadfastness 'in good, o\ir perseverance unto the hour of death, is likewise the work of actual grace. In fact, in order to persevere one must resist temptations which assail even the justified soul so persistently and tenaciously at times, that without God's help one could not withstand their onslaught. This is why the Savior warns His Apostles immediately after the Last Supper to watch and pray, that is to say, to rely upon grace rather upon their efforts and good will, lest they fall victims to temptation. x Beside the resisting of temptations, perseverance also implies the accomplishment of one's duty. The constant arid stren- uous efforts we must put forth in order to fulfil it will not be made without the power of grace. He alone who has begun in us the good work of perfection can bring it to a happy close. 2 Only He who has called us unto His eternal glory can perfect and confirm and establish us. 3 127. This holds true es_pecially of .final perseverance, a singular and priceless gift. 4 We cannot merit it strictly speaking. To die in the state of grace in spite of all the temptations that assail us at the last hour, to escape these by a sudden or tranquil death — falling asleep in the Lord — this is truly in the language of Councils the grace of graces. We cannot ask for it insistently enough. Prayer and faithful co-operation with grace can obtain it for us. s c) We truly have to rely upon the divine favor. Think what this means, if one wishes not merely to persevere in grace, but to grow in holiness each day, to avoid deliberate venial faults and reduce as much as in our power lies- even our faults of frailty. To pretend that we could for long escape all the faults that hinder our spiritual progress is to contradict the experience of the choicest souls, souls that sorrowed bitterly over trieir lapses; it would be to contra- dict St. John who declares that whoever imagines himself free from sin labors under a delusion;6 in fine, it is to contradict the Council of Trent which condemns those who maintain that justified man can, without a special priyi- 1 Matth,, XXVI, 41. — 2 Philip., I, 6. — 3 / Peter, V, 10. t Trid., sess. VI, Can. 16, 22, 23. s S. AUGUST., De donopersev., VI, 10, P. L, XLV, 999. 6 f Joan., I, 8. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, 69 iege from God, avoid all venial sin during the whole course of his life.'1 • . 128. Actual grace is, therefore, needed even after justi-/ iication. We obtain "it of 'the divine mercy by prayer; hence, the stress laid in Holy Writ upon the necessity of prayer. We can also obtain it through our meritorious acts, in other words, by our co-operation with grace; for the more faithful we are in availing ourselves of the actual graces received, the more will the Almighty be moved to grant us new and greater ones. CONCLUSIONS 129. i° We must hold in greatest esteem the life of grace, for it is a new life which unites and "assimilates us to God. It is a life much "higher and richer than our own natural life. As the life' of the mind, our intellectual life, is superior to vegetative or sensitive life, so the supernatural life infinitely surpasses mere rational life. . This latter in fact is due to man the moment God determines to create him, whilst the former is above the activities and the merit of even the most perfect creature. What created being could ever claim the right of becoming the adopted child of God? Of being made the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost? Of seeing, contemplating God face to face as He sees and con- templates Himself? The Christian life is, therefore, the hidden treasure which we must hold dearer than all. created things. - . _ - 130. 2° Once this treasure is burs, we must be ready to sacrifice all things rather than run the risk . of losing it. This is the conclusion arrived at by Pope St. Leo : " Understand, O Christian, what dignity is yours! Made a partaker of the divine nature, do nbt by an unworthy life return to" your former wretchedness. " 2 No one should be possessed of a greater reverence for self than the Christian, not indeed on account of any merits of his own, but because of that divine life in which he shares, because of , the Holy Ghost whose living temple he is. The holiness of this temple must not be violated nor its beauty tarnished: " Holiness becomes Thy house, 0 Lord, unto length of days. "3 131. 30 Our plain duty is to make use of, to develop this supernatural- organism which constitutes our greatest 1 Sess. VI, Cap. -23. — " Sermones, XXI, 3, P. L., LIV. 195. — 3 Ps. XCII, 5. 70 CHAPTER II. possession. If on the one hand it has pleased the divine goodness to raise us to a superior rank, to endow us with virtues and gifts that perfect our natural powers ; if at every moment God gives us His aid that we may live and act through those powers, it would be the blackest ingratitude to scorn and despise such gifts and to live a merely natural life without looking for fruits worthy of eternal glory. The more generous the giver, the more active and fruitful the co-operation expected. We shall understand this better still after we have studied the place of Christ in the life of the Christian. § II, Role of Jesus in the Christian Life l 132. The Three Divine Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity confer upon us that participation in the life of God described above. It is granted, however, because of the merits and satisfactions of Jesus Christ. On this account He plays a signal part in our supernatural life which is, therefore, called the Christian life. , According to the teaching of St. Paul, Jesus Christ is the head of regenerated humanity, just as Adam was the head of the human race; but, in a far more perfect manner. By His merits Christ regained for us our rights to grace and glory, and by His example He shows us how we are to live in order to sanctify ourselves and merit heaven. More than this, He is the head of a mystical body of which we are the members. Thus, He is the meritorious, exemplary, and vital cause of our sanctification. I.Jesus, the Meritorious Cause of our Spiritual Life 133. When we say that Jesus Christ is the meritorious cause of our sanctification, we take the term in its broader sense- as implying both satisfaction and merit. " Because of the exceeding great charity wherewith He loved us, by His holy passion on the cross, He merited for us justification and made satisfaction for us " 2. Logically r, satisfaction pre- cedes merit. The offense done to God must first of all be atoned for to obtain the pardon of sin, before grace can be merited. In reality, however, all the free acts of our Savior 1 ST. THOM., Ill, qq. 8, 25, 26, 40, 46-49, 57 and elsewhere; BERULLE, OSuvres, ed. 1657, p. 522-530; 665-669; 689; OLIER, Pensc'es choisies; PRAT, Theology oj St. Paul, I, 1. Ill, c. i; 1. IV, c. 3; II, 1. Ill, IV; MARMION, Christ, Life of the. Soul; Christ in his mysteries; PLUS, In Christ Jesus; LEEN, In the likeness oj Christ. - Co. of Trent, sess. VI. c. 7. THE NATURE OF THE' CHRISTIAN LIFE. 71 were at once satisfactory and meritorious; all had an infi-, nite moral value, as we said above, n. 78. From this truth a few conclusions follow. ' ' A) No sin is unpardonable provided that contrite and humbled we meekly ask for forgiveness. This is what we do in the tribunal of penance where the power of the Blood of Christ is applied to us by His minister. The same is effected in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There Jesus offers Himself incessantly for us by the hands of His priests as a sacrifice of propitiation, which repairing the injury done to God by sin, inclines Him to forgive us and at the same time obtains for us graces which excite in our souls sentiments of sincere contrition. Christ thus obtains for us the full pardon of our sins and remission of the temporal punishment due to them. We may add that all the acts of our Christian life, when united to those, of. Jesus Christ, have a satisfactory value both for ourselves and for those for whom we offer them. , •*< 134. .B) Christ likewise merited for us all the grace we need to attain our supernatural end and to develop in us the supernatural life : " Who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ. " J He merited for us the grace of conversion, the grace of steadfastness in good, the helps to resist temptation, the aids to profit by trial, the grace of comfort in the midst of tribulations, the grace of renewal of spirit and of final perseverance. He merited all things for us. We have the solemn word that anything we ask the Father in His name, that is, through His own merits, will be granted to us. 2 Then in order to inspire us with greater confidence, He instituted the sacraments, visible signs, which confer. His grace in. all the important events of life and which give us a right to actual graces in time of need. • 135. C) He has gone further still. In His desire to associate us with Himself in the work of our own sanctifi- cation, He has given, us the power of satisfying and meriting, thus making us the secondary causes,, the agents of our own sanctification. He has, as a matter of fact, made this co-operation a law and an essential condition of Our spiritual life. If He has carried His cross, it is that we may follow Him bearing ours: " If any man. will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and '£/*._, I, 3. - V^w, XVI, 23. ~ \ 72 CHAPTER II -follow me."1 It was thus understood by the: Apostles. If we would share in His glory, says St. Paul, we must share in His sufferings : " Yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. " z St. Peter adds that if Christ suffered for us it is that we may follow in His foot- steps. 3 Moreover, self-sacrificing souls are urged, after the manner of the Apostle of the Gentiles, -to undergo suffering joyfully in union with Christ for the sake of the Church, His mystical body : " Who now rejoicejn my sufferings for you and fill up those things that are wanting, of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church." 4 In this wise these souls share in the redeeming power of Christ's passion and become secondary agents of the salva- tion of their brethren. How true, how sublime, how con- soling is this doctrine! Compare it with the incrediblt affirmation of certain Protestants who assert, that sinct Christ suffered to the full for us, there remains for us onl\ to enjoy the fruits of His plentiful redemption withoui drinking of His chalice. They thus pretend to pay homage to the fulness of Christ's merits. Does not our Christ-given power to merit show forth better the fulness of the redemp- tion by Christ? Does it riot do more honor to Christ to manifest the power of His satisfaction by enabling us to join in His work of atonement and co-operate with Him' even though in a secondary manner? II. Jesus, the Exemplary Cause of our Spiritual Life 136. Jesus was not content to merit for us; He willed to be the exemplary cause, the model of our supernatural life. In order to develop a life that is no less than a partic- ipation in the life of God, we must strive as far as it possible, to live a divine life. Hence, the need we had of a .divine model. As St. Augustine remarks, men whom we see were too imperfect to serve us as a pattern and God, who is holiness itself, was too far beyond our gaze. Then, the eternal Son of God, His living image, became man and showed us by His example how man could here on earth approach the perfection of God. Son of God and son of man, He lived a' Godlike life and could say: "Who seeth me seeth the Father. " s Having revealed the holiness of God in His actions, He can present to us as practical the imitation of the divine perfections : " Be you therefore 1 Matth,, XVI, 24. — '» Rom., VIII, 17. — 3 / Peter, II, 21. < Co/oss., I, 24. — sfoAn, XIV, 9. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 73 _ { _ __ _ _____ _______ ___ _______ 11—11 _,. _.._. - — -- -_-!_. perfect as also your heavenly Father is perfect. " z There- fore, the Eternal Father proposes Him to us as pur model. At His baptism and His transfiguration He said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. " 2 Because He is well pleased in Him, the Eternal Father wills that we imitate His only-begotten Son. • Thus with perfect assurance bur Lord tells us : " I am the way... no man cometh to the Father but by me.. .-learn of me because I am meek and humble of .heart... . I have given you an example that as I have done to you so you do also. " 3 At bottom the Gospel is ,no more than a relation of the deeds and traits .of our Lord's sacred person - proposed to us as a model for our imitation : "Jesus began, to do and to teach. " 4 Christianity in turn is nothing more than the imitation of Cririst. St. Paul gave this as the sum- total of all our duties : " Be ye followers of me as I also am of Christ. " S . . v 137. a) The following are the qualities of the model given us. Jesus is a perfect model. On the admitted testimony of even those who do not -believe in His divinity, He is the highest type of virtue ever seen among men. He practised all virtues to the degree of heroism. His motives were the most perfect : religion towards God, love of His fellow-men, utter self-effacement and horror of sin and its approaches.6 And yet, this model is withal capable of imitation; it is universal, magnetic, powerful. 138. b) All men can imitate Him. Indeed, He willed to bear all our .weaknesses and miseries and even our temp-_ tations; He willed to be like us in all things, sin excepted. -. " Eor we have not a high-priest who can not have compassion. on our infirmities : but one tempted in all things like we are, without sin. "7 During thirty years He lived an ordinary life, hidden and obscure; He was" subject to Mary and Joseph; working as an apprentice, a wage-earner, a toiler, " the carpenter's son. " 8 This has made Him the perfect model for the great mass of men who have but lowly duties to perform and who must work out their sanctification amid humble occupations. His public life was one of zeal. This He exercised, now by training His Apbstles,His chosen ones, now by evangelizing the multitudes. He underwent hunger > Matth. , V, 48. — * Matth. , III, 17 ; XVII, 5. 3 John, XIV, 6; Matth., XI', 29; John, XIII, 15. — •» Acts, I, r. ,,.,,. . This is very well explained by Father Olier, " Catechism for an Interior Life ' , Part I, C. I. - 7 Hd. IV, 15. - « Matth., XIII, 55. 74 - CHAPTER II. and fatigue, enjoyed the friendship of a few, and had to bear the ingratitude and even the enmity of others. He had His successes and reverses, His joys and His sorrows. In a1 word, He passed through the vicissitudes of the ma,n who lives close to his friends and in daily contact with the people. The sufferings of His passion have given us the example of heroic patience in the midst of physical and moral torture, endured not only without complaint but with a prayer for His persecutors. . And we must not reason that because He was God ,He suffered less. He was also man, a man pos- sessed of the most perfect, and therefore the most delicate sensibility. So, He felt and felt more keenly, more vividly than we ever could, the ingratitude of men, the defection of His friends, the treason of Judas. He tasted weariness and grief and terror to the full, so that He could not stay the groaning of His heart, He could not halt the prayer that if possible the bitter chalice might pass from Him. Lastly, on the cross He let escape that woeful cry of utter dereliction, torn from the recesses of His soul, and revealing abysmal depths of interior sorrow : " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ! " I 139. e) A universal model is also a magnetic one. Speak- ing of the manner of His death, He foretold that once He be lifted up from the earth He would draw all things to Himself : " And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself. " 2 The prophecy has come true. Gazing upon what Jesus has done and suffered for them, generous souls are smitten with love for Him and for His Cross. 3 In spite of the abhorrence of nature they bravely carry their interior or exterior crosses to become more like their Lord and Master, to give Him a proof of their love by suffering with Him and for Him, to share more richly in the fruits of His redemption, to join Him in work- ing for the sanctification of men. This is revealed in the lives of the Saints who seek after crosses more eagerly than worldlings do after pleasure, X 140. d) This attraction is all the stronger since He adds thereto all the power of His grace. All the actions of Christ before His death were meritorious ; they merited for us the grace of performing actions similar to His own. When we observe His humility, His poverty, His mortification and 1 Matth., XXVII, 46; ML, XV, 34. 2Jo/m, XI 1 ,32. 3 This is the meaning of the prayer of the Apostle St. Andrew who, crucified for His Master, lovingly greeted the Cross, saying : " 0 bona crux ". THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 75 all His other virtues, we are drawn to imitate Him, not merely by the persuasive force.df His example, .but by the impelling power, the efficaciousness of the graces which He merited for us by practising such virtues. 141. There are especially certain actions of our. divine Savior that transcend all .others. To these \ve must unite ourselves since they are the source of greater grace,.; they are His mysteries. At His incarnation our Lord offered us all with Himself to the Eternal Father to consecrate us to Him. This mystery then merited for us the grace of self- renunciation and of union with God. The mystery of His crucifixion gained for us the grace of crucifying our flesh and its concupiscences. The mystery of His death obtained for us the grace of dying to sin and to the causes of sin. x The truth of this will be better realized by considering how Jesus is the head of a mystical body of which we are the members. ."•'.,. Ill, Jesus the Head of a Mystical Body or the Source - of our Spiritual Life 2 142. The doctrine of the mystical body is contained in substance in the words of our Lord : 3 " I am the vine and you the branches. " Here He asserts that we draw our life from Him as the branches do from the stalk. This compar- ison brings out the notion of our participation in the life of Christ. It is easy to pass thence to the conception of the mystical body in which Jesus, the Head, communicates His life to the members. St. Paul is most? insistent on this teaching so fruitful in its consequences. A body must have a head, a soul and members. These three elements we shall now describe, following the doctrine of the Apostle. 143. i° The head plays a threefold role in the human body : it is first .of all its most prominent and preeminent part, its center of unity, holding together, controlling and di- recting all the members ; it is the source of a vital influx, for life and movement proceed from it This threefold function is exercised by Christ in the Church and in the souls of men. a) He is without question the most prominent and preemi- nent among men. As God-man He is the first-born of all creatures, the object of 'the divine complacency, the exemplar 1 OLIEK, Catechism for an Interior Life, P. I, C. XX-XXV. 2 SWOT. Theol., Ill, q. 8; PRAT, op. cit., I,.l. IV, c. Ill; MARMION, Christ the Life of the Soul, p. 79-92 PLUS, op. cit., Pius- XII : " Mystici corporis Christi" 29 June 1943. BOYLAN, The mystical body and the spiritual life; MERSCH, The whole Christ. 3 John, XV, 5. , • 76 CHAPTER II. of all virtues, the meritorious cause, the source of our sancti- fication, who on account of His merits was exalted above His brethren and before whom every knee must bend in heaven and on earth. b) He is the center of unity in the Church. ,Two things are essential to any complete organism : variety of organs and the functions they fulfil, and a single, common principle. Without these we should have a mass or a motley gathering of living beings with no tie to bind them together. After having given diversity of members to the Church by the .establishment of a hierarchy, Jesus Christ still remains its center of unity; for it is He who as the invisible but real Head of the Church gives impetus and direction to its rulers. c) He is likewise the vital influx, the principle of life' that quickens all the members. Even as man He-received grace in all its fulness to communicate it to us: "We: saw him full of grace and truth..', from whose fulness we have all received and grace for grace. " l He is in fact the merito- rious cause of all the graces bestowed upon us by the Holy Ghost. The Council of Trent does not hesitate to affirm the reality of this influx, this vital action of Jesus upon the just: "For the same Christ... does infuse virtue into those that are justified... as the head unto the members. " 2 144. 2° A living body must have not only a head but also a soul. The Holy Ghost is the soul of that mystical ' body whose head is Christ.* This Holy Spirit infuses charity into the souls of men and also the graces Christ merited for us : " The charity of God is poured forth into our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given to us. "3 This is why He is called tte Vivifier ; " I believe in the Holy Ghost... the Vi- vifier". This is what St. Augustine had in mind when he said/that the Holy Ghost is to the body of the Church what the soul is to the human body: " What our soul is to the body, the Holy Ghost is to the body of Christ, which, is the Church. U4 . These words have been adopted by Leo XIII in his encyclical on the Holy Ghost. This same Spirit dis- penses the sundry spiritual gifts, the. diversity of graces — charisms — "To one the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another' the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another divers kinds of tongues... but all these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to every one according as he will. "5 1 John, I, I 14, 16. — a Sess. VI, c. 8. — 3 Rom., V, 5. < Sermo 187, De Tempore. — 5 Cor., XII, 6-n. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 77 145. Nor can this twofold action of the Holy Ghost and of Christ work at variance. On the contrary, one completes the other. The Holy Ghost comes to us through Christ. When Jesus was on earth His holy soul possessed the'Spirit- in all its fulness, and by, His actions and above . all -by His sufferings and death He merited for us the communication of this same Spirit It is, therefore, because of Him that the Holy Ghost comes now to impart to us Christ's, life and virtues and to make us like unto Him. .Thus we see how ontherone hand Jesus being man could alone be the head of a mystical body composed of men, since the head and the members must be one in nature ; and we see on the other hand how as man He could not of Himself bestow the grace required for the life of His members. This the Holy Ghost does, but He does it in virtue, of. Christ's merits; Hence, we can say that this vital influx takes its origin in Christ in order tq reach His members. 146. 30 'Who are the members of this mystical body? All those who have been baptized. It is baptism that incor- ' porates us into Christ. St. Paul says :" For in one -Spirit were we all baptized unto one body. " I For this reason he adds that we have been baptized in Christ, that in baptism we put on Christ, 2 that is to say, we participate in the inte- rior dispositions of Christ. This the Decree to the Arme- nians explains, saying that by baptism we become members of Christ and of the body of the Church. 3 'From this it follows that allv the baptized are Christ's members, but -in various degrees. The just are united to Him by habitual grace and the privileges that come with it ; sinners, by faith and hope ; the blessed, by the beatific- vision. As regards infidels, they are riot actually members of Christ's mystical body, although as long as they live upon earth they are called to become such. Only the damned are irrevocably excluded from this wonderful privilege. , . 1 " '"' • i •- ' 147. 40 The Consequences of this Doctrine. A) This incorporation forms the basis of the doctrine of the commu- nion of Saints. The just upon earth, the souls in purgatory and the blessed in heaven are all integral parts of. Christ's mystical body. As such they all share in His life, come under His influence, and are obliged to love and help one another; St. Paul tells us : " If one member suffer anything, . . • / *lCor., XII, 13. 'Jfom., VI, 3; Gal., Ill, 2S\£om., XIII, 17. 3DENZINGER-BANN., n. 696. ". : - ' 78 CHAPTER II. all the members suffer with it ; or if one member glory, all the members rejoice with it. " J 148. B) This is what makes all Christians brothers. From now on there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither free- man nor slave; we are all one in Christ Jesus. 2 We are all in closest fellowship so that what is profitable" unto one is profitable unto all others. "No matter how great the variety of gifts, or how great the diversity of offices, the whole body derives gain from whatever good there is in each member, and each member in turn shares in the common good of the body. This doctrine reveals to us the reasons why our Lord could say that whatever we do to the least of His little ones we do unto Him ; 3 for the head is one with the members. 149. C) From St. Paul's teaching it follows that Chris- tians are Christ's complement. God has in fact " made him head over all the Church, which is his body and the fulness of him who is filled all in all. " 4 The fact is that Jesus, Himself perfect, needs an increment in order to form His mystical body. From this point of view He is not sufficient unto Himself; in order to exercise all His vital functions He requires members. Father Olier concludes : " Let us yield our souls to the Spirit of Jesus Christ so that Jesus may have an increase in us. Whenever He finds apt follow- - ers, He expands, grows and diffuses Himself within their hearts, filling them with the^same spiritual fragrance wherein He abounds. " s This is how we are able and are called to fulfil those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, our Savior, for His body, which is the Church, 6 suffering even as He did, that. His passion, so full in itself, be likewise fulfilled in His members through time and space. There is no doctrine more rich, more fruitful, than this doctrine, of 4 Christ's mystical body. CONCLUSION : DEVOTION TO THE INCARNATE WORD i 150. From all that has been said concerning the role ..Jesus Christ plays in our spiritual life, it follows that in order to foster this life an intimate, affectionate and habitual union with Him is demanded of us, that is, devotion to the Incarnate Word. " He who abideth in me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit. " 8 The Church brings this 1 / Cor. , XII, 26. — 2 Rom. , X, 12 ; 7 Cor. XII, 13. — 3 Matth. , XXV, 34-40. * Eph., I, 23. — S Pensies, p. 15-16. — 6 Coloss. I, 24. ^ B6RULLE (called the Apostle of the Incarnate Word), Discours de I'Estatet du Grandeurs de Jlsus. — * John, XV, 5. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 79 home to us when at the end of the Canon of the Mass she reminds us that through Him we receive all spiritual bless- ings, that through Him we are sanctified, quickened, blessed; that through Him, with Him and in Him is given to the Father Almighty in union with the Holy Ghost all honor and glory. A whole system of spiritual doctrine is Here contained : having received from God all things through Christ, through the same Christ we must give God glory, through. the same Christ we must ask further graces, with Christ and in Christ we must perform all our acts. 151. i° Jesus is the only perfect adorer of His Father. In the words of Father Olier, He is the perfect worshipper of God, the only one that can offer Him infinite homage. It is clear, therefore, that in order to pay our debts to the Most Blessed Trinity, we can do nothing better than unite our every act of religion with the perfect worship of Jesus Christ. Nor is this difficult. Jesus being the head of a mystical body whose members we are, adores His Father not merely in His own name, but in the name of all those that are incorporated into Him. He puts into our hands, He places at our disposal the homages He pays to God Almighty ; He allows us to make them our own and to offer them to the Blessed Trinity. 152. 2° With Him and in Him can we best make our petitions for new graces efficacious. He is the High-priest, "always living to make intercession > for us."'1 Even whqn we have had the misfortune of' offending God, He pleads for us and takes our part all the .more eloquently as with His prayers He offers also the Blood He shed for our redemption. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just.."2 More, He endows our prayers with such, worth that if we pray in His name, that is, trusting to His infinite merits and uniting our poor prayers with His perfect prayers, we are certain of having our petitions granted. " Amen, amen, I say to, you ; if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it you. " 3 The fact' is that the value of His merits is imparted to His. members, and God can not refuse anything to His Son. "He was heard for his reverence. "4 153. 3° Lastly, it is in union with Jesus Christ that we must perform all our acts, by keeping, as Father Olier so aptly puts it, Jesus before our eyes, in our heart and in our 1 Heb., VII, 25. — a IJohn, II, i. — 3 John, XVI, 23. — < Heb., V, 7. 80 CHAPTER II. hands.? Now, we keep Jesus before our eyes when we think of Him as "the' ideal, the model, we are to imitate; when like St. Vincent de Paul we ask ourselves : " What would Jesus Christ do were He in -my place? " We keep Jesus iii our heart by drawing into our soul the dispositions of His own, heart, His purity of intention, His fervor,' in order to perform our actions in the spirit in which He per- formed His. We have Jesus in our hands, when we carry into action with generosity, determination and constancy the inspirations which He suggests to us. Then, our life is, indeed, transformed and we live Christ's own life. " I live, how not I, but Christ liveth in me. " 2 § III. The Part of the Blessed Virgin, the Saints and the Angels in the Christian Life . 154. Assuredly there is but one God and one principal mediator, Jesus Christ: "For there is one God: and one mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus. " 3 How- ever, it has pleased the Divine Wisdom as well as the Divine Goodness to grant us protectors, intercessors and models' that are, or at least appear to be, closer still to us. Such are the Saints, members of Christ's mystical body, who having reproduced in their own lives the divine perfections and the virtues of Christ, are concerned in the welfare of their fellow-members, their brethren. By honoring them we honor none other than God Himself, since they reflect the divine perfections. In asking them to intercede for us before the Almighty, it is none other than God whom we really invoke. Lastly, since their own sanctity depends solely upon their imitation of the divine Model, upon the 'measure in which they themselves have reproduced His virtues, when we imitate them we do nothing else but imi- tate Jesus Christ Himself. Far from detracting, then, from the worship due to God and to the Incarnate Word, devotion to the Saints confirms it and carries it out in all its fulness. And since the .Blessed Mother of Jesus occupies a unique place among the Saints, we shall first explain the place she holds in the Christian Life. I. The Part Mary Holds in the Christian Life. 4 155. i° Its foundation. This rests upon the fact of Mary's intimate union with Jesus, in other words,, upon the 1 Introd. d la vie et aux^iertus chrtt., c. IV, 'p. 47. 'Gal., II, 20. — 3 /Tim., II, 5. ' « SC THOMAS, In. Salut. Angel. Exposifio; SUAREZ, De Mysteriis Ckristi, disp THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 81 dogma of her divine Motherhood. Corollaries deduced from this doctrine are her dignity and her office as the mother of men. : « A) At the moment of the Incarnation Mary became the .mother of Jesus, mother of the God-man, mother of God. If we consider the dialogue between Mary and the Angel, we discover that the Blessed Virgin is the mother of Jesus not simply inasmuch as He is a private individual, but inas- much as He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. " The Angel does not speak merely of the personal grandeur of Jesus. - He tenders Mary a call to become the Mother of the Savior, of the expected Messiah, the Eternal King of regenerated mankind. , The whole work of redemption hinges on Mary's "fiat ". She is aware of what God proffers .her; she accedes without restriction or condition to what God asks of her. Her "fiat " embraces the whole import of that divine invitation, it extends to the entire work of redemp- tion. " r The Fathers, following St. Irenaeus, remark that Mary is, therefore, the Mother of the Redeemer and that, being associated as such with His work of Redemption, she has in our spiritual restoration a part similar to that of Eve in our spiritual ruin, Mary, the. Mother of Jesus, has the most intimate relations with the Three Divine Persons. She is* the well-beloved Daughter of the Father and His collaborator in the work of the Incarnation. She is the Mother of the Son with a real title to respect from Him, to His love and, upon earth, even to His obedience. By giving Him His body and blood, the instruments of our redemption, and by sharing in His mysteries, she was the secondary but true agent, the co-worker with her Son in effecting the sanctification and salvation of men. She is the living temple, the privileged sanctuary of the Holy Ghost> and, in an analogical sense, His Spouse; for with Him and under Him she has an active part in bringing forth souls to God. 156. B) At the Incarnation Mary became likewise the Mother of men. As we have already stated, n. 142, Jesus is I-XXIII; BOSSUET, Sermons sur la Ste Vierge; BERNADOT, Our Lady in- Our Life; LEEN, Our blessed mother; Pius XII, Encycl. "Fulgens Corona" 8 sept. 1953 and Encycl. "ad caeli Reginam ", n' oct. 1954. GUITTON, The Blessed Virgin. - 1 BAINVEL, op. cit., p. 73, 75- — The thesis can well be based on the words of the Angel : " Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son : arid thou shalt call his name Jesus (i. e. Savior) ; He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give l»Uo him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. " Luke, I, 31, 32. • . , N» 680. -5 82 . CHAPTER II. the head of regenerated mankind, the head 'of a mystical body whose members we are. As such did Mary conceive Him. She likewise conceived His members, all those who form part of Him, those who have been born again and those who are called to incorporation with Him. When she became the Mother of Jesus according to the flesh she became the mother of men according to the spirit. The scene on Calvary only confirms this truth. At the very moment that our redemption is to be completed by the death of the Savior, Jesus says to Mary : " Behold thy son! " Then to St. John himself He says : " Behold thy mother ! " This, according to a tradition that goes back as far "as Origen, was a declaration that all Christians are the spiritual children of Mary. This double title of Mother of God and Mother of men is the foundation of the office which Mary fills in our spiritual life. ' 151. 2° Mary, a meritorious cause of grace. We have seen, n. 133, that Jesus is in the strictest sense the chief meritorious cause of all the graces we receive. Mary, however, associated with Him in the work of our sanctifi- cation, merited these graces, not in the same manner as Christ, but secondarily and " de congruo, " I that is, under Christ and because of Him, in other words, because He conferred upon her the power of meriting for us. She merited these graces first of all at the moment of the Incarnation when she uttered her "fiat" ; for the Incar- nation is already the beginning of Redemption. To co-ope- rate then in the Incarnation is to co-operate in the Redemption and in all the graces resulting therefrom, and hence in our sanctification and salvation. 158. Besides, Mary whose will was ever in accord with God's will and with the will of her divine Son, associated herself during her whole life in the work of redemption. She brought up Jesus, she nourished and made ready the Victim ot Calvary. Associated with Him in His joys as well as in His trials, in His lowly labors al the house of Nazareth as well as in His virtues, she also united herself to her Son with tender and* generous compassion in His suf- ferings and death. At the foot of the Cross she again uttered her "fiat", acquiescing in the death of Him whom 1 This expression has been ratified by Pope Pius X in his encyclical, "Ad diem ilium ", Feb. 2, 1904,' wherein he declares that Mary has merited for us '•' dc con- gruo " all the graces that Jesus had merited for us " de condigno ". . THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, 83 her soul loved even more than herself while the cruel iron pierced her heart, fulfilling the prophecy of Simeon : " Thine own soul, a sword shall pierce. " J For many of the Jew5* present on Calvary the death of Jesus was the execu- tion of a criminal; for a few it was the murder of an innocent man; but for His Mother it was a sacrifice for the salvation 'of the world. She saw in the Cross an altar, in Her Son a priest, and in His blood the price of our redemption. She suffered in her soul what Jesus suffered in His body, and in union with Him she offered herself as a victim for our sins. What merits did not her perfect immolation gain! Even after the ascension of Her Son into heaven she continued to acquire merits. The privation of the joy of His presence was a slow martyrdom. Though she ardently longed for the moment when she would be forever united to Him, yet, because it was God's will and for the sake of the infant .Church, she lovingly accepted this ordeal and thus secured for us merits without number. Further- more, her acts possessed the greater merit because born of a perfect purity of intention, " My soul doth magnify the Lord, " 2 because they were elicited with such fervor that they fully realized God's will : " Behold the handmaid of the Lord : be it done unto me according to thy word; " 3 and lastly, because they were performed in a most intimate union with Jesus Christ, the very source of all merit. No doubt, all these merits were first and foremost for herself, increasing her own treasure of grace and her titles to glory; but because of the part she took in the work of our redemption, she was also found worthy of meriting in our behalf ; as St. Bernard says, she who was full of grace poured forth her overflow of grace upon us. 4 159. 3° Mary, an exemplary cause. Next to Jesus, Mary is the most beautiful model offered for our imitation. The Holy Ghost who in virtue of her Son's merits lived in her, made her a living image of Christ. Never was -she guilty of the least fault, never did she offer the least resis- tance to grace; on the contrary, she carried out. her words to the letter: "Be it done to me according to thy word," The Fathers, therefore, particularly St. Ambrose and Pope St. Liberius, represent her as the finished model of all virtues; " charitable and full of consideration for all who surrounded her, ever ready to serve them, never uttering a 1 Luke, II, 35. — a Lujte> it 4gt _ 3 iMfai i( 4s. _ 4 /n Assumpt. , sermo II, 2. 84 CHAPTER II. word or doing the least that could give pain, she was all- loving and beloved of all. " r It will suffice to note the virtues mentioned in the Gospel : i) Her deep faith. . She unhesitatingly believed the marvels the Angel announced to her from God. For this faith she was praised by St. Elizabeth under the inspi- ration of the Holy Ghost: "Blessed art thou because thou hast believed. " 2 2) Her virginity is revealed in her answer to the Angel : " How shall this be done for I know not man? " 3 3) Her humility is evidenced by the confusion she experienced at hearing her praises on the lips of the Angel, and by her expressed determination of ever remain- ing the handmaid of the Lord at that very moment when she was proclaimed Mother of God. It further betrays itself in that ecstatic prayer, the Magnificat, as well as in her love of a hidden life, while as Mother of God she had a right to be honored above all creatures. 4) Her interior recollection whereby she pondered in silence all that con- cerned her divine Son : " But Mary kept all these words in her heart. "4 5) Her love for God and men which caused her to accept willingly all the trials of a long life, especially the immolation of her, Son on Calvary and the painful sepa- ration from Him from the time of His ascension to the moment of her death. : 160. This perfect model is also wonderfully attractive: First, Mary is a mere creature as we are, a sister, a mother whom we are drawn to imitate that we may show her our gratitude, our veneration and our love. Then, she is a model 'easy of imitation in this way that she sanctified herself in the ordinary, everyday life common to most of us, by fulfilling those lowly household duties of a young woman and a mother, leading a hidden, retired life both in joy and in sorrow, in the heights of exaltation and in the deepest humiliations. We are on firm ground when we imitate the Blessed Virgin. It is the best way of imitating Jesus and of obtaining Mary's all-powerful intercession. 161. 4° Mary, universal mediatrix of grace. Long ago St. Bernard formulated this doctrine in the well-known text : " It is God's will that we should receive all graces through Mary. " S It is important to determine the precise meaning of these words. It is certain that when Mary gave us Jesus, the Author and Meritorious Cause of grace, 1 BAINVEL, Le Saint Cceur de Marie, p. 313. — a Luke, I, 45. 3 Luke, I, 34. — .* Luke, II, 19. — 5 Sermo de aquaductu, n. 7. THE NATURE OF THE- CHRISTIAN LIFE. " ;85 she thereby gave us all graces. But we can go further. According to a teaching which, as time goes on, is becoming unanimous, I men do not receive a single grace which does not come to them immediately through Mary, that is, through her intercession. It is question, therefore, of an immediate and universal mediation, subordinated, however, to that of Jesus. 162. In order to explain more exactly this doctrine we shall quote Father de la Broise:2 "The actual dispo- sition of the divine decrees ordains that any .supernatural favor accorded to men be granted them by the common concord of three wills and in no other way. First of all, by the will of God, the Giver of all graces ; then, by the will of Christ, the Mediator who by right of justice has merited and obtained grace; and lastly, by the will of Mary, a secondary mediator who4 through Jesus Christ has. in all equity (de congruo) merited and acquired graces. " This mediation is immediate in the sense that for each grace granted to men Mary interposes the good offices of her past merits and of her actual intercession. This by no means implies that the recipient of a grace must of neces- sity demand it of Mary. She can intervene unasked in our behalf. Her mediation is also universal, that is, it covers all the graces given to men since the fall of Adam. However, it remains always subordinated to the mediation of Jesus; for if Mary can merit and obtain graces, it -is solely through the mediation of her divine. Son. Thus, Mary's mediation simply emphasizes the import and richness of Christ's own mediation. This doctrine has been confirmed by an Office and Mass in honor of Mary Mediatrix, which Pope Benedict XV grant- ed to the dioceses of Belgium and to all the dioceses of the Christian world that should request it. 3 The teaching is therefore safe and we can make practical use of it. It can not but inspire us with an immense confidence in Mary. 4 1 The proofs for this assertion will be found in Terrien, of. cit,, III. 2 Marie, mkre de grace, p. 23-24. s Cardinal Mercier by letter of January 23, 1921 makes the fact known to his flock in the following terms : "For years past the Belgian episcopate, the Faculty of Theology of the University of Louvain, all the Religious Orders of the nation, have been addressing their requests to the Sovereign Pontiff to have the title of the Blessed Virgin, "Mediatrix of All Graces", authentically recognized. His Holiness, Benedict XV, has just granted to the churches of Belgium and to all those of the Christian world that will so request, a proper Office and Mass for the tuirty-first day of May in honor of Mary Mediatrix. " f 40n this subject see: BITTREMIEUX, De Mediations. Maries; O'CONNOR, Our ^ady Mediatrix of Graces; HUSSLEIN, All Graces through Mary; and many articles in Catholic Reviews of recent years. ' / -v 1 l , -^ CHAPTER II. CONCLUSION : DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN / 163. Since Mary plays such an important part in our spiritual life, we must entertain a great devotion to her. Devotion means devotedness, and devotedness means the gift of self. We shall be devoted to Mary, then, if we give ourselves entirely to her and through her to God. In so doing we simply imitate God who gives Himself and His $on to us through Mary. We shall give her our intellect by holding her in most profound reverence, our will by an absolute confidence in her, our heart by the gift of a1 tender and childlike love; in fine, our whole, being by copying as far as possible all her virtues. 164. A) Profound veneration. Veneration for Mary has its foundation in her dignity as Mother of God and in the consequences of this dignity. We can never adequately honor and esteem the one whom the Word-made-Flesh reveres as His Mother, the well-beloved daughter whom the Eternal Father contemplates with loving eye, and whom the Holy Ghost regards as His chosen sanctuary. The Father wishing to associate her so intimately in the work of the Incarnation shows her the utmost respect; He sends her an Angel who hails her full of grace and who awaits her " Fiat ". The Son reveres, loves and obeys her as His Mother. The Holy Ghost comes and takes His delight in her. When, therefore, we , venerate the Blessed Virgin we join with the Three Divine Persons in esteeming what They Themselves esteem. No doubt, we must not exaggerate or indulge in any excess as regards this devotion to Mary. We must espe- cially avoid anything that might suggest equality of Mary with Almighty God such as making her the source of grace. As long, however, as we see in her but a creature possessed of no grandeur, no holiness, no power save such as her Creator bestowed upon her, there can be no danger of sinning by excess. It is then God Himself whom we honor and venerate in her. Our veneration for Mary must, moreover, surpass that which we give to the Angels and the Saints, for her dignity as Mother of God, her office of Mediatrix and her exalted holiness place her above all other creatures. Thus the devotion we accord her, although ever remaining what is technically called " cultus duliae " (veneration), that is, the cult that we pay to created beings as distinct from the worship (adoration) which we pay to God alone (cultus ^ NATURE OF THE- CHRISTIAN LIFE. 87 latriae), is nevertheless called by theologians " cultus hyper- duliae" to show that it transcends the homage we pay to the Angels and the Saints. - . . 165. B) Absolute confidence. This confidence is foun- ded on two facts : the power and the goodness of Mary, a) Her power consists in an efficacious intercession with God, who will not turn a deaf ear to her whom He honors and loves above all creatures. And there is nothing more fitting than this. Mary gave to Jesus His very flesh, that human nature which made it possible for Him to acquire merit ; she co-operated with Him by her acts and sufferings in the work of redemption. Is it not, therefore, most fitting that she should have a share in the distribution of the fruits of redemption? Jesus will, indeed, never refuse her requests, and we can say in all truth that Mary is all- powerful in her supplication, omnipotentia supplex. b) Her goodness is that of a mother who has for us, the members of Christ, the same affection she bears her own Son ; that of a mother who having brought us forth in pain and labor during the anguish of Calvary will measure her love for us only by the price of her sacrifice. Hence our trust, our confidence in her must be firm and universal. 1) It must be firm in spite of our miseries and our sins, for Mary is the Mother of mercy, whose 'business is not justice, but compassion, kindliness, condescension. Know- ing as she does that we are ever exposed to the attacks of the world, the flesh and the devil, she takes pity on us who remain her children even when we have sinned. Thus, no sooner do we give the least intimation of good-will, of desire of returning to God, than she accords us a tender welcome;. nay, often her thougtfulness anticipates our prayer and obtains for us those very graces which produce in our souls the first desire of conversion. The Church, well aware of this, has instituted a feast for some dioceses under the title of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, a, title at first strange to our ears, but fully justified in fact, for it is precisely because she is without blemish, because she has never been tainted with the least sin, that she overflows with compassion for her unfortunate children who, unlike her, have not been exempted from the bane of concupiscence. 2) Our confidence in Mary must also be universal; it must extend to all the graces we need for conversion, for spiritual growth, for final perseverance, for preseveration amidst dangers, trials and difficulties. St. Bernard is never CHAPTER II. weary of recommending this trust in the Mother of God : * " When the storm of temptation arises, when you are midst the reefs and shoals of tribulation, fix thy gaze upon the Star of the Sea, call upon Mary, If tossed by the rising tide of pride and ambition, if lost ' upon the troubled waters of scandal and contention, look then at the Star, invoke htr name. Do the billows of anger, of avarice, of lust batter against thy soul, cast thine eyes upon Mary. Does the greatness of thy crime fill thy soul with terror, does thy wretched conscience beat thee down in shame and the fear of judgment paralyze thy heart, then, when about to sink to the depths of despondency, to plunge headlong into despair, then think of Mary. In perils and in sorrows and in fears think of her, call upon her name. Let her name be ever on thy lips and the thought of her be ever in thy heart. Follow her that the power of her intercession may attend thee; imitate her, for in her footsteps thou canst not go astray;, call upon her and. thou canst not despair; think of her and thou canst not fail. If she holds thee by the hand how canst thou fall ! Under her protection thou shalst know no fear; under her guidance thou shalt not falter; under her patronage thou shalt surely reach the goal. " Because we ever stand m need of grace to make progress and to conquer our enemies we must time and again have recourse to her who is so fittingly called Our Lady of Per- petual Help and Mother of Divine Grace, 166. C) Our confidence in Mary must be accompanied by filial love, a love; like the child's, true, f rank and tender. Destined by the Almighty to be the Mother of His Son, and therefore favored with whatever is'lovable and endear- ing, she is the most loving- of mothers, thoughtful, kind and devoted. 'Was not herfeeart created expressly for the one purpose of loving the GoeL-man, her Son, and for loving Him in the most perfect . way? Now, this very love she had for her Son she .bears also towards us who are His living members, parts of His mystical body. She reveals this love in the mystery of the Visitation where she hastens to bring to her cousin, Elizabeth, Him whom she holds in her womb and whose very presence sanctifies the home of Zachary. Again, she shows her tender love for men at the marriage-feast of Cana, where her delicate thoughtf ulness pleads with her Son to spare her hosts the shame of humi- liation. On Calvary she consents to sacrifice her dearest 1 Homil. //, de Laudibus Virg. Mains, 17. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 89 Possession for our salvation. In the Upper Room where the disciples prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit, she intercedes in behalf of the Apostles to draw down upon them in a larger measure the precious gifts of the Holy Ghost. 167. The most lovable as well as the most loving of mothers, she should be also the best loved mother. This is one of her most glorious prerogatives. Wherever Jesus is known and loved, there Mary is also known and loved. Although aware of the vast difference between them, we love them both, but in different degrees. Jesus we love with the love that is due the Godhead; Mary we love under God as His Mother, with a tender, generous and devoted love. We love her with a love of complacency, .delighting in her greatness, her virtues and her privileges; meditating fre- quently on them, admiring them, rejoicing in them, and congratulating her on her exalted perfections. We love her with a love of benevolence; we sincerely long that she be better known and better loved; we pray that her influence over souls be widespread, and to our prayer we join the force of word and action. We love her with a filial love, with tenderness and without reserve, with all the abandon, with all the unreasoned, whole-hearted devo- tedness, with that- sweet familiarity and respectful intimacy of a child with its mother. We strive to conform our wills in all things to the will of Mary and thereby to the will of God. In fact, this union of wills is the genuine mark of friendship. 168. D) Imitation of Mary is the most pleasing homage we can render her. In this way we proclaim by our deeds, by our life, and not merely by our words that we actually regard her as a perfect model for imitation. We have noted above (n. 159) how Mary, a living picture of her Son, is for us an example of all virtues. If to resemble her is to resemble Jesus, could we do better than to study her virtues, to ponder them and strive to imitate them in our own lives? There is no better way to accomplish this than to perform each of our actions through Mary, with Mary and in Mary.'1 Through Mary, asking through her interces- sion the graces we need in order to imitate her, going through her to Jesus. With Mary, that is to say, consid- * This was the practice of Father Olier, popularized by Blessed Grignion de Montfort in ' ' True devotion to the Blessed Virgin ". 90 CHAPTER II ering her as a 'model and helper, 'asking ourselves often what Mary would do were she in our place, and humbly begging her to help us to perform our actions according to her will. In Mary, in entire dependence upon our good Mother, taking her point of view, entering into her plans, doing all things as she did them, for God's honor and glory : " My soul doth magnify the Lord. " 169. These are the dispositions we must entertain in offering up our prayers in honor of Mary : in reciting the Hail Mary and the Angelus which bring back to mind the scene of the Annunciation and recall her . august .title of Mother of God ; in saying the Sub tuum pmsidium, an act of confidence in' her who shields us frorq harm, and the 0 Domina mea, a full surrender into Mary's hands by which we give her our entire being; in the recitation of the Rosary, whereby we unite ourselves to her in her joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries which render so easy the sanctification of our joys and sorrows in union with her and with Jesus; and lastly, in the recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, which will often remind those who are privileged to say it of the grandeur, the holiness and the sanctifying mission of this good Mother. THE ACT OF ENTIRE CONSECRATION TO MARY * 170. Nature and extent of this act. This is an act of devotion which in atself embodies all the others. As explained by Blessed Grignion de Montfort it consists in the entire gift of self to Jesus through Mary. It comprises two elements : first, an act of consecration which is to be renewed from time to time, and then an habitual attitude by which we live and act in entire dependence on Mary. "The act of consecration, " says Blessed Grignion de Montfort, " con- sists in giving oneself wholly to Mary and through her to Jesus as her slave. " Let no one be shocked at the word, " slave, " which today seems so repugnant to us, but which has no such evil meaning as explained by this servant of God. A mere servant, says he, receives his wages, is ever free to quit his master's service. He gives his labor only, not his person, not his rights, not his goods. A slave, however, freely agrees to work without wages and, trust- ing to the master that gives him food and shelter, hands himself over to him forever, with all that he is and has, in 1 GRIGNION DE MONTFORT, op, cit.; A. LHOUMEAU, La, Vie sfirituelle a du B. Grig, de Montfort, 1920, p. 240-427. THE NATURE OF THE- CHRISTIAN LIFE. . 91 order to live in entire dependence on the master in the spirit of love. 171. Carrying the application of the simile- to things spiritual, the perfect servant of Mary gives himself over to her, and through her to Jesus : a) His body with all its senses, keeping only the use thereof and pledging himself not to employ them except in accordance with the good pleasure of the Blessed Virgin or her Son, Moreover, he accepts beforehand the dispositions of Divine Providence as regards sickness and health, life and death. b) All wordly possessions, using them solely in dependence on Mary, for her honor and the glory of God. e) His soul with all its faculties, dedicating them under Mary's guidance to the service of God and the good of souls, and renouncing at the same time whatever might compro- mise his sanctification or imperil his salvation. d) All his interior and spiritual treasures, his merits, the value of his satisfactory acts as well as the impetratory power his good actions may possess. All these are placed in the hands of Mary to the extent in which they can be given over to another. Let us explain this last point : 1) Our merits properly so called (i. e., de condigno) by which we procure for ourselves an increase of grace and glory cannot be given away. When, then, we make a gift of them to Mary it is not in order to apply them to others, but that she might hold them in trust for us and give them increase. It is quite otherwise with the merits called de congruo, which can be offered for others, and these we leave entirely to Mary's free disposition. 2) In the same manner we allow her * to dispose of and to apply freely the satisfactory value of our acts and the indulgences we may gain, since these can be given to others. 3) In virtue of our consecration to Mary we cede to her even the impetratory value of our acts, that is to say, of our prayers and our good actions, in so far as they are endowed with such efficacy. 172. Once we have made this act of consecration, we can no longer without her permission dispose of the goods we have made over to her. However, we may and at times we should beg her to favor according to her good pleasure 'St. THOMAS, Supplement, q. 13, a. a. . ' ' ' 92 CHAPTER II. those: to whom we are bound by special ties, and to whom we are under special obligation. The best way, therefore, of harmonizing our gift of self to Mary and our duties to others is to offer up to her all those who are near and dear to us : "I am all Thine, all mine are Thine. " Thus the Blessed Virgin will draw on what we have given her, but more still on the treasury of her own merits and those of her Son in order to help those we have committed to her care. Our friends, therefore, will lose nothing. 173. Excellence of this act of consecration. It is an act of holy abandonment, of self-surrender, excellent in itself and containing, moreover, acts of the highest virtues : religion, humility and confiding love. 1) It is an act of religion toward God, the Word-made- Flesh, and Mary, the Mother of God. By it we acknowledge God's sovereign dominion and our own nothingness, and proclaim with heart and soul those rights over us which God has given Mary. 2) It is an act of humility, for by it we acknowledge our nothingness and our helplessness. We divest ourselves of everything that we have received from God and restore all to the Giver through the hands of her from whom, under Him and through Him, we have obtained every good gift. 3) It is an act of confiding love, for love consists in the gift of self; anpl to give oneself entirely and unreservedly presupposes absolute trust and living faith. It may be said that. this consecration if rightly made, and frequently and earnestly renewed, is even of greater worth than the heroic act by which we give up but the satisfactory value of our acts and the indulgences we may gain. 174. Fruits of this act of consecration. They come from its very nature, i) By this act we glorify God and Mary in an unparalleled manner: we give ourselves to God forever, with all that we are and all that we have, without measure or, stint, and we dp so after the manner of Divine Wisdom, -that is, returning to God in -the very way He chose to come to us, and hence, in the way that is most pleasing to Him. . 17-5; . 2} We thereby also insure our, individual .sanctifica- tion. Mary cannot : but minister unto the sanctifieation'of those who, having disposed of their persons and goods in her behalf, are, so to say, her own property. She will most assuredly secure for us choice graces to safeguard our little V //'> v'' THE .NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 93 • x * -1 " " ~:' •""' ' ' - ' " " " " " ~~ "~" " ' spiritual treasurejf'to make it grow and have it bring forth fruit in season .until the hour of death. She will help us through her superabundant merits and satisfactions and through he^ powerful, intercession with God. ,3) y\" third fruit *of this consecration to Mary is the sancti- fication 'of < our, neighbor. This is true especially of the souls entrusted to us. , They are certain to gain by our gift. We can be sure \hatt when we leave the apportioning of our merits 'to Mary's good-pleasure, everything will be done with greater wisdom. She is by far more prudent than we are, more thoughtful -and more devoted. Consequently our friends"' and relatives can only be the gainers. J'" ' 176. It may be objected that by such an act we alienate all our spiritual goods, above all, our satisfactions and the indulgences and prayers that would be offered up for us, thus rendering our purgatory all the longer. In itself this is true ; "however, it resolves itself into a question of trust. Do we rely more on Mary than on ourselves or our friends? If' we do, let us have no misgivings, for she will care for our souls and further our interests far better than we could ever do ourselves. If we do not, then let usvrefr^n;';frQm Vmaking this act of complete conse- cration fQr;we:;tojj^ it before long. In any event one •; should: hot -rfraKb this act of consecration without re- flection andia;dvic;£. /V; / ; ; • \\, The Share of the Saints in the Christian Life '• 177v ; By theii; powerful intercession and by their noble example, the Saints in their blessed possession of God minis- ter to :our sanctification and help us to progress in the practice, pf the Christian virtues. Hence, we should vene- rate, inyoke and imitate them. 178.. 19 .We should venerate them. All the good they possess is the work of God and His Divine Son. As mere natural, beings 'they" .'are so many reflections of the divine . perfections. Tlieir supernatural qualities are the work of that divine grace. which Jesus merited for them. Even their meritorious acts, while being their own in the sense that their free will co-operated with Almighty God, are none the less the precious gift of the Divine Goodness who is ever their first and efficacious cause: "Thou dost but crown Thy gifts when Thou crownest our merits. " * When, there- 1 " Coronando merita coronas et dona tua". St. Augustine. . :\.^y^^ CHAPTER II. ' •' •' " '* fore, we pay the Saints the homage of our veneratipnv it is God and His Son, Jesus, whom we really honor, and revere in them. . , ;• , l * We venerate these Blessed Ones as:(st) the living 'sanc- tuaries of the Triune God who has deigned to dwell in them, to adorn their souls with virtues- andv with gifts, to prompt their faculties to action and cause them to elicit meritorious acts, and to grant them at, last the 'crowning grace of perseverance to the end. b) We -hoflor them as the adopted and well-beloved children of the -Father^ who surrounded by His paternal care knew how to 'respond to His love and to grow more like Him in holiness and perfec- tion, c) We hail them as the brethren of Christ; the faith- ful members of His mystical body, who drew from Him their spiritual life and cultivated it in abiding love, d) We revere them as temples of the Holy Ghost, as His docile servants, who allowed His inspirations to be their guide rather than blindly follow the bent of a corrupted nature. Father Olier aptly expresses these thoughts : " You will be able to adore with the most profound veneration this life of God communicated to His Saints; you will honor Jesus Christ who animates them all and who through His divine Spirit makes them all one in Himself. ' -It is Jesus Christ Himself who proclaims in them the glory of God ; it is He who puts upon their lips their canticles of praise; it is He through whom the sainted glorify God now and through all eternity. " z 179. 2° We should invoke the Saints in order to obtain through their powerful intercession the graces we need. True, the mediation of Jesus Christ alone is necessary and all-sufficient in itself; however, because of the very fact that the Saints are members of the risen Christ, their prayers are united to His. Thus, the whole mystical body of the Savior prays, and with its entreaties it does sweet violence to the heart of God. When, therefore, we pray in union with the Saints we join our petitions to those of: Christ's mystical body and thereby insure their efficacy. Moreover, the Saints are glad to intercede in ourbehalf : "They love us as brothers born of the same. Father 'and they have compas- sion for us. Seeing our plight and 'remembering that it once was theirs, they behold in ..us souls, who like themselves ought to contribute to Christ's glory. What joy "must they not experience in finding souls. to join them in -glorifying 1 Penstes, chokies, by G. LETOURNEAU, p. 181-183. j. ' THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 95 \God! "* Their goodness and their power must. inspire us nth full confidence in them. \ We are to invoke them especially on their feast-days. T^hus we shall enter into the spirit of the liturgy of the Church, and share in the particular virtues practised by the different Saints. • 180. 3° Lastly and above all, we should imitate the virtues of the Saints. Each .one of them strove to reproduce the divine model and each one can address us in the words of St. Paul : "Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ. " 2 In most cases, however, the Saints have cultivar ted a special virtue which is, so to speak,. their characteristic trait. Some have directed their efforts chiefly toward :the cultivation of the spirit of faith, hope or charity; others have centered them round the spirit of sacrifice, humility or poverty ; others, again, have excelled in the .exercise of prudence, fortitude or chastity. We can beg of them their distinctive virtues with the assurance that they have ,a special power to obtain them for us. ' 181. This is the reason why we should be specially devoted to those Saints who lived in conditions similar to our own, who discharged the same duties that we must perform and who practised the virtues that we need most. We should also have a special devotion to our patron Saints, seeing in the choice made of them on our behalf a providential arrangement. Still, if for special reasons the movements of grace draw us to some other Saints whose virtues correspond better to the needs of our souls, there can' be no objection to our cultivating devotion to them. 182. Thus understood, devotion to the Saints is most, useful to us. The example of men with the same passions as we have,, who, tried by the same temptations, have won the victory with the help of the , same graces that are accorded us, is. a powerful incentive to make us ashamed of our faintheartedness and to strengthen in us the determina- tion to put forth the efforts constantly required for the accomplishment of our resolutions. We thus naturally apply to ourselves the words of St. Augustine : " Canst thoii not do what these have done? " 3 , 1 FATHER OLIEB, Pensies choisies, p. 176. '/Cor.,. IV, 16. • 3 "Tu non poteris quod tsti, quod istse?" Confessions, VIII, c. n, • 96 CHAPTER II. III. The Share of the Angels in the Christian Life The part of the Angels in the Christian life has its origin in" the relations they have with God and with Jesus Christ; 183. i° First of all, the Angels show forth God's great- ness and perfection. " Each symbolizes individually some attribute or other of that infinite Being. In some we see His power, in others His love, in others His strength. Each is a reproduction 'of some beauty of the divine Original ; each adores Him and glorifies Him in the perfection it portrays. " ? It is God, then, whom we honor in the Angels. They are like mirrors reflecting the perfections of their infinite Creator.2 Raised to the supernatural order, they share in the life of God; and victorious in trial, they enjoy the Beatific Vision: "Their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. " 3 184. 2° If we consider their relations with Jesus Christ, it may not appear absolutely certain that they hold their grace from Him; but this much does appear with certainty, that in heaven they unite themselves with Him, the Mediator of all religion, in order to adore, praise and glorify the Majesty of the Most High. It is their bliss to add in this wise a greater worth to their worship : " Through whom the Angels praise, the Dominations adore and the Powers hold in awe Thy Majesty. " 4 Hence, when we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ to adore God we join at the same time with the Angels and Saints in a heavenly harmony which renders the praise of the Godhead still more perfect. We can well make our own the words of Father Olier: "May all the Angelic Host, the mighty Powers that move the spheres of heaven, forever pour forth in Jesus Christ whatever be wanting to pur song of praise. May they forever thank Thee, Lorcl, for all those gifts both of nature and of grace which from the goodness of Thy hand we all receive. " 5 185. 3° From this twofold consideration it follows that they have at heart our sanctification. Since we share with them in the divine life, and since we are like them the relig- ious of God in Christ Jesus, they long for our salvation that we may join them in glorifying God and in enjoying the Beatific Vision, a) Thus it is with joy that they accept those God -given missions to minister to our sanctification. 1 OLIER, Pensdes choisies, p. 158. — a Ibid,, p. 164. — 3 MattA., XVIII, 10. < Preface, Roman Missal. — 5 Pens/es choisies, p. 169. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 97 \The Psalmist says that God has entrusted the just man to \heir care that they may guard him in his way : " For he iiath given his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. " I St. Paul adds that the Angels are^in God's service as servants to minister unto the welfare of the heirs of sal- vation: " Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation? " 2 In fact, they burn with the desire of rallying elect souls to fill the vacant thrones of fallen angels, .and to glorify and adore the Almighty in their stead. Victors over demons, they ask but to shield us from the perfidious enemies of our souls. . It is our part to ask their timely assistance in order to repel the assaults 'of Satan, to) They present our prayers to the Most Highs by joining their own supplications to our requests. It is, therefore, to our advantage to call upon them, especially in the hour of trial, and above all, at the hour of death, that they may defend us from the attacks of our enemies and conduct our souls to Paradise. 4 ' 186. The Guardian Angels. Some among the Angels are commissioned with the care of individual souls : these are the Guardian Angels. This is the traditional doctrine of the Fathers, based upon scriptural texts and supported by solid reasons. It lias been confirmed by the Church in the institution of a feast in honor of the Guardian Angels. The reasons that support this doctrine flow from our relationship to God, for we are His children, members of Jesus Christ and temples of the Holy Ghost. " Because we are His children, " says Father Olier, s" He appoints to us as tutors the princes of His realm, who hold it an honor to have us in their charge. Because we are His. members, He wills that those very spirits that minister unto Him be also at our side to render us their services. Because we are His temples in which He Himself dwells, He wills that Angels hover about us as they do about our churches, so that bowed down in worship before Him they may offer a perpetual homage to His glory, supplying for our neglect and making reparation for our irreverence. " Father Olier goes on to say that God wishes to unite intimately through the agency of His Angels the Church Triump^l^'and the Church Militant : " He sends this mysterious hosttof Angels in order that they may by uniting themselves to us and bind- i _.' Ps. XC, 11-12. — zHeb.], I, 14. — 3m,,XII, is, •''."' ;••-. 4 That the Angels conduct our souls to heaven is a traditional doctrine, as is shown by DOM LECLERCQ, Dict.d'Arck. de la Concupiscence, C. IV. — * Ibid., C. V. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 103 pamper the body at every turn. All these sensual cravings are but the branches of the same tree, the concupiscence of the flesh.1.1 196. B) The remedy for this great evil is found in the mortification of the senses. As St. Paul tells us, " They that are Christ's have crucified their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences. "«- But to crucify the flesh, according to Father Olier, " is to fetter, to smother all the. impure and inordinate desires we feel in our flesh. "3 To crucify the flesh is likewise to mortify our exterior senses > those channels that put us in contact with things about us and stir within us dangerous desires. The motive, at bottom, giving rise to the obligation of practising this mortification, is none other than our baptismal vow. 197. .Baptism,\sy which we die to sin and are made one body with Christ, obliges us to mortify in ourselves all sensual pleasure. " According to St. Paul, we are no longer debtors to the flesh that we should live according to the flesh, but we are bound to live according to the spirit. If we live by the spirit let us walk according to the spirit which has written in our hearts the law of the Cross and has given us the strength to carry it. " 4 The symbolism of baptism by immersion (the more common way of administering baptism in Apostolic times and in the early centuries) teaches us the truth of this doctrine. The catechumen is plunged into the water and there he dies to sin and the causes of sin. Coming but he shares in a new life, the life of the Risen Christ. This is St. Paul's teaching : " We that are dead to sin, how shall we live any longer therein? Know you not that all we who are baptized in Christ Jesus are baptized in His death? For we are buried together with Him by baptism into death : that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in the newness of life. " 5. Thus/ the baptismal immersion represents death to sin and to the concupiscence which leads to sin. The coming out of the baptismal waters typifies that newness of life through which we are made sharers in the risen life of the Savior. 6 1 In this paragraph we merely give a summary of the fifth chapter of Bossuet's Treatise on Concupiscence. • Gal., V, 24. 3 Cat. for an Int. Life, Part. I, lesson 5.:— * Ibid., lesson 5. * Rom., VI, 2~-4. . ... . ; '.....' 6 " It does not alter. the thought of the Apostle to express it in the following theological language : The Sacraments are efficacious signs which .produce ex opere operato the effects wich they signify. Now, baptism represents sacramentally the 104 CHAPTER II. Hence, our baptism obliges us to mortify the concupiscence that remains in us and to imitate our Lord who by the crucifixion of His flesh merited for us the grace of crucify- ing our own. The nails wherewith we crucify it are, the various acts of mortification we perform. This obligation of mortifying our love for pleasure so imposes itself upon us that our. spiritual life and our salva- tion depend upon it. " For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die : but if by the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live. " I 198. In order to obtain a complete victory, it does not suffice to renounce evil pleasures (this we are strictly bound to do), but we must, in order to be on the safe side, sacrifice all dangerous ones, for these almost invariably lead us to sin : " He who loves danger shall perish in it. " 2 Besides, we must deprive ourselves of some lawful pleasures in order to strengthen our wills against the lure of forbidden ones. In fact, whoever indulges without restraint in all lawful pleasures, is in proximate danger of falling into those that are sinful. 2°, THE CONCUPISCENCE OF THE EYES (CURIOSITY AND AVARICE) 199. A) The evil. The concupiscence of the eyes com- prises two things : all unwholesome curiosity and inordinate love of the goods of this world. a) The curiosity of which we speak consists in an exces- sive desire to see, to hear, to know what goes on in the world, the secret intrigues that are woven there ; not in order to derive any spiritual profit therefrom, but to indulge our craving for frivolous knowledge. Nor is this curiosity confined to present-day happenings ; it may cover the events of past centuries, as when we delve into the history of by- gone days to seek not what will be a wholesome inspiration but what may please our fancy. A special object of this curiosity is the pseudo-science of divination whereby men make bold to peer into things hidden and into events to come, the knowledge of which God has reserved to Himself. This phase of curiosity " constitutes an aggression upon the rights of God Almighty and an attempt to wreck the con- fidence and trust wherewith man should abandon himself death and the life of Christ. It follows that it causes in us a death, mystical in its essence, but real in its effects ; a death to sin, to the flesh, to the old Adam ; and a life in agreement with that of the Risen Christ ". (Cf. PRAT, The Theology of St. Paul, II, Book 5, C. 2). 1 Rom. , VIII, 13. — » Eccli., Ill, 27. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 105 to his Providence."1 Furthermore, this curiosity extends to true and useful science when men give themselves over to its pursuit without moderation or to the detriment of higher duties. Such is the case of those who read indiscrim- inately every kind of novel, play or poetry, " for all this is nothing less than an excess, a morbid disposition of the soul, the shrivelling up of the heart, a miserable bondage allowing us no leisure to turn our thoughts upon ourselves, and a source of error. " 2 200. b) The second form of the concupiscence of the eyes is the inordinate love of money, regarded either as a means for the acquisition of other goods sugh as honors or , pleasure, or considered as an object of attachment in itself, an object which we delight to see and finger and in which we find a certain sense of security for the future. The latter is avarice properly so-called. Both expose us to the commission of numberless sins, for cupidity is the prolific source of all kinds of fraud and injustice. 201. B) The remedy, a) To combat vain curiosity we must recall to mind that whatever is not eternal is not worthy of winning and captivating the thought of immortal beings such as we are. " The fashion of this world passeth away " ; 3 but one thing abideth, God and the possession of God, which is heaven. We must, therefore, heed only what is eternal, " for whatever is not eternal is as nothing. " No doubt, present-day events as well as those of the past may and ought to engage our interest, yet only in so far as they contribute to the glory of God and the salvation of men. When God created this world and .all that exists He had but one end in view, to communicate His divine life to those creatures He had endowed with intelligence — angels and men — and to 'recruit His Elect. All. else is secondary and should not be made the subject of our study, save as a means of leading us to God. .202. b) As regards inordinate love of the goods of this world, we must bear in, mind that wealth is not an end in itself, but the means given by Providence to minister to our needs. God ever retains the supreme dominion over all things, and we are but stewards who shall have to render an account of the use we have made of our temporal pos- sessions : " Give an account of thy stewardship. " 4 It is 1 BOSSUET, /. £.,:C. 8. — s BOSSUET, /. C. 3 / Cor., VII, 31. - 4 Lvke, XVI, 2. 106 CHAPTER II. wise, then, to give a large portion of what is over and above , our needs in almsgiving and. other good works. This is in truth to enter into the designs of God who wills that the rich be, so to speak, the treasurers of the poor ; it is to make in the bank of heaven a deposit which will be returned to us with a hundredfold interest upon our entrance into eter- nity. "Lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither the rust nor the moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through or steal."1 This is the way to detach our hearts from earthly goods so as to raise them to God; for as our Lord adds : " Where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also."2 Let us then seek first the kingdom of God, holiness, and all other things shall be added unto us. If we would be perfect we must go further and practise evangelical poverty. " Blessed are the poor in spirit. " 3 This may be achieved in three ways according to our attractions and opportunities : i) by selling all our goods and giving the proceeds to the poor. " Sell what you possess and give alms. " 4 2) By having all things in common, as is done in religious communities. 3) By renouncing' the right of using the capital which we retain, refraining, for instance, from making any outlay not sanction- ed by a prudent spiritual director. 5 203. Whichever way is adopted, the heart must be freed from its attachment to riches if it would take its flight towards God. This is what Bossuet urges : "• Happy they who in the lowly seclusion of God's house delight in the bareness of their narrow cells, in the beggarly appointments that satisfy their wants in this earthly exis- tence — a shadow of death — there to gaze solely upon their weakness and the heavy, oppressing , yoke of sin. Happy those consecrated Virgins who no longer seek to appear before the world and who would fain hide themselves from their own eyes beneath the sacred veil that shrouds their form! Blessed that sweet restraint wherewith we guard our eyes lest they light upon vain things, the while we say with David : " Turn away mine eyes, that they may not behold vanity. " 6 Happy those who, living in the, world according to their state of life, remain undefiled and unfet- tered,... those who can say with Queen Esther : "Thou 1 Matlh. , VI, 20. — *Matth. , VI, 21. — 3 Matth., V, 3, < Luke, XII, 23,. XVIII, 22, Mdtth., XIX, 21. 5 OLIER, Introd., C. XI; Chevrier, Le veritable disciple, p. 248-267. 6 Ps. CXIII, 37. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 107 knowest, 0 Lord, how I scorn this emblem of pride '(her crown); how I abhor the glory of the wicked and ungodly ; how thy handmaid hath never rejoiced save in thee, 0 Lord God of Israel." r . 3° THE PRIDE OF LIFE 204. A) The evil. "Pride, " says Bossuet, " is a pro- found depravity; it is the worship of self; man becomes his own god through excessive self-love. " 2 Forgetful that God is his first beginning and his last end, he overrates himself; he considers himself the sovereign lord and master of those qualities, real or imaginary, which he possesses, without referring them to God. From this arises that spirit of independence, of self-sufficiency, that finally brings man to renounce allegiance to God and His representatives on earth. Hence, also, that egotism which prompts him to do everything for self as though he were himself his last end; that vain complacency in his -own excellence as though God were not its source; that conceit in his good works as though they were not above all the result of God's action on the soul. Hence, again, the tendency to exaggerate the good qualities he possesses, and to attribute to himself others that he lacks. Hence, too, the disposition to prefer self to others and at times, like the Pharisee, to despise others. 205. This pride is accompanied by vanity, which seeks inordinately the esteem, the approbation, the praise of men. It is called vainglory, for, as Bossuet points out, "if it be but an empty or undeserved applause, what an absurdity to delight in it! If it be genuine, why the further folly of rejoicing, less at truth itself than at the tribute paid to it? " 3 A paradox, indeed, that one should be more solici- tous for the esteem of men than for virtue itself, that man should find cause for greater humiliation in a blunder com- mitted in the sight of all than in a real fault committed in secret! This failing once yielded to is not slow in bringing others in its wake. It gives rise to boasting, to speaking of self and one's achievements; to ostentation which courts the public eye with finery and display; to hypocrisy which makes a show of virtue while careless about its practice. 206. The effects of pride are deplorable. This vice is the arch-enemy of perfection, i) It robs God of the glory s-iS.-2 /,.<:. ,C.X, XXIII. 3 Tr. de la Concupiscence, C. XVII. 108 CHAPTER II. due Him and thereby deprives us of many graces and merits, since God can not allow Himself to be made an accomplice in our pride : "God resisteth the proud." I 2) It is the source of many sins, such as sins of presumption which are punished by lamentable falls and enslavement to shameful vices; sins of discouragement at seeing oneself fallen so low; sins of dissimulation because of the hardship of confessing certain sins; sins of resistance to superiors, of envy and jealousy towards the neighbor, etc. 207. B) The remedy consists : a) in referring all to God, recognizing that He is the author of all good and that, being the first principle of all our actions, He. must be likewise their last end. This is what St. Paul means when he asks. "What hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? " 2 From this he concludes that all our actions must tend to the glory of God : "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the 'glory of God. " 3 In order to give these actions greater value, let us be mindful of doing them in the name and through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ : " All .whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. "4 ,208. to) Since, however, our nature inclines us to self- seeking, we must, in order to react against this tendency, remember that of ourselves we are but nothingness and sin. No doubt, there are in us good qualities, natural and super- natural, which we are to hold in high regard and which we - must cultivate; but coming as they do from God, is it not to Him that the glory is due? When an artist creates a masterpiece, it is he and not the canvass that is to be praised. Of ourselves we are mere nothingness. " This is, " says Father Olier, " what we have been from all eternity; the being wherewith God has clothed us is of His creation and not of ours; and whatsoeyer He has given us remains His own property by which He wills to be honored. " 5 Again, of ourselves we are but sin in the sense that by concupiscence we tend to sin; so much so that, according to St. Augustine, if we do not fall into certain sins we owe it to the grace of God. " To Thy grace it is due that some evil I left undone. For what might I not have done, seeing i James, IV, 6. — * I. Cor., IV, 7. — 3 1. Cor., X, 31. — * Colas., Ill, 17. s Cat. for an Int< Life, Part I., lesson 15. : ;THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN IFE. ' 109 _ « v . - • . - _ - .' .;. _ — — i- ' ' " K that Iloved "even fruitless misdoing. " J Father Olier thus explains this doctrine : " This I can say about it : there is no conceivable sin, no imperfection or disorder, no blight of error, no confusion with which our flesh is not teeming, Likewise, there is no fickleness, no folly, no stupidity of which mortal flesh is not capable at any moment. " 2 Assur- edly, our nature is not totally corrupt, as 'Luther affirmed. With God's concurrence, natural and supernatural, 3 it is capable of some^good, even of a great deal of good, as is evident in the case of the Saints. But since God is ever the first and principal cause of this good, it is to Him that thanks must be given. 209. We conclude with Bossuet: "Trust not overmuch in thyself, for this is the beginning of sin. Covet not the glory of men, for having received thy reward only tor- ments shall await thee. Glory not in thine own self, for whatsoever* of ; thy good works ithou! dost attribute to thyself, thou takest "away from God, ''its i-authpr, and thou placest thyself in1 His stead. Shake not;oj£ the yoke of God's law ; say not to thyself with the haughtiness of the proud : I shall not serve; for- if thou servest npt;unto justice, thou. shalt be the slave of sin and the child of death. Say not : I am not unclean, arid reckon not that Goci has forgotten thy sins because thou thyself rememberest. them no more, for the Lord shall rouse thee saying : See, look at thy paths in that vale obscure. I have followed thee along thy ways. I have counted thy. steps. Resist not the counsel of the wise and be not angry at correction ; for this is the consummation of pride, to rebel against the truth itself when it reproves thee, to kick against the goad. "4 If we follow this advice we shall be stronger in our fight against the world, the second of our spiritual enemies. II. The Fight against the Worlds 210. The world we 'speak of here is not the total aggre- gate of men upon the, earth, among whom are found both choice souls and irreligious men ; but the sum-total of those who oppose Jesus Christ and are the slaves of the threefold concupiscence. These are : i) unbelievers, hostile to religion, 1 Confessions,.ll,C. 7. — B Catechism, P. I, lesson 17. ? Theology teaches (Syn. th.eol. dog., III. n. 72-91) that fallen man can do some good in .the natural order with the mere natural concurrence of God ; but that in order to observe the whole of the natural law and repulse all grievous temptations, a preternatural or supernatural help is needed. ' Meyer, The World in Which We Live. no CHAPTER II. precisely because it condemns their "pride," their 'love 6f pleasure, their lust for riches ; 2) the indifferent, who do ndt want a religion that would stir them out of. their apathy ; 3) hardened sinners^-who love sin because they, love pleasure and are loath to part with it ; 4) worldlings, who bejieve and even practise their religion, yet, combine with it the love of pleasure, of luxury and of ease, and who not unfrequently scandalize their neighbor by giving them occasion to;say that religion has but little influence on morals. This is the world which Jesus cursed because 6Hts scandals : " Woe to the world because .of. scandals! " * Of this world' St. John says : " The whole world is seated in wickedness. " 2 , 211. i° The dangers of the tf orld. The world -which through visits, letters and worldly literature worms its -way into the heart of Christian families, even into religious communities, constitutes a great obstacle to the attainment of salvation and perfection. It stirs up and feeds the fife of concupiscence ; it seduces and terrorizes us. ;:. 212. A) It seduces us with its maximsj with the show of its vanities and with its perverse examples. • a) It holds up maxims .directly opposed to those of the Gospel. It actually extols the happiness of the wealthy, of the powerful, of the ruthless, of the upstart, of the ambitious, of all those who know how to enjoy life. On the lips of worldlings is ever the cry : "Let us crown ourselves with roses before they wither. " 3 Must not youth have its day,. must not each live his life to the full? Many others do this and Almighty God can not damn all mankind. One has to make a living, and were one to be scrupulous in business one could never become wealthy. b) The world seduces us with the show of its vanities and pleasures. Most worldly gatherings cater to curiosity, to sensuality, and even to lust. Vice' is made attractive by being concealed beneath the guise of what are called:" inno- cent' fashions and amusements, "but which are none the less fraught with danger. Such are, for instance, immodest dress and immodest dances, especially such as seem to have no other purpose than to occasion , wanton looks and gestures. What must be said of most theatrical perform- ances, of public entertainments, of the lewd literature that one encounters at every turn ?":•'•• , ' \ ; . Matth., XVIII, 7. — " I John, V, 19. — 3 Wisdom, II, 8. c\- THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. Ill e) The world seduces us with its evil examples. At the sight "of so many vyouths living solely for pleasure, of so many "men and women who make light' of their marriage- vows, of so many business-men who do not scruple to enrich themselves by questionable means, the temptation to. follow suit is, indeed, very strong. Moreover, the world is so tolerant of human weaknesses that it actually seems to encourage them. A home-breaker is considered a sports- man; the financier, the business-man who amasses his wealth dishonestly is called a clever fellow ; the free-thinker is considered a broad-minded man who follows the light of his ; conscience. How many men are thus encouraged to lead a life of sin! 213. B) When the world fails to seduce us it attempts to terrorize us. a) At times this takes the form of an actual, organized persecution against the faithful. Those that make public profession of their faith or send their children to the Catholic school are denied .promotion in certain departments of business or of civic lifei b) At other times, the world turns timid souls from the discharge of their religious duties by mockery and jest It refers to them as hypocrites arid. dupes believing still in antiquated dogmas. It holds .up 'to ridicule parents whose daughters are modestly dressed, ' asking them if it is thus that they hope to make a match for them. Many souls are in this manner, in spite of the protests of conscience, driven to conform through human respect to fashions and customs that offend against Christian modesty. e) Sometimes the world resorts to threats. Individuals are served notice that their religious affiliations disqualify them for certain positions, or they are made to understand that their prudishness will make them unwelcome guests at entertainments ; or again, they are told that if their con- science stands in the way of business they must either do as every one else does — deceive tlie public and make more money • — or be ready to lose their positions. It is but too easy to let ourselves be won over or terror- ized,for the world has its accomplice within our own hearts,in our natural desire for high places, for dignity and. for wealth. 214. 2°, The remedy. * To resist successfully this dangerous trend one .must have the courage to look upon ' TRONSON. Examens partic., XCIV-XGVI. 112 CHAPTER II. life from the point of view of eternity, and regard the world in the light of faith. Then the world will appear to its *in its true colors/as the enemy of. Jesus Christ, to be fought against with all our might in., order that we may save our souls; it will appear to us as the scene of action for our seal whither we must carry the maxims of the Gospel. 215. A) Since the world is the enemy of Jesus Christ, we must accept as our standard of life that which is opposed to the maxims and examples of the world. We must repeat to ourselves the dilemma proposed by St. Bernard : " Either Christ blunders, or the world is astray ; but it is impossible for Divine Wisdom to blunder. " J Since there exists a manifest opposition between Christ and the world, a choice on our part is absolutely necessary, for no one can serve two masters. But Jesus is infallible Wisdom itself. Hence, He has the words of eternal life, and it is the world that blunders. Our chpice. therefore, will be quickly made, for as St. Paul says, " We have received not 'the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God. " 2 To wish to please the world, he adds, is to displease Jesus Christ : " If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Jesus Christ. " 3 St. James says : " Whosoever, therefore, will be the friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God. "4 Hence, the following practical resolutions. a) Let us read and reread the Gospel, reflecting that it is the Eternal Truth that speaks to us, and praying its Divine Author to make us understand, relish and live its maxims. It is thus that we become true . Christians and such is the price we must pay if we would become real disciples of Christ. Whenever we hear or read maxims that go counter to those of the Gospel let us courageously say to ourselves : This is false, since it is opposed to infallible Truth itself. b) Let us likewise avoid dangerous occasions so numerous in this world. No doubt, those that live outside the cloister must of necessity mingle more or less in the world; yet, they must keep themselves free from its spirit by living in the world as those that were not of it ; for Jesus asked His Father not to take His disciples out of the world, but to keep them from evil : "I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from evil. "5 And St. Paul wants us to make use of this world as though we did not use it.6 1 Sermo III, de Nativitate, n. i. — 2 / Cor., II, 12. — 3 Gal, I, 10. < James, IV, 4. — 5 John, XVII, 15. — 6 / Cor., VII, 31. '; THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 113 e) This attitude towards the world is incumbent above all upon ecclesiastics. They should be able to say with St. Paul: "The world is crucified to me, and I to the world. " * The world, ruled as it is by concupiscence, can have no charms for us. Just as we are to it an object of repulsion, for by our character and even by our garb we stand as a condemnation of its vices; so the world in turn can not but inspire us with a like antipathy. Hence, we must dispense with social visits purely worldly in character, in which we should be out of place. No doubt, we shall have to make and receive such visits as courtesy, business, and above all, zeal for souls impose; but they shall be brief. We shall not forget what is said of our Lord after His resurrection, that He came among His disciples but rarely, and only in order to complete their training and to speak to them of the kingdom of God. 2 216. B) We shall not, then, venture into the world except to exercise there our zeal either directly or indirect- ly, that is to say, to carry there the maxims and examples of the Gospel, a) We must not forget that we are " the light of the world. " 3 Without turning our conversation into a sort of sermon (which would be out of place) we shall judge everything, persons and things, by the light of the Gospel. Thus, instead of proclaiming the rich and the powerful the happy ones of this world, we shall note in all sincerity that there are sources of happiness other than those of wealth and success; that virtue does not go without its reward even in this world ; that the pure joys of home and hearth are the sweetest; that the consciousness of duty done is a source of satisfaction and comfort to many unfortunate souls ; that the peace of a good conscience is worth infinitely more than the intoxication of pleasure. A few examples will bring home these remarks. But it is chiefly by his own example that a priest is a source "of edification in conversation. A profound impression is created upon those who listen to him if he is in every sense of the word a man among men, a Christian gentleman utterly devoted to the service of souls; if his whole bearing, as well as his words, reflects3 candor,. good-fellowship, cheerfulness, charity, in a word, true sanctity. No one can help admiring those who live according to their convictions; and a religion which knows how to promote solid virtue is held in high regard. Let us, therefore, carry into practice the saying of 1 Gal., VI, 14. — * Acts, I, 3. — s Maltk., V, 14. N" 680. — 6 114 CHAPTER II. our Lord : " So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. " I The exercise of this apostolate is not limited to priests. Men of conviction among the laity can practise it with real success, as persons are less on their guard against their influence. 217. b) It is for such select souls and for priests to infuse into the more timid Christians the courage to fight the tyranny of human respect, of fashion and of legalized persecution. The best means of effecting this is to band together into societies those influential laymen who have the courage of their convictions, and who fear neither to speak nor to act accordingly. It is in this manner that the Saints brought about in their times the reformation of morals. It is also in this manner that in our great centers of learning, the universities, solid groups have been formed that know how to make their religious practices respected and how to steady the weaker brethren. On the day when such groups shall have been considerably multiplied not in cities alone but in the country-districts as well, the death- knell of human respect shall not be long in sounding, and true piety, if not universally practised, shall at least be held in real esteem. 218. We must make no compromise with the world. We must make no concessions either to please it or to seek its esteem. As St. Francis de Sales rightly says, "Nc matter what we do, the world shall ever war against us.. Let us turn a deaf ear to this blind world ; let it cry as long as it pleases, like an owl to disturb the birds of the day. Let us be constant in our designs and invariable in our resolutions. Our perseverance will demonstrate whether we have in good earnest sacrificed ourselves to God and dedicated ourselves to a devout life. " 2 III. The Fight against the Devil* 219. i° The existence of and reasons for diabolical temptation. We have seen, n. 67, how the devil, jealous of the blessedness of our first parents, incited them to sin, and how well he succeeded. Therefore, the Book of Wisdom declares that it was " by the envy of the devil that death 1 Matth., V, 1 6. — z Introd. to a Dev. Life, P. IV, C. i. 3 St. THOM., I, q. 114; St. THERESA, Life by Herself, C. XXX-XXXI; RIBET, L'Ascetique chret., C. XVI; Etudes Cannelitaines, 1948 " Satan ". THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 115 came into the world. " * Ever since, he has not ceased to attack the children of Adam or to lay snares for them. And even though, since our Lord's advent into the world and His triumph over Satan, the latter's power has been greatly curbed, it is none the less true that we have to battle not only against flesh and blood, but also against . the powers of darkness, against the spirits of evil. This is exactly what St. Paul teaches : " For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness. " 2 St. Peter compares the devil to a roaring lion prowling about, seeking to destroy us : " Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. " 3 220. If divine Providence allows these attacks, it is in virtue of the general principle that God governs men not only directly, but also through the agency of secondary causes, leaving to creatures a certain freedom of action. On the other hand, He warns us to be on our guard, and sends His Angels, particularly our Guardian Angels, to help and protect us (n. 1 86 sq), to say, nothing of the assistance that He gives us directy, or through His Son. By availing ourselves of such helps we triumph over the enemy of our salvation, grow in virtue and lay up to ourselves treasures of merit in heaven. These wonderful ways of Providence show us all the more clearly the great importance we must attach to the affair of our salvation and sanctification, an affair in which both heaven and hell so concern themselves that around the soul, at times within the soul itself, fierce combats rage between the powers of heaven and those of hell, — and it is the eternal life of the soul that is at stake. In order to obtain the victory, let us see how the devil proceeds. 221. 2° The devil's strategy. A) The Evil One can not act directly on our higher faculties, the intellect and the will. God has kept these as a sanctuary for Himself, and He alone can enter there and touch the mainspring of the will without doing violence to it. The devil, however, can act directly on the body, on our exterior and interior senses, and particularly on the imagination and the memory as well as on the passions which reside in the sensitive appetite. Thus, the devil acts indirectly on the will, solicit- ing its consent through the various movements of the sen- 1 Wisdom, II, 24. _ = Eph. , VI, 12. — s / Peter, V, 8-9. 116 CHAPTER II. sitive appetite. The will, however, as St. Thomas remarks, remains ever free to give or refuse consent. l B) No matter how extensive the power of the devil over our faculties, there are nevertheless limits set to it by God Himself, who will not allow him to tempt us beyond our strength. "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able; but will make also with temptation issue. " 2 Whoever leans upon the Almighty in humble trust can be sure of victory. . 222. C) We must not believe, says St. Thomas, 3 that all the temptations we experience are the works of the demon. Concupiscence stirred up by habits formed in the past and by imprudences committed in the present, is suffi- cient to account for a great number of them. " Every one is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and allured. " 4 On the other hand, it would be rash to assert, and contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture and Tra- dition, that there is no diabolical influence in any of our temptations. The envy the devil bears mankind and his desire to bring men into subjection adequately explain his intervention, s How then will diabolical temptation be recognized? This is no easy matter, for our concupiscence itself may sufficiently account for the violence of temptation. It may be said, however, that when a temptation is sudden, violent, and protracted beyond measure, the devil is largely respon- sible for it. One can especially suspect his influence if the temptation casts the soul into deep and prolonged turmoil ; if it excites a desire for the spectacular, for strange and conspicuous mortifications, and particularly if it induces a strong inclination to be silent about the whole affair with our spiritual director and to distrust our superiors. 6 223. 3° The remedies against diabolical temptation. The Saints, and particularly St. Theresa, 7 point out the following remedies. A) The first is humble and confident prayer to secure the help of God and His holy Angels. If ,God is for us who will be against us?8 For, "who is like unto God?" Our prayer must be humble, for there is nothing that so quickly 1 Sum. theol., I, q. Ill, a. 2. — =/ Cor., X, 13. 3Sum. tkeol., I; q. 114, a. 3. — * James, 1, 14. — 5 Sum. theol., \, q. 114, a. i. 6 See the rules for the discernment of spirits ia the first and second weeks of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. i Life by Herself, C. XXX-XXXI. - • Rom., VIII, 31. THE NATURE 'OF TH$ CHRISTIAN LIFE. 117 '' puts to flight this rebellious spirit, who, having revolted through pride, never knew the virtue of humility. To humble ourselves before God, to acknowledge our inability to conquer without His help, defeats the schemes of the prince of pride. Our prayer must also be f'ull of confidence, God's own glory is bound up with our triumph and we may, therefore, fully trust in the power, of His- grace, alt 'is likewise a good practice to invoke the intercession of St. Michael, who, having once obtained a signal victory over Satan, will gladly complete his triumph in us and through us in the day of our struggle. He will have a powerful ally in our Guardian Angel provided we place our trust in him. But above all, we must not forget to have recourse to the Blessed Virgin. Her foot did crush the serpent's head and she is more terrible to the demon than a whole army in battle array. 224. B) The second means : consists in making use in all confidence of the sacraments and the sacraments. ' Con- fession being an act of humility routs the devil ; the abso- lution which follows applies to us the merits of Jesus Christ and renders us invulnerable to the thrusts of the enemy. Holy Communion brings into our hearts Christ who tri- umphed' over Satan and who now -fills him with terror. Even the sacramentals, the sign of the Cross, or the prayers of the Liturgy, said in the spirit of faith in union with the Church, are a precious help. St. Theresa recommends in a special way the use of holy water, z perhaps because of the humiliation Satan must suffer at seeing himself baffled by such a simple device. 225. C) The last means against diabolical temptation is an utter contempt of the devil. It is once more St. Theresa who assures us of this. "These cursed spirits torment me quite frequently, but they do not frighten me in the least, for I am convinced that they cannot stir except by God's leave. Let this be known well, that every time we make them the object of our • contempt, they lose their strength, and the soul acquires over them greater ascendancy. They have no power except against cowardly souls who surrender their weapons. Against such they do show their power."2 It must be, indeed, a bitter humi- liation to those proud spirits to be contemned by weaker beings such as men are. As we have said, if we humbly lean on the strong arm of God, it is. our right as well as 1 Life by Herself, C. XXXt. - " Ibid, L 118 CHAPTER II. our duty to despise them. " If God is for us who will be against us? " The evil spirits can bark; they cannot harm us unless through lack of prudence or through pride we put ourselves into their power. Thus it is that the fight that we must wage against the devil, the world and the flesh strengthens us in the supernatural life and enables us to make spiritual progress. CONCLUSION 226. i° We have just seen that the Christian life is a warfare^ a harassing warfare that entails a lifelong and intricate manceuvering ending only with death, a warfare of supreme importance since it is our eternal life that is at stake. As St. Paul teaches, there are within us two men : a) the regenerated man, the new man, with tendencies which are noble, supernatural, divine. These the Holy Ghost produces in us through the merits of Christ and the inter- cession of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints. We strive to correspond to the higher tendencies by making use, under the influence of actual grace, of the supernatural organism wherewith God has endowed us. b) But there is also .in us the natural or carnal man, the Old Adam, with all the evil inclinations which, remain even after Baptism, with the threefold concupiscence inherited from our first parents. This concupiscence is stirred up and intensified by the world and the devil; it is an abiding tendency inclining us toward an inordinate love of sensual pleasure, of our own excellence, and of the goods of this world. These two men necessarily engage in conflict. The Old Adam, the fleshy seeks pleasure without regard to the moral law. The spirit in turn reminds the flesh that there are forbidden pleasures and dangerous pleasures which must be sacrificed to duty, that is to say, to the will of God. The flesh, however, is persistent in its desires; it must, therefore, with the help of grace be mortified and, if need be, crucified. The Christian, then, is a soldier, an athlete^ who fights unto death for an immortal crown. I 227. 2° This warfare is constant ', for in spite of all our efforts we can never fully divest ourselves of the Old Adam. We can but weaken him, bind him, while at the same time we fortify the New Man against his attacks. At the outset the fight is keener, more obstinate, and the counter-attacks of the enemy more numerous and more violent; but as we *//. Tim., II, 1-7. St. Paul describes the Christian's armor in Eph. VI, i>i8. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 119 by earnest and persevering efforts gain one victory and then another, our enemy weakens, passions subside and, except for certain moments of trial willed by God to lead us to a higher degree of perfection, we enjoy a relative calm, a pledge and a foretaste of final victory. All success we owe to the grace of God. We must not forget that the grace given us is the grace for struggle and not the grace for peace; that we are warriors, athletes, ascetics; that like St. Paul we must fight on to the end if we would merit the crown. " I have fought the good fight : I have finished my course : I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that • day. " * This is the means of perfecting in us the Christian life and of acquiring many merits. § II. The growth of the spiritual life by merit2 2218. We progress, indeed, by the fight we wage against our enemies, but more still by the meritorious acts which we perform day by day. Every good act freely done by a soul in the state of grace and with a supernatural intention, possesses a threefold value for our spiritual growth, inas- much as it is meritorious, satisfactory andimpetratory. a) The meritorious value, means an increase of sanctifying grace and a corresponding right to a higher degree of glory in heaven. lb) The satisfactory value contains a threefold element : i) propitiation, by which with a contrite and humble heart we turn God auspiciously towards us and incline Him to forgive our trespasses ; 2) expiation, that is to say, the effacement of guilt by the infusion of grace ; 3) satisfaction, which in view of the element of suffering accompanying our good works, cancels wholly or in part the punishment due to sin. This happy result is not merely the outcome of good works properly so-called, but also, as the Council of Trent teaches, of the willing acceptance of the ills and sufferings of this life. 3 What is more consoling than to be able to turn all manner of adversity into gain for the purifi- cation of the soul and closer union with God ? ^ II Tim., IV, 7-8. a St. THOM. , I-II q. 114 ; TERSIEN, La Grace et la Gloire, II, p. 15 foil ; LABAU- CHE, Man, P. Ill, C. Ill; HUGON in La vie sfiritvelk, II (1920), p. 28, 273, 353; TANQUEREY, Syn. tfieol. dog., Ill, n. 210-235; REMLER, Supernatural Merit; WIRTH, Divine Grace, C. VIII; SCHEEBEN, Glories of Divine Grace. 3 Sess. XIV, De Sacramento poenit. , Cap. Q. 120 CHAPTER .II.". e) Lastly, these same acts, when they embody a request to tlie Divine Mercy for new graces, possess also an impe- tratory value; As St. Thomas justly remarks, we pray not only when we explicitly make a request to Almighty God, but whenever we turn our hearts to Him or direct any act of ours towards Him; so much so, indeed, that our life becomes a continual prayer when our activities are con- stantly directed towards God. " Man prays whenever he so acts in thought, word and deed as to tend towards God ; lience, life is a constant prayer if wholly directed towards God." I Is not this elevation of the heart to God a prayer? Is not this an effectual means of obtaining from Him for ourselves and for others whatever we desire? For the end we have in view it will suffice to explain : i) the nature of merit; 2) the conditions that increase the. merit of our good works. I. Nature of Merit Two points must be made clear : i° What we mean by merit; 2° What makes our actions meritorious. i° WHAT is MEANT BY MERIT 229. ' A) Merit in general is a right to a reward. Hence, supernatural merit of which we speak here is a right to a supernatural reward, a right to a share in God's life, a right to grace and glory. Since, however, God is in no way obliged to make us share in His life, there must exist a promise on His part that confers upon us an actual title to such supernatural reward. Merit, then, may be defined : a right to a supernatural reward arising both from a super- natural work done freely for God's sake, and from a divine promise to give such a reward, 230. B) There are two kinds of merit : a) merit prop- erly so called (de condigno) to which a 'recompense is due in justice, because there exists a sort of equality, a real proportion between the work and the reward, b) The other kind of merit, called de congruo, is not based upon strict justice; its claims are simply those of a certain fitness, since the reward outweighs by far the work done. The following example gives an approximate notion of this distinction. A soldier acquitting himself bravely on the battlefield has a strict right to his pay, but he can lay only a claim of fitness to a citation or a decoration. ' In Rom., C. I, 9-10. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 121 C) The Council of Trent teaches that the works of the justified man truly merit an increase of grace, eternal life, and, should he die in this state, the attainment of glory. 231. D) Let us recall briefly the general conditions for merit, a) A work to be meritorious must be free. 'If man acts through constraint or necessity, he is not actually responsible, b) The work must be supernaturally good in order to be in proportion with the reward. C) When it is question of merit properly so-called, the work must be performed in the state of grace, for it is this grace that causes Christ to dwell in our souls and makes us share in His merits, d) The work must be performed during our life on earth, for God has wisely decreed that after a period of trial wherein we can merit or demerit, we should reach the end where we shall forever remain fixed in the state in which we die. These are the conditions on the part of man. To them is added on the part of God the promise which gives us a real right to eternal life. As St. James says : " The just receive the crown of life which God hath promised to them that love Him. " * 2° WHAT MAKES OUR ACTS MERITORIOUS 232. At first sight it seems difficult to understand how very simple, ordinary ' and transitory acts can merit eternal life. This would be an insuperable difficulty if these acts were produced by us alone. But as a matter .of fact they are the result of the co-operation of God and the human will. This explains their efficacy. God whilst crown- ing our merits, crowns. His own gifts, for our merits are largely His work. To enable us to understand better the efficacy of our meritorious acts let us explain the share of God and the share of man. ' . A) God is the first and principal cause of our merits : " Not I, but the grace of God with me. " 2 In fact, it is God who has created our faculties; God who has perfected them, raised them to a supernatural state by the virtues and by the gifts of the Holy Ghost ; God who. by His actual grace calls us to perform good works and assists us in doing them. He is, therefore, the first cause exciting the will to action and giving it new 'energies that enable it to act supernaturally. 233. B) Our free will, responding to God's solicitations, acts under the influence of grace and the virtues and thus ' James, I, 12. — 3 / Cor., XV, 10. . 122 CHAPTER II.' becomes a secondary, but real and efficacious cause of our meritorious acts, since it truly co-operates with God. Without this free consent there can be no merit. In heaven we can no longer merit, for there we cannot help loving that God whom we clearly see to be Infinite Good- ness and the Source of our beatitude. Besides, our co- operation itself is supernatural. By habitual grace the very substance of our being is deified; by the virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost our faculties are likewise deified, and by actual grace even our acts are made Godlike. Once our actions are deified there exists a real proportion between our works and grace, which latter is itself a Godlike life, as well as between our acts and glory, which is the full devel- opment of that life. No doubt, the acts themselves are transitory, while glory is eternal ; yet, as in our natural existence transient acts produce states of soul that endure, it is but just that the same should hold good in the super- natural order, and that virtuous acts producing an abiding disposition to love God be rewarded by a lasting recom- pense. Lastly, since our soul is immortal it is fitting that such recompense should endure forever. 234. C) It might be objected that in spite of this proportion between act and reward, God is in no manner constrained to bestow a recompense so great and so enduring as grace and glory. We fully grant this, and we acknowledge that God in His infinite goodness rewards us above our deserts. Hence, He would not be bound to have us enjoy the Beatific Vision through all eternity had He not promised it. But He has promised it by the very fact that He has destined us for a supernatural end. His promise recurs repeatedly in Holy Writ wherein eternal life is represented as the reward promised to the just, and as a crown of justice : " The crown which God hath promised to them that love Him... a crown of justice which the just judge shall render unto me. " * Therefore, the Council of Trent declares that eternal life is at once a grace mercifully promised by Jesus Christ, and a recompense which in virtue of this promise is faithfully awarded to good works and to merit. 2 235. From the fact that merit is based on this promise of God, we can infer that merit is something personal. It is for ourselves and not lor others that we merit grace and life everlasting, for the divine promise goes no further. It 1 James, I, 12; // Tim., IV, 8. — » Sess. VI, Cap. 16. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 123 is different with our Lord Jesus Christ, who having been made the moral head of the human race, has merited for each of His members, and this in the strict sense of the word. We can, indeed, merit for others, but by no title of justice, simply de congruo, that is, by a title of mere fitness. This fact is in itself most consoling, because this merit is joined to the one we gain for ourselves and thus it enables us to co-operate in the sanctification of our brethren whilst working at our own. II. Conditions for Increasing Merit 236. These conditions evidently proceed from the different causes that concur in the production of meritorious acts, hence, from God and from ourselves. We can always count upon God's liberality, for He is always munificent in His gifts, and therefore, we must center our attention prin- cipally upon our dispositions. Let us see what can improve these dispositions either on the part of the one who merits or on the part of the meritorious act itself. i° CONDITIONS ON THE PART OF THE ONE WHO MERITS 237. There are four principal conditions : the degree ot habitual grace or charity, our union with our Lord, our purity of intention, our fervor. a) The degree of sanctifying grace. To merit in the proper sense of the word, the state ot grace is required. Hence, all things being equal, the more habitual grace we possess, the greater is our power for meriting. This, no doubt, is denied by some theologians on the ground that the amount of .habitual grace does not always influence our acts so as to render them, better, and that at times holy souls' act 'negligently arid imperfectly. But the doctrine we maintain is the common teaching, based on the following reasons. i) The value of an act even in human affairs depends largely upon the dignity of the person that performs it, and upon the degree of esteem in which he is held by the rewarder. Now, what constitutes the dignity of the Chris- tian and what makes him dear to the heart of God is the degree of grace, that is, of divine life to which he has been raised. This is why the Saints in heaven or the saints on earth have such great power of intercession. Hence, if we possess a higher degree of grace we are worth more in the eyes of God than those who have less; we please Him more, L24 CHAPTER II. and on this account our actions are nobler, more agreeable to God, and therefore, more meritorious. 2) Besides, this degree of grace will ordinarily exercise a happy influence on our acts. Living more fully a super- natural life, loving God more perfectly, we are led to improve the quality of our acts, to, put into them more charity, to be more generous in our sacrifices. Now, every one grants that such dispositions increase our merits. Let no one say that at times the contrary happens. This is the exception, not the rule. We had that in mind when we said : all other things being equal. How consoling is this doctrine! By multiplying our meritorious acts we daily increase our stock of grace. This store of grace enables us to put more love into our works and thus further the growth of our supernatural life : " He that is just, let him be justified still. " x - 238. b) Our degree of union with our Lord. The source of our merit is Jesus Christ, the Author of our sanctification, the chief meritorious cause of all supernatural good, the Head of the mystical body whose members we are. The closer we are to the source, the more we receive of its fulness ; the closer we approach to the Author of all Holiness, the more grace we receive; the closer we are to the Head, the more life and activity it imparts to us. Does not our Lord Himself tell us .this in the beautiful allegory of the vine? "I am the vine and you the branch- es... he who abideth in me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit. " 2 We are united to Jesus as the brarich is to the stem and, therefore, the closer our union, habitual and actual, with Him, the more we receive of His vital influence. This is why all fervent souls, all that wish' to become fervent, have ever sought a more and more intimate union with our Lord. This is why the Church herself asks us to perform our actions through Him, with Him and in Him. Through Him, for: "No one cometh to the Father but by me ; " 3 with Him, by •• acting in union with Him,- since He consents to be our co-worker; zVz Him,- in. the virtue, in the power that is His very own, and above all, with His intentions. -In the words of Father Faber: "To do our actions by Christ is to do them in dependence upon Him, as He did everything in dependence upon His Father and by the movements of His Spirit. To do our actions with Christ is to practise the same virtues as our Lord, to clothe 1 Apoc., XVII, ii. — *'foAn, XV, 1-6, — *John, XIV, 6. ' THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 125 ourselves with the same dispositions, and to act from the same intentions, all according to the measure of the lowliness of our possibilities. To do our actions in Christ is to unite ours with His, and to offer them to God along with His, so that for the sake of His they may be accepted on high."1 If we thus perform our actions in union with our Lord, He lives in us, inspires our thoughts, our desires and all our acts in such a way that we can say with St. Paul : " I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me."2 It is evident that acts performed under the influence of Christ's life- giving action and with the aid of His all-powerful coopera- . tion, have a far greater value than those done by ourselves even with the help of ordinary grace and with only habitual union with Christ by sanctifying grace. In practice, then, we should unite ourselves frequently with our Lord, espe- cially at the beginning of our actions ; we should make our own His perfect intentions, fully conscious of our inability to do anything good of ourselves and confident that He is able to overcome our weakness. Thus we strive to carry out the advice of St. Paul : " All whatsoever you do in word or in work, all things do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. "3 239. C) Purity of intention or perfection of the motive under which we act. For our actions to be meritorious it is enough, according to many theologians, that they be inspired by any supernatural motive : fear, hope or love. .It is true that St. Thomas requires that our actions be at least virtually under the influence of charity through a preceding act of love the influence of which still endures. He adds, however, that this condition is fulfilled in all those that perform any lawful action whilst in the state of grace : " For those in the state of grace every act is meritorious or demeritorious. " 4 In fact, every good act springs from some virtue ; but all virtues converge into charity which is the Queen of virtues just as the will is the Queen of facul- ties. And charity ever active directs all our good acts towards God and gives life to all our virtues. If, however, we want our acts to be as meritorious as possible, we need a more perfect, a more actual intention. The intention is the principal element in our actions ; it is the eye that sheds its light upon them and directs them towards their end ; it 1 Growth in Holiness, p. 467. — z Gal., II, 20. — 3 Colos., Ill, 17. * Quces. disp. , de Malo. q. 2, a. 5, ad 7. Hence, it appears that what St. Tho- mas calls virtual intention, modern theologians call habitual. . . 126 CHAPTER II. is the soul that animates them and gives them their worth in God's sight : " If thy eye be single, thy whole body shall be lightsome. " x Now> there are three elements that bestow special value upon our intentions. 240. i) Since charity is the Queen and the soul of all virtues, every act inspired by it will have by far more merit than acts inspired by fear or by hope. It is important, then, that all our actions be done out of love of God and the neighbor. In this way even the most ordinary actions, like meals and recreations, become acts of charity and share in the merits of that virtue. To eat in order to restore our strength is lawful and, in a Christian, it is meritorious ; but to do this in order to work for God and for souls is to act from a motive of love which ennobles our action and bestows on it greater meritorious value. 241. 2) Since acts of virtue animated by charity lose none of their own value, it follows that an act done from more than one motive will thereby be more meritorious. Thus, an act of obedience to Superiors prompted both by respect for their authority and by the love of God whom we see in their persons, will possess the twofold merit of obedience and of charity. In this way one and the same act may have a threefold or a fourfold value; for instance, when I detest my sins because they offend God, I can also have the intention of practising penance and humility. Thus, I make this one act thrice meritorious. It is, there- fore, useful in performing our actions to propose to ourselves several supernatural motives. We must, however, avoid all excess and preoccupation in seeking to multiply intentions, for this would disturb the soul. The prudent way is to make use of the intentions that suggest themselves more or less spontaneously and to subordinate them to that of divine charity. In this manner we shall increase our merits without losing our peace of soul. 242. 3) Since our will is fickle, we must form and renew frequently our supernatural intention. Otherwise, it might come to pass that an action begun for God woulcl be continued from curiosity, sensuality or self-love, and thus lose in part its worth. We say : in part, for since these secondary motives do not utterly destroy the first, the act does not cease to be supernatural and meritorious. When a steamer leaves Cherbourg for New York, it is .not enough 1 Matth., VI, 22. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 127 to direct it once and for all towards her destination. The tides, gales and ocean-currents tend now and again to change her course, and it is necessary that the pilot be constantly at the helm to keep her in her path. It is the same with the will. It is not enough to direct it towards God once for all or even once a day. Human passions and external influences will soon throw it out of course; we must, there- fore, by explicit acts bring it back frequently in the direction of God and of charity. We should be careful to realize and to mean what we say when we recite the morning-offering : " I offer up to Thee, 0 my God, my thoughts, words, acts and sufferings of this day; grant that they may all tend to Thy glory and my salvation. " We should renew this offering before every important action of the day. If we are faithful to this practice, God will gradually give us the facility to renew the offering even in the course of our actions/without depriving us of the requisite attention to do our work well. 243. d) Fervor or intensity of our actions. Even in the accomplishment of good works, it is possible for us to be careless and remiss ; or, on the other hand, we may act with vigor, with all the energy at our command, making use of all the actual graces placed at our disposal. Evidently, the result in either case will be very different. If we act half- heartedly we acquire but little merit and at times become guilty of venial sins, which do not, however, entirely destroy our merit. If, on the contrary, we pray and labor and sacrifice ourselves whole-heartedly, each of our actions merits a goodly share of sanctifying grace. Without enter- ing here into debatable questions, we can say with certainty that, since God renders a hundredfold for what is done for Him, a fervent soul acquires daily a great increase of grace and becomes perfect in a short time, according to the words of Wisdom : " Being made perfect in a short space, he fulfilled a long time. " * What a mighty incentive to fervor! In truth, it is well worth the while to renew our efforts unceasingly and resolutely. 2° CONDITIONS ON THE PART OF THE ACT ITSELF 244. Subjective dispositions are not the only conditions that increase merit ; there are also objective circumstances that contribute to render our actions more perfect. These are chiefly four : 1 Wisdom, IV, 13. 128 CHAPTER II. a) The excellence of the object or of the act itself. There is a hierarchy among the virtues; the theological excel the moral. Hence, the acts of faith, hope and charity have greater worth than those of prudence, justice, temperance, etc. But, as we have said, the latter can, through the inten- tion of the subject, become also acts of charity and thus share in the special worth that attaches to this virtue. In like manner acts of religion which of themselves have God's glory directly in view, are more perfect than those that look directly to our sanctification. b) As regards certain actions, quantity may have some influence on merit. All other things being the same, a gift of a thousand dollars will be more meritorious than a gift of a hundred. But in this matter quantity is often a relative thing. The mite of the widow who deprives herself of much of her substance has a greater moral value than the princely gift of the rich man who simply gives a portion of his superfluous goods. e) The duration of an act likewise may render it more meritorious. To pray or to suffer for an hour is worth more than to pray or to suffer for five minutes; for protracted prayer or suffering call forth more effort and more love. 245. d) The difficulty inherent to the performance of the act also increases merit, not precisely inasmuch as it is a difficulty, but inasmuch as it demands greater love and a more strenuous and sustained effort. For instance, to resist a violent temptation is more meritorious than to resist a light one; to practise meekness with a choleric temperament and in spite of frequent provocations from others is more difficult and more meritorious than to do so with a nature that is gentle and mild or when others are kind and consid- erate. We must not conclude, however, that the ease acquired by the repetition of virtuous acts necessarily dimin- ishes our merit. Such facility, when used to sustain and to strengthen the supernatural effort, contributes to the intensity or fervor of the act, and in this way it rather increases our merit, as we have already explained above. Just as an efficient worker in the measure that he becomes proficient in his work avoids all waste of time, material and energy, and thus realizes larger gains with less labor, so the Christian who has learned to make better use of the means of sanctification saves time and effort, and thus with less trouble to himself gains greater merit. Because the Saints through the practice of virtue make acts of humility, obe- dience, religion, with greater facility, they are not therefore THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 129 • • - _ -~ n . -.— -,-r __- t I,, . - - -„-„_-- - ^ _r .- _j_ ---' -i - •*• --.— .* . - entitled to less merit; just the contrary, since they make acts of love of God with greater ease and frequency. Moreover, they continue their efforts to make sacrifices whenever necessary. In short, difficulty increases merit, not inasmuch it is an obstacle to be overcome but inasmuch as it calls for more energy and more love. J We must add that these objective conditions have a real influence on merit only inasmuch as they are freely accepted by us, and thus react on our interior dispositions. CONCLUSION / j 246. The logical conclusion of all this is the necessity of sanctifying all our actions, even the most ordinary. We have already said it : all our actions can become a source of merit if done with a supernatural end in view and in union with our Lord, who even in the workshop at Nazareth never ceased to merit for us. What progress can we not thus make in a single day! From the moment we awake until we retire at night the - meritorious acts which we can per- form, if we are recollected and generous, may be numbered by the hundreds. Indeed, there is a growth of the Godlike life of grace in our souls not only through every act of the day, but through every effort to make each action more perfect; through every effort to dispel distractions at prayer, to apply our minds to our tasks, to keep back an unkind word, to render a service to others. Likewise, every word inspired by charity, every good thought turned to good account, in short, all the movements of the soul directed by our free-will towards good are so many means of increasing merit. : 247. It may be said in all truth that there is no means of sanctification more efficacious, more practical, than the supernaturalizing of our ordinary actions, — and this means is within the reach of every one. It is of itself sufficient to raise a soul within a short time to a high. degree of holiness. Every act becomes a seed of grace .and glory, since it gives us an increase of sanctifying grace and a right to a higher degree of heavenly bliss. 248. The practical way of thus converting our acts into merits is to recollect ourselves for a moment before we begin them, to renounce positively all evil or inordinate, intentions, to unite ourselves to our Lord, our model and 1 EYMIEU, Lt Gowernement de soi-mtme, I, Introd., p. 7-9. 130 CHAPTER II. our Mediator, with a keen sense of our own weakness, and to offer through Him every act for God's glory and the good of souls. Thus understood the oft-renewed offering of our actions to God is an act of self-renunciation, of humility, of love of our Lord, of love of God, of love of the neighbor It is, indeed, a short-cut to perfection. x § III, Growth of the Christian Life through the Sacraments 2 249. We grow in grace and perfection not only by means of meritorious acts, but also by the reception of the Sacraments. Sensible signs instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, they symbolise and confer grace. God, knowing how easily man is drawn to external things, willed in His infinite goodness to attach His grace to material objects and visible actions. It is a matter of faith that our sacra- ments contain the grace they symbolize and that they confer it on all those who place no obstacle in the way ; 3 and this not solely in virtue of the recipient's dispositions, but ex opere 0/mz/0, that is, in virtue of the sacramental rite itself. The sacraments are instrumental causes of grace, God ever being the principal cause, and our Lord the meri- torious cause. 250. Besides habitual grace, each sacrament produces a special grace which is called sacramental grace. This does not differ specifically from sanctifying grace, but, according to St. Thomas and his school, it adds to it a special energy calculated to produce effects in harmony with the purpose of each sacrament. Be this as it may, all agree that it gives a right to special graces at the opportune moment for the more easy performance of those obligations which the reception of the various sacraments imposes. The Sacrament of Confirmation, for example, gives us the right to special actual graces of strength for combat- ing human respect and for confessing our faith in the face of all. ^ ... . There are four things we should dwell on : i° sacramental grace, proper to each sacrament ; 2° the dispositions necessary 1 All spiritual writers recommend this practice in some form or other. See RODRIGUEZ, Practice of Christian Perfection, P. I, tr. z, 3; OLIER, Introd., C. XV; TRONSON, Exarnens, XXVI-XXIX ; FABER, A II for Jesus; "Minting Money"; Growth in Holiness, p. 463-468. 2St. THOM., Ill, q. 60-62; SUAREZ, disp. VIII; DE BROGUE, Conf. sur la vie surnat., Ill; BELLEVUE, De la g r&ce sacramentette; TANQUEREY, Syn., Ill, n. 298- 323 ; MARMION, Christ the Life of the Soul, p. 65 and foil 3 Council of Trent, Sess. VII, Can. 6. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 131 - • _-l_^J_-..'_._-T ._- -V ,.„ _' _- •_ -•-.**. I ~ " for the fruitful reception of the sacraments ; 3° the special dispositions required for the sacrament of Penance; 4° those required for the reception of Holy Communion. I. Sacramental Grace The Sacraments confer special graces which correspond to the different stages of life. * 251. a) In Baptism a grace of spiritual regeneration is given by which we are purified from the stain of original sfn, are born to the life of grace. A new man is thus created within us, the regenerated man that lives the life of Christ. According to the beautiful teaching of St. Paul, " We are buried together with Him (Christ) by baptism into death ; that as Christ is risen from the dead, so we also may walk in newness of life, " 2 Hence, the special or sacra- mental grace given us is : i) a grace of death to sin, of spiritual crucifixion which enables us to oppose and to curb the evil tendencies of the Old Adam ; 2) a grace of regener- ation that makes us one with Christ, causes us to share in His life, renders us capable of living in harmony with His sentiments and examples and thus makes us perfect Christians. Hence, the duty for us of combatting sin and its causes, of adhering to Jesus Christ and imitating His virtues. 252. to) Confirmation makes of us soldiers of Christ. To the grace of Baptism it adds a special grace of strength that we may with generosity profess our faith in face of all enemies, in spite of human respect that keeps so many from the practice of their religious duties. This is why the gifts of the Holy Ghost already given us in Baptism are conferred again in Confirmation, for the special purpose of enlightening our faith, of rendering it more vivid, more discerning, and of strengthening our will against sin. Hence, the duty of cultivating the gifts of the Holy Ghost, especially those that make for militant Christianity. 253. e) The Eucharist nourishes our souls, which like our bodies need food for sustenance and strength. None but a Divine Food can nourish a Divine Life. The Body and Blood of Christ, His Soul and His Divinity transform us into other Christs, infusing into us His spirit, His senti- ments and His virtues. This will be developed further, (n.283). . J HULMPHREYS, Sac.ro/menial life; ROGUET^ Christ acts through Sacraments ;; 2 Romans, VI, 3-6. 132 ..;•;:. •>•-:-...'-. CHAPTER II. rid);.- Should"' we have the misfortune of losing the life,:of grace , by -mortal sin, the Sacrament of Penance washes away .our .sins in the Blood of Jesus Christ poured upon us by absolution (cf. n. 262). 255. e) As death approaches we need to be fortified in the ; midst of < the anxiety and the fear inspired by the memory of past sins, by our present failings, and by the thought of God's judgment. By the anointing of our senses with the Holy Oils the Sacrament of Extreme Unction infuses into our souls a grace of confort and spiritual solace that; frees us from the remains of sin, revives. our trust, and arms us against the last assaults of the enemy,, making us share the sentiments of ,St. Paul who, after having fought the good fight, rejoiced at the thought of the crown prepared for him. It is important, then, to ask in good time for this Sacrament, that is, as soon as we become seriously ill, in order that we may receive all its effects, in particular, restoration to health should this be God's will. It amounts to cruelty on the part of those attending the sick to hide from them the seriousness of their condi- tion and to put off to the last moment the reception of a sacrament from which flow such abundant consolations. These five sacraments suffice to sanctify the individual. There are two others instituted to sanctify man in his relations to society, Holy Orders and Matrimony. The for- mer gives the Church worthy ministers, the latter sanc- tifies : the family. ; 256. f) Holy Orders bestow upon the ministers of the Church not only the marvellotis powers of consecrating the Body and Blood of Christ, administering the Sacraments and preaching the word of God, but also the grace of exercising these powers in a holy manner. This Sacrament gives . them in particular an ardent love for the Blessed Eucharist and for the souls of men, together with a firm determination of spending and sacrificing themselves entirely. We shall speak later on of the high degree of sanctity at which God's ministers should aim. 257. g) In order to sanctify the family, the cradle of society, the Sacrament of Matrimony gives to husbands and wives the graces they so urgently need : the grace of an absolute and abiding fidelity so difficult to the human heart ; the grace of reverence for the sanctity of the marriage-bed; the grace of devoted and steadfast consecration to the Christian education of their children. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 133 258. At all the .important stages of life, for every duty, individual or social, we receive through some Sacrament a wonderful grant of sanctifying grace. That ;such a grace may be .turned to account j we .receive likewise through each Sacrament a right to actual graces that urge us and help us to practice the virtues to which we are bound. It is pur task then to correspond to these graces by bringing to the Sacraments the best possible dispositions. II. Necessary Dispositions for the Fruitful Reception t of the Sacraments -.•••• The amount of grace produced by the Sacraments depends both on God and on us. I Let us see how ; this, grace can be increased. 259. A) No doubt, God is free in the distribution of His gifts. He may, therefore, grant more or less grace through tHe Sacraments, according to the designs of "'His Wisdom and His Goodness. But there are laws which God Himself has laid down and by which He wills to abide. Thus, He declares again and again that He cannot turn a deaf ear to prayer well said : " Ask and it shall be given you : seek and you shall find : knock, and it shall be opened to you. "2 This holds good especially if our prayer is supported .by the merits of Christ : " Amen, amen, I say to you : if you ask the Father anything in my name, He will give it to you. "3 If, therefore, when we receive a Sacra- ment, we pray with humility and fervor , and in union^with our Lord for a greater measure of grace, we shall obtain it. 260. _B) On our part two dispositions contribute to the reception of an increase of sacramental grace, namely, holy desires before approaching the Sacraments, and fervor in receiving them. a) The ardent desire of receiving a Sacrament with all its fruits. opens and dilates the soul. This is an application of the principle laid down by our Lord : " Blessed! are they that hunger .and thirst after justice :;for they shall have their fill. "4 Now, to hunger and thirst for the Holy Eucharist or for Absolution is to open wide our hearts to the divine communications. Then .will God replenish our famished souls •;:" He hath filled the hungry with good things." s 'Thus the Council of. Trent, Sess. VI,.. Ch. 7 : "The Holy Spirit distributes to each according as He wills, and according to each one's disposition and cooperation. " . - . . . * Matth., VII, 7. — 3 John, XVI, 23. — * Mattk., V, 6. — S Luke, I, 53. 134 CHAPTER II. Let us then be like Daniel, men of desire, and let us long after the fountains of living water, the Sacraments. b) Fervor in the actual reception of the Sacraments will make the soul still more receptive ; for fervor is that gener- ous attitude of refusing Almighty God nothing, of allowing Him to act in all the fulness of His power and of co-oper- ating with Him with all our energies. Such a disposition expands the soul, renders it more apt for the effusions of grace, more responsive to the action of the Holy Spirit. From this co-operation of God and the soul spring forth abundant fruits of sanctification. 261. We may add here that all the conditions rendering our actions more meritorious (cf. n; 237), perfect at the same time the dispositions we must bring to the reception of the Sacraments, and consequently increase the measure of grace conferred upon us. We shall understand this better when we apply this principle to the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist. III. The Dispositions Required to Profit Well by the Sacrament of Penance * The Sacrr/ment of Penance purifies our souls in the Blood of Jesus Cr- dst, provided that we are well disposed, that our confession is sincere, and that our contrition is true and genuine. i° CONFESSION 262. A) A word concerning grave sins. We. speak but incidentally of the accusation of grave faults. This we have treated at length in our Moral Theology. 2 Should one that is tending toward perfection have the misfortune, in a moment of weakness, of committing any mortal sins, he should confess them clearly and sincerely, mentioning them at the very beginning of his confession and not half- concealing them midst a multitude of venial sins. He should state in all sincerity and humility the number and species of these sins, and the causes that brought them about, and ask * Besides consulting treatises of Theology, see : BEAUDENOM, Spiritual Progress, ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Introduction to a Devout Life, P. I, C. 19; P. II. C. 19; FABER, Growth in Holiness, C. XIX, XX ; MANNING, Sin and its Consequences, The Love of Jesus for Penitent Sinners; TISSOT, Profiting by Our Faults; MOTHER M.ARY LOYOLA, First Confession;. MARMION, Christ the Life of the Soul, P. II, C. IV. 2 Syn. theol, moral., De Panitentia, n, 242 and foil. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 135 his confessor most earnestly for the remedies that will work a cure. He must, above all, have a deep sorrow for sin together with a. firm purpose of avoiding in the future, not only these sins themselves, but also their occasions and causes. Once these sins have been forgiven, he must keep within his soul an abiding and a lively sense of sorrow, and a sincere desire to repair the evil done, by an austere and mortified life, by an ardent and self-sacrificing love. An isolated fault immediately repaired, even though grave, is not for long an obstacle to our spiritual progress. 263. B) Deliberate Venial Faults.1 Venial faults are of two kinds : those that are deliberate, that is, committed with full knowledge that one is about to displease God and with a deliberate selfish preference for a created good to the divine will. The others are such as are committed through surprise, fickleness, frailty, lack of vigilance or courage, and regretted on the spot, with the firm purpose of commit- ting them no more. Sins of the first category are a very serious obstacle to perfection, specially if the sins recur frequently and the heart is attached to them, for example, wilfully keeping petty grudges, habitually forming rash judgments, speaking ill of others, yielding to the attraction of inordinate, natural affections, stubbornly holding to one's own judgment, to one's own will. These are cords that bind us to earth and prevent us from taking our flight toward God. When one wilfully refuses Almighty God the sacrifice of one's tastes, of one's way, one can hardly expect of Him those choice graces which alone can lead to perfection. Such faults, should be corrected at any cost. • The better to achieve this task, we must take up successively the different species or categories of -faults, for example, faults against charity, then those against humility, against the virtue of religion, etc. We must make a full avowal of them in confession, chiefly of those more humiliating to us, as well as of the causes that make us fall into such sins. Lastly, we must make firm resolutions to avoid these causes entirely. In this manner, each confession will be a step forward in the way of perfection. \ 264. C) Sins Of Frailty. Having once overcome delib- erate faults, we set upon those proceeding from fraitly, not indeed to avoid them altogether — this is impossible — 1 MEYER, S. J., The Science of the Saints, Vol. 1, C. XIII. 136 CHAPTER II. but gradually to diminish their number. Here again, we must have recourse to the same expedient of dividing the task. We may, no doubt, accuse all the venial sins we remember; but this we do rapidly and then we stress some particular faults; for instance, distractions in prayer, failings against purity of intention, lack of charity. In the examination of conscience and in confession we shall not content ourselves with saying : " I have been dis- tracted in my prayers " — which tells the confessor absolute- ly nothing — but we shall rather put things thus : " I have been distracted or careless during such or such a spiritual exercise, the reason being, that I failed to recollect myself properly before beginning it, " or " because I had not the courage to repel at once and with determination the first vagaries of my mind, " or again " because after having repelled distractions for a while I did not persevere and remain steadfast in the effort. " At other times we shall accuse ourselves of having been long distracted on account of an attachment to study or to a friend, or owing to some petty grievance. The accusation of the causes of our sins will suggest the remedy and the resolution to be taken. 265. In order to insure the effectiveness of the confession, whether it be question of deliberate faults or not, we shall end the accusation by formulating the resolution for the coming week or fortnight of " combatting in earnest this source of distraction, that attachment, such preoccupation. " In the next confession we shall be careful 'to render an account of our efforts, for instance : " I had taken such reso- lution, I kept it so many days, or kept it only in this regard, but I failed in this or that point. " Evidently, confession practiced in this manner, will not be a matter of routine but will on the contrary, mark a step forward. The grace of absolution will confirm the resolu- tion taken and not only will it increase habitual grace within us, but it will also multiply our energies, causing us to avoid in the future a certain number of venial faults and to grow in virtue with a greater measure of success. 2° CONTRITION 266. In frequent confessions stress must be laid on contrition and on the purpose of amendment which necessa-, rily goes with it. We must ask for it with earnestness and excite it in ourselves by the consideration of supernatural motives. These are always substantially the same, even if THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 137 they vary with different souls and with the different faults accused. The general motives for contrition have their source in God and in the soul. We shall briefly indicate them., ., 267. A) As regards God, sin, no matter how trivial, is an offense against Him ; it is resistance to His will; it consti- tutes an act of ingratitude toward the most loving and most lovable of fathers and benefactors — ingratitude that is all the more hurtful because we are His privileged friends. Hence God says to us : " For if my enemy had reviled me, I would have borne with it..., but thou a man of one mind, my guide, and my familiar, who didst take sweet meats together with me, in the house of God we walked with consent. " I Let us lend a willing ear to His well-merited reproaches, and hide our face in shame and humiliation. Let us hearken also to the voice of Jesus, telling us that because of our transgressions His Chalice on the Mount of Olives was made more bitter and His agony more terrible. Then out of the depths of our misery let us humbly ask for pardon : " Have mercy on me, 0 God, according to Thy great mercy... Wash me yet more from my iniquity... " 2 '268, • B) A.s regards the soul, venial sin does not indeed of itself lessen sanctifying grace, but it does affect the existing intimacy of the soul with God. What a loss this is! it brings to a standstill or, at least, it hampers our spiritual activity, clogging, as it were, the fine mechanism of the spiritual life. It weakens the soul's power for good by intensifying the love of pleasure. Above all, if it be deliberate, it predisposes to mortal sin, for in many matters, especially in what concerns purity, the line of demarcation between venial and mortal sin is so narrow, and the charm of forbidden pleasure so alluring, that the borders of mortal sin are easily crossed. Every sin committed means a yield- ing to and therefore a strengthening of some impulse of our lower nature; it means likewise a weakening of our wills and a lesser grant of grace. When this is repeated, it is easy to understand how the way is prepared for mortal sin. When we ponder over these consequences of venial sin, it is not difficult to conceive a sincere regret for our negli- gences and a desire to avoid them in the future. 3 In order •A. LIV, 13-15. Ps. L. Meditation on this psalm is a splendid preparation for confession. 3 BEAUDENOM, of. «V(, t, H, ch. II. 138 CHAPTER II. to have this good purpose take an actual, definite form, it is well to make it bear upon the means that should be taken to reduce the chances of subsequent falls, according to the method we have indicated above (N. 265). 269. In order to insure still further the presence of contrition, it is a good practice to accuse one of the more serious faults of the past for which we are surely sorry, especially a fault that is of the same species as the venial sins we deplore. Here we must be on our guard against two defects : routine and negligence. The first would make of this accusation a mere empty formula devoid of any real sentiment of sorrow; the other would render us unmindful of any actual regret for the venial sins presently accused. The practice of confession carried out in this manner, the advice of the confessor, and above all, the cleansing power of absolution will be effectual means of disentangling our- selves from the meshes of sin and of advancing in virtue. IV. Dispositions Required to Profit Well by the Sacrament of the Eucharist * 270. The Holy Eucharist is both a sacrament and a sacrifice. These two elements are most closely united ; for the Sacrifice of the Mass makes present the Victim which we receive in Holy Communion. Communion is not, according to the common teaching, an essential part of the sacrifice ; it is, however, an integral part since it is by virtue of communion that we partake in the sentiments of the victim and share in the fruits of the sacrifice. The essential difference between the one and the other is that the sacrifice refers directly to the glory of God whilst the sacrament's immediate end is the sanctification of our souls. These two objects are but one in reality, for to know and love God is to glorify Him. Each, therefore, contri- butes to our spiritual progress. 1° THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS AS A MEANS OF SANCTIFICATION-2 271. A) Its Effects, a) The Sacrifice of the Mass first of all glorifies God and glorifies Him in a perfect manner, 1 St. THOM., Ill, q. LXXIX; SUAREZ, disp. LXIII; DALGAIRNS, Holy Com- munion; HEDLEY, The Holy Eucharist ; Pius XII, Encycl. Mediator Dei ", 1947. 2 Besides the works already cited, cf . BENEDICT XIV De ss. Misses Sacrificio ^ GIHR, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; OLIER, La Journee chretienne, Occupations interieures pendant le saint sacrifice, p. 49-65 ; PARSCH, Liturgy of the Mass; Dom VONIER, A key to the doctrine of the Eucharist'; JUNGMANN, THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 139 for here Jesus Christ, through the ministry of the priest offers again to His Father all the acts of adoration, gratitude and love which He once offered on Calvary, — acts which have an infinite moral value. In offering Himself as victim, He proclaims in a manner most significant God's sovereign domain over all things — this is adoration; in giving Himself to God in acknowledgement of His bene- fices, Christ offers to Him a praise equal to His gifts — this is thanksgiving, and it constitutes the eucharistic wor- ship. Nothing cati prevent this effect from taking place, not even the unworthiness of the minister, 1 for the worth of the sacrifice does not depend essentially upon the one through whose ministry it is offered, but on the 'worth of the victim and on the dignity of the chief priest — no other than Jesus Christ Himself. This is what the Council of Trent teaches in declaring that this unspotted offering cannot be stained by the un- worthiness or malice of those who offer it ; that in this divine sacrifice is contained and immolated, in an unbloody man- ner, the same Christ that offered Himself in a bloody man- ner upon the altar of the Cross. Hence, adds the Council, it is the same victim, the same sacrificing-priest who offers Himself now through the ministry of priests and who once offered Himself upon the Cross. There is no difference, save in the manner of offering. 2 Thus when we assist at Mass, and all the more when we celebrate Mass, we render unto God Almighty all the homage due to Him and that in a manner most perfect, since we make our own the homage of Jesus, Priest and Victim. Let no one say that this has nothing to do with our san- ctification. The truth is, that when we glorify God, He is moved with love toward us, and the more we attend to His glory the more He attends to our spiritual concerns. By fulfilling our duties to Him in union with the Victim on the altar, we do a signal work for our own sanctification. 272. b) The Divine Sacrifice has besides a propitiatory effect by the very virtue of its celebration (ex opere operate, as theologians say). It means that this Sacrifice, by offering to the Almighty the homage due to Him together with an Missarum solemnia; BACUEZ, S. S., Du divin sacrifice; E. VANDEUR, O. S. B., The Holy Mass Explained; CARD. VAUGHAN, The Mass; HEDLEY, Retreat, C. 24; Retreat for Priests, C. 13; A Bishop and his Flock, C. 10; DUNNEV, The Mass ;MARMION, Christ the Life of the Soul, P. II, C. VII. ( 1 In other words, this effects is produced, ex opere operato, by the very virtue of the sacrifice. 2 Sess. XXII, cap. MI. 140 ' i •!•:,•. CHAPTER II adequate atonement for sin, inclines Him to bestow upon us, ;not sanctifying grace directly (this is the effect proper to the sacrament), but actual grace, which produces in us true repentance and contrition, thus securing for us the remission of even the greatest sins. * At the^ same time the Sacrifice of the Mass is satisfactory in the sense that it remits without fail to repentant sinners at least part of the temporal punishment due to sin. This is why the Holy Synod adds that Mass can be offered not only for the sins and satisfactions and needs of the living, but also for the relief of those that have died in the Lord without having sufficiently expiated their faults. 2 We can easily see how this twofold effect of the Sacrifice, propitiatory and satisfactory, contributes to our progress in the Christian life. The great obstacle to union with God is sin. By obtaining pardon for it and by causing its last vestiges to vanish, a closer and more intimate union with God is prepared : "Blessed are the clean of heart : for they shall see God. " 3 ' How comforting to poor sinners thus to see the wall of separation crumble down! — a wall trhat had keptthern from the enjoyment of divine life! 273. e) Holy Mass produces also ex. opere operato an impetratory, effect and thus obtains for us all the graces we need for our sanctification. Sacrifice is prayer in action and He Who with unspeak- able groanings makes supplication for us at the altar is the same whose prayers are always heard : " He was heard because of His reverence. " 4 Thus the Church, the author- itative interpreter of the divine mind," prays there unceas- ingly, in 'union with Jesus, Priest and Victim, " through Jesus Christ Our Lord, " for all the graces which her members need, for health of body and soul, " for their longed-for salvation and well-being," $ for their spiritual growth, asking for her faithful children, specially in the Collect, the parti- cular grace proper to each feast. Whoever enters into this stream of liturgical prayer with the required dispositions .is sure to obtain for himself and others the most abundant graces. It is clear, then, that all the effects of the Holy Sacrifice concur to our sanctification — this all the more effectively ' This is the teaching of the Council of Trent, sess. XXII, c. II. » Loc. cit. — 3 Matth., V, 8. — « Hebr., V, 7. — S Canon of Mass. THE NATURE OF THE. CHRISTIAN LIFE. Ml since we- do not pray alone therein, but in union; with -the whole Church and above all in union with its invisiblfe Head, Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim, Who, renewing the offering of Calvary, demands in virtue of His Blood and His supplications that His merits and His satisfactions be applied to us. 274. B) Dispositions required to profit by the Holy Sacrifice. * What dispositions should we have in order to profit by such a powerful means of sanctification ? The fundamental and all-inclusive disposition is that of humble and trusting union whith the dispositions manifested by Christ on the Cross and renewed now on the Altar. We must strive to share His sentiments of religion and make them our own. In this way we can all carry out what the Pontifical demands of priests : " Realize what you do, and imitate the Victim you offer. " And this is precisely what the Church through her Liturgy urges us to do. 2 275. a) In the Mass of, the Catechumens (as far as the Offertory, exclusive) she would have us form sentiments of penitence and contrition (the Confiteor, Aufer a nobis, Oramus te, Kyrie eleisori) ; of adoration and gratitude (the Gloria in excelsis] ; of supplication (the Collect) ; and of sincere faith (the Epistle, Gospel and Creed}. b) The grand drama follows : i) The offering of the victim at the Offertory for 'the salvation of the whole human race, " For our salvation and that of the entire world"; the offering of the Christian people together with the principal victim, " We beg of Thee, 0 Lord, in humble .spirit and with contrite hearts, " followed by a prayer to the Most Holy Trinity to, deign to bless and receive the offering of the entire mystical body of Christ. 2) The Preface, heralds the great action itself. At the Canon wherein the mystic immolation of the victim is to be renewed, the Church summons us to join with the Angels and Saints, but chiefly the Incarnate Word, in thanking God Almighty, in proclaiming His Holiness, in imploring His help for the Church, for its visible head, its bishops and faithful children, and particularly those assist- ing at the Sacrifice and those to whom we are bound by closer ties of love. 1 The fruits of the Mass, described above, are obtained in various degrees accord- ing to the inscrutable decrees. of God, first by the celebrant, then by those for whom the Holy Sacrifice is offered, by those whom the priest remembers at the altar, and finally by all those who assist at Mass. We speak here only of these last. 8 Cf. E. VANDEUR, O. S. B., The Holy Mass; The Following of Christ, Bk. IV. Ci 8-9. 142 CHAPTER II. Then the priest, uniting in fellowship with the Blessed Virgin, with the Holy Apostles, Martyrs, and all the Saints, moves in spirit to the Last Supper, becomes one with the Sovereign Priest, and with Him utters once more the words Jesus spoke in the Cenacle. Obedient to His voice, the Word-made-flesh descends upon the altar with His Body and Blood, silently adoring and praying in His own name and in ours. The Christian people bow in adoration of the Divine Victim ; they unite with our Lord's own sentiments, His acts of adoration, His requests, and they strive to im- molate themselves with Him by offering their own small sacrifices " through Him, and with Him and in Him. " C) The Our Father begins the preparation for Com- munion. Members of Christ's mystical body, we repeat the prayer He Himself taught us. We thus offer with Him our acts of religious homage and our entreaties, asking most of all, for that eucharistic bread that will deliver us from all evil, and will give us, together with the pardon of our sins, peace of soul and abiding union with Christ : " And never permit that 1 be ever separated from Thee." Then, like the Centurion, protesting their unworthiness and begging humble pardon, the priest and the faithful eat the Body and drink the Blood of Christ. Priest and people are thus united most intimately to Jesus, to His inmost soul and through Him to the very Godhead, to the Most Blessed Trinity. The mystery of union is completed. We are but one with Jesus, and since He is but one with the Father, the sacerdotal prayer of the Saviour at the Last Supper is realized : " I in them, and thou in me : that they may be made perfect in one. " ' 276. d) But one thing remains — to thank the Almighty for such a stupendous gift. This is done at the Post- communion and the prayers that follow. The blessing of the priest bestows on us the affluent riches of the Triune God. The last Gospel recalls to us the glory of the Incar- nate Word, who has come once more to dwell among us, whom we carry within us full of grace and truth, that we may throughout the day draw life from life's Source, and live a life like unto His. It is evident that to assist at Mass or to celebrate it with dispositions such as these is to sanctify ourselves and to nurture in the best possible manner that spiritual life that is within us. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 143 2" HOLY COMMUNION AS A MEANS OF SANCTIFICATION l 277. A) Its EifeetS. The Holy Eucharist, as a sacra- ment, produces in us an increase of habitual grace, ex opere operato, by its own virtue. In fact, it has been instituted to be fa&food of our souls : " My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. " 2 Its effects are, therefore, analogous to those of material food ; it maintains, increases, and repairs our spiritual forces, causing at the same time a joy that, if not always sensible, is nevertheless real. Jesus Himself, whole and entire, is our food ; His • Body, His Blood, His Soul, His Divinity. He is united to us to transform us into Himself; this union is at once real and moral, a transform- ing union, and by nature permanent. Such is Christ's doctrine as found in St. John's Gospel and summarized by Father Lebreton : 3 " The union of Christ and the Christian as well as the life-giving transfor- mation resulting therefrom are consummated in the Euchar- ist. Here there is no longer a question of adhering to Christ merely by faith, nor of being incorporated into Him through Baptism. This is a new union that is at once most real and most spiritual by which, it may be said, we are made not only one spirit but in a sense one flesh with Christ. " He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him. " 4 " This union is so intimate that Our Lord does not hesitate to say : " As I live by the Father, so he that eatheth me the same also shall live by me. " 5 No doubt, this is only an analogy ; yet if the analogy is to hold, we must see here not merely a moral union based on a community of sentiments, but a real physical union which implies the mingling of two lives or rather the sharing by the Christian in the very life of Christ. " This we shall try to explain. 278. a) This union is real. It is a matter of faith, according to the Council of Trent, that the Holy Eucharist contains truly, really, and substantially the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, with His Soul and His Divinity — hence :St. THOM., q. 79; TANQUEREY, Syn. Theol. Dogm., t. Ill, p. 619-628; .DAL, GAIRNS, Holy Communion, p. 154 and foil.; H. MOUREAU, Diet, de Thtol. (Mange- not), under the word, Communion; P. HUGON, La Sarnie Eucharistie, p. 240 and foil.; MARMION, Christ the Life of the Soul, P. II. C. VIII.; LEJEUNE, Holy Communion; HEDLEY, The Holy Eucharist; MOTHER LOYOLA, Welcome; Spiri- tual Combat, c. 53-57; Introd. to a Devout Life, P. II, C. XXI; THE FOLLOWING OF CHRIST, B. IV; Approved Prayer-Books. *John,\\, 55. 3 Les Oriffines du dogme de la Tnnitt, 1910, p. 403. *foAn,VI,S7. -SJokn, VI, 58. 144 CHAPTER II. Christ whole and entire. J Therefore, when we receive Holy Communion we receive veiled under the sacred species the real and physical Body and Blood of Christ, together with His Soul and His Divinity. We are, then, not only the tabernacles but the ciboriums wherein Christ lives, where the angels come and adore Him, and where we should join the heavenly Spirits in adoration. More, there exists between Jesus and ourselves a union similar to that existing between food and him who eats it — with this difference, however, that it is Jesus that transforms us into Himself, and not we who transform Him into our substance. , The superior being is the one to assimilate the inferior. 2 It is a union that tends to subject our flesh more and more to the spirit and to • make it more chaste — a union that sows in the flesh the seed of immortality : " He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day. "3 279. b) To this real union is added another union, spiritual in its nature, most intimate in its character, most transforming in its effects. i);It is most intimate, most sanctifying. The soul of Christ, in fact, unites with ours to make us but one heart and one mind with Him — • " cor unum et anima una. " His imagination and His memory, so righteous and so holy, unite themselves to our own imagina- tion and our own memory to discipline them and turn them toward God and the things of God, by bringing their activi- ties to bear on the remembrance of His benefactions, on His rapturous beauty, on His inexhaustible goodness. His intelligence, true light of the soul, enlightens our minds with the radiance of faith ; it causes us to see and value all things as God sees and values them. It is then that we realize the vanity of worldly goods and the folly of worldly standards ; it is then that we relish the Gospel truths, so obscure before because opposed to our natural instincts. His will so strong, so constant, so generous, comes to correct our weak- ness, our inconstancy, our egotism, by communicating to our wills its own Divine energy, so that we can say with St. Paul : " / can do. all things in Him who strengtheneth me. " 4 We feel now that effort will become easy, that ' Sess. XIII, can. i. '" This is the remark made by St. AUGUSTINE (Confessions, lib. VII, c. 10, n. 16, P. Z.., XXXI I, 742). He puts these words on the lips of the Lord : " I am the food of great souls, grow a.nd you shall be able to eat of me ; but you shall not change me into yourself like you do material food, it will be you that shall be changed into me. " 3 John, VI, 3S, - < Philip. , I V, i0. / THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 145 temptation will find us immovable, that steadfastness will no longer be above our strength, since we are not alone, but cling to Christ like the ivy to the oak, and thus share in His power. His heart, aglow with love for God and for souls, comes to enkindle our own, so cold toward God, so tender toward creatures. Like the disciples of Emmaus we say to ourselves : " Was not our heart burning within us, whilst He spoke to us in the. way? " * It is then that under the action of this divine fire we become conscious at times of a well- nigh irresistible impulse toward good, at others, of a sober yet firm determination to do all things, to undergo all suffer- ings for God and to refuse Him nothing. 280. i) It is evident that a union such as this is truly transforming. Little by little our thoughts, our ideas, our convictions, and pur judgments undergo a change. Instead of weighing the worth of things with the world's standards, we make the thoughts and the views of Jesus Christ our own; we lovingly accept the maxims of the Gospel; we continually ask ourselves the question : What would Jesus do if He were in my place? 2 2) The same is true of our desires, of our choices. Realiz- ing that both self si^A the world are in the wrong, that the truth abides only in Jesus, the Eternal Wisdom, we no longer desire anything but what He desires, that is, God's glory, our own salvation and that of our brethren ; we will only what He wills, " not my will, but thine be done; " and even when this holy will nails us to the Cross, we accept it with all our heart, certain that it bids fair for our spiritual welfare and that of our fellows. ' • • J 3) Our heart in like manner gradually frees itself from its more or less conscious egotism, from its lower natural affections and attachments, that it may love God and souls in God, more ardently, more generously, more passionately. Now we love no longer divine consolations, be they ever so sweet, but God 'Himself ; no longer the comfort of finding ourselves midst those we love, hut rather the good we can do them. " We live now, but we live a more intense life, 1 Luke, XXIV, 32. 2 " We become one with Jesus. That is, we have the same " will " as He has. What He loves, we love ; what He desires, we desire ; what He says ought to be done, we long to do and do ; His judgments are ours ; His behaviour under every kind of condition, under all circumstances of persons and occurrences, -is the be- haviour we are always striving to reproduce in our own life and action. Thus, it is '-'0 exaggeration to say that in the Holy Communion, Jesus Christ gives us His own Heart, taking our heart away. His Heart is the Heart of ch'artiy, of purity, of sacrifice. " BISHOP HEDLEY, Retreat, p. 279. N° 680. — 7 146 CHAPTER II. a life more supernatural, more divine than we did in the past. It is no longer self) the old Adam, that lives, thinks and acts, but Jesus Himself, His spirit, that lives within us and vivifies our own : " / live, now not /, but Christ liveth in me. " * . 281. c) This spiritual union can be as lasting as we wish, as Our Lord Himself testifies : " He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him. " z He desires to tarry with us eternally. It rests with us, His grace helping, ever to remain united to Him. How is this union maintained? Some authors have thought with Schram 3 that Christ's soul folds itself, as it were, in the center of our own soul there to remain constantly. — This would be a miracle most extraordinary, for Christ's soul is ever united to His body and this latter disappears with the sacramental species. We cannot, therefore, accept this opinion, since God does not multiply miracles without necessity. If, however, His soul does depart from us together with His body, His divinity remains with us as long as we are in the state of grace. More, His sacred humanity united to His divinity maintains with the soul a special union. This can be explained theologically as follows : The Spirit of Jesus, in other words, the. Holy Ghost, dwelling within the human soul of Christ, remains in us in virtue of the special relationship we have entered into with Jesus Christ by sacramental Communion, and .produces therein interior dispositions similar to those of the Holy Soul of Christ. At the request of Jesus, Whose prayers for us are unceasing, the Holy Ghost grants us more abundant and more effica- cious actual graces. With a special care, He preserves us from temptations; He causes in us movements of grace, directs our soul and its faculties, speaks to our heart, strengthens our will, rekindles our love, and thus perpetuates within our soul the effects of sacramental Communion. To enjoy these privileges, however, one must evidently practice interior recollection, hearken attentively to the voice of God, and be ready to comply with His least desire. Thus Sacramental Communion is complemented byaspm- tiial Communion which renders its effects more lasting. 282. d) This communion brings about a special union with the Three, Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity. 4 In virtue of the indwelling of each Divine Person within the 1 Galaf., II, 20. — * John, VI, 56. — 3 Instit. iheol. Mystic®, § 153. 4 Cfr. BERNADOT, De V Eucharistie & la TriniU. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 147 other — circumincession — the Eternal Word does not come alone into the soul; :He comes with the Father forever generating His Son; He comes with the Holy Ghost forever proceeding from the mutual embrace of the Father and the Son : " If any one love me, my Father will love him and we will come to him and we will make our abode with him. " J No doubt, the Three Divine Persons are already in us by grace, but at the moment of Communion they are present within us because of another, a special title : as we are then physically united to the Incarnate Word, the Three Divine Persons also are, through Him and by Him, united to us, and They love us now as They love the Word-made-Flesh, Whose members we are. Bearing Jesus in our hearts, with Him we bear the Father and the Holy Ghost. Holy Communion, then, is an anticipation of Heaven and, if we are possessed of a lively faith, we shall realize the truth contained in the words of the Imitation, that ""to be with Jesus is a sweet paradise." 2 283. B) Dispositions to profit well by the reception Of the Eucharist. 3 Since the object of the Eucharist is to effect. -an intimate, transforming, and permanent union with Christ, and God, whatever in am preparation and thanksgiving fosters that union will increase the effects of Holy Commun- ion, a). The preparation will have the form of an anticipated union with Our Lord. We take for granted the union of the soul with God by sanctifying grace as already existing; without it, Communion would constitute a sacrilege. 4 1) There is first the more perfect accomplishment of all our duties of state in union with Jesus and in order to please Him. This is 'the best means of drawing unto us Him Whose whole life was a continual act of filial obedience to the Father. "For I do always the .things that please Him. " 5 This practice we explained in N. 229. 2) The second disposition should be a sincere humility, based, on the one hand, on the exalted sanctity of Jesus Christ and, on the other, upon our lowliness and ourunwor- thiness : " Lord, I am not worthy... " This humility creates, so to speak, a void within the soul, emptying it of its 1 John, XIV, 23. —a The Imitation^ Christ, Bk. II, C. 8. 3 Mother M. Loyola, Welcome; Leieune, Holy Communion; Af proved Prayer- Books. 4 Hence, were one conscious of mortal sin, it would be imperative, first of all, to confess it with contrition and humility of heart, not being content with an act of contrition no matter/how perfect. Cf. AD. TANQUEREY, Syn. theol. Dogm., \. Ill, 652-654. -•;••«--:. - . • 29, -•:-. 148 , CHAPTER II. egotism, its pride, its presumption. Now, the more we empty ourselves of self, the more ready we make the soul to let itself be inhabited and possessed by God. 3) To this humility must be added an. ardent desire to be united to God in the Eucharist. Realizing our helplessness and our poverty, we should long for Him Who alone can give strength to our weakness, enrich us with His treasures and fill the void within our hearts. Such a desire will, by dilating the soul, throw it wide open to Him Who in turn desires to give Himself to us : " With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you." * 284. b) The best thanksgiving will be to prolong our union with Jesus. i) It should begin by an act of silent adoration? of self- abasement and complete surrender of ourselves to Him Who being God, gives Himself all to us : " 0 Hidden God, devoutly I adore Thee... To Thee my heart I bow with bended knee. " 3 In union with Mary, the most perfect adorer of Jesus Christ, we shall abase ourselves before the majesty of the Godhead to bless it, praise it, thank it, first, in the Word-made-Flesh, and then with Him and thro'ugh Him, in the Most Blessed Trinity. " My soul doth magnify the Lord... He Who is mighty hath done great things unto me, and holy is His name. " 4 Nothing so enables Jesus to take complete possession of the soul, to penetrate, its very depths, as this act of self-abasement. This is the manner in which we poor creatures can give\ ourselves to Him Who is All. We shall give Him whatever of good is in us since all this good proceeds from Him and has never ceased to be His. We shall further offer Him our miseries that He may consume them with the fire of His love and place in their stead His perfect dispositions. What a wondrous exchange! 285. 2) Then take place sweet colloquies between the soul and the Divine Guest : " Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. . . Give me understanding that . I may know thy testimonies... Incline my heart unto the words of thy mouth... " This is the acceptable time to listen attentively to Our Master and Our Friend, to speak to Him with 1 Luke XXII, 15, 3 Many, forgetting this first act, begin at once to ask for favors without consi- dering the fact that our requests will be all the better received, if first of all, we render our homage to Him. Who honors us with His presence. 3 ffyntn of St. THOMAS. — « Luke, I, 46 and fell. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 149 reverence, with candor, with love. This is the moment in which Jesus instils into us His dispositions and His virtues. We must lay our soul open to the divine communications and not only receive them, but also relish them and assimi- late them. That this communion may not degenerate into a mere form, it will be good to vary, if not daily at least from time to time, the subject of our colloquies. This can be done by choosing now one virtue and then another, or by the loving consideration of some Gospel-texts, begging Our Lord for help to understand and relish them, and for grace to live by them. 286. 3) One must not fail to thank God for the lights and the loving sentiments He has vouchsafed to us, to thank Him, too, for the very darkness and weariness of soul in which He has at times allowed us to remain. Even these are profitable to us unto humility, unto the acknowledgment of our unworthiness to receive divine favors ; profitable, because they enable us to adhere more frequently by will to Him Who evensin the midst of our aridity, pours into us in a hidden and mysterious manner His life and His virtues. We ask Him to communicate to our souls His action and His life. " 0 Jesus living in Mary, come and live in thy servants. " * We beg Him to accept and transform the little good within us : " Take, Lord, and accept my liberty. " 2 287. 4) We promise, to make the sacrifices required 'to reform and transform our lives, especially in this or that particular point, and conscious of our weakness we beg earnestly for the courage of carrying this promise into effect. 3 This point is of capital importance : each Commu- nion should be received with this end in view, to advance in the practice of some particular .virtue. 288. 5) This is likewise the moment to pray for all who are dear to us, for the vast interests of the Church, for the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff, for bishops and priests. Let us have no fear of making our prayer too universal : this rather gives assurance that we shall be heard. Finally, we conclude by asking Our Lord to vouchsafe us the grace of abiding in Him as He does in us, the grace of performing all our actions in union with Him, in a spirit of thanksgiving. We entrust to the Blessed Virgin that same Jesus she guarded so well, in order that J Prayer ot Father de Condren completed by Father Olter. * Prayer of S, Ignatius in the Contemplation on the love of God. * On the Spirit of a victim cf. L. CAPELLE, S. J., Les Ames gtnilreuses. 150 CHAPTER II. she may aid us in making Him grow in our hearts. Thus strengthened by prayer we pass on to action. CONCLUSION 289. We have, then, at our disposal three great means of sustaining and expanding that Christian life God has so bountifully begotten within us — means of giving ourselves as whole-heartedly to God as He has given Himself to us : 1) Fighting relentlessly and fearlessly against our spiritual foes. With the help of God and the aid of all the heavenly protectors He has given us, certain victory and the further strengthening of our spiritual life are assured. 2) Sanctifying all our actions, even the most common- place. Through the oft-repeated offering of them to God, we acquire numberless merits, add largely day by day to our stock of grace, and strengthen our title to heaven, the while we make reparation and atone for our faults. .... ; 3) The sacraments, received with right and fervent dispo- sitions, add to our personal merits a rich bounty of grace which proceeds from Christ's own merits. Approaching so frequently the sacrament of Penance and communicating daily as we do, it is in our power, if we will, to become saints. Jesus Christ came and still comes to us to commu- nicate with largess His life to us : " / am come that they may have life and may have it more abundantly. " x Our task is but to lay our souls open to receive this divine life, to foster it and make it grow by our constant partici- pation in the dispositions, the virtues, and the sacrifices of Jesus Christ. At last the moment will come when trans- formed into Him, having no other thoughts, no other senti- ments, no other motives fhan His own, we shall be able to repeat the words of S. Paul : " I live, now not /, but Christ liveth in me. " SUMMARY OF THE SECOND CHAPTER 290. At the close of this chapter, the most important of this First Part, we can understand better. the nature of the Christian life. • i° It is a real participation in God's life, for God lives in us and we in Him. He lives in us really — in the Unity of 1 John, X, 10. , : THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 151 His nature and in the Trinity of His persons. Nor is He inactive there. He creates in the soul a complete superna- tural organism that enables it to live a life, not indeed equal, but truly similar, to His, a Godlike life. More, it is He Who gives it movement by His actual grace, He Who helps us to make our acts meritorious, He -Who rewards these acts .by a further infusion of habitual grace. We also live in Him and for Him, for we are His co-workers. By the aid of His grace, we freely accept the divine impulse, co-operate with it and by it triumph over our enemies, acquire merit, and prepare ourselves for the rich effusion of grace given to us by the Sacraments. Withal, we must not • forget that even our free consent itself is the work of His grace, and this is the reason why we refer to Him the merit attached to our good works, living unto Him, just as we live by Him and in Him. .291. 2° This life is also a participation in the life of fesus, for Christ lives in us and we live in Him. He lives in us not only as the Father lives in us — as God, but He also lives in us, as the God-man. He is, in fact, the head of a mystical body whose members we are, and from Him it. is that we receive movement and life. He lives within us in a still more mysterious manner, for through His merits and prayers He causes the Holy Ghost to create within us dispo- sitions like those which the same Divine Spirit produced in His own soul. He lives in us really and physically at the moment of Communion, and through His divine Spirit communicates to us His sentiments and His virtues. We too live in Him. We are incorporated into Him and we freely receive His divine impulse. It is likewise by the free action of our wills that we imitate His virtues, even though our success comes from the- grace He merited for us. Lastly, it is freely that we adhere to Him as the branch to the vine and open our souls to receive that divine life He so liberally infuses into us. As we have all from. Him, it is by Him and unto Him that we live, only too glad to give ourselves to Him as He gives Himself to us, our one regret being that the manner of our giving is so imperfect. 292. 3° This life is, in a certain measure, also a participation ,m Mary's life, or, as Father Olier says, a participation in the life of Jesus living in Mary. Desiring that His Holy Mother be a living image of Himself, Jesus through His merits and prayers communicates to her His divine Spirit, Who makes her share to. a preeminent degree in His dispositions and His virtues. It 152 CHAP. II. — THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE is thus that He lives in Mary, and, since He wills that His Mother be also our Mother, He wills that she engender us in spirit. Giving us spiritual life (of course as a secondary cause), Mary not only makes us share in Jesus' life, but in her own as well. At the same time, then, that we partici- pate in the life of Jesus, we participate in that of Mary — - in other words, in the life of Jesus living in Mary. Such is the thought which the beautiful prayer of Father de Condren completed by Father Olier so well expresses : " 0 Jesus, 'living in Mary, come and live in thy servants. " 293. 4° Finally, this life is a participation in the lives of the Saints of heaven and of those of earth. As we have seen, the mystical body of Christ includes all those that have been incorporated into Him by Baptism and especially those enjoying the possession of grace and of heavenly glory. All the members of this mystical body share one common life, the life they receive from the Head, which is diffused in their souls by one and the same Spirit. We are then in all truth brethren, having our life from a common Father, a life spiritual, the plenitude whereof is in Christ Jesus, " of whose fulness we have all received. " Thus the Saints in heaven and those of earth have our spiritual welfare at heart and aid us in our struggle against the flesh, the world and the devil. 294. How consoling are these truths! Doubtless, the spiritual life here below is a warfare. Hell fights against us and finds allies in the world, and chiefly in our threefold concupiscence. But Heaven fights for us, and Heaven means not only the host of Angels and Saints, but Christ the victor over Satan, the Most Blessed Trinity living and reigning within the soul. We should, therefore, be full of confidence, being assured of victory, if only we distrust ourselves and rely upon God : " I can do all .things in Him Who strengthened me." 1 Phil, IV. 13. CHAP. III. — THE PERFECT, OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 153 CHAPTER The Perfection of the Christian*' Life 295. All life xmust perfect itself. This is true, above all, of the Christian life. It is by its very nature a progressive life, its completion being achieved only in Heaven. We must examine, then, in what its perfection consists, in order that we direct our steps more surely along its way. Since there exist erroneous conceptions and more or less incomplete ideas on this fundamental point, we shall begin by eliminating the false notions of Christian perfection, and then explain its true nature. 1 T T? i *.• ( Unbelievers ' f f/K "N Worldlings held by < II. The true Consists in love Presupposes sacrifice here on earth Blends harmoniously this twofold ele- ,. ment Includes both the precepts and the counsels Has degrees and limits ART. I. FALSE NOTIONS CONCERNING PERFECTION. These false notions are met with among unbelievers, worldlings, and even among devout souls. 296. i° In the eyes of unbelievers^ Christian perfection is no more than a subjective phenomenon without any corres- ponding reality. A) Many of them study what they call mystical phenomena, only with malicious prejudices and without distinguishing the true from false mystics. Such are, Max Nordau, J. H. Leuba, E. Murisier. 2 According to them, the so-called perfection of the mystics is nothing more than a morbid phenomenon, a species of psycho-neurosis, a sort of exaltation based on religious feeling or even a special form of sexual love. This, they say, is shown by the terms spousals, spiritual marriage, kisses, embraces and divine caresses so frequently found in the writings of mystics. *Introd. to a Devout Life, P. I, C. I-II ; Spiritual Combat, C. I; FABER, Growth in Holiness, C. XXII-XXV; MEYER, Science of the Saints,Vo\. I, C. XIX. 2 MAX NORDAU, Dtgtntrescence, t. I, p. 115; J. H. LEUBA, Psychological Study of Religion; E. MURISIER, Les maladies du sentiment religieux. 154 CHAPTER III. . It is evident that these authors, hardly acquainted with any but sensual love, have not the slightest conception of divine love; they are among those to whom the words of Our Lord can be aptly applied : " Neither cast ye your pearls before swine. " * No wonder then that other psychologists, such as William James, have pointed out that sexual instinct has nothing to do with sanctity ; that the true mystics have practiced heroic chastity, some having never experienced, or hardly so, the weaknesses of the flesh, others having overcome vio- lent temptations by heroic means, for instance, throwing themselves among thorns. If they have, therefore, employed the language of human love, it is because every other falls short of terms to express the tenderness of divine love. 2 They have further shown by the whole tenor of their conduct, by the greatness of the works they have undertaken and brought to a successful end, that they were full of wisdom and poise and that at any rate we cannot but bless the neuroses that have given to the world an Aquinas and a Bonaven- ture, an Ignatius Loyola and a Xavier, a Teresa of Jesus and a John of the Cross, a Francis de Sales and a Jeanne de Chantal, a Vincent de Paul, a Mademoiselle Legras, a Berulle, an Olier, an Alphonsus Liguori, a Paul of the Cross. 297. B) Other unbelievers, such as William James and Maxime de Montmorand, 3 whilst doing justice to our mystics, yet doubt the objective reality of the phenomena they described. They acknowledge the marvelous effects caused in souls by the religious sentiment, an indomitable impulse toward good, an absolute devotedness to others. They recognize their supposed egotism to be in reality charity of the highest social character and productive of the most wholesome influ- ence ; that their thirst for sufferings does not hinder them from enjoying unspeakable delights nor from radiating a measure of happiness to their surroundings. — Yet, they ask themselves the question : are not mystics the victims of auto-suggestion and hallucinations? . To this we answer that such salutary effects can only proceed from a proportionate cause ; that no real and lasting good can come from aught but what is true ; and that if Christian mystics have produced useful social works, it is because contemplation and the love of God, which have inspired such works, are not hallucinations but actual, living and working realities : " By their fruits you shall know them. " 4 298. 2° Worldlings, even when they have the faith, often entertain very false ideas concerning perfection or, as they call it, devotion. A) Some look upon devout souls as hypocrites, who under the cover of religion, hide odious vices or political designs and ambitions, such as the desire to lord it over consciences and thus to control the world. This is the fallacy that identifies the thing with its abuse. The course of the present study will show us that frankness, honesty and . humility are the true characteristics of piety. i, VII, 6. W. JAMES, The Varieties of Religious Experience, p. 9-12. 3 W. JAMES, op. cit,; M. DE'MONTMOEAND, Psychologic des Mystiques, 1920. 20. THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 155 299. B) Others see in piety a sort of exaltation of feeling and imagination, a kind of vehemence of emotion good at best for women and children, but unworthy of men who want to be guided by reason and will. And, yet, how many men whose names appear in the catalogue of the Saints, have been distinguished by proverbial good sense, an uncommon degree of intelligence, an energetic and perse- vering will ! Here again a caricature is mistaken for the portrait. 300. C) Lastly, there are those who maintain that perfection is a Utopia beyond realization and hence fraught with danger; that it suffices to keep the Commandments without wasting time in punctilious practices or in the quest of extraordinary virtues. The perusal of the lives of the Saints suffices to rectify such an erroneous view : perfection has been realized here on earth, and the practice of the counsels, far from working to the detriment of the precepts, simply renders their observance all the ^easier. 301. 3° Even among devout souls there ate those who err as to the true nature of perfection, and who describe it, each according to the caprice of his own bias and fancy. * A) Many, mistaking devotions for devotion^ imagine per- fection to consist in reciting a great number of prayers, in joining sundry religious societies, even if such practices entail the occasional neglect of their duties of state or of the charity due to the other members of the household. This is a substitution of non-essentials for the necessary, a sacrifice of the end to the means. 302. B) Others give themselves to * fastings and austeri- ties to> the exhaustion of the body, and thus become unfit for the discharge of their duties of state and consider themselves dispensed therefore from the law of charity toward their neighbor. They dare not permit themselves any little dainties, yet they do not hesitate " to drench their lips with the life-blood of their fellow-men through calumny and slander. 2 " Here again one forgets the essentials of perfection and neglects the fundamental duty of charity in favor of practices good indeed but far less important. — The like mistake is made by those who give generously to 1 Thus remarks St, FRANCIS DE SALES, Introduction to a Devout Life, Part. I, C- I, which should be; read in its entirety. 3 Devout Lift ib. . 15& ' CHAPTER III. charity, but refuse to forgive their enemies, or those who, whilst forgiving them, think not of paying their debts. 303. C) Some, taking spiritual consolations for fervor, think they have arrived at perfection if they are filled with joy and can pray with ease, and they consider themselves lukewarm when they are seized by aridity and distractions. Such persons forget that what counts before God is the generous, oft-renewed 'effort despite apparent failures. 304. D) Others, taken up by a life of action and exter- nal activities, neglect the interior life to give themselves more entirely to works of zeal. They forget that the life and soul of all zeal is habitual prayer which draws down the grace of God and gives fruitfulness to action. 305. E) Others, having read mystical works or the lives of the Saints in which ectasies and visions are des- cribed, fancy perfection to consist in these extraordinary phenomena and strain their minds and imaginations to obtain them. They have never understood ,that such phe- nomena are, as the mystics themselves testifiy, but inci- dental ; that they do not constitute the essence of sanctity and that it is foolhardy to covet them ; that conformity to the will of God is by far the safer and more practical way. Having thus cleared the ground, we shall be able to understand more easily in what perfection essentially consists. ART. II. TRUE NOTION OF PERFECTION J 306. The State of the Question. i° Any being is perfect {perfectuvi) in the natural order when it is finished, completed, hence, when it has attained its end : " Each is said to be perfect in so far as it attains its own end, which .is the highest perfection of anything." * This constitutes absolute perfection. However, there is also a relative and progressive perfection which consists in the approach toward that end by the development of all one's faculties and the carrying out in practice of all duties, in accordance with the dictates of the natural law as manifested by right reason. TSt. THOM., 1 la Use, q. 184, a. 1-3; Opuscul. de perfectione vita spiritualist ALVAREZ DE PAZ, of. tit., 1. Ill; LE GAUDIER, op. cit.,P. Ia; SCHRAM, Instit* mysticce, § IX-XX; RlBET, L'Ascttique chrliienne, ch. IV- VI; IGHINA, Cours de Thlol. ascltique, Introduction ; GARRiGOU-LAGRANGE, dans la Vie spirit. , oct. et nov. 1920. 3 Sum. theol., II> II*, q. 184, a. i. See also works referred to ($ove, n. zqfc THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 157 307. 2° The end of man, even in the natural order, is God : I ) Created by Him, we are of necessity created /^ Him since He is the fulness of Being. On the other hand, to create for an imperfect end would be unworthy of Him. 2) Besides, God being infinite perfection and thereby the origin of all perfection, man is the more perfect as he approaches closer to God and shares in His divine perfections. This is the reason why man cannot find in creatures anything that can fully satisfy his legitimate aspirations : " The ultimate end of man is uncreated good, that is to say, God, Who alone is capable, by His infinite goodness, of satisfying completely the. human will. " I All • our actions then must be referred to God — to know, love and serve Him and thereby glorify Him, this is the end of life, the source of all perfection. 308. 3° In the supernatural order this is so all the more. Raised by God to a state that surpasses all our needs and all our capabilities, destined one day to contemplate Him through the Beatific Vision, possessing Him even now through grace, and endowed as we are with a supernatural organism that we may unite with Him by the practice of the Christian virtues, we cannot evidently perfect ourselves unless we unceasingly draw closer to Him. This, however, we cannot effect except by uniting ourselves to Jesus — the One indispensable way to go to the Father. Hence, our perfection will consist in living for God in union with Jesus Christ: " To live wholly unto God in Christ Jesus. " 2 This we do when we practice the Christian virtues, theological and moral. The end of all these is to unite us to God more or less directly by making us imitate our Lord Jesus Christ. 309. 4° Here the question arises whether there is among these virtues any one which summarizes and embodies all the others, thus constituting the essence of perfection. Sum- ming up the doctrine of Holy Writ and of the Fathers, St. Thomas answers that perfection essentially consists in the love of God and of one's neighbor for God's sake : ,, Essenti- ally the. perfection of the Christian life consists in charity first and foremost in the love of God> then in the love of one's neighbor. " 1 But in this life the love of God cannot be practiced without renouncing inordinate self-love, that is, 1 St. THOM., Ia II83, q. Ill, a. i. Cfr. TANCHJKRKY, Synopsis Theol. moralis, I', de Ultimo tine, u. 2-18. . 2 FATHER OLIEK, Pielas Seminarii, n. i. - . 3 Sum, theol., IIa IP3, q. 184, a. 3; Opusculum, De pei'fectione vita spiritualis, cap. I, n. 56, 7. • 158 CHAPTER III. the threefold concupiscence ; therefore, in practice; sacrifice must be joined to love. This we are to explain by showing i) how the love of God1 and of one's neighbor constitutes the essence- of perfection; 2) why this love must go to the point of sacrifice; 3) how these two elements must be combined; 4) how perfection includes both precepts and counsels; 5) what are the degrees of perfection and how far perfection can be attained here on earth. § I. The Essence of Perfection consists in Charity 310. First of all we shall explain the sense of this propo- sition. The love of God and of neighbor here in question is supernatural by reason of its object as well as by reason of its motive and its principle. The God we love is the God made known to us by reve- lation, the Triune God. We love Him because our faith shows Him to us infinitely good and infinitely loving. We love Him through the will perfected through the virtue of chanty and aided by actual grace. This love then is not a mere sentiment. Man is indeed a composite being made up of body and soul and, doubtless, some feeling often enters into his affections even the noblest. At times, however, this sentiment which is wholly accidental, is utterly lacking. The essence of love itself is devotedness. It is a firm determination of the will to give itself up to God, and, if need be,to make the entire sacrifice of self to Him and His glory, preferring His good pleasure to that of self and others. 311. The same is to be said, with due proportion, of the love of neighbor. It is God Whom we love in him, a like- ness, a reflection of God's perfections. The motive of this love is then the divine goodness as manifested, expressed and reflected in our neighbor. To speak more concretely, we see and love in our brethren a soul inhabited by the Holy Ghost, beautified by divine grace, redeemed at the price of Christ's blood. In loving him, we wish his super- natural perfection, his eternal salvation. Thus there are not two distinct virtues of charity, the one towards God and the other towards one's neighbor. There is but one, comprising at once God loved for His own sake, and'orie's neighbor loved for God's sake. With these notions in mind, we shall easily understand that perfection does really consist in this one virtue of charity. But what degree of charity is required for perfec- THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 159 i. - tion? That , the charity which necessarily accompanies the state of grace and .which coexists with the habit of venial sin and unmortified passions cannot be sufficient for perfection, every one will agree. On the other hand, charity causing us to love God as much as He deserves to be loved, or charity causing us to avoid all venial sins and imperfections, is not required, for as will be seen further (N, 344-348), such charity is not within our power here on earth. Charity required for perfection may then be defined : Charity so well established in the soul as to make us strive, earnestly and constantly to avoid even the smallest sin and . to do God's holy will in all things out of love for Him. Proofs of the Thesis 312. i° Let us see what Holy Writ tells us. A) Both in the Old and the New Testaments, the dominating prin- ciple wherein the whole law is summed up -is the Great Commandment of love — the love of God and the love of neighbor. Thus xwhen -a certain lawyer asked our Lord what was to be done in order to gain everlasting life, the divine Master made the simple reply : " What saith the law? " And the lawyer without hesitation recalled the sacred text in Deuteronomy : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind : and thy neighbor as thyself." Our Lord approved it, saying: "This do: and thou shalt live" I He adds elsewhere that in this twofold precept of the love of God and of one's neighbor are contained all the Law and the Pro- phets. a St. Paul declares the same when after having enumerated the principal precepts of the Decalogue he adds : "Love therefore is the fiilfilling of the Law. " 3 Thus the love of God and of our neighbor is at one and the same time both the summary and the plenitude of ;the Law. Now Christian perfection cannot be anything else- but the perfect and complete fulfilment of the Law, for the Law is the will of God, than which there can be nothing more perfect. 313. B) Another proof is the one drawn from St. Paul's, doctrine on charity in the thirteenth chapter of the first Epistle to ^the Corinthians. There, in lyric language, he describes the excellence of love, its primacy over the 1 Luke, X, 25-29; cfr. Deut. VI, 5-7. • Matth., XXII, 39-40. — 3 Rom,, XIII, 10. 160 CHAPTER III. charisms or freely given graces, and over the other/theolo- gical virtues of faith and hope. He shows that it embodies and possesses all virtues in the highest degree; so much so, that love is itself the aggregate of all those virtues : " Charity is patient^ is kind; charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil." He ends by affirming that the charismata shall pass, but that charity abideth eternally. This means not only that love is the queen and the soul of all the virtues, but that its worth is such that it suffices to make man perfect by imparting to him all the virtues. 314. C) St. John, the Apostle of divine love, gives us the fundamental reason for this doctrine. God, says he, is love. This is, so to speak, what characterizes Him. If we, therefore, wish to be like unto Him, to be perfect like Our Heavenly Father, we must love Him as He loves us, " because He hath first loved us. " * But since we cannot love Him if we love not our neighbor, we are to love our brethren even to the point of sacrifice : " We also must lay down our lives for the brethren. " " Dearly beloved, let us love one another : for charity is of God. And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God ; for God is charity... In this is 'charity : not as though we had loved God, but because He • hath first loved us, and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins. My dearest, if God hath so loved us, we also ought to love one another... God is charity and he that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him. " * It cannot be stated in clearer terms that all perfection consists in the love of God and of one's neighbor for God's sake. 315. 2° When we seek an answer to this question from reason enlightened by faith, we arrive at the same con- clusion, whether we consider the nature of perfection or the nature of love. A) We have said that the perfection of any being consists in attaining its end or in approaching it as closely as pos- sible (N. 306). Now, man's end in the supernatural order is the eternal possession of God through the Beatific Vision and the love resulting therefrom. Here upon earth we approach the realization of this end by living already intimately united to the Most Blessed Trinity dwelling in us, 1 John, IV, 10. 1 / John, IV, 7-16. The whole Epistle should be read. ' -- . <• v ^ • ^ ^ - 1 ' THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 161 ^..1 •!!_• , _ . " " ' ' ' ' " " . "" " •" -'- ' '•••"•*' '"• •*...--"• ' I- II- —..I ,. — ,..-,— and to Jesus the indispensable Mediator with ' the Father; The more closely we are united to God, our last end and the source of our life, the more perfect we are. 316. Among the Christian virtues, the most unifying, the one which unites the whole soul to God is divine charity. The other virtues indeed prepare us for that union or initiate us into it, but cannot effect it. The moral virtues of pru- dence, fortitude, temperance, and justice do not unite us directly to God, but limit themselves to removing or reducing the obstacles that estrange us from Him, and 'to bringing us closer to Him through conformity to His order. . Thus temperance by restraining the immoderate use of pleasure, weakens one of the most potent obstacles to the love of God ; humility by putting off pride and self-love predisposes us to the practice of divine charity. Besides, these virtues, by making us observe order or right measure, subordinate the will to that of God. As to the theological virtues other than charity, they do indeed unite us to God, but in an incomplete fashion. Faith unites us to God, infallible Truth, and makes us see all things in the divine light, yet it is compatible with mortal sin which separates us from God. Hope raises us to God inasmuch as He is good to us and makes us desire the joys of Heaven, but it can exist along with grave faults that turn us away from x our end. 317. Love alone unites us fully to God. It presupposes faith and hope, but it surpasses them. It lays hold of our entire soul, intellect, heart, will, activity, and delivers all unreservedly to God. It excludes mortal sin, God's enemy, and makes us enjoy the divine friendship : " If any one love me. ..my Father will love him."* Now, friendship is the union, the blending of two souls into one : " One heart and one soul... the same likes and dislikes," (Cor unum et anima una : unum velle, unum nolle). Thus our friendship with God is a perfect union of all our faculties with Him ; a union of our mind that patterns our thoughts after those of God; a union of our wz'//that causes us to embrace the divine will as our very own, a union of heart that prompts • us to give ourselves to God as He has given Himself to us, "My beloved to me and I to Him-; " 2 a union of activities, in virtue of which God places His divine power at the service of our weakness to enable us to carry out our good desires. Charity then unites us to God, our end, — -to God, "•John, XIV, 23. — ' Cant., II, 16. Jii 162 CHAPTER III. infinitely perfect, and thus constitutes the essential element of our perfection. 318. B) If we inquire into the nature of charity we arrive at the same conclusion. St. Francis de Sales shows that charity includes all the virtues and even lends them a per- fection all its own. r a) It comprises all the virtues. Perfection evidently con- sists in the acquisition of virtues. If we possess all, not simply in an initial stage, but to a high degree, we are perfect. But whoever has the virtue of charity in the degree described in n. 311, has all other virtues and has them in all their perfection, without which it is impossible to know and love God's infinite loveliness; he has hope, which by inspiring trust leads to Ipve; he has all the moral virtues, such as prudence without which charity could neither last nor grow, fortitude which triumphs over the obstacles impeding the practice of charity, temperance which curbs sensuality, that relentless enemy of divine love. Nay more, adds St. Francis de Sales, " the great Apostle does not simply say that charity bestows on us patience and kindness, and steadfastness and simplicity, but he says that charity is itself patient and kind, and steadfast, " because it embodies the perfection of all virtues. 319. b) Charity, moreover, gives to other virtues a spe- cial perfection and worth. It is, according to St. Thomas, 2 the form, the soul, of all the virtues. " All the virtues when separated from charity fall very short of perfection, since they cannot in default of this virtue fulfil their own end, which is to render man happy. I do not say that, without it, they cannot be born and even develop; but they are dependent on charity for their perfection, for their complete- ness to draw therefrom the strength to will in God and to receive from His mercy the manna of true merit and of the sanctifi cation of those, hearts wherein they are found. Char- ity is among the virtues as the. sun among the stars — it gives to all their brightness and their beauty. Faith, hope, fear, sorrow ordinarily precede charity into the soul, there to prepare its abode, but once love arrives they obey and minister to it like all other virtues ; charity, by its presence, animates, beautifies and vivifies them all. " 3 In other words, charity by directing our soul immediately toward 1 Treatise on the Love of God, Book XI, C. 8. " Sum. theol., IIa 11*= q. 23, a. 8. 3 St. Francis de Sales, 1. c., c. 9. THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 163 God, the supreme perfection and the last end, gives the selfsame direction and hence the same worth to all the other virtues under its sway. Thus an act of obedience or of humility, besides having its own proper value, derives from • love a far greater worth, when done in order to please God. It becomes then an act of charity, an act of the most perfect of all virtues. Let us add that such an act becomes easier and more attractive. To obey arid to undergo humiliation is a bitter thing to our proud nature, but this becomes easier once we are conscious that by the perfor- mance of such acts we actually practice the love of God . and procure His glory. Thus charity is not only the synthesis but the very soul of all virtues, it unites us to God in a manner more perfect and more direct than any of the others. Hence it is love that constitutes the very essence of perfection. CONCLUSION 320. Since the essence of perfection consists in the love of God, it follows that the short-cut thereto is to love with a great love, with a generous heart, with intensity and above all with a pure and disinterested love. Now we truly love God not only when we give expression with our lips to an act of charity, but even each time we do His will or perform the least duty with the intention of pleasing Him. Each of our actions then, however commonplace, can be trans- formed into an act of love and become a help to our advancement in perfection. Our progress will be all the more real and rapid as our love becomes more intense and generous and our effort accordingly more strenuous and steadfast, for that which has value in the eyes of God is the will, the effort, apart from all sensible emotion. Lastly, because the supernatural love of our neighbor is likewise an act of the love of God, all the services we render our brethren, while seeing in them reflections of the divine perfection, or, what is the same, seeing Jesus Christ in them, become acts of love that make us advance toward sanctity. § II. Love on Earth Requires Sacrifice 321. In Heaven we shall love without any need of self- immolation. Here on earth it is quite otherwise. In our present state of fallen nature, it is impossible for us to 164 CHAPTER III. love God truly and effectively without sacrificing ourselves for Him. This follows from what we have said above (n. 74-75) regarding the tendencies of fallen :nature which remain in regenerated man. We cannot love God without fighting and curbing those tendencies. This is a struggle that begins with the dawn of reason and ends only with our last breath. Assuredly there are moments of respite when the struggle is not so intense, but even then, we cannot afford to rest upon our oars except at the risk of another sally on the part of the enemy. To this Holy Writ bears witness. i° Holy Writ clearly states the absolute necessity of sacrifice and self-renunciation in order to love God and our neighbor. 322. A) Our Lord addresses the following invitation to all His disciples : " If any man will come after me> let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. " T In order to follow and to love Jesus, there is an indispensable condition, that of renouncing self, that is to say, renouncing the evil inclinations of our nature : selfishness, pride, ambi- tion, sensuality, lust, inordinate love of ease and riches. There is the condition of carrying one's cross, of accepting the sufferings, the privations, the humiliations, the evil turns of fortune, labor, sickness, in a word, those crosses with which the hand of God's Providence puts us to the test, strengthens our virtue and makes easy the expiation of our faults. Then, and only then, can one be Christ's disciple and walk the way of love and perfection. Our Lord confirms this lesson by His example. Having come from Heaven with the express purpose of showing us the way of perfection, He followed no other way than that of the Cross : " Christ s whole life was a. Cross and a martyrdom. " 2 From Bethlehem to Calvary His life is a long series of privations and humiliations, of fatigue and apostolic labors, all crowned by the anguish and the tortures of His bitter Passion. It is the most eloquent commentary on His words : (( If any man will come after me. " Were "there a surer road, He would have shown it to us. But He knew there was no other and He followed it to draw us after Him. " And /, if I be lifted -up from the earth, will draw all things to myself. " 3 Thus it was understood by the Apostles who XVI, a^cih Luke, IX, 23. — Read the commentary of Bles-fd Grignion de Montfort in his Circular letter to the friends of the Cross. a Imitation, Book II, C. XII, n. 7. — 3f0An, XII, 32. repeat to us with St. Peter, that if Christ suffered for us it was that we might walk in his steps : " Because Christ also suffered for us leaving you an example Jhat you should follow His steps." * . •'.'.• . 323. B) This is also the teaching of St. Paul. For him Christian perfection consists in divesting oneself of the old man to invest oneself with the new :" Stripping yourselves of the old Man with his deeds and putting on the new"- Now the old Adam is but the sum-total of the evil tendencies we have inherited from the first man. It is that threefold con- cupiscence we are to fight and to muzzle by the practice of mortification. "They that are Christ? s, " says he, " have crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences. " 3 This is the essential condition ; so much so that St. Paul himself feels obliged to punish his body :'" But I chastise my body and bring it into subjection, lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway. " 4 324. C) The xApostle of Love, St. John, is no less emphatic. He teaches that in order to love God we must keep the Commandments and fight the threefold concupis- cence which holds the world under 'its sway. He adds that if one loves the world and the things that are in the world one cannot possess the love of 'God : " if any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. " .5 -But in order to hate the world and its allurements, it is clear that one must practice the spirit of sacrifice by foregoing danger- ous and evil pleasures. 325. 2° This need of sacrifice is a consequence of the condition of our fallen nature as described in n. 74, and of the threefold concupiscence, n. 193. As a matter of fact, it is impossible to love God and one's neighbor without sacrific- ing whatever goes counter to that 1'ove. The threefold concupiscence, as we have shown does go counter to the love of God and of one's neighbor; hence, if we wish to advance in the way of charity, we must relentlessly fight against our bad. tendencies. 386. Let us consider a few instances. Our exterior senses eagerly tend toward whatever flatters, them, thus ^putting at hazard our virtue. What is to :be done to ;ivoid danger? Our Lord tells us very forcibly \" If, thy right eye scandalize thee, 'pluck it out and castit from thee. For it 1 1 Pater, II, 21. — - Coloss., Ill, 9. — 3 Galat.', V, 24. '' I Cor., IX, 27. — 5 / John, II, 15. 166 CHAPTER III. is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish^ rather than thy whole body be cast into hell" x This means that we must learn by mortification to deprive our eyes, our ears, all our senses, of whatever constitutes for us an occasion of sin. Without this there is neither perfection nor salvation. The same holds true of our interior senses, particularly, of our imagination and our memory. Who does not know from experience the risk we run, unless we repress their vagaries from the outset? Even our higher faculties, intellect and will, are liable to go astray through curiosity, independence or pride. What efforts must be made, what combat sustained, in order, to place them under the yoke of Faith, in humble submission to the will of God and to His representatives! We must confess then, that if we want to love God and our neighbor for God's sake, we must learn to mortify our selfishness, our sensuality, our pride, our love for riches. Thus sacrifice is the essential condition of loving God in this life. , This seems to be the mind of St. Augustine when he says : " Two loves have built two cities : the love of self carried unto the contempt of God has built the city of this earth; the love of God carried unto the contempt of self has built the heavenly city. " 2 In other words, we cannot truly love God except through repression of our evil tendencies. 327. The conclusion that necessarily follows is that, in order to be perfect, we must not only multiply acts of love, but also acts of sacrifice ', for in this life love cannot be without self-immolation. Of course, it can be truly said of all our good works that inasmuch as they detach us from self and from creatures they are acts of sacrifice, and, inasmuch as they unite us to God they are acts of love. It remains for us to see how love and sacrifice can be combined. § III. The Part of Love and the Part of Sacrifice in the Christian Life 328. Since both love and sacrifice must have a part in the Christian life, what shall be the role of each? On this .subject there are points on which all agree, and there are others on which a difference of opinion is manifest. Practi- ^, 29. De Civitate. Dei, XIV, 28. THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN 'LIFE. 167 cally, however, the present authors of the various schools arrive at conclusions that are nearly the same. 329. i° All admit that objectively and in the order of excellence, love holds the first place. It is the end and' the essential element of perfection, as we have proved in our first thesis, N. 312. It is love, then, that we must look to above all, it is love that we must seek without respite, it is love that calls for sacrifice and gives it its chief value. Hence, it is essential that even with beginners, the spiritual director should insist on the love of God ; but he should make clear to them that while love renders sacrifice easier, it can never dispense with it. 330. 2° As regards the chronological order, all admit that both elements are inseparable and must be cultivated at one and the same time, nay more, that they must blend one with .the other. This, because there is no true love here on earth ' without sacrifice, and because sacrifice made for God is one of the best signs of love. The whole question resolves itself into this : Taking the chronological order, which of these two elements must be emphasized, love or sacrifice? Here we come upon two distinct schools and trends of thought. 331. A) St. Francis de Sales, resting upon the authority of many representatives of the Benedictine and the Domi- nican schools, and relying upon the resources which regene- rated human nature has to offer, insists first on the love of God, in order the better to make us accept and practice sacrifice. But far from excluding the latter, he demands of Philothea much self-renunciation and self-sacrifice. If he does so with great caution and suavity of manner, it -is to attain his purpose all the better. This becomes evident from the first chapter of the Introduction to a Devout Life : x " True devotion presupposes not a partial, but a thorough love of God... As devotion then consists in a certain excellent degree of charity, it not only makes us active and diligent in the observance in God's commandments, but it also excites us to the performance of every good work with an affectionate alacrity, even though it be not of precept but only of counsel. " But to keep the commandments, to follow the counsels and the inspirations of grace, is to practice mortification to a high degree. Besides, the Saint asks that Philothea begin by purifying herself not only from mortal 1 St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to a Devout Life, C. i. 168 CHAPTER III. sins, but also from venial faults and from the affection for vain and dangerous things, as well as from evil tenden- cies. When he deals with the virtues, he does not forget their austere side ; although he is ever concerned that all be pervaded by the love of God and of one's neighbor. 332. B) On 'the other side, we have the school of St. Ignatius and the French School of the Seventeenth Century. Without forgetting that the love of God is the end to be attained and that it. must vivify all our acts, they place to the fore, especially for beginners, renouncement, the love of the Cross, the mortification of our passions, as the surest means of arriving at real effective love. The representatives of these schools seem to ,fear that unless this be insisted on at the beginning, many souls would fall victims to illusions, think themselves already far advanced in the love of God, whilst, in fact, their virtue is more senti- mental and apparent than real. Hence those lamentable falls when grave temptations come or when spiritual dryness sets in. Besides, sacrifice courageously accepted for the love of God leads to a charity that is more generous and more constant, and the habitual practice of this charity gradually comes to complete the spiritual edifice. 333. Practical conclusion. Without any desire to settle this controversy, we shall simply propose some con- clusions admitted by the most prudent of all schools. A) There are two excesses to be avoided : a) that of wishing to lead souls prematurely into the so-called way of love, whilst failing to train them to the stern discipline of daily self-denial. It is in this way that illusions are fostered and at times the ground made ready for regrettable falls. How many souls experiencing, those sensible consolations God dispenses to beginners, and thinking themselves well- grounded in virtue, expose themselves to occasions of sin and fall into grievous faults! A little more mortifi- cation, true humility, distrust of self, and a more deter- mined fight against their passions, would have preserved them from such lapses. b) The other excess is to speak constantly of renounce- ment and mortification without making it clear that these are but means of arriving at the love of God, or manifesta- tions of that love. Thus some persons possessed of good will, but as yet of little courage are disheartened, They would take more heart and be filled with greater strength, if they were shown how such sacrifices become so much THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 169 easier if done for the love of God : " Where there is love, there is no labor." , 334. B) Once these excesses are avoided, the spiritual director must know what path to point out to each penitent according to his character and the promptings of grace. a) There are affectionate souls who have no taste for mortification until they have for some time practiced the love of God. It is true that this love is ofttimes imperfect, more sentimental than generous and lasting. However, if one takes advantage of these first flights to show that real love cannot endure without sacrifice, if one succeeds in inducing such "souls to exercise themselves in some acts of penance for the love of God, in some acts of repara- tion, of mortification, such acts as are more indispensable to the avoidance of sin, then their will will be gradually strengthened, and the moment will come when they will understand, that sacrifice and the love of God must go hand in hand. , - - -..-. b) On the other hand, if one has to deal with energetic characters, accustomed to act from a sense of duty, one may from the outset insist on renouncement as the touchstone of charity, and cause them to exercise themselves in penance, humility and mortification, while. infusing into these austere virtues the motive of the love of God or zeal for souls. Thus love and sacrifice will ever be united, and it will become evident that these two elements blend and perfect each other. § IV. Does Perfection consist in the Commandments or in the Counsels? 335. i° The State of the Question. We have seen that perfection consists essentially in the love of God and of one's neighbor carried unto sacrifice. But the love of God and sacrifice include both commandments and coimsels ; commandments that, oblige under pain of sin, counsels that invite us to do for God over and above what is demanded; failure in this case would not involve sin but wilful imper- fection and resistance to, grace. • It is this distinction of precept and counsel that Our Lord alluded to when He declared to the rich young man : ,, // thou wilt enter into rtfe, keep the commandments... If thou wilt be perfect, go sett what thou hast and give to the poor and thou 'shalt have a treasure in heaven. " * Thus, to observe the laws of justice XIX, 17-21. 170 CHAPTER III. and charity in what concerns ownership suffices for entrance into heaven, but if one would be perfect, one must sell his possessions, give their price to the poor and so practice voluntary poverty. St. Paul points out to us likewise that virginity is a counsel and not a commandment — that to marry is good, but that to be a virgin is better. x 336. 2° The Solution. Some authors have reached the conclusion that the Christian life consists in the obser- vance of the commandments, and perfection in that of the counsels. This explanation is a little too simple, and if wrongly understood, would end in fatal results. In reality, perfection requires, in the first place, the keeping of the com- mandments and, in the second, the observance of a certain number of counsels. This is the teaching of St. Thomas. 2 After proving that perfection is nothing else but the love of God and of one's neighbor, he concludes that, in practice.it consists essentially in the commandments, the chief of which is that of love ; secondarily, in the counsels all of which are directed toward charity, for they remove the obstacles that hinder its prac- tice. We shall explain this doctrine. 337. A) Perfection demands peremptorily and in the first place the keeping of the commandments. It is important to impress this notion strongly upon certain persons, who, for example, in order to practice some devotions, forget their duties of state, or who under the pretext of almsgiving, defer indefinitely the payment of their debts ; in a word, on all those who, aiming at a perfection of a higher order, neglect some precept of the Law of God. It is evident that the infraction of a grave , precept, like that of the payment of debts, destroys charity in us, and that the pretext of giving alms cannot justify this violation of the natural law. In like manner, the wilful violation of a com- mandment in light matter is a venial sin which, though not destroying charity in us, impedes to a greater or lesser extent its exercise, offends Almighty God, and interferes with our intimacy, with Him. This is .especially true of frequent deliberate venial sins which create in us attachments, and retard our advance towards perfection. To be perfect, there- fore, we must, above all, observe the commandments. 338. B) To this, however, we must join the observance of the counsels — of a few at least — chiefly of those related 1 1 Cor., VII, 25-40. • * Sum. theol., II» II*, q, 184, a. 3. THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. Hi to our duties of state, a) Thus, religious, having bound themselves by vow to practice the three great evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, cannot evidently sanctify themselves without fidelity to their vows. Besides, this fidelity renders singularly easy the exercise of the love of God by detaching the soul from the chief obstacles, which stand in the way of divine charity. 'Poverty, by uprooting disordered love for wealth, sets the heart free to reach out to God and heavenly things. Chastity, by spurning the pleas- ures of the flesh, even those the holy state of marriage would sanction, fosters an undivided love of God. Obed- ience, by fighting pride and the spirit of independence, subjects the will to that of God. This obedience is, in reality, a genuine act of love. 339. b) Those who are not bound by vows must, in order to be perfect, observe the spirit of these vows, each according to his condition in life, the inspirations of grace, and the guidance of a prudent spiritual adviser. Thus they will exercise themselves in the spirit of poverty by depriving themselves of many useless things, and so will spare money for almsgiving and for works of charity or zeal ; in the spirit of chastity, even if they be married, by using with moderation or restraint the rights to the lawful pleasures of their state, and, above all, by scrupulously avoiding whatever is forbidden or dangerous ; in the spirit of obedience, by submitting themselves with docility to their superiors in whom they will see the image of God, and by a like submission to the inspirations of grace, under the guidance of a wise spiritual director. Hence to love God and one's neighbor for God's sake, to know how to sacrifice oneself in order to fulfil the better this twofold commandment and the counsels related thereto, this is true perfection. § Y, The different Degrees of Perfection Perfection here on earth has degrees and limits. Hence two question : . i° What are the principal degrees of per- fection? 2° What are its limits here on earth? I. The Different Degrees of Perfection I 340. The degrees by which one is raised to perfection are numerous. The question here is not to, enumerate all 1 St. THOMAS, Sum. theol., & z&, q. 183, a. 4; Catholic Encycl, ,' States ; Cursus Asceticus, I, p. 19-29. 172 CHAPTER III. of them, but only to note the chief stages. According to the common doctrine, explained by St. Thomas, there are three principal stages or, as they are commonly called, three ways : that of beginners — the purgative way, that of souls already advanced — the illuminative way, and that of the perfect — the unitive way. 341. a) The chief care of beginners is that of preserving charity. Their efforts, then, are directed toward the avoid- ance of sin, above all, mortal sin, and toward the conquest of evil inclinations, of the passions, and of all that could make them lose the love of God. z This is the purgative way, the end of which is the purification of the soul. 342. to) The chief concern of those already advanced, the proficientes, is progress in the positive exercise of the virtues and growth in charity. The heart, already purified, is all the more open to divine light and to the love of God. The soul wishes to follow Jesus and to imitate His virtues, and since by following Him one walks in the Light, this is called the illuminative way. * Here the soul strives to avoid not only mortal, but even venial sin. 343. c) Perfect souls have but one concern — to cling to God and to take their delight in Him. Ever seeking to unite themselves to God, they are in the unitive way. Sin fills them with horror, for they fear to displease God and to offend. Him. The virtues that most attract them are the theological virtues, which unite them to God. Hence, the earth seems to them an exile, and, like St. Paul, they long to die to be joined to Christ. 3 These are only brief indications. Later on we shall resume them again and develop them in the Second Part of this work. There we shall take the soul from the first stage, that of the purification, to the transforming union that pre- pares it for the Beatific Vision. II. The Limits of Perfection here on Earth 344. When reading the lives of the Saints, and espe- cially those of the great contemplatives, one marvels at the sublime heights to which a soul can rise that refuses nothing to God. There are, however, limits to our perfection here on earth. Beyond these we must not wish to go lest we fall back into a lower degree, or even lapse into sin. 1 Sum. theol., 2* 2®, q. 24, a. 9. — * L. tit. — 3 L. cit. V-x ^ "i. r. nT ' / ' \V 'jl^"s f< * t""' r >> ^"-^, \~* '"• s - ' v ' \ / ' \ - *• t x X THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 173 345. i° It is certain that we cannot love God as H& deserves to be loved. He is infinitely lovable, and, our hearts being finite, can never love Him, even in" Heaven, except with a finite love. We can, therefore, '-always strive to love Him more. According to St. Bernard, the measure wherewith to love God is to love Him without measure. Let us not forget, however, that real love consists less in pious sentiments than in acts of the will, and that the best way to love God is to make the will conform to His. This we shall explain further on, when treating of conformity to the divine will. • 346. 2° On earth one cannot love God uninterruptedly nor unfailingly. One can, no doubt, with the aid of choice graces granted to souls of good-will, avoid all delibe- rate venial $m, but not all faults of frailty. No one ever becomes impeccable, as the Church has declared on many occasions. A) In the "Middle Ages, the Beghards * pretended " that man is capable in this present life of reaching such a degree of perfection that he becomes altogether impeccable and can no more grow in grace. " They concluded from this that those who have attained this degree of perfection should neither fast nor pray, for in this state sensuality has been so completely subjected to the spirit and to reason, 'that a man may grant his body whatever he pleases ; he is no longer obliged to observe the commandments of. the Church nor to obey men, nor even to exercise himself in acts of the virtues, such things being only for the imperfect. These are dangerous doctrines , leading to immorality. Once a person believes himself impeccable and no longer strives to practice virtue, he soon becomes a prey to the vilest passions. This happened to the Beghards, whom the (Ecumenical Council of Vienne rightly condemned in 1311. 347. B) In the Seventeenth Century, Molinos * revived this error by teaching that " through acquired con- templation one arrives at such a degree of perfection that one no longer commits any sins, either mortal or venial. " He showed only too well, by his example, that with maxims that seem so exalted, one is greatly exposed to fall into scandalous disorders. He was justly condemned by Inno- cent XI on November 19, 1687. Upon reading the proposi- tions he .had dared maintain, one is horrified at the frightful DENZ.-BANN., n. 471-478. Cfr. P. PO'URRAT, Christian Spirituality, t. II; Bncydopn BEGHARDS, Beguiiies. — 2 Catholic Eneyclop. , MOUNOS. 174 CHAPTER III. consequences to which this pretension to impeccability could and did lead. x Let us be more modest then and ever seek to correct our deliberate faults and to diminish the number of those of frailty. 348. 3° Contrary to what Fenelon maintained, 2 we cannot on earth love God with a constant, nor yet habitual love, which is at the same time perfectly pure and disinter- ested. No matter to what degree of perfection we may attain, we are obliged from time to time to make acts of hope. We, therefore, cannot remain altogether indifferent to our own salvation. It is true that there have been Saints, who, in the midst of passive trials, have momentarily acquiesced to their reprobation, but on the supposition that it were so willed by God, whilst at the same time firmly declaring their unwillingness, were this the case, to desist from loving Him. These are only suppositions that must be thrust aside since the fact is that God wills the salvation of all men. From time to time, though, we can elicit acts of pure love with no thought of self whatever, and therefore with- out actually hoping or wishing for Heaven. Such is the following act of love of St. Theresa : 3 " If I love Thee, Lord, it is not because of Heaven which Thou hast promised me. If I fear to offend Thee, it is not because of Hell that threatens me. What draws me unto Thee, Lord, is Thyself alone — it is the sight of Thee, nailed to the Cross, Thy body bruised' mid the pangs of death. Thy love doth so hold my heart that were there no Heaven, I would love Thee still; were there no Hell, I would fear Thee yet. I need not thy gifts to make me love Thee, for although I should have no hope of all I do hope for, I would love Thee still with the selfsame love. " 349. Ordinarily, our love of God is a mixture of pure and interested love; that is to say, we love God both for His own sake, because He is infinitely good, and also because He is the source of our happiness. These two motives are not exclusive of each other, since it is the will of God that we find our happiness in loving and glorifying Him. Let us not, therefore, be alarmed at this admixture of motives in our love of God. Let us simply say to our- selves when thinking of Heaven, that our happiness will consist in the possession and the vision of God, in loving 1 DENZ.-BANN., n. 1228-1288. — 2 DENZ.-BANN., n. 1327-1349. 3 The Bollandists, History of St. Theresa, vol. II, c. 31. y THE PERFECTION OF; THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 175 and glorifying Him. Then even when we are influenced by the desire and the hope of Heaven, the predominant motive in our actions will truly be the love of God. CONCLUSION 350. Behold, then, the whole of Christian perfection : — love and sacrifice. Who cannot, with God's grace, fulfil this twofold condition? Is it, indeepl, so difficult to love Him Who is infinitely lovable and infinitely loving? The love that He asks of us is nothing extraordinary ; it is the devotedness of love — the gift of oneself — consisting ' chiefly in conformity to the . divine will. To want to love ; is to love. To keep the commandments for God's sake is to love. To pray is to love. To fulfil our duties of state in view of pleasing God, this is likewise to love. Nay more, to recreate ourselves, to take^our meals with the like inten- tion is to love. To serve our neighbor, for God's sake is to love. Nothing then is easier, God's grace helping, than the constant exercice of divine love and through this, steady advance toward perfection. 351. As for sacrifice, doubtless it seems hard. But we are not asked to love it for its own sake. It is enough if we. love it for God's sake, or, in other words if we realize that here on earth one cannot love God without renouncing whatever is an obstacle to His love. Then sacrifice becomes first tolerable and soon even lovable. Does not a mother, passing long, sleepness nights at the bedside of her son joyously undergo fatigue when she entertains the hope and, more especially, when she has the certainty of thereby saving his life? Now, when we accept for the sake of God the sacrifices He demands, we have not only the hope, but the certainty itself, of pleasing Him, of giving Him glory and of working out the salvation of our own souls. In this, have we not for our encouragement the example and the help of the God-Man? Has He not suffered as much as and even more than we ourselves suffer, for the glory of His Father and the salvation of our souls? Shall we, His dis- ciples, incorporated into Him in Baptism, nourished with His Body and Blood, shall we hesitate when we are to suffer together with Him, for His love and for His inten- • tions? Is it not true that in the Cross there is gain, espe- cially for loving hearts? "In the Cross "says the author of the Imitation, * "is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the 1 Imitation, Bk. II, C. 12, v. 2. . . 176 CHAPTER IV. Cross is protection from enemies. In the Gross is infu- sion of heavenly sweetness. " We shall conclude with the words of Saint Augustine : " There are no labors too great for loving hearts. . In fact, one finds pleasure therein, as we observe in the case of the fisherman fishing, the hunter at the chase, the merchant at the mart. For where there is love, there is no labor, or if there be labor, it is a labor of love. " r Let us then hasten toward perfection by this path of love' and sacrifice. CHAPTER IV. The Duty of Tending to Perfection a 352. Having already explained the nature of the Chris- tian life and its perfection, we are now to examine whether there is for us a real obligation to advance in it or whether it suffices to keep it as we keep a treasure. To answer with greater exactness we shall examine this question with regard to three categories of persons : i° the laity; 2° the religious ; 3° the priests. ' ART. I. THE DUTY INCUMBENT UPON ALL CHRISTIANS IN GENERAL TO TEND TOWARD PERFECTION We shall explain :'i° The obligation itself. 2Q The mo- tives that make this duty more easy to perform. § I. The Obligation Itself 353. In a matter so delicate as the one now under con- sideration, we cannot be too precise. It is certain that one must die in the state of grace in order to be saved, and that this suffices. It would appear then that for the faithful in the world there is no other obligation than that of preserving the. state of grace. However, the question is precisely whether they can preserve the state of grace for a long time without striving to grow in holiness. To this, authority and reason enlightened by faith answer that, in the . state of fallen nature, one cannot for long remain in the state of grace without striving at the same time to make progress in the spiritual life and to exercise oneself from time to time 1 St. AUGUST., De tono Vidmtatis, c. 21, P. L. XL, 448. 2 ALVAREZ DE PAZ., op. at., lib. IV-V; LE GAUDIER, P. Ill, sect. I., sec. VII-X ; SCARAMELLI, Guide Ascltique, Traite" I, art. II ; RIBET, Asce"tique, ch. VII-IX; IGHINA, op. tit,, Introd., XX-XXX. Cursus Asceticus, Vol. I, n. 15. THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 177 in the practice of some of the evangelical counsels. It is only in this restricted sense that we maintain the obligation of perfection for ordinary Christians. I. The Argument from Authority 354. i° Holy Writ does not deal with this question directly. It does indeed furnish us with the distinction between precept and counsel (cf. n. 335), but it does not as a rule tell us which of the exhortations of Our Lord are obligatory and which are not. However, Holy Scripture lays so much stress upon the holiness that becomes a Chris- tian, it proposes such an ideal of perfection, it proclaims so emphatically to all Christians the necessity of renouncement and of love — the essentials of perfection — that any impartial mind will draw the conclusion that in order to save our souls, we must, at least at times, do more than is strictly commanded and, therefore, strive after holiness. 355. A) -It is evident that one who would merely aim at avoiding mortal sin would not be living according to the standard .of moral conduct outlined in the Gospel. Our Lord proposes to us as the ideal ot holiness the very per- fection of Our Heavenly Father : " Be ye therefore perfect^ as also your heavenly Father is perfect. " 1 Hence, all having God for their Father must approach this divine per- fection — which evidently cannot be accomplished without progress. Fundamentally, the whole Sermon on the Mount is nothing but a commentary on and the develop- ment of this ideal. The path to follow is the path of renunciation, the path of imitation of Christ and of the love of God : " // any man come to me, and hate not " (that is to say does not renounce) " his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. " 1 We are bound, then, on certain occasions to choose God and His will rather than the love of parents, of wife, of children, of self, and to sacrifice all to follow Christ. This suppose heroic courage, which will be found wanting in the time of need, unless God in His mercy give a special grace and unless one be prepared by sacrifices that are not of strict obligation. True, this a straight and narrow path and few there are that follow it, but Jesus Christ wills that we make earnest efforts to walk this path : " Strive to enter by the narrow gate. " * Does He not thereby ask us to strive after perfection h., V, 48. — 8 Luke, XIV, 26, 2?; cfr. Matth., Xy 37, 38: Luke, XIII, 24; cfr. Matth., VII, 13, 14. Fundamentally, or Basically. NO 680. - 8 178 CHAPTER IV. 356. B) The apostles speak the same language. St. Paul often reminds the faithful that they have been elected to be saints : " That we should be holy and unspotted in His sight in chanty. " * This cannot be accomplished without putting off the Old Adam and putting on the New, that is to say, without mortifying the tendencies of fallen nature and striving to reproduce the virtues of Christ. But St. Paul adds that this cannot be done without endeavoring to reach " unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ. " 2 This means that being made into one body with Christ, we are His complement and that it is we who are to effect His completeness and the fulness of His growth by our own progress in the reproduction of His virtues. St. Peter likewise wants all his disciples to be saints, like Him Who has called them unto salvation : " According to Him that hath called you, Who is holy, be you also in all manner of conversation holy. " 3 Could they be so, should they make no progress in the exercise of Christian virtues? St. John in the last chapter of the Apocalypse asks the just to cease not in the working of justice and invites the holy to become holier still : "He that is just, let him be justified still; and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. "4 357. C) The same doctrine follows from the nature of the Christian life. This life Our Lord and His disciples describe as a warfare, wherein watchfulness and prayer, mortification and positive exercise of the virtues are the necessary conditions for victory : " Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation," $ Having to struggle not. only against flesh and blood, that is, the threefold cpncupiscence, but also against the evil spirits that excite our passions, we stand in need of arming ourselves spiritually and fight- ing fearlessly. But in a protracted struggle, if one remains always on the defensive, defeat is almost inevitable. Re- course, therefore, must be had to counter-attacks, to the positive practice of the virtues, watchfulness, mortification, and the spirit of _faith and of trust. This is, in fact, the conclusion drawn by St. Paul after a description of the fight we are to sustain. He declares that we must be armed from head to foot after the fashion of the Roman soldier : " Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breast-plate of justice : and your, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In : all things taking the shield of faith... and take unto you the helmet of 1 Ephes. I, 4. '~? Bphes. IV, 13. Read the entire passage, v. id-i6. 3 / Peter, I, i$,— *Apoc., XXII, n. —SMatth., XXVI, 41. THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 179 salvation and the sword of the Spirit..." I In this way St. Paul shows us that we must do more than is strictly commanded in order to triumph over our enemies. 358. 2° This doctrine is confirmed by Tradition. When the Fathers wish to insist upon the necessity of perfection for all, they assert that we cannot remain stationary on'the way that leads to God and to salvation, that we must advance or fall back : " In the way to God, not to advance is to retreat." Thus St. Augustine, noting that action is characteristic of charity, remarks that we must not halt on the way, precisely because to halt is to recede : " He turns back who reverts whence he had once departed. " 2 This principle is so evident that even Pelagius, his anta- gonist, admitted it. St. Bernard, the last of the Fathers, explains this doctrine in a most telling way : " Dost thou wish to advance? — No. — Then dost thou wish to turn back? — By no means. — What, then, wishest thou? — I wish to live in such away as to remain where I have arrived... — This is impossible, for nothing in this world does remain in the same condition. " 3 In another place he adds that : "Of necessity one must rise or else fall : if one tries to stop, one falls of a certainty. " 4 No wonder then that Our Holy Father, Pius XI, in his Encyclical of January 26, 1923, on St. Francis de Sales, clearly states that all Christians without exception must tend toward sanctity, s II. The Argument from Reason , The fundamental reason that obliges us to tend to per- fection is the one given by the Fathers. 359. i° Life is movement, hence it is essentially pro- gressive ; no sooner does it cease to grow than it begins to decline. The reason for this is that there are in all living beings disintegrating forces which, if not counteracted, end by causing disease and death. The same holds true of pur spiritual life. Side by side with those tendencies that incline us toward good, there are other forces that incline us strongly toward evil. The one effective means of combat- ting them is to strengthen within us the living forces of -the love of God and the Christian virtues. Then the evil forces abate. If we stop trying to advance, our vices reawaken, gather strength, and assail us with added vigor and fre- quency; and unless we awake from our torpor, the moment 1 Ephes., VI, 14-17. — " Sermon, CLXIX, n. 18. — 3 Efisf. CCLIV, n. 4. t., XCI, n. 3. — 5 Ada Apostolicte Sedis, XV, 50. 180 CHAPTER IV. will come when from surrender' to surrender we fall into mortal sin. * Such is, alas ! the story of many a soul, and the experience of spiritual directors is witness to it. A comparison will make us understand this. To work out our salva- tion we have to go counter to the current, more or less violent, of out own disordered passions bearing us on toward evil. So long as we make the effort to go against the current, we advance or at least we hold our own. The moment we stop we are carried along and driven seaward, there to meet the ocean storms, that is, grave temptations and perhaps lamentable falls. 360. 2° There are grave precepts that cannot at certain times be observed except by heroic acts. If we take into account psychological laws, we are not ordinarily capable of heroic acts, unless we have prepared for them in advance by sacrifice or, in other words, by the practice of mortification. A few examples will render this truth more concrete. Let us take, for instance, the precept of chastity and see the generous, at times heroic efforts required to keep it through- out life. Up to marriage (and many young men do not marry before their twenty-fifth or thirtieth year), this precept exacts absolute continence under the pain of mortal sin. Now, serious temptations make themselves felt in almost all of us at the age of puberty, at times even before. To resist, them successfully, we must pray; we must avoid dangerous associations, readings, and shows; we must reproach ourselves with the slightest failings and profit by them in order to rise without delay and with added genero- sity, all this throughout a considerable part of life. Does not all this presuppose more than ordinary effort? Does it not demand at least some works of supererogation? Nor does marriage protect us against all grave temptations. There' are periods when conjugal continence is imperative. To practice it, a heroic courage is required, a courage acquired only by habitual mortification of sensual pleasure and the unwearied practice of prayer. 361. Again, let us consider the laws of justice in finan- cial, commercial and industrial transactions. Do we not at once think of the thousand and one ways there are of violating justice, of the difficulties of dealing with perfect honesty in an atmosphere where competition and greed cause prices to rise beyond just limits? We shall soon see that in order to remain simply honest, extraordinary efforts and self-denial are required. Will a man be ready for such i This is the common teaching of theologians summarized by SUAREZ in De Religione, t. IV, 1. I, c. 4, n. 12. THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 181 efforts if he has been accustomed to observe only the precepts that bind under pain of mortal sin? In order to shun this danger one must do at least a little more that is strictly commanded, so that the will, schooled by acts of generosity, may have the strength to resist temptations to commit acts of grave injustice. On all sides this moral law is verified — in order not to fall into sin, we must stave off the danger by the perfor- mance of generous acts which are not directly prescribed by law. To strike the target we must aim above it ; not to lose grace, we must fortify our will against temptation by works of supererogation ; in other words, we must aim at some measure 'of perfection. § II. Motives that Make This Duty Easier The numerous motives that may draw the faithful on to perfection can be reduced to three principal ones : i° the welfare of our soul, 2° the glory of God, 3° the edification of one's neighbor. 362. i° The welfare of our soul means security of salva- tion, increase of merit, and joy of a good conscience. A) The great work we are to accomplish here on earth, truly the one thing necessary, is the salvation of our soul. If we save our soul, even should we lose all the goods of earth. : parents, friends, good name, wealth, all is saved ; we shall find again in Heaven all we have lost, increased one hundredfold and that for all eternity. The most effective means, however, of securing our salvation is to aim at per- fection, each one according to his state of life. The higher we aim, with due discretion and with constancy, the greater is the distance we put between ourselves and mortal sin, which alone can prevent our salvation. It is evident that when one sincerely strives to grow in perfection one thereby removes the occasions of sin, strengthens the will against . surprises, so that when the moment of temptation arrives, the will, disciplined by effort toward perfection, accustomed to pray in order to obtain the grace of God, repels with horror the very thought of grave sin : " Rather die than be defiled. " On the other hand, those who allow themselves whatever falls short of grave sin, run the risk of falling the moment a prolonged and violent temptation presents itself; for, accustomed to yielding to pleasure in lesser things, there is reason to fear that carried away by passion they will end by falling, just as the man who constantly walks on 182 CHAPTER IV. the edge of the abyss finally falls into it. In order, then, to make sure that we shall not offend God grievously, the best means is to keep at a safe distance from evil by doing moire than is strictly commanded and by striving to advance toward perfection ; for the more we strive, with due prudence and humility, the surer we are of our eternal salvation. 363. B) In this i way we likewise increase daily hdbitiial grace and acquire a title to a higher degree of glory in heaven. We have seen that every supernatural act alone for God by a soul in the state of grace results in an increase of merit. Whoever is unmindful of perfection and is more or less remiss in the performance of his duty, acquires but little merit, as we have said above, n. 243. On the contrary, he who tends to perfection and strives to make progress, secures merit in large measure; he augments daily his store of grace and glory; each of his efforts is rewarded by additional grace here on earth and of happiness in heaven : " An eternal weight of glory. " I 364. C) If we desire to have true happiness on earth, there is no better way than to cultivate piety (godliness) which, as St. Paul says, " is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" 2 Peace of soul, the joy of a good conscience, the happiness of union with God, of growing in His love, of effecting a closer intimacy with Christ, such are a few of the rewards which, along with the comforting hope of life eternal, God dispenses even now to His faithful servants in the midst of their trials. , ': 365. 2° The Glory of God. There is nothing more noble than to procure the glory of God, nothing more just when we recall all that God has done and ever does for. us. Now, a perfect man gives more glory to God than a thou- sand ordinary souls. For he multiplies day by day his acts of love, of gratitude, of reparation ; he directs toward God his whole life by the oft-renewed offering of ordinary actions, thus giving glory to Him from morning until night. 366. 3° The Edification of our Neighbor. There is no better way to do good to others, to bring to God sinners or unbelievers and to strengthen the wavering, than the earnest effort to live a thoroughly Christian life. ] Just as a common-place life on the part of Christians invites the critical and the unbelieving to scoff at Christianity; so true 1 //Con, IV, 17. — • // Tim., IV, 8. \ THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 183 sanctity calls forth their admiration for a religion that pro- duces such effects : " By their fruits you shall know them." 1 The best apologetics axe those of example coupled with .the fulfilment of all our social duties. This is likewise the best stimulus to careless Christians who would remain in their, spiritual indolence if the earnest efforts of fervent souls did not stir them up. ^ : :, : This motive appeals today to many a soul. This is an age of proselytism, and lay people realize better than ever the necessity of defending and spreading the faith by word and example. It devolves upon priests to further this movement by creating round about them a choice body of resolute Christian men and women determined to become daily more and more faithful to all their duties, civic and social, and above all religious. These will be valuable co-workers, who going into places inaccessible to the priest and the religious, will successfully second their efforts in the exercise of zeal, -v . . : _ ART. II, THE OBLIGATION INCUMBENT UPON RELIGIOUS OF TENDING TOWARDS PERFECTION 2 367. There are among Christians those who, wishing to give themselves all the more perfectly to God and to insure more effectively the welfare of their souls, enter the religious state. This state is according to the Code of Canon Law, 3 " a permanent manner of living in community wherein the faithful, in addition to those things that are of precept/ engage themselves by vow to observe the evangelical coun- sels of obedience, chastity and poverty. " . All theologians agree that Religious are bound to tend to perfection in virtue of their state. The Code recalls this teaching when it declares that " each and every religious superior as well as subject is bound to tend toward the per- fection of his state. " * This obligation is so grave that St. Alphonsus does not hesitate to say : " If a religious take the firm resolution of not tending toward perfection or of 1 Matth., VII, 20. 2 Codex, can. 487-672; St. THOM., IIa II», q. 24, a. 9; q. 183, a. 1-4; p. 184- 186; SUAREZ, De Religione, tr. VII; S. FRANCIS DE SALES, Spiritual Conferences, Letters to Persons in Religion; S. ALPHONSUS, The Religious State; VERMEERSCH, De Religiosis; GAY, Religious Life and vows; Card. GASQUET, Religio Religiosi ; HEDLEY, Retreat, Retreat for Religions ; BUTLER, Benedictine Monachism; SCOTT, Convent Life; BUCKLER, Spiritual Perfection; LORD, Our Nuns; GIRAUD-THURSTON, The Spirit of Sacrifice in the Religious kt/e; Catholic Encyclop., Religious Life, Conferences for the assistance of religious, Religious Sisters, Vocation Obedience^ Poverty, Chastity, 1955; Pius VII, attoc. to Religious, 8 dec. 1950. 3 Can. 487. — 4 Can. 593. 184 CHAPTER IV. giving no thought whatever to it, he commits a mortal sin. " * Such a religious would fail seriously in his duty of state, which is precisely that of tending to perfection. On this account the religious state is called a state of perfection, that is to say, a permanent condition of life, officially recognized as such by Canon Law, wherein one binds oneself to strive after perfection. Hence, as St. Thomas teaches, it is not necessary to have attained perfection before entering the religious life, but one enters it precisely to acquire per- fection. 2 The obligation for religious of tending to perfection is based chiefly on a twofold reason : i° their vows; 2° their rules and constitutions. I. The Obligation Based on the Vows 368. When one becomes a religious it is for the purpose of giving, of consecrating oneself more perfectly to God. This is the reason for the three vows. These vows impose the obligation of performing acts of virtue which are not of precept; and these acts are all the more perfect as the vows add to their intrinsic worth the merit of the virtue of religion. Moreover, these vows remove, at least in part, some of the greatest obstacles to perfection. We shall understand this better when we examine these vows in detail. 369. i° By the vow of poverty we renounce external possessions present or future. If the vow is solemn, we renounce the very right to ownership, so that all acts of ownership would be canonieally void, as the Code has it, Canon 579- If the vow is simple, we do not renounce the right itself to ownership, but only the free exercise thereof; consequently the use of this right depends upon the will of Superiors and is confined within the limits set by them. This vow is a help in overcoming one of the great ob- stacles to perfection, namely, the inordinate love of riches and the cares inherent to the administration of temporal goods. It is, therefore, a great means of spiritual progress. Moreover, this vow imposes painful sacrifices; one has not the security, the independence which the free use of one's own goods confers. At times, one has to suffer certain privations that community-life imposes : it is hard and humiliating to be obliged to have recourse to a Superior for everything one needs. Here we have acts of virtue imposed '* Theol. moralis, 1. IV, n. 18. 1 Sum. Theol., Ha USB, q. 186, a. i, ad 3. ,,i THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 185 by the vow of poverty which not only make us tend towards; but actually bring us nearer to perfection. 370. 2° The vow of chastity enables us to Overcome a second obstacle to perfection, the concupiscence of the flesh, and frees us from the cares and worries of family-life. St. Paul calls attention to this when he says : " He that is without a wife is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord : how he may 'please God. But he that is with a wife is solicitous for the things of the world : how he may please his wife. And he is divided. " * But the vow of chastity does not divest us of concupiscence ; and the grace that is given to keep this vow is not meant to spare us pain and struggle. To observe life-long continence it is necessary to watch and pray, to mortify the exterior senses and curiosity, to check the sensitive appetite, to avoid idleness, to give the heart entirely to God by the practice of charity, to live in intimate and affectionate union with Our Lord, as we shall show when we speak of the virtue of chastity. Now, to do all this is evidently to tend to perfection. It is to renew constantly the effort to conquer self and control one of the most violent tendencies of fallen nature. 371. Obedience goes even further. It brings into sub- mission not solely to God, but to Rules and ,to Superiors, that which we cling to most tenaciously, our own will. By this vow the Religious pledges himself to obey the com- mands of his lawful Superior in all that concerns the vows and constitutions. Here it is question of formal commands t and not of mere advice. Such a command is recognized by the formulas employed by the Superior, for instance, when he commands in the name of holy obedience, in the name of Our Lord, or when he uses any other equivalent expression making clear that he means to give a formal order. Of course this power of Superiors is limited. They are to command according to the rule, " not going beyond what is expressly or implicitly contained therein, that is, the constitutions, the statutes legally designed to ensure their observance, the penalties sanctioned to punish trans- gressions and prevent further Infractions, and whatever relates to the fulfilment of the different duties and to an efficient and fair administration. 2 In spite of these restrictions, it remains true that the 'vow 1 / Cor., VII, 32-33; Pius -XII, Encycl. " Sacra Virginitas " 25 march 1954. ~ VALUY, Les Vertus Religieuses, ige 6d. p. 806. To be valid in the external forum, the command must be given in writing or before two witnesses (Code, C. 24). 186 CHAPTER IV. of obedience is one of those that come hardest to human nature, precisely because we are so much attached to our own will. To observe it we need humility, patience and meekness ; we have to mortify that strong tendency of ours to criticise Superiors, to prefer our judgment to theirs, to follow our likes and at times our whims. To overcome these tendencies, to bend our will respectfully before that of Superiors and to see God in them is, without doubt, to tend to perfection, for it is to cultivate some of the most difficult virtues. Besides, since true obedience is the best proof of love, to practice it is to grow in the virtue of charity. 372. It is clear, then, that fidelity to the three vows entails not only the practice of the great virtues of poverty, chastity and obedience, but also of a great many others which are indispensable to their observance. To pledge oneself to keep them is certainly to oblige oneself to an uncommon degree of perfection. : II. The Obligation Based on the Constitutions and the Rules 373. Upon entering the religious state one assumes the obligation to observe the Constitutions and the Rules explained in the course of the novitiate, before profession. Now, no matter what Order or Congregation one may enter, there is not a single one that has not as its end the sanctifi- cation of its members and that does not determine, at times in. great detail, the virtues they must practice and the means that facilitate their exercise. Hence, if one is sincere, one binds himself to keep at least in general those various rules, and by this very fact, to rise to a certain degree of perfec- tion ; for in keeping these rules, though it be only in a general way, one has plenty of. opportunities to mortify oneself in things not of precept, and the effort one is forced to make in this direction is an effort toward perfection. 374. Here the question arises whether the infringement of the rules constitutes a sin or a mere imperfection. Many distinctions must be made to answer this question. a) There are rules prescribing fidelity to those virtues that are of precept, or to the vows, and there are other rules determining the means necessary to the keeping of these virtues and vows, for instance, the rule of enclosure for cloistered communities. Such rules bind in conscience for the very reason that they simply promulgate an obligation flowing from the vows themselves, for when making these, one assumes the obligation of keeping them and taking the THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 187 means necessary for their observance. These rules bind under, the pain of sin, mortal or venial according to the importance of the matter. They are, therefore, preceptive and, in certain Congregations they are clearly noted as such, either directly or indirectly, by the infliction of a grave sanction which supposes a proportionate fault. 375. b) There are, on the other hand, rules which explicitly or implicitly are considered as being simply direc- tive.' i) To break them without reason is no doubt an imperfection, but such infraction is not in itself 'even a venial sin, for there is no violation either of a law or of a command. 2) St. Thomas, however, justly remarks that one may sin grievously against the rule, if one violates it out of contempt (contempt of the rule itself or contempt of Superiors).1 One may sin lightly if the violation in question is due to Voluntary negligence, passion, anger, sensuality or any other sinful motive. In this case it is the motive that constitutes the fault. We may add with St. Alphonsus that the fault may be grave if the infractions are frequent and deliberate, either because of the resulting scandal, which gradually leads to an appreciable weakening of discipline, or because the delinquent exposes himself to expulsion from the community to the great detriment of his soul. 376. Superiors, therefore, are obliged in virtue of their office to enforce -the rules with care. The Superior who would neglect to check transgressions of the rule, even slight ones, when they tend to become frequent, may be guilty of a grave fault, because he thereby encourages a gradual relaxation, which in a community constitutes a grave disorder. Such is the teaching of de Lugo, St. Liguori, Schram 2 and many other theologians. But the true religious does not enter into these distinc- tions. He observes the rule as perfectly as he can, knowing this to be the best way of pleasing God : " Who lives by rule lives unto God. " In like manner, he is not satisfied with keeping to the letter of the vows, but rather he lives by their spirit in striving daily to approach perfection according to the word of St. John : " He that is holy, let .him be sanctified still. " 3 Then, are fulfilled in him the words of St. Paul : " And whosoever shall follow this rule, peace on them and mercy. "4 1 Sum. theol., II* II*. q. 186, a. 9, ad i et 3. ":'.-.• . • . . •. 2 SCHRAM, Imtit. Theol. Mystica, § 655, Scholion! . . 3 Apoc,, XXII, ii. — 4 Galat., VI, 16. 188 CHAPTER IV. ART. III. THE OBLIGATION INCUMBENT UPON PRIESTS OF TENDING TO PERFECTION * 377. Priests in virtue of their functions and of the mission which makes theirs the duty of sanctifying souls, are bound to a higher interior holiness than that of the simple religious not raised .to the priesthood. This is the express teaching of St. Thomas, 2 confirmed by the most authoritative ecclesiastical pronouncements. The Councils, and particularly that of Trent, 3 the Supreme Pontiffs, and especially Leo XIII 4 and Pius X, 5 so insist upon the necessity of holiness in the priest, that to deny our thesis is to stand in open contradiction to authorities that cannot be gainsaid. Let it suffice to recall the fact that Pius X, upon the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his priesthood, issued a letter addressed to the Catholic clergy, wherein he shows the necessity of holiness in the priest, and enumerates one by one the means necessary to attain it, those very means, by the way, which are insisted on in our Seminaries. After describing interior holiness ( vita mommque sancti- monia),he declares that only this holiness makes us what our vocation requires us. to be, "men who are crucified to the world, who have put on the new Adam, men whose thoughts are fixed on heavenly things and who strive by all possible means to lead others to heaven. " 378. The New Code has confirmed the views of Pius X by emphasizing more than the old legislation did the neces- sity of holiness in the priest and the means of exercising himself therein. It declares in no obscure words that 1 Besides the authors akeady quoted, see ARVISENET, Memoriale vita sacerdotalis ; MOLINA LE CHARTREUX, L' instruction des pretres, 2* Traite; OLIER, Traite des SS. Ordres; TRONSON, Particular Examens; DUBOIS, Le saint Pretre; CAUSSETTE, Manrese du Pretre; GIBBONS, The Ambassador^ of Christ; GIRAUD, Priest and Victim; MANNING, The Eternal Priesthood; MGR. LELONG, Le Pretre; CARD. MERCIER, The Interior Life, Retreat to his Priests, Conferences to his Seminarians; MEDLEY, Lex Levitarum, Retreat for Priests; CARD. VAUGHAN, The Young Priest, Introduction to the Life of St. John B. de Rossi; SHAW, The salt of the earth; D. MARMION, Christ ideal of the Priest. 2 " By Holy Orders a man is deputed to the most dignified ministry, to serve Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar. For this a greater interior sanctity is required than even the religious state demands. " IIa-IIffl, q. 184, a. 6, 8. 3 Sess. XXII, de Reform, c. i. 4 Encyclical Quod multum, Aug. 22nd, 1886; Encyclical Letter Depuis le jour, Sept. 8, 1899. 6 Exhortatio ad clerum catholicum, Aug. 4th, 1908. Also Pius XI, Encycl. " Ad catholici sacerdotii fastigium ", 20 Dec., 1935; Pius. XII, Encycl. " Menti nostra ", 23 Dec., 1950. THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. - 189 " clerics must lead an interior and exterior life holier than that of the laity and give these the good example of virtue and good works. " It adds that Bishops should see to it, "that all clerics receive frequently the Sacrament of Penance to be purified of their faults; that each day they apply themselves during a certain length of time to the exercise of mental prayer, visit the Most Blessed Sacrament, recite the beads in honor of the Blessed Mother of God, and make their examination of conscience. At least every three years diocesan priests must make a retreat? All clerics, but chiefly priests, are especially bound to respect and to obey their Bishop. » i This doctrine, that the priest is obliged to tend to perfec- tion, is proved : i° by the authority of Our Lord and of St. Paul, 2° by the Pontifical, 3° by the very nature of the priestly functions. I. The Teaching of Our Lord and of St. Paul 379. i° Our Lord eloquently teaches the necessity of holiness in the priest by His examples as well as by His words. A) He gives the example. He Who from the beginning was "full of grace and truth " has willed to submit Himself to the law of progress : " Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace with God and men. " 2 Nay, during thirty years He prepared for His public ministry by a hidden life and all that this implies : prayer, mortification, humility, obed- ience. Thirty years of the life of the Incarnate Word are summed up in these few words : " He was subject to them." z To make His preaching of the Christian virtues more effec- tive, He began by practicing them : " Jesus began to do and to teach, " 4 so that He could have proposed Himself as a model of all virtues, as He did of the virtues of humility and meekness : " Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart. " 5 At the close of His life He declared in all simplicity that He sanctifies and sacrifices Himself in order that His Apostles and His priests, their successors, be sanc- tified in all truth : " And for them do I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified in truth. " 6 Now, the priest is the representative of Jesus Christ upon earth, another Christ : "For Christ therefore we are ambassadors. " 7 Hence, the; priest, too, must be ever pursuing holiness of life. 1 Can. 124-127. — * Luke, II, 52. ~ 3 Luke, II,: 51. — s Mattk., XI, 26. - « John, XVII, 19. - 7 // Cor., V, [2. ~ 3 Luke, II,: 51. — * Act., I, i. 20. • • ... 190 CHAPTER IV. 380. B) What Our Lord teaches by His example, He teaches also by His word. The great work of the three years of His public life was the training of the Twelve, x In this He employed the most of His time; it was His habitual occupation. Preaching to the crowds was merely secondary and was to serve as a model of what the preaching of His disciples should be. From this are drawn the following conclusions : a) The sublime teachings on godliness, inward holiness, self-denial, the love of God and one's neighbor, humility, meekness and all the other virtues so frequently inculcated in the Gospel, are meant, no doubt, for all Christians aspiring to perfection, but they are first of all addressed to the Apostles and their successors. For it is they who are commissioned to teach the people of God these great duties by their example even more than by their word. The Pontifical' recalls this to the deacons : " Take heed that ye show forth the living works of the Gospel unto whom you proclaim it by word of mouth. " Every one agrees that these doctrines embody a code of perfection that is very high. Hence, it is a duty of state for priests to strive after holiness. 381. b) The exhortations to higher perfection that we find in so many places in the Gospel are most particularly addressed to the Apostles and to priests : " You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world. " 2 This light is not only knowledge but rather and chiefly the beacon-light of example, which enlightens and attracts even more than knowledge : " So let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. "3 It is likewise to priests that are addressed in a special manner the counsels regarding poverty and chastity, for in virtue of their vocation they are obliged to follow Christ more closely. 382. C) Lastly, there is a whole series of teachings. that directly and explicitly are meant for the Apostles and their successors : the instructions He gave to the Twelve and to the Seventy-two when He sent them to preach in Judea, and the discourse He pronounced at the Last Supper. These utterances embody a code of priestly holiness so high as to imply the duty of tending to perfection. Priests must live a life of complete detachment, be poor in spirit, and poor in fact, being satisfied with what they need ; they must 1 DELBREL, S. J. , f&us, Educateur des Apotres, ch. IV- VI. ' Matth., V, 13 and 14. — 3 Matth., V, 16. THE DUT,Y OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 191 exercise zeal, charity, absolute deriotedness, patience and humility in the midst of persecutions, courage to confess Christ and preach His Gospel before all men and in spite of all men. They must be detached from the world and from their kin, learn to carry the Cross and live in total abnega- tion of self. I • ,\ . • 383. At the Last Supper* He gives unto them that new commandment, to love one another as He has loved them, that is to say, unto the complete immolation of self. He counsels them to have faith, a live faith and. an absolute confidence in the prayer that is offered in His , name. He urges on them the love of God, which is made manifest by keeping His commandments; peace of soul in order to receive and relish the teachings of the Holy Spirit ; an intimate and abiding union with Himself as the essential condition for their sanctification and the discharge of their ministry. He exhorts them to patience midst the persecu- tions of the world that shall hate them as it has hated their Master; to docility to the Holy Ghost, their Comforter in their tribulations; to steadfastness in the faitH, to prayer in their trials. In a word, He recommends to them all those things which constitute the essential condition of what we call today the interior life or the life of perfection. He ends this discourse by that grand sacerdotal prayer, so full of tenderness, wherein He asks His Father to keep His chosen ones as He Himself has kept them during the course of His mortal life; to keep them from evil in the midst of the world which they must evangelize, and to sanctify them in all truth. He utters this prayer not only in behalf of His Apostles but for all those that through them would believe in Him, so that they may ever be one, even as the Three Divine Persons are one, that they may all be one with God and one with Christ : "That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. " 3 This is a charter of perfection drawn up for us by Our High- Priest, Whose representatives on earth we are, Whose priesthood we share. It must be an inspiration for us to think that He prayed that we might live according to this standard. 384. 2° St. Paul, drawing his inspiration from this teaching of the Master, describes in his turn the apostolic virtues. Stating in the first place that priests are the dispensers of the mysteries of God, His ministers, the ambas- 1 Matth., X, XI; Litke, IX, X, etc. * John, XIV-XVII. - 3 John, XVIl, 27. 192 CHAPTER IV. sadors of Christ, and the mediators between God and men, he then enumerates in the Pastoral Epistles the virtues wherewith deacons, priests and bishops must be adorned, For them, it is not enough to have once received the grace of ordination ; they must make it live vigorously lest it wane : " / admonish thee that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee by the imposition of my hands. " x Deacons must be chaste and modest, sober, disinterested, discreet and faithful, knowing how to govern their houses with prudence and dignity. Even more perfect must priests and bishops be. 2 Their lives must be so pure as to be irreproachable. They must sedulously combat pride, anger, intemperance, avarice, and cultivate the virtues of. humility, temperance, chastity, holiness, kindness, generosity, patience, meekness and above all godliness (which is profitable unto all things), faith and charity.. 3 They must be examples of these virtues and must therefore practice them to a high degree : "In all things show thyself an example of good works. " 4 All these virtues presuppose a certain measure of perfection already acquired and a generous and con- stant effort to advance. • II. The Teaching of the Pontifical 385. It would be an easy task to show that the Fathers, commenting on the Epistles and Gospels, have unfolded these teachings and explained them in detail. We could even add that they have written Letters and entire Treatises upon the dignity and the holiness of the priesthood. 5 In order to be brief, however, we shall confine ourselves to the teaching of the Pontifical, which is the Priestly Code, as it were, of the New Law, embodying the summary of what the Catholic Church requires of her ministers. This simple exposition will show the high degree of perfection demanded of the Ordinands and still more of priests in the ministry. 6 1 1/ Tim. ,1,6. 2 " For a bishop must be without crime, as the steward of God ; not proud, not subject to anger, not given to 'wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre : but given to hospitality, gentle, sober, just, holy, continent : embracing that faithful. word wich is according to doctrine, that he may be able to exhort in sound doctrine and to convince the gainsayers. " Tit., I, 7-9. s " Pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. " / Tim., VI, u. < Tit., II, 7- 5 Most of these Treatises are to be found in a work entitled : " Le Pretre dapres les Peres ", by RAYNAUD, 12 in-8°, Paris, 1843, See likewise the numerous texts in L. TRONSON'S book, Forma Cleri. 6 For the explanation of the Pontifical, cfr. OLIER, op. cit., ; BACUEZ, Major Orders, Minor Orders, Vocation and Tonsure; GIRAUD, op. cil., t. II; GONTIER, Explication du Pontifical; BRUNEAU, Our Priesthood. THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 198 . _ njmj, ---'- -- L' _i_il_ .----..-_i j_— '- ..J ^ , ~ _._—-- • \ 386. i° The Church demands of the tonsured cleric a universal detachment from whatever is an obstacle to the love of God, and an intimate union with .Our Lord, that lie may wage war against the tendencies of the Old Adam and may put on the dispositions of the New. The Dominus pars, which he should utter every day, reminds him that God, and God alone, is his portion, his inheritance, and that whatever cannot be referred to Him should be trodden under foot. The Induat me shows him that life is a warfare, a struggle against the evil inclinations of nature, an effort to cultivate the supernatural virtues implanted in our souls on the day of our Baptism. Thus, from the outset, it is the love of God that is given him as the end to be reached, and sacrifice as the means thereto, with the obligation of foster- ing these two dispositions in his soul, if he is to be promoted to higher ranks in the clergy. 387. 2° Minor Orders confer upon the cleric a twofold power : one over Christ's Eucharistic Body, the other 'over His mystical body, that is, over souls. Besides detachment, he is to have a twofold love, the love of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and the love of souls. Both imply sacrifice. As porter, he is separated from the occupations of the home and constituted the official custodian of the House of God. The reader rises above the interest of worldly studies to tarry in the consideration of the Sacred Text, to draw therefrom that doctrine which will work unto his own sanctification and that of others. The exorcist casts off sin and the remnants of sin, to evade all the more surely the power of Satan. The acolyte renounces the pleasures of sense to live in that state of purity which the service of the altar exacts. At the same time His love for God becomes stronger. He loves the God of the Eucharist, Whose guar- dian he is. He loves the Word, hidden beneath the sacred veil of Holy Writ. He loves Him at Whose commands the spirits of darkness tremble and obey. He loves the Victim of the Altar. This love blossoms forth in zeal : the cleric loves souls, whom with joyful heart he brings to God by word and example, whom he sanctifies by his participation in trie Holy Sacrifice. Thus step by step he makes his way forward unto perfection. 388. 3° By his irrevocable consecration ;to God, the subdeacon immolates himself out of love for Him, a prelude to the Sacrifice he will one day offer upon the altar. He immolates his body by the vow of chastity and consecrates 194 CHAPTER IV, his soul by dedicating it to the recitation of the divine office. Chastity implies mortification of the interior and exterior senses, of the mind, of the heart. The duty of the Divine Office supposes a spirit of recollection and of prayer, the sustained effort for a life of union with God. One cannot be faithful in these two duties of chastity and of prayer without an ardent love of God, -which love alone can shelter the heart from the allurements of sensual love and lay the soul open to prayer and recollection. Sacrifice and love, then, is what the Church demands of the subdeacon, a sacri- fice greater than any he had made up to the present ; for the efforts demanded at times by a life-long chastity are nothing short of the heroic, and require an habitual spirit of watch- fulness, humble mistrust of self, and mortification. * Furth- ermore, it is a sacrifice which is irrevocable : "But if you receive this Order, you will no longer be at liberty to recede from your resolution, but you will be obliged to serve God perpetually, to serve Whom is to reign. " 2 That this sacrifice ^possible and lasting it must be made with a great deal of love. An intense love of God and love for souls alone can shield us from profane love ; it alone gives us the relish for the sweetness of perpetual prayer, by directing our thoughts and our affections toward Him Who alone can steady them. Therefore, the Pontiff invokes upon the ordinand the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost that he be made mighty unto the fulfilment of the stern duties laid upon him by the subdiaconate. 389. 4° Of deacons, who co-operate actively in the obla- tion of the Sacred Victim, who are " co-ministers and co-ope- rators of the Body and Blood of the Lord, " the Pontifical exacts even a more perfect purity : " Be clean, undefiled, pure, chaste. " Because they have the power to preach the Gospel, they are asked to proclaim it even more by example than by word : " Take care that you may illustrate the gospel, by your living works, to those to whom you announce, it with your lips. " Their life must be a living exemplifica- tion of the Gospel and a constant imitation of the virtues of the Master. Thus, the Bishop praying that the Holy Spirit may descend • upon them with all His gifts, chiefly that of 1 " Celibacy is an heroic virtue, and for heroic virtue we need high sanctity. If I am asked what degree of perfection or holiness the Church demands of her priests, it is enough for me to answer that she demands of them perfect chastity and a life of celibacy. This obligation is so heavy, its extent is so broad, that it either presupposes or leads to "a high degree of personal sanctity. " KEATINGE, The Priest^ His Character and Work, p. 101. * Pontifical, ordination of Subd.eacons. THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 195 fortitude, addresses to God this beautiful prayer : " Let the practice of every virtue abound in them, mild authority, constant modesty, the purity of innocence, and the observance of spiritual discipline. " Is not this a petition on their behalf for the virtues that lead to, sanctity? In his final prayer, in fact, the Pontiff asks that they be adorned with all the virtues : " Well-formed in all the virtues. " 390. 5° The Pontifical demands even more of the priest. Because he offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass he must be both priest and victim. This he shall be by the immola- tion of his passions : " Bear in mind what you do. Let your conduct be in conformity with the action you perform, so that celebrating the mystery of the Lord's death, you take heed to mortify your members from all vices and lusts. " He shall become such a victim by his constant renewal in the spirit of holiness : " Renew in them, 0 God, the spirit of holiness. " To attain this, the Law of God shall be the object of his thoughts by day and by night that he may teach it to others, that he may live by it himself and thus be an exemplar of all Christian virtues : " That meditating on Thy law, day and night, they may believe what they read, teach what they .believe and practice what they teach. May they show forth in themselves justice, constancy, mercy, fortitude and all other virtues. " As he is to be spent for souls, he shall practice brotherly love in the form of devotedness : " Receive the priestly -vestment by which charity is signified; " and, after the example of St. Paul, he shall spend himself entirely for the sake of souls : " / most gladly will spend and be spent myself for your souls. " 1 391. Thus it is that at each step toward the priesthood, the Pontifical demands a greater measure of virtue, of love and of sacrifice. Coming finally to the priesthood, it requires sanctity in order, as St. Thomas 2 says, that the priest be made fit to offer worthily the august sacrifice and be enabled to sanctify the souls committed to his care. The Ordinand is free to go on or not, but if he receives orders, he thereby evidently accepts the conditions so explicitly laid down by the Prelate, that is, the obligation of tending to perfection, an .obligation which far from ceasingr becomes more urgent with the actual exercise of the sacred ministry. 1 If Cor., XII, 15. . a ST. THOMAS, Suppl., q. 35, a. i, ad 3. " For the worthy exercise of Holy Orders, ordinary virtue is not enough, but a high degree of sanctity is required. " 196 CHAPTER IV. III. The Nature of the Priestly Functions Demands Holiness of Life 392. On the testimony of. the Apostle St. Paul, the priest is the mediator between God and man, between heaven and earth. Chosen from among men to be their representative, he must be acceptable to God, called by Him so as to have a right to appear before Him, and to offer the homages of men and to obtain His favors : " For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sin... Neither doth any man take the honour to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. " I His functions can be reduced to two principal ones : he is the " Religious of God, " 2 charged with glorifying Him in 'the name of the whole Christian people; he is also a Savior, a Sanctifier of souls, his mission being that of co-operating with Jesus Christ in the work of their sanctification and their salvation. He should be saintly on this twofold ground, 3 and should therefore ever tend toward perfection, since he will never fully attain to jthe plenitude of that holiness demanded by his office. .1° THE PRIEST, AS " THE RELIGIOUS OF GOD, " SHOULD BE A SAINTLY MAN 393. In virtue of his mission, the priest must glorify God in the name of the Christian people. Truly, then, he is the Religious of God, and that by reason of the priesthood such as Our Lord instituted it. "He is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices. " It is above all through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the recitation of the Divine Office that he acquits himself of this duty; yet all his actions, even the most ordinary, may contribute thereto, if they be done with a view to please God. This mission cannot be fulfilled in a seemly manner except by spriest who is saintly or a least who is striving to become so. 394. A) What holiness is required in order to offer up the Holy Sacrifice ! The priests of the Old Law had to, be i-Hebr., V, 1,4. 1 Religious in the sense that he is officially charged with fulfilling toward God the duties of religion, and not in the sense of a man entering a religions order and making the three vows; cf. Card. MERCIER, La vie inUrieure. .. 3 ST. THOMAS says : " Those who handle the divine mysteries obtain a regal dignity and must be perfected in virtite. " (IV Sent., dist. 24, q. 2.) THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 197 holy, and this under pain of punishment, because they came near to God. (It is question here chiefly of legal holiness). " The priests also that come to the Lord, let them be sanctified; lest He strike them." * They were bound to be holy in order to offer worthily incense and the bread destined for the altar : " For they offer the burnt offering of the Lord and the bread of their God : and therefore they shall be holy. " 2 How much .holier should they be, how much greater interior holiness • should they have who offer no longer shadows and figures, but the Great Sacrifice itself, the All- holy Victim! All is holy in this Divine Sacrifice : the Victim and the chief Offerer, Jesus Himself, Who, says St. Paul, is " holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. " 3 The Church in whose name the priest offers Holy Mass is likewise holy, whom Jesus hath sanctified with His Blood : " Christ delivered Himself up for it... that it should be holy and without blemish. "4 The end for which such offering is made is holy, to glorify God and bring forth in souls the fruits of holiness. The prayers and ceremonies are holy, recalling the Sacrifice of Calvary and the effects it merited unto sanctification. Above all is the Communion holy that unites us to the very source of all sanctity. The priest, who as the representative of Jesus Christ and of the Church offers up this august Sacrifice, must of neces- sity be also clothed in holiness. How could he worthily represent Christ, how could he be another Christ^ if his life be but commonplace, void of any aspiration toward perfec- tion? Could he be the minister of the Church, the spotless Spouse of Christ, if his soul, attached to venial sin, is neglectful of spiritual progress? Could he glorify God if his heart be void of love and sacrifice? How could he sanctify souls if he lacked the earnest desire of sanctifying himself? 395. How would he have the audacity to mount the altar uttering those prayers of the Mass which breathe the most pure sentiments of sorrow, faith, religion, love, self- denial, if his soul had no part in these? . How could he venture to offer himself with the Divine Victim, " in a humble spirit and a contrite heart may we be received by Thee, 0 Lord, " 5 if those sentiments were in contradiction with his life? How can any man whose life is all human, 1 Exod., XIX, 22. — * Levit., XXI, 6. — 3 mbr.,'Vll, 26. — 4 Ephes., V, 25-27. 5 Prayer of the Offertory. . :.. . 198 CHAPTER IV. demand a share in the divinity of Jesus Christ? How could such a one make his .own this protestation of- inno- cence : " But as for me, I have walked in my innocence," * if he make no! effort to shake off the dust of a thousand and one deliberate venial sins? How .dare he utter the Sanctus wherein God's awful holiness is proclaimed ? How make bold to identify himself with Jesus Christ at the Consecration, with the Author of all holiness, if he strive not to sanctify himself with Him and through Him? Could he utter the Lord's prayer and not think that we must be perfect as Our Father in heaven is perfect? Could he repeat the Agnus Dei without a humble and con- trite heart? What of those tender prayers before Com- munion : " Make me always adhere to Thy commandments, and suffer me never to be separated from Thee. " ? And yet the heart far from God, far from Jesus ! To unite himself daily in Communion with an All-holy God without a sincere desire of sharing in His holiness, without striving daily to become more and more like Him, would not this be a flagrant contradiction, a lack of loyalty, an abuse of grace and a lack of fidelity to the priestly vocation ? Let priests meditate on and take to heart the Fifth Chapter of the Fourth Book of the Following of Christ : ON THE DIGNITY OF THE SACRAMENT AND OF THE PRIESTLY STATE. " If thou hadst the purity of an angel, and the sanctity of St. John the Baptist, thou wouldst neither be worthy to receive nor to handle this Sacrament... Thou hast not lightened thy burden, but art now bound by a stricter bond of discipline, and art obliged to greuter perfection of sanctity. "3 •: 396. B) What we have said of Holy Mass can be said in a certain sense also of the Divine Office. It is in the name of the Church, in union with Jesus, the great Reli- gious of God, and for the whole Christian people, that seven times a day the priest appears before God to adore Him, to thank Him, and to obtain from Him the number- less graces souls need. If his prayer is but lip-service and not the tribute of his heart, will he 'not merit the reproach addressed by God to the Jews : " This people honoreth me with their lips : but their heart is far from me. " 4 And will grace be granted abundantly if he asks for it in so unworthy a manner? i PS. XXV. — 2 Roman Missal, Prayer before Communion. 3 Imitation, Bk. IV, c. V, n. i. i Matth., XV, 8; Isaiah, XXIX, 13. ' . THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 199 397.-- Furthermore, :in order that our ordinary actions be transformed into acts of worship pleasing to the Lord, they ought to be accomplished with dispositions inspired by 'love, and by the spirit of sacrifice (cf. n. 309). • •• Whithersoever: we turn, the selfsame conclusion imposes itself : as The Religious of God, the priest must aim at holiness of life. . 2° THE PRIEST CANNOT BE' SUCCESSFUL IN THE WORK OF SAVING SOULS UNLESS HE. AIMS AT PERSONAL HOLINESS I 398. A) The priest's duty of state is to sanctify and to save souls. When Our Lord chose His Apostles it was in order to make them " fishers of men " ; 2 in order that they should bring forth, in themselves and in others abundant fruits of salvation : " You have not chosen me : but I have chosen you, that you should go and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain. " 3 For this must they- preach the Gospel, administer the Sacraments, give good example and pray in all earnestness. It" is of faith that what converts and sanctifies souls is the grace of God. We ourselves are but instruments that God deigns to use, that bring forth fruit only in the mea- sure wherein they are one with the principal cause. This is the doctrine of St. Paul : " I have planted ; Apollo watered : but God gave the increase. Therefore neither he that planteth is anything, nor he that watereth : but God that giveth the increase. " 4 Now, it is certain that this grace is obtained in two ways, by prayer and by merit. In either case we obtain grace in proportion to our sanctity, to our fervor, to our degree of union with Our Lord (N. 237). If; then, our duty of state consists in the sanctification of souls, our first duty is to sanctify ourselves : " And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. "S 399. B) We arrive at the same conclusion if we con- sider the principal means of seal, namely, preaching, example and prayer. a) Preaching produces no salutary effects unless we speak in the name arid in the power of God : " God as it were exhorting by us ". 6 This is what -the fervent priest does. Before preaching he prays in order that grace may 4 Read on this subject the excellent book of DOM CHAUTARD, L'&me de tout apostolat. Eng. Tr., The soul of the Apostolate. 2 Matth., IV, 19. — s John, XV, 16. — * 1 Cor., Ill, 6-7. 6 John, XVII, 19. — 8 // Cor., V, 20. 200 CHAPTER IV. inspire his words • He humbly asks Our Lord to be " in his heart and on his lips, " Dominus sit in corde meo et in labiis meis. Whilst preaching he seeks, not to please, but to instruct, to do good, to convince, to persuade; and because his heart is intimately united to that of Jesus, there is in him an emotion, a power of persuasion that moves his hearers. Because by forgetting himself he attracts the Holy Spirit, souls are moved by grace and either converted or sanctified. A lukewarm priest, on the contrary, preaches but with his lips and, because he seeks self, beats the air and often is but "sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. " J 400. b)-The priest cannot fulfil his duty2 of giving good example to the faithful unless he concerns himself with his own spiritual progress. Then only can he repeat in all confidence the words of St. Paul : "Be ye followers of me as I also am of Christ. " 3 , Witnesses of his piety, of his kindness, of his poverty and of his self-denial, the faith- ful realize that he practises what he preaches, that he is a Saint; they venerate him and are drawn to follow in his footsteps. The old saying is again verified, that " words touch the heart, but examples rule our lives. " A mediocre priest may be esteemed as an honest man who works at his craft like any other, yet his ministry will bear little or no fruit. 401. e) Prayer is arid will ever remain the most effec- tive means of exercising zeal. What a contrast is offered in this regard between the saintly priest and the common- place priest ? The former prays habitually and constantly, for his very actions, done for God, constitute a real prayer. He does nothing, he does not even give a word of counsel without acknowledging his helplessness and begging God to make up for it by His grace. God, " Who giveth grace to the humble, " 4 grants it to him in abundance and his ministry brings forth fruit. The imperfect priest prays little and prays poorly, and for this reason his ministry remains barren. Therefore, whoever wishes to work successfully for souls, must make daily efforts to advance. Sanctity is the soul of the true Apostolate. i / Cor., XIII, i. — a Ood., Can. 124. 3 7 Con, IV, 16. — * James, IV, 6, • THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION. 201 CONCLUSION 402. From all that has been said it is clear that before entering the priesthood one must be already possessed of a measure of sanctity; and that, once a priest, one must continually strive to attain to a higher degree. i° To enter the priesthood one must needs have acquired already a certain measure of perfection. This is brought, out by all the texts of the Pontifical cited above. Even of the mere cleric is required detachment from the world and from self, and attachment to Jesus Christ. If the Church prescribes regular intervals between , ordinations, it is with a view that the young ecclesiastic may have the time of acquiring one by one the various virtues proper to the different orders. The Pontifical gives clear expression to this in the following words : * "And thus let them advance from one Order to the other that as they grow in age, they --may likewise grow in probity of life and in doctrine. " Moreover, it demands tried virtue ; "Let tried virtue be to them in the stead of old age " 2 But such virtue is not acquired except by the painstaking fulfilment of the .duties of state, by the unwearied exercise of the virtues which the Prelate points out in every ordination. This virtue should . be so solid that it resembles that of men advanced in years (senectus sit), who through long and arduous efforts have attained to the maturity and constancy becoming their age. 403. It is not any sort of virtue that is required for the right exercise of the sacred functions ; it is a superior kind of virtue, says St. Thomas : " For the worthy exercise of Holy Orders ordinary goodness does not suffice, superior virtue is required. " 1 We have seen that the Pontifical requires of the Ordinands a solid and active faith, a great trust in God, a devoted love of God and of the neighbor, not to mention the moral virtues of prudence, justice, religion, humility, temperance, fortitude, constancy. The practice of these virtues must reach a high degree, since the Pontiff calls down upon the Ordiriands the gifts of the Holy Ghost, which supplement the virtues and perfect their practice. Hence, it is not enough to be in the state of beginner s^ as yet exposed to relapse into serious faults. One must have undergone a purification from faults and inordinate attachements, be grounded in the 1 De Ordinibus Conferendis. — • Lee. cit. — a Supplem., q. 35, a, i, ad 3. 202 CH, IV. — THE DUTY OF TENDING/TO PERFECTION. exercise of those virtues that belong to the illuminative way, and have for goal a closer and closer union with Almighty God. 404. 2° Once a man has become a friest, he must not stop, but rather go on daily from virtue to virtue. This is the teaching of the Imitation : " Thou hast not lightened thy burden, but art now bound by a stricter bond of discipline, and art obliged to greater perfection of sanctity. " I Not to advance is to fall back. (N. 358, 359.) Moreover, such is the extent of our obligation to follow in Christ's footsteps and to edify our neighbor, that despite all efforts, we still fall short of the ideal proposed to us by the Gospel and by the Pontifical, as we proved when we spoke of the priestly functions (N. 392 and foil.). We must therefore say to ourselves each day that we have yet a great way to go before attaining the goal : " Thou hast yet a great way to go. "2 405. This is all the more so, since we live in the midst of the world and its dangers, whilst religious are protected by their rules and all the helps of community life. If they are obliged to tend constantly toward perfection, are we not under the same obligation, and even a greater one? And if we , have not for the protection of our virtue all the exterior helps that protect them, are we not bound to make up for these by greater interior strength? This strength, it stands to reason, cannot be acquired but by an ever- renewed effort toward a better life ; for the world wherein we must mingle forever tends to lower our ideal, and we must therefore raise it, again and again, by constantly stirring up the spirit of the priesthood. What makes this spiritual progress a more pressing duty still is the fact that on the degree of our own sanctity depend the welfare and the sanctification of the souls entrusted to our care. According to the ordinary laws of a supernatural Providence, the holier the priest, the greater the good wrought by him. This we have shown (N. 398 and foil.). Would it be in harmony with our mission as sanctifi&rs of souls to call a halt half-way or at the very outset on the road to perfection, when so many souls in imminent danger of being lost cry out on all sides, " Pass over.. . and help us. "3 A worthy priest has but one answer to this cry of distress. It is Our Lord's own answer : " And ' Book IV, ch. 5. — • Ill Kings, XIX, 7. >- 3 Acts XVI, 9i CHAPTER V. — GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION, 2Q3 for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. " J 406. We shall not examine in this place the question of whether the priest, obliged as he is to an interior perfec- tion greater than that of the religious who is not in Ho.ly Orders, is or is not in the state of perfection. This: is a question of Canon Law. It is commonly answered in the^negative, for the priest's status, even if he be a pastor . of souls, lacks that stability which is canonically required in order to constitute the -.state of perfection. As regards the priest who is also a religious, he evidently has all the obligations imposed on him by his priesthood besides those imposed by his vows, finding in his rule addi- tional helps to become holy. He must not forget, however, that his priesthood obliges him to a higher perfection than does his religious profession. Thus the members of the clergy, secular and regular, far fronf falling into petty jealousies, should hold each other in mutual esteem and help each other, having but one and the same aim, to glorify God by gaining unto Him souls — as many as possible. They should find in the virtues and in the success of their brethren a stimulus to a noble emulation : " And let us consider one another, to provoke unto charity and to good .works. " 2 CHAPTER V. General Means of Perfection 407- Once we have formed deep convictions concern- ing the obligation of tending to perfection, it remains but to seek and use the means that lead thereto. It is question here of the general means, common to all souls desirous of spiritual progress. In the second part we shall treat of the special means proper to the different stages of the spiritual life. These means are interior or exterior. The former are dispositions or acts of the soul itself that gradually raise it toward God. The latter comprise besides these acts, exterior helps which aid the soul in this elevation. It is important to give first a brief survey of these means. 408. I. Among the interior means there are four that must be considered here : i° The desire of perfection which 1 John, XVII, 19. — 2 Hebr., X, 24, cf. Letter of the Congreg. of extraord. Aff. to the Archbishop of Malines, 25 March 1954. 204: CHAPTER V. is the first step forward, giving us the impulse needed to overcome obstacles. , 2° The knowledge of God and of self. Since it is a question of uniting the soul to God, the better these two terms are known, the easier will be the task of effecting such union : May I know Thee, 0 Lord, that I may love Thee, may I know myself that I may despise myself! 3° Conformity to God's will. To surrender our will to that of God is the most genuine token of love and the most effective means of uniting ourselves to the source of all per- fection. 4° Prayer viewed in its wider sense, as adoration and petition, mental or vocal, private or public, any elevation of the soul to God. It unites all our interior faculties to God, our memory arid imagination, our mind and will, and even our outward actions inasmuch as they are an expression of our spirit of prayer. II. The exterior means of perfection may likewise be reduced to four principal ones : i° Direction. Just as God has instituted a visible autho- rity to govern His Church externally, so He has willed that souls be led by an experienced spiritual guide, who may help them to avoid danger, and further and direct their efforts. 2° A rule of life, which approved by such a director further extends his influence over souls. 3° Conferences, exhortations, and spiritual reading. Well chosen, these put us in contact with the teachings and the example of the Saints and lead us to follow in their foot- steps. 4° The. sanctification of our relations with others, with parents, friends, or business-associates. This enables us to direct toward God not merely our pious exercises, but all our actions and our duties of state. I Interior Means II Exterior Means Desire of Perfection Knowledge of God and of Self Conformity to the Divine Will Prayer Direction A Rule of Life Spiritual Readings and Conferences Sanctification of Social Relations GENERAL ;MEANS , OF PERFECTION. 205 ART. I. INTERIOR MEANS OF PERFECTION § I. The Desire of Perfection * 409. The; first step toward perfection is the sincere, ardent and constant desire to attain it. We shall examine, i° its nature, 2° its necessity and efficacy, 3° its qualities, 4° the means of fostering it. I. The. Nature of this Desire 410. i° Desire in general 'is a movement of the soul toward the good that is absent.: It differs, therefore, from joy which is the satisfaction coming from the actual possession of a good. There \are two kinds of desire : one is a feeling or passionate impulse toward a sensible good that is absent ; and the other, the rational desire, is an act of the will tending toward some spiritual good. At times this rational desire reacts upon our sensibility and is thus mixed with feeling. In the supernatural order our good desires are influenced by divine grace; as we have said above. 411. 2° The desire of perfection, then, may be defined as an act of the will, which, under the influence of grace, ever seeks after spiritual progress. It may be at times accompan- ied by pious sentiments that intensify it, 2 but this element is not necessary. 412. 3° This desire is born of the combined action of God's grace and the human will. From all eternity God loves us, and by that very fact, desires to unite Himself to us : " I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee. " 3 His unfailing love follows us, pursues us, as if His own happiness were incomplete without us. Then, when our own soul illumined by faith looks into itself, it finds an immense void that nothing but the Infinity of a God itself can fill : " Thou hast made us unto Thyself, O God, and our heart finds no rest until it rests in Thee. " 4 Our soul, then, sighs after God, after His love, after perfection : " As the hart panteth after 1 St;'FR. DE SALES, Devout Life, P. I. C. Mil ; The Lmie of God, Bk. XII, c. 2-3; ALVAREZ DE PAZ, De vita spirit., t. I, 1. V; RODRIGUEZ, Practice of Christian Perfection, P. I, Tr. I, On the Esteem of Perfection; LE GAUDIER, Dt perfect, vitas spiritualis, P. II, Sept. ia ; J. ARINTERO, Du dtsir de la perfection, Vie spirituelle, Fevr. 1920, p. 296 ; SCARAMELLi-STOCtfMAN, Manual of Christ. Perfection P. I, art. 2. 8 See remark of St. THOMAS, Ia Ilae, q. 30, a. i, ad i. ' ' * Arm., XXXI, 3. * St. AUGUST., Confessions, Bk. I, n. i. 206 . CHAPTER, V. the fountains of water,; so my soul panteth after Thee, 0 Lord... for Thee my soul hath thirsted. " * Since on earth this longing will never be satisfied, for here this divine union can never be complete, it follows that if we place no obstacle in the way this desire will constantly grow. 413. 4° Unfortunately, obstacles abound that tend to stifle, or at least, to weaken this desire. Such are the threefold concupiscence (which we have described above, n. 193), the fear of the difficulties to be overcome and of the continued efforts required for co-operation with, grace and for spiritual progress. Hence, we must thoroughly convince ourselves of the necessity of this desire and take the means to foster it. II. The Necessity and Efficacy of the Desire for Perfection 414.. i° Its Necessity. The desire for it is the first step toward perfection, the indispensable condition for attain- ing it. The road to perfection is arduous and implies constant and energetic efforts, for as we have remarked, no one can make progress in the path of God's love without sacrifice, without struggling against the threefold concu- piscence and against the law of least resistance. No one ever enters upon any steep, rugged path unless he is possessed of an ardent desire of arriving at the goal ; and were he to set out on such a path he would soon abandon it. Likewise/no one starts on the way to perfection or perseveres in it unless sustained by a strong desire to reach the end. A) Hence, everything in the Sacred Scriptures tends to inspire in us this desire. The Gospels as well as the Epistles are a continual exhortation to perfection. This we have shown in treating of the obligation of tending to perfection ; the object of the texts that establish this obligation is to stimulate the desire of pressing forward. What other purpose can they have? They present to us as the ideal the imitation of the divine perfections ; they propose to us Jesus Christ Himself as our model ; they recount His virtues; they urge us to follow His example. Does not all this inspire us with the desire of perfection? 415. B) The Church's Liturgy has the same aim. , By setting forth in the course of the liturgical year- the various phases of Our Lord's life, it makes us give expression to the most ardent longings for the coming of Christ's kingdom in ' Ps. XLI, 2; LXII, 2. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 207 the souls of men during the season of Advent; for His growth in our hearts, at Christmastide and the Epiphany; for penitential exercises, through the Lenten period, as a preparation for Easter graces ; for an intimate union with God, through the Pascal time, and for the gifts of the Holy Ghost, from Whit-Sunday till the end of the cycle. Thus, all through the year the Sacred Liturgy, in one form or another, quickens our desire for spiritual growth. 416. C) The experience gained from reading the lives of the Saints or from the actual direction of souls shows us that without the oft-renewed desire for perfection, there is no progress in the spiritual life. St. Teresa J makes us well aware of this fact : " Let us not stifle our desires. This is highly important. Let us firmly believe that with the divine help and our own efforts we, too, can in the course of time obtain what so many Saints, aided by God, finally attained. Had they never conceived such desires, had they not little by little carried them into execution, they would never have risen so high... Oh! how important it is in the spiritual life to rouse oneself to great things ! " The Saint herself offers us a striking example of this. As long as she was not de- termined to break all the bonds that interfered with her flight towards the heights of perfection, she painfully dragged along the way of mediocrity ; from the day she resolved to give herself entirely to God, she advanced wondrously. 417. The. practise of direction corroborates the teaching of the Saints. Generous souls possessed of a humble and persistent desire to advance in the way of perfection relish and employ the means we suggest to them. If, on the contrary, such desire is lacking, or exists but feebly, we readily observe that the most urgent exhortations produce but little effect. Spiritual nourishment, like food for the body, profits but those who hunger and thirst. God heaps His gifts upon those who crave them, but allots them with measured hand to those who do not prize them : " He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. " z , - . 418. 2° Efficacy of the desire for perfection. This desire is a real force that makes us grow in holiness. a) Psychology demonstrates that an idea deeply impressed tends to elicit a corresponding act. This is the more true, when the thought is accompanied by the desire^ for the 1 Life by Herself, C, XIII. — * Luke, I, 53. 208 CHAPTER V. latter already constitutes an act of the will which sets our faculties in motion. Hence, to desire perfection is to tend towards it, and to tend towards perfection is to begin to attain it. To desire to love God is already to love Him, since God sees the heart and takes into account all our intentions. Hence, Pascal's profound words : " Thou wouldst not seek me, hadst thou not found me ". Now, to desire is to seek, and he who seeks finds : " For every one that seeketh findeth. " I 419. b) Furthermore, in the supernatural order, desire constitutes a prayer, an elevation of the soul towards God, a sort of spiritual communion which lifts our soul towards Him and draws Him to us. Now, God delights in granting our prayers, especially when their object is our sanctifica- tion, — the most ardent desire, of His Heart : " For this is the will of God, your sanctification. " 2 Thus God, in the Old Testament, urges us to seek after, to pursue wisdom, that is to say, virtue, making the most wondrous promises to those that hearken to his voice, and granting wisdom to those that earnestly desire it : " Wherefore I wished, and understanding was given me : and I called upon God, and the Spirit of wisdom came upon me. "3 In the Gospels, Our Lord invites us to quench in Him our spiritual thirst : " If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. " 4 The more ardent our desires, the more abundant the graces we receive, for the Source .of living water is inexhaustible. 420. e) Lastly, desire dilates the soul and so renders it more apt for the reception of divine communications. There is in God such a fulness of goodness and of graces, that the measure of His bounty is to a great extent in pro- portion to our capacity to receive. The more we expand our soul by earnest and ardent desires, the more capable it becomes of receiving of the fulness of God : " / opened my mouth and drew unto myself the Spirit... Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. "5 III. The Qualities Which the Desire for Perfection Should Possess To attain such happy results, the desire for perfection must be supernatural, predominant, per severing, and practical. ' Matth.< VII, 8. — 2 / Thess., IV, 3. — 3 Wisdom, VII, 7; cfr. Prav. I, 20-23. « Johnt VII, 37. As St. Thomas remarks JI, q. 12, a. 6), desire renders the soul more fit — better disposed — for the reception of the desired object. i Ps. CXVIII, 131 ; LXXX, 11. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 209 / 421, i° It must .be supernatural in its motive as well as in its principle. a) Supernatural in its motive^ that is to say, based upon reasons furnished by faith, which reasons we have already explained ;: the nature and the excellence of the Christian life and of Christian perfection, the glory of God, the edification of the neighbor, the welfare of our soul, etc. r ' b) Supernatural in its principle^ in the sense that it must be conceived under the influence of grace, which alone can impart to us the light that will make us understand and relish such motives, and the strength required to act in accordance with our convictions. Since grace is obtained through prayer, we must ask insistently of God that He- increase in us this desire for perfection. 42-2. 2° It must be predominant : in other words, it must outdo in intensity any other desire. Since perfection is in reality the hidden treasure, that pearl of great price which must be bought at any cost, and since each degree of Christian perfection is attended by a corresponding degree of glory, of the Beatific Vision and of love, the same must be longed for and sought after in preference to any thing else whatsoever : " Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and his justice. " z . 423. 3° It must be persevering. To seek perfection is a long and arduous work calling for constant progress. Hence the desire to do better must be renewed frequently. Our Lord tells us, therefore, not to look backwards over the distance traversed, or tp cast complacent eyes upon the results of past efforts : " No man putting his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. " 2 On the contrary we must look ahead, as St. Paul tells us, to see the way we must yet travel and redouble our effort, like the runner who stretches forth his arm the better to reach hold of the goal : " Forgetting the things that are behind, and stretching forth myself to those that are before, I press towards 'the mark, to the prize of the supernatural vocation." 3 St. Augustine lays great stress upon this same truth; he says that to halt is to fall back, to tarry in the contemplation of the way we have travelled is to lose our vigor. The motto of perfection is to go ever forward, to aim ever higher : " Linger not ' Mam., VI, 33. — * Luke, IX, 62. — 3 Philip., Ill, 13-14. NO 680. ^-9 210 CHAPTER V. on the way, stray not -from it... Always strive, always move, always advance. " J. We must not consider the good we have achieved but the good that is yet to be accomplished; we. must not look to those who do less than ourselves, but to those who do better, to the fervent, to the Saints, and above them all to Jesus Himself, our True Model. Then, the more we progress the further we seem from the goal, just because we realize the better how lofty that goal is. However, there must be an entire ' absence of anything like over-eagerness, impatience, and, above all, anything like presumption in our desires. Violent efforts are of short duration, and the presumptuous soon lose heart after the first failures. What really makes for our progress is a calm and oft-renewed desire based on convictions and on the omnipotence of grace. 424V 4° Then, desire becomes practical and efficacious, because it is directed not towards an ideal that is impossible to realize, but towards the means that lie within our reach. There are souls possessed of magnificent, but purely specu- lative ideals, souls who aspire to high perfection the while they neglect the means that lead thereto. Herein lurks a twofold danger : we may fancy we, have attained per- fection, simply because we dream of it, and thus fall into pride; or we may come to a standstill and fail. We must, instead, bear in mind the saying that he who wills the end .wills also the means. We must recall that it is fidelity in little things that ensures fidelity in greater things, and that our desire for perfection should bear on our present duties, however trifling they s may be, since the faithful accomplishment of these will guarantee fidelity in those of greater/moment. " He who is faithful in that which is least is faithful also .in that .which, is greater. " 2 To pretend to* desire perfection: and then relegate to the morrow the efforts that should -accompany : such desire, to wish to sanctify oneself through the performance of great actions and then take no heed of ordinary ones, is to labor under a double illusion, which reveals either a lack of sincerity or an ignorance of psychology. High ideals are, no doubt, , required, but so also is their immediate and progressive realization. ; ' 1 ST. AUGUSTINE, Sermon 169, n. 18. 3 Luke XVI, 10. GENERAL MEAN£ OF -PERFECTION 211 !IV. Means to \§timttlate this -Desire for Perfection , , 425. 1° Based upon supernatural convictions, the 'desire for perfection takes root and grows .chiefly through :'me,di- tation and prayer. It is. necessary then first of air to reflect on the great truths we have explained in the foregoing chapters, on the greatness of this life which God Himself communicates to us, on the beauty and the wealth; of a;soul that cultivates it, on the delights which God has in store for it in heaven. It is necessary to meditate on the lives of. those Saints who grew the more in holiness as. their longing^ for .perfection gained daily in constancy and ardor. That:such meditation may be made more fruitful, we must join to .it .prayer which, drawing God's grace upon the soul, makes r our convictions concerning the need of perfection deeper and more vital. 426. 2° There are certain favorable circumstances, in • ' • - ' • "x • ' r1 . [• : ' - t ' •' . . • , * ' which the -action of grace . is more keenly felt. A wise spiritual director will know how to profit by them in order to awaken in, his penitents the desire for perfection. a) From the "first dawn of reason, God invites the child to give himself to Him. How important it is that parents and confessors avail themselves of these divine solicitations to stimulate and direct the impulses of young hearts ! This is true of -the time , of First Communion, of the moment when the signs of -vocation first appear of a choice of life is to be made; of the time when one enters college, seminary, or novitiate ; .or of the time when one receives the sacrament, of matrimony. On all these occasions, God grants special graces to which it is important to correspond witlra generous heart. - : 427. b) The same is true of the time of retreat. The prolonged periods of recollection, the instructions, the readings and the examinations, of conscience, and (the prayers offered, above all, the more abundant graces then received, contribute to the strengthening of our convictions, to a better knowledge of our state of conscience, to the more sincere abhorrence^ of our .faults and their causes, whilst new, more practical and more generous - reso- lutions are suggested, ."giving us a new impetus toward per- fection. . Thus it has dome to pass- in recent years that tnore frequent retreats * have formed among the clergy and " A. BOISSEL, Retraites fermies, pratique et theorie. 212 CHAPTER V, the faithful choice men whose one ambition .is that of advancing in the spiritual life. Spiritual directors in semi- naries, likewise, know the wonderful effects produced in. their students .by the general retreats and the retreats for ordination. Then it is that generous desires for a better life are conceived, renewed or intensified. We must, then, profit by these opportunities to answer God's appeal and begin or perfect the reformation of our life. 428. e) Providential trials, physical or moral, such as illness, death, moral suffering, evil turns of fortune are often accompanied by interior graces that urge us on to a more perfect life. Provided we take advantage of these ordeals to turn to God, they wean us from earthly things, purify our soul through suffering, inspire us with a yearning for Heaven and for perfection which is the wav to Heaven. 429. d) Lastly, there are times when the Holy Spirit produces interior movements in the soul, inclining it towards a life of greater perfection. He enlightens us on the vanity of human things, on the happiness flowing from a more complete gift of self to God, and urges us to greater efforts. We must profit by these interior graces to hasten our progress. 430. 3° There are Spiritual Exercises which by their very nature tend to awaken in us the desire for perfection These are : a) The particular examen, which' obliges us each day to study ourselves in regard to some one special point, not only in order to ascertain our failings or successes, but above all to renew our determination to advance in the practice of such or such a virtue. (N. 468.) b) The systematic practice of Confession with a view to correct such or such a fault (n. 262). C) The monthly and annual retreats that come to renew our desire of doing better. CONCLUSION 431. In making use of these various means we shall continually or at least habitually keep our wills fixed on the end to be attained, spiritual progress. Then, upheld by God's grace, we shall more easily triumph over obstacles. No doubt, there will be slight failings now and then, but GENERAL/MEANS OF PERFECTION, 213 spurred on by the desire of advancing, we shall courageously resume our march, and our little setbacks, by exercising us in humility, will serve but to draw us neater to God. - § II. The Knowledge of God and the Knowledge of Self 432. Since perfection consists in the union of the soul; with God, it becomes evident that in order to effect this; union, we must be acquainted with its two terms, God and the soul. The knowledge of God will lead us directly to love : May I know Thee, that I may love Thee.t The know- ledge of self, by making us realize the worth of all the good wherewith God has endowed us, will awaken in us a corresponding sense of gratitude; while the sight of our miseries and our faults, by making us conceive a just con- tempt of self, will engender in us true humility : May I know myself, in order that 1 may despise myself. Divine love will be the result, for.it is on the ruins of self-love that the love of God is built I. The Knowledge of God * : •'-, 433. In order to love God it is necessary first of all to know Him. 2 The more profound our consideration of His perfections, the more ardent the love of our heart for Him ; for, all is loveliness in Him. In Him is found the fulness of being, of beauty, of goodness and of love : God is love. This much is evident. It remains to determine : i° What we must know of God in order to love Him, and 2° How to come to that affectionate knowledge of God; i° WHAT WE MUST KNOW OF GOD Concerning God, we must know whatever can render Him admirable and lovable. We must learn of His exis- 1 FABER, Creator and Creature, The Precious Blood, Bethlehem; NEWMAN, Grammar of Assent and other works (See word God in Index to the Works 'of CARD. NEWMAN by RICKABV, S. Jf.); BELLORD, Meditations on Dogma; BRAN- CHEREAU, Meditations, vol. I, Me"d. I- VI; HEDLEV, Retreat, IV-V; HOGAN, Clerical Studies, C. IV; A. I; SCOTT. S. J., God and Myself; BOSSUET, De la connaissance de Dieu et de soi-mtme; EUvations sur les mysteres; Meditations sur I'Evangile; L. BAIL, Theologie affective; LESSIUS, De perfectionibus moribusque divinis; P. D' ARGENT AN, Les Grandeurs de Dieu; CONTENSON, Theologia mentis etcordis; BEAUDENOM, Les Sources de la /"zV^/SAUVE, Dieu intime, Jisus intime, L'homme intime, etc. ; P. SAUDREAU, O. P., Les divines paroles ;M. D'HERBIGNY, ia Theologie du rtveU, ch. VIII-XI; P. R. GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE, Dieu, son existence, sa nature, 1920. . . 1 Contrary propositions o/Molinos were condemned, DENZ.-BANN. 1226, 1329. 214 ... CHAPTER V. tence, His nature, His attributes, His, works, above all, His inner life and His relations with.us. Nothing that concerns the Godhead is foreign to devotion; the most abstract- truths themselves have an affective aspect which is a very great aid to our piety. Let us see this with the help of a few instances taken from philosophy and theology. 434. A) Philosophical Truths. * a) The metaphysical proofs of the existence of God seem abstract enough, and yet they are inexhaustible treasures of marvelous considerations leading to divine love : God, the Changeless Prime Mover, Pure Act, is the, origin of all movement. Hence, we cannot move if not iij Him and through Him. He must be, there- fore, the first principle of all our actions. If He is our first principle, He shall be our last end : " I am the beginning and the end. " God is the First Cause of all beings, of whatever of good there is in us, of our faculties, of our acts. To Him alone, therefore, be all honor and glory ! God is the Neces- sary Being, the Only Necessary Being. He is then the only good to be sought. All other things are contin- gent, accessory, transient, useful solely inasmuch as they lead us to this Only Necessary Being. God is Infinite Perfection : creatures are but the faint reflection of His beauty. He is then, the Ideal to pursue :'" Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. " s We must set no limits to our perfection : "I am infinite, " said Almighty God to St. Catherine of Sienna, " and I seek infi- nite works, that is, an infinite sense of love. " 3 435. b) If we pass thence to the divine nature, even the little we know of it is sufficient to wean us from all created things and raise us up to God. He is the fulness of being : " I am Who am. " Hence, mine is but a borrowed existence, incapable of subsisting by itself, and I must acknowledge my utter dependence upon the Divine Being. This it was that God wished to teach St. Catherine of Sienna when He said to her : " Learn, my daughter, what you are and what I am... You are that which is not, and I am He Who is. "4 What a lesson in humility! What a lesson in love! . 436. c) We learn the same lesson from the consideration of the divine attributes. There is not one that if well medi- tated upon does not act as a stimulus to pur love in one 1 See especially JOYCE, Natural Theology. . '• :: .••:••• .,-.:•• 3 Matth., V, 48; cfr. Commentary of IV Lateran Council. (Denzinger, 432).. 3 Dialog., I, p. 40. .. • -..-.• < Vie. by RAYMOND DE CAPOUE, trad. Cartier, t. I, p. 71. GENERAL MEANS OF PE RFECTION. 215 form or another. The simplicity of the Godhead moves us to the practice of singleness of purpose or purity of inten- tion, which causes us to tend directly to God, to the exclusion of every inordinate thought of self. His immen- sity, which encompasses and pervades our being, is the foundation of that practice so dear and so profitable to pious souls, the exercise of the presence of God. His eternity detaches us from all things that pass away with time, by recalling that whatever is not eternal is nothing. His unchangeabhmss aids us in the midst of human vicissi- tudes to maintain that peace of mind so necessary to a close and abiding union with Him. His perpetual activity spurs us on to action, preventing us from lapsing into indifference or into a sort of dangerous apathy or quietism. His omnipotence, ministering to His unbounded wisdom and His merciful goodness, inspire us with a filial trust that becomes a singular aid to prayer and to a holy abandonment of ourselves to Him. His holiness makes us hate sin and cherish that purity. of heart which leads to a familiar union with Him : "Blessed are the clean of heart : for they shall see God. " The soundest foundation of our faith rests upon His infallible truthfulness. His beauty, His goodness, His love, captivate our heart, giving rise to outpourings of love and gratitude. Thus it is that saintly persons love to lose themselves in the contemplation of the divine attributes and by gazing adoringly upon God's perfections, to draw them in a measure into their own hearts. 437. B) Holy souls delight above all in the contempla- tion of revealed truths, all of which refer to the history of the Divine Life •: its source in the Most Holy Trinity, its first bestowal by the creation and sanctification of man, its restoration through; the Incarnation, its actual diffusion through the Ghurch and the Sacraments, its final consum- mation in Heaven. Each of these mysteries enraptures and inflames souls. with love for God, for Jesus Christ, for their brethren and for all things divine. 438. a) The source of divine life is the Blessed Trinity. God, the very plenitude of being and of love, eternally regards His Own Self. Out of this contemplation He brings forth His Word, the Word that is His Son, distinct from, yet in all things equal to Him, His own living and substantial image.' He loves that Son and isan turn loved by Him; and from this mutual love proceeds the Holy Ghost, distinct from the Father and the Son yet equal in all things to Both. And this is the life wherein we share! 216 : CHAPTER V. 439. /b) Because He is infinitely good, God wills to communicate Himself to other beings. This He does by creating, and above' all by sanctifying men. By creation we are .God's ..servants,, which already constitutes a high honor. Indeed, what a cause for wonder, for gratitude, for love, that God should have thought of me from all eternity, that He should have chosen me out of'billions of possible beings in order to bring me into existence and bestow upon me life and intelligence ! But what shall I say of His calling me to share in His own divine life? Of His having adopted me as a child, having destined me for the clear vision of His essence and for His undivided love? Is not this the con- summation of chanty? Is not this a great motive-power urging us to love Him without measure or stint? 440. C) Through the fault of our first parents we lost our right 'to this participation in the' divine life, and of ourselves we had not the power to regain it. But behold! The Son of God sees our plight, becomes a. man like ourselves and is thus constituted the Head of a mystical body whose members we are; He atones for our sins by His sorrow- ful Passion and His death on the Cross, reconciles us to God and makes that life He has drawn from the bosom of His Father flow once more into our souls. Can there be a stronger appeal to make us love the Word-made-Flesb, to urge us to unite ourselves to Him and through Him to the Father? 441. d) To facilitate this union, Jesus remains amorig us. He abides with us through His Church, that transmits and explains His teachings ; through His Sacraments, mysterious channels of grace, giving the life divine. He dwells among us, above all, in the Holy Eucharist wherein He at once perpetuates . His Presence, His merciful action, and His Sacrifice : His Sacrifice through the Holy Oblation of the Mass, wherein in a mysterious manner He renews His immolation] His merciful action, through Holy Communion, wherein He comes to us with all the treasures of grace to perfect our souls and impart to them His own virtues; His abiding Presence, willingly imprisoned day and night within the Tabernacle, where we can visit Him, converse with Him, glorify with Him the Most Blessed Trinity, find health for all our; spiritual miseries, and consolation in •sorrow and discouragement : " Come to me all you that labour and are burdend : and I will refresh you. " * GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 217 442. e) This:is but the/dawn* of the noonday .-light;-. of eternity, wherein we shall see God face to face, as He sees Himself, and shall love Him with a perfect. love. y In Him we shall behold and love whatever is good, whatever is noble. We came from God by creation; we return to Him by glorification. In glorifying Him we find perfect happiness. • • . Dogma is, then, the true source of real devotion. 2° MEANS OF ARRIVING AT THIS KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 443. Three principal means are at our disposal in order to acquire this affective knowledge of God : i° the devout study of philosophy and theology; 2° meditation or mental prayer; 3° the habit of seeing God in 'all things. A) The Devout Study of Theology. I One may study phi- losophy and theology in two ways : merely with the mind, as one would study mathematics or any other secular science, or with mind and heart. It is the latter that begets godliness. When St. Thomas plunged into the depths of the great philosophical and theological questions, he studied them not as a. Greek sage would, but as a disciple and lover of Christ. According to his expression, theology treats of divine things and of acts inasmuch as they lead us to a per- fect knowledge of God, in which eternal happiness consists. z This is why his piety was even more wonderful than his knowledge. The same was true of St. Bonayenture and other great theologians. Of course, the most of them have not gone into devout considerations concerning the great myste- ries of our faith which they sought xbut to explain and prove, yet it is from these very truths that godliness springs. Whoever studies them in the spirit of faith, cannot but admire and love Him Whose grandeur and goodness theo^ logy reveals. This holds especially if we know how to avail ourselves of the gifts of knowledge and of understand- mg> The fprmer lifts us up from creatures unto God, disclosing to us their. relations with the Divinity; the latter 'The Qiurch -has condemned the assertion of Molinos, that a theologian is not as well disposed for contemplation as an ignorant man (DENZ.-BANN., 1284). FATHER FABER writes : " Is notall doctrine practical? Is it not the first use of dogmatic, theology to be the basis of sanctity...? He. who separates dogmatics from ascetics seems to assert this proposition : The Knowledge of God arid of Jesus Christ was not meant. primarily to make' us holy... " ' (FABER Spiritual Cdii- fennces, Conf. on Death, 3, p. 137). -(Theology) .."is the best fuel of devotion, the best fuel of .divine love... If a science tells; of God, yet does not make the listener's heart burn within .him, it must follow either that the science is no true theology, or that the heart which listens is stupid and depraved. In a simple and loving heart, theology burns like a sacred fire. " (FABER, The Precious Blood. c- 1"). — " Sum. (fieol. I, q. i, a. 4. ., 218 , CHAPTER V. makes us penetrate to the very heart of revealed truths, to discern their marvelous harmony. With the aid of these lights, the "devout theologian will know how to rise from the contemplation of the most speculative truths to acts of adoration, of wonder, of grati- tude and of love, which spring spontaneously from the study of Christian dogmas. These acts, far from paralyz- ing his intellectual activities, will but quicken and sharpen them; for one studies better, with more diligence and greater perseverance, whatever one loves. One discovers depths which the intellect alone could not sound, and draws inferences which broaden the field of theology, whilst nourishing piety. 444. B) Meditation must accompany study. We do not meditate sufficiently upon Christian dogmas, or we confine our consideration to their secondary aspects. We must not hesitate to take the very essence of these dogmas as the subject of our meditations. Then it is that the light of faith, under the influence of grace, reaches such heights and pierces such depths as the intellect alone could never discern. We find proof of this fact in the writings of unlettered persons, who having been raised to contempla- tion, have left us appreciations concerning God, Christ our Lord, His doctrines and Sacraments, that actually rival those of the most exalted theologians. And did not St. Thomas say that he had learned more from his Crucifix than from the works of Doctors ? The reason for it is that God speaks more readily in the silent peacefulness of prayer; and that His Word, then better understood, enlight- ens the mind, enkindles the heart and sets the will in action. Then it is, likewise, that the Holy Spirit deigns to impart, over and above the gifts of knowledge and under- standing, that of wisdom, which gives a relish for the truths of faith, causes us to love these truths and live by them, and thus establishes a very close union between God and the soul. This is well described by the author of the Imitation in the following words : " Happy is the soul that heareth the Lord speaking within her,' and receiveth from His mouth the word of comfort. " J The repeated and affectionate remembrance of God is but the prolongation of the happy effects of our mental prayer. • The frequent thought of God increases our love for Him, and this love deepens and refines our knowledge. « Imit. Bk. Ill, c. i. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 219 445. C) Then it is that we acquire the habit of rising more easily from the creature to the Creator, and of seeing God in all His works, in things^ persons and events. The basis of this practice is " the divine exemplarism, " taught by Plato, perfected by St. Augustine and St. Thomas, elu- cidated by the school of St. Victor, and taken up -by the French school of the Seventeenth Century. * All beings have existed in the divine thought before their creation. God has begotten them in His mind before bringing them forth and He has willed that they reflect, in various degrees, His divine perfections. If, therefore, we regard created things, not only with the eyes of the body, but with the eyes of the soul, by the light of faith, we shall see there three things : a) All creatures, according to their degree of perfection, are an image, a likeness of God ; all proclaim God for their Maker and bid us join in praise of Him, since their own being, all their beauty and goodness, is but a created and finite participation in the divine essence. b) Intelligent creatures in particular, raised as they are to the supernatural order, are images, living likenesses of God, sharing, though in a finite way, in His intellectual life. Since all" the baptized are Christ's members, it is Christ that we must see in them : Christ in all. e) All events, propitious or adverse, are designed in the mind of God to perfect the supernatural life wherewith He has endowed us, and to facilitate the recruitment of the elect ; so much so, that we can profit by everything unto sanctification. We must add, however, that in the order of time, souls go first to Jesus Christ. It is through Him that they go to the Father, and once they have reached God, they never cease to hold themselves in the closest bonds of union with Jesus. \ CONCLUSION : THE EXERCISE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD a - • • 446* The affective knowledge of God leads us to the holy exercise of the presence of God. We shall now note 1 See especially La Journle Chretienm of FATHER OLIER where this doctrine is wonderfully applied. 2 S. THOM., I, q. 8, a. 3; LESSIUS, Deperfectionibus moribusque divinis, lib. II, RODRIGUEZ, Practice of Christian Perfection, Part I, Treatise VI; P. PINY, O. P., Uz Presence de Dieu; P. PLUS, S. J., God in us, Living -with God, In Christ Jesus, S. FRANCIS DE SALES, Inirod. to a Devout Life, P. II, c. II, XII, XIII; VAUBERT, 220 CHAPTER V. briefly the 'foundation, the practice, and the advantages of this exercise. A) Its foundation is the doctrine of . God's omnipresence. God is everywhere, not only by His all-contemplating vision and His all-pervading action, but likewise, by His substance. As. St. Paul told the Athenians : "In Him we live, and move, and are."1 This is true from both the natural and the supernatural point of view. As Creator, after 'having given us our being and our life, He preserves us and quick- ens our faculties by His concurrence. As Father, He begets us unto the supernatural life, which is a participation in His own, He co-operates with us as principal cause in its 'preservation and its growth, and He is thus intimately present in us, within the very center of our soul, yet without ceasing to be distinct from us. As we have said above (n. 92), it is the Triune God that lives in us : the Father, Who loves us as His children, the Son Who deals with us as His brethren, and the Holy Ghost Who gives us both His gifts and Himself. B) The Practice of This Exercise. To find God, then, we need not seek Him in the heavens, a) We find Him close by in the creatures round about us. It is there that we look for Him at the outset. One and all suggest to us some divine perfection, but it is especially so of those creatures which, endowed with intellect, are the dwelling- places of the Living God (n. 92). These constitute for us the steps, as it were, of a ladder by which we ascend to Him. b) We know, moreover, that God is near those that confidently invoke Him : "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, " 2 and our soul delights to call to Him now by ejaculatory prayers, now by long supplications, e) Above all we recall the fact that the Three Divine Persons dwell within us 3 and that our heart is a living tabernacle, a Heaven, wherein They give Themselves to us even now. It is enough, then, simply to recollect ourselves, to enter within the inner Sanctuary of our soul, as St. Catherine of Sienna calls it, and contemplate with the eyes of faith the Divine Guest Who deigns to abide there. Then shall we live under His gaze, under His influence ; then shall we adore Him and co-operate with Him in the sanctification of our souls. How to Walk lief ore God; Spiritual Combat, c. 21-23; MATURIN, Principles of the. Spiritual Life, p. 116-138; HAMON, Medit., Vol. V, p. 95-125; CuRSUS ASCETI- cus, Vol. II, p. 308-317; HEDLEY, Retreat for Priests, II. ' Acts, XVII, 28. — * Ps. CXLIV, 18. — 3 See C. I, a. I. GENERAL MEANS OK PERFECTION. 221 447. C) It is easy to see the advantages of this exercise for our sanctification. a) It makes us carefully avoid sin. Who shall dare offend the majesty of God while realizing that God actually dwells within him, with His infinite holiness that cannot endure the least blemish, with His infinite justice obliging Him to punish the slightest fault, with His power to punish the, guilty, above all with His goodness, forever seeking our love and our fidelity! - to) It stimulates our zeal for perfection. If a soldier fighting under the eyes of his commander is inspired to multiply his feats of valor, should we not be ready to .undergo the most strenuous labors, to make the greatest efforts when conscious that not only does the eye of God watch us in our struggle, but that His victorious arm ever sustains us? 'Could we lag, when encouraged .by the immortal Crown He holds out to us, and above all, by the greater love He bestows on us as a reward? e) What great trust does not this thought inspire in us! Whatever may be our trials, our temptations, our weariness and our weakness, are we not assured of final victory, when we recall that He, Who is All-powerful, Whom nothing can resist, dwells within us and invests us with His power? . Doubtless, we may sustain partial reverses and experience excruciating anguish, yet we are certain that, supported by Him, we shall conquer, and that- even our crosses will but make us grow in God's love and multiply our merits. d) Lastly, what a joy for us is the thought that He Who is the Joy of the Elect, and Whom we shall see one day face to face, is even now our portion, Whose presence and conversation we may enjoy all day long! The knowledge and the habitual thought of God are, therefore, most sanctifying. The same is true of the know- ledge of self. II. Self-knowledge I The knowledge of God leads us directly to. love Him, since He is infinitely lovable. The knowledge of self helps us indirectly to love God by disclosing to us the absolute need we have of Him, in order to perfect the qualities with 1 MATURIN, Self-knowledge and Self-discipline; RODRIGUEZ, Christian Per- fection, P. I, tr. VII; S. FRANCIS BE SALES, Introd. to a Devout Life, P. II, X, XI, P. V, III-VII; MEYER, Science of the Saints, Vol. I, Lessons 1, XIII-XVI; I ABER, Spiritual Conferences, Self-deceit; CLARE, The Science of the Spiritual •~ift; SCARAMELLI-STOCKMAN, Manual of Christian Perfection, P. I, a- X. 222 CHAPTER V. which He has endowed us and to heal our deep miseries. We shall explain : i° the necessity of self -knowledge, -2° its 3° ^e means of obtaining it. • '" i° THE .NECEssiTy OF, SELF-KNOWLEDGE .'-;•'• •.' A few words will convince us of this. ' ..•.'• : ; 448. A) If we lack self-knowledge, it is morally impos- sible to perfect ourselves. The reason is thai we then entertain illusions concerning our state, and, according to ; our character or our changing moods, we fall either into a presumptuous optimism that makes us believe we are already perfect, or into discouragement that/causes us to exaggerate our faults. In either case, the result is almost identical — inaction, lack of sustained: effort, care- lessness. Besides, how- can we correct faults with which we are not acquainted or of which we have at best but an imperfect knowledge? How undertake^ the cultivation of virtues, of qualities of which we have but a vague and con- fuse;! notion? • :449.' B) An honest and accurate knowledge of ourselves on : the contrary, is an incentive to perfection. The good qualities .we discover move 'us to thank God and to show our' gratitude by generous co-operation with His grace. Our defects and the realization of our helplessness show us how much we have ; yet to accomplish, and how important it is to lo'se no opportunity • of advancing. Then we profit by all occasions to1 uproot or, at least, to weaken, mortify, overcome our vices and to foster and further the growth of our> good .qualities. • Conscious of our weakness, we humbly beg of God the grace of advancing each day ; and, upheld by trust in Him, we cling to the desire and the promise of success.: This is what ;excites and steadies our efforts. '2° THE OBJECT OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE 450. General Remarks. That this knowledge be more profitable, it should extend to. all that is ours, qualities and defects,.; natural and", supernatural endowments, likes . and dislikes,' piir personal history,, our faults, our efforts, .our progress; all. this, to ; be . stuflied, not. in. a pessimistic frame of mind, but with due impartiality, with a right conscience enlightened by faitn. :'a') .We^shoulo! then candidly, without any sort of false hu'mility^ . ascertain \ what. • are ..the . good qualities that Almighty God -has x dealt ottt 'to us, not, indeed, to "glory GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 223 therein, but .to thank the Giver and to cultivate His gifts. These are the talents He has entrusted to us and of which He will ask an account. The field to be explored, then, is vast indeed, comprising as it does all our natural anid supernatural gifts : those things which we hold directly from God, and those we have received from our parents; those we owe to our Christian education and those that are the results of our own efforts sustained by grace. 451. b) We must, at the same time, face with courage the sight of our miseries and our faults. Drawn forth from nothing, thither forever we tend. We can neither .subsist nor act, except by the ever-present concurrence of God. Drawn to evil by a threefold concupiscence (N. 193 and foil.), we have added new strength to our evil tendencies by our actual sins, and by the evil habits resulting from them. We must humbly acknowledge this fact and, without losing heart, set to work with the help of divine grace to heal these wounds by the practice of Christian virtue and thus approach the perfection of Our Heavenly Father. 452. Practical Applications. To guide ourselves in this study we may examine successively our natural and supernatural endowments, following a sort of questionnaire that will facilitate our task. A) Our Natural Gifts. Regarding the natural gifts, we may ask ourselves, before God, what are our outstanding tendencies. In this we 'may adopt the following practical, if not strictly philosophical order. I 453. a) As regards the sensitive appetites. Is feeling predo- minant with us, or is it reason and will? There is within all of us this mixture of the higher and the lower, but not in the same proportion. Is our love a matter of sentiment rather than of devotedness and will? Do we control our exterior senses, or are we under their sway? What power do we hold over our imagination and our memory? Are not these faculties excessively flighty ,and often engaged in empty day- dreaming? Are our passions properly directed and controlled?. Is sensuality our ruling passion, or is it pride or vanity? Are we apathetic, soft, listless, sluggish? If we are slow by nature, do we, at least, per- severe in our efforts? 454. b) As regards the mind. What sort of mind do we possess f Is it quick and clear but superficial, or slow but deep? Do we belong to the intellectual, reflective type, or do we belong to the class of practical men, who study in order to love and to' act? How do we set about the work of cultivating our mind? Do we do so with earnestness 1 In an Appendix will be found a brief study on character that will aid us in this study of self. Cf. DOSDA. L'Union avec Dieu, t. I, lie p., ch. XXI. 224 .< CHAPTER V. or with unconcern; steadily, or by fits and starts? ;What results dov we obtain? What are our methods of study? Could. we improve upon them? Are our judgments biased by our feelings? Are we obstinate in our opinions? Can we listen with an open mind to those who hold views different from ours? ' • „' i 455. e) As regards the will. Is our will weak and inconstant, or is it strong and persevering ? What do we do to train it? The will should reign supreme over the other faculties, but it cannot do so unless we use great tact and make great efforts. What do we do to assure the control of the will over our exterior, and interior senses, over the activities of our mind? What do we do to strengthen, to steady the will? Have we strong convictions? Do we renew these frequently? Do we strengthen our will power by fidelity in little things, and by the small sacrifices of daily life? 456. d) As regards character. Our character is of capital importance in what concerns our relations with the neighbor. k.good disposition, the gift of getting along with others, is a powerful asset to zeal, and a bad disposition one of the greatest obstacles. ,A man of character is one who, having the courage of his convictions, strives resolutely and perseveringly to live up to them. A good character is that harmonious combination of kindness and firmness, of meekness and strength, of frankness and tact that elicits the esteem and the love of those with whom it comes in contact. A bad character is one which is lacking in frankness, in kindness, in tact or in firmness, or which, by allowing egoism to hold sway, is rude in its manner and makes itself repulsive, at times hateful to others. Here then, we have an important element for study. : 457. e) As regards habits. Habits result from a repetition of the same acts, and they make the repetition of these acts easy and pleasant. It is important to study such habits as we have already acquired, in order to strengthen them, if they are good, to uproot them, if they are bad. What we shall say in the second part of this", treatise about the capital sins and the virtues, will be of help to us in this inquiry. 458. B) Our supernatural gifts. Penetrated as our faculties are by the 'supernatural,' we would not gain a com7 plete knowledge of ourselves if we did not take account of the supernatural gifts God has imparted to us. These we have described above (n. 119 and foil.). God's grace however takes sundry forms in its way of working, I and it is important that we study its special action upon our. soul. a) We must examine the attraction a grace makes us feel for such orsuch a virtue. Our sanctification, in fact, depends on the docility wherewith we follow these motions of grace. • i) There are decisive moments in life when God speaks in clearer and more urgent tones. : To hearken to His Voice and follow His inspirations is of the utmost importance. ' 1 / Peter, IV, 10. — 2 By this must be understood an inclination, which comes from reason enlightened by faith and not from the senses, whose, role is only secondary. • ' r ,- ;> v <' ^ \^< -*\- < \\' , ,i i-*,.1' *f?< ~\ j1 " ' - GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 225 2) We should ask ourselves whether there.be among the attractions we feel/one that is predominant, stronger than the others, oft-recurring, drawing us toward a particular kind of life, toward a certain kind of prayer, toward some deter- mined virtue. We shall thus find the special way wherein God wishes us to walk. It is important that we enter it, for ' it is there that we shall receive the f ulnes$ of grace. . 459. b)> Besides discovering our attractions, we must also take cognizance of the resistance we offer to grace, of our failings, of our sins, in order to regret them with all sincerity, make amends and avoid them in the future. This is a painful, humiliating study, especially if carried out honestly and minutely, but it is a most profitable one ; for, on the one hand, it is a great aid in the practice of humility, and on the other, it throws us with perfect trust on the merciful love of God, Who alone has the power to heal our weak- nesses. , ' "3° THE MEANS OF OBTAINING SELF-KNOWLEDGE 460. Self-knowledge is difficult to attain, a) Attracted as we are by outward things, we hardly care to enter into ourselves to scrutinize that unseen miniature world ; we care even less, proud as we are, about discovering our faults. b) Our interior acts are extremely complex. There is within us, as St. Paul says, the lower life of the flesh and the higher life of the spirit and often turbulent conflict ensues' between them. In order to sift what proceeds from nature, what from grace, what is wilful, and what is not, a great deal of attention is required, a great deal of insight, of honesty, of courage, of perseverance. The light comes but gradually — a bit of knowledge leads to more, and this prepares the way for deeper insight. 461. Since it is through examinations of conscience that we come to know ourselves; we shall give, in order to facilitate this exercise, some general rules, offer a method, and suggest the dispositions with which these examinations should be made. 462. A) General Rules, a) In order to perform this examination well, we must first of all invoke the light of the Holy Ghost, Who " searcheth the reins and the hearts " of men, and beg Him to show us the inmost recesses of our soul by bestowing upon us the gift of knowledge, one of whose functions is to help us know ourselves and thus to lead us to God. 226 CHAPTER V. b) Next, we must bring before us the perfect .Exemplar, Jesus, Whom we must resemble more and more every day, •and we must adore and admire not only His exterior acts, but above all, His interior dispositions. By the light which the contrast between ourselves and our Divine Model will give, our faults and imperfections will be the more clearly discerned. .Nor shall we be disheartened at the sight, for Jesus is also the Healer of souls. Whose one anxiety is to dress our wounds and heal them. To make our confession to Him, so to speak, and humbly ask His forgiveness is an excellent practice. 463. e) Then comes the moment to enter into our inmost soul. From outward actions we pass on to the hidden causes from which they spring, our interior disposi- tions. Thus, if we have failed in charity, we shall ask ourselves whether it was through thoughtlessness, .envy, jealousy, talkativeness, or from a desire to be witty. Then to estimate the morality of the act, and to determine our responsibility, l we must ask ourselves whether it was actually wilful, or wilful in cause; performed with full cons- ciousness of its malice, or with only a half-advertence ; with full consent of the will, or with a half -consent. At the outset, all this is rather obscure, but it gradually becomes clear. To be even more impartial in our judgments, it is good to place ourselves in the presence of the Sovereign Judge, and to hear Him say to us, kindly, indeed, but with supreme authority : "Render an acount of thy stewardship. " Then we shall endeavor to answer as frankly as on the last day we shall wish to have done. 464. At times, it is useful, especially for beginners, to make this examination in writing, so as to concentrate attention better and to be able to compare the results obtained each day and each week. Should anyone do so, however, care must be taken to avoid anything that savors of self -seeking, any studied elegance of style, and the danger of having such memoranda fall under the eyes of others. If we use a record with conventional signs, we must be on our guard against routine or shallowness. At all events, a time generally arrives when the better course is to discard such means and candidly examine ourselves under the eye of God immediately after the performance of the principal actions of the day, and make a general review of these in the evening. 465. In this, as in all else, we shall follow the counsel of a wise spiritual director, and ask him to help us to come to a better knowledge of ourselves. Experienced and impartial observer, he generally sees better than we do 1 Scrupulous souls in particular should follow the rules laid down for them by their director of conscience. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION'. 227 ourselves the depths of our conscience, and thus is more competent to judge the true character of our acts. 466. B) Methods for the examination of conscience. Every one acknowledges that these have been greatly per- • fected by St. Ignatius. In his Spiritual Exercises, he care- fully differentiates between the general and the particular examination. The former bears upon all the actions of the day, the latter upon one special point, a fault to be corrected, a virtue to be cultivated. Both may, however, be made together. In this case, one will limit the general examination to a summary glance over the day's actions in order to discover the chief faults, passing directly on to the particular examination which is far more important. 467. a) The general examination, which every good Christian should make in order to know and to improve himself, comprises five points, says St. Ignatius ; * i) "The first point is to return thanks to God Our Lord for the benefits received. " This is an excellent exercise, at once consoling and sanctifying, for it brings into relief our ingratitude, thus preparing the way for contrition, and at the same time it sustains our confidence in God. 2 2} "The second is to ask grace to know the sins and cast them out. " If we want to know ourselves it is in order to reform ourselves, but we accomplish neither without the helping grace of God. 3) " The third, to demand of the soul an account from the hour of rising to the present examen, taking hour by hour or period by period ; and first of thought, then of word, and afterwards of deed, in the same order that has been men- tioned for the Particular Examen. " 4) " The fourth is to ask pardon of God Our Lord for the faults. " In fact, we must not lose sight of this, that sorrow is the principal element of the examination and that this • sorrow is mainly the work of grace. 5) " The fifth is to purpose amendment with His grace. " This .resolution, to be practical, should bear upon the means of reform. He who wills the end, wills also the means. 1 Spiritual Exercises, 1st week. The words within the quotation marks belong to St. Ignatius' own text ; translation is by Father RICKABY, S. J. , The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 2 Here the method of S. Sulpice adds the adoration, that is to say all those acts by which we adore, praise, bless, love and express our gratitude to God ; we place ourselves then in the presence of Jesus Christ, our model and our Judge, as has been explained above, n. 462. . • • 228 CHAPTER V. The recitation of the Our Father is a fitting conclusion ^for this examination, bringing before our eyes the glory of Gbd which we must seek, and uniting us to Jesus Christ in our supplication for the pardon of our sins and for the grace of avoiding them in the future. 488. b) The particular examination, r in the judgment of St. Ignatius, is of greater moment than the general one, and of even more importance than meditation itself, because it enables us to run down, one by one, our defects and thus overcome them the more easily. Besides, if we examine ourselves thoroughly on some important virtue, we not only acquire that virtue, but all the others related thereto. Thus, whilst we advance in the practice of obedience, we perform at the same time acts of humility, of mortification, and we exercise ourselves in the spirit of faith. Likewise, to acquire the virtue of humility means that we are perfecting ourselves in the practice of obedience, of the love of God, of charity, since pride is the chief obstacle to the exercise of these virtues. There are, however, rules for the choice of the subject of examination, and for the manner of performing it 469. The choice of a subject, i) In general we must attack .our predominant fault by . striving to practice the contrary virtue. This fault is, as a matter of fact, the great stumbling block, the great leader of the opposing forces. If it is conquered, the entire host is routed. 2} Once the subject is determined upon, we must attack .first the outward manifestations of the particular fault so as to do away with whatever offends or scandalizes the neighbor. Thus, if charity be the subject chosen, we must begin by suppressing words and actions contrary to this virtue. 3) Then, we must without great delay pass to the subject of the hidden cause of our faults. This may be, for instance, feelings of envy, a desire to be brilliant in our conver- sation, etc... 4) It is important not to limit our efforts to this negative side, that is, to the struggle against faults, but we must carefully cultivate the opposite virtue. Here, to suppress means to replace. 5) Lastly, in order to make more certain of our progress, we should carefully divide the subject of our examinations 1 MEYER, Science of the Saints, Vol. I, Lesson XIV. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 229 in accordance with the different degress of a virtue, so as not to cover the whole field, but merely those acts that more exactly correspond to our individual needs. Thus, as regards humility, one should practice, first, what may be called self-effacement or forgetfulness of self ; speaking, but little, giving others the opportunity to speak by means of discreet questions, loving to be unnoticed, to lead a hidden life, etc... 470. The manner of performing the particular Examen. J St. Ignatius tells us that this particular examen involves three periods of the day and two examinations of conscience. The first time is in the morning. As soon as the man rises, he ought to purpose to be carefully on his guard agains' that particular sin, or defect, of which he wishes to correct and amend himself. The second, after dinner, the man ought to beg of God what he wants, to wit, the grace to remember how often he has fallen into that, particufar sin or defect, and to amend himself in Mure ; and thereupon let him make the first examen, taking account of his soul of that parti- cular thing proposed, whereof he wishes to correct and amend himself, ranging through the time hour by hour, or period by period, beginning, from the hour that he rose even to the hour and moment of the present examen; and let him score on the top line of the figure as many dots as are the times that he has fallen into that particular sin or defect ; and afterwards let him purpose anew to amend himself until the. next examen that he shall make.* . The third time, after supper, the second examen shall be made also from hour to hour, beginning from the first examen until the present second examen ; and let him score on the second line of the same figure as many dots as shall answer to the times that he has fallen into that particular sin or defect. 471. HERE FOLLOW FOUR ADDITIONS FOR THE SPEEDIER REMOVAL OF THAT SIN OR DEFECT. The first Addition is that, as often as the man falls into that sin or particular defect, he puts his hand to his breast, grieving that he has fallen, — which may be done even in presence of company without their noticing what he is doing. The second, since the first line of the figure, represents the first examen, and the second the second examen, let him observe at night whether there is any improvement from the first line to the second, that is, from the first" examen to the second. The third ; to compare the second day with the first, that is, the two examens of the second day with the other two of the day pre- , yious, and see whether from the one day to the other there has been improvement. . 1 From the translation of the Spiritual Exercices of §. Ignatius, by Father Joseph Kickaby.'S. J. 230 CHAPTER V. The fourth Addition ; to compare one week with another, and see whether there has been improvement in the present week upon the former. We must observe that the first great which follows signifies Sunday; the second smaller signifies Monday; the third Tuesday, and so of the rest. I f 472. This method may, at first sight, appear somewhat complex ; in actual practice, it proves less so. Should one be unable to devote to it such a notable space of time as indicated above, one can- condense the essential features of these acts within a shorter period, for instance, ten minutes at night. If one foresees that it cannot be performed in the evening, a part of the time given to visiting the Blessed Sacrament may be set apart for it. 473. C) The Dispositions that should attend this examination. That the examination of conscience, general or particular, may be effective in uniting us more closely to God, it must be accompanied by sentiments or dispositions GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 231 that are, so to speak, its soul. We shall note the principal ones : gratitude, sorrow ', purpose of amendment, and prayer, a) First in order is a lively sense of gratitude toward God, Who all through the day has encompassed us about with His paternal Providence, protected us against temptation, and guarded us from innumerable sins. Without the aid of His grace, we should have fallen into many a fault. We should overflow with gratitude, thanking Him in a practical way — by putting His divine gifts to better use. 474. b) Such a sentiment will beget a sincere sorrow, all the more profound, as we have abused so many benefits received, offending so good and so merciful a Father. Out of this sorrow a sincere humility is born. Realizing from our own experience our frailty, our helplessness, our un- worthiness, we accept with joy the confusion we feel at the sight of our repeated failures ; we are happy to exalt the boundless, mercies of a Father ever ready to forgive ; and we rejoice that our misery serves to proclaim the infinite perfection of our God. These dispositions are not a passing mood ; rather they abide with us through the spirit of penance, calling often to mind the thought of our faults : " My sin is ever before me! " i 475. e) The firm determination to atone for sin and to reform our lives will follow : to atone by acts of penance, which we take care to impose upon ourselves in order to deaden in us the love of pleasure, the source of bur sins; to reform our lives by determining the means we shall employ, in order to lessen the number of our faults. Such determination must carefully exclude presumption, which by having us rely too much on our own will and our own . strength, would deprive us of manifold graces and expose us to additional imprudences and further falls. On the other hand, our determination must rest confidently upon the omnipotence and the infinite 'goodness of God, ever willing to come to our aid when we acknowledge our weakness. 476. d)"It is to implore this divine help that we con- clude the examination with a prayer, all the more humble, all the more earnest, now that the sight of our sins has made us more distrustful of self. Realizing that of ourselves we are incapable of avoiding sin and still more incapable of rising up to God by the practice of virtue, we rely on '/VL,S. 232 CHAPTER V. the infinite merits of -Jesus Christ, and cry out to God from the depths of our wretchedness, to come unto us, to lift us from the mire of our sins, and to raise us up to Himself. It is through these dispositions rather than by a minute scrutiny of our faults that our souls are gradually trans- formed under the influence of grace. CONCLUSION 477, In this way, then, the knowledge of God and of self cannot but promote the intimate and affectionate union between the soul and God. He is infinite perfection, and we are absolute poverty. Hence, there is between the two a certain contact. — He has all that we need, and we need what He has. He stoops down to us to surround us with His love and His favors, whilst we tend toward Him as toward the One Being Who alone can supply for our deficiencies, the One Who alone can make up for our weakness. Our thirst for happiness and for love is quenched only in Him, Who with His love satiates our heart and all its longings, giving us at once both perfection and bliss. Let us repeat these well-known words : " May I know Thee, 0 Lord, that I may love Thee; may I know myself, that 1 may despise myself. " § HI. Conformity to the Divine Will1 478. The knowledge of God not only unites our mind to that of God, but it also leads to love, because all in God is lovable. By showing us the need we have of God, the knowledge of self makes us ardently long for Him and throws us into His arms. Conformity to the divine will, however, unites us even more intimately and directly to Him Who is. the source of all perfection. In fact, it subor- dinates and unites our will to God, thus placing our ruling faculty at the service of the Sovereign Master. It may be said that our degree of perfection corresponds to the extent to which we conform to the will of God. In order that this be better understood we shall explain : i° the nature of this conformity, 2° its sanctifying power. 1 P. DE CAUSSADE, Abandonment to Divine Providence, Part. I, 1. I ; LE GAU- DIER op. tit,, p. Ill, sect. II;St.FR. DE SALES, The Love of God, Bks. VIII-IX; DESURMONT, (Euvres, t. II, sur La Providence; MGR. GAY, Christian Life and Virtues, XI, XIV; DOM V. LEHODEY, Le Saint Abandon, Ire Partie; TISSOT, The Interior Life, Part. II ; DREXELIUS, The Heliotropium or Conformity of the Human will to the Divine. , GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 233 I. Nature of Conformity to the Will of God , . • 479. By conformity to the divine will we understand the absolute and loving submission of our will to that of God, whether it be His " signified will" or His will of " good pleasure." As a matter of fact, God's will manifests itself to us under a twofold aspect : a) as the moral norm of our actions, clearly intimating what we must do in virtue of His commandments or His counsels; b) as the ruling prin- ciple that governs all things with wisdom, directing the course of events so as to make them work together unto His glory and the salvation of men, and made known to us by the providential events that take place in or about us. The first is called the signified will of God, since it pro- claims in clear terms what we must do. The second is called the good pleasure of God in the sense that God's will is he^e manifested by providential events to which we must submit. In practice, then, conformity to God's will means doing God's w/z7/and submitting to God's will. We shall explain : i° what is the signified will of God ; 2° what is His will of .good pleasure; 3° what degree of submission this latter includes. 1° THE SIGNIFIED WILL OF GOD OR OBEDIENCE TO GOD'S WILL 480. Conformity to God's signified will consists in willing all that God manifests to us of His intentions. Now, says St. Francis de Sales :" Christian doctrine clearly proposes unto us the truths which God wills that we should believe, the goods He will have us hope for, the pains He . will have us dread, what He, will have us love, the com- mandments He will have us observe and the counsels He desires us to follow. And this is called God's signified will, because He has signified and made manifest unto us that it is His will and intention that all this should be believed, hoped for, feared, loved and practiced. " x This will of God, then, according to the holy Doctor 2 includes four things : the commandments of God and of the Church, the counsels, the inspirations of grace, and, for Religious, the Constitutions and the Rules. 481. a) God, being our Sovereign Lord, has the right •to give us commands. Since He is infinitely wise and 1 Treatise of the Love of God, Bk. VIII, c. 3, (Mackey's translation page 329). 8 Spiritual Conf.t XV. 234 . CHAPTER V. infinitely good, He commands nothing that is not conducive at once to His glory and our own happiness. We must, then, willingly and unquestioningly submit ourselves to His laws : the natural law, the positive divine law, ecclesiastical law, or a just civil law; for as St. Paul says, all lawful authority comes from God, and to obey Superiors within the limits of their authority is to obey God Himself, just as to resist them would be to offer resistance to Him : " Let every soul be subject to higher powers. For there is no power but from God : and those that are, are ordained of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God. And they that resist purchase to them- selves damnation. " J We do not inquire here in what cases disobedience to the various lav/s constitutes a grave or a light sin; this we have done in our treatise on Moral Theology, Suffice it to say that from the point of view of perfection, the more faithful and Christlike is our obser- vance of law, the closer is our approach unto God, since law is the expression of His will. We may add that duties of state come within the category of commandments. They are,, as it were, particular precepts incumbent upon us , by reason of ; our special vocation and the special offices God has confided to us. Sanctification, then, is impossible without the observance of the commandments and the fulfilment of the duties of. our state. To neglect them under the pretext of performing works of supererogation is a dangerous illusion, a veritable aberration, for it is evident that commands take precedence over counsels. 482. b) The observance of the counsels is of itself not necessary for salvation, nor does it fall under a direct and explicit command. But, as we have already said in speak- ing of the obligation of striving after perfection (n. 353), in order to remain in the state of grace, we must at times perform certain good works over and above the strict requirements of the law, that is to say, exercise ourselves in the practice of the counsels. This constitutes an indirect obligation based upon the principle that he who wills the end, wills also the means. When it is question of perfection, however, we proved in n. 338, that one cannot sincerely and effectively seek it without observing some counsels, such as are in. accord with our condition in life. Thus, a married person ^ Rom., XIII, 1-2. GENERAL MEANS : OF PERFECTION. 235 may not carry out in, practice those counsels which would go counter to the discharge of marital or parental duties. A priest in the ministry may not lead the life of a Cartmi- sian. However, when we aim at perfection, we must be . resolved to do more than that to which we are strictly bound. The more generous we are in giving ourselves over to the practice of the counsels compatible with the duties of our state, the closer we draw unto Our Lord, for such counsels are the expression of His designs upon us. '483. e) The same must be said of the inspirations of. grace, when they are clear and are submitted to the control of our spiritual director. One may say that these are so many particular counsels addressed to individual souls. No doubt, care must be taken to refer them in the main to the judgment of our spiritual director lest we should become an easy prey to illusion. Ardent, passionate soiils , readily persuade themselves that they hear the voice of God, when in truth it is the voice of their own passions suggesting such or such a dangerous practice. Punctilious or scrupulous souls would mistake for divine inspirations what is :but 'the product of a feverish imagination, or even a diabolical suggestion, calculated when we heed them islander, calumny, injuries hurt us., only as long as we brood over them. ..,,•' '..-:,, As to; the future, it is irrational .to let it prey upon the mind. True, it is the part of wisdom to : foresee it and provide for it, in the measure that we are able, but to brood in advance over the ills that may befall us, to be saddened by them, is a loss of- time and sheer waste of energy, /Such ills may never come to pass; if they do come, then will be the time to bear them with the help of grace which will be given us for that purpose. Just now, we have not such grace and, left to our own forces, we shall surely succumb under the weight of a self-imposed burden. Is it not wiser to abandon ourselves into the arms of Our Heavenly Father, and to drive out relentlessly any wicked thought or evil fancy that would force upon our minds the ills of the .future and of the past? ".-...'•. 490. 2) The positive remedy consists in reflecting, when we surfer, upon the great advantages of suffering. Pain is a teacher and a source of merit. As a teacher, it is a source * Mattfi,, VI, 34. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 239 of light, a source of power : of light, for it reminds us that we are exiles on the way home and that we cannot entertain ourselves gathering the flowers of consolation, since our true bliss is in Heaven ; of power ; for while pleasure-seeking dulls activity, undermines courage, and leads to disgraceful surrenders, suffering, not indeed in itself, but by reason of the reaction it produces, tends to reinforce our energies, and develops in us manly virtues. 4'91. Suffering is also a source of merit for us and for others. Patiently borne' for God's sake and in union with Jesus Christ, it merits for us an eternal recompense, a fact which St. Paul forever kept before the eyes of the early Christians : " For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us... ^...that which is momentary and light of our tribulation workethfor us an eternal weight of glory. " 2 For the benefit of generous souls he adds that in suffering with Jesus, they fulfil what is wanting to His passion and contribute .with Him to the welfare of the Church : " I fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my. flesh, for His body, which is the Church. " 3 This is a consequence of the doctrine of our incorporation into Christ (n. 142 and foil.). These thoughts, indeed, do not deliver us from pain, but they do lessen in no small measure its bitterness, by making us realize its fruitfulness. Everything, then, invites us to conform our will to that of God, even in the midst of trials. 3° DEGREES OF CONFORMITY, OF SUBMISSION ! TO GOD'S WILL 492. St. Bernard distinguishes three degrees of this virtue, corresponding to the three stages of Christian per- fection : " The beginner, moved by fear, patiently bears the Cross of Christ; the one who has already made some progress on the road to perfection, inspired by hope, carries it cheerfully ; the perfect soul, consumed by love, embraces it ardently. "4 : A) Beginners, upheld by the fear of God, do not indeed love pain, but rather seek to escape it. However, they choose to suffer rather than to offend God and, though groaning under the weight of the Cross, they endure it in patience, they are resigned. 1 Rom., VIII, 18. — 2 // Cor., IV, 17. — 3 Coloss., I, 24. 4 1 Serm. S. Andrese, 5. 240 CHAPTER V. B) Those who. have already made some progress ;, are sustained by the hope and the desire of heavenly things; and, though they do not yet seek the Cross, they willingly carry it with a certain joy, knowing that eaqh new pang represents an additional degree of glory : " Going, they went and wept) casting their seeds. But coming^ they shall come, with joyfulness carrying their sheaves " i V, C) The perfect^ led by love, go further. To 'glorify the God they love, to become more like our Lord, they go forth to meet the Cross, they long for it and embrace it lovingly, not because it is in itself lovable, but because it offers them the means of proving their love for God and. for Christ Like the Apostles, they rejoice that they are counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus. Like St. Paul/ they rejoice in their tribulations. 2 This last degree is called holy abandonment^ to which we shall return later when we speak of the love of God. 3 l\. The Sanctifying. Power of Conformity • to the Will of God 493. From what has already been said, we reach the evident conclusion that conformity to God's will cannot but sanctify us, since it makes our will one with God 's and, by that very fact, unites all our other faculties to Him, Who is the source of all sanctity. The better to realize this, let us see how it purifies us, reforms us, and make us like unto Jesus Christ. 494. i° This conformity to the divine Will purifies us. Already in the Old Dispensation God often said that He is ready to forgive all sins and to restore the soul to the stainless splendor of its pristine purity/if it but undergo a change of heart or will : " Wash yourselves : be clean. Take away the evil of your devices from 'my eyes. Cease to do perversely. Learn to do well. . . // your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made white as snow. " 4 • Now, to conform our wills to that of God, is assuredly to cease to do evil, and to learn to do good. Is not this the meaning of that oftrepeated text : "For obedience is better than sacrifices. " 5 In the New Law, Our Lord declares from the very moment of His entry into the world that it is with obedience that 1 Ps. CXXV, 6-7. 2 Following of Christ, Bk. Ill, c. 17, Bk. II, c. XI-XII. 3 S. FR. DE SALES, The Love of God, Bk. IX, c. 15. 4 Isaias, I, 16-18. 5 1 Kings, XV, 22; sfr. Osee, VI, 6;~Matth., IX, 13; XII, 7. GENERAL MEANS OF, PERFECTION: 241 •— "• » , T ^ pie will replace all the sacrifices of the Ancient Law : "Holocausts for sin did not please thee. Then said I : Behold, I come... that .1 should do thy will, O God. " J And, -in truth, it -is' by obedience unto the immolation of self that He has redeemed us : " He was made obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. " 2 In the same way, it is through obedience and through the acceptance of God-ordained trials in .union with Christ that we shall atone for our sins and-cleanse our soul- • 495, 2° This conformity works out our reformation. What has deformed us is the disordered love of pleasure, to which through malice or through weakness we have yielded. Conformity to the divine will cures this malice and weakness. •• ... • a) It cures our malice. This malice is the result of bur attachment to creatures and, especially, of our attachment to our Qwn judgment and our own will. Now, by conform- ing our will, to that of God, we accept His judgments as the standard of ours, His commandments and His -coun- sels as the^ rule of our will. Thus we wean ourselves from creatures and from self and rid ourselves from such attachments. ' .• b) It cures our weakness^ the source of so many failings. Instead of relying on our own frail selves, we make through obedience the Omnipotent God pur support : He gives us His own strength enabling us to overcome even the severest temptations : " / can do all things in Him Who strmgtheneth me" 3 When we do His will, He takes His good pleasure in doing our- own by granting our petitions and helping our weakness. . , . , '.,'.'.• Thus freed from our malice and weakness, we no longer sin deliberately against God and we gradually effect the reformation of our lives. 496. 3° Through this conformity, we make our wills one with Christ's, a) The truest, the closest, the most far- reaching union that can exist is that between two wills. Through conformity to tfye divine will, we unite our will to that of Jesus Christ Whose food was to do the will of His Father. 4 Like Jesus and with Jesus we desire but what He wills and that all the day long. This is the fusion of two wills. We.are one with Him, we' adopt His views, His ' fatr., X, 6-7,— * Phil., II, 8. — 3 Phil., IV, 13. Retreat, XXI; Retreat for Priests IX, X; -Me NABB, Faith and Prayer; DE CAUSSADE, On Prayer; Pius XII, Alloc. . ml Parochos, 13 March 1943; References to Works on Mental Prayer will be fciven in the Second Part of this Work. ' 2 De Fide Orthod,, 1. Ill, c. 24, P. G., XCIV, 1090. 8 Serm. IX, n. 3. 1 S. JOHN DAMASCENE, ibidem. y s S. GREG. NYS., Orat. I, de Orat. Domini, P. G., XLIV, 1124. 244 CHAFIER V. 502. The term elevatidn is a metaphor indicating the effort we make to detach ourselves from creatures and from self in order to fix our thoughts on God Who not only surrounds us, but dwells in our inmost soul. As we are only too prone to let our faculties roam over a multitude of subjects, it -requires an effort to snatch them away from these vain and alluring goods and center them- on God. Such elevation is termed a colloquy, -because prayer, whether it takes the form of worship or of petition, calls for an answer on. the part of God and thus implies a sort of con- versation with Him, even if -it be of the briefest duration. Our first act in this conversation, evidently, must be to render. to God religious homage, just as we begin by saluting those persons with whom we hold converse. It is only after having acquitted ourselves of this fundamental duty that we may present Our requests. Many forget it, and this is the reason why their petitions are less favorably answered. Even when we ask for the graces of sanctifjca- tion and salvation, we must not lose sight of our principal purpose, the glory of God: Hence, the last words of our definition "for His glory. " 2° THE VARIOUS FORMS OF PRAYER 503. A) Considering the * twofold end of prayer, , we distinguish the prayer of worship, and the prayer of petition. a) Prayer Of Worship. This includes adoration, due to God as our Sovereign Master; thanksgiving, because God is likewise our Benefactor ; and reparation, because we have offended Him. . . , • i) The first sentiment that imposes itself when we raise our soul to God is that, of adoration, that is to say; an acknowledgment of God's supreme dominion and of our absolute dependence. All creation adores. God after its own manner, but inanimate nature lacks both an intellect to grasp Him, and a heart to love Him. It must be content to display before our gaze its own harmony, its activities, its beauty :" It cannot see — it reveals itself; it cannot adore — it brings us to our knees, loath to -have us ignore thejGrod it cannot apprehend... But man, a breath divine within a body of clay, possessed of reason and intelligence and capable of knowing God, "both through his natural powers and through the agency of creation, is urged by his own self and by all creatures to bow before God in humble adoration. For this reason is man, himself "a microcosm, placed in this world, that contemplating this universe and, GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 245 as it were, gathering it all up in himself, he may refer himself and all things to God alone. So niueh so; that man is made to contemplate the visible things" of this creation, only in order that he may adore the Invisible Being Who , brought them out- of nothing by the omnipotence of His power. " -1 In other words, man is the pontiff of. creation, upon whom it devolves to glorify God in his own name and in that of all creatures. This duty man fulfils by acknowledging " that Gfod is perfection itself and hence incompr'ehensible ; that God is Supreme ; that God is Goodness... '-.We are instinctively drawn to revere what. is perfect,... to depend on that .which issupreme,... to cling to what is gpod."2 504.' Thus it is that mystics delight- to adore in -crea- ture's the power, the majesty, the beauty, the' activity, trie fecundity of God hidden in them : " My God, I adore Thee in all Thy creatures, Thou the real, the sole strength that bears this mighty world. Without Thee, nothing would be; , nothing does subsist outside of Thee. I love Thee, O my God, and praise Thy Majesty shown forth in "all creation. All that I behold, 0 God, but reveals to me the mystery of Thy beauty unknown to mortal eyes... I adore the splendour of Thy glory, the grandeur of Thy majesty that outshines the noon day sun a thousand times. I adore the fecundity of Thy power,' more, wonderful by far than that disclosed by the starry skies. "3 : 505. . 2) Adoration is followed by thanksgiving. God is not merely Our Lord and Master but our great Benefactor, to Whom we owe all that we are, all that we have, whether in the order of nature or of grace. Therefore, He has a right to everlasting gratitude from us who forever receive new favors at His Hand. Hence, the Church daily calls upon us, just before the Canon of the Mass, to thank Almighty God for all His gifts, and chiefly for that which embodies all others, the Holy Eucharist : " Let us give thanks to the Lord Our God, It is truly meet and just, right and salutary to offer thanks..." $ Hence; the Church also places on our lips formulas of thanksgiving : " We give Thee thanks for the greatness -of Thy glory. "5 In so v doing, she but follows the example of Christ, Who often gave thanks to the Father; she but carries out the instruct 1 BOSSUET, Sermon sur le culte de Dieu. — » BOSSUET, 1. cit. 3 OLIER, Journie chrlt., II p. 4 Preface of the Mass. — 5 Gloria in excelsis Deo. ; 246 CHAPTER V. tions of St. Paul, who invites us to give thanks to the Most High for all His blessings :"/;/ all things give thanks^ for this is the will of God...* Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift." * Generous souls need /not be reminded of this duty. They feel themselves • impelled by the thought of the divine favors to give vent again and again to the gratitude that overflows their heart. 506. 3)Jn our present state of fallen nature, a third duty forces itself upon us — that of expiation and of reparation. We have but too often offended God's infinite majesty, using His gifts to offend Him. "This constitutes an injustice requiring as full a reparation as we are able to offer. It consists of three principal acts: the humble acknowledgment of our faults; a sincere sorrow for them; the courageous acceptance of the trials God in His goodness may see fit to send -us. If we desire to act with gene- rosity, we shall add thereto the offering of ourselves as expiatory victims in union with the Victim of Golgotha. Then we may humbly beg and hope for pardon and ask for further graces. ir 507. b) The Prayer of Petition. Asking of God for what we need is itself homage rendered to Him, to His power, to His goodness, to the efficacious operation of His grace; it is an act of confidence that honors Him to Whom it is offered. 3 The reasons for prayer of petition are, on the one side, the love God bears His creatures, His children, and, on the other, the sore need we have of-jHis help. Inexhaustible source of all good, God longs to communi- cate it to souls : goodness tends to communicate itself. Being our Father, God desires nothing so much as to give us His life and increase it in our souls. The better to attain this purpose He sent to earth His Only-Begotten Son, Who came full of grace and truth purposely to fill us with His treasures. Nay more, He invites us to ask for His graces, and promises to grant them : " Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto •you. " 4 We are, therefore, certain of pleasing God by presenting our requests to Him. 508. Besides, we stand in sore need of God's help. Whether in the order of nature or in the order of grace, we are poor, steeped in poverty. Depending of necessity upon ' !• _ 1 / Thess. , V, 18. — e U Cor. , IX, 15. 3 ST. THOMAS, I> II*. q. 83, a. 3. — < Matth,, VII, 7. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 247 God, even in the order of nature, we cannot so much as preserve'the very existence He has given us; we are at the • mercy of physical causes, themselves depending on 'God. In vain we may protest that we possess brain and sinews, and that we are well able with our strength and our energy to draw from the earth, the' things we need for our subsis- tence. That brain, those sinews, are sustained by God; they can work only with His concurrence. The earth flowers not, save when watered by, the rain He sends ; it produces nothing, save when quickened by the warmth of His glowing sun. And how many forces of destruction . can wreck the fruit of man's work and man's care! Our dependence upon God .in the supernatural order is more absolute still. We need light to guide us, and who will give it to us if. not the Father of lights? We need courage and strength to fellow the light ; who will give these except He Who is All-Powerful ? What else then can we . do -but implore the help of Him Whose one desire is to succor us ? 509. Let no one say that. His omniscience is aware of all that is necessary and useful to us. St. Thomas answers that ho doubt, out of pure liberality, God does bestow upon us innumerable benefits unasked, unsought, but that there are some which He will grant only at our request, and this for our own good, namely, that we should place our confidence in Him and come to acknowledge Him as the source -and origin of all our goods. * When we pray, we cherish the hope of being heard and we are less exposed to forget God. As it is, we forget Him all too often ; what would it be, if we should never feel the need of recurring to Him in our distress? It is for very good reasons then that God demands of us prayer in the form of petition. 510. B) From the point of view of form, we can distinguish between mental and vocal, private and public prayer. - a) From the point of view of expression, prayer is mental or vocal, -according as it takes place wholly within the soul, or is given outward expression. • i) Mental prayer is a silent intercourse of the soul with God. " I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the 1 Sum. theol., II* Use, q. 83, a. 2, ad 3. — Cfr. MONSABRfi, La Priere, 1906, P-S4-SS. 248 CHAPTER V, understanding." I - Every interior act of the mind or of, the 'heart that tends to unite us to God, such as recollection, consideration, reasoning, self-examination, the loving thought of God, contemplation, a longing of the heart for God — all these may be called by the name of mental prayer. All these acts, even our examination of conscience, the purpose of which is to make our soul less unworthy of Him Who dwells in it, raise us up to God. All of these deepen our convictions, exercise us in virtue, and constitute our training for that heavenly life that is nothing else but an eternal, loving contemplation of the Godhead. Mental prayer is likewise the very food and the soul of vocal prayer. 2. . 511. 2) Vocal prayer finds expression in word and act, It is frequently mentioned in our Sacred Books, which call upon us to proclaim God's praises by word of mouth, with lip arid tongue : " I have cried to the Lord with my voice.,. 0 Lord, thou wilt open my lips :' and my mouth shall declare thy praise. " 3 But why thus express our sentiments, since God reads them in the depths of our heart? It is in order to honor Him not only with the soul, but also with the body, and, above all, with that word which He has given us to express our thought. This is the teaching of St. Paul, who after showing that Jesus died for us outside the walls of Jerusalem, invites us to come out of ourselves and join our Mediator, in order to offer unto God a sacrifice of praise, the homage of our lips : " By him, therefore., let us offer the sacrifice of. praise always to God, that is to say, the fruit of lips confessing to His name. " 4 Vocal "prayer, moreover, stimulates devotion by the very utterance of the words : " That man may rouse himself by word of mouth to devout prayer. "5 Psychology, indeed, shows that gestures intensify the acts of the heart. Finally, it works unto the edification of our neighbor; for, seeing or hearing others pray devoutly increases our own devotion. . 512. b) Vocal prayer may be private or public, according as it is offered in the name of an individual or of society. We have elsewhere proved that society, as such owes God - social > homage, since it must acknowledge Him as its Sovereign Master and Benefactor. This is why St. Paul ' I Cor., XIV, 15. -....' a In the Second Part of this work we shall return to the subject of mental prayer, indicating which kind is in harmony with each of the three Ways, 3 Ps. Ill, 5 ; L, 17. — 4 Hebr., XIII, 15. 5 ST. THOMAS, In Libr. Sentent., distinct. XV, q. 4, a. 4. GENERAL MEANS OF FERFECTION. 249 urged the early Christians to unite, not only with one heart, but with one voice in- praising God with Jesus Christ : "That with one mind and with one mouth, you may glorify God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. " I pur Lord had already exhorted His disciples to come together in order to pray, promising to come to them and sponsor their requests V' For where there are .two or three gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. " 2.. If this is true of the gathering of one or two, how much truer is it when a multitude .comes together to thanlc God. in an official manner!- St. Thomas, says that the power of prayer is then irresistible : "• The prayers of the many cannot go unheeded, when tJiey unite in one." 3 Just as a father who would not yield to the request of a son is moved by the united requests of all his children, so Our Heavenly Father cannot resist the sweet violence of the united prayers of a great -number of His children. 513. It is important, therefore, that Christians should often join in common prayer and worship. This is why the Church calls them on the Lord's Day and on, holy days to assist at the great public prayer, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and at other religious services. " /' 514. Since, however, the Church cannot gather her faithful children every day, and since nevertheless God deserves perennial praise, she commits to her priests and. religious the- discharge of this grand duty of public prayer. This they fulfil several times a day through the recitation of the Divine Office, which they perform, not in a private capacity, but in "the name of the entire Church, and on behalf of alLmankind. Hence, it is important that they unite themselves to the perfect: worship offered to God by the Incarnate Word, in order to give glory -to God through Him, with Him, .and in Him, and ask at the same time all the graces that the Christian people need. ' 3° THE LORD'S PRAYER 515. Among all the prayers we recite, private or public, there is none so beautiful as that taught us by Our Lord Himself — the Our Father. A) We find therein, first of all, an appropriate introduc- tion which ushers us into God's presence and excites our confidence : Our Father Who art in Heaven. The very first 1 Rom., XV, 6. — 'Matti., XVIII, 20. — 3 Commentar. in Mattk., c. XVIII. 250 CHAPTER V. step in prayer is to draw nigh unto God. The word Father places us at once before Him, Who is pre-eminently the Father Who has adopted us as children. We face then the God Who surrounds us with the same love wherewith He loves His Son. And that Father is in Heaven; that is, He is 'all-powerful, He is the source of all graces, hence we are impelled to invoke Him with a filial trust that knows no bounds, for we are His offspring; all brethren, because children of the same God : Our Father. 516. B) The object of the prayer follows. We ask for all we desire, and in the order in which we should desire it : a) We place the principal end before all else. — God's glory : " Hallowed be Thy Name, " that is to say, may Thy Name be known and proclaimed blessed, to) Then comes the secondary end- — the growth of God's kingdom within us, which is the preparation for. our entry into the Kingdom of Heaven : " Thy Kingdom come. " e) Next, we ask for the essential means for attaining this twofold end, that is, conformity to the Divine Will : " Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. " We ask, after that, for the secondary means. — This request constitutes the second part of; the .Our Father, d) First, the/wzY/z'tf-means — our daily sustenance, food tor the body and food for the soul; we need one and the other, if we are to subsist and grow : " Give us this day our daily bread. " e) . Lastly, we- beg the negative means, which comprise i) the remission of sin, — the only real evil, which is forgiven us in the measure that we ourselves pardon others : " Forgive us our trespasses as we. forgive those who trespass against us. " 2) The removal of trials and tempta- tions to which we could fall victims : " Lead us not into temptation. " 3) The removal of physical evils, of the miseries of life so far as they constitute an obstacle to our sanctifi cation : " But deliver us from evil. Amen. " A sublime prayer, since every word of it refers to God's glory, and yet so simple that it is within the reach of all ; for whilst glorifying God, we ask for all the things that are most useful to us. Hence, the Fathers and the Saints have taken delight in commenting T on this prayer, and the Catechism of the Council of Trent gives an extended and solid explanation of it. 1 Many of these commentaries are found in HURTER'S, Opuscula Patruw selecta, t. II; cf. Sim. Theol., IIa IIs, q. 83, a. 9; ST. THERESA, The Way oj Perfection ; HIUARY, The perfect prayer. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION, , 251 II. The Efficacy of Prayer for Sanctification 517. The sanctifying power of prayer is such that the Saints never tired of saying that he lives well, who prays we'll. Prayer produces three marvelous effects : i) it detaches us from creatures, 2) it unites us entirely to God, 3) it gradually transforms us into God. 518. i° // detaches us from creatures 'in so far as they are an obstacle to our union with God. This effect of prayer follows from its very nature as an elevation of the heart to God. In order to be raised up to God we must first loosen the bonds that fasten us to creatures. Drawn by these, and by the alluring pleasures they hold out to us, dominated moreover by selfishness, we cannot free ourselves except by breaking the shackles that fetter us, to earth. Nothing works this happy deliverance more effectively than the elevation of the soul to God through prayer, for in order to think of Him and of His glory, in order to love Him, we are constrained to forget self and creatures with their deceitful allurements. Once we are nigh unto Him, united to Him in intimate converse, then His infinite perfections, His loving kindness, and the sight of His heavenly riches, complete the liberation of the soul : "How wretched the earth when I gase upon the heavens!" We hate mortal sin more and more, for it would turn us away altogether from God. We detest venial sin because Jt would impede our ascent towards Him, and~ we deplore even imperfections ; since they would cool our intimacy with Him. We are likewise schooled to a more vigorous strife against the disordered inclinations latent within our nature, because of the realization that they tend to make us wander away from God. 519. 2° Prayer moreover makes our union with God more complete and more perfect day by day. -.„.'. .A) More complete. Prayer lays hold of all our faculties, in order to unite them to God. a) It seizes the higher faculties of our soul : the mind, by absorbing it in the thought of divine things; the will, by directing it toward the Glory of God and the welfare -of souls ; the heart, by permitting it to pour out its love into a Heart ever open, loving, ever merciful, and enabling it to. produce affections that cannot be but sanctifying, b) It seizes the lower faculties of the soul, by helping us to fasten upon God and Our Lord, our imagination,, our memory, our. emotions, and 252 CHAPTER V. even our passions in so far as they are capable "of good, e) It even takes possession of our body, helping us id mortify our outward senses, which so of ten 'lead us astray, and to . regulate our. exterior according to the dictates of modesty. B) More perfect. Prayer, as just described, produces in the soul acts of religion born oi faith, sustained Hy hope and vivified by love : " Faith believes, hope and love pray, but^ these coidd not exist without faith ; hence it is, that faith also prays." J Is there anything nobler, anything more sanc- tifying than these acts of the theological virtues? Prayer, likewise, presupposes the performance of acts of humility, of obedience, of fortitude, of constancy, so that, it is not difficult to see that the holy exercise of prayer unites our soul to God in a most perfect manner. 520. 3° No wonder, then, that through it, the soul is gradually transformed into God. -Prayer causes, xso to speak, a mutual exchange between us and God : whilst we offer Him our homage and our requests, He stoops down to us and bestows upon us His graces. A) The mere consideration of His divine perfections, the mere fact of admiring them and taking in them a genuine delight, draws them into us through the desire we thus feel of sharing in them. Little by little our soul feels, as it were, all pervaded, possessed by that Simplicity, that Good- ness, that Holiness, that Serenity which God would fairi communicate to us. 521. B) Then God 'stoops down to hearken to our prayers and to b'estow upon us His graces in abundance.' The more we honor Him, the greater is His concern in sanctifying a soul that seeks His glory. We can ask a great deal, provided we do so with humility and confidence. He can refuse nothing to humble souls who care more for His interests than for their own. He gives them light to show them the emptiness, the nothingness of human things ; He draws them to Himself by revealing Himself to them as the Supreme Good, the origin of all good; He strengthens and steadies their will that they may will nothing, love nothing, but what is worthy. We cannot but conclude with St. Francis de Sales2 : " If prayer be a colloquy, a discourse or a conversation of the soul with God, by it then we speak to God, and He again speaks to us; we aspire to 1 ST. AUGUSTINE,' Enckirid., VII. ... 2 The love of God, Bk. VI, c. 1. (Mackey'st translation). GENERAL MEANS -OF ;PEkFECTiON» 1 253 Him arid breathe in Hirh, and He reciprocally inspires us and breathes , upon us; " Happy exchange! It shall be altogether 'to our advantage, since its ultimate end is no other than the transformation of ourselves into God, by making us share in His thoughts and His perfections ! - III. How We Can Transform Our Actions Into Prayers 522. Since prayer is such an effective means of sancti- fication, we should frequently and perseveringly make use of it. Our Lord said : " We ought always to pray and not to faint.",* St. Paul teaches the same doctrine both by word and example : "Pray without ceasing... Making a remembrance of -you- in our prayers without ceasing. " 2 How are we, however, to pray without ceasing, the while we discharge our duties of state? Is not this impossible? We shall see, that it is simple, 'once- we have learned to, regulate our lives. To accomplish it, two things are required : i° that we perform a certain number of spiritual exercises in harmony with. our. state of life; 2° that we turn our ordinary actions into prayer. 523. i° Spiritual Exercises. In order to foster a life of prayer, first of all, a certain number of spiritual exercises are necessary, the extent and duration of which will vary in accordance with -our duties of state. Here we shall speak of such as are proper to priests and religious, leaving to directors of souls _the care of adapting this program to the laity. " N Three different sets of spiritual exercises school the priestly soul to prayer : in the morning, meditation arid Holy Mass present to us the ideal we are to pursue and aid us to realize it; throughout the day, : the Divine Office, devout readings and some great Catholic devotions help to keep up in the soul the habit of prayer; in the evening the examination of conscience will cause us .to note &n& .comet our failures. • : .. 524. ' , A) The morning exercises are sacred in character. Priests and religious can not dispense with them without giving up real concern for perfection, a) It is meditation^ the loving thought of God, that, above all, recalls to mind the ideal we must ever keep before pur eyes, and •pursue with all our strength. This ideaHs no other than the one pictured for us by the Divine Master : " Be you, , XVIII, i.- */7&wj.,V, 17; I, a, ' ' 254 CHAPTER V, therefore, perfect as also your Heavenly Father is perfect, " l So we must place ourselves in the presence of God, the source and exemplar of all perfection; in the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ > Who has realized in the world, this ideal of perfection and has merited for us the grace of imitating His virtues. After offering Him our homage, we draw Him unto us by becoming one with Him in thought, through the formation of deep-seated convictions regarding the special virtue we want to practice; we then draw this virtue from His heart into our own by earnest prayers that obtain for us the grace of actually practicing it. Finally, .we humbly, but resolutely, co-operate with the grace received by making the generous resolve of practicing the said virtue during the course of the day. 2 b) Holy Mass confirms us in this disposition by placing before our eyes, in our hands, and at our disposal, the Sacred Victim we are to imitate. Holy Communion causes His thoughts, His sentiments, His interior dispositions, His graces and His Divine Spirit to penetrate our own souls there to abide the day long. We are priests, then, in order to act, and our action vivified by His influence will be an unceasing prayer. 525. B) That this be so, it is necessary that from time to time "there be exercises renewing and promoting our union with God. a) This will be effected by the recitation of the Divine Office, so aptly styled by St. Benedict God's Work, wherein, in union with the perfect worship of God by Jesus Christ, we shall glorify Him and implore His graces for ourselves and for the entire Church. After the Holy Sacrifice, this is the most important act of the day. .b) Another exercise fostering our union with God is the reading of Holy Scripture and the lives of the Saints, the perusal of which will once more place us iri close contact with God and His Saints, c) Lastly come what may be called the essential Catholic devotions that nourish piety, such as the visit to the Blessed Sacrament — a heart-to- heart talk, with Jesus — and the recitation of. the beads, through which we are privileged to hold familiar conver- sation with Mary and to consider devoutly the mysteries of • her life and her virtues. 526. C) At night, the two examinations, general and particular, will take place. These we shall turn into a i Matth., V, 48. • ' . ' . , * This we shall explain later when treating of the method of prayer. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 255 humble and sincere confession to the Great High Priest, and into a means of seeing to what extent we have realized in the course of the day the ideal^ conceived in the morning." Alas! we shall ever find a discrepancy between our resolu- tions and their realization ; but without any loss of heart, we shall retire to rest with a sense of trust in God, abandoning ourselves into His arms, determined to greater effort on the morrow. ; , , t Weekly, or at least fortnightly confession, together with the monthly retreat — a summary review of the month — • will complete the work of our daily -examination of con- science and be the occasion of a spiritual renewal. 527. 2° This is the sum-total of spiritual exercises, that prevent us from losing sight of God's holy presence for any considerable time. What shall we do, however, to fill in the time between these various exercises and to transform all our actions into prayer? St. Paul answered this question when he wrote : " Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God... All whatsoever you do in word or in work, all things do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. " J St. Augustine and St. Thomas tell us how this can be done; the former tells us to convert our life, our actions, our occupations, our meals, even; our repose, into a hymn of praise unto God's glory : "Let the harmony of thy life ever rise as a song, so that, thou mayest never, cease to praise... If thou wilt give praise, sing, then, not only with thy lips, but sweep the chords upon the psalter of good works; thou dost give praise when thou workest, when thou eatest and drinkest, when thou liest to rest, when thou sleepest; thou givest praise even if thou holdest thy peace? * The .latter briefly expresses the same thought : " Manpra'ys so long as he directs his whole life toward God, "3 .'. It is love that directs our whole life towards God. The practical means of giving all our actions this direction, is to offer each of them to the Most Blessed Trinity in union with Jesus Christ living in us, and in accordance with His intentions (n. 248). ' 528. Father Olier shows the importance of performing our actions in union with Jesus. He explains first how the Son of God is within us in order to sanctify us. 4 " He dwells in us not only through His immensity, as the Word... 1 / Cor., X, 31, Col. Ill, 17. — t /n Psalm. CXLVI, n. 2. 3 /^*«--. ... A _*._ n _ ...' -L T 1 L _^ Comment, in Roni. , c. I, lect. 5. 4 Cateck. Int. Life, Part. II, Lesson X. — Cfr. FATHER CHARLES, S. J. Prayer for all Times. ' - ' . /•/I 256 CHAPTER V; but also as the Christ, through His grace, in order to make us partakers of His unction and of His divine life. Jesus Christ is within us to sanctify both ourselves and our works and to fill all our faculties with His .-own Self. He wills to be the light of our mind-/ the fire of love in our hearts, the might and strength of all our faculties, in order that in Him We may have power to know and to fulfil the desires of "God, His Father, whether it; be to work for His honor or to suffer and endure all things unto His glory. "• Father Olier " then explains how tlie actions we perform of ourselves and for Ourselves are defective : " Because of our "corrupted nature, ou'r intentions and our -thoughts tend toward- sin and, should we decide to act of ourselves and follow the bent of our .own sentiments, our works would be of sin." r His conclusion is, therefore, that we must renounce our own intentions so as to unite ourselves to those of Jesus^: " You see thereby what great care you must take to renounce, upon undertaking any action, all your sentiments, all your wishes, all your own thoughts, all your desires, in order to enter, according to the word of St. Paul, into the sentiments and the intentions of Jesus Christ : For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ- Jesus." z ; * When our actions endure for some time, it is useful to renew this offering -by an affectionate gaze upon our Crucifix, or better, upon Jesus living within us, and to raise our soul to God through oft-repeated ejaculations. In this manner our actions, even the most commonplace, will become a prayer, an elevation of the soul to God, and we shall thereby comply with the teaching of Jesus : " We ought always to pray and not to faint. "3 529. Here then we have four interior means of perfec- tion that tend at once to glorify, God and perfect the soul. The desire to be perfect is, in fact, a first flight toward God, a first -step towaf'd holiness. The knowledge of God draws God down to us and helps us give ourselves to Him through love. The knowledge of self shows us the need we have of God and stimulates in us the desire of receiving Him in order to fill the void that exists within us. Conformity to His will transforms us into Him. Prayer lifts us up to Him while it draws unto us His perfections, making us share in them in order to render us like unto Him. All leads us to God, because all, proceeds from Him. 1 Catech. of Int. Life, P. II, Lesson VI. 3 Philip., II, 5. — 3 Luke, XVIII, i. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION, 257 ART. II. THE EXTERIOR MEANS OF PERFECTION 530. " These means can be -reduced to four principal ones : spiritual direction that provides safe guidance ; & rule 0/ life^ which, is. the sequel Jand" the complement of spiritual direction ; spiritual reading and devout exhortations, which present to us the ideal to follow; the sanctification of our social relations, which enables us to supernaturalize our dealings with our neighbor. - § I. Spiritual Directions Two points, chiefly, are to, be elucidated : i° The moral necessity of. spiritual direction ; 2° the means required to insure its success. I. Moral Necessity of Spiritual Direction Direction, although not absolutely necessary for the sanctification of souls, is one of the normal means of spiritual progress. -Authority, and reason based on experience, demonstrate this. .\ -> » ' • " - . • ' . 1° PROOF FROM AUTHORITY 531. A) God, Who established His Church as a hierar- chical society, has willed^ that souls be sanctified through submission to the Sovereign Pontiff and to the Bishops in things external, and to confessors in things internal. When Saul was converted, Our Lord, instead of directly manifesting to him His designs, sent him to Ananias to learn from this man's lips what he was to do. •- Cassian, St. Francis de Sales and Leo XIII argue from this fact to show the necessity of direction; . "God," says Leo XIII, "in His infinite Providence has decreed that men for the most part should be saved by men ; hence He has appointed that those whom He calls to a loftier degree of holines should be led thereto ,by men, ' in order that, ' as Ghrysostom says, 'we should be taught by God through men.' We have an illustrious example of this put before us in the very begin- .* CASSIANUS, Collationes, coll. II, c. 1-13; St. JOHN CLIMACUS, LEchelle Ju Paradis, 4e Degr6, n, 5-12; GODI^EZ, Praxis Theol, mystica, lib. -VIII, c. i; SCHRAM, :Iwtit. iheol. mystics P. II, cap. I, § 327-353; St. FR. DE SALES, Introd. to a Devout Life, Part I, ch. 4 ; TKONSON, Traiti. de CoMusance, I Ie Partie; FABER, Growth in Holiness, ch. XVI II; H. NOBLE, O. P., Lacordaire apotre et directeur des jeunes gens, 1910; DESURMONT, ChariU sacerdotale, § 183-225 -^Catholic Encyclopedia, ' Direction; F. VINCENT, S.-'Fratifois'de Sales, Directeur d' Ames; ABB^; D'A'GNEL et Dr D'ESPINEY, Direction de conscience, 1922'; V. RAYMOND, 0. P; , Spiritual Director and Physician, 1917. 258 CHAPTER V. ning of .the Church, for although Saul, who was breathing threatening* and slaughter, heard the voice of Christ Himself, and asked from Him, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? he was nevertheless sent to Ananias at Damascus : Arise and go into the city, and there it shall be' told thee what thou must do. , This manner of acting has invariably obtained in the Church. . All without exception who in the course of ages have been remarkable for science and holiness have taught this doctrine. Those who reject it, assuredly do so rashly and at their peril. " l 532. B) Unable to quote all the authorities, we shall briefly review a few witnesses that can be considered repre- sentatives of ascetical theology. Cassian, who had spent long years among the monks of Palestine, of Syria; and of Egypt, has set down their teachings together with his own in two works. In the first, the Book of Institutions, he urgently .exhorts the young cenobites to open their heart to the elder charged with the direction of their life ; to disclose to him without false shame their most secret thoughts, and to submit themselves entirely to his decision as to what is good and what is evil. 2 He treats this point again in his Conferences, and, after showing the dangers to which those who do not seek counsel from their elders expose them- selves, he affirms that the best means to overcome tempta- tions even the most dangerous, is to disclose them to a ,wise counsellor. This he says on the authority of St. Anthony and the Abbot Serapion. 3 What Cassian teaches to the Monks j'of the West, St. John Climacus instils into those of the East by. his Ladder of Paradise. To beginners he says that those who wish to leave the land of Egypt for the Promised Land and subdue their disorderly passions, stand in need of another Moses to serve .them as a guide. To those that are advanced he declares, that in order to follow Christ and enjoy the holy liberty of the children of God, one must humbly deliverthe care of one's soul to a man that is the representative of the Divine Master; and that such a one must be chosen with care, because he must be obeyed in all simplicity, in spite of the shortcomings that may be detected in him; for, the sole danger lies in following one's o\yn judgment. 4 . 1 Apostolical Letter Testem. Benevolentice, Jan. 22, 1899. From The Great Encyclical Letters of Leo XIII, P. 447. • 2 CASSIANUS, De Ccsnobiontm institiet., i, IV, c. 9; P. L. XLIX, 161. 3 Id. Collaliones, II, 2, 5, 7, 10-11; P. L. XLIX, .526, 529, 534, 537, 542. < Scala. Paradisi, Grad. I, IV; P. G. LXXXVIII, 636, 680-681. ' v - , >«- -I "'.u -. ->-_. »._ , v - - , — I GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 259 5133. For the-period of the Middle Ages, two authorities will suffice. St. Bernard wants the novices to have a guide, a foster-father to enlighten them, direct them, console them, and encourage them. z To more advanced souls, like Ogier, the Canon Regular, he declares that whoever constitutes himself his own guide, becomes a disciple of a fool. He adds,: " I know not what others think about themselves on this matter; for myself, I speak from experience and I hesitate not to say that I. find it easier and safer to direct many others than • I do to guide myself. " 2 In . the Fourteenth Century, the eloquent Dominican, St. Vincent Ferrer, stated that spiritual direction had ever been the practice of souls that wished to make progress, and he gave the following reason : " He -who has an 'adviser whom he absolutely obeys in all things, will succeed much more easily and quickly than he could if left to himself, even if endowed with quick intellect and possessed of learned spiritual books. "3 534. It was not only in communities that this need of a spiritual guide was felt, but likewise in the world. The letters of St. Jerome, of St. Augustine; and of other^Fathers, to widows, virgins, and other persons living in the world, are ample proof of it. 4 It is. therefore with good reason that St. Alphonsus in explaining the duties of a confessor declares that one of the most important of these duties is that of directing devout souls, s , Besides, reason itself > enlightened by faith and by experience, shows us the necessity of a spiritual director in order to advance in the way o'f perfection. 2° PROOF FROM REASON BASED ON THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS 535. A) Progress in holiness is a long and painful ascent over a steep path bordered by precipices. To venture thereon without an experienced guide is highly imprudent. It is extremely easy to deceive oneself as, regards one's own condition. We are unable to gaze eye to eye upon -our- selves, says St. Francis de Sales ; we cannot be impartial judges in our own case, by.reason of a certain complacency, "so. .veiled, $o unsuspected that the keenest insight ' alone can discover its existence; those who suffer from it are not 1 De Diversis, sermo VIII, .7. — » Epist., LXXXVII, 7. ' 3 De Vita Spirituali, II Part, ch. I. 4 See the instances given by FABER, Growth in Holiness, C. XVIII. 5 Praxis confessarii, n. 1217127. 260 - CHAPTER V. aware of it unless - some one points itx out to them. " * Hence, he concludes that we need a spiritual physician to make a sound diagnosis of, our state of soul and to prescribe the most effective remedies : " Why should we wish to constitute ourselves directors of our own souls when/we do not undertake the management of our bodies. Have we not noticed that physicians, when ill, call other physicians to determine what remedies they require?" 2 536. -B) The better. .to. understand 'this need, we have but to explain briefly the chief dangers one encounters in each of the three ways leading to perfection. a) Beginners must be on their guard. against relapses and, in order to avoid them, .they must undergo a long and rigorous penance in proportion • to the number and gravity of their faults. Some of them, soon forgetting their past, want to enter forthwith into the path of love. -Such presumption is frequently followed by a withdrawal of sensible consolations, by discouragement and fresh falls. Others give themselves without discretion to bodily morti- fications, take therein a vain complacency, impair their health, and then, under pretence of taking proper care of it, fall into a state of relaxation. It is, therefore, important that an experienced .director... hold the former to the spirit "and the practice of penance, and check the latter in their impetuous ardor.' . , . Another danger for beginners is spiritual aridity, following the withdrawal of sensible consolations. In 'this' state- a. soul imagines itself abandoned by God, gives up its exercises of piety, which now appear useless, and falls a prey to lukewarmness. Who will be able to forestall this danger? Only a wise spiritual director, who, during the season of consolations, will give warning that these do not last forever, and, at the time of aridity, will comfort this soul by explain- ing that there is nothing better than such trials for the strengthening of virtue and the purifying of love. ' ( 537. b) I n the illuminative way, a guide . is still needed, in 'order to discern which are the virtues especially suited to this or that person in particular, as well as the means .of practicing these virtues, and the proper method of self- examination. When a soul becomes a prey "to that sense of weariness experienced upon the discovery that the way of perfection is longer and more arduous than imagined, it - 1 Devout Life, Part. Ill, c. 28. ' _ • * Sermons recueillis, pour la f&e de N. D. des Neiges, t. IX, p. 95. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 261 is hard to see what can prevent this feeling from degenerat- ing into, lukewarmness, if not the fatherly affection of a director who will be able to recognize the difficulty, obviate ' discouragement, console °the penitent, urge him to new efforts and make him discern the fruits to.be gained' from such a trial courageously borne. ,.. 538. c) Direction becomes even more necessary in the unitive way. To enter herein, one. must cultivate the gifts of the Holy Ghost by a generous .and constant docility to the inspirations of grace. But to distinguish divine inspi- rations from those that proceed from nature, or from the Evil One, the counsel of a wise, and disinterested adviser is ofttimes required. This is all the more necessary when one undergoes the first passive trials, when aridity, weariness, fear of God's judgments, besetting temptations, inability to reason in meditation, and contradictions from without burst all together upon a desolate soul and cast it into the greatest turmoil. It is evident that a pilot is indispensable; to guide the disabled craft to safety. A spiritual director is equally necessary for one enjoying the delights of cpntemplation. This state presupposes so much discretion^ humility, docility and, above all, so much prudence in harmonizing passivity with activity,? that it becomes morally impossible not to go astray without the advice of an expert guide. This is why ., St. Theresa used to open her soul with such candor to her spiritual directors ; this is why St. John of the Gross often insisted on the necessity of disclosing to him everything. "God," says he, "so desires that man place himself under the direction of another, that He. absolutely .does not want to see us give full assent to the supernatural truths He Himself imparts, before they have issued out of the mouth of man," x 539. To sum up what has been said, we can do ho. better than-quote the words of Fr. Godinez : "Hardly ten in a thousand called by God to perfection heed the call; of a hundred called to contemplation, ninety-nine fail tc respond. It must be acknowledged that one of the princi- pal causes is the lack of spiritual directors. Under God, they are trie pilots that conduct souls through this. unknown ocean of the spiritual life. If no science', no art, how simple soever, cart be learned well without a master, much less can any one learn this high wisdom of evangelical perfection, wherein such great mysteries are found. This is the reason m • ' ' . .__. ! - ' ' •- •. ' _• " . : 1 Sentences et avis spirituels, n. 229, ed. Hoornaert>y. 372. . 262 CHAPTER V. why I hold it morally impossible that a soul could without a miracle or -without a master, go through what is highest and most arduous in .the spiritual life, without running the risk of perishing. " . 540. It may be said, therefore, that the normal way to advance in the spiritual life is to follow the counsels of a wise spiritual adviser. As a matter of fact, fervent souls so understand it and seek direction' in the tribunal of penance. When of late years a need was felt for a select body of truly devout and earnest Catholics, no better means of forming it was found than a strong direction given in Sodalities, vacation-camps and above all in regular retreats. Direction, then, is one of the normal means of spiritual progress. II. Rules to Insure the Success of Spiritual Direction That spiritual direction be profitable, i° its object must be clearly determined ; 2° the co-operation of both director and penitent must be assured. i° OBJECT OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION 541. A) General Principle. The -object of spiritual direction' consists in all that has a bearing upon the spiritual formation of souls. Confession limits itself to the accusation of faults; direction goes far beyond this. It reaches the causes of sin, deep-rooted inclinations, temperament, charac- ter, acquired habits, temptations, imprudences. This, in order to discover the right remedies^ such as go to the very roots of the evil. In order to combat defects the better, direction in also concerned with virtues opposed to them, the virtues common to all Christians and those special to each .particular class of persons.. It includes the means most apt to foster the practice of these virtues -.spiritual exercises such as mental prayer, the particular examination* devotion, to the Most Blessed Sacrament, to the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Virgin, which supply us. with spiritual arms to force our way onward in the practice of virtue. It deals with vocation, and, once this question is settled, with the duties peculiar to .each state of life. Hence, it is clear that the field of direction is .very wide. 542. B) Applications. a)Tn order txrguide a person wisely, the spiritual director must be acquainted with the chief features of his past life> his habitual faults, his efforts to correct them, the results obtained, so that he sees clearly GENERAL MEANS OV PERFECTION. 263 what is left to be done. He must, likewise, know his present dispositions, his likes and dislikes, the temptations he undergoes and the method employed to overcome them, the virtues he feels the greatest need of, and the means used to acquire them. The director must know all this in order to give proper advice. b) Then it is that the director can more easily form a plan of direction, a flexible plan, adaptable to the actual condition of the penitent and calculated to foster his spiritual progress. It is impossible to lead all souls in the same way; a director must take them as they are, and lead them gradually through the various stages along the steep path .of perfection. He must realize that some are more eager and more generous, others more calm, more slow, that all are not called to attain the same degree of perfection. 543. There is, however, a progressive order to be followed which gives a certain measure of unity to spiritual direction : i 1) From the outset it js important that souls should be taught to sanctify all their ordinary actions by the practice of union with Our Lord (n. 248). .This holds good for their whole life and the Director must insist on it again,, and again showing how such practice is grounded on the spirit of faith so indispensable in these days of rampant naturalism. ; . 2) The purification of the spul, through the practice Q{ penance and mortification, should never cease altogether; penitents should be often brought back to it, taking into account their state of mind, so as to vary the exercise of these virtues. - 3) Humility is a fundamental virtue, which must be inculcated almost from the beginning, and penitents must be frequently reminded of it at all -the stages" of the spiritual life. 4) Fraternal charity, because so often violated, even by devout people, should be insisted upon in the examinations "of conscience and in confession. 5) Habitual union with Our Lord, our model and co-worker, cannot be too frequently emphasized, for it is one of the most effective means of sanctification. 6)' A thing to be cultivated with care, because so necessary in this our day, is manliness or strength of character^ based upon :strong convictions, and with it, honesty arid loyalty which cannot be separated from it. 7) In an epoch of proselytism like ours, seal is of paramount impor- tance and a spiritual director should keep in view the formation of select souls who will be of help to the priest in the innumerable details connected with his ministry. As for the rest, one has but to bear in mind what we shall say when explaining the three ways. , 'it • 264 ' CHAPTER V. \ - - . •'.'•'•••." . ••• 2° DUTIES OF THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR AND OF THE -PENITENT Direction will not produce any profitable results, unless both' director and penitent work together in all earnestness. i) Duties of the Spiritual Director " * 544. St. Francis de Sales1 declares that a spiritual director must have three principal qualities : " He must be full of charity, of knowledge and si prudence : if he lacks one of these, there is danger. " A) The charity wherewith he must^ be filled is a superna- tural and paternal affection that makes him see in his penitents so many spiritual children confided to his care by God Himself so that he may cause Jesus Christ and His virtues to grow in them : "My little children of whom I am in labor again until Christ be formed in you. " 2 • • • „ a) Hence, he surrounds them all with the same though tfulness and care, making himself all things to all, in order to sanctify all; spending his time, his efforts and himself to form in them the Christian virtues. "In spite of himself, no doubt, he will at times feel drawn more to some than to others, but he will not allow his natural likes- or "dislikes to govern him, being careful to avoid sentimental affections that would tend to create attachments, at first innocent, then distracting and finally dangerous both to his good name and to his virtue. Father Olier rightly says that to wish to attach to oneself the hearts made to love God, constitutes a sort of treason : " Spiritual directors have been chosen by Our Lord to go forth to conquer kingdoms, that is- to say, the hearts of men, which belong to Him, which He has bought by the shedding of His Blood, and in which He wants to establish His reign. What an ingratitude ! What a fraud ! What an outrage ! What a betrayal! if instead of offering those hearts to Him as to their lawful sovereign, they constitute themselves their lords and masters. " 3 Such conduct would be equivalent to placing a ^well-nigh insurmountable obstacle in the way of one's own spiritual progress arid in that of one's penitents, for God does not want a divided heart. 545. b) Kindness on the part of the spiritual director must not -mean weakness. It must, on the contrary, be coupled with firmness and frankness. The director must have the courage to give sound, fatherly warnings, to point out to his penitents their defects, and not allow himself to be directed by them. There are persons very demure, yet very clever, who want to have a spiritual director, but on condition that he accommodate himself to their tastes and fancies. Such seek after approbation rather than guidance. 1 -Introduction to a Devout Life,?. I, C. IV. — 8 Galat., IV, 19. ; . 3 L' Esprit A'un directeur des dmes, p. 60-61. Father OLIER often returns to this subject in this little work. • ... ... ' GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 265 To be on guard against this abuse that might involve his own • conscience, the spiritual director must not let himself be swayed by the schemes and manoeuvres of such peni- tents ; he must remember that he represents Our Lord Himself, and -resolutely render his decisions according to the rules of perfection and not according to the wishes of his penitents. . 546. C) It is chiefly in directing women that one. must be reserved and firm. A man of wide" experience, Father Desurmont, ' writes as follows on this subject : " Let there tie none of those affectionate words, none of those tender expressions, no private talks except those absolute- ly indispensable. .Let there be'nothing savoring of feeling, either in manner or gesture, nor the least shadow of familiarity. As to conver- sations, no more than is necessary ; as to dealings outside of matters of conscience, only those that have a recognized serious purpose. As much as possible, let there be no direction outside the confessional, and no correspondence. They must not be made even to suspect that one is personally interested in them. Their mentality is so constituted that if they be led to think themselves the object of a particular regard or affection, almost without fail, they •descend to a natural plane, be it through vanity or sentimentality." The same author adds : "Gene- rally speaking, it is best that they be not conscious of being directed at all. W.oman has the defects of her qualities : she is instinctively pious, but she is likewise instinctively proud of her piety. The. adornment of the soul affects her "no, less than that of the body. For her to know that one wishes to adorn her with virtues, ordinarily constitutes a danger. " One should, then, direct them 'without acquainting them with the fact, and give them counsels of perfection as if it were the common ordinary thing for the welfare of. souls. . 547. B) In the spiritual director, devotedness must be accompanied by the knowledge of ascetical theology so necessary to confessors, 'n. 36. He will, therefore, never tire of reading and re-reading spiritual authors,, correcting his judgments by their standards, and comparing his own method with that of the Saints. 548. G) Above ^prudence-ax^, a sound judgment are needed in order to direct souls not according to one's, own ideas, but according to the motions of grace, the temperament and character of the penitents, and their 'supernatural attractions. 2 a) Father Libermann rightly remarks that the spiritual director .is but an instrument in the hands of the Holy Ghost.3, He should, therefore, first of all, apply himself to gain through discreet questions a knowledge of the action this Divine Spirit .has upon the soul. 1 La Chariti-sacerdotale, t. II, § 196. ; 3 This is exactly what St. Francis de- Sales practiced as shown by F. VINCENT,. op. tit., p, 439-481. 3 Ea. direction spirituelle, d'apris les Merits et les exemples du Via, Libermartn, a« 4dit., p. lo-aa. . ; 266 CHAPTER V. " I consider it a capital point in spiritual direction, " he writes, "to discover the dispositions whereby a soul is animated.-.., 'to perceive how far you can urge it, to allow grace full scope, to distinguish true from false attractions, and prevent souls from going astray or running to excesses." In another letter he adds :" The spiritual director having once ascertained God's action in a soul, has nothing else to do but to guide it that it may obey the promptings of grace... ' He must never attempt |o inspire a soul with his personal tastes and individual attractions, nor lead it after his own way of acting, or his own peculiar point of view." A director that would thus act, would . often turn souls from God's own guidance and oppose the action of divine grace in them." :. He adds, however, that this applies to souls who work earnestly to attain perfection. As to those that are shiggish and lukewarm, the initiative must be taken by the director, who will, by his exhortations, his counsels, his rebukes, and all the means which his zeal suggests, strive to stir them out of their spiritual torpor. 549. b) The prudence in question here is, therefore, a supernatural prudence, fortified by \hz gift of counsel, which a spiritual director should ever beg of the Holy Spirit. He will invoke Him especially in difficult cases, repeating in his heart the Vent Sancte Spiritus before rendering any important decision. Having consulted the Holy Ghost, he will listen with attention and childlike simplicity to the answer, whispered to his soul, and communicate it to his penitent : " As I hear, so I judge. And my judgment is just. " I In this wise, a director will in truth become tKe instrument of the Holy Spirit — a joint instrument with God — and his ministry will be fruitful. This care to take counsel with the Most High- will not hinder the director from making use of all the, means prudence will place at his command to acquire a thorough knowledge of his penitent. For this knowledge, he will not rely merely on the penitent's words; he will study his conduct, and without subscribing to all his judgments, will weigh these in accordance with the rules of prudence. . . 550. e) Let prudence guide the spiritual director not only in giving counsel, but in all matters connected with the practice of direction, i) He should devote no more time than is necessary to this duty of his ministry, important as it is. He should hold no protracted conver- sations, nor indulge in idle talk, nor ask indiscreet questions. He should 'limit himself to what is of real profit to souls. Brief advice to the point, the clear exposition of one of the means of perfection, will well occupy a penitent for a fortnight or a month. More, the director will strive so to lead souls that before long they may be, not indeed self- 30. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 267 sufficient, but may rest satisfied with briefer spiritual direction, and be able to resolve their ordinary problems by means of the general principles imparted to them. 2) Although the spiritual direction of youths and men,. can be carried on anywhere, that of women demands greater, reserve.' Ordinarily, it should be given only in the confessional, and this briefly, without allowing them to go into useless details. We belong to all; time is limited and should not be wasted. We must, no doubt, be patient, giving each soul all the required time, but bearing in mind the while that there are other souls who also need our ministrations. 2) The Duties of Penitents 551. Penitents will see in their spiritual director the person of Our Lord Himself. If it is true that all authority comes from God.it is more so of the authority the priest exercises over consciences in the confessional. The power of binding and loosing, of opening and closing the gates of Heaven, of guiding souls hi the paths of perfection, is a divine power and cannot reside outside of him who is the lawful representative, the ambassador of Christ. " For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us. " I This is the principle from which all duties toward a spiritual director flow — respect, trust, docility. 552. A) The director must be respected as the represen- tative of God, clothed as he is with God's authority in what regards our most intimate and most sacred relations with God. Hence, if he has his shortcomings, let us not dwell on them, but simply regard his authority and his mission. A penitent will, thus carefully avoid any criticism whereby the filial respect due his director. is lost or lessened. He should likewise avoid excessive familiarity, hardly com- patible with true respect. This respect will be tempered by an affection that is frank and genuine, but full of reverence, an affection of a child for his father, an affection that excludes the desire of being singularly loved, and the petty jealousies issuing from such desire. " In a word, this friendship; should be strong and sweet, holy, all sacred, wholly divine and entirely spiritual. " 2 553., B) A second duty toward the spiritual director is trust and perfect openness of heart. " Open your heart to him with all sincerity and fidelity, manifesting clearly the state of your conscience without fiction or dissimulation ; 1 II Cor., V, so. . . ' > * ST. FRANCIS DK SALES, Introduction to a Devout Life, Part. I, C. IV. 268 CHAPTER V. by this means your good actions will be examined and approved, and your evil ones corrected and remedied. . . Place great confidence in him, but let it be united with a holy reverence, so that the reverence may not diminish the confidence, nor. the confidence the reverence." > ,We are to open our heart to him; then, with full confidence, making . known to .him our temptations and our weaknesses, that he may help us conquer the former and heal the latter; we must. submit to his approbation our desires and resolutions; ' we must tell him of the good we strive to accomplish, that he mayJielp us to do even'more ; of our good purposes that he may examine them, and suggest the means of realizing them ; in a word of whatever has a bearing on the spiritual welfare of our soul. The better-he knows us, the more will he.be able to counsel us wisely, to encourage, comfort and fortify us, in such wise, that after taking leave of him, we can repeat the words of the disciples at Emmaus : " Was not our heart burning within us; whilst he spoke...? " 2 554. There are persons who, though willing enough to be thus perfectly op~en, through a sort of timidity or reserve do not know how to make known their state of soul. Let them speak of this to their - spiritual director, who will help them with pertinent questions and, if need be, have them read some book or other that will enable them 'to come to a better knowledge of themselves and to analyze the state of their souls. Once the ice is broken, such intimate communications will be made with greater ease. - Others there are who, on the contrary, are liable to talk overmuch and to turn spiritual direction into pious prattle. These must remem- ber that a priest's time is limited, that others wait their turn and may grow impatient of delay. They should, therefore, set a limit and leave less important matters for some future meeting. -'•'-: 555. C) Docility in listening to and carrying out of a director's advice must accompany this frankness. There is nothing less supernatural than to 'wish him, to enter into our views, nothing more hurtful to the welfare of our-soul, for then it is not the will of God we seek, but our own, with this aggravating circumstance, that we abuse a God-given means in order to attain our selfish purposes. x Our only desire must be to" know. God's will through the agency of our spiritual director and not to extort his approval through more or less clever devices. One may deceive a spiritual director, but not Him Whom he represents. Doubtless, it is our duty to make known to him our likes and our dislikes, and if we foresee serious difficulties in ' « ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Introduction to a Devout Life, P. I, C. IV. « Luke, XXIV, 32. • MEANS OF PERFECTION. ~" 269 carrying out his advice, we must candidly mention them to him. Once this has been done, we must submit to his decision, or if we think it unwise,, seek another director. Strictly speaking, our spiritual director may be', mistaken, . but we makeflo mistake in obeying him, except, of course, were he to give counsel opposed to faith or morals. * 556. D) Only a grave reason and mature reflection should determine us to seek another spiritual guide. There should be in direction a certain continuity that cannot, exist if changes be frequently made. ' - a) Some persons tired- of listening to the same counsels, especially if these bear upon, things disagreeable to nature, or, led through curiosity, change confessors in order to see what the attitude of another will be. Others do the same through inconstancy , finding it impossible to hold for any length of time to 'the same practices. Others are inspired by vanity, wishing to go to one who enjoys a greater reputa- tion, or who is more in vogue, or to one who will probably flatter them. Some change through a kind of restlessness- that causes them to be ever dissatisfied with what they have and to dream of an imaginary perfection. Again, some do so, through an ill-regulated desire of opening their soul to different confessors, so as to engage their interest or to be reassured. Lastly, some change through a , false shame, to hide from .their regular confessor some humiliating weaknesses. . Evidently, these motives are not sufficient, and one must learn to brush them aside, if one wishes to make consistent progress in~the spiritual life. . 557. b) On the other hand, we must "remember the growing insistence wherewith the Church safeguards the freedom individuals must enjoy in the choice of a confessor; hence, if there be good reasons to have recourse to another, one must not hesitate to do so. What are the chief reasons? i) If in spite of all our efforts, we cannot have towards our director the respect, the confidence, and the openness above- mentioned, even if there be little or no grounds for such state of mind ; 2 "for in such a case, we " could derive no profit from his counsels. 2) Should we have any grounded fears -that ..bur director would deter us from perfection, because of his too natural views, or because- of -a too strong and too sentimental affection he has shown on some occa- sions. 3) If we should detect in him a lack of the necessary knowledge, prudence or discretion. — ^— — — — '• - i >» 1 " This obedience to our director is a stumbling-block to many of us. I cannot think it would be so if we had a clear, idea of it or, which is the same thing, an unexaggerated idea of it... A spiritual director is not a monastic superior... The superior's jurisdiction is universal, the director's only where we invite it or he asks it and we accord it... If we disobey a superior, we sin; it would require very peculiar and unusual circumstances to make disobedience to our director any sin at all." FABER, Grmotk in Holiness, C. XVIII. 3 P. LlBERMANN, Op. cit., p. 131. 270 .. " CHAPTER V, Such cases are rare, it is true; but should they occur, we must remember that spiritual direction is productive of good only if there exist between director and penitent real co-operation and mutual trust. § II. A Rule of Life1 558. A rule of life extends the influence of the director, by imparting to the penitent principles and rules that will enable the latter to sanctify all his acts through obedience, and 'that will provide him with a norm of conduct at once sound and safe. We shall explain : i° its utility; 2° its qualities; 3° the manner of keeping it. I. Utility of a Rule of Life Useful even to laymen who seek holiness in the world, a rule of life is of still greater importance to' members of religious communities and to priests in the ministry. It is no less conducive to personal sanctification than to the sanctification of one's neighbor. 559. i°Its utility as a means of personal saneti- flcation. In order to sanctify ourselves we must make good use of our time, supernaturalize our acts, and follow a certain program of perfection. Now, a rule of life wisely made with the help of our spiritual director secures for us this threefold advantage. A) It enables us to make a better use of our time. Let us actually compare the life of a person that follows a rule • with that of another that does not. a) He that lives without a rule inevitably wastes a great deal of time : i) He hesitates as to what is the best thing to do. Time is spent in deliberation,, in weighing the reasons for and against, and, as in many cases there are no decisive reasons on either side, he is liable to remain inactive.; then, natural inclinations gain the upper hand and he runs the risk of being led by curiosity, pleasure or vanity. 2) He neglects a certain number of duties, for haying neither foreseen nor determined the acceptable time and place for their fulfilment, he no longer finds time to perform them all. 3) These negligences engender incon- stancy. At times he makes vigorous efforts to steady himself* 1 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Introd. to A Devout Life, Part. I, C. Ill; Part. lit, RIBET, VAscetique, ch. XLI; KEATING, The Priest, His Character and Work, P. I, C. II; The secret of Sanctity, C. I; KNOX, Retreat for priest; MANNING, The eternal Priesthood. . . GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 271 while at other times he surrenders to his native indolence, and this, just because he has no fixed rule that would act as a corrective to the fickleness of his nature. - 560. b) The man who holds to a well-defined rule of life saves considerable time : i) He wastes no time in hesitation. He knows exactly what he is to do, and when he is to do it. Even if his schedule is not mathematically detailed, at least it sets off time-periods and lays down principles with regard to religious exercises, recreation, work, etc... 2) There is little or nothing unforeseen^ for even should the unusual occur, he has already provided for it by determining beforehand exercises that may be shortened and the manner of making up for them. At all events, as soon as these exceptional circumstances cease to exist, he immediately comes back to his rule. 3) Incon- stancy likewise vanishes. The rule urges him to do always what is prescribed, and that every day and at every hour of the day. Thus habits are formed that give continuity to his life and assure his perseverance; his days are full days, teeming with good works and merit. 561. B) A rule of life enables us to supernaturalize all our actions, a) They are performed through obedience, and this virtue adds its own special merit to that which is proper to every virtuous act. It is in this sense that the saying obtains, that he who lives by rule lives unto God; since it means the constant fulfilment of His holy will. Faithfulness to a rule .has, besides, a decided educative value. Instead of caprice and disorder that run rampant in an ill- ordered life, duty and strength of will prevail, and as a consequence, order and system. The will submits to God, and our inferior faculties yield their obedience to the will. This is a gradual return to the state of original justice. b) With a rule of life, it is easy to infuse supernatural motives into all our actions. The mere fact of conquering our tastes and whims puts order into our life 'and directs our actions towards God. Moreover, a good rule provides for a brief thought of God before every action of any importance^ and for the forming of a supernatural intention. Thus each and every one of our actions is explicitly sancti- fied and becomes an act of love. What a great measure of merit can be thus gained each day ! 562. C) A rule gives us a program of sanctification. a) What we have described already constitutes such a program, and by following it, we march on to perfection ; it 272 CHAPTER V, is none other than the highway of conformity to the Divine Will so extolled by God's. Saints. (n. 493-498). - b) Moreover, no rule of life is Complete that does not single out the virtues best adapted to the individual penitent's condition in life and to his state of soul. Of course, this program will be subject now and then to change by reason of new needs that arise, but all this will be done in agreement with the spiritual director. v 563. 2° A rule of life cannot but promote the sanctifi- cation of ones neighbor. < To sanctify others, we must join prayer to action, make good use of the time devoted to works of zeal, and give good example. This is exactly what is done by the man who is faithful to his rule. A) In his well-regulated life he finds the practical means of combining prayenwith action. Convinced that the soul of zeal is an interior life, he takes care that his rule devotes a certain portion. of time to prayer, Holy Mass, thanksgiv- ing, and all other exercises indispensable as spiritual food to the soul (n. 523). This does not prevent him from devoting a good measure of his time to works of zeal. Having learned" how to make a wise distribution of time (n. 560), he knows how to spare it whilst doing all things in an orderly and "methodical manner. Fixed hours are devoted to the divers kinds of parochial work, like confessions and the administration of the Sacraments. The faithful, once they know these arrange- ments, readily abide by them, happy to know just when they may call on the priest in their various needs. 564. B) Furthermore, the faithful are edified by the example of punctuality and regularity which they observe in the priest. They cannot help thinking and repeating that he is a man of duty, ever faithful to the rules laid down by eccle- siastical authorities. When they listen to him urge from the pulpit or in the confessional obedience to the laws of God and of the Church, they feel drawn more by the force of his example than by his words, and they become in turn more faithful in their. observance of the Commandments. A priest that lives up to his rule sanctifies in this manner both himself and his neighbor. This "is true also of those of the laity who devote themselves to works of zeal. - '" II. Qualities of a Rule of Life That a rule be productive of these happy results, it must be devised with the help of our spiritual director; it must GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. ^ 273 be at once flexible and firm; it must grade one's duties according to their relative importance. , • V 565. i ° It must be devised with the .help of bur spiritual director.' Prudence and obedience require this : ti) prudence, because to draw up a practical rule 'of life, great discretion and experience are needed -in order to see not only what may 'be good in. itself, but also what is good for this parti- cular individual; what is advisable in his case, what is beyond his strength, what is timely and what is. not, consir dering his circumstances. Few, indeed, are those that can unaided settle all these things wisely, b) Besides, one of the advantages of a rule of life is to give us occasions to practice the virtue of obedience. This would never be the case if we were its sole framers and did not submit 'it .to a lawful authority. . ; • 566. 2° The rule must be firm enough to sustain the _ will, yet elastic enough to be adaptable to. the various circumstances arising in real life, which not unfrequeritly .- foil our calculations. -: : '•"•>••-.'• '-.' a) It will have the necessary ftrniness if it embodies all that is needed to fix, at least in principle, the tinier and the manner of performing our spiritual exercises, c^ .fulfilling our duties of state, and of practicing the .virtues' proper to our condition in life. , - 567. b) It will possess the required elasticity. ',• if > once these points have been determined, it leaves a certain freedom of action as to changes of time, substitution of practices not essential in themselves _by their equivalents, .and if it makes allowance" even for the shortening of exercises at the demand of charity or of some other duty, the more so if the, religious exercises be completed at some later time. This elasticity should especially apply, according to the;wise remark , of Saint John Eudes> l to forms of prayer and the manner of offering our actions to God : "I beg you to notice that the practice of all practices, the secret of secrets, the devotion of devotions, is not. to attach oneself exclusively to any one particular practice or exercise of devotion. Take care, on the' contrary, in all. your exercises and all your actions to give yourself 'up to the Holy Spirit of Jesus! with humility, confidence, and detachment from all things, so that, finding you detached from .your own spirit and 'from your own devotion and dispositions He may have full: power and liberty to act in'.you as He desires, to inspire, you with such dispositions and, sentiments of devo- tion as He shall judge well, and to lead you by the ways which are pleasing to Him; " . .-• - • •'•":. v . V The Reign of Jesus, p. 148. NO 680. ~ 11 274 CHAPTER V. 568. 3° The rule must give each duty its own relative, importance for there is a hierarchy in our duties : aj God must evidently hold the first place ; then come the welfare of our soul and the sanctification of our neighbor. Assured- ly there is no real conflict between these duties; on the contrary they will, if we desire it, blend most harmoniously ; for to glorify God means simply to know and love Him. But' to know and to love God is to sanctify oneself, and also to sanctify others by making them know and love Him. If, however, one should devote his entire time to works of zeal to the detriment of the great duty of prayer, he would evidently be. neglecting the most efficacious means of zeal. It is likewise evident that should any one neglect his personal sanctification, he would very soon be lacking in genuine zeal for that of, others. So, if we are careful first to give to God the portion, of time that should be conse- crated to Him and to reserve the necessary time for, our essential spiritual exercises, the means of working out oar own sanctificationj then our works of zeal will most assured- ly bear abundant fruit. Therefore, the first and the last moments of the day should be devoted to God and to our soul. Then we can safely give ourselves to works of zeal, stopping however from time to" time to raise our mind and heart to God. Our whole life will thus be divided between prayer and works of zeal. ' .;- • ' b) However, in urgent circumstances we must be guided by another principle : that the more necessary comes first. ' A case in point would be that of an urgent sick call ; a priest leaves all else to attend to. this. Still, while oh the way he should strive to occupy his'timid with holy thoughts, which will take the place of whatever spiritual exercise was then to be performed. . - y am ' . " ' •••'••'sif '<•*• • • ' " • . ,L" III.. The Manner^ ^Keeping a Rule of Life 569. That a rule- be ^sanctifying, it must be observed entirely and in a Christian manner.^,. .. i° It must be observed in its entirety, that is to say, fully, in all .its parts, and; with punctuality. If we pick and choose among the various points of our rule, and this without reasonable cause, we shall carry out those that cost us less and omit those that are more difficult. We should thus lose the chief advantages to be derived from the exact observance of a rule, for even in the points we should observe, we would be in danger of acting from caprice or self-will. The rule, then, must be kept in its totality and GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. '275 to the letter, as far as possible. ' If for some grave reason this cannot be done, we must abide by the spirit of the rule and do all, that is, morally speaking, within our power. 570. There are two faults to be avoided here : scrupulosity and laxity. i i) Let there be no scruples. As long as, there, is a serious reason to dispense with a given point of the. rule, to postpone it or to substitute an equivalent for it, let it be done without misgivings. Thus an urgent duty, a sick-call instance; is, sufficient to dispense from the visit to the Blessed Sacrament, should no time be left for it; one may easily supply for it by communing with Our Eucharistic Lord on the way. The same may be said' of a mother's care of her children; it dispenses her from her regular communion, when it is impossible to harmonize this with the other duty. Spiritual communion, in that case, can take the place of sacramental communion. % r ' . 2) Neither let there be laxity. A Jack of mortification, the mere desire to prolong conversations without necessity, curiosity, etc., are not adequate reasons for deferring the performance of a given exercise, at the risk of omitting it altogether, . Likewise, if the accomplisment of certain duties in the'usual manner becomes impossible, we, must strive to comply therewhith in another way. Thus a priest who is obliged to take the Holy Viaticum during his time of meditation, will try to turn the fulfilment of this duty into an affective prayer, by offering his homage to the God of the Eucharist Who rests upon Ms heart 1 571. Punctuality is an integral part of the observance of a rule of life. Not to begin an exercise at the prescribed moment; and that without a reaspn, already constitutes an act of resistance to grace, which admits of no delays ;-it is to run the risk of omitting or at laest shortening this exercise from lack of time. If it is a question of some public exercise of the ministry, a delay often means considerable inconvenience to the faithful; on the part of a teacher lack of punctuality sets before the students a bad example which they are too prone to follow. 572, 2° The rule must be observed in a Christian manner, that is to say, with supernatural motives, in order to do the will of God; arid thus give Him the most genuine proof of our love. This singleness of purpose is the soul of a rule; itr gives to eacrf'pf our actions its true worth, by transforming them all into acts of obedience and love. In order to practice this singleness of purpose, we must reflect a moment, before acting,* ask ourselves what our rule demands of us at the time, and then regulate our conduct, thereby -with the view of pleasing God : " I do always the things that please Him." Thus; the keeping of a rule will enable us to live constantly for God : „ He who lives by rule, lives unto God." '-. • . . • 1 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Introd. to a Devout Life. . 276 - CHAPTER V. § III. Spiritual Readings and Conferences * ; 573. Readings or conferences complete the spiritual direction of souls. _ A spiritual book is in reality a Avritten direction. An exhortation1 'is oral .direction addressed to several. We shall explain : i° their utility;-.?? fo&-'.disposi- tions requisite to profit by them. I. The Utility of Spiritual Readings ;, and Spiritual Conferences * - , 5 74. A) The Reading of Holy Scripture* especially of the New Testament, 'evidently holds the first place. 2 * a) Truly pious souls take their ( delight in- the Gospels. i) Therein they find Our Lord's teachings and examples. Nothing schools them better to a solid piety ; nothing draws them more powerfully to the imitation of the Divine Model. Should we. ever have understood the 'meaning of humility, of meekness, of the bearing of injuries, of virginal chastity, of fraternal charity unto the immolation of self, had we not read and pondered the ' example as well as the instructions- of the Master concerning these virtues? True, pagan philosophers, especially the Stoics, had written beautiful pages upon some of these; yet how great is the contrast between their literary disquisitions and the persuasive call of the Master?. Theirs, we feel, is the. art of the rhetorician, and often the pride of the moralists exalting himself above the masses : " 1 'loathe and shun ike common herd. " In Our Lord we behold perfect simplicity as He shrinks not from the lowly multitude,'a perfect sincerity as He practices what He preaches and seeks not His personal glory, but the glory of Him that sent Him. \ ' 2) For devout- souls, moreover, each utterance, each act of the Master holds a special grace that facilitates the practice of the virtues they set before us. In reading the Gospels, such souls worship the Divine Word ; and they beg Him to enlighten them to make them understand, relish, and live His teachings. • This sort of reading is a meditation, a loving conversation with Jesiis, and souls emerge from it determined more than ever to follow Him Who is the object of their . admiration and their love. . fo) The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles likewise supply food . for our piety. They are the teachings of Jesus lived by, His disciples, explained, commented upon, and adapted to the needs of the faithful by those to whosei care He entrusted the perpetuation of .His work. There is nothing niore. tender or irTo're stimulating than this first commentary on the Gospe}. 1 ST. BONAVENTURE. De modo studendi in S.. Scriptura; MABILLON, Des etudes "morizstiques, IIe Part, ch. II, III, XVI; LE GAUDIER, op. cit., P. V. sect. I; TRONSON, Manuel, IIe Part., Ent. I, XV, XVI; RIBET, Ascettque, ch. XLIV; D. COLUMBA MARMION, Chnst ideal of the monk, p. 519-524; ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Introd. to a Devout Life, p.;n. C. 17; FABER, Spiritual Conferences, A Taste for Reading; HEDLEY, Retreat, c. XXX; A. BARRY- O'NEILL, Pnestly 'Practice, VI. — " The Following of Christ, Book I, c. V. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION, 277 575* 6) In The Old Testament: i) There are parts that should be in the hands of every one. Such are the Psalms; "The Psalter," says Lacordaire, > "was our forefathers'manual ofpiety ; it was found on the table of the poor and it lay on the kneeling-bench of kings. Today, it is still in the hands of the priest a treasure whence he draws the inspiration that leads him to the altar, the Ark of Refuge wherewith he ventures into the perils of the world and into the desert land of medi- tation." It is the most excellent of Prayer-books wherein we find in a language that always lives and never grows old, the most beautiful expressions of admiration, adoration, filial reverence, gratitude and love, together with the most "ardent supplications, midst ^situations the" most varied and trying : the appeals of the just to God when harassed by persecution, the bitter cry of the repentant sinner from a broken and humbled heart ; the note .of hope for a merciful pardon and the promises of a better life. To read and reread them, to ponder them and to make their sentiments our own is surely a highly sanctifying occupation.* 2) The Sapiential Books may likewise be' read with profit by pious souls. They will find therein besides the urgent calls of Uncreated Wisdom to a worthier life the exposition of the great virtues we are ,tb practice in our relations to God, our neighbor, arid ourselves. 3), As for the Historical and Prophetical Books, to read them to advantage a certain preparation is required. We must see in them, above all God's providential action over the chosen people in order to keep them from -falling into idolatry and to recall them again and again,, despite their estrangement, to the worship of the true -God, to the hope of a Deliverer, to the practice .of justice, of equity, of charity," especially towards the poor and the oppressed. Having been thus initiated, we find in these books most inspiring pages. If the weak- nesses of the servants of God are therein recorded together with their good ^ works, it is to remind us.of the frailty of human nature and of God's wonderful mercy, so full of forgiveness to penitent sinners. 576. B) Spiritual writers, if we choose the best, especially from among, the Saints, are for us masters and mentors. - • ''.•'• a) They are masters, who having learned and lived the science of the Saints, can impart to us an understanding of and a taste for the principles and the rules of perfection. They strengthen in us the conviction ;of our obligation to aim at sanctity; they point out to us the means to be employed, showing the effectiveness of these in their own lives ; they exhort, encourage, and induce us to follow in their footsteps. . They are all the more ^helpful, since they are ever available. With the' help of our spiritual director we can choose those best suited to our state of- soul and hold 1 Letters to Young Men, 2nd Letter. ' 2 Numerous commentaries facilitate the- understanding of the Psalms. Among the most recent are those of BOYLAN, KISSANE, KNOX and HUGUENY, 0. P., whose object is to give both the literal and spiritual sense in view of the devout recitation of the Divine Office. . ' • . 278 CHAPTER V. converse with them as long as* we will We find excellent ones among them, adapted to the different states of soul and answering the needs of the moment. Our chief concern is to make a good choice and to read them with the earnest desire of profiting by them. ; 577. b) They are likewise most benevolent mentors who reveal to us our defects with great discretion and kindness. They do this by placing before us the ideal 'we are to follow, enabling us by the light of this spiritual mirror to recognize our good qualities and our defects, the, stages we have reached and those we have yet to traverse in the pursuit of perfection. Thus we are easily led to self-examination and to generous resolutions. • • -, No wonder, then, that the reading of spiritual books and of the lives of the Saints has brought about conversions such as those of Augustine and Ignatius Loyola, and led to the highest degrees of' perfection souls that would have otherwise never risen above mediocrity. 578. C) Spiritual Conferences have a double advan- tage over the reading of spiritual books, a) Designed as they are for a special class of persons, they are better adapted to their peculiar needs, b) The appeal Q{. the spoken word is stronger and, all things being equal, its., 'power is greater than that of the written word, better calculated to carry conviction to souls : the eye, the living voice, ; the gesture, bring out the import .of the thought exprefse'cl. But that this be so, the speaker has to drink at the purest sources, be deeply convinced of what he says and beg God Almighty to bless and vivify his words. His hearers; likewise, must be possessed of the. right dispositions. \\. Requisite Dispositions in order to Profit by Spiritual Readings and Conferences* 579. The real purpose of spiritual reading is to sustain in us the spirit of prayer. It is one of the forms of medi- tation, one of the ways of holding converse with God, with the writer or the speaker as interpreter. 580. i° To draw real profit from these readings and conferences a great spirit of faith is required, making us see God Himself in the writer or .speaker : " God as it were exhorting by us. " 2 This will be easy if the author or 1 J. GAUDERON, La Lecture Spirituelle d'apr&s les principes de S. Jean Eudes, Vie spirit., juin 1921, p. 185-202. — 2 II Cor., V, 20. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 279 preacher is himself imbued with the teachings of the Gospel and can say in all truth that 'his doctrine is not his own, but that of Jesus Christ : " My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." * . ..'•... Let the pious reader or the devout hearer offer up to God a fervent prayer asking Our Lord to vouchsafe to speak to his heart through the Holy Ghost. Let him, moreover, be on.his guard against curiosity, which seeks to learn novel- ties rather than to profit spiritually. He must beware of vanity, which prompts one to seek acquaintance with things spiritual in order to be able to speak about them and thus- gain a reputation. He must beware of censoriousness, which prompts one to listen or read, not in order to gain profit, but to criticise the matter or the literary form of the discourses. His sole purpose must be his spiritual gain. • 581. 2° A second requisite is a sincere desire to sanctify oneself. The fact is that we derive advantage from such readings and "conferences in the measure in which we seek therein our own sanctification. Hence we must : a) hunger and thirst -for .perfection, listening or reading with an alert mind that yearns after the word of God; a mind that applies to itself, not to others, what it reads or hears, the better to assimilate it and carry it out in practice. We then find abundant food for the soul whatever may be the subject treated, for all things hold together in the spi- ritual life. What applies directly to beginners can be easily adapted to the : more advanced;, what is said for -the latter constitutes the ideal of the former, and what has a bearing on the future enables us to form resolutions in the present, thus preparing ourselves for the duties that will fall Jo us later on. Thus victory over future temptations is prepared by the vigilance we exercise here and now. We can always draw profit in the present from whatever we hear or read, especially, if we hearken to the inward voice that speaks to our inmost soul, if we have ears to;hear : "I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me." z . " . 582; b) This is the reason why we. should read slowly, as St. John Eudes advises : 3 "Stop tdjfconsider, ponder, and relish the truths that make th,e greater appeal to you, in order to fix them in your mind;, therefrom to elicit acts and affections." When this is 'realized, spiritual reading and conferences become a prayer; little by little the thoughts .' John, VII, 16. '- * Ps. LXXXIV, 9. - *-The Reign of Jesus, P. II, § XV. 280 , ' CHAPTER V. and -sentiments we either read or Hear penetrate , the soul, and we form the desire and .pray for the grace of putting them into practice. , : -- 5 8 3. 3° A third requirement iis the earnest effort to begin to practice what is read or heard. This* was" St. Paul's recommendation to his readers: " Not the hearers .of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified, " I St. Paul but- comments here on the words of the Master Who in the parable of the Sower declares that they profit by the word of God " who in a good and perfect heart hearing the word, keep it and bring forth fruit in patience. " 2 - :. We should, then, imitate St. Ephrem, of whom it is said : " He reproduced in his life what he had read in the sacred pages." 3 Light is given to us for action, and our first act should be an effort to live according to the instruction received ; "Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only." 4 § IV. The Sanctification of Our Social Relations 584. Thus far we have spoken of the • soul's relations with God, under the~guidance of a spiritual director. It is clear, however, that our relations extend to many other persons as well, to our relatives, to our friends, and to those with whom we come in contact by reason of our position in life and of the share we take in works of 'zeal. All these relations can and should be"sanctified and thus .contribute to' strengthen pur spiritual life. In order to facilitate the sanctification of these relations, we shall explain the general principles that should govern them and we shall point out some of the principal applications. I. General Principles 585. i° In God's initial plan, creatures were designed to raise, us up to God by reminding us that He is the Author and the Exemplary Cause of all things. Since the Fall, however, creatures so attract us that if we are not .on our guard they will turn us away from God, or at least retard our progress towards Him. We must then react against this tendency, and by the spirit of faith and of sacrifice make use of 'persons and things as means to reach God. 586. 2° Among the relations we have with .others, there are those that are willed by God, such as those born 1 Rom., II, 13. — •» Luc., VIII, 15. -^ 3 ENNOiaus, in ejus vita, — tjatnes, I, 22. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION, 281 ^_ ,|± ^-••U-Him.l..^ - -.-." -11-T-n- S_m -J.I— •-.-. TIL, /I— --MUULQUr.j-T-.-.juii --.!_- T-U.---^- -,J.J " ',•• ^ of family-ties or imposed by our duties of state. These relations must be maintained and sttpernaturalized. One is not relieved from duties imposed by the natural law because one aspires to perfection; on the contrary, one is thereby obliged to fulfil .them '.in a. more perfect manner. These relations must, however, be supernaturalized by being directed toward our last end, God. -The best way to accomplish this is to look upon those with whom we come in contact as ; the children of God, our brethren in Ghfist. respecting and loving them because they -possess qualities which are the -reflection of the divine perfections, and because they are destined to share in God's life and in His glory. In this way, it is God Whom we esteem arid love in them. - - ....... 587. 3° There are, on the other hand, relations which are dangerous or bad? which tend to lead us into sin either by stirring up within us. the spirit of the world or by creat- ing in us an inordinate attachment to Creatures by reason of the sensible or sensuous pleasure- we find in their company. It is our duty to flee from such occasions as far as we can, and, if it be impossible to" avoid them, it is incumbent upon us to remove them morally (to -make the danger remote) by fortifying our will against the disordered attachment to such persons. To act otherwise is -to hazard our sanctification and our salvation, for " he thatjoveth danger, shall perish in it."1 The greater our desire for perfection, the more must we flee from dangerous occasions, as we shaUv explain later when speaking of faith, chanty, and the other virtues. 588. 4° Lastly, there are relations which in themselves are neither good nor bad. They are merely indifferent. Such are visits, conversations, recreations. These may by reason of circumstance and motive b,e rendered useful or harmful. A soul striving after perfection will by purity of intention and by a spirit of moderation turn all such relations into good. ' First of all, we must seek those only which are truly conducive to the glory of God, the welfare of souls, or to the relaxation which health of body and mind requires. Then, in. the enjoyment of these we must exercise prudence and reserve, and thus conform all our -relations to the order willed by God. Hence, we must not indulge in long, idle conversations which constitute a loss of time and an occasion of fostering pride and lessening brotherly love, nor must we ., 111,27.',, 282 CHAPTER V. give ourselves to protracted and violent amusements, that fatigue the body and depress the spirit. I In short, let us ever keep before us the standard laid down by St. Paul : " All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." z : II. Sanctification of Family-Relations - • . 589. Nature is not destroyed, but perfected by grace. Family ties are God-given. He has willed that men increase and multiply through the sanctioned and indisso- luble union of, man and woman and that this bond be further strengthened by their offspring. ; Hence, the most intimate and most tender relations between husband and wife, parent and child. These the sacramental grace of marriage helps to supernaturalize. i° THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPTION OF .THE RELATIONS BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE 3 590. By His presence at the marriage-feast ,©f Cana, and by raising Christian wedlock to the dignity of a Sacrament, Our Lord taught husband and wife that their union can be sanctified, and He merited for them that grace. ' ' A) Before marriage, a truly Christian love, a. tender and ardent love, pure and supernatural, has made their hearts one, and prepared them to bear bravely the heavy burdens of parenthood. The flesh and the devil will no doubt attempt to inject info this love a sensual element that might threaten virtue. However, the betrothed sustained by the reception of the Sacraments, learn to control such influences and to supernaturalize their mutual affection by realizing that every worthy sentiment comes from God and should be referred to Him. ; . 591. B) The sacramental grace ,of marriage, whilst uniting their hearts in an indissoluble bond, refines and purifies their love. They will ever keep in mind the words of St. Paul admonishing them that their union is the image of the mysterious union between Christ and His Church. 1 Concerning the sanctification of visits, conversations, recreations, journeys, cf. TRONSON, Particular Exam. LXXVIII-XC. • 2 Coloss., Ill, 17. . 3 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life, Part. Ill, C. XXXVIII, XXXIX; D|HuLST-CoNWAY, The Christian Family; KANE S. J., The Plain Gold Ring; Pius XI; encycl. " Casti connubii ", 1930 the encycl. on education, 1929. v/ , GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 283 "Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord:: because the husband is the head of the wife/as Christ is the head of the Church. He is the savior of his body. There- fore as the Church is subject to Christ : so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church and delivered himself up for it : that He might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laverof water in the word of life : that He might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy, and without blemish. So also ought men to love their wives as their own bodies... Nevertheless let everyone of you in particu- lar love his wife as himself : and let the wife fear her husband. " * Hence, there should be between husband and • wife a mutual respect and Christ 's members \ heirs-to-be of eternal glory. They ever surround them with their devoted care and solicitude. They give them a Christian education, intent upon forming in them the very virtues of : Christ. With this aim in view) they exercise the authority committed to them by God, with tact, thoughtfulness, strength and meekness. They do not lose sight of the fact that they are God's representa- tives, and they avoid that weakness which. would spoil their- children, that selfishness which would delight in children as in so many playthings and, fail to inure them to labor and virtue. With God's help and -the aid of carefully, chosen teachers, they will help them to grow to the fulness,, p| Christian manhood, thus exercising a sort of priesthood within the' sacred precincts of the home. Thus, ttiey wjjl be counted worthy of the blessing of God Almighty arici of the gratitude of their offspring. !" . . - ." . ,. 2° .DUTIES OF CHILDREN TOWARDS THEIR PARENTS v. : .. 593. A) The grace that hallows the relations of Christian parents perfects, likewise, and supernaturalizea the duties of ' Bphes., V, 22-33. 284 CHAPTER V. respect, love and obedience which children must render to them. ; -;.'/• a) That grace makes us see in our parents the representa- tives of God and His authority. To them, under Him, we owe our life, its preservation, its guidance. Qur respect for them, therefore, reaches veneration. We revere in them their participation in the Fatherhood of God, " of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named."* .In them .we pay homage to His authority, to His perfections, to God Himself. b) Their attachment, their kindness, their solicitude are for us a reflection of the divine goodness, and owe filial love in turn grows in intensity, rising to such perfect devptedness, that we are ready to sacrifice ourselves in their behalf and, . if need be, lay down our lives to. save them. Hence, we give them, to the full extent of our resources, all the tem- poral and spiritual assistance they need. :_ e) Seeing in them the representatives of the divine authority, we do not hesitate to render them obedience in all things, following. the example of Our Lord, Who during thirty years of His life on earth was subject to Mary and to Joseph. 2 This obedience knows no other bounds than those set by God Himself : we must obey God rather than men, and hence, in what regards our soul and. particularly in what,pertains to our vocation, we must rather follow the advice of our confessor, after acquainting him with home conditions. In this again we.but follow Our Lord's example, Who, to His Mother's question of why He had remained in Jerusalem, made answer : " Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" i Thus the rights and duties of each are safeguarded. - 594. B) By entering the ranks of the clergy we quit the world and, in a sense, the family. This, in order to form part of the great ecclesiastical family and to consecrate ourselves henceforward, and before all else, to the glory of God, the good of souls and the welfare of the Church. The interior sentiments of respect and-love for our parents are not suppressed ; rather they are refined. Their outward expression, however, from now on is subordinated to, our duties of state. We must not, in order to please our parents, do anything that would interfere with our ministry. Our first duty is to busy ourselves with the things of God. " Ephts., Ill, 15. — " 'Luke, II, 51. — 3 Lukt, II, 49, f^ ^ GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 285 J_J— *' Hence, if their views, their words, their demands go counter to the claims of our service-to souls,; we shall, sweetly and lovingly,- yet firmly, make them understand that in what relates to our duties of state we are dependent on God and our ecclesiastical superiors. I We shall continue, however, to honor, to love, and to aid our parents to the full extent compatible with the duties of our office. These principles apply all the more to those who enter a religious order or congregation.2 ••' •• III. Sanctification of 'Friendship Friendship can become a means of sanctification or a serious obstacle to perfection accordingly as it is superna- tural or merely natural and sentimental in character. We shall treat, then : I6 of true friendship, 2° oi false friendship, 30 of that friendship wherein there is an admixture of the supernal and the sentimental. t . ..'-• i° TRUE FRIENDSHIP 3 We shall explain its nature and its \ value. 595. A) Its Nature, a) Friendship being an interchange, a mutual communication between two persons, it receives its character chiefly .from the variety of the communications themselves and from the diversity of the things communi- cated. This is very well explained by St. Francis de Sales : 4 "The more exquisite the virtues are, which shall be the matter of your communications, the more perfect shall your friendship also ;be. If this communication be in the sciences, the .friendship is very commendable ; but still more so,' if it be in the moral virtues : in. prudence, discretion, fortitude and justice. But should your reciprocal commu- nications relate to charity, devotion and Christian perfection, good God, how precious will this friendship be! It will be excellent, because it comes from God; excellent, because it tends to God; excellent, because its very bond is: God; excellent, because it shall last eternally in God. Oh how- good it is to love. on earth as they love in heaven-; to learn to cherish each other in this world, as we shall do, eternally in the next?" 1 A. CHEVRIERJ Le Writable Disciple, 1922, p. 101-112.- 2 RODRIGUEZ, Practice of Christian Perfection, P. II, Treatise V. 3 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life, Part. Ill, C. 17-22 ; RIBET, Ascltiqut, ch. XLIII, p. 437-4411 448-4S1 ; AD. A PENDERWINDEKE, Comp. Tlteol. ascetic®, 1921, n. 437-439; Rouzic, De I'Amitif; MARCETTEAU, The Ywng Seminarian's Manual, p. 401-411. . . « Devout Life,,Pa.rt. Ill, C. 19. 286 CHAPTER V. In general, then, true friendship is an intercourse between two souls with the purpose of procuring each other's good. It stays within the limits, of moral goodness if the good mutually shared belongs to the natural order. Supernatural friendship, however, stands on a far superior plane. It is the intimate intercourse of two souls, who love each other in God and for God with a view of aiding each other to attain the perfection of that divine life which they possess. The ultimate end of this friendship is God's glory, the proximate end their own spiritual progress, and the bond of union between the two friends is Our Lord. This was the thought of the Blessed Ethelred : " We are two, you and I, and I trust a third One is with us, Christ. " Lacordaire thus renders this thought : " I can no longer love any one without reaching the soul behind the heart and having Jesus Christ as our common possession. " * 596. b) Thus, supernatural friendship instead of being passionate, all-absorbing, exclusive after the manner of sentimental friendship, is marked by calm reserve and mutual trust. It is a calm, self-possessed affection precisely because it is rooted in the love of God and shares in His virtue. For the same reason it is unwavering; it grows, unlike the love that is founded on passions and which tends to grow cool. With it goes a prudent, reserve. . Instead of seeking familiarities and endearments like sentimental friendship, it is full of respect and reserve, for it seeks nothing but spiritual good. This reserve does not exclude confidence. Because there is mutual esteem and because one sees in the other a reflection of the divine perfections, there arises a strong mutual trust. This leads to an intimate intercourse since each longs to share in the spiritual qua- lities of the other, thus establishing an exchange of thoughts, of views, and a communication of holy desires for perfection. Because such friends desire each other's perfection they do npt fear to point out their respective defects and to offer mutual help for their correction. This mutual confidence excludes all suspicion and uneasiness and does not allow the friendship to become all-absorbing or exclusive. One does riot take it amiss that one's friend should have other friends, but one is rather glad of it for his sake and the sake of others. 597. B) The value of such friendship is evident, a) It has been praised by the Holy Ghost : "A faithful friend is a strong defence : and he that hath found him hath found 1 P. CHOCARNE, Vie de Lacordaire, t. II, ch. XV. GENERAU MEANS OF PERFECTION 287 a treasure... A faithful friend is the medicine of life and immortality. " * Our Lord Himself has given us an example in His friendship for St. John, who was known as "the disciple whom ' Jesus loved."21 St. Paul had friends to whom he was deeply attached ; he sorrowed at their absence; meeting them again was his sweetest consolation; and he was comfortless because,' contrary to his expectation, he failed to find Titus -."Because I found not Titus my brother, " 3 He rejoiced upon finding him again : " God comforted us by the coming of Titus... we did the more abundantly rejoice for the joy of Titus>. ".4 We see also the affection he had for Timothy, whose .very presence did him so much good and helped him to do good unto others. Thus he called him his " fellow laborer, " 5 his " dearest son, " 6 his "brother, " 7 his. " beloved son. " 8 'Christian antiquity, likewise, furnishes us with illustrious examples, among which one of the best known is that of St.-Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen. 9 598. b) True friendship has three important aclvan; tages, especially for the priest in -the ministry. 1) A friend is a protection for virtue, a strong defence We must needs open our hearts to an intimate confidant. At times our spiritual director answers the purpose, but not always; his friendship,/<2/mz#/in nature, is not the fraternal intimacy we crave. We need an equal to whom we can speak with perfect freedom. If we do not find such a one, we are liable to be betrayed into indiscreet disclosures to persons unworthy of our trust, and such confidences have their dangers for those who make and for those who receive them. 2) A friend is also a sympathetic counsellor to whom we willingly bring our doubts and offer our difficulties in order that he may help us to reach a solution. He is likewise a mentor, prudent and. devoted, who observing our ways and aware of what is said of us, will tell us the truth and save us from many an act of imprudence. 3) Lastly, a friend is a comforter, who will listen with sympathy to the story of our sorrows, and who will find in his heart words of comfort and encouragement. 599.. The question has been asked whether or not such friendships should be encouraged in communities. It may 1 Becks. , VI, 14-16. —'John, XIII, 23. — 3 // Cor. , II, 13. — 4 II Cor. , VII , 6, 13! s £om.,X.VI, 21. — 6 1 Cor., IV, I7. -.? //. Cor., I, i. - 8 / Tim., I, 3, ' 9 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, loc. cit, c. 19, refers to many others. 288 . CHAPTER V. be feared that they will be detrimental to the affection which should unite all .the members and that 'they will be the cause of jealousies. Assuredly, care must be taken that such friendships do not interfere with the charity due to all, that they be supernatural and be kept Within the lirnitS'set by Superiors. With these provisions, friendship retains in communities all the advantages described above, since religious as well as others need the counsel, comfort and protection that a friend alone can give. However, in communities more than elsewhere, all that savors of false friendship must -be avoided with jealous care. 2° FALSE FRIENDSHIP We shall speak of its nature and dangers, and of the remedies to be applied. - . • 600. A) Its Nature, a) False friendship has for its foundation external or shallow qualities, and for its purpose the enjoyment of the sight and charms qf its object. Hence, fundamentally it is but a sort of masked egotism, since one loves the other because of the pleasure he finds in his company. Undoubtedly, he is ready to be of service to him, but this again in view of the pleasure he experiences in drawing the other closer to himself. to) St. Francis de Sales distinguishes three types of false friendships : carnal friendship in which one seeks voluptuous pleasure; sentimental friendship, based mainly on the appeal outward qualities make to the emotions, "such as the pleasure to behold a beautiful person, to hear a sweet voice, to touch, and the 'like; " x foolish friendship, which has no other foun- dation than those empty accomplishments styled by shallow minds virtues and perfections, such as graceful dancing, clever playing, delightful singing, fashionable dressing, smiling glances, a pleasing appearance,. etc. 601. e) These various kinds pf friendship generally begin with adolescence and are born of the instinctive need we feel of loving and being loved; Often they are a kind of deviation of sexual .love. In the world such friendships arise between young men and^women and go by the name of "fond-love."2 In cloistered communities they exist between persons of the same sex and are styled/particular friendships. Such affections are at times kept up in mature life; thus there are men who feel sentimental affection •STFRANCISDE SALES, loc. cit., C. 17. •— 8Sx FRANCIS DE SALES, loc. cit., C. 18. •-•:. . - . - -.--• . .. - . toward -boys : because of their youthful and attractive appear- ance, their frankness and openness of character, and the charm ' and winsomeness'of their manner. - 602. ,d) The characteristics whereby sentimental friendships may be recognized are gathered from their origin, development, effects. 1) Their origin is sudden QXI& -vehement because they proceed from a natural and instinctive sense of sympathy. They rest upon exterior and- showy qualities. They are attended by strong and,7 at times, passionate feelings. .. '•" ~ ; '' t - , .. , 2) Their development is fostered by conversations at times insi- gnincanj but affectionate, at others,1 .fond and dangerous. In certain communities furtive glances take , the place; of familiar conversa- tions. " ' : ' 3) These friendships are impetuous, all-absorbing and exclusive; the illusion that such affection will last forever is often brusquely" destroyed by- separation and the forming: of new attachments. 603. B) The dangers of such friendships are apparent. a) They constitute one of the greatest obstacles to spiri- tual progress. God Who does not ,want a divided heart begins by making interior reproaches to the soul arid, if it hearkens riot to His voice, He gradually withdraws, leaving the soul without light arid inward consolations. In propor- tion as the attachments grow, the spirit of ; recollection is lost, peace of soul vanishes, as well as relish for spiritual exercises arid love of work. . b) Hence a great loss of 'time : the absorbing thought of the friend hinders both mind and heart from devoting; themselves to piety, and to serious work. C) All this ends in dissatisfaction and discouragement; sentimentality gains control over the will, which loses its strength and languishes. d) It is" at this point that dangers threatening purity arise. One would wish, indeed, not to trespass the bounds of pro- priety, yet fancying that friendship confers certain rights, one indulges in familiarities of a more and more question- able character. Now the descent is swift, and he .who risks the danger will end by perishing in it. 604. C) The remedies against such friendships are : a) To resist them in their beginnings. It is all the easier then, for the heart is not yet deeply attached. A few energetic efforts succeed, especially if one has .the courage to mention the matter to one's director and , to accuse oneself of the least failings in that regard," If one waits too 290 CHAPTER V, long, the process of disentangling the heart will prove far more difficult; x ' b) To root out these affections successfully, radical measures must be taken : " You must cut them, break them, tear them; amuse not yourself in unravelling these criminal friendships ; you must tear and rend them asunder. " 2 So it is not enough to renounce intercourse with one to whom we are thus attached, but we must not even deliberately think of him; and should it be impossible to avoid all association- with him, we shall on these occasions show courtesy and charity, but never, indulge in any confidences or bestow any special marks of affection. e),The better to insure success, positive means must be used. Let one's activities be wholly devoted to the fulfilment of the duties of state, and when, in spite of all, the object of such affections presents itself unsought to the mind, this should be made the occasion of eliciting acts of love toward God: "One is my beloved, One is my troth forever" We thereby profit by temptation itself to increase within us the love of • Him Who alone is worthy to possess our hearts. 3° FRIENDSHIP AT ONCE SUPERNATURAL AND SENTIMENTAL 605. At times it happens that there is in our friendships a mixture of the sentimental with the morally good and the supernatural. One truly desires the supernatural good of a friend and at the same time craves the joy of his company and his words, sorrowing overmuch at his absence. This is well described by St. Francis de Sales : " They begin with virtuous love, with which, if not attended to with the utmost discretion, fond love will begin to 'mingle itself, then sensual love, and afterwards carnal love ; yea, there is even danger in spiritual love, if we are, not extremely on our guard ; though in this it is more difficult to be imposed upon because its purity and whiteness makes the spots and stains which Satan seeks to mingle with it more apparent and therefore when he takes this in hand he does it more subtilely, and endeavors to introduce impurities by almost insensible degrees. "3 606. Here again we must watch over the heart and take effective means so as not to be carried as it were insensibly down this dangerous grade. i The following is Ovid's remark in De Remediis Amoris : " Principiis oVsta, sero medicina paratur Cum mala fer longas invahiere moras ". * Devout Life, loc. cit., C. XXI. — 3 Devout Life, loc. cit., C. XX. GENERAL ^MEANS OF PERFECTION. 291 a) If it is the good dement faa& predominates, one may continue such a friendship whilst purifying it. For this, one must first of all forego what would foster 'sentiment, like frequent and affectionate conversations, familiarity, etc. From time to time one must deny oneself meetings otherwise in order, arid be willing to shorten conversations that 'cease to be useful. In this way one gains control of sentiment and wards off danger. , b) If the element of sentiment predominates, one must for a considerable period of time renounce any special relations with the said friend beyond the strictly necessary, and when one must meet him one should abstain from speaking in terms of affection. Sentiment is thus allowed to cool ; one waits for a renewal of relations until calm is restored to the soul. The renewed association then takes on a different character. Should it be otherwise, it must be severed forever. e) In any case the results of our examination must be put to profit so that they may redound to a further strengthen- ing of our love for Jesus Christ. We must protest that we want to love only in- Him and for Him, and we should read frequently chapters VII and VIII of the second book of the Following of Christ. It is thus that temptations will become for us a source of. victory. IV. Sanctification of Social and Business Relations x 607. Professional relations are a means of sanctifi- cation or an obstacle to our spiritual progress, according to the view we take of our duties, of state and the man- ner in which we discharge them. In reality the duties imposed by our calling a're in themselves in harmony with the will of God. If we fulfil them with the intention of obeying God and of 'regulating our life according to the laws of prudence, justice and charity, they are an aid to our sanctification. 2 If, on the contrary, we have nb^ other end in view than to secure position and wealth by the discharge of our professional duties in defiance of the laws of con- science, such relations become a source of ; sin and scandal. A) A first duty then is to accept the profession to which - God's Providence has led us as the expression of His will 1 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life; SHAW, The salt of the earth; MANNING, The eternal Priesthood. 2 BOURDALOUE in his second sermon for the Feast of -All Saints shows how the Saints have sanctified their respective stations in life and profited by their condition to arrive at a high degree of perfection.' 292 CHAPTER V, and-to abide therein as long as we have no reasons justify- ing a change. It is part of the divine economy: that there should; be a diversity- of arts, trades, and professions, and when we have found a place in any of. them through a series of providential happenings, we may rightly believe that we are where God wills 'us to be. We make an exception when for prudent . and lawful reasons we are convinced that it is our duty to effect a change, for whatever is in harmony with right reason lies within God's providen- tial scheme. Therefore, whether we be employers or employees, industrialists or merchants, whether farmers, or financiers, our duty is to carry on our activities so as. to do the will .of God, and conduct them according to the rules of justice, equity and charity. After this, nothing prevents us from sanctifying our actions by directing them to the ultimate end, a. fact which does by no means exclude the secondary end we have in view, namely that of earning enough to provide for ourselves and those dependent, upon us. As a matter of fact, Saints have sprung from each and every situation in life. 608. B) Our numberless activities and relations tend of themselves ' to fill our mind and thus to turn our thoughts from God. ,Hence, oft-renewed efforts are required on our part to offer to Him and so supernaturalize Our ordinary actions. This we have noted above, n. 248. 609. C) Besides, since we move in a rather dishon- est world, where regardless of the laws, of justice man greedily vies with -man for honor and for gain, it is im- portant that we remind ourselves of the fact that we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and use for the attainment of our purposes only legitimate means. The best standard for judging what is permissible and what is not, is to observe the behavior/ of honorable Christian men of the same profession. "There are accepted ethics in every profession. We cannot change them without incurring and causing others to suffer considerable damage. Standards generally followed by good Christian men in the profession can be followed safely until by common agreement a change for the better can be effected without compromising lawful interests. I But we must never be led into imitating the practices and following the counsels' of traders or producers who, devoid of conscience, mean to 1 Thus, standard wages for the same kind of work in the same locality are deter mined by norms which an employer could not set aside without incurring such losses that would soon bring his business to a stand-still. GENERAL MEANS OK 'PERFECTION. 293 "*— T '- --'- -•-—...- - — :- ..- -.. . ... — . — attain to wealth at any cost, even at the' expense of justice. Their success does not justify us in employing similar, unlawful means. A Christian who would follow in their footsteps would be a stumbling block to others. We must seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all 'other things shall be added unto us. * . 610. D) Thus understood and thus fulfilled, professional duties will prove a great aid to our spiritual progress, since they take. up most of our time and most of our activity each'day. Our Lord has shown us by His example that the most homely occupations, such as manual labor, can contribute to our personal sanctificatioh and the spriritual welfare of our brethren. Therefore, if a laborer or a business man observes the rules of prudence, of justice, of fortitude, of temperance, of equity and of charity, numberless oppor- - tunities are offered to him daily for the . practice of all the Christian virtues, the acquisition of all manner of merit, as well as for the edification of 'his neighbor. This is what has happened in the past, what is. done today by fathers and mothers in the home, by employers and employees, by young and old, who by honesty in their work and in their dealings, elicit respect for the religion they profess and use their influence in the exercise of -zeal. V. Sanctification of Works of Z,eal 611. That works of zeal may be for us a means of sanc- tification is "not difficult to understand. However, there / • are those who find therein a cause of distraction, of spiritual loss, even, an occasion of sin and a source of reprobation. Let us recall the words of a social worker to Dom Chautard : "It is my overeagerness that has brought on my fall."2 There are persons who allow themselves to become so absorbed by an active life, that they no longer find time for their most essential spiritual exercises. Hence, a moral break-down giving the passions a new lease of life and paving the way for lamentable surrenders. In every case where , the interior life is lacking, little personal merit is acquired, whilst outward -activities secure but meager results since God's grace cannot render fruitful a ministry from which prayer has all but disappeared, Outward works must needs be vivified by the spirit of prayer. 612. A) The first thing to remember is that the Means employed in the exercise of zeal differ in effectiveness and 294 CHAPTER V. importance; there exists among them a hierarchy, the, most effective being prayer and sacrifice. Example follows next in order, word and action holding the last place. The example of Our Lord is enough to convince us of this. His whole life was one of continual prayer and sacrifice. He began by practicing what He taught others, Jeading a hidden life for thirty years before He would give Himself to a public ministry of but three years' duration. Let us bear in mind the course taken by the Apostles, who committed to deacons .the discharge of sundry works of charity, that they might give themselves more freely to prayer and the preaching of the Gospel : "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."1 Let the words of St. Paul resound in our ears : "Neither he thai planteth is anything, nor he that vuatereth : but God that giveth the increase." z . Prayer , then, will hold the first place in our life (n. 470). We shall make no surrender of the essential exercises of piety such as medita- tion, thanksgiving after Mass, the devout recitation of the Divine Office, examination of conscience, the explicit offering of our actions to God, fully persuaded that we thereby render greater service to souls than if we gave ourselves entirely to works of zeal. A shepherd of souls will be, as S.. Bernard says, a reservoir not a mere conduit. The latter merely passes on what it receives, the former, bejng first filled, gives constantly of its overflow : " If thou hast wisdom, thou shall prove a fountain-spring and not a channel. " 3 613. B) To aim at creating a chosen group of devout souls without, however, neglecting the multitudes, will likewise help us to keep before our minds the absolute need, of an interior life. We feel that we cannot succeed in this unless we are interior men. The study we make of the spiritual life, the advice we give to others, the virtuous practices we try to inculcate, will perforce lead us to a life of prayer and of sacrifice. But to attain our end, we must be generous enough to live by the advice we give to others. Then we need not fear laxity and lukewarmness. In fact, not a few priests have been brought to live an interior life, through their interest in leading chosen souls to strive after perfection. ' . 614. C) In the doctrinal or moral instructions we give pur flock, we must follow a definite plan enabling us to present the whole field of Christian truth and Christian virtue. The preparation of such instructions will nourish our piety, for what we preach to others that we shall aspire to practice. "Acts, VI, 4. — "/Cw./III, 7. • • a ST. BERNARDUS, In Cantica, sermo XVIII, 3. GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 295 615. D) Lastly, in the ordinary course of our parochial ministry, on the occasion of baptisms, -marriages, funerals, sick-calls, visits of condolence and even social calls, we must ever remember that we are priests and apostles, that is to say, servants of souls. Therefore, after a few expressions of good will, we should not hesitate to raise minds and hearts towards God. Priestly conversation must always suggest the higher, the nobler things of life. These are the various mearis whereby our interior life is preserved and strengthened. Our ministry vivified by grace yields fruit a hundred-fold :" He. that abideth in me and 1 in him, the same beareth much fruit. " * Thus, all bur relations with our neighbor can and must be supernaturalized. All become then the occasion of further growth in virtue and of a development within us of that divine life of which we have received abundantly. . . " ' ' ' \ ' • GENERAL SUMMARY-3 616. We have reached the end of the first part of our work, namely, The Principles- of the Supernal Life. All we have said flows logically from the truths of our faith; all can be reduced to unity : God is our end, Jesus-Christ is our Mediator and the Christian life is the gift of God to the soul and the gift of the soul to God. i° It is God's .Gift to the Soul. From all/ eternity the Most Holy Trinity has loved u,s and predestined us to that supernatural life which is a participation in the life of God. •This Adorable Trinity living in our souls is both jthe efficient and the exemplary cause of that life, whilst the super- natural organism that enables us to elicit Godlike acts, is the work of the same Triune God. The Incarnate Word, however, is the meritorious cause as well as the most perfect model of our supernatural life. Conformed to our weakness, He is man like unto us, without ceasing to> be God. He is our friend, our brother, nay more, the Head of a mystic body whose members we are. Because Mary, associated as she is in the work of our Redemption, cannot be, separated from her Son, she stands as the first stepping stone to Jesus, just as Jesus is the necessary Mediator- with the Father. The Saints and Angels who form part of God's vast family aid us by their prayers and their example. 1 Jotin, XV, 5. — 2 MoNfER-ViNARD " Vie chretienne et vie parfaite " rev. Asc. et-Mystiq., 1946, p. 97. 296 CHAPTER V. — GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION. 617. 2° In order to correspond to God's loving kindness, we give ourselves entirely to Him, fostering that life so freely bestowed. We develop it by struggling against the concupiscence that remains in us; by eliciting supernatural acts which besides meriting an increase of divine life cause us to acquire good habits, that is, virtues; and by receiving the Sacraments, which add to our merits a sanctifying power that comes from God Himself. The very essence of perfection is the love of God unto the immolation of self. To fight and annihilate within us the old Adam, that the new Adam, Jesus Christ, may live in us, is the task before us. In pursuing this work, that is, in making use of the means of perfection, we tend constantly toward God through Jesus Christ. . ';v• The • desire_ • for • perfection is, fundamentally, but. the generous answer of the soul to God's tender love. Such a desire brings us to the knowledge and the love of Him Who is all love, " God is lovev; tp a knowledge of self, that we may all the more forcibly feel the need we have of God and may entrust ourselves into -His merciful arms. This love is shown by a conformity, to the full extent of our powers, to the will of God as manifested by His laws and His counsels, as made known by the events of life, propitious or adverse, all of which help us to love God the more. This love is, likewise, shown by prayer which becoming habitual constantly elevates the soul toward God. Even the exterior means lead us to God, for spiritual direction, a rule of life and spiritual reading are calculated to bring us into com- pliance with His will, whilst the relations by which we are brought into contact with others in whom we see a reflection of the divine perfections bring us to Him Who is the Source and Centre of all things. Since in the employment of all these means .we constantly have before our eyes Jesus, our Model, our Co-worker, our Life, we are transformed into Him, into true Christians, for a true Christian is another Christ. Thus is gradually realized the ideal of perfection outlined by Father Olier for his disciples at the beginning of the "Pietas Seminarii" : " To live wholly unto God in Christ Jesus Our Lord, in such wise, that thl Spirit of His Son may enter into our inmost soul, " and that we, like St. Paul, may have a right to say : " I live, now not I : but Christ liveth m me. " END OF THE FIRST PART SECOND PART 1 PRELIMINARY1 REMARKS* 618. . The general principles explained in the first part of this work apply to all souls, and already constitute a body of motives and of means calculated to lead us to the highest form of perfection. But -as we have stated above (n. 340-343) there is a diversity of degrees in the spiritual life — different stages to traverse. Hen ce, the importance of -adapting the general principles to the individual needs of souls, taking account noronly of: their peculiar characters, their various attractions and their different callings, but also of the degree of perfection they have so far attained, in order that the spiritual director may guide them in the most suitable manner. -:- The purpose of this second part is to follow a soul in its gradual ascent from the moment it first conceives a sincere desire of advancing in the spiritual life, on to the loftiest heights of perfection — a long road indeed, but one wherein the soul tastes the sweetness of the choicest consolations! Before entering upon the description of the three wayswz shall explain : i° the basis Q{ th.is distinction, 2° fa& practical way to employ it wisely, 3° the importance of the study of the three ways. " -• -''.'"<*"- - I. BASIS OF THE DISTINCTION OF THE THREE WAYS 619. We make use of the. expression, the 'three ways, to conform to traditional usage. We must note however that it is not question here of three parallel or- divergent ways, but rather of three different stages, of three marked degrees^ which souls who generously correspond to .divine grace traverse Jin the spiritual life. Each way in turn has many degrees which spiritual directors must take into account, the ' S. THOM., Ila IIae,"q. 24, a. 9; q. 183, a. 4; THOM. DE VALLGORNERA;-^I/I/^, iheol., q. II,. a. II; LE GAUDIER, De Perf. vita spir.t II* Pars, sect. I, cap. I; SCARAMELLI, Direttorio ascetico, Trait^ II, Introd.; SCHRAMJ Instil, theol.myst., XXVI ; SAUDREAU, The Degrees 'of the- Spiritual Life, Preface; DESURMONT, Cha- nU Sacerdotale, 138-140; Cursies As'ceticus, Vol. I. Prolegomena. v 298 SECOND PART. — THE THREE WAYS. most notable of which we shall indicate. Likewise,, there are in the various stages many forms and variations ddpen- dent upon the character, the vocation, and the providential 'mission of each soul.1 But, as we have, said, following St. Thomas, we way reduce these degrees.to three, accordingly as a soul begins, advances or reaches the goal. (n. 340-343) This is the general sense in which we make a threefold divi- sion based upon authority and reason. 620. i° This doctrine is based on the authority of Scripture and Tradition. . A) No doubt, many texts could be found in the Old Testament suggesting the triple distinction. Thus Alvarez de Paz makes it rest upon the following passage, which provided him with his division of the spiritual life ,: " Turn away from evil and do good : seek after peace and pursue it. " 2 Turn away from evil : avoid sin; this is the .purification of the soul or the purga- tive way. Do good: practice virtue; this is fas, illuminative way. Seek \after peace : that peace which intimate union with God alone can give; here we have the unitive way. This interpretation of the text is ingenious, but we must not see therein a conclusive proof. 621. B) In the New Testament : a) Among others, one could cite the following words of Our Lord which sum up Christian spirituality as described in the Synoptics : " If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. " 3 Self-denial, self-renouncement — let him deny himself — behold the first degree. The carry- ing of one's cross already presupposes the positive practice of virtue, or the. second degree. Follow me is, in reality, intimate union with Jesus, union with God, and, hence, the unitive way. Here, again, we have the basis for a real distinction1, but not a rigorous proof of the three stages. \ . ' 622. b) Neither does St. Paul explicitly make any such • distinction, yet he gives a description of three states of soul which later- on gave origin to this classification. i) Recalling what athletes did in striving after a perishable crown, he compares himself to them, for he also strives to run and struggle, but instead of beating the air he buffets his body and brings it into bondage lest he sin and be rejected : " / therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty : I so fight, not as one beating the air. But I chastise my body and bring' it into subjection : lest perhaps when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway. " 4 These are indeed, peni- tential exercises, practises of mortification inspired by a wholesome 1 Thus in the unitive way two distinct forms are generally distinguished as we shall later on explain : the simple unitive way, and that which is accompanied by infused contemplation. . * Ps. XXXIII, 15. — 3 Luke, IX, 23. — 4 / Cor., IX, 26-27. PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 299 fear in order to subject the ''flesh and purify the soul. How often does he not remind Christians of the necessity of putting off the Old Adam and of crucifying their flesh with its vices and lusts? This corresponds with .what we .call the purgative .way. 2) Writing to the Philippians he declares that he has not yet reached perfection, but that he tries, following His Master, to attain it, and that without looking back he forges ahead toward the goal : " Forget- ting, the things fhat:are behind and stretching forth myself to those that are before, I press toward the mark, to the prize-of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus. " * He adds that whoever^ would seek, after perfection must do "in like manner : "Let us therefore as many as are perfect, be thus minded. ....be ye followers of me, brethren. . . . . " z And in another' place : " Be. ye .followers of me, as I also am of Christ. " 3 These are the distinguishing marks of the illuminative way, wherein the principal duty is imitation of Our Lord Jesus Christ. ,3) As to the unitive way, he describes its two forms, the simple Unitive way by the constant effort to have Jesus live in him :- " 1 'live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me; " 4 and the extraordinary unitive way which is -accompanied by ecstasies,, visions, and revelations : " 1 'know a mail in Christ : above fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I know not, or out of the body, I know not : God knoweth), such a one caught up to the third heaven." $ In. St. Paul, then, as in the Gospels, we find that a true Christian must purify his soul, practice virtue, and strive after union with God, yet it is not clear that these constitute three successive stages of. the spiritual life rather than three aspects of one process that goes on simultaneously. 623. Tradition gradually worked out this distinction, basing it at times upon the difference that exists between the three theological virtues, at others, upon the various degrees of love. a) Clement of Alexandria is one of the first to employ the. first of these methods.. To become, a gnostic or a perfect man, many stages must be traversed : to shun evil through fear, and to mortify the pas- sions; then, under the influence oihope, to do good or practice virtues and lastly, to do good out of love for .God. 6/ Cassian, from the same point of view, arrived at. the differentiation of three degrees in' the soul's ascent- toward God '.fear, peculiar to slaves, hope, fit for merce- naries working for a reward, and love, becoming the children of God^i b) St. Augustine takes another point of view : perfection consisting in love,\\. is in the practice of this virtue that he discerns four degrees : incipient love, growing love, full-grown love, and perfect love. 8 Since the last two degrees relate to the unitive way, his doctrine is, in reality, the same as that of his predecessors. — St. Bernard also perceives three degrees in the love of God : after showing that the genesis of human love is love of self, he adds that man, realizing his own insufficiency, begins through faith to seek for God and to love Him on account of His gifts j this intercourse leads him then to love 1 Phil., Ill, 13-14. — 2 Phil., Ill, 15-17. — a / Cor., IV, 16. — < Gal., II.^o. s // Cor,, XII, a.— 6 Stromdta, VI, 12. — i Confer., XI, 6-8. 8 De natura et gratia, cap. LXX, n. 84. 300 SECOND PART. — THE THREE WAYS. i ^•.iir.K .J-IM .,-,.11. rm- • >i«r r . . -....a,,!,^-., M. iM^LM^m, ijr ^ ., ,, .., r i.a^ii.^. . _ ......qqn.., l-^iatiiV^^u, ^usj-frg^...^ Rim both because of His benefits' and for His own sake; finally, he comes to love God with an altogether disinterested love. * Lastly, St. Thomas, perfecting the teaching of St. Augustine, shows clearly the existence of three degrees in the virtue of love that correspond to the three ways or stages, n. 340-343. , ' 624. 2° Reason shows the correctness of this division. A) It is evident that before arriving at an intimate union with God, the soul must first of all be purified of its past faults and.be strengthened against future ones. Purity of heart is, on the authority of Our Lord, the first essential condition for seeing God, for seeing Him as He is in. the"' next life, and also for seeing Him now imper- fectly and obscurely but truly, and for uniting ourselves with Him : " Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God."* But this purity of heart presupposes a cleansing from former faults by means of a sincere and rigorous expiation, an earnest and relentless fight againts sinful tendencies and the practice of prayer, meditation and such other spiritual exercises as are required for the strengthen- ing of our will against temptation — in a word, all those means that tend to purify the soul and ground it in virtue. The sum-total of these means is what is called the purga- tive way, . . •. • 625. B).Once the soul has been thus purified and re- " formed-, it must be adorned with Christian virtues, virtues of a positive character, that will make it more like unto Christ. Its task then is to follow the Master step by step and gradually reproduce Christ's interior dispositions by the concurrent practice of both the moral and theological virtues. The former mold and strengthen the soul; the latter already initiate its union with God. Both are practiced simulta- neously according -to the needs of the moment and the attractions of grace. The better to attain this end, the soul perfects its own form of prayer, which becomes more and more affective, and strives to . love and to imitate Jesus Christ. It thus advances toward the illuminative way, for to follow Jesus is to walk in the light : He whofollow'eth me, walketh not in darkness, ' . 626. C) A moment comes when the soulj purified .from . its faults, made strong and docile to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, longs but for an intimate union, with God, It -.seeks Him everywhere, even in the midst of the most absorbing occupations; 'it clings to Him and enjoys His 1 Sfiist. XI, n. «, f. L., CLXXXII, 113-114. — * MatfA., V, 8.. presence.- Mentalv prayer grows in sitiipttcity; it becomes a lingering, loving thought' of God and of things divine, under the influence; latent or conscious, of the gifts of the Holy Ghost,. This is the uniti-ue way. "* : Within these three great stages there are indeed many degrees and diversities of " the manifold grace of God. " 2 We shall describe a few. An acquaintance with the others may be obtained by studying the lives of the Saints. ••••-. ' ^ II. THE PRACTICAL WAY TO EMPLOY ,Tms DISTINCTION WISELY : ; 627. ' To make a right use of this distinction, great tact and intelligence are required : one must indeed study the principles' explained here, but still more, study each soul in particular, with its' characteristic traits, taking cogni- zance of the special action of the Holy Ghost upbn it. In order to aid the spiritual director, a few remarks will-not be amiss.- '. ~ . "'-' . 628. A) There can be nothing absolute or mathematical in the "distinction of the three ways, a) A soul passes -imper- ceptibly from one to the other, for there are no well-defined boundary lines dividing one sharply from the other. To decide, therefore, whether a soul is as yet within the limits/ of the purgative way, Or has already crossed the borders of the illuminative way, is often impossible; for there is between the two a common ground, the exact bounds of which cannot be determined, b) Besides, the soul's pro- gress is not always a sustained advance; it is a vital action, with its ebb and flow ; at times the soul presses onward, at times it recedes; at others, it actually seems but to mark time making no apparent 'headway. 629. B) There is in each of the three ways a number of different degrees. a~) Among .beginners, there are those who have a heavy burden of sin to expiate; others there are who never lost their baptismal innocence. It is evident, all things being equal in other respects, that the former must undergo a longer course of penance than the latter, b) Be- lIPeter,lV, 10. ' .. a St. John pf the Cross, and after him a number of authors, use a special termi- nology with regard to the three ways, a knowledge of which' is important. He styles beginners those on the threshold of obscure contemplation or the " night of toe senses"; he calls the advanced those already within the realm pLpassive contemplation; and the perfect, those' that have passed through the "night of the senses and the " njght of the soul ". Cfr. HOORNAERT, note on the Dark Night, '• HI, des (Euvres spirituelles, (p. 5-6). '--:•' \ 302 SECOND- PART. — THE THREE1 WAYS. sides, there are differences arising from temperament, degree of earnestness and constancy. There are souls that eagerly embrace penitential practices, whilst others, on the contrary do so with reluctance; some are generous and would refuse Almighty God nothing; some respond 'to His advances only half-heartedly. Undoubtedly, -among such souls, 'all as yet in the purgative way, a marked difference will be in evidence ere long, c) Nay, there is a considerable distance between those who have devoted but a few, short months to the purification of their souls, and those who have already consecrated many years .'to. this task, d) Likewise, and above all, account must be taken of the action of grace. Some souls seem to receive it in such an abundance that we can look to a swift advance toward the heights of perfection ; others receive it in far smaller measures and their progress is slower. A spiritual director must bear in mind that his action must be subordinated to that of the Holy Ghost, n. 548. '. He must not imagine that there are such things as moulds into which all souls must be poured. On the contrary, he must proceed on the assumption that each .soul possesses peculiarities of which account must be taken, and that the outlines traced by spiritual writers must be elastic enough to be adapted to each case. 630. C) In the direction of souls there is a twofold danger to avoid. Some would, by a forced march, rush through the early stages, the sooner to arrive at divine love; others, on the contrary, but mark time and, through their own fault, tarry in the lower levels because of a lack of generosity or a lack of method. A spiritual director must frequently remind the former that to love God is, indeed, an excellent thing, but that we do not attain to a pure and effective 'love, except trough self-abnegation and penance, (n. 321). The latter he must encourage and advise, in order to stir them to action and aid them in perfecting their method of prayer or of self-examination. 631. D) When spiritual writers speak of a particular virtue as being proper to this or that of the three ways, the statement is, to be accepted with a great deal of caution. The truth is that all fundamental virtues belong to each of the three ways, varying only in degree. .Thus beginners must, assuredly, exercise themselves especially in the virtue oi penance, but they cannot do so without the practice of the theological and cardinal virtues, though in a different way from that of the more advanced souls. Beginners PRELIMINARY REMARKS. N ' 303 practice these virtues chiefly in order to -purify their souls through 'self-denial. These same virtues must be practiced in the illuminative way, but .to a different degree, in a more positive fashion, and with a view to resembling all the more the Divine Model.- The same must be done in the unitive way, but to a higher degree. still, as an earnest of love for God, and under the influence of the gifts of the Holy Ghost- In like manner, the perfect, whilst exercising themselves above all in the practice of the love of God, do not give up the purification of their souls through p'enance and mortifi- cation; but a purer and more intense love mellows their penitential practices, and gives them greater effectiveness, 632. E) A similar remark must be made with regard to the different kinds of 'prayer. Thus,, discursive meditation is, generally speaking, suitable for beginners ; affective prayer, adapted to advanced souls ; and the prayer of sim- plicity and contemplation, proper to the unitive way. Yet, experience shows the degree of prayer does not always correspond, to the degree of virtue; that /owing to tempe- rament, training, or custom, some persons lingerMn the exercise of discursive meditation or affective prayer, who are the while intimately and habitually ,miited to God;;and that others possessed of greater insight and more affectionate natures, readily practice the prayer of simplicity without having as yet attained that height of .virtue which the unitive way demands. It is- important that from the outset we bear in mind these observations so 'as not to place the virtues in imagi- nary, air-tight compartments. In the exposition of each virtue, we shall accordingly note carefully the degrees that are in keeping with beginners, with advanced souls, and with those that have attained perfection. \III.IMPORTANCEOFTHESTUDY OF THE THREE WAYS : The foregoing remarks show how useful- and how neces- sary is the intelligent study of the Three Ways. ^ ~ 633. i° To spiritual directors this study is a real neces- sity. It is obvious, in fact, "that beginners and perfect souls are not to be -guided by the same rules ", * for, as Father Grou 2 says, "the grace given to beginners is not that bestowed on souls already advanced, nor is the one 1 Articles d'Issy, n. XXXIV. — " Matmalfor Interior Souls. 304 SECOND PART. — THE THREE WAYS. granted these the same as. that received by those who have reached the heights of perfection. " . . Thus, discursive meditation, necessary to beginners, would paralyze the efforts of more advanced souls. Likewise, .with regard to the virtues, there is a manner of practicing them adapted to the purgative way, another to the illuminative, another to the unitive. A spiritual director who has not delved into these questions is liable to guide almost all souls after the same fashion and to counsel each according to what has answered his oWn purpose : because he finds, affective, "Simplified prayer of great avail to himself, -he will be led to prescribe the same method to all his penitents, unmindful of the fact, that, as a rule, this is reached by gradual stages; if he finds in the ^habitual practice of'the love of God all that Jie needs for his own' sanctification, he will be inclined- to recommend to all the ways of love, forgetting that fledglings are, unable to fly to such heights; shou.ld he have never been himself initiated into that form of prayer which consists in a lingering, loving thought of God, the prayer of simple regard, as it is called, he will blame those who exercise themselves therein, claim ing that this is but spiritual sloth. The director, on the other hand, who has carefully studied the gradual ascent of earnest souls, will know how to give competent counsel and to impart effectual guidance adapted to the actual state of his penitents and calculated to produce the greatest measure of, good in their souls.. 634. 2° The faithful themselves Will profit by the study of these various stages of the spiritual life. To, be sure, they will be guided by the advice of their spiritual directors; yet, if through well-chosen readings they come to grasp — at least in the main — the differences that exist between the three ways, they will understand better the counsels given them and will turn them to greater profit. We shall then take up successively the study of the three ways, bearing in mind, however, that there are no clear-cut divisions between them and that each admits many varieties and forms. BOOK I The Purification of the Soul the Purgative Way ' INTRODUCTION.1 _ '••'..•':•• f ''''"• ' .'-.•'. . • • 635. The characteristic of the purgative way, or the state of beginners, is. the purifying of ike soul m view of attaining to intimate union with God. -'-•','. We shall therefore explain i ^what is meant by beginners, and 2° the, end. these must strive to attain. . ' I. WHO ARE CALLED BEGINNERS? 636. i° Essential Characteristics. In the spiritual life, beginners are. those that habitually live in' the state of grace and have a certain desire for perfection, but who have still- attachments to venial sin and are exposed to fall 'now and then into grievous faults. We shall explain these three characteristics: a) Beginners live 'habitually in the state of grace .-hence, they generally struggle successfully against grave temptations. We therefore rule out of the class of beginners those that frequently commit mortal sin and do not avoid its occasions ; who would no doubt wish to be, converted, but lack the necessary firm and; efficacious purpose. Such are not on the way to perfection. They are sinners, worldlings, who must first of all be' helped to sever .their attachment to mortal sin and to part with the occasions of sin. 2 __ b) They have a certain desire for perfection or for progress, even if this desire be as yet feeble and imperfect. Thus we exclude from the category of beginners those w^'rdlings— all top numerous — aias!\whose highest purpose is to escape !•»-''••.••. • ' ' '•'••.'• • •' ' . '-.'-•:• - - ' ' 1 A. SAUDREAU, The Degrees of the Spiritual . Life, the Purgative Way, I-II; GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE, Three ages of the interior Life. 2 1J6 doubt, there are authors who with *FR, MARCHETTI, (Rev. d'Ascetique A de Mystique, Jan. 1920, p.- 36-4^), are of the opinion that sinners must be included in the purgative way in ortler to convert them, yet he admits that in this he does not follow the common teaching. The conversion, of sinners and the' means to be'suggested to them that.they may persevere in the state °f grace, belong rather to the province of Moral than, of Ascetic theology. We may say, however, that the motives we shall' soon propose as deterrents mortal sin willbe a confirmation of those given by Moral theology. . , N°680. -12 ' • ' •" -X** ' — ' 306 / BOOK I. mortal sin, but who have no earnest 'desire of advancing further. As we have shown above, n. 414, the desirie for perfection is the first step on the way. ; v . p) They have, however, some attachment to deliberate venial sin and, therefore, they frequently fall. This distinguishes them from souls alreacjy advancing along the way of perfection, who although they may from time 'to time commit some wilful venial sins, yet earnestly strive to avoid them. The existence of these attachments is due to the fact that their passions are not -as yet subdued'; hence, they yield to temptations of sensuality, pride, vanity, anger, envy, jealousy, and uncharitableness in word and deed. /How many persons called devout retain attachments of this kind, which cause them to commit deliberate, venial sins which expose them to fall from time to time into grievous faults! . 637. 2° Different Categories. There are different categories of beginners : — , a) Innocents souls desiring to grow in the spiritual life — children, young men and young women who, not content with the mere avoidance of mortal sin, wish to do something more for God and want to become perfect. The number ,of these would be greater 'were priests active : in arousing this desire for perfection in Sunday school, at the meetings of Sodalities and parochial organizations, (cf. 409-430.) b) Converts from sin, who after having transgressed grievously, return to God with all sincerity and who," in order to withdraw further from the brink of the abyss, want to press forward in the ways of perfection. Here again we may say that these would be far more numerous if confessors would take heed to remind, their penitents that in order not to fall back they must advance, and that the safest means of avoiding mortal sins is to tend to perfection, (cf. 354-361). • • e) The lukewarm., those who after having given themselves 'once to God and having advanced in the way of perfection have fallen into a state of remissness and tepidity. These, even if they had once reached the illuminative way, need to return to the austere practices of the purgative way vand begin once more the" work of perfection. To aid their efforts, one must carefully put them on their guard against the dangers of/ carelessness and lukewarmness and teach them to combat their causes, which are generally frivolity or fickleness, listlessness and a sort of sluggishness. THE PURIFICATION OF THE SOUL. 307. 638. 3° Two classes of beginner's.-''': Some show greater generosity, others less. Hence the two classes into which they are divided by St. Teresa. . .s a) In the first mansion or the Castle of the -Soul, she gives a de- scription of those souls that have good desires^ are .faithful to recite some prayers, but who are taken up with the world and have their minds filled with a thousand and one things which absorb their thought. The while they retain these many attachments, they strive from time to time to free themselves from them. Through such efforts they gain an entrance into the first and lower halls of the Castle : witluthem, however, enter a multitude of mischievous animals (their own passions) which hinder them from gazing at the beauty of the castle and abiding peacefully therein. To have entered this mansion, although it is the lowest, is already a singular good-fortune; nevertheless the machina- tions and subterfuges employed by the devil in order, to prevent such souls from advancing are ruthless. The world, likewise, wherein they are yet immersed, allures them with its pleasures and honors ; hence, they are easily conquered, even though they want to avoid sin and dc perform good works. T In other words, these souls strive to harmonize -piety and worldliness. Their faith is. not sufficiently enlightened, their will is not strong enough, not generous enough to determine- them to • renounce hot merely sin, but sundry dangerous occasions ; they have little realized the need of frequerit prayer, of rigorous penance, or mortification ; still, they want not only to work out their salvation, but also to grow in the love of God by making some sacrifices. : 639. b) The other class of beginners is described by the Saint in her second mansion. They are souls already initiated in the practice oj mental prayer, who understand the necessity of sacrifice as a means of perfection, but who through lack of courage retreat at times to the first mansion, exposing themselves once more to the occasions of sin. They love as yet the -pleasures of the world and its allurements, and occasionally fall into some. grave fault; but hearkening to God's call to penance, presently rise again. In spite of the appeals made to them by the world and the devil, they meditate on the emptiness' of the • world's false goods, and on death that shall soon take these away. They grow apace in the love of Him from Whom they receive so many proofs of love; they realize that. apart from Him they shall find neither peace nor safety, and wish to avpicl the wanderings of the Prodigal. This, then, is a state of struggle in which such souls have much to suffer from the manifold 'temptations that assail them, but wherein also God deigns. to comfort and fortify them. By acting in conformity with God's holy will, which is the great means of perfection, they will finally emerge from the mansions wherein creep such venomous creatures, and they will pass to the other mansions beyond the reach of their poisonous sting.2 * .'•••'- 640. We shall not treat separately of the'se two classes, because the means to be suggested to each; are practically the same. Let the spiritual director however bear this division in mind when giving advice. Let him draw the attention of souls of the first class to the. consequences 1 Interior Castle, First Mansion. . a Interior Casile, Second Mansion. - 308 BOOK f. of sin, the necessity of avoiding its occasions, and awaken in them a longing for prayer, penance and mortification, Souls of the second class he will advise to give more time to meditation, and to take the offensive against the capital vices, those deep-seated tendencies which are the source of all our sins. ;• '- • • * II. THE END TO PURSUE \ 641. We have stated (n. 309) that perfection ^consists essentially in union with God through love. But because God is holiness itself, we cannot be united to Him unless we are clean of heart— a state implying a twofold condition : atonement for the past ana1 detachment from sin and the occasions of sin for the future. , The first task, then, of beginners is purification of the soul. We may add that the union of the soul with God will 'be the more intimate as the souls grows in purity and detach- ment. The purification is more or less perfect according to the motives that inspire it and according to the effects produced by it. " - • . A-) The purification remains imperfect, if it is inspired chiefly by motives of fear arid hope — fear of hell, and hope of heaven and heavenly gifts. The results of such a purifi- cation are incomplete. The soul, indeed, renounces mortal sin, which would deprive it of heaven, but it does not renounce venial faults, even deliberate ones, since these do not deprive it of its eternal welfare. B) There is, then, a more perfect purification,, which, though not excluding fear-and hope, has for its ruling motive the love of God, the desire -to please Him and hence to avoid whatever would constitute even a slight offence. Here is verified the word of the Savior to the sinful woman : "Many sins are forgiven her because she hath loved much."1 .. '"- - • ':; .. ••". It is at this second purification that souls should aim ; still, the spiritual director must remember that for many a begin- ner it is not possible to rise thereto at the outset, and whilst speaking to such of the love of God, he will not forget to offer them the motives of hope arid of fear which make a stronger impression. 1 Luke, VII, 47. THE PURIFICATION OF THE SOUL. 309, DIVISION OF THE FIRST BOOK 642^ Once we know the end, we must determine the means necessary 'for its attainment. Fundamentally, they may be reduced to two- : prayer^ through which grace is obtained, and mortification through which we correspond to grace. Mortification assumes, different names according to the point of view from which we consider it. It is called penance when it prompts us to atone for our past -faults ;., mortification properly so called^ when it sets upon the love of pleasure in order to reduce the number of > faults in .the present and , obviate their recurrence in the future; it is called warfare against the capital sins, when it combats those deep-rooted tendencies that incline us toward shvand warfare against temptation, •when, practiced by way of resis- tance to the onslaughts of our spiritual enemies. Hence the five following chapters : '.'••_ Chapter I. — The Prayer of Beginners Chapter II. — Penance, to atone for the past Chapter III. — Mortification, to safeguard the future Chapter IV. — Warfare against the capital sins Chapter V. — The Warfare against temptation All these means clearly presuppose the practice in some degree of the theological and the moral virtues. No one can pray, no one can do penance and mortify himself, without a firm belief in revealed truth, without the expecta- tion; of a heavenly reward, without love of God, without the exercise of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. We shall speak of these virtues when we treat of the illumina- tive way wherein they attain their full development, 310 CHAPTER I. CHAPTER I The Prayer of Beginners * 643. We have already explained (11.499-521) the nature and the efficacy of prayer. After beginners have, been reminded of these notions, they must : i° be instructed as to the necessity and the conditions of prayer; 2° they must be gradually introduced to the practice "of such Spiritual exercises as befit them; 3° they must be taught 'mental prayer. , A ,. , T „ • if Necessity of Prayer Article I, - Prayer in general ( Conditi(/ns of P|iyer Article II. — Principal SpiritualExercises General Notions Advantages and Neces- Article III. — Mental Prayer \ T,, ^ ',, • , -„ ,; , 7 The Mental Prayer of Beginners ; The Principal Methods ARTICLE I. NECESSITY AND CONDITIONS OF PRAYER § I. Necessity of Prayer 644. What we have said regarding the twofold end of prayer, worship and petition (n. 503-509), shows us clearly its necessity. It is evident that as creatures and as Chris- tians we are bound to glorify God through adoration, thanksgiving and love; that as sinners we 'must offer Him reparation (n. 506). Here it is a question of prayer chiefly as petition, and of its absolute necessity as a means of salvation and perfection. : - 645. The necessity of prayer is based on the necessity of actual grace. It is a truth of faith that without such grace we are utterly incapable of obtaining salvation and, still more of attaining perfection (n. 126). Of ourselves, no 1 ST. THOM. , IIa II26, q. 83 and his Commentators ; SuAREZ, De Religione,-Tr. IV, lib. I, De Oratione; ALVAREZ DE PAZ, t. Ill, lib. I; TH. .DE VALLGORNERA q. II, disp. V; Siimma theol. mysticce, Ia Pars, Tract. 1, discursus III; L. DE GRA- NADA, Traitt de I'Omison el de la Meditation; St. ALPHONSUS DE LiGUORl, Prayer; P. MONSABRE, La Priere; P. RAMIERE, LApostolat de la priere; ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, 'Devout Life, Part II; Spiritual Combat, C. 44-S2! RODRIGUEZ, Christian Perfection, I, Treat/5; GROU, How to Pray; MESCHLER, Three Fundamental Principles of the Spiritual Life, I ; HEDLEY, Retreat, XXI. ' THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS. ' 311 I matter how we use our freedom, we can do nothing positive that would prepare us for conversion to God, nor can we persevere for any length of time, much less until death : " Without me you can do nothing.... Not that we are suffi- cient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves.... For it is God who worketh in you, froth to will and to accomplish."* Now, barring the first grace, which is gratuitously given us since it is itself the principle of prayer, it remains \ever true that prayer is the normal, the efficacious, and the uni- versal means through 'which God wills that we obtain all actual graces. This is the reason why Our Lord insists so frequently upon the necessity of prayer :" Ask, and it shall be given you : seek, and you shall find ; knock and. it shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh, receiv- eth : and he that seeketh, findeth : and to him that knocketh, it shall.be opened. "2 Almost all commentators add that it is as if He said : " Unless you ask, you shall not receive; unless you seek, you shall not find. " On this necessity of prayer Our Lord constantly insists, especially when it is •question of resisting temptation : " Watch ye and pray that you enter not into temptation : the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. " 3 St. Thomas asserts that confidence not based on prayer is presumption, for God, Who is not in justice bound to grant us. His grace, has not pledged Himself to give it except through prayer. God, assuredly, does know our spiritual needs without our exposing them to Him, yet He wills that prayer be the spring that sets in motion His loving mercy, so that we, may acknowledge Him as the Author of the gifts He bestows on us. 4 646. This is likewise the way in which tradition has understood the teaching of O.ur Lord. The Council of Trent, making its own the teaching of St. Augustine, tells us that God does not command the impossible, for He commands us to do what, we can and to ask His help for what we cannot do, His grace helping us to ask for it. s This manifestly implies that there are tilings which without prayer are impossible. Such is the conclusion the Roman Catechism draws :" Prayer is the indispensable instrument given us by God in order to obtain what we desire : there are things, in fact, impossible to obtain without the aid of prayer. " 6 • lJohn, XV, 5; II Cor., Ill, 5; Phil., II, 13. 3 Matth:, VII, 7-8..— 3 Matth., XXVI, 41. . ' . -- 4 Sum. theot., IIa 11^, q. 83, a. i, ad 3. * Sess. VI, ch. II. — 6 Catech. Trident., P. VI, c. I, n. 3. 312 CHAPTER I, 647. Advice to the spiritual Director^ This truth must be emphasized with beginners. Many, unknown to themselves, are saturated with Pelagianism or Semi-pela- gianism, and imagine that by sheer strength of will they can , accomplish all things. Soon, however, experience brings them to the realization that their best resolves often fall short despite their efforts, The spiritual director should at such times remind them that it is only through • grace and through prayer that they can succeed. This personal experience will go far to strengthen their convictions on the necessity of prayer. § IL Essential Conditions of Prayer 648. Having already proved the /necessity of actual grace for all the acts bearing on salvation (n. 126), we must infer its necessity for prayer. St. Paul clearly states this necessity : " Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity. For, we know not what we should pray for as we ought :but the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings. " * We may add that this grace is offered to all, even to sinners; hence, all are able to pray. - Although the state of grace is not necessary in order to pray, it increases-the value of prayer, since it makes us the friends of God and the living members of Jesus Christ. We shall now inquire into the -requisite conditions of prayer i° on the part of the object of prayer, and 2° on the part of the one who prays. I. Conditions on the Part of the Object 649. The most important condition regarding the object of prayer is to ask for those things only which lead unto life everlasting : for supernatural graces in the first place, and then, for temporal goods, in the measure'in which they are conducive to salvation. • This rule was laid down by Our Lord Himself : " Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and his justice : and all these things shall be added unto you. " 2 We have said (n. 307-308), that man's hap- piness as well as his perfection consists in the possession of God, and as a consequence in the possession of the.means necessary to that end. We must, then, ask for nothing that is not in harmony with it. 10 Temporal goods in themselves are far too inferior, too inadequate to satisfy our heart's aspirations, and bring us ' Rom., VIII, afi. — * Matth.t VI, 33. - . THE PRAYER OF GINNEIIS.; ^ 313 true happiness ; they cannot, therefore/ be thephief object of our prayers. However, since in order to live and to secure our salvation we need some temporal goods, we are allowed to ask for our daily bread, the bread for the body as well." as for the soul, subordihatirtg the former to the latter. It happens at times that this or that, particular good, wealth for instance — desirable in our .estimation — would prove a danger to pur salvation. , Hence, we - may not ask- for such, except in subordination to the goods that are eternal. 650. 2° Even when it is question of such or such parti- ' cular grace, we must not ask for it, except in conformity with the will of God, God in His infinite Wisdom knows better than we do what is suitable for each soul in accordance with its condition and degree of perfection. As St. Francis de Sales rightly remarks, we must desire pur salvation after God's, own way, and hence we must desire such graces as He dispenses -to us and cling to them with a firm purpose, for our will must harmonize with His. * When it is question of particular graces, like one or other form of prayer, such and such consolations or trials, etc. ... we must not make any unqualified request, but rather refer all to the good pleasure of God. 2 God dispenses His graces, giving consolation or aridity, peace or struggle, according to the designs of His Wisdom and the needs of our soul. We have, therefore, but to, leave in His Hands the choice of the graces, which will prove most beneficial' to us. True, we are permitted to express a wish, but in humble submission to the will of Our Heavenly Father. He will always answer our, prayer if we ask as we should. If at times He gives us, in place of what we ask, something greater and better, far from complaining we should bless and thank Him. 3 - II. Conditions on the Part of the Subject The most essential conditions to etisure the efficacy of our prayers are : humility, confidence and : attention, or at least the earnest effort to-be attentive. : 1 The Lme of God, Book VIII, ch. IV. , 3 The reason why our petitions are not answered, says BOURDALOUE, is because we make use of prayer " in order to ask for whimsical, needless graces — graces according to our taste and fancy. ... We pray and ask for the grace of penance, the grace of sanctification — graces for the; future, not for the present — graces that would do.away with all difficulties, that -would leave no room for effort, leave no obstacles to overcome — miraculous graces that would carry us as they did St. I'aul; not those that would merely help us to. walk.... graces which' would alter the whole order of Providence, and revolutionize the whole scheme of salvation. " Lent. Sermon on prayer for Thursday, of the 1st Week. :. 3 In "Holy Abandonment" P. Ill, of DOM V. LEHODEY, most apt details are given on the subject.. • , " 314 CHAPTER I. 651. i ° The need of humility flows from the very nature of prayer. Since grace is a free gift of God to which we have no right whatever, we are as St'-Augustine says, but beggars in relation to God, and we must implore of His mercy what we cannot demand as a right. It was thus that Abraham prayed, considering himself but dust and ashes in presence of the Divine Majesty : " I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes."1 Thus did Daniel pray when he asked for the deliverance of the Jewish people, relying not on his merits and virtues, but on God's over- flowing mercies : "// is. not for our justifications that we present our prayers before thy face, but for the multitude of thy tender mercies. " 2 Thus prayed the publican, who was also heard : " 0 God, be merciful to me a sinner, " 3 whilst the proud Pharisee saw his prayer rejected. Jesus Himself gives us the reason '."Every one • that exalteth himself shall be humbled : and he thai humbleth himself shall be exalted. " i His Disciples understood this well. St. James insists that : " God resisteth the proud and givetk grace io the humble "5 This is mere justice : the proud man attributes to himself the efficacy of his prayer, whilst the humble man attributes it to God-. Now, can we expect that God will hear us to the detriment of His own glory, in order to flatter our vain complacency? The humble soul,' on the contrary, sincerely acknowledges that all it has is from God, and hence God in hearkening to his prayer procures His own glory as well as the welfare of .him who' prays. 652. 2° Humility in turn begets confidence, a confi- dence based, not upon our merits but upon the goodness of God and upon the merits of Jesus Christ. a) Faith teaches us that God is merciful and that because He is merciful, He turns to us with greater love the more we acknowledge our miseries, for misery appeals to mercy. To call upon Him with confidence is in reality to honoi Him, to proclaim Him as the source of all gifts, and as- desiring nothing so much as to bestow them upon us. In the Scriptures He affirms again and again that He hearkens to those who hope in Him : "Because he hoped in me J will deliver him.... He shall cry to me and 1 will hear him.1 '6. Our Lord invites us to pray with confidence, and in order to inspire us to do so He resorts not only to the most 'Gen., XVIII, 27. — "Dan., IX, 18. — 3 £«&>; XVI11, 13. ' '" '-Luke, XVIII, 14. — $ James-, IV, 6. . 6 Ps. XC, 14-15. Those who recite the Divine Office know that the predominant sentiment expressed by the Psalms is that of trust in God. ' THE HRAYER OF BEGINNERS. ,. 315 pressing exhortations, but to. the most touching parables. After having affirmed that he who asks receives, He adds ;: " What man is there among you, of whom if His son shall ask bread, will he reach him a stone ? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children : how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him. " J At the Last Supper He comes back to the same thought : ", Amen, amen, I say to you.... whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do : that the Father may be glorified in trie Son. If you shall ask me anything in my name, that I will do2.... In that day you shall ask in my name ; and I say not to you, that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loveth you, because you have loved me. "3 To lack a whole-hearted trust in prayer would amount to mistrusting God and His promises, to underrating the merits of Jesus Christ and His all-powerful mediation. 653. b) It is true that God at times appears to turn a deaf ear to our prayer. This He does in order that we may more fully, fathom the depths of our wretchedness and realize better the value of grace. But on the other hand, He shows us in His treatment of the Canaanean woman, that even when He seems to repel us, He is well-pleased at the sweet insistence of our repeated requests. Behold, a woman of Canaan comes -and asks Jesus to deliver her daughter, vexed with a devil. But the Master answers her not a word. She beseeches the Disciples and cries after them, so that they come and ask the Lord to send her away. Christ turns to the woman and answers that He was not sent but to the children of the house of Israel. Undaunted, the poor woman worships Him, saying : " Lord, help me. " Jesus replies, with seeming harshness, that it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. — " Yea, Lord, " she says, "for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters. " — Conquered by such a humble, unfaltering trust, Jesus grants her request: " And her daughter was cured from that hour. "4 Could the Lord do more to make us understand that no matter what ill success seems to attend our prayers, we can be sure that they will be answered if we persevere in humble confidence. 654. 3° To this persevering confidence we must join attention, or at least the serious effort to realize and to 1Mattk., VII, 7-ii. — 'John, XIV, 12, 13, 14. . 3 John, XVI, 26*27. — Cfr. HUGH OF S. VICTOR, Demodo dicendi et meditandi; De Meditando sen meditandi ariifido, P. L. CLXX VI ,877-880; 993-998. 3 Sum. theol,, II* II*. q. 82, a. 3. THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS. " 321 666. B) Meditation as a methodical prayer dates from the XV Century. \ We find it explained in the Rosetum of John Mauburnas * and in the Benedictine writers of the same epoch. St. Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises gives several methods of meditating, at once precise and varied; St. Theresa gives by far the best description of • the different kinds of mental prayer. Her disciples have sketched the rules of systematic meditation. a St. Francis de Sales does not fail to trace a method of mental prayer for Philothea, and the French School - of the XVII Century soon had its own method, perfected by Father Olier and Father Tronspn, called today the method of St. Sulpiee. 667. Meditation and Mental Prayer. The terms meditation and mental prayer ^ are often interchanged. When differentiated, the former is applied to that form of mental prayer wherein considerations and reasonings predo- minate and which, owing to, this, is called discursive medir tation. The latter name is chiefly applied to those forms of mental prayer whereih pious affections or acts of the will are predominant. Discursive meditation itself, however, already contains affections, arid affective prayer is ordinarily preced- ed or. accompanied, by some considerations, excepting the case, when the soul is seized by the light of contemplation. 668. The kind of prayer generally suited to beginners is discursive meditation. They need it in order to acquire convictions or to strengthen them. There are, however, some souls who from the outset give considerable ^place to affections. But all must be taught that the best part of mental prayer lies in the acts of the will. § 1 1. The Advantages and the Necessity of Mental Prayer . I. The. Advantages 669. Meditation, as we have '"described it, is most helpful for the attainment of salvation and- perfection. i° It detaches us from sin and its causes. — When we sin, it is through thoughtlessness and lack- of will-power. This twofold defect, however, is corrected by meditation. ..-' a) It enlightens us as to the malice of sin and , its fearful consequences, by showing it to, /us in the light of God, of eternity, and of what Jesus Christ did in order to atpne'for it, " It is meditation," says Fr. Crasset, 3 " that leads us in spirit into 'the hallowed solitudes wherein we find God 1 H. WATRfGANT, La Meditation • mtthodique, Rev. d'Ascltiqw et de Myst.f Jan. 1923, p. 13-29. . <' • . '. • 2 V. P. JEAN DE J£sus MARIE, Instruction des novices, s^'Partie, chap. II, § 2. * Instructions sur I'Oraison, MSthode d'oraisdn, ch. I; p. 253-254. Read the whole passage — Engl. Transit A Key to meditation, p. 85-95. 322 CHAPTER I. - alone — in peace, in calm, in silence, in recollection. ...The same it is that in spirit makes us descend to hell, therein to see our place; that brings us before the -grave to see our -last abode;. that takes us up to Heaven to see pur throne of -glory; that carries us to the Valley of Josaphat to see Our Judge; to Bethlehem to see Our Savior ; to Mount Thabor to see Our Love and to Calvary to see Our Model. " Medi- tation, likewise, detaches us from the world and its false pleasures. Ifr reminds us of the instability of wprdly goods, the anxiety they bring, the void, the ennui in which they plunge the soul. It forearms us against a false and corrupt world and makes us realize that God alone can constitute our bliss. Above all it detaches us from our pride and from our sensuality, by placing us before God Who is the fulness of being, and before our nothingness; by making us understand that sensual pleasure reduces us to the level of the -brute, whilst godly joys ennoble us and make us soar unto God. b) Meditation strengthens our will, not merely by provid- ing us with strong convictions, as we have just said, but also by gradually healing pur languor/our cowardice, and our fickleness. God's grace alone, our own efforts helping, can cure such infirmities. Now, meditatipn makes us. ask for this grace all the more insistently, as it brings home to us through reflection our helplessness ; whilst the acts of sorrow, of contrition that we perform, the firm purpose of amend- ment we conceive during meditation, together with the resolutions we take, already constitute an active co-operation with grace. ' 670. 2° Meditation makes us also practice all the great Christian virtues, i) It enlightens our faith by bringing before our eyes the eternal truths ; it sustains our hope by giving us access to God to obtain His help; it enkindles our love by exposing to our view the beauty and the goodness of God. 2) It makes us prudent by supplying us with considerations to be taken into account before we act ; it makes us just by having us conform our will to that of God; it renders us strong by making us share in God's own power ; and temperate by cooling the ardor of our passions. There is no Christian virtue which we cannot acquire by daily meditation. Through it we hold fast'to the truth, and truth, freeing us from our vices, makes us practice virtue : " You •shall know the truth : a}id the truth shall make you free." J . > John, VIII, 32. THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS 323 \ '_ •' '-'_-.'—--.: „..•'_' ' _ '' ' ' _ ----__ --' _„ :' -' -J- ' 671. 3d Meditation therefore -initiates "our union, with God, nay more, our transformation into Him. It is, in fact, a conversation with God which from day to day becomes more intimate, more tender, and longer, since it continues the day long, even in the midst of our activities, (n. 522). By virtue of daily, intercourse with the Author of all perfee-^ tion, we drink of His fulness, and are permeated by it, like the sponge by the water. We are transformed like the iron in the furnace that kindles, softens, and assumes the properties of living fire. - ; II. The Necessity of Mental Prayer 672. i° For the Laity. * A) Systematic meditation is a highly effective means of sanctification; however, it is not necessary Jor the salvation of most Christians. What is necessary is prayer by which we render homage to God and obtain grace. Evidently, this cannot be done without attention on the part of the mind and desire on the part of the heart. No doubt, to prayer must be joined the consi- deration of the great Christian truths and of the great ' Christian duties, together with self-examination. But we accomplish all these without the practice of systematic meditation, by simply listening to the religious instruction given in Church, by pious reading, and by the examination of conscience. 673. B) Meditation, however, is most useful and most profitable to all for salvation and perfection; to beginners, as well as to more advanced souls. It may be even said that it is the most effective means of assuring one's salvation (n. 669). This is the teaching of St. Alphonsus, who gives the following reason, that whilst habitually practicing the other exercises of piety, like the Rosary, the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, fasting, etc. . .one may, unfortunately, still continue to live in mortal sinj whilst the habitual practice of mental prayer cannot suffer one to remain long in such a state. One either relinquishes mental prayer or relinquishes sin. 2 How could we day by day go into the presence of God, the source of all holiness, while conscious of mortal sin, and not determine, with the help of grace, to break with sin and to seek in the Tribunal of Penance that pardon the supreme need of which we recognize? But, if we have no appointed time and no practical method for the consideration of the great religious truths, we allow ourselves 1 Cf, " Enqu&te sur I'oraison chez les laws de notre temps " dans 1" " Omison " edit, du Cerf, Paris; NASH, Everyman at his Prie-Dieu. 2 Praxis -Confessarii, n. 122. - ' •* 324 CHAPTER I. to be carried away by dissipation of mind and the example of the, world,- until we lapse into sin and live in sin. 674. 2° The Moral Necessity of Mental Prayer for Diocesan Priests. We do not speak here of those Regulars, who in the devout, and prolonged recitation of the- Divine Office, in their readings and in the prayers they offer may find the equivalent of mental prayer. Nevertheless, we call attention to the fact that even in the Orders where the Office is recited in choir, the rule prescribes at least a half- hour of mental prayer, because meditation is the soul of all vocal prayers and insures their fervent recitation. It should also be said that religious congregations dating from the XVI century insist even more upon mental prayer, and that the New Code directs superiors to see that all religious, unless they have a legitimate excuse, devote a certain amount of time etich day to this exercise. r~ But speaking of diocesan priests, . absorbed in the activities of the ministry, we say that the habitual exercise of mental prayer at an appointed time is morally necessary to their perseverance and to their sanctification. Their duties are ma'ny and heavy, and they are at times sub- jected to serious temptations, even, while exercising their ministry. Now, in order to 'resist these temptations and to fulfil all their duties with fidelity and in a supernatural way, they need deep convictions and choice graces, which as every one must admit are obtained through daily meditation. 675. A) Nor let it be urged that the offering of the Holy Sacrifice and the recitation of the Divine Office replace mental prayer. It is true that the Mass and the Breviary, attentively and devoutly said, are effective means of perse- verance and progress in the spiritual life; yet, experience shows that priests absorbed in their -ministerial work dc not, as a matter of. fact, acquit themselves well of these important duties, unless they develop in daily meditation the spirit of prayer and of interior recollection.^ If a priest disregards this holy exercise, how can he, encompassed and pressed by labors, find the time to recollect himself and renew his sense of the supernatural? If he fails in this, distracting thoughts invade his soul, even whilst he is engaged in .the holiest occupations; his convictions, weaken, his energy, dwindles, his negligences and his failings grow, and lukewarmness ensues. Should a serious, persistent, and 1 Can. 595. ,-- . ' THE PRAYER OF 'BEGINNERS. - 325 besetting temptation make its appearance, the strong con-- victiohs needed to repel the enemy are no longer clear to his mind, and he runs the risk* of falling. x " If I meditate, " says.Dbm Chautard, "I am as, it were clothed in steel armor, and impervious to the shafts of the enemy. Without mental prayer, I sHall surely be their target." The devout, learned and prudent Father Desurmont, one of the most experienced retreat- masters for priests, declares that "for the priest in the world, it is either meditation or a very great risk of damnation. " Cardinal Lavigerie writes in the same strain : "For an apostolic laborer, there is no alterna- tive between holiness, if not acquired, at least desired and pursued (especially through daily meditation) and progres- sive perversion. " 2 , 676. B) For the priest, it does not suffice to avoid sin. In order to fulfil the duties of glorifying God and saving souls he-must be habitually united to Jesus Christ the Great High Priest, through Whom alone he can give glory to God and save men, Yet, how can the priest unite himself to Christ in the midst of the occupations and preoccupations of his ministry, if he does not set apart sufficient time to think leisurely and lovingly on that Divine Model, to draw unto himself through prayer His spirit, His dispositions, and His grace? • Through this union the priest's energies are multiplied, his confidence increased, the fruitfulness of his ministry assured, for it is not he who speaks, but Jesus Who speaks through his lips : " God as it were exhorting by us"; 3 it is not he who acts; he is but an instrument in God's hands. Because' he strives to imitate the virtues of our Lord, his example wins souls eyen more than his words. If he gives up meditation, he loses the spirit of recollection and of prayer and he is but " sounding brass and a -tinkling cymbal. "4 ' " 677. Hence, Pope Pius X, of holy memory, has proclaimed in clear terms the necessity of meditation for the priest : " It is of the first importance that a certain time should be allotted every day for tnedi- 1 Let us ponder the following words of a priest reproduced by DOM CHAUTARD : " It is my overeagerness that has brought on my fall 1 ,My excessive devotion to the active life and my love for the'same filled me with great joy at my success, and this together with the deceits ;of Satan led me to be so absorbed in laboring for others, as to neglect my own spiritual wants, prayer and meditation; and then when temptation came, I yielded in the weakness caused me by my lack of spiritual nourishment. " The True Apostolate^. 67.' All that this excellent writer says about the need of an interior life, applies to mental prayer which is one of the most effective means to foster this .life. . . 3 L'dme de tout apostol'at, p. 179-180. Engl. Transl. The soul of the apostolate p. 143-144- 8 II COY., V, 20. — 4 1 Cor., XIII, i. ; . , 326 CHAPTER I. tation on the things of eternity. No priest can omit this without being guilty of serious negligence ^ to the detriment of his soul." l .The New Code bids Bishops to see that priests devote each day a certain time to the exercise of mental .prayer,2 and that students in seminaries do likewise. 3 Are not such prescriptions equivalent, to a proclamation of the moral necessity of meditation for ecclesiastics? ~' To advise priests absorbed in the parochial ministry to omit medi- tation so as to say their Mass and Office more devoutly is nothing less than a total ignorance of psychology. Experience shows that, when mental prayer is absent, the devout recitation of the Office becomes well-nigh impossible ; it is said at odd moments with many attendant interruptions, and with the mind filled with the thoughts of other things. It is, in fact, the morning meditation that guarantees the devout celebration of the Holy Sacrifice and that enables a priest to recollect himself before beginning his Office and to make its recitation a real prayer. . 678. What we say of the priest, can be said also to .a certain extent of those devoted men and women who dedicate part of their time to works of zeal. .If they want their apostolate to be fruitful, it must be vivified by the spirit of recollection and by prayer. Let it not be urged that the time consecrated to this exercise is taken from works of zeal. It, would-be to approach closely to the error of Pelagius to imagine that action is more necessary than grace and prayer, whereas in reality works of zeal are all the more fruitful, as they are inspired by a life of greater interior recollection, which is in turn nourished by mental prayer. § III. General Characteristics of the Meditation of Beginners We have already said that the mental prayer of beginners is chiefly a discursive prayer, wherein, though the affections have their place, reasoning predominates. We now explain : i° the ordinary subjects of their meditation, and 2° the obstacles they meet. I. The Subjects Upon which Beginners Meditate 679. They must, in general, meditate upon whatever is calculated to inspire them with a growin'g horror for sin, upon the causes of their own faults, upon mortification that removes such causes, upon the principal duties of their state, upon fidelity to grace and its abuse> upon Jesus Christ ', a model for penitent sinners. 680. i° In order to acquire a growing horror for sin, they must meditate : a) on the end of man and of the Christian, and hence upon 1 Exhortation to the Clergy, Aug. 4, 1908. — 2 Can. 125! 2°. — 3 Can. 1367, i°. p *• ,' [' '- - "« *- s~ \ THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS. 327 the creation of man, his elevation to the supernatural state,, his fall and his redemption (n. 59-87) ; upon' the rights. ofGod'ss, Creator, Sanctifier, and Redeemer; upon such of the divine attributes as would inspire them with a horror for sin, for instance, God's immensity \ whereby He is present to all creatures and especially to the soul in the state of grace; upon His holiness whereby He is bound to hate sin; upon His justice which punishes it ; upon His mercy that moves Him to forgive it. All these truths tend to make us flee from sin, the one.obstaclevto the attainment of our end, the one enemy of God, the destroyer of that supernatural life given to'us by God as the great proof of His love for. us, and restored to us by the Redeemer at the price of His Blood. b) Upon sin: its origin, punishment, malice, and frightful conse- quences, n. 711-735; upon the causes leading 'to sin : the world, the flesh, and the devil, n. 193-227. e) Upon the means of expiating and preventing sin : penance, n. 705, and the mortification , of our different faculties, of our evil tendencies, and chiefly of the seven capital . vices. From our medi- tations on these points we shall draw the conclusion that there is no safety as long as we have not uprooted or at least controlled all these disordered inclinations. 681. 2° Beginners must also choose for the subject of meditation all the positive duties .of tke Christian : i) General duties of religion toward God, of charity toward the neighbor, of mistrust of self on account of our helplessness and wretchedness. What will impress beginners most will be the external acts of these virtues ; but this will be a preparation for the more perfect practice of the same virtues in the illuminative way. '• — , 2) Particular duties, according to age, condition, sex, state of life. The fulfilment of these duties will, prove to be the best kind of penance. 682. 3° Since grace plays an all-important rdle .in the Christian life, beginners must be gradually instructed in this doctrine. The spiritual director, then, will explain to them in a familiar and easy way :the doctrine of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in our souls, of our incorporation into Christ, of habitual grace, of the virtues and of. the seven gifts, At first, no. doubt, they will grasp but the mere, elements of these great truths, but even the .little they will- understand will not fail to exert a powerful influence on their spiritual formation and their spiritual progress. It is when we think of what God has done a'nd incessantly does for us, that we are prompted to further generosity in His service. We should not forget that St. Paul and St. John preached these truths to pagan neophytes who were but beginners in the spiritual life. .. 683. 4° Then it will be easy and practical to propose Jesus as the model for true penitents ; Jesus condemning Himself to a life of poverty; of obedience and of toil that He might be unto us an example; Jesus, doing penance for us in the desert, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in His cruel passion; Jesus. dying for us upon the Cross. This series of meditations, presented to us by the Church in the yearly cycle of the liturgy, will have the .advantage of making us practice penance in union with Jesus with 328. CHAPTER I. greater generosity, with a greater love, and hence with greater efficacy./ • !. • : II. The Obstacles Encountered by Beginners - The special difficulties encountered .by beginners in medi- tation arise, from their inexperience, their lack of generosity, and chiefly from the many distractions to which they are subject. 684, A) On account of their inexperience they are liable to turn their mental prayer into a sort of philosophical or theological thesis, or into a kind of sermon to . themselves. This is not, indeed, a complete loss of time, since even this kind of meditation makes them give thought to the great truths of religion and strengthens their convictions. They would, however, derive greater profit if they proceeded, in a more practical and in a more supernatural way. This a spiritual director must teach them. He should point out to them : a) that considerations, if they are to bear practical fruit, must ' be made more personal, be applied to themselves and be followed by an examination in order to see to what extent the truths on which they meditate influence their lives, and what must be done in order to live by these truths during the course. of the day ; b) that the most ifnpor- 1 tant part of meditation is found in the acts of the will : acts of adoration, thanksgiving and love toward God; acts of humility, of sorrow, of firm purpose of amendment; acts of petition to obtain the grace l)f correct- ing their faults ; and finally, firm and frequently repeated resolutions of doing better throughout the day. V685. B) Their lack of generosity exposes them to discour- agement-w\\Qn they are no longer upheld by the sensible consolations God graciously bestowed on them at the outset in order to draw them unto Himself. Obstacles and the first spells of aridity dishearten them, and thinking them- selves abandoned by God, they drift into carelessness. Hence, they must be made to see that what God asks is effort and not success, that perseverance in prayer, despite difficulties, is so much the richer in merit, and that God having proved Himself so generous towards them, to turn back when effort is required, would be an act of cowardice These directions should/ be tempered by the mildness with which they are given and by paternal words of comfort. 686. C) The ,_ greatest obstacle, however, comes from distractions. Since in the first stages of trie spiritual life, our imagination, our feelings and our attachments are far from being mastered, worldly and ofttimes dangerous fancies, useless thoughts and the divers emotional movements of \ THE PRAYER OF -BEGINNERS. ' 329 the heart invade the soul at the very time of meditation. The help of the spiritual director is here of capital im- portance. a) He should first of all remind them of the distinction between wilful J distractions and those that are not, bidding his penitents to concern themselves merely with the former in order to diminish their number, To succeed in this : i) they must repel such distractions promptly, vigorously and' persistently^ as soon as they become aware of them. Even if these distractions are many arid grievous, they are not culpable unless they are voluntary ; the effort made to repel them is a meritorious act. Should they recur a hundred times and be a hundred times, repulsed, the meditation will be excellent and worth far more than one made with fewer distractions but with little effort. 687. 2) They must humbly acknowlege their weakness, explicitly .unitejhehiselves to Our Lord, and offer to God His worship and His prayers. If need be, a book may be used, the better to fix the attention. , - b) It is not enough to drive off distractions. In order to reduce their number, we must attack their causes. Many of them proceed from a lack olpreparation or from an habitual dissipation of mind, i) Beginners thus troubled with distractions should, therefore, be urged to prepare their meditation more carefully the night before, hot by merely reading the points, but by trying to see how the subject of the meditation is of practical advantage to them personally, and by thinking about it before falling asleep, instead of letting their mind become a prey to useless ot unwholesome reveries. 2) Above all, beginners must be taught the means of controlling the imagination and the memory. In proportion as the soul grows in the practice of habitual recollection and detachment, distractions become less numerous. > § VI. The Principal Methods 'of Mental Prayer 688. Since mental prayer is a difficult art, the Saints have ever been eager to offer counsel on the means of succeeding therein. One finds excellent advice in Cassian, 1 Distractions are voluntary -in themselves when they are deliberately willed, or when, aware that our mind wanders, .we do nothing to prevent its' vagaries. ' They are voluntary in their cause, when we foresee that such or such all-absorbing reading or occupation will be a source 'of distractions, and none the -less-we indulge in it. . •• / .- -'•••'• •-.-" " ': ' . . "'•' " .••'•- •'' 330 , CHAPTER I. St. John Glimacus :and other spiritual writers. -It was \not, however, .until the XV Century that methods properly so called were elaborated, which have since guided souls in the ways of mental prayer. . • Because at first sight these methods appear rather intricate, it is well, before introducing beginners to their use, to prepare them by what may be called meditative reading. They should be told to read some devout works, like the First Book of the Following of Christ, the Spiritual Combat or some work containing brief, solid meditations ; and' they should be taught to follow up this reading by asking themselves the following questions: i° Am I thoroughly convinced that what I have just read is useful and necessary to the welfare of my soul?\ How can I strengthen this conviction? 2° Have I up to the present exercised myself in such an important practice? 3° What must I do today in order to improve? If an earnest prayer is added asking for the grace that one may carry out the resolutions taken, all the essential elements of a real meditation will be con- tained in such reading. - I. Points Common to all Methods of Mental Prayer \ We find in all the various methods certain common traits which are manifestly the most essential; hence, attention must be called to them. 689. i° There is always a remote, a proximate, and an immediate preparation. a) The remote preparation is nothing more than the effort to make, our daily life harmonize with prayer. It comprises three things : i) the mortification of the senses and of the passions; 2) habitual recollection ; 3) humility. These are, in fact, excellent dispositions fora good meditation. At the beginning they are imperfect; still, they suffice to enable us to meditate with some profit, and later on they will become more and more perfect in proportion as progress is made in mental prayer. . b) The proximate or, as others call it, the less remote preparation, includes three principal acts: i) to select the subject of meditation on the preceding evening ; 2) to revolve it in our mind in the morning upon awakening, and to excite in our heart corresponding sentiments ; 3) to approach meditation with earnestness, confidence, and humility, desiring to give glory to God and to improve our life. In THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS. 331 this way the soul is placed in the best dispositions to enter into conversation with God. C) The immediate preparation, which is in reality, the beginning of meditation itself, consists in placing ourselves in the presence of God Who is present every where, especially within our heart, in acknowledging ourselves unworthy and incapable of meditating, and in imploring the aid of the Holy Ghost that He supply' our insufficiency. • 690. 2° Within the body of the meditation, the different methods likewise contain more or less explicitly the same fundamental acts : a) Acts of worship rendering to the Majesty of God the religious homage due to Him. / b) Considerations, to convince ourselves of the. necessity or the great importance of the virtue we want to acquire, so that we may all the more earnestly pray for the grace of practicing it, and .firmly determine to make efforts necessary to co-operate with grace. c) Self -examinations, to see our failings in this regard and survey the progress yet to be made. d) Prayers or petitions, asking for the grace of growing in the said virtue and of using the means conducive thereto. e) Resolutions, whereby we determine from that very moment to practice that virtue. -..'.-._ 691. 3° The conclusion, which brings the meditation to a close, includes : i) an act of thanskgiving for the favors received; 2) a review of the manner in which we have made our meditation with the view to improve thereon the following day; 3) a final prayer asking the blessing of Our Heavenly Father; 4) '. the selection of some impressive thought or some telling maxim, which will during the day recall to our mind the ruling-idea of our meditation. The different methods are reduced to two principal types called respectively the method of St. Ignatius and the method of St, Sulpice. \\.TheMethodofSt.Ignatius* 692. In the Spiritual Exercises St. Ignatius presents several methods of mental prayer, according to the subjects 1 Spiritual Exercises > Ist Week, Ist Exercise ; (Translation by Father Rickaby, S. J.); See CLARE, S. J. The Science of the Spiritual Life; CRASSET, A Key to Meditation; FABER, Growth in Holiness, C. XV, 332 CHAPTER I. meditated upon and the results desired. The one best adapted to beginners is the one called the exercise of the three faculties', so named ^because it consists in _the; exer- "cise of the memory, the understanding and the will, the three chief faculties of the soul. It is explained in the First Week of the Exercises in connection with the medi- tation on sin, ' 693. 1° The Beginning of the Meditation. -It begins by a preparatory prayer in which we beg of God that Our intentions arid all our actions be solely directed to the service and honor of the Divine Majesty. Two preludes follow: a) the first, which is the composition of place, has for its purpose to center the imagination and fasten the attention upon the subject of the meditation, the more easily to banish distrac- tions. i) -If the object falls under the senses, for instance if it is one ot the mysteries of Our Lord, it is presented to the mind as vividly as possible, not like an event haying taken place in the distant past, but as if one were actually witnessing the facts and taking part in them. 2} If the object does not fall under the senses, e.< g. sin, " the compo- sition of place will consist in picturing and considering my soul impri- soned in this mortal body, and myself, that is, my body' and my soul, in tin's vale of tears, exiled, as it were, midst animals devoid of reason"; in other words, one considers sin in some of its effects in order to conceive a horror for it. • ft) The second prelude consists in asking God what we want and desire, for example, shame and confusion at the sight of 'pur sins. As can be seen, the practical purpose of the meditation — the resolution — is clearly pointed out from the very outset: In all things look to the end. " . 694. 2° The Body of the Meditation. This consists in the application of the three faculties of the soul, the memory, the understanding, and the will, to each point of the meditation. Each faculty is in turn applied to each point, unless one point furnishes adequate matter- for the meditation. It is not necessary in every meditation to make all the acts ; it is good to dwell upon the affections and sentiments which the subject suggests. a) The exercise of the 'memory is performed by recalling the first point of the meditation, not in detail, but as a whole; thus, says St. Ignatius : " This exercise of the memory as regards the sin of the Angels consists in calling to mind how they were created in a state of innocence; how they refused to employ their freedom in rendering their Creator and Master the homage and obedience due to Him ; how pride, taking possession of them, they passed from 'the state of grace to a state of reprobation, and were cast from Heaven into Hell. " b) The exercise of the understanding consists in -reflecting in detail upon the same subject. St. Ignatius proceeds no further, but Father Roothaan supplements his teaching by explaining that the office of the understanding is to make reflections upon the truths the memory has *'- ' THE PRAYER 'OF BEGINNERS. 383 proposed, to make application thereof to the soul and the soul's needs to draw therefrom practical conclusions, to weigh the motives for reso- lutions, to consider how we have heretofofe conformed our conduct to the truths upon which we meditate, arid how we must conduct ourselves with regard to them in the future. :_ •- c) The will has two duties to fulfil :. to conceive devout affections and to1 form good resolutions, i) The affections, indeed, must find a place in all parts of the meditation, at least they must occur very frequently, !since it is these that make the '•meditation a real prayer ; but it is chiefly toward the end of the "meditation that they are to be multiplied. One must, not be concerned about the manner of expressing them ; the simpler the manner^ the better they are. When some good sentiment spontaneously lays hold of us, it is" well to entertain it as long as we can and until our devotion is satisfied. 2) The 'resolutions should be prac- tical^ designed to improve pur life, and therefore particular^ accommodated to our present, condition^ and capable of being carried out that very day ; they must be based upon solid motives. They' must be humble and therefore accom- panied by prayers to obtain the grace of carrying them into execution. " ' ; • 695. 3° The Conclusion. This comprises three things • a summary view of the various resolutions already taken devout colloquies with' God the Father, Our Lord, ,the Blessed Virgin or some Saint; and lastly, the review of the meditation, or the examination upon the way we have made it, in order to note its imperfectio'ns and to seek a remedy for them. 334 CHAPTER I, To give a clearer understanding of the' method, we add the following synoptic table of the preludes, of the body of the prayer, and of the conclusion. I. Preludes - •3 .0 in 1 fl .2 •4-1 rt 4-1 sharing with Him in the work of repro- N«88Q. -13 338 CHAPTER I, ducing His virtues — co-operation.- An intimate union with Jesus, .then, is the soul ;of this method. . -.''_.- b) It places the duty of religion (reverence and love towards God) before that of petition. God comes. first! The God it places before us is not an abstract, philosophical concept, but a concrete, personal God, the living God of the Gospels, the Most Blessed Trinity living in us. e) In asserting the need both of grace and of our co- operation, zV lays the emphasis upon 'grace and hence upon prayer, whilst at the same time it demands the energetic and persevering effort of the will, of specific, pertinent, oft-renewed resolutions on the keeping of which we examine ourselves at the end of the day. , 701. d) It is a method of affective prayer supported by considerations. It begins with religious sentiments in the first point; the considerations in the second are designed to elicit from the heart acts of faith in the supernatural truths on which we, meditate, acts of hope in the Divine mercy, acts of love towards God's infinite goodness ; the self -exami- nations are accompanied by sorrow for the past, confusion for the present, and a firm purpose of amendment for the future; the aim of all these acts being to prepare a humble, confident and persevering prayer. In order to prolong this petition, the method furnishes various motives, explained at length, and further suggests a prayer for the whole Church and for certain souls in particular. The resolutions are to be made with distrust of self, absolute, confidence in Jesus Christ, and accompanied by a prayer that we may be enabled to put them into effect. Lastly, the conclusion is but a series of acts of gratitude, of humility and further petitions. Thus we avoid giving a, too philosophical turn to our reasoning and to our considerations, and prepare the way for affective prayer and for. prayer of simplicity ; for the method tells us that it is not necessary always to perform all these acts, or in the order prescribed, but that we should rather abandon ourselves to the affections that God excites in us, and repeat frequently those to which we feel particularity attracted by the Holy Ghost/ No doubt, beginners as a rule give more time to reasoning than to other acts, yet they are constantly reminded by the method that affections are preferable; and thus they gradually give to them a larger place in their meditation. ' e) This method is especially suited to priests and semi- narians. It continually reminds • them that being other Christs by virtue of their character : and their powers, they THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS. 339 should be so likewise in their dispositions and virtues, and that , all their perfection consists in causing Jesus to live and to grow urtheir souls. / ; ..-..,• .702. These two method?, then, have their .respective excellence according to the special object they have in view, The same may be said of all the other methods, which more or less approach one of these two types. x It is well that there are many of them, so that each one may with the advice of his director choose, .according to his own super- natural attractions, the method that suits him -best- ••'••• As Father Poulain 2 says, these methods are like the numerous rules of rhetoric -and ; logic ; -beginners must be taught these, but once they have been so schooled in them that they possess their spirit and their elements, they need but follow the broad lines 'of the method, and then, without ceasing ! to :be active, they give greater heed to the move^ merits' -of the 'Holy Ghost. ; ; ; . : :: • CONCLUSION : THE EFFICACY OF TRAYER FOR THE PURIFICATION OF THE SOUL 703. From what we have -just said, we may easily infer how helpful and how necessary mental prayer is for the purification of the soul, a) In the prayer of worship, we offer God the homage due to Him; we admire, praise and bless His,; infinite perfections,— His holiness, His. justice, His goodness,. His loving mercy. He in turn lovingly :.stoops down to forgive us, to inspire us with a ' deep horror "of sin which offends Him, and to protect us against fresh faults, b) In meditation^ we form, under the influence of divine light and of our own reflections, strong convictions on the malice of sin, on its frightful consequences in this life and in the life to come, on the means of expiating it and avoiding it in the future.v Our heart is then rilled with sentiments of shame, of humiliation, of love of God, of hatred of , sin, together with purpose of amendment, and thus our faults are washed away more and more in penitential tears and in the Blood of Christ. . Our will is fortified against the slightest surren- ders, and we embraced generously the practice of penance 1 We make special mention of the method of St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, II Part. ch. II-VII ; of that of the .Discalced Carmelites, Instruction des Novices by V..P. J. de Je"sus-Marie, III' Part. ch. II ; Aurelianus a SS. Sacramento, Cttrsus Asceticvs^ol. I, disput. Ill, sect. I; of that of the Reformed Cistercians, Directoire Spirited by Dom Lehodey',- 1910, sect. V, ch. IV; of that of the Dominicans instruction des Novices, by Fr. Cormier. a Etudes, 20 mars 1898, p. 782, note 2. - 340 " CHAPTER II. and self-denial, e) In the prayer of petition^ supported by the infinite merits; of Christ, we are the recipients of aburiclaht graces to practice humility, penance, trust, and -love; these graces complete the cleansing of our soul, .strengthen it against temptation, and ground-it in virtue, chiefly in the virtues of penance and mortification^ which complete the work of prayer, ' 704. Advice to spiritual directors. Mental prayer cannot be too strongly urged upon those who want xto advance in the way of perfection. Spiritual directors should instruct them in 'its practice as early as possible, ; They should, likewise, have their penitents give an. account of the difficulties they encounter/ in this exercise, in order to help them to overcome them, to show them how they can improve their method of meditation, and above all how they may avail themselves of this exercise to correct -their faults, practice the contrary virtues, and gradually acquire ;the spirit of prayer, which, along with penance, will Affect the transformation of their souls. . . , CHAPTER II Penance We . shall briefly state the necessity and the notion :" of penance; then we shall explain : i° The motives that should prompt us to hate and avoid sin; 2a the. motives and the means of atoning for sin. ' •'-'.'•/'' ''•'.'•''• . '•- . . ' . ^ • - - ... i Necessity and Notion of Penance. : • :' A , T T-r , i r ' . Art I. - Hatred of sin Art II. — Atonemeritfor sinJ motlves ' , ; I means . ••. :,; .: , ./ :.•/•.. THE NECESSITY- AND NOTION or PE-NANCE1" . • '_. I - ;. . '.. - • ..'.•'' 705. Penance is, after prayer, the most effective means for cleansing the soul of past faults and even for guarding it against future ones. 'StTHOM. Ill, q. 85; SUAREZ, 7^ Pcenitentiti,^. I et VII; BiLUJART, De Panit., disp. II; Ap. TANQUERKY, Synop. Theol. Mor. , t. I, n. .3-14; • BOSSUET, Serm. sitr la nkessitt de la finitence, ddit. Lebarcq, 1897, t. IV, 596, t. V, 419; BOURDALOUE, Careme, poiir le Lnndi de la deiixitine Semaine; NEWMAN, Disc. to Mixed- Congregations, Neglect of Divine Calls; FABER, Growth in Holiness, ^ BENANCE , ' 341 i° When Our Lord is about to begin His public ministry, He has His Precursor proclaim the necessity of _ penance: " Do penance t for the kingdom of heaven is at hand?" J He Himself declares He has come to call sinners to repentance : " / came not to call the- just, but sinners to penance. " 2 This virtue is so necessary, that unless' we do penance we shall perish: "But except you. do penance, you shall all likewise perish." 3 So well was this doctrine understood by the Apostles, that from the very first they insisted on the necessity of penance as a condition preparatory to Baptism: " Do 'penance : and be baptized every one of you. •" 4 . .- ' For the sinner penance is an act of justice; for having offended God and violated God's rights, he is bound to make reparation for the outrage; This he does through penanced 706, 2° Penance '^defined as a supernatural virtue, allied to justice, which inclines the sinner to detest his sin because it is an offence against God, and to form, the firm resolve of avoiding sin in the future, and of atoning for it. Hence, it includes four chief acts, the origin and inter-relation of which may be readily perceived, i ) In the light of reason and of faith, we see that sin is an evil, the greatest evil, in- truth the only evil, and this because it offends God and deprives us of the most precious gifts. This evil we hate with i our whole soul ; ";I .have, hated iniquity." 2) Moreover, conscious that this evil is ours since we have sinned, arid that,reven once forgiven, its traces remain in our sdul^we; conceive a lively sorrow, a sorrow that weighs; upon and crushes the 'soulj a sincere contrition, a deep sense of humiliation. 3) To avoid in the future this heinous 'eyil we form theyfn/z resolve or the firm purpose "of avoiding it, by carefully shunning "dangerous occasions and by fortify- ' ing our will against the allurements of sinful pleasures. 4) Lastly, realizing that sin constitutes an act of injustice ,: we determine to atone for:it, .to expiate it by sentiments and works of penance. . . . ; . ART. I. MOTIVES FOR HATING AND AVOIDING SIN s Before explaining these motives,6 we shall explain what mortal sin is and what venial sin is. C. XIX and XX; TissoT, Profiting by Our Faults'; MANNING, Sin audits Cause- qttences, The Love oj Jesus for Penitent Shiners.-^iLVl.'EV, Retreat, C. VII; MEYER, Science of the Saints, C. XIII;. ST, ''FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life, P. I, C.V-.VIII. 1 Matth., Ill, 2; — 2 Luke, V, 32; — 3 Luke, XIII, 5. — ^Acts, II, 38. : s ST. THOMAS, I» Ife, q. 85-89; SuAKEZ,,JDePecca/is, disp. I-1II; disp. VII-VIII; PHILIP. A S. TRINITATE, Sum. ;theol. mystica,!* P., tr. II, discursus I; ANTON. A SPIRITU S., Directorinm mysticum, disp. I, sect. Ill; TH. DE VALLGdRNERA, Mystica t/ieol., q. II, disp. I, a. I II-IV;' ALVAREZ DE PAZ, T. II, .P; I, De Abjectione. peccatorum; BOURDALOUE, Careme mercredi de la s^sem., sur 1'^tat du pdch6 et 1'dtat de gracer TRONSON, Ex. Part. , CLXX-GLXXX; MANNING,. Sin and its Consequences; MGR. p'HuLST, Carltme 1802; Retraite; P. JANVIER, Careme rqoj, Ie Conf. ; Careme H)o8, entirely. — See other references, no. 705. 6 We develop the treatment of these motives somewhat at length, in order that the reader may be able to meditate on them.- Once a lively horror of sin is conceived progress in the spiritual life is assured. - .- 342 CHAPTER, II. 707. Notion and Species of Sin. Sin is ^wilful trans- gression of the law of God. Hence, it is an act of disobe- dience to God, an offence against Him ; for it is the choice of our own will in preference to His, and thereby a violation of the sovereign right God has to pur submission. 708. a) Mortal Sin. When, with full advertence and with full consent we transgress in grave matter a law that is important, necessary to the attainment of our end, the sin is mortal, because it deprives us of habitual grace which is the supernatural life of the soul (n. 105). This- is why St. Thomas defines mortal sin as "an act whereby we turn away from God, our last end, willingly attaching ourselves in an inordinate manner to some created good." By the loss of habitual grace, which unites us 'to God, we turn away from Him. 709. b) Venial Sin. When the law we violate is not necessary to the attainment of our end, or when we violate such a law, but in a slight matter, or if the law is grave in itself, but we transgress it either without full advertence, or without full consent, the (sin . is but venial and does not deprive us of the state of grace. Our soul still remains in union with God, since we want to do His will in all things necessary, to" abide in His friendship and attain our end. Still, venial sin is truly a .violation of God's law, consti- tuting an offence against the majesty of the Law-giver,.., ., § I. Mortal Sin * ..•.;•-::>.; ^-,,. 710. • If we would pass sound judgment /oh; ''g^avesisinj we must consider: i° What it is in the sight'' of God; 2° What it is in itself; 3° What are its baneful effects., If through meditation we realize thoroughly these teachings of faith we shall conceive an invincible hatred of .sin. ;- .: I. What Mortal Sin is in the Sight of God To form an idea of what mortal sin is in God's eyes, let us see how He punishes it and how He condemns it .in Holy Writ. 711. i° How God punishes mortal sin. A) In .the. rebel angels. These committed but a single sin, an interior sin, a sin of pride ; and God, their Creator and Father, God, Who loved them, not only as the work of His hands, but as 'ST. IGNATIUS, Spiritual Exercises, 1st Week, Ist Exercise; See also his numerous commentators. ~ ' PENANCE. , 343 His adopted children, punished their rebellion by 'casting them into Hell, where through all eternity they will remain separated from God and deprived of all bliss. And withal, God is just and punishes no one beyond his deserts; He is merciful even in His punishments, and tempers the rigors of. His justice with His goodness. Sin, then, must be something abominable to merit such a terrible sanction. 712. B) In our first parents. They had been endowed with all manner of gifts, natural, preternatural and supernatural, n. 52-66; but having likewise committed a sin of disobedience and pride, they were directly despoiled, along with the life of grace, of all the free gifts that had been bestowed upon them ; were banished from Paradise and left to bequeath their posterity that dismal heritage of original sin, the sad consequences of which actually weigh upon us all (n. 69-75). Still, God bore our first parents the love of a father and allowed them the joy of intimacy with Him. If an all-just arid all-merciful God visited such a severe punishment upon them and their posterity, it is because - sin is a frightful' evil j an evil whjch we can never sufficiently detest. 713. (j) In the person of His Son, In order not to let man perish forever and in order to safeguard the rights both of justice and of mercy, the Eternal Father sends His Son into the world, makes Him the Head of the human race and lays upon Him the charge of atoning for and expiating sin in our stead. And what is the price of this redemption? Three and thirty years of humiliation .and pain, ending in the unspeakable torture of body and mind at Gethsemane, before the Sanhedrim, in the Pretorium, upon Calvary! If we would learn what siri is, let us follow the Savior of the world, step by step, from the Stable to the Cross, through that hidden -life of obscurity, of submis- sion, of poverty, of toil ; through His apostolic\\it of fatigues and '.failures, midst the ill-will and persecutions He was made to endure ; "through His suffering life, wherein He underwent such anguish of body and soul from friend and foe, so that He could well be called the Man of Sorrows. If we would know what sin is, let us face this truth: "''He was wounded for our iniqiiities; He was bruised for our sins. " * Then we shall not be at a loss to understand that sin is the greatest of evils. 714. 2° How God condemns sin. Holy Scripture describes sin as the most odious and the most criminal thing in existence. a) It is an act of disobedience to God, a transgression of His orders, which is justly punished with the utmost severity, as we witness in our 1 Jsaias, LIII, 5. ^ , . 344 CHAPTER II. first parents. J In the people of Israel, God's chosen portion, ithis disobedience is regarded as a revolt, a rebellion. a vb) It is an act of ingratitude toward our greatest Benefactor, an unnatural lack of filial piety toward the most loving of, .fathers: " 1 T have brought up children and exalted them :biit they have despised me." 3 6) It is unfaith- fulness, a species of adultery, since God is the spouse of our souls and rightly demands inviolable fidelity \".Butthou hast prostituted thyselj to many lovers. " 4 d.) It is an injustice, since by sin we openly violate ~the rights God has over us : " Whosoever committeth 'sin committeth also iniquity* And sin is iniquity."* ' ' •.'•-, \\.MortalSininItself Mortal sin, is an evil, the o'nly real evil, since all other evils are but its consequences or its punishment. > 715. i° In relation to God, mortal sin is a crime against the majesty' of 'the Godhead; it is an assault upon alTof God's attributes, but chiefly an attempt- against Him as our first beginning, our -last end, our Father, and our benefactor. A) God, the first cause of our being is our Maker, from Whom we hold all we are and all we, have; He is thereby our Supreme Lord and Master to Whom we owe an absolute obedience. By mortal sin we disobey Him; we affront Him by preferring our .o\vn will to His, by preferring a creature to the Creator! Nay more — we revolt against Him, since by the fact of creation, we are subject to Him as we can be to no earthly "power, a) This rebellion is all the more grave, since this Master is infinitely wise and infinitely good, and commands nothing that is not con- ducive to our j0wn happiness as well as to- His glory; whilst our will is weak, frail, liable to error. In spite of this, we prefer it to that of Qod! b) This defiance is all the more inexcusable, since we know well what we do; for from the days of our childhood, we have been taught by Christian '~ parents and have a clear and precise knowledge of God's rights ^over us and of the malice of sin. e) And why do we thus betray Our Lord and Master? We do so for a vile pleasure that debases us, from a stupid pride whereby we arrogate unto ourselves glory that belongs to God alone, for paltry interests, for a transient gain, to which we . sacrifice a-good that is eternal. 716. B) God is also our 'last end. He created us, and created us for Himself alone. He could not have done i Gen., II, 17; III, 11-19. — " feremias, II, 4-8. — 3 Isaias, I, 2. < Jeremias, III, i. — $ I John, III, 4. • .•' •PENANCE;: " . '•'"-' •"'£ V ^. 345 otherwise; for He is the Supreme Good, and outside Himself we could neither realize our 'perfection nor find our bliss. Besides, having come forth from ;.God, we should and we must return to Him; being the work of. His hand, we are His own and we must revere, praise, serve, and glorify Him; T being the object of His love we should love Him. with our whole soul — - and it is in the love of Him and in the worship of Him, that we find our perfection and our happiness. Hence, He nas a strict right that our whole life with all its thoughts, all its longings, all its acts be directed unto Him, unto His glory. By mortal sin, however, we turn away from God in order to take our delight in some created thing; we do Him an injury when we choose one of His creatures, or rather our own selfish satisfaction in preference to Him, for at bottom, it is not so much the creature which we seek as the pleasure we find therein. This is' flagrant injustice, since it constitutes an attempt to strip the Almighty of His supreme rights over us, of that outward glory we are bound to promote; it is a sort of idolatry, the setting up in the heart's sanctuary of an idol over againts the One True God ; it is scorning the fountain, of living water, which alone can quench the soul's thirst, to go, as Jeremias vigorously puts it, after the slimy waters that reek within abandoned wells: "For my .people have done two evils : They have .. forsaken me the fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can iiold no water." * 111. C) God is to us also a Father, Who has adopted us as His children and Who bestows on us the thoughtful care of a parent (n. 94); He heaps upon us His choicest favors, . endowing us with a supernatural organism, in order that we may live a life like unto .His ; He showers upon us abundant actual graces that^.we may make good use of His gifts, and thus by good works, increase bur spiritual life. 'Now," by mortal sin we scornfully fling aside those gifts, nay weeing them back at the Giver, .our Benefactor, our Father; we spurn His grace 'at the very -moment He overwhelms us with His bounty. Is not this ingratitude? '• Ingratitude all the more culpable because we have received so much, ingratitude that cries out for vengeance! N ' 1 This is the thought developed by ST. IGNATIUS at the outset of the Spiritual Exercises, beginning with these words: " Man was created to this end, that he glorify and- worship the Lord his God, and that by serving Him he attain salvation. ' 2 Jeremias, II, 13. 346 CHAPTER II. 718. 2° In relation to Jesus Christ, .our Redeemer, mortal sin is a sort of deicide. a) It is sin that has caused the sufferings and death of the Savior : " Christ suffered for us...1 And washed us from our. sins 'in his own blood."2 That this thought make an impression upon us, we must think of the personal share we have had in Christ's bitter Passion. It is I who betrayed my Master with a kiss, and at times, for even less than the thirty pieces of silver. It is I who caused violent hands to be laid upon Him, and a sentence of death to be passed on Him. I was with the rabble that cried out: "Not this man, but Barabbas... Crucify him. "3 I was with the soldiers, lashing Him through my self-indulgence, crowning His head with thorns through my interior sins of pride and sensuality, laying the heavy beam upon His shoulders and nailing Him to the Cross. As Father Olier so well explains it, " our niggard- liness crucified His all-embracing chanty, our ill temper His meekness, our intolerance His patience, our pride His humility. Thus our vices rack and strangle, and quarter the Christ that lives in us. " 4 What hatred should we bear a sin that has so cruelly fastened Our Savior to the Cross! b) Of course, we can no longer visit fresh tortures upon Him, since He can suffer no more, but our present faults do offer Him fresh insults; for when we wilfully commit them, we scorn His love and iavors; as far as we are concerned, we render void the Blood He shed in such profusion ; we hold back from Him that love, that gratitude/that obedience .to which He is entitled. What is this, if not repaying 'love with black ingratitude, and thereby calling down -upon our heads a dreadful punishment? III. The Effects, oj- Mortal Sin God has given the law a sanction; He has made happiness the reward of virtue and suffering the wages of sin. Seeing then the effects of sin in this life and in the next, we can in a measure judge of its guilt. 719. i° To realize the dire effects of mortal sin in this life, let us remember what a soul in the state of grace is. It is the dwelling-place and the delight of the Most Blessed Trinity. The Three Divine Persons adorn it with divine graces, divine virtues, divine gifts. Under the influence of actual grace, the good acts such a soul performs 1 / Peter, II, 21, — 2 Apoc. , I, 5. — 3 John, XVIII, 40, XIX, 6. 4 Cat. for an Int. Life, P. I, lesson II. PENANCE. 347 merit eternal life. Such a soul possesses the holy liberty "of , the children of God, shares in His power and virtue, and enjoys, especially at certain times, a happiness which is a foretaste of celestial bliss. And what does mortal sin do ? 'a) It expels God from our J0;//, and because the possession of God is already the beginning of heavenly joy, the loss of Him, is, at it. were, a prelude to eternal loss ; for the loss of God is likewise the loss of all the goods of which He is 'the source. '. . . . .Tb) Losing God we lose sanctifying grace, whereby our soul lived a life similar to that of the Godhead; hence, mortal sin is a 'sort of spiritiial suicide. Together with sanctifying grace we lose that glorious galaxy of virtues and gifts that go with it .If in His infinite mercy God leaves us in possession of Faith and' Hope, these virtues are no longer vivified by Love and now abide with us merely to infuse a wholesome fear and inspire us with an earnest desire of atoning and doing penance. In the meantime they show us the sad plight of bur soul and excite the pangs of remorse. . 720. c) The merits we have earned in the past with so much .effort are likewise, lost by mortal sin ; we can only regain them by penance. Moreover, whilst we remain in the state of mortal sin, we can acquire no merits -for heaven. What a waste of 'the supernatural ! :.' d) To 'all this we must add the tyrannical yoke of servitude the sinner must from now on bear. Instead of "'the liberty of • the children of God, " J. behold him now in the slavery... of sin, of evil passions now unloosed by the loss of grace, of habits soon formed after repeated falls — falls so difficult to avoid ! " Whosoever com- mitteth sin is the servant of sin. " ?• • • Little by little the moral' strengh of the soul is sapped, actual graces become rarer, discouragement and at times despair ensue. This poor soul is lost unless God in-His: exceeding great mercy comes with His, grace and rescues if from the abyss. .....'/- ,.- .'•,.. . • ' 721. 2° If -unfortunately the sinner remains obdurate to the end in. his resistance to grace, then follows hell : with all its horrors. A) First there is the well-deserved pain of'loss. Grace had ever pursued the, culprit,, but he willingly died ;in his sin, that is he willingly died without God, and since- his soul's, dispositions can "no longer change^ he remains forever separated j from Him. ^' As long as he lived ion earth absorbed in business or pleasure, -'he-' gave no time, no thought to the horror of his plight But now there is neither business nor '•Rom., VIII, si. — 2 JoAtff Y1IJ, 34; // Peter, II, 19. 348 CHAPTER II. pleasure, and he faces -constantly tlie harrowing reality. By the very constitution of his nature, by the- cravings of his mind arid of his heart, by the urge of his entire being, he is now uncontrollably driven towards Him, Who is his first beginning and last end, his one principle of perfection and only source of bliss; drawn towards that loving; Father, so worthy of love, Who had adopted him as His offspring; f toward the Redeemer of his soul, Who had so loved him as to die upon the Cross for him. Yet, a ruthless force beyond *his power, the force1 of, sin, his own sin, hopelessly thrusts him back upon himself. Death has forever stayed his spirit, irretrievably fixed his dispositions. Having rejected God the very moment death overtook him, he remains estranged from Him forever. ' Happiness and perfection are everlastingly beyond his quest; -he remains attached, to his sin and through sin to all that defiles and all that degrades :" Depart from me, ye cursed. " 722, B) To this pain of loss, by far the most terrible, is added the pain of sense. The body, a partner in sin, will share the torment of the soul ; the everlasting despair which will torture the reprobate soul, will produce in the body an unquenchable thirst that nothing can. assuage. Besides, the damned will be tormented by a real fire different indeed- from our material fire, but the instrument of divine justice to -punish the flesh and • the senses. In fact, it is but just that wherein a man sins, therein also he be punished :" By what things a man sinnetk, by the some also he is tormented; " * and since the evildoer willed to take inordinate delight in creatures these will prove the instruments of torture. This fire enkindled and applied by 'a knowing hand will torture its victims with that same measure of intensity with which they once entered ini;o' their wicked delights. 723. C) There ^will be no end of this double woe, and this everlastingness is what fills the measure of the punish- ment of the lost; for if a slight discomfort by its persistence becomes well nigh unbearable, what shall we say of those pangs, of themselves so racking, which outlast millions of ages only to begin afresh ! And withal, God is just, God is. good even in the sanction He is bound to inflict upon the damned. Mortal sin, then, must be an abomination to be thus punished! It must be the one real^evil, the only evil. Hence, better to die than be defiled by a single mortal sin. ' Wisdom, XI, 17. PENANCE. 349 § II. Deliberate Venial Sin ' • •- - -TU •I.'"'. From the point of view of perfection there is'a great difference between venial faults of surprise and those com- mitted with full deliberation,. with full consent/of the will. 724. Faults of surprise. • The Saints themselves at times commit such by allowing themselves to be momentar- ily betrayed .though thoughtlessness or weakness of .will into some carelessness in prayer, into imprudences, rash judgments, words against charity, or little lies to cover up a fault. No doubt, these faults are to be deplored, and fervent souls do deplore them \sincerely; however, such faults are not an obstacle to perfection. Almighty God, Who knows our weakness, readily condones them. Besides, almost invariably fervent squte make amends on the : spot through acts of contrition, of humility, of love -^-.acts that endure longer and "are ; more voluntary than are their, sins of frailty. ' ; ,.;.;. -All we have to do as regards these faults is to lessen their number and ward • of f discouragement a-) We diminish their number through vigilance, by striving to.; reach arid suppress their causes. This we do without anxiety or overeagerness, relying more qn; the grace of God than on our efforts. We must, above all, endeavor to destroy all attachment to venial \ sin; for as St. Francis de Sales remarks, I " if the heart clings thereto devotion loses for us its sweetness, and all devotion vanishes. " . • •••'i - ' . ' . 725. b) We must carefully avoid discouragement, the vexation of those who "are angry for having been angry, and vexed to see themselves vexed."2 Such feelings proceed from self -love; one is cast down and troubled at seeing oneself so imperfect. To escape this defect, we must look upon our faults with the same eye of tolerance with which we behold those of others; indeed, we must detest our faults and pur failings, but with a calm hatred, highly conscious of our own weakness and misery, and firmly determined to make them an" occasion of giving glory to God by bringing more love .and more /fidelity to the fulfilment of our present duties. , It is otherwise with deliberate venial sins, which are a very great hindrance to 'our spiritual progress, and which must be vigorously combatted. ' ' ' Devout Life, Bk.,I, C. XXII. — 2 Devout Life, Part 111, C. IX. 350 i CHAPTER II. . I, The Malice of Deliberate Venial Sin 726. Deliberate venial sin is a moral evil. In reality, it is, mortal sin excepted, the greatest evil. It does not actually turn us from our enclj but it checks our progress, robs us of' time beyond price, and constitutes an offence against God. It is in this that its malice consists. - 727. It is an act 'of disobedience to G'od, : in a, .slight matter it is. true, but willed after reflection. Regarded in the light of faith, it is something truly hateful, since it challenges the infinite majesty of God. t A) It is a wrong, an indignity offered to God; for placing God and His glory over against our whims, our pleasure, and our vanity, we dare to choose the latter. What an outrage ! A will infinitely wise and righteous sacrificed to our own, the slave of error and caprice! " It is, " says St. Theresa, -1 " as if we said : '•' Lqrd, I know full well ;this action displeases you,^yet I shall do it none the less. I am not unaware that your eyes see it, I know perfectly well you do not want it, .but I will rather follow my bent and fancy than your will. Can this be of little consequence? As for myself, no matter how slight the fault might be in itself, I find on the contrary that it is grave and very grave,'" 728. B) Hence, there results through our own fault, a diviinution of God's external .glory; • for we have been created in order that by a perfect and loving obedience to His law we may procure His glory. Now, by refusing to obey, even in slight matter,, .we withhold from Him a measure of that glory; instead of proclaiming with Mary our readiness to exalt Him in all our acts, " My soul doth magnify the Lord •",. we positively refuse to glorify Him in this or that particular. ' '... . • , • C) This, of itself, is an act of ingratitude. Loaded by God with numberless favors, raised tb: friendship with Him, and knowing that in return He claims our love and grati- tude,- we .begrudge Him a small sacrifice. Instead of striving to please Him, we dare to displease Him. Hence, inevitably, a certain coolness in God's friendship towards us. God .'loves us -without stint-aiidas.ks.us.in return that we lo've Him-with ali our soul :." T'kou - shall.. love:lfhe' Lord ,thy God ivitli thy ivliole lieart, and with thy whole- soul^andwiih i ' \VayofPerftction, ch. XLJ. '•'. '•"-, '.'• ,',oi-\ . : .' 1 N ,, PENANCE. x 351 thy whole mind. " * Now, we do not make the entire gift of ourselves to Him, we hold something backhand the while we want to J•???-; v »•"•''/"'" **- \ i& ^1 • -i^1 --^ -^j^V-1-*1*1 - .'rr<.-~tT; - - _ " > • -, > *• •• — ,, i' •' > " -'-x ~ PENANCE. 353 diminution of those divine lights and inspirations, those interior conso- lationSj that fervor and courage, which are -: needed ''-to- resist !the ' assaults of $e enemy. Hence follow blindness, weakness, frequent falls, an acquired habit of insensibility of heart ; because, when ori.ee-.' an affection to: these faults is contracted, we sin without feeling that we are sinning." . . . ' • •*•. 734. 2° The effects of venial sin in the- next show us how much we should dread it. It is in order to to expiate venial sin that many souls spend a long time in purgatory. / ' - . . ' A) There they endure the most unbearable of sufferings, the privation of the vision of God. This torture, it is true, will not last forever, differing in this from the pains of hell ; nevertheless, for a time measured by the number and seriousness of their faults, these souls who love God and who, now removed from the pleasures and distractions of earth, think of Him constantly and long • to see His face, are prevented from seeing and possessing Him, and there- fore suffer indescribable ' anguish. They now realize that outside* of God there is no solace and no bliss; and still before them looms, like insurmountable barriers, that host of venial sins they have not as yet sufficiently expiated. They are, moreover, so alive to the necessity of the purity required to Contemplate the Almighty face to face, that their very shame would not allow them to appear before Him as they are, nor would they ever consent to enter Heaven as long as there remains upon them the least stain of venial sin. 2 They find themselves, therefore, in a state of torture the more excruciating as they realize that it is fully deserved. 735. B) Moreover, according to the teaching of St. Tho- . mas, a subtle fire hinders their activity and makes them experience physical sufferings whereby they may expiate the guilty pleasures to which they gave consent. This trial, no doubt, they most willingly accept as they realize the need of it in order to effect their union with God. . - • - - ' ' • ' N " Seeing, " says St. Catherine of Genoa, 3 " that purgatory is designed to cleanse them of their stains, souls throw themselves into it, deeming it an unspeakable token of mercy that they are offered a place wherein they can rid themselves of what prevents their union with God. " 1 . We do not speak of the temporal punishments of venial sin. Holy Writ repeatedly makes mention of them. When it is question, however, of determining whether a particular punishment is the chastisement for." a venial sin, one is reduced to conjectures. " y If the soul could discover another purgatory still more terrible than that which it endures, urged on by its love for God, it would eagerly plunge into it, the more speedily to be freed of all that separates it from the Sovereign Good, " (ST. CATHERINE of Genoa, Purgatory, c.-.IX.) —-3 Op. cit,, c. VIII. 354 - CHAPTER II. Such willing acceptance, however, does not do away with their great sufferings : " This resignation of the souls in purgatory does not relieve them of one whit of their torments ; far from it, love pent up causes their woe, and their woe increases in proportion to that perfection of love of which God has made them capable. " x * And yet, God is not only just but merciful as well! He bears those souls a love that is real, tender, fatherly ; He longs to give Himself to them for all eternity. If He does not do so, it is because there can be no possible fellowship between His infinite holiness and the least venial sin. Therefore, we can never hate venial sin too much, we can never undergo enough in order to avoid it, we can never endure enough to repair it. ART. II. MOTIVES AND MEANS FOR EXPIATING SIN I. Motives of Penance Three principal reasons oblige us to do penance for our sins. The first is a motive arising from a duty of justice toward God; the second, a duty consequent upon our incorporation into Christ; the last is a duty •imposed by . charity to ourselves and to our neighbor, i° A DUTY OF JUSTICE TOWARD GOD 736. Sin is a real injustice^ since it deprives God of a portion of that eternal glory which is His due. Sin, then, requires a reparation which consists in rendering God, to the extent in which we are able, that honor and that glory of which, through our fault, we have defrauded Him. The offence, inasmuch as it is offered to the Infinite Being, is in this respect at least infinite and can never be adequately repaired. Therefore, our expiation of sin must extend over the full span of our life; and this obligation is the more .far reaching, as we have been the recipients of more favors and have been guilty of graver and more numerous faults. Bossuet remarks on this point : 2 " Have we not good reason to fear that God's . goodness so foully outraged be turned into implacable wrath? If His just punishment of the Gentiles was so severe, will not His anger be more dreadful towards us? Does not a father feel more keenly the faithlessness of his children than the wickedness of his servants?" We must then, he adds, take sides with God against ourselves : "Thus if we side with divine justice as against ourselves, we oblige divine mercy to take sides with us against divine justice. The more we regret the plight wherein we have fallen, the sooner we 1 Op. cit., ch. XII. Read entire treatise. » Premier Pantgyrique de S, Fr. de Paul. PENANCE. ' 355 shall regain the good we have lost. God's loving kindness will'^accept the sacrifice of the broken heart we offer Him as satisfaction for our .crimes; and looking not to the inadequate reparation we offer, this good Father will but regard the good will of the offerers. " Besides, we can make our penance more effective by uniting it to the atonement of Christ. . . 2° A DUTY CONSEQUENT UPON OUR INCORPORATION INTO CHRIST 737. Through Baptism we have been incorporated into Christ (n. 143), and since we share His life we are to share His sentiments. Although impeccable, Jesus has taken upon Himself, as the head of a mystical body, the burden of our sins and, so -to speak, assumed responsibility for them : "And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." * Behold the reason for His life of suffering from, the moment of .His conception to His death .on Calvary. Knowing that the holocausts. of the Ancient Law could not propitiate the "Father, He gives Himself as an offering in the place of all victims. All His acts constitute an immolation through obedience, , and after a lifelong martyrdom, He dies on the Cross, the victim of obedience and of love : "He was made obedient tmto death, even the death of the Cross. " And He wills that His members, in. orders to be cleansed from their sins, be with Him victims of expiation : " He willed to become a victim that He might become the Savior of mankind. But since His mystical body is one if the head be immolated, the members likewise become living victims. " 2 It is evident that if Jesus, being imiocent, atoned for our sins through His passion and death, we the guilty must share in His sacrifice, in proportion to .our guilt. 738. To moye- us to. comply with this duty, the atoning. Christ comes through His Divine Spirit, to live within us' with all His. sentimentsN of victim. . ;"•'-. "Thus in reading .the Psalms " says Father Olier, 3 " we must honor that spirit of penance that was David's and revere in silent adoration the interior dispositions of Christ's Spirit, the fountain-head of penance, as diffused in David's soul. Humbly, insistently, ardently and persevering ly we must ask the Holy Ghost to give us this -spirit' -of penance, trusting- that He will grant our request. '.'• We may not be aware of the operations of the Holy Spirit, for He often works in an imperceptible manner; but if we invoke Him with humility, He will hear us and infuse into bur .hearts the dispositions of the Heart of Jesus 'towards sin, and thus .enable us in union with Him to detest and 1 /fawj'LIII, VI. — = BOSSUET, Premier Sermon pour la Purification. 3 Introduction, ch. VII. 356 CHAPTER II. expiate our sins. Then our penance will become more efficacious since it is no-longer we alone who atone, but Christ atoning in us and with us. "All exterior penance, '' says Fatheiv Olier, '"that has not its source in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, is not true and genuine penance. One may inflict upon oneself 'rigors, even the most harsh, but if these proceed not from the atoning Christ within us, they cannot be acts of Christian penance. It is through Christ alone that we can do penance. He initiated it here on earth in His own person and He continues it in us, infusing into xouf soul sentiments of abasement, of confusion, of sorrow, of detestation of self and of fortitude, to fulfil in us the sufferings and the measure of that satisfaction which God the Father wills to receive from Jesus Christ in our flesh. " This union with Jesus, then, does not exempt us .from the .exercise of the spirit of penance nor from the works thereof; its effect is that of conferring upon them a greater worth, ••'..' 3° A DUTY OF CHARITY Penance is a duty of charity both t6 ourselves and. to our neighbor. , 739. A) A. duty to ourselves. Sin leaves in the .soul baneful consequences-against which it is necessary to react, a) Even when the guilt or fault has been remitted; there generally remains a temporal punishment varying according to the gravity and number of our sins, and according to the fervor of our contrition at the. moment of our return .to God. This punishment must be undergone either in this life or in the next. By far the most advantageous course is to make satisfaction in this life. The sooner and the more .perfectly we acquit ourselves of this. debt, the better fitted, our soul becomes for union with God. Moreover, expiation on earth is easier, since this is .the acceptable time for mercy; it is more fruitful, since the acts wherewith we make satisfaction a.re also meritoriousj a source .of grace and greater glory (n. 209). Therefore, personal interest and love, for our own . soul are best served by a prompt and whole-hearted penance. b)_ Moreover, by the fact that sin intensifies in -us the disordered love of pleasure and weakens o'ur will, it bequeathes to us ,a pernicious facility to commit fresh faults. Nothing so well rectifies this disorder as the virtue of penance. By having us bear with fortitude the afflictions sent by Providence, by inflaming our desire for privations and austerities compatible with our health, it gradually weakens within us the love of pleasure, and inspires us with a fear of sin which exacts such amends. By inuring us to the exercise of such acts of virtue as are opposed to pur evil habits, it helps us to correct them and thus gives us 1 Op. cii., c. VIII. . PENANCE. 357 greater security for the future. r Hence, to do penance is charity towards ourselves. 740. B) Penance is : also an act of charity toward the - neighbor, a) In virtue of our incorporation into 'Christ we are all brethren, all members of .the same . body of Christ (n» 148). Since our works of satisfaction can contribute to the welfare of others, will not' our charity prompt us -to do penance not only for ourselves, but. likevyise, in" behalf of our brethren? . Is not this the best means of obtaining their conversion or, if they have turned to God, their persever- ance? Is not this -the best service we could possibly -render, them, a benefit worth infinitely more than all the temporal goods we could confer upon them? Thus, to atone for our neighbor's faults is but to carry out the will of God, Who having adopted us as His children, commands us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. . \, . 741. b) This duty of reparation devolves more particularly upon priests. For them it is a duty to offer sacrifices not only for themselves but for the souls .committed to their charge, ''''First for his own sins, and then for the people's,"* We do find, however, outside the priestly state generous souls , , who, in the cloister or in the world, feel drawn to offer themselves as expiatory victims for the 'sins of others. .A high calling! that associates them with Christ's redeeming, work ! A call they should fearlessly answer, taking coimsel from a. wise spiritual director as to .the appropriate works of reparation to which they should devote themselves. 3 742. Let us say in conclusion that the spirit of penance is not a duty imposed merely upon beginners and only for a short period of time. 'Once we have understood what sin is, what an infinite offence it gives to God, we are obliged to do penance all through life, since a whole lifetime is but too short to make reparation for an infinite offence. Hence, we must never cease to do penance. ' This point is so important that Father Faber, after~-giving much thought to the reaspn why so many" souls make but little progress, came to the conclusion that the cause was "-the want of abiding sorrow for sin."4 To this the example of the Saints bears witness; they never ceased1 expiating the faults, at times very slight, into which they had formerly lapsed. God's attitude toward the souls whom He want? 1 This is the teaching of the Council of Trent (Session XIV, C. VIII). ' 3 P. PLUS, The Ideal of Reparation, Book III; L. CAPELLE, Les A mes Gentreuses* 4 This he explains at length in Growth in Holiness, C. XIX, and he adds: "Just as all worship breaks down, hNt is not based on the feelings due from a creature to his Creator. . . just as all penances come to nought wh'ic'h do not rest on Christ.; . so in like manner all holiness has lost its principle of growth if it is separated from abiding sorrow .for sin. For the principle of growth is not only love, \xAfprgiven love. " " 358 CHAPTER II. to raise to contemplation likewise confirms it ; after they have striven for a long time to purify themselves through active exercises of penance, God sends them, in order to complete, their purification, those passive trials which we shall describe in the unitive way ; for only perfectly pure or perfectly purified hearts can attain to the sweetness of. the divine union: "Blessed are the clean1 of heart because they shall see God!" . , ; . II. The Practice of Penance The more perfectly to practice penance, we must unite ourselves to the atoning Christ, and ask Him to dwell within us with His dispositions of victim (n. 738); •then, we must enter into His sentiments and join in His acts of penance. SENTIMENTS OF PENANCE, 743. These sentiments are most aptly expressed in the Psalms and particularly in the Miserere. a) First comes abiding and sorrowful remembrance of our sins: " My sin is always before me. " z No doubt, it is not expedient to recall them to mind in detail; this might stir the imagination and be a. source of new temptations. Yet, we must always bear in mind that we have sinned and above all we must entertain a sense of sorrow and humiliation. ' . We have offended God in His sight : " 1 have done evil before thee, " 2 before that God Who is holiness itself, and Who hates iniquity, before that God Who is all love and Whom we have outraged by dishonoring His gifts. Nothing is left to us but to appeal frequently to His mercy and implore His forgiveness : " Have mercy on me, .0 God, according to thy great mercy. " 3 Indeed, we cherish the hope of having been pardoned ; still, longing for a more complete forgive- ness, we humbly beg God to cleanse us even more in the Blood of His Son : " Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. " 4 To effect a more intimate union with Him, we want our sins wiped out and their traces removed; we want our spirit and our heart renewed, and we want the joy of a good conscience restored to us. s . •' 744. b) This sorrowful remembrance is accompanied by an abiding sense of shame : " Shame hath covered my face." 6 We stand in confusion before God like Christ Who bore before His Father the infamy of our sins, especially at Gethsemane and on Calvary. We carry our shame before men, seeing ourselves as criminals in the assembly- of the Saints. We bear the opprobrium in our -own hearts, and unable to stand the reproach, to suffer the disgrace, we 1 Ps. L. - a Ps. L, 6. — 3 Ps. L, 3. — * Ps. L, 4. — 5 Ps. L, 10-14. 6 Ps. LXVIII.8. PENANCE. 359 utter- the sincere cry of the Prodigal : " Father I have sinried against heaven and before thee; " J we repeat with the publican : " 0 God, be merciful to'fne a sinner. " 2 745. c) Of this a wholesome fear of sin is born, a horror* for all the occasions that might lead us into it ; for despite our good wjll we ever remain exposed to temptation and liable to fall. Hence, a great distrust of self follows, whilst from our hearts we are prompted to repeat the prayer of St. Philip Neri, " My God, Beware of Philip; otherwise'he will betray Thee, " or the concluding petition of the Our Father, " Lead us not into temptation. " This distrust makes us foresee the dangerous occasions that might bring a fall and the positive means that will ensure our perseverance ; it keeps us on our guard against the least imprudence. Such diffidence, however, harbors no faint-heartedness. The more we are conscious of our weakness, the more we place our confidence in God, convinced that through the power of His grace we shall conquer. III. Works of .Penance 746. No matter how painful these works may be, they will seem of light account if. we keep constantly in mind this thought: I am a fugitive from hell, a fugitive from . purgatory, and, were it not for the mercy of God, I would be there now, undergoing the well-merited punishment of my faults ; therefore, I can consider nothing as humiliating me overmuch or grieving me above measure. The chief works of penance we must perform are : 747. i° The submissive, willing, and joyful acceptance . of all the crosses Providence may see fit^ to send us. The Council of Trent teaches us that it is a great token of God's love for us that He deigns to accept as satisfaction for our sins 3 the patient endurance wherewith we suffer the temporal ills He visits upon us. Therefore, should we have any physical or moral trials to undergo, arising from the uncontrolled forces of nature or from reverses of fortune, from failure or from humiliation, let us, instead of breaking into bitter complaint as our tendencies would suggest, accept all such suffering in a spirit of gentle resignation, persuaded that they are the jus^t wages of sin, and that patience in adversity is one of the best means of atoning for it. This acceptance, a mere resignation at first, will gradually grow into a manful, nay, a joyous endurance of ordeals, as we see our woes thereby assuaged arid made fruitful. We should be glad thus to shorten our purgatory, Luket. XV, 18. — 2 Luke, XVIII, 13. — 3 Sess. XIV, C. IX. 360 CHAPTER II. to become more like Our Crucified Master and to glorify the God we have outraged, :Then patience will bear all its fruits and cleanse our soul because it will be a work of ,love: "Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much." r - : ; 748. 2° To patience we shall add the faithful discharge of our duties of state in a spirit of penance and reparation. The most acceptable sacrifice we can offer God is obedience: " Obedience is better than sacrifices, " * Now, the duties of our -state are the manifest expression .of God's will in our regard. To fulfil them as perfectly as we can is to offer God the most perfect sacrifice within our giving, a perpetual holocaust, since this duty rests upon us from morning until : night. This is assuredly true for such as live in community : faithful obedience to their rule, general or particular, and the courageous accomplishment of the orders or directions of their superiors multiply their acts of .obedience, of sacrifice and of love, and enable -them to repeat with St. John Berchmans : " My greatest penance is community life. " -Such perfect discharge of the duties of state is likewise the best means of doing penance for persons in the world. Fathers and mothers who loyally observe all their obligations as husbands and wives and as parents have many occasions of offering God sacrifices that will .work unto the purification of their souls. The one thing necessary is that they acquit themselves resolutely of their duties in a Christian manner, for God's sake, and in a spirit of expiation and penance. .- 749. 3° There 'are other works of penance recommended in Holy Writ, such as fasting and almsgiving. A) Fasting was, in the Old Dispensation, one of the great , means of making atonement ; it was called "to afflict the soul ; " 3 but to be acceptable it' had to be accompanied by sentiments of sorrow for sin and mercy towards others. 4 Under the New Law, fasting is an earnest of grief and of penance. The Apostles do not fast as long as the Bridegroom is with them, but they will fast when He is gone, s Our Lord, wishing to expiate our sins, fasted forty days and forty nights, and taught His Apostles that certain evil spirits cannot be cast out except by prayer and fasting. 6 True to His teachings, the Church has established the Lenten Fast, that of the Vigils and of the Ember Days to offer her children the opportunity of making expiation for their 1 Luke, VII, 47. — 2 / Kings, XV, 23. — 3 Leveticas, XVI, 29, 32 ; XXIII, 27, 32. < Isa,, LVIII, 3-7. — 5 Matth,, IX, 14-15. — 6 MattA.,.XVU, 20. PENANCE, _ 361 faults. Many a sin takes its rise directly or indirectly in the craving for pleasure, in excess in eating and drinking, and nothing is so effective in making atonement as morti- fication in eating, reaching as it does the very root of the evil by mortifying the craving for sensual pleasure. This Is why the Saints have made a practice, of fasting even outside the seasons appointed by the Church. Generous Christian souls imitate them and, if they cannot keep the strict fast, forego some food at each meal in order thus to curb their sensuality. . • 750. B) Almsgiving is both a work of mercy and a pri- vation; from this double title it derives great power of atoning for our sins : " Redeem thou thy sins with alms. " * When we deprive ourselves of some good to give.it to Jesus Christ in the person of the poor, God does not allow Himself to be outdone in liberality, and He willingly remits part of the punishment due to our sins. 'The more generous we are, each according to his means, and the more perfect our intention in almsgiving, the more fully are our spiritual debts cancelled. What we say of almsgiving with regard to the things that minister to the; body holds true even more of spiritual almsgiving, which is calculated to promote the welfare of souls and thereby the glory ~6f God. Thus it is one of the penitential acts the Psalmist -promises to per- form in reparation for his sin : " / will teach the, unjust thy" ways 1 and the wicked shall be converted to thee," * 4° Lastly, there come the voluntary privations and the acts of mor- tification we impose upon ourselves in expiation for our faults, particu- larly, those that reach the heart 'of the evil, by punishing the faculties that have had, part .in our sins. This we shall treat in- the following chapter on mortification; The priest after absolving the perikerit sums up in striking words the means- by which we can a'tone fully for our sins and cleanse our souls from the remains of forgiven sins : "May whatever good you do and whatever ill you bear be to you unto the remission of sins .."•'. . * Dan., IV, 24. —*Ps.-L, 15, 362 CHAPTER III. CHAPTER III . • Mortification ' 751. Like penance, mortification has a part in the cleansing from past faults, but its chief purpose is to safe- . guard us against sin in the present and in the future, by weakening in us the love of pleasure, the source of our sins. We shall, therefore, explain the nature, the necessity and the practice of mortification. XT A.' f Various names Nature Definition XT ., ( For salvation Necessity | Forperfection Practice General Principles Mortification of the exterior senses Mortification of the interior senses Mortification of the passions k Mortification of the higher faculties ART.J. THE NATURE OF MORTIFICATION After, explaining the scriptural and the modern terms whereby mortification is designated, we shall give its defi- nition. •.-..- 752. I. Scriptural terms used to designate morti- fication. In Holy Writ we find seven principal expres- sions that describe mortification in its different aspects. i° The word renouncement : "Every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth cannot be my disciple. " 2 This presents mortification as a giving up of .external goods in order to follow Christ as the Apostles did : "Leaving all things they followed him. "3 'ST. THOMAS, whose principal texts are quoted by TH. DE. VALLGORNERA, op. cit., q. II, disp. II-1V; PHILIP. A S. TRINITATE, op. tit., I* P., Tr. II, disc. I-IV; ALVAREZ DE PAZ, t. II, lib. II, De mortificatione ; SCARAMELLI, Guide ascttique, Tr. II, a. 1-6; RODRIGUEZ, Practice of Christian Perfection, Part II, Tr. 1 and II: TRONSON, Exam, fart., .CXXIX-CLXIX ; MGR GAY, Christian Life and^Virtues, Tr. VII; MEYNARD, Tr. de la, -vie interieure, \. I, cli. II-IV; A. CHEVRIER, Le Veritable 'disciple, IIe P.", p. 119-323; ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life, Part. Ill, C. 23-28, 34; MEYER, Science of the Saints, C. 5-7 ; MATURIN, Self-Knowledge and Self -Discipline; MESCHLER, Three Fun- damental Principles of the Spiritual Life, P. II. 2 Luke, XIV, 33. — 3 Luke, V, n. f ' MORTIFICATION. - ' 363 2° Mortification is likewise an act of abnegation or self- renunciation: " If any man 'will come after me, let him deny himself." *. • ; .•:-.'. ; 3° But mortification also has a positive aspect : it is an act that maims and cripples the inordinate inclinations of nature : " Mortify therefore your members 2. . . But if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live, " 3 4Q Nay more, mortification is a crucifixion of the flesh and its lusts/whereby we attach, as it were,~our faculties to the law of the Gospel by devoting them to prayer and labor: " They that are Christ1 s have crucified their flesh, ivith the vices and concupiscences..^ ' 5°, This crucifixion, if it persists, produces a sort of 'death and burial whereby we seem to die completely to self and to be. buried with Christ, to live with Him a new life : " For -you are dead : and your life is hid with Christ in God..1. 5 For we are buried together with him by baptism into death." 6 , , 6° To indicate this death, St. Paul makes use of another expression. Since in Baptism a new life is given us, super- natural life, the while our own natural life subsists with the threefold concupiscence, the Apostle, calling the latter the old man and the former regenerated man, declares that we must put off the old man and put on the new. : " Stripping yourselves of the old man... and putting on the new. "7 7° And since this is not done without a struggle, he says that life is a fight: '•/ have fought the good fight' ', 8 and that Christians are the athletes who chastise their body and bring it into subjection. . From all these and' similar phrases it follows that morti- fication comprises a twofold element : one negative — -detach- ment, renunciation, despoilment ; the other positive — the struggle against the evil tendencies of nature, the effort to curb and deaden them, a crucifixion, a death of the old man and his lusts, 'in order to live Christ' s own life. 753. IL Modern expressions designating1 mortifi- cation. Today milder expressions are preferred which indicate rather the object to be attained than the .effort to.be undergone. It is said, for instance, that we .must reform ourselves, exercise self-control, train the will, practice self- discipline, turn our soul towards God. These expressions 1 Luke, IX, 23. — 2 Coloss., Ill, 5. — 3 Rom., VIII, 13. —^Galat., V, 24. 5 Coloss., Ill, 3. — 6 Rom., VI, 4. — ? Coloss., Ill, 9-10. — 8 11 Tim., IV, 7. 364 CHAPTER "III. are exact, provided it is kept in mind that we cannot work out pur reform nor master ourselves except by fighting against and mortifying the inordinate tendencies of our nature; that the training of the will, is not accomplished without thwarting and curbing our lower faculties; that we cannot direct the course of our life towards God but by detaching ourselves from creatures and stripping ourselves of our vices. In -other words, the two aspects of mortifi- cation must be duly combined; as is done in Holy Writ : the end to.be attained .must be kept in view in order, to give us courage, but we should not lose sight of the effort necessary to the attainment of this end. 754.'. III. Definition. Mortification," then, may be defined as 'the^ struggle against our evil inclinations in order to subject them to the will, and the will to God. It is- not so much a virtue as an ensemble of virtues— the first degree of all the virtues — which consists in overcoming the obstacles that stand in the way so as to restore to our faculties their lost balance and reestablish among them their right order. Thus it is easily seen that mortification is .not an end in itself, but a means to an end. We mortify ourselves only to live a higher life; we despoil ourselves of external goods only the better to lay hold of spiritual goods; we renounce self but to possess God; we struggle but to obtain peace; we die to ourselves but to live the life of Christ, the life of God. Hence, the end of mortification is union with God. - , . ' . ' • " • ; ART. II. THE NECESSITY OF MORTIFICATION We may consider this necessity from a twofold point of ', view, that of salvation and that of perfection. I. The Necessity of Mortification for Salvation _ There is a kind of: mortification which is necessary for salvation in this sense, that if we fail to practice it, we run the risk of falling into mortal sin. . , 755. i° Our Lord speaks of it in a very clear way concerning faults against chastity : " Whosoever .shall look on" a woman to lust after tier, hath already committed adul- tery with her in his heart."1 There are looks, then, that are gravely sinful, such as 'are prompted by .evil desire. In this case mortification of the eyes is imperative under pain ' Matth., V,28. . . MORTIFICATION. ' "* 365 of mortal sin. Our Lord says so in ho uncertain language : " And Jf thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it ojit and cast it from th.ee. For it is expedient for thee that .one of thy members should perish, rather than thy whole body be cast into hell " i: It is not question here of putting but one1 s eyes, but of turning them away from such sights as are a cause of sin. , St.- Paul gives us the reason for these serious injunctions : "For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die; but if by the Spirit you mortify the ^deeds of the flesh, you shall live."2 -^ As we have said, (n. 193-227) the threefold concupiscence that remains with us, spurred on by the world and the devil, often inclines us to evil and endangers our salvation, unless we fake heed to mortify it. Hence, the absolute necessity of waging a constant warfare against our evil tendencies ; of fleeing from the proximate occasions of sin, that isrfrom such things or such persons as, given our past experience, are. to us a serious and a probable danger of sin; of renounc- ing thereby a great :many pleasures towards which our nature draws us. 3 There are then certain practices of mor- tification which are imperative; without them we should fall into mortal sin. - . 756. 2° Other practices of mortification there are 'which the Church prescribes in order to determine the general obligation so often repeated in the Gospel. Such are: abstinence from flesh-meats on Fridays, the fast of Lent, the Ember Days and the .Vigils, These laws bind under pain of grievpus sin all those who. are. not legitimately excused. Here we must make a remark that is of impor- tance. There are persons who for, good reasons are dispensed from these positive laws; but they are not: thereby exempt from the natural, divine law of mortification, and hence must comply with it in some form or other. : Should the'y fail in this, they will ere long experience the rebellion of the flesh. . ; . -•-• . •.',./ — • •'•*-•' x 757. 3° Besides these practices of mortification enjoined by divine and by ecclesiastical law, there are others which, when temptations, grow more severe, individuals must under- take with the advice of their spiritual director. What these mortifications are shall be indicated in n. 767 and following. .i V, 29. — 2 JRom., VIII, 13. 3 We treated more at length of, these occasions of sin in our Synopsis Thtologia momlis, De Pasnitentia, n. 524-536. , " 366 ~ CHAPTER III. \\. Necessity of Mortification for Perfection :> 758. This necessity follows from what we have said of the nature of perfection, which consists in the love of God . unto sacrifice and the immolation of self (p.. 321-327). This is so true, that, according to the Imitation, the measure of our spiritual growth depends upon .the measure, of violence we do to ourselves : In proportion as thou dost violence to thyself the greater progress wilt thou make.1 It will suffice, then, to recall briefly a few; of the motives that may aid the will in the discharge of this duty; they are drawn from the point of view of our relation to God, to Jesus CYzm/,-and horn that oi ow personal sanctification.'2 i° MORTIFICATION is NECESSARY FOR OUR UNION WITH GOD 759. A) We cannot attain to union with God without mortification, without detaching ourselves from the inordi- nate love of creatures, . St. John of the Cross says : "A soul will. become like unto the creature to which it cleaves; as the attachment grows, the identifica- tion asserts itself; for love establishes the equal adjustment of the lover to the thing beloved... Therefore, he who loves a creature stoops down to its level — nay, even lower, since love is not content with equality, but descends to slavery. This is why a soul under sub- jection to anything, ap_art from God becomes incapable of entering into that pure union with Him and of being assimilated to Him, for the -utter nothingness of the creature is farther from the sovereignty of the Creator than darkness is from light." Now, the unmodified soul soon clings to creatures in an inordinate, way ; for since the Fall, the soul of man feels itself drawn to them, captivated by their charms, and 'delights in them as if they were ends in themselves, instead of making them stepping stones unto God. To break this charm, to escape this snare, it is absolutely necessary that we detach ourselves from whatever is not God, or at least, from whatever cannot be looked upon as a means leading us to Him. This is why; Father Olief, in comparing the condition of Christians to that of Adam in the state of innocence, sees a vast difference between the two : "Adam sought God, served Him, and adored Him in His creatures; Christians, on the contrary, are forced to seek. God through faith, to serve Him and adore Him 'in the inaccessible heights of His own .Being and of His holiness. " 3 For this we-have the grace of baptism. 760. B) By Baptism a real contract is concluded be- tween God and ourselves, a) God on His part cleanses us from the stain of original sin, adopts us as His children, and admits us to share in His life, engaging Himself to bestow 1 The Following of Christ, Bk. 1, C. 25. 2 These motives are similar to those we explained with regard to. penance, n. 736 and foil. Penance is in reality but mortification that repairs past faults. 3 Cat. for an Int. Life, P. I, Lesson IV. MORTIFICATION. 367 upon us all the graces necessary to the preservation and development of that life. We know : the liberality where- with He has fulfilled His promises, b) On our part, we bind ourselves to live like true children of God, to strive to become perfect as Our Heavenly Father is perfect. This, however, we can do only if we practice mortification ; for, on the one side, the Holy Ghost, given us in Baptism, " urges us to embrace contempt, poverty, suffering; and, on the other, our flesh longs for honor, pleasure, riches. " * Within us, therefore, rages a conflict, an incessant struggle; nor can we be faithful to God unless we renounce the inordinate love of honor, pleasure, and riches. Thus in the rite of Baptism, the priest marks us with two Crosses, one upon the heart to stamp thereon the love. of the Cross, the other upon our shoulders to give us the strength to carry it. We should be untrue to our baptismal vows, if we did not carry our cross by waging war against the lust for honor through humility, against the lust for pleasure through mortification, against the lust for riches through poverty. - 2° MORTIFICATION NECESSARY FOR OUR CONFORMITY TO CHRIST 761. A) Through Baptism we have been incorporated into Christ, we have become His members, and as such, it is from Him we are to receive, lif e, and motion, and inspiration, and thereby be made conformable to Him. But the Imitation tells us that "T-he whole life of Christ was a cross and a martyrdom."2 Ours, then, cannot be a life of pleasure and honors, but it must be a life of mortification. This is what "our divine Head clearly tells us : " If any man will come after me, let- him deny ^himself and take up his cross and follow me. " 3 If there is .any one who must follow Jesus, it is he who seeks after perfection. But how can a lover of pleasure, of honors, of riches follow Jesus? How can one follow Christ, if one is unwilling to carry his cross daily — the cross that God Himself has chosen for him and sent to him? How can such a one follow Him Who from His very entry into the world embraced the Cross, Who through- out His entire life sighed for sufferings and humiliations, Who was wedded to poverty at the Crib and Whom poverty followed unto Calvary? "It is shameful" says St. Ber- 1 OLTER, Cat. for a)i Int. Life, Part I, Lesson VII. * Following of Christ, Bk. II, C. XII, v. 7. a Luke IX, 23. Read the beautiful commentary on this text in the Circular Letter to the Friends of the Cross by the Blessed L. GRIGNION DE MONTFORT. 368 CHAPTER III. nard, * " that we appear as delicate members, shrinking at the least smart of. pain, under a Head that is ^ crowned with thorns." Therefore, if we wish to become like unto Jesus Christ and reflect His perfection, we must like. Him carry our Cross. • . •! 762. B) If we aspire to a life of apostolic service, we find therein a new motive for x the crucifixion of our flesh. ; It is through the Cross that Jesus saved the world; it is likewise through the Cross that we shall co-operate with Him in the salvation of our brethren; and the fruitfulness of our zeal will grow in proportion as we share in the Savior's sufferings. This 'was what compelled St. Paul to fill up in his flesh that which was wanting of the passion of His Master in order to obtain graces for the Church. 2 This is the, motive that in the past -sustained and even now sustains so many souls who consent to b.e victims, that God may be glorified and that souls may be saved.. No doubt, suffering is hard to bear, but when we look upon Jesus walking before us with His Cross borne for our own sal- vation and that of our brethren; when we contemplate His agony; when we see Him unjustly condemned, scourged, ' tormented with a crown of thorns; when we hearken to the jeers, the insults, the calumnies He silently endured — how dare we complain! "Ye have not yet resisted unto the shedding of blood." $ If .we prize at their worth -our souls and the souls of our brethren, can we make so much of a few fleeting pangs of suffering endured for the sake of, a glory that will have no end, endured in union with Our Lord and Master, as our share in His work of saving souls for whom He shed the last drop of His Blood? These motives, high as they are, are entered into by some generous souls from the very moment of their turning to God. By proposing such motives to them, a spiritual director will further their purification and sanctifi cation. 3° MORTIFICATION NECESSARY FO'R OUR OWN SANCTIFICATION 763. A) We must secure our perseverance in good, and mortification offers without doubt one of the best means we ' have to keep free from sin.' What causes us to surrender to temptation is the love of pleasure or the horror of hard- ship, the hardship of the struggle. Mortification combats this twofold tendency, which is really but one;-for by having 1 Sermo Yinfesto omnium Sanctomm, n. 9. .'Coloss., I, 24. -3/M,XII,4. . : ,. ,^>-s' * . ,' , ' ' ^ " - _; MORTIFICATION. ' 369 us break with some few legitimate pleasures, it arms our will against those that are unlawful, thus giving us an easier uctory over sensuality and the love of self; "inveighing Against sensuality and self-love", as St. Ignatius puts it. If, on the contrary, .we yield to pleasure, allowing ourselves all law.ful joys,, how shall we. be able to resist when our, sen- suality, hankering after; new delights, dangerous or wrong,. feels itself as -if overpowered ,by the force of habit? The bias is: so 'strong, that, where our, serisupus nature is con- cerned, it is easy to fall into the abyss, by a sprt of vertigo. Even when it is question of pride, .the downward .plunge is far more rapid than we think ••:, we, lie about a trifle to cover up a fault, to escape humiliation \ and then when we approach the tribunal of penance we run the risk of failing in sin- cerity through the dread of a mortifying avowal. Our safety ! demands; therefore, a warfare against self-love as well 'as against sensuality and' greed. ' ' , 764. B) To avoid :sin is not sufficient; we must grow m perfection. Here again, what is the: great -stumbling-block, if not the love pf pleasure and a dread;of the cross?; How many would wish to be; better than they are, to aim at per- fectionj: were ;it not that they shrink from the effort required, from the trials sent by God; to His best, friends? Such persons must be frequently reminded of ;what St. Paul said, time and again to the first Christians, that is to say, that life is a struggle ; that we should blush for, shame 'if ,we show;. less courage than those who strive for, an; earthly reward, and who in: order to assure victory deprive them-1 selves , of sundry pleasures, willingly submitting to a • stern and arduous discipline: ".And they, indeed that they may receive' a .corruptible crown : 'but we an incorruptible one;" r Do we dread pain? Let us ponder the terrible sufferings of Purgatory (n. ^34) which will be our lot' for years should we .persist in :liying. heedless of mortification an($ ready .to indulge in. all -'those things that .delight us. Ho'w much wiser are the ^children of this world ! Many a one undergoes hard -labor ^'arid. .at; times endures Mrsh treatment that he may earn a living arid secure decent comfort; in : his declin- ing years; and we;would be loath to impose a 'hardship on ourselves for the rsake. of an eternal abode in the Kingdom of Heaven! ' Is this^ratiohal? - : . We must, then, realise that there is no perfection, no possible attainment of virtue .without the practice of morti- NO 680. -14 370 - CHAPTER III. fication. How can we be chaste without deadening that sensuality that urges us so strongly toward evil and danger- ous pleasures? How can we be temperate unless w$ curb our greediness? How practice poverty, nay justice, if -we do not combat our greed? How be humble; meek, kind, if we exercise no control over the passions, of pride, anger, envy, jealousy, that lurk in the recesses of every human heart? There is not one virtue which, in our fallen con- dition, we can practice for any length of time without effort, without a struggle and, hence, without the practice of mor- tification. We can, therefore, say with Father Tronson that "just as a lack of mortification is the cause of all our vices, mortification is the foundation and the source of all our virtues." J . . 765. G) We can go further and' add that mortifi- cation, notwithstanding the privations and sufferings Jt imposes, is even here on earth rich in goods of the highest order. The mortified Christian is as a rule more truly happy than the worldling who abandons himself to every pleasure. This is what Our Lord Himself teaches when He says: "Every' one that hath left( house or brethren... shall receive an hundredfold and shall possess life everlast- • ing. " 2 St. Paul speaks the same language. After having spoken of modesty, that is, of moderation in all things, he adds : "And the peace of God, which surpasseth all under- standing, keep your hearts and minds' in Christ Jesus." $ Of this, he was himself the living example. In truth he had much to suffer. He recounts at length not only his own inner conflict, but also the terrible ordeals he had to undergo for the preaching of the Gospel. He adds how- ever : " / exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation. " 4 And so it was with all the Saints. Undoubtedly, they had to endure long and painful trials ; but the martyrs mid their tortures gave' testi- mony that "they had neyer been so happy." Reading .the lives of .the Saints we meet two striking facts : the dreadful ordeals they sustained, the mortifications they willingly embraced ; and then their patience, their joy, their peace in these sufferings. 'They came to love the crossy to lose all fear thereof, na"y, to sigh after it, to count as lost the day wherein they .had but little to suffer. This Is a psychological pheno- menon which puzzles the wordly, but which 'is a comfort to men of good-will. No doubt, one could not ask of beginners such love of the cross; but one can, showing them the example of the Saints, make them understand that the love of God soothes the pain of mortification, . \ . ' - • 1 Examens part. , ier Ex. de la Mortification. 2 Matlh., XIX, 29; Mark, X, 29-30, where it is said : "An hundred times as much, now in this time. " , ' s Philip., IV, 7. — < II Cor., VII, 4. I MORTIFICATION. 371 and, if they consent to enter whole-heartedly into the practice of offer- ing small sacrifices within their strength, that they will come themselves . to love the' cross, to long for it and to find in it true spiritual comfort.-; 766. The author of the Imitation expresses this in a text which briefly sums up the advantages of mortification :"/# the cross is sal- vation: in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection from enemies. In the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness j in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit. In the Cross is height of "virtue; in the Cross is perfection, of sanctity? l The love of the Cross is but the love of God unto the immolation of self. And this love, as we have said, is the embodiment of all the, virtues, the very essence of perfection and therefore the strongest defence against our spiritual enemies, the fountain-spring of consolation, the, best means of growing in the spiri- tual life and of assuring our salvation. , ART. III. THE PRACTICE OF MORTIFICATION 2 767. Principles. i° Mortification must include the whole man, body and soul; for each of our faculties unless well-disciplined may be the cause of sin. It is true, indeed, that the will alone sins, but it has for accomplices ana! instruments our body with its exterior senses and our soul'with all its faculties. Hence, it is the whole man that- must be disciplined, that is, mortified. 768. 2° Mortification is the enemy of pleasure. True, pleasure of itself is not an evil; rather, it is a good when subordinated to its God-given end. God has willed io attach a certain pleasure to the fulfilment of duty in order, to facilitate its accomplishment. Thus, we find a certain enjoyment in eating and drinking; in our work, and in other duties. In the divine plan, therefore, pleasure is not an end, but the means to an end. Hence, the .enjoyment of pleasure in view of a more perfect acquittal of duty is not proscribed ; it is rather in accordance with the order established by God. But to seek pleasure as an end in itself without any relation to duty, is at least dangerous, since it exposes one to slip from lawful to unlawful pleasure. To enjoy pleasure to the exclusion of duty is a sin more or less serious,- because it is a violation of the order established by God. Mortification, 1 The Following of Christ, Bk. II, c. 12, 2 'Since, mortification is defined as the struggle against our" evil inclinations, it must be practiced first of all in resisting temptations. This aspect of mortification will be treated in nos 900 and following. It 'is next practiced in overcoming our evil inclinations, our vices. This will be seen in n°= 818 and following. -Here we speak only of the mortification of our faculties, or rather of their inordinate ten- dencies. ' . •'.'•• It must be noted that the word mortification is not used in . exactly the same sense when we speak of the mortification of our sins and vices as when we speakx of the mortification of pur faculties. In the former case it means destroying, put- ting to death; in the latter it means correcting, training, disciplining^ ; * < , \ " ' * r ?v'4* , / * 4, 1 * '- ' ' 372 CHAPTER III.' therefore, consists in foregoing evil pleasures, pleasures con Jtrary to God's providential plan, or to His * Law, or tov,the law of the Church ; in renouncing dangerous pleasures, so ,as' not to run the risk of sin; in abstaining- from certain licit pleasures, so as to injure the dominion o'f- .the will over our sensuous nature. With this same end jn view we not only forego some pleasures, but ; likewise impose upon' ourselves some positive practices of mortification; -for it is a matter of experience that nothing is so effective fin breaking down the lure .to pleasure as the voluntary under- :taking of 'some additional labor, the shouldering of some additional burden. . = • , • • •'• 769. 3°, Mortification, however, must be practiced with prudence and discretion. It must be properly fitted to the physical and moral strength of each, and must be in keeping with the accomplishment of one's duties of state'; i) We must spare our physical strength, for according to St. Francis de Sales, "We are exposed -to : great temptations both when .the body is overfed and when it is too enfeebled.''' I . In the latter case one becomes an easy .prey to neu.rasthe.m'a, which subsequently demands a letting • down . that .may prove dangerous. 2) We must take, into account our moral strength, that is to say, we must refrain from imposing ' upon ourselves from the outset excessive privations which we could not long sustain, anal the giving up. of which may •lead us to laxness. 3) \Above all, our mortifications must be such7 as would be compatible with the duties of pur state, for the latter are obligatory and take precedence (.6ver practices of supererogation. Thus it would be wrong for a mother to practice such austerities^as would prevent her from fulfilling her duties towards her hus.band arid her children.. • ' f : • 770.. 4° There is a hierarchy in the practices of morti- fication. Those that -mortify, our interior faculties ^^ have a greater worth than those that mortify our exterior senses, because the former attack more directly the root ; of ' the evil; yet we must not lose sight of the fact that the latter aid in a great measure the exercise of the former. . Who- ever would attempt to mortify the imagination without mortifying the eyes will hardly succeed, for. the^ very reason that these furnish our fancy with sensible images whereon it thrives. To jeer at. the austerities of. former Christian days is a baneful error of modern, times. As a matter of 1 Devout Life, Part III, c, XXIII. 373 fact this; Saints ^pfalk ages, those ; that have been beatified; in these latter days vas 'well' .: as those "of old, have .severely chastised their bodies and their exterior senses, .well aware that man's whole. Being must :ipe brought : into subjection, that -in the. state of fallen nature, man's whole being^ must be crucified if he is to belong wholly to God. We shall therefore examine in- succession the entire range of morti- fications beginning with those that are exterior in character, finally arriving at those .of a more interior nature. This is the logical order; in actual practice we must learn how to combine them, and make proper use of them. ". '• '. § I. The* Mortification of the Body f and the Exterior Senses _.v \, t; •••'... - . . ' . ' ' • ' • ,.....; - ' . 771. :•;• i° Its motives, a) Our. Lord recommended, to His disciples the moderate practice of: fasting and of absti-, nerice, the mortification of sight and -of touch. v St. Paul was so alive to the necessity of mortifying the flesh that he punished it severely in order to escape sin and final repro- bation : " J3ut I chastise my body and bring it into^ subjection: lest perhaps > when I have preached 'to others > I myself should become a castaway. " r The Church herself prescribes for the faithful certain days of fast and of abstinence. b) Why this? . No doubt the body, .well held in check, •is a profitable^ servant, nay, an indispensable one, whose strength must pe preserved to place it at the .soul's service. But in the state of fallen nature, the body seeks after the joys of the flesh .-regardless of what is licit or il.licit.; it Ms^a special tendency towards forbidden pleasures, and at times rebels against the higher faculties when .these stand in; the, way. This enemy is so much the more .dangerous, because it is ever with us, at table, in our room, abroad ; and because it often meets with abbettprs ready to excite, its sensuality, and lust. The senses! are but so many openings for, for- bidden pleasure. We are obliged therefore to keep an ever^-watchful guard over ou'r .body' to overpower it and bring it into subjection. If we fail in this it will betray us. 772. 2° The Modesty of the Body. If we wish to mortify the body, 'we must "begin,'' by ,.ra faithful observance of the prescriptions of modesty, arid .good deportment. Here we find an extensive field for mortification. The rule we must follow is, the, principle of St. Paul : "Know 374 » CHAPTER III.. you- not that: your bodies, are the members- of Christ^, thai your members' afe the temple of the Holy Ghost?" r • AY We must, then, hold our body in reverence, as a holy , temple, as a member of Christ Let there be nothing about us savoring of. those fads, more or less indecent,, designed to excite the unwholesome curiosity of lust. Let .our dress be in harmony with our condition in life, plain and modest, ever becoming, ever decent. The wisest recommendations on this subject are those of .St. Francis de Sales:'" 'Be neat, Philothea; let nothing be negligent about you;... but at the same time, avoid all affectation, vanity, curiosity, or levity in your dress. Keep yourself always, as much as possible, on, the side of plainness and modesty, which, doubt not; is the greatest ornament of beauty, and the ;best excuse.. for the want of it... Women who are vain, are esteemed 'to be very weak in their chastity; at least, if they are chaste, it is not to be discovered amid so many toys and fopperies..." 2 S. liouis briefly says, "that one should dress in accordance to one's condition in life, so that the wise and the 'good might not; say : 'you are. 'too fastidious, ' nor the;young remark,, ' you are too negligent. ' " ' As' regards religious and priests, they have rules that prescribe the form and quality of their dress, and they should conform to those directions. It is needless to say that'; worldliness and affectation would be out of place in them ahd: could not but shock worldlings themselves. , 773. . B) Good deportment likewise furnishes everyone with arripFe opportunity for the practice of mortification, an excellent way of mortifying the flesh without endangering our health or attracting undue attention, and of gaining a' ; wonderful.. control over the body. Examples of good deportment are : the avoidance of anything like lack of -poise or .of any bodily pose, that smacks . of primness or softness; an erect,. easy and natural carriage of the body; holding the same even posture for a considerable space of time; not to lounge when 'sitting or lean when kneeling; to avoid all brusqueness of movement or manner and ill-regulated gestures. ' . . . .- 7.74. JC) There are other positive means of mortification which penitent souls inspired' by generosity: delight to employ in order to subdue their bodies, to temper the importunities of the flesh and give yent to their holy desires./ The moire customary ones are small 'iron bracelets clasped to the arms, chains worn about the loins-, hairshirts, or a few strokes of the discipline when this last can be done without attracting any notice. 3 As to all such practices one must faithfully 1 / Cor., VI, 15, 19. — 2 Devout Life, Part III, c. XXV. 3 To resume the practices of corporal mortification is one of the most effective means of regaining lost joy of spirit and fervor of soul : " Let us go back to our bodily mortifications. Let us bruise our flesh and draw a little of our -blood, and MORTIFICATION. ' 375 follow the advice of one's spiritual director, shun whatever tends to evince any singularity or to "flatter ^vanity not to speak of whatever would be 'against the rules of hygiene and personal cleanliness. :. The spiritual director should not give his sanction to any of these extra- ordinary practices except with the greatest discretion, only for a time, and •• on 'trial. '' Should it come to his. notice 'that any inconveniences arise therefrom, he must bring them to a halt. 775; 3° Modesty of the Eyes. A) There are looks which are grievously sinful, that offend not only against modesty, but against chastity itself; from such we must evidently abstain. * Others there are which are dan- gerous..; for instance, to fasten our eyes on persons or things which would of themselves be apt to bring on temptations. Thus Holy Scripture warns us : "Gaze not upon a maiden : lest her beauty be .. a stumbling-block to thee. " z Today, when indecency in dress, exhibitions of the stage and of certain types 61 drawing-room enter- tainment create so many dangers, what great care must we not exercise «o's as .qot' to expose ourselves to sin ! 3 776. '" B) The earnest Christian who wants to save his soul at all costs goes even further so as to make the danger : more remote. He mortifies the sense- of sight by repressing idle, curious glances and by duly controlling his eye's in all simplicity without any show of affectation. He takes the opportunity whenever offered of directing his looks towards those things that, tend to raise his heart towards God and the Saints, such as holy pictures; statues, churches arid crosses. 777. 4° Mortification of the Ear and the Tongue. A) The mortification of these senses demands that we speak ho word nor lend a willing ear to utterances that hurt brotherly love, purity, humility and the other Christian - virtues ; for, says St. Paul, " Evil communications corrupt good manners. ." 4 How many souls have been turned^ from their godly ways by giving ear to impure conversa- tions or to words against their neighbor. Obscene words induce a morbid curiosity, excite the passions, kindle desire, • and incite to. sin; whilst unkind words stir up strife and divisions even in the home, give rise to suspicion,, enmity and rancor. We must, therefore, watch over the least of we shall be .happy as the day is long. If the Saints are such gay spirits,, and , monks and nuns unaccountably cheerful creatures, it is simply because their bodies,' like St. Paul's, are chastised -and kept under With an unflinching : sharpness and -a vigorous discretion. " (FABER; The Blessed Sacrament, Book II, Section VII}. — J Malik., V, 28. — 2 Eccli., IX, 5. 3 Cf. recent warnings of the popes, Pius XI, encycl. on Christian education of youth, 1929; Pius XII, " Sacra V.irginitas ", 1954. — •* / Cor., XV, 33. 376 CHAPTER III. our words and we must , know how to close pur ears to whatever may sully purity, hurt charity or disturb peace. 778. B) The better to succeed in this, we shall at times mortify our curiosity, refraining from asking questions that would satisfy it, or repressing that itch for gossip that draws us into idle .conversations > not altogether devoid of danger: "In the multitude of words there shall not want sin."* ' : '-.:'.'•.'/ ; . '' ' , ' "' C) Since negative means do not suffice. We should take care to direct our conversation to _ subjects not merely harmless, but good, elevating and edifying, without however growing burdensome to others by too serious remarks that do not naturally suggest themselves. 779. 5° The Mortification of our other senses. What we have said with regard to sight, hearing and speech, is applicable to the other senses as well. We shall return to the sense of taste when we speak of gluttony, and to the sense of touch when we treat of chastity. As to the sense of smell, suffice.it to say that the immoderate use of perfumes is often but a pretext for satisfying sensuality, and at times a ruse to excite, lust. Earnest Christians should use them with moderation; clerics and religious should never use them. . § II, Mortification of the Interior Senses The two interior senses to be mortified are the imagination and the memory, which generally act in accord, memory- activities being accompanied by sense-images. 780. i° Principle. These are two valuable faculties, which not only furnish the mind with the necessary material whereon to work, but enable it to explain the truth with the aid' of images and facts in such a manner as to make it easier to grasp, and render it more vital and more interest- ing. The bare, colorless and cold statement of truth would not engage .the interest of most men. It is not question, then, of atrophying these faculties, but of schooling them, of- subjecting their 'activity to the control of reason and will. Otherwise, ; left to themselves, they literally crowd the soul with a host of ^memories and images that distract the spirit, waste, its energies, cause it to lose priceless time while at prayer and work, and -constitute the source of a thousand temptations against purity, charity, humility and other virtues. Hence, of necessity they must be disciplined and made to minister to the higher ,f acuities of the soul. 1 Proverbs, x, 19. , '-'..' ;?np%-H%1 ^^r^^">%>r-^ '*^b^j'7>'sP> v/^' * " ' " ' ,''.-< l . ' ' ' MORTIFICATION. • 377 / 781. 2° Rules to toe followed. A) In order to check the wanderings of; the memory, and the imagination; we must, first of all, strive to1 expel from the outset, that is, from the /very moment" we are .aware of them, all dangerous , fancies and recollections; for such, by conjuring up some '' crisis of the past, or by carrying us along midst the seductive allurements of the -present,, or on to those of the future, would constitute for us1 a source of temptation. Further- more, since frequent day-dreaming by a kind of psycho- ' logical necessity leads us into dangerous 'musings, we should take heed to provide against idle thoughts, by mortifying ourselves as regards useless fancies, which constitute a waste of time and pave the way to others of an even more' peril- ous nature. Mortifying idle thoughts, the Saints tell us, ; is dealing death to evil ones. . , 782. B) The best means to attain this end is to apply ourselves whole-heartedly to the performance of the duties > of the moment, to .our work, to our studies, to our ordinary occupations. Besides, this: is likewise the best means of doing well what we are about, by making all our activities converge towards the production of the one action : " Do well whatever you do. " Let young men remember that in order to succeed/either in studies or in their, profession, they must give more play to the mind and the will than to the lower faculties. Thus, 'whilst making provision for the future, they should avoid all dangerous flights of the imagination.. 783. C) Lastly, the memory and the imagination will prove "most helpful if they are employed to nourish our piety, by searching in the Scriptures, in the Liturgy, and in spiritual writers the choicest texts, the most beautiful similes, the richest imagery, and if the imagination is used to enter into God's presence, to picture' in their details ; the mysteries of Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin. Thus, far from stunting'' this faculty, we • shall fill it with' devout representations which will displace dangerous fancies and' enable us the better to 'grasp and /present to our hearers the beauty of the Gospel-scenes. • : . §"-!lI.' The Mortification of the Passions1 784. The passions in the philosophical sense of the term are not necessarily nor wholly evil. They' are active /St.THOM., Ia Ilae, q. 22-48; SUAREZ, disp. Ill; S&NAULT, De V-usage des pds- x'ons; DESCURET, La medecine des passions; BELOUINO, Des passions ; TH. RIBOT, \ \ 378 • CHAPTER III. forces, often impetuous, that may be used for good as well as for evil, provided we learn to control them and direct them towards a high purpose. In popular parlancej how- ever, and with certain spiritual writers, the word is used to designate evil' passions. We shall, then — i° recall the principal psychological notions concerning the passions; 2° indicate their good and their bad effects; 3° give rules, for their right use. I. The Psychology of the Passions ' Here we but recall briefly what is explained at length in Psychology. ' ' 785. i° Notion. Passions are vehement movements oj the sensitive appetite toward sensible good, reacting more or less strongly on the bodily organism. a) At the bottom of passion, therefore, there is a certain knowledge, at least a sense-knowledge, of a good hoped for or already possessed, or of an evil opposed to the said good. From this knowledge spring the movements of the sensitive appetite. B) These movements are vehement and thus differ from affective conditions, pleasant or unpleasant, which are calm, peaceful, and free from the eagerness and the violence found in passion. • e) It is precisely because they are vehement and act strongly upon the sensitive appetite that they have,their reaction upon the physical organism. This is due to the close union that exists, between body and soul. Thus, anger causes blood to rush to the brain and strains the nerves; fear causes us to turn pale; love dilates the heart and fear contracts it. These physiological effects do not reach the same degree in all subjects. ; they depend upon the individual temperament and the intensity of passion itself, as well as upon the measure of control acquired over self. 786. Passions differ from sentiments, which are movements of the •will, and which presuppose, therefore, an intellectual knowledge; •although they are strong, they lack the violence of passions. Thus there is a passion of love , and a sentiment of love, a passionate fear and an intellectual fear. We may add that in man, a rational animal, the passions and the sentiments almost invariably blend in varying proportions, and that' is is through the will aided by grace that we transform the most ardent passions into lofty sentiments by bringing the former under the sway of the latter. 787. 2° Their Numtoer. 'Eleven are generally enum- erated, all of which proceed from love, as Bossuet z lucidly : La psychologie des sentiments; La logique des sentiments; PAYOT, The Education of the Will; Cursus Asceticus, I, P. 157-236; MEYER, The Science of the Saints, II-IV; MESCHLER, Three Fundamental Principles of the Spiritual Life, P. II. C, X-XV ; P. JANVIER, Car&me 1905; H. D. NOBLE, LMucation des passions. •* DC la connaissance de Dieu et de soi-m£me, C. i, n. 6. MORTIFICATION. 379 shows : "Our other passions refer but to love, love 'which embodies or stimulates them.," '•.'.; 1) Love, is a yearning for union with' a person or thing that" pleases us ; we thereby crave possession of it. 2) Hatred is an eagerness to rid ourselves of what displeases /us ; it is born pf love in the sense that we hate that which militates against what .we love. We hate disease only because we love health ; we hate no 'one, except those 'who place an obstacle to our possessing what we love. ', ' . i " . ... . . '. . . 3) Desire is a quest for an absent good and proceeds from the fact , that we love that good. . / . 4) Aversion (or flight) makes us shun or repel approaching evil. . ; 5) Joy 'is the satisfaction arising from a present good. ', 6) Sadness, on the other hand, makes us grieve over and shrink from z. present evil. . . , 7) Courage (daring) makes us strive after union with the objept loved, the acquisition of which is difficult. 8) Fear prompts us to shrink from an evil difficult to avoid. ; 9) Hope eagerly bears us toward the thing loved, the acquisition- of which is possible, though difficult. 10) Despair arises in the soul when the, acquisition of the object loved seems impossible, •'•..' n) Anger violently repels what hurts us, and incites the desire >of revenge. . . The first six passions which take rise 'in what is called the con- cupiscible 'appetite, are generally, known to modern psychologist as pleasure-passions; the other five, proceeding from' what is, termed the irascible appetite, go by the name of aggressive passions. \\.TheEffectsofthePassions 788. The Stoics assumed that the passions were radi- cally evil and must be annihilated. The Epicureans deified the passions and loudly proclaimed the necessity of obeying them; modern Epicureans reecho their cry in saying that life must he lived. .Christianity shuns these two extremes. Nothing, it holds, that God has bestowed 'on our nature, is evil. Our Lord Himself had well-ordered passions. He loved not only with His will, but with His heart; He wept over dead Lazarus and over faithless Jerusalem; He let Himself be roused to righteous indignation; He felt fear, underwent sadness and weariness; yet He knew how to keep these passions under the control of the will and sub- ordinate them to God. When, on the contrary, passions are ill-ordered they are productive of the most : harmful results.1 Hence, they 'must be mortified and disciplined. 789, The Effects of ill-ordered Passions; Passions are said to' be ill-di'dered ;when directed towards some seri-' 380 CHAPTER ' III. sible good which is forbidden, or even towards/a good \yhich is ... lawful," but is pursued with too much eagerness and without any reference ,to Go.d. Such ill-regulated passions have the following effects : , : a) They .produce blindness of soul, for heedless of reason, they move headlong toward their object, led on by attraction or by. pleasure. This constitutes a disturbing factor which tends to .unbalance our judgment and becloud right reason, The. sensitive appetite is by nature blind; and should the soul allow itself to be guided by it, it will likewise become blind. The soul then, instead of being guided by duty, allows itself to be fascinated by the pleasure of the. moment; it is as if a cloud stood between it and the truth. Blinded by the passions, the soul no longer sees clearly the will of God, the duty to be fulfilled ; it is no longer competent to form a sane judgment. 790. b) Ill-ordered passions zvearfand torture the soul. .. i)> The passions, says St. John of the Cross, I " are as impatient little children that can never be pleased, that ask their mother now for this, now for that, and are never satisfied. A miser tires of digging in vain for a treasure; likewise ; the soul wearies of seeking what its appetites demand. If one of these appetites is satisfied, others arise and wear us out, because they cannot all be satisfied... Appetites afflict the soul, enervate it and trouble it as the wind agitates the sea. " • . . . 2) Hence, a' suffering, all the more intense, the more ardent the passions, for they torture the soul until they are satisfied, and just, as the appetite for food is whetted by eating, so the passions ever crave for; more. v If conscience offers resistance, they lose patience, they fret, they impor- tune the will to yield to their ever-recurring desires. This is an unspeakable torture. 791. C) Ill-ordered passions also weaken the ..will. Drawn hither and thither by these rebellious passions, the will is forced to scatter its efforts in every direction and by so doing to lessen its strength. Every concession it makes to the passions increases their demands and diminishes its own energies, Like the useless, rapacious, parasitic shoots that sprout round the trunk of a tree, uncontrolled appetites * The Ascent of Carmel, Bk. I, C. VI ; See cbapters VI-XII of the same book, wherein the Saint explains in a wonderful way the hurtful .effects of the appetites, that is, of the passions. We but briefly sum up his thought. MORTIFICATION. 381 grow and sap the strength of the soul. A time comes when the weakened soul becomes the prey of laxness and lukewarmness and is ready to make any surrender^ ' • " ,-,''•'''•'/''' - ' ' . ' ' : " '.' I . • •.-"-.•- 792. d): Ill-ordered passions, lastly, blemish the soul. When the soul, yielding, to the passions, joins itself to creatures it lowers: itself to their level. Instead of .being •-' the faithful image of God it takes on the likeness of, the things to which it clings; specks "of, dust, blots of grime sully its beauty and impede a perfect union with God. " I do not hesitate to affirm," says St. John of the Cross, J "that one single disordered passion, even if it lead not to mortal sin, is enough to cause the soul such a state of darkness, ugliness and uncleanness, that it becomes, incapable of intimate union with God so long as it remains a slave of this passion.' What . then shall we say of: the soul, that is marred by the ugliness of all its passions, that is a prey to all its appetites? At what infinite distance' will it not be from; divine purity? -Neither words nor arguments .can make us understand the divers stains. which all .these appetites create in the. soul. Each one of. them in. its own way .places its share of filth' and ugliness in the soul." 1 793. Conclusion. If we wish, then, to attain to union with' God, we 'must" repress all inordinate movements of the' passionsj even the most trifling; for perfect union with. God presupposes that there be nothing. in us contrary to the, divine will, no wilful attachment to creatures or to self. The moment we deliberately allow any passion to lead us • astray, this perfect union no longer exists. This' is espe- cially true of habitual attachments. These. paralyze " the1 will even if they bd in themselves trivial. St. John of the Cross 2 says ttiat " it makes little difference whether a bird be tied by a thin' thread or a heavy cord ; it canriot fly until either be broken. " ; . - . - \' ."'• '•••• •""'•'• 1 9 4. Advantages of well-ordered passions. Pas- sions are helpful when they are well-ordered, that is, when they are directed towards good, when they are controlled and made subservient to the, will of God. They are live, powerful forces that stir our mind and will to action arid thus render them signal help. : , • . , -, a) They act upon the mind by stimulating our. ambition to work, our desire to know the. truth. When we are pas- sionately interested in any object, we' are on the alert to know all about it; our minds grasp the truth more readily; the impression jnade upon our memory is more lasting. An inventor, for instance, burning with love for his country 1 Ascent oj 'Carww/j-Bk. I, G. XI. — ' Ascent of Carmel, Bk. I, C. XI./ &,>.. 382 CHAPTER III. works with greater zest, perseverance and insight because of the very fact that he, wants to serve his country. Iii like manner a student inspired by the high purpose of putting his knowledge at the service of his countrymen makes greater efforts and obtains greater results. But above all, he who passionately loves Jesus Christ, will study the Gospel with greater zeal, understand it better and. relish it more; the words of the Master are for him so many oracles that shed upon his soul a glowing light. 795. b) Well-ordered passions, likewise, exert their influence upon the will, grouping and multiplying its ener- gies. Whatever is done out of love, is done more thoroughly, more whole-heartedly, pursued more perseveringly and attended by greater success. What does not a loving mother do to save her child? What acts of heroism does not patriotism inspire? A Saint in whom love for God and for souls is a passion balks at no effort, at no sacrifice, at no humiliation if he can but save his brethren. Undoubt- edly, it is the will which dictates such acts of zeal, but it is a will inspired, stimulated, and sustained by a hallowed passion. When both the sensitive and intellectual appetites, that is. to say, when the heart and the will join forces and work along the same lines, the attendant results are evi- dently of far greater import and much more lasting. Hence, the importance of knowing -how to put the. passions to good use. , \\\. The Good Use of the Passions After recalling the psychological principles that will make our task easier, we shall, show how evil passions are resisted, how passions are directed towards good, and how they are controlled. . i° PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES TO BE APPLIED' . 796. To attain mastery over the passions, we must, first of all, count on the grace of God and, therefore, on prayer and the Sacraments; but we must also employ the sound tactics furnished by psychology. 2 a) Every idea tends to evoke a corresponding act, especially if the idea is attended by live emotions and associated -with strong convictions. • Thus -the thought of sensual pleasure, vividly depicted by the imagi- nation, provokes a sensual desire, often a sensual act. On the other 1 EYMIEU, Le gouv'ernement de soi-meme, t. I, 3e Principe. 2 And by physiology, Avhence the necessity of .taking medical advice. ' • MORTIFICATION. N 383 hand, the thought of noble deeds and their happy results excites the desire of performing such acts. This is especially true of the idea that does not remain cold, colorless, abstract, but, accompanied by sensitive images, becomes concrete, real and thereby captivating. ' It is in this sense that we can say that thought \s power, a dynamic force, the beginning of action. If then,: we are, .to master our ill- ordered passions, we must cautiously banish every thought, every fancy that presents evil pleasure in an attractive guise; and, if we want to foster well-ordered passions or good sentiments, we must wel- come the thoughts and the images that picture the beautiful side of . duty, of virtue, and we must make these as vivid and as concrete as possible. 797. b) The influence of an idea abides as long as that idea is not obliterated and supplanted by a stronger one. Thus sensual desire continues to make itself felt so long as it is not driven out by some nobler thought which takes possession of the soul. Hence, if we would be rid of such desires we must through some reading or engaging study apply: ourselves to an entirely different or to an absolutely contrary trend of thought; and should we wish to'strengthen some good desire, we must dwell on it and think of such things as will tend to feed it. C) The influence of an idea grows by being associated with correlative ones that enrich and broaden it. Thus the thought and the desire of saving our soul grow more intense and more active if associated with the idea of working for the salvation of our brethren. The life of St. Francis Xavier is a striking example of this. / 798'. d) Lastly, an idea attains its maximum power, when it becomes habitual, absorbing, a sort of fixed idea, the motive-power of action. This is exemplified in the sphere of the natural by the single-mindedness of those who hold , but one purpose in view, for instance, that of bringing about some particular discovery; in the realm of the supernatural ,it is .illustrated by those who are deeply impressed by somev Gospel-truth which becomes' the ruling principle of their life, for example : •" Sell what thou hast and give to the poor. What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul? For to me, to live 'is Christ. " . ' ' ' We must, therefore, aim at burying deep into. our souls some directing thoughts, and then embody them in a maxim that makes them real and keeps them ever before our mind, such as : " My God and my all! To the greater glory of God! God alone suffices! He who possesses Jesus, pos- sesses all things! To be with Jesus is a sweet paradise!" With a .motto of this kind, we shall more easily triumph 384 CHAPTER III. over ill-ordered passions and make a right use of well- ordered ones. ; " " '"' v ' ' v\ 2° How TO WAGE WAR AGAINST ILL-ORDERED PASSIONS . 799. As soon as we are .aware of any ill-ordered mpv- ement of the soul, we must .have recourse to every .natural and supernatural means to stay and curb it. , : a) From the outset, we should with the help of grace avail ourselves of the power of inhibition wielded by the will to thwart such motion. ,> We should avoid exterior acts and gestures which would but stimu- late or intensify 'passion." Thus, if we feel roused .to anger, we should ' avoid excited gestures, and words, holding our peace "until calm is , restored; if it be question of a too ardent attachment to some person, .we should avoid any meeting, any conversation with that, person, and above all, we should refrain from showing, even in an indirect way, the affection we feel. In this wise, passion gradually subsides. . v 800. pb) If it be question of some pleasure-passion one must strive to forget the object of that passion. In order to accomplish this : i) one must 'apply the mind and the imagination to any wholesome activity apt to divert attention from ,, the object of passion; one must seek to engage, all the powers of the mind on some absorbing subject of study, oh the, solution .of some question Or problem, or find distraction 'in play, social intercourse, conversation, walks, etc... 2) Then, when calm ensues one should have recourse to such moral considerations as may- strengthen the will against the allurement of pleasure : considerations of the natural order, such as the untoward consequences, 'for the present ' and the future, with which a dangerous attachment, a too sentimental friend- ship may be fraught (n. 603); but above all, one should appeal to supernatural considerations, for instance, that it is impossible , to 'advance in the way of perfection so long as 'we cling to such attach- ments, that these are but chains we forge for ourselves, that we thereby risk our salvation, that through_our fault scandal may.be given, etc. If -it be some aggressive passion with which we have to 'deal, anger for example, we must first of all, through instant flight, allow the passion time to cool ; then we can take the offensive, face the difficulty, convince ourselves through1 rational considerations and chiefly through motives of faith that it is unworthy of man, unworthy of a Christian .to yield himself a willing prey to anger or to hatred; that -serenity, self-control is "the highest^ the noblest course to follow, the one most , consistent with the Gospel. ' ; .' '•" e) Lastly, positive acts* directly Opposed to /the harassing .passion must be elicited. .. . .,- If we experience dislike for any one we must act as if we wished to .gain his good graces, strive to serve him, be amiable towards him; and above all pray for him. Nothing so empties the heart of all bitterness as an earnest prayer offered for an enemy. 'If, on.the contrary, .we feel a too ardent affection for any one we shall avoid his company or, if this be impossible, treat him with that cold formality, that sort of courteous s MORTIFICATION. 385 indifference wherewith we treat the rank and file of human, beings These contrary acts finally succeed in weakening passion. :'..;-•• ' . ' • • • . 3° THE DIRECTION OF PASSIONS TOWARDS GOOD -•'".-*-' - ' • • - ' ' • • • ' " • ' - - '•'. t ..-.-.•-•• _ 802. We have said that the passions are not in them- selves vevil ; all can without exception be turned to good. a) Love and joy can be directed towards pure and lawful family- affection, towards good and supernatural friendship, but chiefly towards Our Lord, Who is the most tender, the most generous, the most devoted of friends.. This, .then, is what matters most, that we center our hearts .on Him by reading, meditation, and by actually carrying out in our lives the teachings contained in the two chapters .of the Following of Christ, " On the love of Jesus above all things^ and " On familiar friendship with Jesus? , two chapters which have proved a potent source of, inspiration to many souls. ' to) Hatred and aversion can be turned against sin, against vice, and against whatever leads to them, in order that we may loathe them and fly. from them i:"/ have hated iniquity. " I -.''.. . C) I)esire :is transformed into lawful ambition; into the natural ambition of doing hondr to one's family, one's country, and into the supernatural ambition 'of becoming a saint, an apostle. , d) Sadness, instead of degenerating into melancholy, becomes; a sweet resignation under trials, which are for the Christian soul a seed of glory,; or it is changed into tender compassion for the, suffering ' Christ, loaded down with insults; or it is turned towards afflicted SOUls.: ' • . ; . \ e) Hope becomes a Christian virtue of unfailing trust in God and multiplies, our energies for 'good. . f) Despair takes- the form of a rightful mistrust of self, based upon our own insufficiency and our. sins, but tempered by trust in .God. ' g} Fear is no longer 'that -sense of depression which weakens the soul ; but in the Christian -it is a1 source of power. : The Christian fears sin, he fears hell ; but this righteous fear inspires him with courage, in the struggle against evil. He fears God above all, he dreads 'to offend his Maker and treads under foot human respect. . ~ h) Anger instead of causing us- to. lose self-control, is but a just and holy indignation that ;Strengthens us against evil. :, . ' . : i) Boldness becomes process in the face of obstacles and dangers; the greater the difficulty we encounter, the more eager we are to make efforts ,tb pyercpme it. .'.:•. ; . -. ; . 8.Q.3. To attain these happy results, there is nothing like; meditation, -aqcompanied by. devout affections and generous, resolutions, thereby, we ; conceive ^ -an 'ideal, and form deep-seated convictions that help us daily to approach that ideal., The purpose in view is xto evoke and nurture in the soul such thoughts and feelings as are in harmony with the virtues we want to practice, and to remove images and / impressions allied to' the vices we want to shun. These 1 PS. CXVIIT, 163. 386 CHAPTER III. / /_ results cannot be better realized than by the practice /of daily meditation after the manner noted in no. 679 and following. In this intimate converse with God, infinite Truth and infinite Goodness, virtue becomes every day more attractive and vice more loathspme, whilst the will strengthened by convictions draws the passions towards good instead of allowing itself to be drawn by these towards evil, 4° How TO MODERATE THE PASSIONS 804. a) Eyen when the passions are directed towards good, one must know how to temper them, that is to say, one must know how to make them obey, the dictates of reason and the control of the will, both reason and will being guided in turn by the light of faith and by grace. Without this restraining influence, the passions would at times run to excess > for they are by nature too impetuous. Thus,. the desire to pray fervently may become a strain; love for Jesus may manifest itself in forced emotions which wear out both body and soul; untimely zeal results in pverstrain, indignation degenerates into anger, and joy into dissipation of mind. We are particularly exposed to such, excesses in this age in which the feverish' activity of our fellow-men readily becomes contagious: Even when these vehement impulses are directed towards good, they weary both mind and body and cannot, in any event, be of lasting duration, for vio- lence is shortlived, whereas it is sustained effort that best secures spiritual progress. ....'. 805. b) We must, therefore, submit our activity to the control of a wise director, and follow the dictates of Christian prudence. 1) In the training of our desires and of our passions there must be a certain habitual moderation, a kind of calm tranquillity, and we must avoid being constantly under a strain. We have a long journey ahead and it is important that we save our strength, since our poor human machine cannot be forever /under pressure without danger of collapse, . • • . 2) Before a great expenditure of effort, prudence demands that, we enforce a certain rest, that we put a certain curb upon our ambitions, even the most legitimate, and upon our zeal, even the most ardent and the purest. Our Lord Himself, gave us the example in this. From time to time He invited His disciples to rest: " Come apart into a desert place and rest a little, "•* • . Thus directed and tempered, the passions, far from constituting an obstacle to perfection, will be effective means of daily growth in holiness. : 1 Mark., VI, 31. — It is not reducing virtue to mediocrity, but rather avoiding excesses, which would compromise its progress. s* I \ MORTIFICATION. 387 § IV. The Discipline of the Higher Faculties The higher faculties, the intellect and the will, which make man what he is, need likewise to be disciplined, for they also have been affected by original sin, n. 75. ••'',' : > ' - '' - I. The Discipline of the Intellect 'L 806. We have been endowed.with understanding, that we may know truth, and above all that we may know God and things divine. It is God Who is the true light of the mind. He illumines us with a twofold light, that of reason and that of faith. In our present state, we cannot come to th'e .fulness of truth, .without the joint help of these two lights. To scorn either >of them is to blindfold our eyes. The discipline of the. intellect is all the more important, since it is the intellect that enlightens the will and enables it to direct its course towards good. It is the intellect which, under the name of conscience, is the guide of our moral'and our supernatural life. That it may rightly fulfil its office, its defects must be corrected. The chief of these are ignorance, curiosity, hastiness, pride and obstinacy. . . ;• 807. i° Ignorance is overcome by a constant and systematic application to study, above all, to the study of whatever refers to our last end, and to the means iof attain-, ing it. It would be irrational to concern ourselves with all sciences and neglect the science of salvation. Indeed, each one must study those branches of. human knowledge that relate to his duties of .state j but the foremost duty being that of knowing God in order to love Him, to neglect this would be inexcusable. Yet, how many Christians there are, who, though well versed in some branch or other of learning, have but a very- imperfect acquaintance with Christian truths, Christian doctrines, Christian morals, and Christian! .asceticism ! " , 808. 2° Cumosity is. a disease of the mind, which is one of =the causes of religious ignorance, for it leads us to seek too eagerly the knowledge of things that delight us rather than of things that are profitable to us, and thus to lose precious time. . - , . -:\ ' In order to overcome curiosity we must : i) study before all else, not \yhat is pleasing, bu't what is profitable, especially what, is necessary. " What is more necessary • comes first" , said St. Bernard, and we must ' not be occupied with the rest except by way of recreation. Hence,, books that feed the imagination rather than the mind should be .read 1 Cursus Asceticus, I. P., 94-102^; PA vox, The Education of the Will, BkMI. "- One -of the aims .of Catholic Action being the development of Christian Knowledge in its members. ' " - * " » " ^ ,," e^ " -,:*<' vv 388 CHAPTER III."* / I sparingly ;/such are, for. the most part, novels, newspapers and reviews of a worldly character. 2) , In reading, -we must avoid any > undue eagerness, the desire to rush through a volume. It is especially when we read serious works that it is important to go slowly, , the (better to understand and to relish what we read (n. 582). 3) This -.will' be all the easier, if we study, not from curiosity; ;not merely fbr sthe saka of knowledge, -but fromi a supernatural mptivej to -improve burselves and to enlighten others : " That -they edify others, and this is cha- nty... that they be edified themselves, and this, is 'prudence. Ml For, as St. Augustine tells us, knowledge should be put to the service of love : "Let knowledge be used in order to erect the structure 'of charity, "3 This holds ,true even in the study of things .spiritual.* > Some' there are who seek in the pursuit of such studi.es; satisfaction for. their curiosity and their pride, rather than the purification of theirr heart and the practice of mortification.' 3 > - • . . - . , 809. 3°, Pride is to be avoided, that pride of intellect which is more dangerous and more -.difficult -to ••"overcome" than the pride of will, as Scupoli 4 says. . .-;••• ; < : • ' ; > . : i . . . : . This is the pride that renders faith and obedience to superiors difficult. One wants, to be self-sufficient ; the more confidence !;one has in one's own judgment the more reluctantly does one accept the .teach- ings of faith, or the more readily does one submit these to. criticism and to personal interpretation. In like manner, one so trusts to; one's own wisdom, that it is with repugnance that others 'are consulted, especially superiors;- Hence, regrettable mistakes occur. Hence comes also obstinacy of judgment, resulting in the final and sweeping condemnation of such opinions as differ from our own. : Herein; lies one of the most common causes of: strife between Christian and Christian, at times even between Catholic writers. St.. Augustine calls, those who cause unfortunate dissensions,; destructive of peace and of the bond of charity, "Dividers of unity, enemies -of peace, "without charity, puffed up with'Vanity, well pleased with themselves and great in their own eyes. " 5 . : . ' . 810. To heal this intellectual pride : i) we must; first of all submit .ourselves with childlike docility to the teachings of faith. We are undoubtedly allowed to -seek ; that ; under- standing of our dogmas which is obtained by;' a. patient and laborious quest with the aid of the Fathers and Doctors of the ; Church, especially St. Augustine and St. Thomas ; but as the Vatican Council.6: says,: this must ,be. done with piety and with discretion,;fonowirig the maximof St; Anselm : ": Faith, seeking .understanding.. ". Thus; wd : for-it must endure; and in order to give it constancy, we must often . renew our efforts without ever allowing ourselves to be discouraged by failure ; we are never vanquished except when we give up. In spite of a few failures, in spite even of a few wounds, we must con- sider ourselves the victors, because supported by God's grace, we are in reality invincible. If we have the misfor- tune of falling, we rise immediately. For the Divine Healer of souls there is no incurable wound, no incurable illness. 816. e) In the last analysis it is upon the grace of God that we must learn to rely. If we beg for it with humility and confidence, it will never be .refused to us, and with it we are invincible. We must, then, often renew, especially before every important action, our convictions regarding the absolute necessity of grace; we. must ask for it with insistence, in union with Our Lord so as to make its be- stowal more certain. We must remind ourselves that Jesus Christ is not only our model but our co-worker, and ' lean confidently upon Him, assured that in Him we ' are powerful to undertake and to bring to completion all things pertaining to salvation: "I can do all things^ in Him who strengthened me, " * Then, our will is strong, since it shares in the very strength of God : " The Lord is my strength;" * it is free, for true liberty does not _ consist in yielding to our passions, but -in securing the triumph of reason and will over instinct and sensuality, ; 817. Conclusion. Thus will be accomplished the pur- pose we have assigned to mortification — to bring our 1 Phil., IV, 13. — " Ps. CXVII, 14. ' ' • 392 . ' CHAPTER IV. senses and our lower faculties under subjection to the will and the will to God. ' CHAPTERS ; The Struggle against the Capital Sins * 818. At bottom this struggle is but a species of morti- fication. ; In order to complete the purification of the soul and prevent it from ^elapsing into. sin, we~ must set upon the source of the evil in us, which is the threefold concupiscence. The general characteristics of this we have already described in numbers 193-209; but being the root of the seven capital sins, these evil inclinations must be known and attacked. They are tendencies rather than sins; however, they are called sms, because they lead to sins; they are termed captital, because they are the fountain-head or source of other sins. - These tendencies can be referred to the threefold con- cupiscence in this way: from pride are born vain-glory, envy, and anger; from the concupiscence of the flesh issue gluttony, lust, and stotfi; lastly, the concupiscence of the eyes is one with avarice or the inordinate love of riches. 819. The struggle against the seven capital sins has always had a prominent place in Christian spirituality; Cassian treats of it at length in his Conferences and. in his Institutes; * he enumerates eight instead of seven, because he distinguishes pride from vain-glory. St. Gregory the Great3 deafly distinguishes the seven capital sins, air of which he traces to pride. St. Thomas also traces them all to pride and shows how they can be logically classified, if account is taken of the special ends towards which man is dra\yn. The' will may be drawn towards an object by a twofold motion, the search for some apparent good, or flight from an apparent evil. The apparent good ' sought by the will may be : i) praise or honor, a spiritual good, pursued in an inordinate manner by persons who are vain; 2) the preservation 'CASSIAN, De ccenobiorum institutis, 1. V, c. I, P. L., XLIX, 202 and foil.; Collationes, coll. V, c. X, ibid., 621 and foil.; ST. JOHN CUM ACUS, Scala Para- <#«', XXII, P. G., LXXXVIII, 948-and foil.; ST. GREGORY THE GREAT, Moral., 1. XXXI, c. XLV, -P. L., LXXVI, 620 and foil.; ST. TrtuMAS, I-II, q. 84, a. 3-4; De Malo, q. 8, a. i; ST. BONAVENTURE, In II. Sent., dist. XLII, dub. "Ill; NOEL ALE.XANDRE, De Peccatis (Theol. cursus Migne, XI, 707-1168); ALVAREZ DE PAZ, t. II, Lib. I, P. 2, De extinctione vitiorum; PHIL. DE LA S'e TRINITE, P. I, Tr. Hi disc. II and III, De vitiorum eradicatione et passionum mbrtificatione; CARD. BONA, Manuductio ad cesium, cap. III-IX; ALIBERT, Physiologie des Pas- sions, 1827; DESCURET, La Medecine des Passions, Paris, \i86o;. PAULHAN, Les Caracteres, Paris, 1902 ; LAUMONIER, La Th&rapeutique des peches capitaux, Paris, Alcan, 1922.. ,. , .... 2 De. ccenobiorum institutis, Lib. V, C. I ; Collate col.- V, c. X. 3 Moral, C. XXXI, c. 45, P. L., LXXVI, 620-622. , ' . THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 393 of self or of the race, corporal goods, sought after excessively by glut- tonous and impure persons respectively; 3) external things, loved to excess i by such as are avaricious. The 'apparent evil from which we flee may consist : i) in the effort required for the attainment of good, which effort the slothful evade; 2) .in the prospect of lost prestige, which, both the jealous and the irritable dread, though in different ways." Thus, the 'differentiation of the seven capital sins is based on the seven special ends which the sinner has in view. We shall follow that division which shows the connection between the capital vices arid our threefold concupiscence. ART. I> PRIDE AND THE VICES RELATED THERETO1 § I. Pride 820; Pride is a deviation of that legitimate sentiment which prompts us to prize what is good in us, and to seek the esteem of others in the measure in which this is useful. There is no doubt that we can and that we must prize the good which God has given us, acknowledging that He is its first principle and last end. This is a sentiment that honors God and makes for self:respect. . We may also desire that others see 'and appreciate the good that is in us and that they give glory to God for it, just as we ourselves must in turn recognize and appreciate their good qualities, This mutual regard fosters good relations among men. . \ However, these two tendencies may either go astray, or go beyond due limits.: At times we forget that God is the source of these gifts, and we attribute them to -ourselves. This constitutes a disorder,. for it denies, at least implicitly/ that God is our first principle. In like manner we are tempted to act for self, or to gain the esteem of others, instead of acting for God, and of referring to/Him all tne honor. This is again a disorder, for it denies, at least in the same implicit manner, that God is our last end. Such is the twofold disorder found in this vice. We can, then, define pride as an inordinate love of self, which causes us to consider ourselves, explicitly or implicitly, as ', our first beginning and last end. It is a species of idolatry, for- we make gods of ourselves, as Bossuet remarks (n. 204). The better to combat pride, we shall expose : i° '&& prin- cipal forms it takes, 2° the faults it engenders, 3° its malice, 4° the remedies to be applied. . . 1 ST. THOMAS, IIa Use, q. 162, q. 132; de Malo, q. 8-9;, BOSSUET, Tr. de la Con- cupiscence,c. 10-23; Sermon siir V Ambition; EOURDALOUE, Careme, Serm. pour le mercredi de la ae sem.; ALIBERT.'C/. cit., t. I, p. 23-57; DESCURET, op. dt.} t. II, p. 191-240; PAULHAN, Les Caracteres, p. 167; BEAUDENOM, The Path of Humility ; THOMAS, L 'Education des sentiments, Paris, Alcan, i9O4j p. 113-124, 133-148; LAUMONIER, op. cit., C. VII. 394 CHAPTER IV. I. The Principal Forms of Pride 821. i° The first form of pride is to regard oneself, explicitly or implicitly, as one's own first principle, - A) There are but few who go as far as to consider them- selves explicitly as their own first principle. . a), This is the sin of atheists, who wilfully deny God, because they , want no master, " No God, no Master." Of such the Psalmist speaks when he says : " The fool hath said in his heart: tKere is no God." I b) This was, equivalently, the sin of Lucifer, who, desiring to be a rule unto himself, refused to submit to God; the sin of our^first parents, who wishing to be like God wanted to know of themselves what is good and what is evil ; the sin of heretics, who like Luther refused to acknowledge the authority of the Church established by God ; the sin of rationalists, who in their pride of intellect refuse to submit their reason to faith. This is also the sin of certain intellectuals, who, too proud to accept the traditional interpretation of dogmas, attenuate and deform them to make them' conform to their own views. 822. B) A greater number fall into this fault implicitly by acting as if the natural and supernatural gifts which God has freely bestowed upon theni were in every sense their own. True, they recognize in theory that God is their first principle, but in practice they esteem themselves beyond measure, as if they were the source of the qualities they possess. • . a) Some there are who delight in their qualities and .their worth as if these were due solely to themselves. "The soul, "' says Bossuet, " seeing its own beauty, has delighted in itself and has become absorbed in the contemplation of its own excellence. , It has failed for an instant to refer all it has to God; it has forgotten its own dependence; it has first centered upon self and then surrendered to it. But in seeking to free himself from God and the laws of justice, man has become the slave of his sin. " 2 ' « - ' 823. b) Graver still is the pride of those who, after the manner of the Stoics, attribute to themselves the "virtues they practice; the pride of those who imagine that the free gifts of God are the wages due their own merits, or that their good works are more their own than God's, Who in reality is their principal cause ; the pride of those who look complacently upon such good works, as% if these were wholly their own. 3 824. C) By the same principle we exaggerate our per- sonal qualities. • \ a) We close our eyes to our defects, we look at our good qualities through magnifying' glasses, as it were, and we end by attributing to ourselves qualities we do not possess or, at least, qualities which have only the appearance of virtue. Thus, we give alms for show and we believe ourselves charitable when we are simply proud; we fancy we 1 Ps. XIII, i. — ' Tr. on Concupiscence, C. XI. 3 Ibid., C. XXIII; OLIER, Introd., C. VII. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 395 are saints because we enjoy sensible consolations, or because we have ' given expression to beautiful thoughts, or taken good resolutions, whilst in reality we have not advanced beyond the' first few steps on the way .to perfection.. Others pride themselves on being broad- minded because they make little of small practices, wishing to. sanctify themselves by doing great things, b) From this there is but. one step to an unjust preference of self to others. We examine their defects with a miscroscope, and we are scarcely conscious of our own ; we see the mote in the neighbor's eye, but not the beam in our own. At times we .come, like the Pharisee, to despise our brethren ; li at other times, without going that far, we unjustly lower them in our estimation, and we believe ourselves above, whilst in reality we. are below them. It is by the selfsame principle that we seek to Iqrd it over our brethren and have our superiorly over them recognized, e) In relation to Superiors, this pride takes the form of censure and fault-finding, prompting us to scrutinize minutely all their acts, all their moves; we want to pass judgment, on all things, to control all things. Thus we render, obedience far more difficult for ourselves; we find it hard t,o- submit to the authority and the decisions of superiors; to ask thejr • permission becomes a hardship ; we aspire to independence, that is, to be ourselves our. own first principle. 825. 2° The second form of pride consists in consider- ing ourselves, explicitly or implicitly,, .as our last end, by performing our actions without referring them to God, and by desiring to be praised for them as if they were exclusively, our work. This fault -proceeds from the first, for whoever looks upon himself as his own first principle wills also to be his own last end. Here we must recall the distinctions already made. , • A),Hardly any one explicitly considers himself as his own last, end, except an atheist or an unbeliever. B) Yet, many behave in practice, as if they shared in this error, a) They want to- be praised, to be complimented upon their good works, as if they were themselves the principal authors, and as if they were responsible only to themselves. Instead of referring all to God, they expect congratulations for success, as if all the honor were due to them, b) They are prompted by egotism, they act for their own ends, caring little for the glory of God, and still less for the welfare o'f their neighbor. They. even go so far as to take for granted that others must organize their lives to please and. to serve them; thus they make themselves the center yand so to speak, the end toward which others are to gravitate. What else is this if :not the unconscious usurpation of the rights of God? e) There are devout persons who, without going so far seek self in piety; they complain of God when He does not flood them with consolations; they pine with grief when in the midst of d4-yness, and thus form the false idea that the aim of piety is the enjoyment of consolations, forgetting that the glory of God must be the supreme end of all our actions, above allj of prayer and spiritual exercises. 826. We must, then, acknowledge the fact that pride, under one form or the other, is a very common fault, even ^ . . . 1 Luke XVIII, 9-14. ' ; - 396 • CHAPTER IV. among those who follow • the path of perfection, a fault that stays with,, us through all the stages of -the spiritual life and disappears only when we die. Beginners are hardly aware of it because their study of. self does1 not reach deep enough. Their attention must be drawn to this point; the more common forms of this fault must be indicated to them, so that they may make these the subject of their particular examination. . ; , . II. Defects Born of Pride The chief ones are presumption, ambition, and vain-glory. ,827. i° -Presumption consists in an inordinate desire and hope whereby we want to do things which are beyond •our strength. It proceeds from too high an opinion of ourselves, of our natural faculties, of our knowledge, of our strength, of our virtues. a) From the intellectual point of view we think ourselves capable of approaching and solving the. most difficult questions, or at least of undertaking studies which are beyond the reach of our talents. We easily persuade ourselves that we abound in judgment and wisdom, and instead of learning how to doubt, we settle with finality the most controverted questions, b) From the moral point of view we fancy that we are possessed of sufficient light to be our own guides, and that it is hardly profitable to consult a spiritual director. We convince ourselves that in spite of past faults we need fear no relapses, and we imprudently walk into occasions of sin, and then we fall. From this come discouragement and vexation that often result in f\esh falls, e) From the spiritual point of view, we have but little relish. for hidden and mortifying virtues, preferring those that are more brilliant :, instead of building upon the sound foundation of humility, we dream about greatness of soul, about strength of character, about a magnanimous spirit, about apostolic zeal, and about the imaginary successes 'we lay in store for the future. The first serious temptations, however, make us aware that the will is still weak and wavering. At times we make little of the ordinaiy ways of prayer, and of what are called the little exercises of piety, aspiring to extraordinary graces while we are still only at the beginning of the spiritual life. \N , 828. 2° This presumption, added, to pride, begets 'ambi- tion, that is to say, the inordinate love of honors, of 'dignities \ of authority over others. Because we presume overmuch on our strength, and because we consider ourselves superior yto others, we want to dominate them, to rule them and ? impose upon them our ideas. This disorder, says St. Thomas,1 may show itself in three ways: i) One seeks for undeserved honors, honors which are above one ; 2) one seeks them for oneself, for ' ... 1 Sum. theol.i IIs, II*, q. 131, a. i. _ . . THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 397 one's own glory, and not for the glory of God ; 3) one takes delight fin honors for their own .sake, .without making them redound to 'the good of 'others; contrary to xthe 'order, established; by God Who requires superiors to procure the welfare of those under them. • , Tliis ambition invades every sphere of life : i) the political realm, > vvhere'men aspire to rule others, and that ofttimes at the price of so many meannesses, so many compromises, so .many questionable practices, in order to secure the votes of constituents ; 2) the intellectual domain,' wherein men seek stubbornly to impose their ideas on others, even with regard to questions open to free discussion; 3) m/z'/.life, where men vie for', the first places, * high office, and the plaudits of, the > crowd ; 4) even the ecclesiastical state is not exempt, for as Bossuet2. remarks, "Plow many safeguards have not been'found necessary, even in. ecclesiastical and religious elections, in order to curb .ambition, , to- prevent .factions, intrigues, underhand dealings, and the most criminal, pledges and practices, simoniacal contracts, and other such irregularities too 'common in these matters? ~\ We cannot boast that these safeguards, have uprooted such abuses; they have hardly done more than to conceal or to restrain them in part." And, as St. Gre- gory * notes, are there not those, even in the ranks of .the clergy, who want to be called doctors, and eagerly seek the first places and the praise of men?; "They seek to appear learned, they long to excel others, and, as Truth bears witness, "they crave the first salutations in . public; the first places at table, the highest seats in councils." This fault, then, in more generaithan one would at first sight believe, and'is:closely allied with vanity. . . :., \ \ ; "... ' . . - 829. 3° Vanity is an inordinate love for the esteem of others. ' It differs from pride, which is< pleasure taken in one's :-Qwn; excellence; it generally springs from pride. When one has conceived too high an esteem for oneself one naturally desires the approbation of others. . 830. A) vThe Malice of yanity. We may Hghtfu-lly desire the esteem of others, if we wish that our qualities, natural or supernatural, be acknowledged in order that God be glorified and that our influence for good be extended; Suclra desire is not sinful, for it is in order that what is good should be esteemed, provided we acknowledge God as the author of that good and; that 'He alone must be given the praise, for,. it./4 The most that can be said against such desires is that it is dangerous to center our thoughts upon them, because we run the risk of seeking the 'esteem of others for selfish purposes. . . 1 It is 'not solely among the learned arid the wealthy that this defect is found , Bossuet speaks (Tr. on Concupiscence, C. XVI) of .the country-folk who peevishly contend for the more honorable places in the churches, going so far as to say that they will cease to^ attend divine services unless their wishes are given heed. * Tr. on Concise., C. XVI. - 3 Pastoral; P. .1, C. I, P. L., LXXVII, 14. < Cf. ST. THOMAS, Ila Ha, q. i32/a. i; .... 398 CHAPTER IV. The disorder, then, consists in wanting to be-' held in esteem for one's own sake, -without referring tjiis honor to God, Who has placed in us whatever good we possess; it may also consist .in wanting ,to be esteemed "for the sake of vain things, undeserving of praise ; or it may consist in seeking the esteem of those whose judgment is worth- less, of .wordlings for instance, who hold in esteem only vain things. . \ No one has given a better description of this fault than St. Francis de Sales1: "We call that glory vain' which we assume' to ourselves, either for what is not in us, or for what is in us, and belongs to us, but deserves not that we should glory in it. The nobility of pur ancestors, the favor of great men, and popular honor, are. things, not in us, but either in our progenitors, or in the esteem of other men. Some become proud and insolent, either by riding a good horse, wearing a feather in their hat, or by being dressed in a fine suit of clothes ; but who. does not see the folly of -this? for if there be any glory in such things, the glory belongs to the horse, the bird, and the 'tailor... Others value themselves for a well-trimmed beard, for curled locks, or soft hands ; or because they can dance, sing or play ; but are not these effeminate men, who seek to raise their reputation by SQ frivolous and foolish things? Others, for a little learning, would be honored, and respected by the whole world, a's if every one ought to become their pupil, and account them his masters. These are called pedants. Others strut like peacocks, contemplating their beauty and think themselves admired by every one. All this is extremely vain, foolish, and impertinent ; and the glory which is raised on so weak foundations is justly esteemed vain and frivolus. " l 831. B) Faults that spring1 from vanity. Vanity produces many faults which are but its outward manifes- tation. The principal ones are boasting, ostentation and hypocrisy. 1) B ousting \s the habit of speaking of self or of those things that can redound to our advantage with a view to gaining- the esteem of others. There are those who speak of themselves, of their family, of their success with a candor that amuses their hearers; others cleverly turn the trend of conversation to a subject wherein dhey can display their knowledge; others timidly speak of their defects, harboring the secret hope that these will be excused and their good qualities thereby made more apparent. 2 2) Ostentation consists in drawing to self the attention of others by a certain .way of acting, by pompous display, and by singularity. 3) Hypocrisy takes on the outward appearance ofjvirtue to cover very real vices. , ". . , ' III. The Malice of Pride To form a right idea of this malice we may consider pride in itself and in its .effects. . 1 Devout Life, III, C. IV. . * Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, c. XIX. 1 V THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 399 8 3-2. i° In itself: A) Pride properly so called, that pride , which consciously and wilfully usurps, even if implicitly, the rights of God,, is a grievous sin, nay it is the gravest of sins, says St. Thomas, x because it is a refusal to submit to God's, sovereign will. . a) To want to be independent, to refuse obedience to God or to His lawful representatives, in a serious matter, constitutes a mortal sin, since one thereby revolts against God, our rightful Sovereign. b) To attribute to oneself what evidently comes from God, and espe- cially the gifts 'of grace, constitutes likewise a grievous fault, for this is ' to deny implicitly that God is the first principle of whatever good is in us. Some are guilty of this, for example, those who say that they have " made themselves what they are. " e) One sins gravely j again, when one wants to act for oneself, to the exclusion of God, for this is to deny God His right to be our last end. 833. t B) Mitigated pride, which indeed acknowledges God as the first principle or last end but does not render Him all that is due to Him, and implicitly robs Him of a part of His glory, is without doubt a venial* fault. Such is the fault of those who glory in their good qualities or their virtues, as if they were convinced that all is theirs in their own right. It is also the fault of the presumptuous, of the vain, of the ambitious, who, however, do nothing against a divine or a human law in serious matter. At all events, such sins can become mortal if they lead to acts that are grievously reprehensible. Thus, vanity, which in itself is but a venial fault, becomes a grievous one when it causes us to contract debts which ' we are unable to pay, or when it seeks to stir in others an inordinate love. Pride, then, must be examined also in its results, 834. 2° In its effects: A) Unrestrained pride produces at. times disastrous effects.: How many wars have been started through the pride of rulers and sometimes through the pride of nations themselves ! 2 Without going that far, how many family discussions, how many personal hatreds are not due to this vice? The Fathers rightly teach that it is the root of all other vices and that it vitiates many a virtuous act, since it causes men to perform them from selfish motives. 3 .•/.,- 835. B) Taking the point of view of perfection, the one with which we are concerned, we can say that pride is the archenemy of perfection because it creates in the soul * Sum..theol., IIS II*, q. i6a,.c. 5-6. . V a St. CHRYSOSTOM, inEp. II ad. Thess., C. 1,'homil. I, n. 2, P. G., 471. 3 St. GREGORY, Moral., 1. XXXIV, c. 33, n. 48, P. L., LXXVI, 744. 400 CHAPTER iy. * a barren waste apd is the source of numerous, sins, a) It deprives us of many graces and much merit: : •. •'•> , i ) It deprives us of many 'graces, because God Who is bountiful with His grace to the humble, withholds it from the proud: "God resisteth the, proud and giveth grace to the humble" * Let us weigh well these words : God resisteth the proud, "Because", says Father Olier, 2 " the. proud man, challenging God to His face, is resisted by the Almighty in , his insolent and horrible pretensions; arid, sirice God, wills to remain what He is, He lays low and destroys such as rise up against Him. " 2) It deprives us of much merit. One of the essential conditions for meriting is purity of intention. 'But the proud man acts for se/for in order to please men, instead of acting for God, and\thus^ deserves the reproach addressed to the Pharisees, who paraded their good; works ibefore men and who for this reason could exp.ect>no recompense from God : " Take heed that you do not your justice, before, men to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have reward. of your Father who is in heaven.,.. Amen, I say to you y they: have received their reward." 3 . • : : ^ ' 836. b) Pride is likewise a source of 'many, faults : i) Personal faults : through presumption one exposes oneself to danger and falls; through pride one fails to ask earnestly for the graces one needs and likewise falls,; then come discouragement and the temptation to conceal sins in con- fession. 2) Faults against the neighbor: through pride one is unwilling to yield, even when in the wrong; one is caustic in speech; one indulges in harsh and heated discussions which bring dissension^ and discord; hence, ^acrimonious words, even unjust ones, against one's rivals in order to belittle them ; hence, bitter criticism against Superiors and refusal to obey their orders. 837. e) Finally, pride is a source of unhappiness. to those habitually given to it. Because we want to. ex eel in all things and lord it over others, we have neither peace nor contentment, for we know no rest as long as we have not succeeded in Vanquishing our antagonists ano!, since this is never fully accomplished, we are troubled, ill at ease and unhappy. ; • 1 fames, IV, 6. —* Introduction, c. VI. — 3 Matt., VI, 1-2. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 401 r ' IV. The Remedies against Pride 838. We have already said- (n. 207) that the great remedy against pride is the acknowledgment of the fact that. God is the Author of all good, and that therefore to Him alone, belongs all honor and glory. Of ourselves we are but nothingness and sin, and hence merit nothing but forgetfulness and contempt (n. 208). . 839. i° We are tout nothingness. Beginners must form this v conviction through meditation by pondering leisurely the following thoughts: I am nothing, I can do nothing, I am worth nothing. . A) I am nothing1. — True, it has pleased the divine goodness to choose me out of millions of possible beings, to give me my existence, to endow me with life, with a spiritual and immortal soul, and for this I am bound to thank Him daily. Yet, a) I came from nothing, and by the very force of my being I tend towards, nothingness, whereto I should surely return were it not for the abiding action of my Maker which sustains me. My being, then, is not mine, but is wholly God's, and it is to Him that I must render homage. ' . .,, . b) This being God has given me is a living reality, a great boon for which I shall never be able to return Him due thanks. Yet, wondrous as this being of -mine is, side by side with the God-head it is as mere nothingness : " And my substance is as nothing before thee," z for it is so imperfect. i) This being is a contingent being, which could well cease to exist without detracting anything from the world's perfection. 2) It is & borrowed being, given to me on the explicit condition of remaining under the sway of 'God's supreme dominion. 3) It is a. frail being, unable to subsist of itself, a being that ever needs the unceasing sustaining power of its Maker. Such being is, therefore, essentially dependent upon God, and has no other reason for its existence than that of giving glory to its Creator. To forget this dependence, to act as if pur good qualities were absolutely our own and to boast of them, is an error hard to conceive; it is madness and injustice. 840. What we say of man considered Jn the order of nature is even truer of him in the order of grace, whereby we share in the life 'of God, wheref rom issue all our worth ' PS. xxxvm, 6. NO 680. - is . • • -* 402 CHAPTER IV. and all our grandeur, that grace which is essentially a free gift of God and of Jesus Christ, which we cannot for long keep without the help of God, and wherein we cannot grow without His supernatural concurrence (n. 126-128). For this especially we must say : " Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. "J What ingratitude and injustice to attribute to self the least part of that .gift' essentially divine! " What hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received, why dost thou glory, as if tkou hadst not received it?"2 .' 841. B) Of myself, I can do nothing1. True, I have received from God wondrous powers that enable me to know and love truth and goodness. These faculties have been perfected by the supernatural virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost. These gifts of nature and of grace blending so harmoniously and complementing one another so perfectly surpass all wonder. Yet, of myself, of my own accord, / can do nothing to set them in motion to work out their perfection. I can do nothing in the natural order without the concurrence of God ; I can do nothing in the supernatural order without actual grace, not even conceive a good thought unto salvation, nor a desire supernaturally good. Knowing this, could I take pride in those natural and supernatural powers as if they were entirely my own? Here again there would be ingratitude and madness and injustice. 842, C) I am worth nothing1. In truth, if I consider what God has placed ' within me, what He works . in me through His grace, I am worth a great deal, I am beyond price :" For you are bought with a great price" .3... , You are worth what God is worth. " I am worth the price which was paid for me, and the price paid for me was the blood of God Himself! Does the glory of my redemption and deceive greater honor and the Church 'greater prestige. 3) It must be/azV in the means it employs to attain its ends ; not intrigue, not subterfuge nor any other unlawful proceeding ; but effort, labor, the right use of the divine gifts. Thus understood, emulation is an effective remedy against envy, since it works harm to no one and is at the same time an excellent stimulus. For to consider as models the best among our brethren in order to follow in their steps or to go even further than they do, is in reality to acknowledge our own imperfections and to seek to remedy them by profiting by the example of those around us. It is to imitate St. Paul, who invited his- disciples to be imitators of himself as he was of Christ;1 it is to follow the same . Apostle's advice to the Christians : " Let us consider one another to provoke unto charity and to good works; " 2 it is to enter into the spirit of the Church, which, in proposing to us the Saints for our imitation, provokes us to a high and hallowed emulation. Thus, what would have, been envy, proves to be an occasion for the cultivation ..of, virtue. § III. Anger 3 The vice of anger is a perversion of that 'instinctive feeling that prompts us, upon attack, to resist force with force. We shall speak of : i° its natiire, 2° -its malice, 3° its remedies. ' I. The nature of Anger 853. There is a passion of anger and a sentim&nt of anger, . . • • i° Anger considered as a passion is a violent need of reaction caused by physical or moral suffering or annoyance. This vexation excites a violent emotion which arouses our energies to overcome the difficulty. We are then prone to vent our anger upon persons, animals and things. There are two principal forms of anger: the red rage of the strong, and the white rage of the weak. In the first kind of anger the heart throbs violently and pushes the blood to the surface ; breathing becomes rapid, the face reddens, the neck swells, the veins expand _ • <. . V/ Cor., XI, i. — *He6r.,X,24. . - 3 ST. GREGORY, Moral., \. V, c. 45, P. L., LXXV, ' 727-730 ; ST. THOM., 'I" Use, q. 158; De Malo, q. 12; DESCURET, op. cit., t. II, 1-57 ; THOMAS, op. cit., ch. IX, p. 94-103; LAUMONIER, op. cit., ch. VI. 408 " CHAPTER IV. under the skiri, the hair stands on end, the eyes sparkle and bulge out of their sockets,, the nostrils widen and speech becomes raucous and •halting," the muscles gather strength, the whole bodily frame is set- for the onslaught and an irresistible motion strikes, breaks, or violently brushes aside the obstacle. White rage causes the heart to contract; breathing becomes difficult, the face assumes a death-like pallor, a cold sweat oozes from the brow, the jaws clench, and the person keeps an "ominous silence. However, such pent up agitation ends by bursting forth into a rage and finds an outlet in the discharge of -violent blows. 854. 2° Anger as ^ sentiment consists in a vehement desire to repel and punish an aggressor. A) There is a lawful^ sentiment of anger, a righteous indignation, which is the ardent, but rational desire to visit upon the guilty a just retribution. Thus it was that Our Lord was roused to anger against the money-changers whose traffic defiled His Father's house,1 whilst on the other hand Heli, the high-priest, was severely reproved for not having curbed the shameful conduct of his sons. That anger be legitimate, it must be: &}jnst as to its object, seeking to punish only those that deserve punishment, and only in the measure in which they have merited it; b) tempered by moderation in its execution, going no, further than the offence demands and adhering to the requirements of justice; e) animated by motives of charity, not degenerating into sentiments of hatred, but aiming solely at the resto- ration of order and the amendment of the .guilty. If any of these conditions are lacking, there is -moral guilt. Lawful anger belongs chiefly to those in authority, like parents and superiors, yet it is at "times the right and the duty of those in the ranks to resort to it in order to defend their common interests and prevent the ascendancy of the wicked, for there are men whom kindness fails to move and whom the fear of punishment alone can touch. 855. B) Anger as a capital vice is* a violent and inordinate desire of punishing others, regardless of the three conditions we have noted. Often anger is accom- panied by hatred, which seeks not merely to repel, aggression but to take revenge. Such a sentiment is more deliberate, more lasting, and has, therefore, more serious consequences. 856. 3° There are degrees of intensity in anger : a) at first, it consists in a mere impulse of impatience; fas. least annoyance, the least failure elicits a show of temper, b) This is followed by agitation which produces undue irritation and which manifests dissatisfaction by uncontrolled gestures, e) At times anger reaches the stage of violence, culminating not only in words:but even in blows, d) It can develop into/}/rj', which is temporary insanity: in this stage one is no longer master of self; one breaks forth into incoherent speech and into such wild gesticulation that it would seem real insanity. 6) Lastly, anger at times degenerates into implacable hatred, breathing vengeance, and ' John, II, 13-17. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 409 going so far as to desire death to the 'adversary. It is important to discern these degrees of anger in order to estimate its malice. II. The Malice of Anger It may be considered in itself and in its. effects. 857. i° In order to determine the exact malice of anger considered in itself we must make important distinc- tions: — ' ' '•/ • ' '- A) When anger simply consists in a transient impulse of passion, it is of itself a venial sin, because it~exceeds proper ' measure, but it is only a venial sin because, as we presup- pose, there is no violation of the great virtues of justice or charity. However, there are .instances -when anger is so intense that self-control is lost and grave insult is offered to the neighbor. If these -impulses, even though born of passion, are deliberate and wilful they constitute a grievous fault; but often this is not the case. 858. B) Anger that goes as far as hatred and. rancor, when deliberate and wilful, is of itself a mortal sin, for it grievously violates charity and often justice. It is in this sense that Our Lord says : " But I say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. " J Still, if this impulse of hatred is not fully deliberate, the fault will only be venial. 859. 2° The effects of anger when not repressed are at times terrible. A) Seneca has described them in expressive words. He attributes to anger treasons, murders, poisonings, divisions in families, dissensions and civil wars with all their horrible aftermath. " Even when anger does not reach such extremes, it is the source of a great number of faults, becausetit disturbs the peace of families and gives rise to fearful enmities. '-.•'•' - ^ • 860. B) From the point of view of 'perfection, it is, St. Gregory 3 tells us, a great obstacle to spiritual- progress, for if it is not curbed it makes us lose: i) good judgment, mental poise; 2) gentleness which is the charm of social relations; 3) the sense of justice, for passion blinds us to the rights of others ; 4) the spirit of recollection, so indispensable to an intimate union with God, to peace of soul, to a ready compliance with the inspirations of grace. 1 Matih., V, 22. — " De ira, \. I, n. 2. — 3 Moral., 1. c., P.'L., LXXV, 724. 410 , CHAPTER IV. III. Remedies against Anger These must attack the passion of anger and the sentiment of hatred which it at times engenders. 861. i° We must make use of every means, at our disposal in order to overcome the passion of anger. . A) Physical hygiene offers some means that combine to prevent or to soothe anger, such as correct diet, lukewarm baths, abstention from stimulants and particularly from intoxicants. Such hygienic measures have importance in this matter because of the close union that exists between body and soul. However, account must be taken of temper- ament and health, and therefore prudence demands the advice of a physician. l '~ • 862. B) Withal, moral hygiene is even better, a) A good preventive of anger is to acquire the habit of reflecting before acting so as not to allow ourselves to be swept away by the first assaults of passion. This is uphill work, but most effective, b) When despite all, this passion has taken our heart by surprise, " it is better to drive it away speedily than enter into a parley; for, if we give it ever so little leisure, it will become mistress of the place, like the serpent, who easily draws in his whole body where he can once get in his head.... You must at the first alarm., speedily muster your forces ; not violently, not tumultuously, but mildly, and yet seriously. " 2 Otherwise, whilst trying to repress anger with impetuosity we should but add to our perturbation, e) The better to check anger, it is useful to divert the mind, that is to say, to turn' our thoughts to anything except the one thing liable to excite it. Therefore, we must banish all thought of past Injuries, all suspicion, etc. d) " We must invoke the assistance of God when we find ourselves excited to wrath, in imitation of the Apostles when they were tossed by the wind and the storm upon the waters; for He will command our passions to cease, and a great calm shall ensue. "3 •. .863. 2° When anger gives rise to sentiments of hatred, of rancor, or of vengeance, we can uproot these only by charity based on the love of God. At such times we must remind ourselves that we are all children of the same heavenly Father, all incorporated into the same Christ, all called to the same eternal happiness, and that these great ' Cf. DESCURET, La MMecine.des Passions; J. LAUMONIER, La tMrapmtique... p. 167-174. 2 ST. FR. DE SALES, Introd. to a Devout Life, P. Ill, C. VIII. 3 ST. FR. DE SALES, loc. cit. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 411 truths exclude every sentiment of hatred. Therefore: a) we should recall the words of the Lord's Prayer:" Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," and since we crave divine pardon, we should more willingly pardon our enemies, b) We should not lose sight of the example of Our Lord, still calling Judas His friend in the very moment of his treason, praying on the Cross for His executioners, and we should 'ask Him to give us the strength we need to forgive and forget, c) We should avoid all thoughts of injuries received and of what relates to them. Perfect souls pray for the conversion of those who have hurt them, and in tnis prayer they find a wonder- ful balm for the wounds of their souls, Such are the chief means given us to triumph over the first three capital sins, pride, envy and anger. We now turn to consider the faults that have their source in sensuality: gluttony, lust, and sloth. ART. II. SINS THAT PROCEED FROM SENSUALITY § I. Gluttony < Gluttony is the abuse of that legitimate pleasure God has attached to eating and drinking, which are necessary means of self-preservation. We shall explain : r° its nature^ 2° its malice, and 3° the remedies against it. 864, i° The Nature of Gluttony. Gluttony is an inordinate love of the pleasures of the table. The disorder lies in pursuing this satisfaction for its own sake, in consi- dering it, either explicitly or implicitly, as an end in itself, as do those " whose God is their belly; " 2 or in pursuing the said delight to excess, at times even to the detriment of health, by disregarding the rules of , sobriety. _ 865. Theologians point out four different ways in which; we may violate these rules. 1 ) Eating when there is no need, eating between meals, and for, no other reason than that of indulging our greed. . • .. ; , - 2) Seeking delicacies or daintily prepared meats, the more to enjoy their relish. . 3) Going beyond either appetite or need, gorging oneself with food or;drink with danger to health. 4) Eating with avidity, with greed, after the manner, of certain animals. Tliis fashion of eating is considered ill-mannered by the world. — - r-T • T -— • • • • — • • • — ; ^ T. l" ST. THOMAS, II* II35, q. 148; de Malo, q. 14; JAU.GEY, De quatuor -uirtut. rdln~~T&fi, p. 369-579; LAUMONIER, op. tit,, ch. II. ' HI, 19, .--,-. 412 , CHAPTER IV. 866. 2° The Malice of gluttony comes from ihe fact that it makes the soul a slave to the body, it brutalizes man, weakens his intellectual .and moral life, and insensibly paves the way to voluptuous pleasure, which at bottom is one in kind -with it. To determine the malice of gluttony we must make a distinction. " A) Gluttony is a grievous fault : a) when it goes to such lengths that for a notable space of time it incapacitates us for "the 'fulfilment of our duties of s'tate or for the com- pliance with divine or ecclesiastical laws, for example, when it injures our health, when it is the cause of useless expen- ditures which endanger the interests of our home, when it makes us violate the laws qf fast or abstinence, b) It is also a grave fault when it is the cause of other grievous faults. By way of example: "Excess in eating and drinking" says Father Janvier ', "paves the way to unchastity, the offspring of gluttony,' the lust of the eyes and ears demanding to be fed with unwholesome shows and licentious songs; the lust of the imagination and the memory, which search in the past for impressions apt to enkindle the fire of concupiscence ; the lust of the mind, which, going astray, fastens itself upon unlawful objects ; the lust of the heart, which longs after carnal affections ; the lust of the will, which surrenders to be a slave to sense..... Intemperance at the table leads to intemperance, in speech. How many are the faults committed by the tongue in the course of those sumptuous and protracted feasts! How many improprieties....! How many indiscretions! We betray secrets we had pledged ourselves to keep, professional secrets, sacred trusts, and. we deliver to evil tongues the good name of husband, wife and mother, the honor of a family, and perhaps the future welfare of a nation. How many faults "against justice and against charity are not thus committed! Back-biting, calumny, and slander reveal themselves with dismal frankness in their most indefensible forms.... How many imprudences are committed! We become entangled in situations in which we cannot remain without outrage to all the laws of morality. " 867. B) Gluttony is a venial fault when one yields to the pleasure of eating and drinking in an immoderate manner, yet without falling. into grave excess, and without exposing oneself to violate a grave precept. Thus it would be venially sinful to eat or drink more than is proper in order to show one's appreciation of a fine repast, or in order to please a friend. 868. C) From the point of view of 'perfection, gluttony constitutes a serious obstacle : i) It fosters a spirit of- im- mortification, which weakens the will, whilst it develops a love for sensual pleasure predisposing the soul to dange- 1 Carime, 1921, Retraite pascale, Exc6s de table. / AT *C ^ -i \ THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 413 1 _ -.--.__._ ..-__. - - .-.---- _ _-_- - _ I rbus surrenders. 2) It becomes the source of many faults, by/ exciting excessive mirth .which leads.. to '-. dissipation, garrulpusness, jokes of a doubtful character, to lack of restraint and of propriety, and thus lays the soul bare to the attacks of the evil one, 'Hence, if is important, that we should combat this vice. 869. 3° Remedies. Our guiding principle in the struggle against gluttony is that pleasure." w not an end but a means, and that therefore it must be subjected to right reason enlightened by faith, (n. 193). Faith, however, tells us that the' pleasure of eating and drinking. must be sancti- fied by purity of intention, moderation and mortification. i) First of all, we must take our. repasts with a right and supernatural intention, not like the animal'that merely seeks its pleasure, not like the philosopher who goes not beyond a naturally good intention," but as Christians the better to work for God's glory; in a spirit of gratitude towards God, Who in His goodness deigns to give us our daily bread ; in a spirit of humility, saying, like St. Vincent de Paul, that we do not deserve the oread we eat; in a spirit of love, placing our renewed strength at the service of God and of souls. Thereby we comply with the advice of St. Paul to the first Christians, an advice recalled in many communities at the beginning of meals: " Whether you eat or drink... ,do all to the glory of God:" I 870. 2) This purity of intention will make us observe the rules of sobriety, for wanting to take our food in order to acquire the strength needed for, the fulfilment of our duties of state, we shall avoid all excess that might compro- mise our health. Health-experts tell us that " sobriety (or _ frugality) is the essential condition of physical and moral vigor. Since we eat to live, we must eat sanely in order fo live sanely. Plence, we must not exceed in 'food or in drink.... We must leave the table with a wholesome sen- sation of sprightliness and vigor, and with our appetite not completely satiated, thus avoiding the heaviness that comes from an excess of rich fare. " 2 We must, however, note that the measure is not the same for all. ' Some need, in order to escape tuberculosis, a more abundant diet ; others, on the contrary, to escape arterio sclerosis,, must check their appetite. With regard, then, to the quantity of food one must abide by the advice of a competent physician. -., X, 31. 3 E. CAUSTIER, La Vieet la SanU, p. 115. 414 CHAPTER IV. 871. The Christian must add to sobriety certain practices of mortification. A) Since it is easy to overstep the mark and to yield too'much to sensuality, we must at times^orego certain foods we relish, and which, though useful, are not necessary. We thereby acquire a certain ascendency over sensuality, we free the spirit from slavery to the senses, and give it more leisure for prayer and study, and we avoid many dangerous temptations. B) An excellent practice is that of accustoming oneself to take no meal without some element of mortification. Such privations have the advantage of strengthening the will without injury to health, and are for this reason generally preferable to greater mortifications which we perform but rarely. Generous souls add a motive of charity, setting aside a part of their food for the poor and therefore for Christ living in them. St. Vincent Ferrer I points out that what we thus set aside must not be waste-matter, but some choice morsel, no matter how small. Another good practice is the habit of eating a little of something we dislike. 872. C) Among the most beneficial practices of morti- fication, we place those that relate to intoxicating beverages. Let us recall the principles that bear on this matter : a; In itself the moderate use of alcoholic drinks is not sinful. b) To abstain from them in a spirit ot mortification, or for the sake of good example, is assuredly most praise- worthy. There are priests and laymen belonging to social organizations who forego entirely the use of liquor, the more easily to deter others from its abuse. e) There are cases when such abstinence is morally necessary to avoid excess, i) When through heredity one lias a certain inclination towards intoxicants; for in this case the mere use can develop an almost irresistible propen- sity, just as but a spark is needed to set inflammable matter afire. 2) When one has had the misfortune of contracting the inveterate habit of drinking to excess; then the only effective remedy will consist in total abstinence. v - ;;:-.. ' § II. Lust2 ~.L . . ' ....... . '" .'/*.. 8 73. i ° The Nature of Lust. Just as God: has willed to attach sense-pleasure to the nutritive functions in order 1 La 'Vie Spirituelle, II1-' Part., ch. III. sSt.THOM., Ha liae, q. 153-154; S. ALPHONSus, 1. Ill, n. 4i2-4?s; CAPELMAN, Medidna pastomlis; ANTONELLi, Medicina pastoralis, Romse, igoj; SURBLED, Vv THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 415 to help man's self-preservation, so He has attached a special pleasure to the acts whereby the propagation of the human species is secured. This pleasure is permissible to married people, provided they use it for the" purpose for which marriage was insti- tuted; outside of this it is strictly forbidden. In spite of this prohibition, there is in us an unfortunate tendency,' more or less violent, especially from the age of puberty or adolescence, to indulge in this pleasure even out of lawful wedlock. This is the tendency that is called hist and which is condemned by the sixth and ninth commandments: " Thou shall not commit adultery. " ," Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife." It is not merely exterior actions that are prohibited, but also interior acts, fancies, thoughts, desires. And this rightly so, for if one deliberately dwells upon impure imagi- nations or thoughts, upon evil desires, the senses become excited, whilst an organic disturbance is produced, which is too often but the prelude to actions against purity. There- fore, if we wish to avoid such acts, we must fight against dangerous thoughts and fancies. 874. 2° Gravity of faults against purity. A) When one seeks and directly wills the evil pleasure, there is always mortal sin, for to endanger the preservation and propagation of the human race is a grave disorder. Now, were the principle to be admitted that one may seek voluptuous pleasure in thoughts, in words, or in actions otherwise than in the right use of marriage, it would be impossible to restrain this passion, the demands of which increase with the satisfactions accorded, and soon the purpose of the Creator, would be frustrated. This is what experience shows : there are but too many young people who render themselves incapable of transmitting life, because they have abused their bodies. Hence, as regards evil pleasure directly willed, there. is no lightness of matter. B) There are cases in which, this pleasure is not directly sought ; it may follow from certain actions otherwise good or at least/indifferent. If one -does not consent to this, pleasure, and lias, besides, a reason sufficient to justify the performance of thex action, there is no. guilt and no cause de jetine Homme, Paris, 1900; Vie de jeune fille, Paris,' 1903; MARTINDALE, S. j., The Difficult Commandment; FOERSTER, Marriage ana the Sex Problem; CATTERER-KRUS-VAN DER DONCKT, Educating to Purity; VON MILDEBRAND, In defence of Purity; VALENTINE, The Inside of the' cup'; Tr. by LANCELOT C. SHEPPARD, Chastity. 416 , - CHAPTER IV. for alarm. If, on the other hand the actions that give -rise to such sensations are neither necessary, nor really useful, like dangerous readings, shows, conversations, lewd dancing, then it is evident that to perform such actions is ,a sin of imprudence, more or less grave, in proportion to the gravity of the disorder thus produced and of the danger of consent to the evil pleasure. , 8 7 5 . C) From the point of view of perfection^ there is, next to pride, no greater obstacle to spiritual growth than the. vice of impurity, a) When it is question of solitary acts, or of faults committed with others, it is not long before tyrannical habits are formed which thwart every impulse towards perfection, and incline the will towards debasing pleasures. Relis'h for prayer disappears, as does love for austere virtue, while noble and unselfish aspirations vanish. b) The soul becomes a prey to selfishness. The' love once borne to parents and friends gradually dies out;th*ereisbut the desire which becomes a real obsession to indulge at any cost in evil pleasures, e) The balance of the faculties is destroyed: it is the body, it is lust that takes command; the will becomes the slave of this shameful passion-and soon rebels against God, Who forbids and punishes these unholy pleasures. d) The sad effects of this surrender of the will are soon apparent : the mind becomes dull and weak because the vital forces are used up by the senses: taste for serious studies is lost; the imagination gravi- tates towards lower things ; the heart gradually withers, hardens, and is_ attracted only by degrading pleasures. e) In some cases the physical frame itself is deeply affected: the nervous system, over-excited by such abuses, becomes irritated, weakened, and "incapable of fulfilling its mission of regulation and defence;"1 the various bodily organs function but imperfectly ; nutrition is improperly accomplished, strength is undermined and the danger of consumption threatens. Evidently, a soul that has thus lost its balance, no longer thinks of perfection. It recedes from it daily, considering itself fortunate if it can gain control over itself at least in time to insure its salvation! 876. 3° The Remedies. To withstand so dangerous a passion, we need deep convictions, protection against dan- gerous occasions^ mortification and prayer. - . . ' A) Deep convictions bearing at once upon the necessity of ' combatting this vice and upon the possibility of succeeding -in the struggle. , i LAUMONIER, op. tit., p. III. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 417 \ a) What we have said about the gravity of-the sin of lust shows how necessary it is to avoid it in order not to run the risk of everlasting punishment. \To this we. may add two motives furnished by St. Paul: x i) We are, the living temples of the Holy Trinity, temples hallowed by the presence of an all-holy God, and by a participation- in the divine life (97, 106). Nothing so defiles this temple as the vice of impurity which desecrates both the body and the soul of the Christian. 2) We are the members of Jesus Christ, into Whom we have been incorporated by Baptism. We must, therefore, honor our body even as Christ's own body. And we would profane it by acts contrary to purity ! Would not this be a sort of sacrilege? And to think that, we would perpetrate it just to relish a vulgar pleasure which lowers us to the level of the brute! 877. b) Many -say ' that continence is impossible. So thought St^ Augustine before his conversion, but once converted to God and sustained by the example of the Saints and the grace of the Sacraments, he realized that all things are possible once we know how to pray and how to fight. The truth is that of ourselves we are so weak and the evil at times so alluring, that we would finally yield; but as long as we lean upon divine grace and make earnest efforts, we emerge victorious from the severest temptations. Let no one assert that continence in youth is detrimental to health. "Who amongst those imbibed with the principles of Catholicism, cannot see that virginity and perfect chastity far from hindering! the development and natural progress of man and woman, rather furthers and ennobles it" 2. It remains true, however, that certain cases may arise from, an abnormal physiological state and require medical 'attention. 878. B) Avoidance of the occasions. That chastity is preserved chiefly "by fleeing dangerous, occasions is an axiom with spiritual writers. When we realize our frailty we, do not run useless risks.- As long as such occasions are not necessary they; must be carefully, avoided : " He that loveththe danger Shall perish in it: " 3 When it is question of readings, visits, meetings, dangerous entertainments from which we can exempt ourselves without, any considerable inconvenience, there is no reason for hesitation; instead of looking for these we must flee from them as we would from a dangerous reptile. . When these occasions cannot be avoided] then we must strengthen the will by interior dispo- sitions that make the danger more remote . Thus St . Francis */ Cor., Ill, 16; VI, 15-20. - Pius VII, encycl. " Sacra Virginitas, " 25 march 1954. 3 Eccli, 27. 418 - ' V , CHAPTER IV. de Sales declares that if dances cannot be avoided they should at least be indulged in with modesty, self-respect, and good intentions. I How much more necessary is this today, when so many indecent dances are in vogue! 879. C) There are, however, occasions that cannot be avoided. They are those we daily encounter, whether in ourselves or in, our surroundings, and which, we can over- come only by mortification. We have already said in what this virtue consists, and how it is to be practiced, n. 754-815. We can but recall a few points connected more directly with the virtue of chastity. . a). The eyes^ should be especially guarded, for imprudent glances1 enkindle desires and these in turn entice the •will. This is why Our Lord declares that " whosoever shall look on a 'woman to lust after her hath' already committed adultery with her in his heart; " 2 and He adds that if our right eye is to us an occasion of scandal it must be plucked out, 3 that is to say, forcefully withdrawn from the object that scanda- lizes, us. This modesty of the eyes becomes more imperative than ever today, since one is more liable to meet almost everywhere with persons and things apt to be a source of temptation. b) The sense of touch is fraught with even more danger, for it provokes sensual impressions which easily tend towards illicit pleasure. Hence, one must abstain from, such bodily contact or caresses as cannot but excite the passions. e) As regards the imagination and the memory, let one follow the rules laid down in n. 781. As to the will, the task is to strengthen this faculty by a virile education according to the principles explained in n. 811-816. 880. d) The heart also must be mortified by struggling against whatever may be sentimental or dangerous in the domain of .friendship (n. 600-604). Of course, a time comes when Ihose looking forward to married life first fall in love. This love is lawful, but it must ever remain chaste and supernatural. Even engaged persons, then, should avoid all signs of affection that are not according to the rules of propriety and should bear in mind that their love, to be blessed by God, must be pure. , ' With regard to those who are as yet too young to think of marriage, they must be on their guard against that senti- mental and sensual affection, which, whilst enervating the heart, prepares for dangerous surrenders. One cannot play with fire and not be scorched. Besides, if one expects that the heart pledged in marriage be pure, must one not offer a heart equally pure? i Introd. to A Devout Life, III P., C. XXXIII. 3 Matth. , V, 28. — 3 Matth. , V, 29. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 419 881. 6) Lastly, one of the most profitable forms of mortification is a constant and earnest application to the fulfilment of our duties of state. Idleness is an evil coun- sellor; work, on the contrary, by engaging the whole of our activity keeps our imagination, our mind, and our heart away from dangerous objects. We shall speak of this again inn. 887. . . 882. D) Prayer, a) The Council of Trent tells us that God does not command the impossible, but that He requires us to do what in our power lies and to pray in order to obtain the grace of accomplishing that which, of ourselves, we are incapable of performing. T This injunction holds particularly in matters of chastity, with regard to which most persons, even those in the. holy state of marriage, encounter special difficulties. To overcome these, frequent prayer and the consideration of the great truths of religion are necessary. Such oft-repeated elevations of the soul towards God gradually wean us away from sensual pleasures and make us rise to joys that are-pure and holyv. b) To prayer must be joined \h& frequent reception of the Sacraments. ' i) When we approach frequently the tribunal of penance ^ making a frank avowal of faults and imprudences against purity, the grace of absolution, together with the counsels we receive, strengthen the will against temptation. 2) This grace is further increased through frequent Com- munion. The intimate union with Him Who is the God of all holiness ,cools the fires of concupiscence, awakens the soul to the reality of spiritual goods, and thus withdraws it from attachments to degrading pleasures. It was through frequent Confession and Communion that St. Philip Neri reclaimed youths addicted to the vice of impurity, and even to this day there is no more efficacious remedy either to preserve or to strengthen this virtue. If so many young men and young women escape contagion from vice, it is due to the fact that they find in religious practices an antidote to the temptations that surround them. No doubt, the use of these means of defence requires courage, earnestness and repeated effort, but with prayer, the Sacraments, and a determined will we can surmount all obstacles. Sess. VI, De Justificatione, C. XI. 420 - CHAPTER IV. § III. Sloth1 v < . 883. Sloth is connected with sensuality, for it .proceeds from love of pleasure, inasmuch as it inclines us to avoid effort and hardship. There is in all of us a tendency to follow the line of least resistance, which paralyzes or lessens our activity. We shall explain: i° the nature of sloth; 2° its malice; 3° its remedies. 884. i° Nature of sloth. A) Sloth is an inclination to idleness or at least to aimlessness, to apathy in action. At times this is a morbid disposition due to poor condition of health. More frequently it is a disease of the will,* which fears effort and recoils from it. The slothful want to escape all exertion, whatever might interfere with their comfort or involve fatigue. Like the real parasite, they live on others to whatever extent they can. Tractable and submissive as long as no one interferes with them, they become surly and peevish when one would rouse them from their inaction. B) There are various degress of sloth, a) The indolent man takes up his task reluctantly, and indifferently ; what he does, he does badly, b) The sluggard does not absolutely refuse to work, but he delays and postpones indefinitely the accepted task, e) The truly lazy man wants to do nothing that proves irksome and shows a distinct aversion to all real work, whether physical or mental. C) When sloth bears upon spiritual exercises it is called spiritual sloth. This consists in a species of dislike for things spiritual, which tends to make us negligent in the performance .of our exercises of piety, causes us to shorten them or to omit them altogether for vain excuses. This is the foster-parent of lukewarmness, of which we shall speak when treating of the illuminative way. 885. 2° Malice of sloth. A) To understand the malice of sloth we have to remember that man was made to labor. When God created our first parents, he placed them in a garden of delights, " to dress it and to keep it. " 2 This is because man, unlike God, is not a perfect being, having many faculties which must act in order to be perfected. Hence, it is a necessity of man's nature that he should labor to cultivate his~powers, to provide for his physical and spiri- tual wants and thus tend towards his goal. . The law of work, therefore, is antecedent to original sin. But because man sinned, work has become for him not merely a law of nature, but also 'a punishment, in the sense that work has become 1 St. THOM., IIa Ilze, q. 35; de Malo, q. n; NOEL ALEXANDRE, op. cit., p. 1148-1170; MELCHIOR CANO, Victoire sur soi-m£me, ch. X; FABER, Growth in Holiness, XIV; L.AUMONIER, op. cit., ch." Ill; VuiLLERMET, Soyeg des hommes, Paris, 1908, XI, p. 185. — * Gen., II, 15. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 421 burdensome and a means of repairing' sin ; it is in the sweat of our brow -that" we must eat our bread, the food of the mind as well as that of the body. J . The slothful man fails in this twofold obligation imposed both by natural and positive law; he. sins more or less grievously according to the gravity of the duties he neglects, a) When he goes so far as to neglect the religious duties necessary to his salvation or sanctification, there is grievous fault, and so also when he wilfully neglects, in matters of importance, any of his duties of state, to) As long as this torpor ^causes him to fail in civil or religious duties of lesser moment, the sin is but venial. However, the downward grade is slippery, and if we do not struggle against- sloth it soon becomes more dangerous, more baneful ^ and ' more reprehensible. - : 886. B) Because of its baneful consequences, spiritual sloth constitutes one of the most serious obstacles to perfection, a) It makes life more or less' barren. One can well apply to the soul what the Scripture says of the field of the slothful man: " I passed by the field of the slothful man, and by the vineyard of the foolish man : And behold it was filled with nettles, and - thorns had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall was broken down........ Thou wilt sleep a little, said I,. - . Thou wilt slumber a little ; ' Thou wilt fold thy hands a little to rest : • And poverty shall come to thee as a runner : And beggary as an armed man. " * ' • Indeed, this is what one finds in the soul of the slothful man: instead of virtues, vices thrive there, 'and the walls which mortification had raised to protect virtue, crumble little by little, and open a breach for the enemy, sin, to enter in. . • ... . 887. b) Temptations, soon become more importunate and more besetting : " For idleness hath taught much evil. " 3 - It was idleness and pride that brought Sodom low • " Behold this was the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, pride, fulness of bread and abundance and the idleness of her and of her daughters. " 4 Man's heart and man's mind cannot for long remain inactive ; unless they be engaged by study 1 Gen., Ill, 19. — » Prw., XXIV, 30-34. * Ecclus., XXXIII, 29. —. « Ezech. XVI, 49. 422 CHAPTER .IV. or other work, they 'are soon filled with a host of fancies.j thoughts, desires and emotions. In the state of fallen nature, what has full sway within us when we do not react against it, is the threefold concupiscence. Sensual, ambi- tious, proud, egotistical, selfish thoughts then gain the upper hand and expose us to sin. l 888. C) Our eternal salvation therefore and " hot merely our perfection is here at stake ; for besides the actual faults, into which idleness causes us to fall, the mere fact of failing to fulfil important duties incumbent upon us, is sufficient cause for reprobation. We have been created to serve God and to fulfil our duties of state. We are laborers sent by God to work in His vineyard ; but an employer does not ask his employees simply to abstain from doing harm ; he wants them to worke Therefore, if without doing, anything positive against the divine law, we fold our arms instead of working, will not the Master upbraid our slothful- ness? " Why stand ye all the day idle? " 2 The:barren tree, by the mere fact that it bears no fruit, deserves to be cut down and thrown into the flames :-" Every tree therefore that doth not yield good fruit, shall be cut down and cast into the fire."3 • ' . ' 889. Remedies. 4 A) To reclaim the slothful it is neces- sary first of all to form in them strong convictions concerning the necessity of work ; to make them understand that both the rich and the poor come under this law, and that its infringement may involve eternal damnation. This is the lesson given us by Our Lord in the parable of the barren fig-tree : for three years the owner came seeking fruit from it, and finding none, he ordered it to be cut down : " Cut it down therefore, W.hy' cumbereth it the ground? " Let no one say : I am rich, I need not work. If you are not obliged to work for yourself, you must do it for others. God, your Lord and Master commands you; if He has given you strength, brains, a good mind, ressources, it is in order that you may employ them for His glory and the welfare of your brethren. . And, indeed, the opportunities are not lacking : how many poor need aid, how many ignorant need instruction, how many broken hearts are there to be comforted, what openings are offered for the carrying out of projects that would give work and daily bread to those who have neither ! And, doesx not the rearing of a large family entail labor and toil if the future of the children is to be safeguarded? Let us keep in mind the universal law of Christian fel- lowship whereby the toil of each is the service of all; whilst sloth is detrimental to the common weal and to our individual welfare.- 1 MELCHICR CANO, La Victoire sur soi-meme, ch. X. 2 Matth., XX, 6. — 3 Matth., Ill, 10. 4 One should bear in mind the influence of temperanieirt, .especially when it is a question of children. 5 Luke, XIII, 7. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS, 423 890. B) Besides having convictions, it is, necessary to make a sustained and intelligent effort in accordance with the rules laid down, n. 8 1 2, for the training of the will. Since the slothful instinctively shrink from effort, they must be shown that in point of fact there is no creature more wretched than the idle man; not knowing how to employ, or as he himself says, how to kill time, he is a burden to himself, all things bore him, and he becomes wearied of life itself. Is it not preferable to exert ourselves, to become useful, and secure some real contentment by striving to make those around us happy? Among the slothful there are those that do expend a certain amount of activity at play, sport, arid worldly gatherings. These must be reminded of the serious side of life and of the duty incumbent upon them of making -themselves useful in order that they may turn their activities into worthier fields of action, and conceive a horror of being mere parasites. Christian marriage with its attendant obligations frequently proves an excellent remedy for sloth. Parents realize the necessity of working for their offspring and the inadvisability of entrusting to strangers the care of their interests. . What one must constantly bear in mind is the end. of life : we are here below in order to attain, through work and virtue, a place in heaven. God is ever addressing to us these words : " Why stand you here all the day idle? ..... Go you also into my vineyard. " I • ART. III. AVARICE 2 Avarice is related to the concupiscence of the eyes, of which we have spoken in n. 199. We shall explain: i° its nature, 2° its malice, 3° its remedies. 891. i ° Nature Of Avarice. Avarice is the inordinate love of earthly goods. To point out wherein the disorder lies, we must first recall the end. for which God has given man temporal goods. A) God's purpose is twofold : our own personal benefit and that of our brethren. a) Earthly goods are given us to minister to our temporal needs of . body and soul, to preserve our life and the life of those dependent upon us, and to procure the means of cultivating our mind and developing our other faculties. ... 2 St. THOMAS, II* Has, q. 118; de Malo, q. 113; MELCHIOR CANO, op. cit., ch. XI1-XI11; MASSILLON, Discours synodaux, De 1'avarice des pr^tres; MoNSA' BR&, Retmites fascales, 1892-1894: Les idoles, la richesse; LAUMONIER, op. cit., ch. VIII.' ' • ' 424 CHAPTER IV. Among .these goods : i) some are necessary for the present or the future: it is our duty to acquire them through honest work; 2) others are useful in order that we may gradually increase our resources, safe- guard our welfare or that of others, contribute to the common g'ood by promoting the arts or sciences. It is not -at all forbidden to desire these for a good purpose, so long as we give a due share to the poor and to good works. . b) These goods are also given us that we may aid those of our brethren who are in need. We are, therefore, in a measure God's stewards, and should' use our superfluous goods for the relief of the poor' . 8.92. B) Now we can more easily show wherein lies the disorder in the love of earthly goods. - a)sAt times it lies in the intention,: we desire wealth for its own sake, as an end in itself, or -for other purposes which we ourselves set up as our ultimate end, for instance, to seek pleasures or honors. If we stop there and do not see in riches means to higher ends, then, we are guilty of a sort of idolatry; we worship the golden calf; we live but for money. . b) The disorder further manifests itself in the manner of seeking riches : we pursue them with eagerness, by all-kinds of means, regardless of the rights of others, to the detriment of our health or that of our employees, by hazardous specu- lation at the risk of losing all our savings. C) The disorder likewise shows itself in the way we use money: i) we spend it reluctantly and in a niggardly manner, because we wish to accumulate it in order to feel more secure, or to wield the influence that comes with riches. 2) We give little or nothing to the poor and to good works. To increase our capital becomes the supreme end of life. 3) Some reach the point where they love their money as an idol, they love to hoard it, to feel it : this is the classical type known as the miser. 893. C) Avarice is not generally a vice of youth, which as yet thoughtless and improvident, does not dream of hoarding money. There are, however, exceptions found among young people who are by character gloomy, worrisome, crafty.,. But it is rather in middle life or old age that this fault shows itself, for it is then that the fear of want develops, based sometimes upon the thought, of sickness or accidents that might incapacitate for work. Bachelors and spinsters are parti- cularly exposed to avarice, because they .have no offspring to care for them in their old age. . . . " 894. D) Modern civilization has developed another form of this insatiable love of riches, plutocracy, the hankering thirst for becoming millionaires or multi-millionaires, not in order to safeguard one's future or that of 'one's fa'mily, but to attain the power and control which money gives. , Vast sums at one's command secure a vast influence, THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS. 425 a power ofttimes more effective than 'that of governments. Iron-, steeh, oil-magnates,- money-kings, rule sovereigns as well as peoples. This reign of gold often degenerates into intolerable* tyranny. 895. 20 The Maliee: of Avarice. A) Avarice is a sign of mistrust in -God, Who has promised to watch over us with the care of a father, and not to allow us to lack the things we need, provided we trust in Him. He would have us consider " the birds of the air that sow not nor do they reap, nor gather into barns, and the lilies , of the field that labor not, neither do they spin. " T This is not to encourage us to sloth, but to calm our anxieties and urge us to~ place our confidence in our Heavenly Father. 2 But the avari- cious man instead of putting his trust in God, puts it in the abundance of his riches, and insults God by distrusting Rim -."Behold the man that made not God his helper : But trusted in the 'abundance of his riches and prevailed in his vanity." z This lack of confidence in God is accompanied by too great a confidence in self and personal efforts; man wants to be* his own providence and thus he falls into a species of idolatry making money his god. Now, no man can serve two masters, God and Wealth:" You cannot seive God and mammon. "4 This sin is of itself grave for the reasons just adduced. It is like- wise grave when it causes one to infringe upon important rights of others through the employment of fraudulent means to obtain and retain wealth ; to sin against charity by. omitting necessary almsgiving, . or to fail against religion, by allowing oneself to become so absorbed in business that one disregards religious duties. It constitutes but a venial sin when it does not cause one to fail in any of the great Christian virtues, duties to God included. . 896. B) With regard to perfection, the inordinate love of riches is a very serious obstacle. a) It is a'passion that tends to supplant God in the human heart. That heart which is God's temple is crowded with all sorts of desires bent upon the things of earth, filled with all sorts of anxieties and distracting preoccupations. Yet, to effect our union with God, we must empty our heart of all creatures, of all worldly cares ; for God wants " the whole soul, the whole heart, the whole time, the whole activity of his wretched creatures. " 5 We must, above all, empty the heart of all pride ; but attachment to riches develops' pride, since we place greater confidence in, our riches than in our God. > i 1 Matth:, VI, 26-28. — a Mattk., VII, 24-34. — 3 Ps. LI, -9.-— * Matth^Vl, 24. $OLim, fntrod. anx vertus, c. U. 426 .CHAPTER IV. - To fasten our heart on riches is to hinder the love of God, for where bur{ heart is there is also our treasure. T To detach the heart from riches is to lay it open to .God. A soul' despoiled of riches has God for its possessions; z'fo wealth is the wealth of God Himself. , b) Avarice also leads to lack of mortification and to sensuality, for when we have money and love it, we either wish to enjoy the pleasures that money can procure, or if we forego these pleasures, pur heart clings to the money itself. In either case money becomes an idol that makes us turn away from God. 897. 3° Remedies of Avarice. A) The great remedy is the profound conviction, resting upon reason and . faith, that wealth is not an end, but a means given us by Provi- dence to provide for our needs and those of our brethren ; that God ever remains the Sovereign Master of all ; that we are in truth but administrators who must .one day render an account to the Sovereign Judge. Riches moreover are goods thatflass away with time, goods we cannot take along with us into the next world. If ,we are wise, we shall lay up treasures not for this world but for eternity. v " Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust and moth consume and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up. to yourselves treasures in heaven where neither the rust nor the moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. " 2 B) The most effective way of detaching ourselves from riches is to invest our wealth in the bank of heaven by giving generously to the .poor and to good works. A gift to the poor is a loan to God ; it yields a hundredfold even in this world, in the joys which come to us from giving happiness to those around us. But above all, it yields a hundredfold for heaven, where Christ, considering as given to Himself what we have bestowed upon the least of His children, will take care to give us imperishable goods in exchange for those we sacrificed for Him. The truly wise, therefore, are those who exchange the treasures of this earth for those of glory. To seek God and holiness is the sum-total of Christian prudence: " Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and His justice : and all these things shall be added unto you. " 3 898. C) Perfect souls go further : they sell all to give to the poor, or they renounce all ownership by the religious vow of poverty, or they retain their capital but use the ., VI, 21. — 2 Matth., VI, 19-20. - 3 Maith., VI, 33. THE- STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. 427 income only according to the advice of a wise spiritual director, and thus while they remain in the state in which God's providence has placed them, they live in the practice of detachment of mind and heart. : . CONCLUSION 899. Thus the struggle against the seven capital sins uproots the inordinate tendencies of -the threefold concu- piscence. No doubt, there will always remain in us some of those tendencies to try our patience and to remind us of our weakness, but they will prove less dangerous, and, aided by God's grace, we shall overcome them more easily. " In spite of our efforts temptations will arise in the soul but it will be to give us occasions of gaining new victories. : . CHAPTER V / The Struggle against Temptation 900. . .Notwithstanding the efforts. we put forth to eradi- cate'vice, we must expect temptations. We have spiritual foes, the world, the flesh, and the devil, n. 193-227, which cease not to lay snares for us.. It is necessary, therefore, to treat here of temptation in general and oft/te chief temptations of beginners. ART. I. TEMPTATION IN GENERAL i 901. Temptation is a solicitation tp evil on the- part of our spiritual foes. We shall explain : i° The providential purposes of temptation. 2° The psychology of temptation. 3° The attitude we must take towards temptation. I. The Providential- Purposes of ^Temptation 902. God Himself does not tempt us directly : " Let no man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted by God. For God is not a tempter of "evils : and he tempteth no man. " L But He allows us to be tempted by our spiritual enemies, at the same time giving us the graces necessary to 1 RODRIGUEZ, Prat, de la perfect., IIe Part.1, 3° Tr.;fST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life, P. IV, C. III-X; SPARAMELLI, Guide asctt., t. II, art. X; SCHRAM, Instit, theol, myst., § CXXXVII-CXLIX; MEYER, S. J., Science oj 'the Saints, IV; FABER, Growth in Holiness, XVI; DE LEHEN, The Way oflnterior Peace, P. Ill, C. IV; P. DE SMEDT, Notre.vie sternaf., Ill6 P.,,ch. II-I;.RiBET, L' Ascttique., ch. X; MGR. GAY, Vie et vertus chr£t.\ t. I, .tr. VIII; DOM LEHODEY, Le saint Abandon, ,p, 332-343; BRUNETEAU, Les Mentations dujeune homrne, 1912. - "James, I, 13. 428 CHAPTER V. resist : " God is,- faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able •: but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it. " * And this for excellent reasons of His own. i° He- wants to make us merit heaven. Undoubtedly He could have bestowed upon us eternal life as a pure gift, but in His wisdom He has willed that we merit it as a reward. He even wills that the recompense be in proportion to the "merit and hence in proportion to the obstacle overcome. Temptation, which imperils our frail virtue, is certainly one of tKe most trying hardships ; to struggle courageously against it is 'one of the most meritorious acts we can perform; and once we have triumphed with God's "grace, we can repeat with St. Paul, 2 that we have fought the good fight, and that it only remains for us to receive the crown of justice which God has prepared for us. The more we have done in order to merit that crown, the greater shall be our honor and our joy. 903. 2° Temptation is likewise a means .of purification. i) It reminds us that through lack of vigilance and of effort in the past we have fallen, and it becomes thus an occasion for new acts of contrition, shame, and humiliation, which make for the purification of the soul. 2) It obliges us at the same time to put forth earnest and sustained efforts lest we fall ; it makes us atone for our negligences and for our surrenders by the performance of contrary acts which further purify the soul. This is why when God 'wants to purify a soul more perfectly in order to raise it to contem- plation, He allows it to" undergo horrible temptations, as we shall see when treating of the unitiye way. 904. 3° Lastly, temptation is an instrument of spiritual progress, ' a) It is like a stripe of the lash that awakens us at the moment we would lull ourselves to sleep and relax. It makes us realize the necessity of forging ahead, of not halting midway, but of ever aiming higher, the more surely to remove the danger. b) It is a school of humility, .of distrust of self. When tempted we realize more fully our weakness, our power- lessness;we feel more keenly -the need of grace, and we pray with greater earnestness. We see all the better the necessity of mortifying in us .the love of pleasure, the source of our temptations, and we embrace more eagerly the little 1 / Cor., X, 13. - • // Tim., IV, 7." THE 'STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. crosses of every day in order to weaken the power of concu- piscence. e) It is a school of love of God; for to insure our power of resistance, we throw ourselves into God's arms there to seek for strength and shelter; we are more grateful to Him for His unfailing grace; we act towards Him as children of a most loving Father to Whom we have recourse in all our trials. Hence, temptation possesses manifold advantages and it is on this account that God allows His friends to be tempted : " Because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove you. " * II. The Psychology of Temptation We shall describe : i° The frequency of "temptation. -2° The divers phases of temptation. 3° The signs and degrees of consent, _ 905. i° The Frequency of Temptation. The fre- quency as well as the violence of temptations vary greatly. Some persons are often and violently tempted; others are tempted but rarely and withoutbeing deeply stirred. There are many causes that account for such diversity : a) First of all, there are temperament and character. Some persons are extremely passionate and at the same time weak of will; often tempted, they are upset by temptation. Others are well-balanced and energetic; seldom tempted, they keep their peace in the midst of temptation. b) Education accounts for other differences.: there are souls who have been reared in the fear and love of God, in the habitual fulfilment of stern duty, and who have almost invariably received none but good example. Others have been brought up in the love of. pleasure, in the dread of any kind of suffering, and have seen too many examples of worldliness and sensuality. It is evident that the latter will be more violently tempted than the former. , e) God's providential designs must also be taken into account. There are souls whom He destines for a holy calling and whose purity He shelters with a jealous care. There are others whom He likewise destines to sanctity, .but whom He would have pass through severe tests in order to ground them in virtue. Lastly, others there are whom He does not destine to such a high vocation, and who will be more or less frequently tempted, but never beyond their strength. 906. 2° The Three Phases of Temptation. According to the traditional doctrine, as expounded by St. Augustine, there are three different phases in temptation : suggestion, pleasure and consent. - ' 1 Tobias, XII, 13. 430 CHAPTER V. a) Suggestion consists in the proposal of some evil. Out- imagination or our mind represent to us in a more or less vivid manner the attraction of the forbidden fruit; at times this representation is most alluring, holds its ground tena- ciously and becomes a sort of obsession. No matter how dangerous such a suggestion may- be, it does not constitute ' a sin, provided that we have not provoked it ourselves, and do not consent to it. There is sin only when the will yields consent. to) Pleasure follows the suggestion. Instinctively our lower tendencies are drawn towards the suggested evil and a certain pleasure is experienced. " Many a time it happens, " says St. Francis de Sales * " that the inferior part of the soul takes pleasure in the temptation, without there having been consent, nay against the soul's superior part. This is the warfare which the Apostle St. Paul describes- when he says his flesh wars against his spirit, " This pleasure does not, as long as the will refuses to consent to it, constitute a sin ; yet it is a danger, since 'the will finds itself thus solicited to yield consent. The question then is : will it yield or not? e) If the will witholds acquiescence, combats the temp- tation, and repels it, it has scored a success and performed a highly meritorious act. If, on the contrary, the will delights in the pleasure, ivillingly enjoys it and consents to it, the sin is committed. ,. 907. 3° Signs of Consent. The better to explain this important point, let us see what are the signs of lack of consent, imperfect consent, and perfect consent. a) We may judge that there has been no consent ', if in spite of the suggestion and the instinctive pleasure accompanying it, we experience disgust, chagrin at seeing ourselves thus tempted ; if we struggle so as not to be overcome; if we hold the proposed evil in horror; 2 especially- if we: turn to, God in prayer. . , to) We may be culpably accountable for the temptation in its cause, when we perform an action which, we could avoid, foreseeing that it will be to us a source of temptation : " If ' Devout Life, Part IV, C. III. " "* '~~ "' '"' '•'"'"•'-'• 2 St. Francis de Sales tells (Devout Life, Part IV, C. IV.) hovrSt. Catherine of Sienna, having been violently tempted against chastity, was asked by Qur Lord : "Tell me, did those filthy thoughts in your heart give you joy or sorrow, regret or delight? " She answered : " Extreme regret and sorrow. " Thereupon Our Lord comforted her by adding that her sorrows were of great merit and of great, profit THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. '431 I know, "says St. Francis de Sales1 "that some certain conversation leads me to temptation and to a fall, and I do voluntarily indulge therein, I am, doubtless, culpable of all the temptations that shall arise. " Yet, one is guilty only to the extent of one's prevision, and if this is but vague and indistinct, the guilt is lessened in proportion. 908. e) One may consider consent to be imperfect : 1) When one does not repulse the temptation 'as soon as its dangerous character is perceived. 2 There is then a fault against prudence, which without being grave puts us in the danger of consenting to the temptation. 2) When one momentarily hesitates. One would fain relish somewhat the forbidden pleasure, but one is loath to offend God, tha't is, after a moment's hesitation, one repels the temptation. Here again there is a venial fault of , imprudence. • - 3) If temptation is resisted in a 'half -hearted way. One does resist, but in a feeble, indolent manner, a half-resistance which implies a half-consent, hence a venial fault. 909. d) Consent is full and entire, when the will, weakened by first concessions, lets itself be drawn to taste willingly the sinful pleasure, despite the protests of con- science, which recognizes the evil. In such case, if the matter be grievous, the sin is mortal ; it is a sin of thought or " morose delectation," as theologians call it. If to the thought is added desire, the fault is graver still. Lastly, if from desire one passes on to the act, or at least to the quest and pursuit of means adapted to the execution of one's designs, then there is a sin of action. 910. In the different cases we have explained, doubts arise at times regarding the consent or half-consent given. Then we must make a distinction between the delicate and the lax conscience; when it is question of the former, one may rule out consent, for the person is not in the habit of yielding consent, and if he had consented in this particular case he would know it. When it is question of the latter, the presumption is that the person has given full-consent, for if he had not, his soul would not be troubled. 1 Devout Life, P. IV, C. VI. . \ '_ 2 " We are sometimes surprised by certain symptoms of pleasure which imme- diately follow the temptation, before we are well aware of it. This at most can only be a light venial sin ; but it becomes greater, if after we have perceived the evil which has befallen us, we stop some time, through negligence, to determine whether we shall admit or reject that delectation. " (Devout Life, P. IV, C. VI). 432 CHAPTER V. . Ill, Our Attitude Towards Temptation There are three main things to be done, if we are to overcome temptations and make them redound to our profit : 1° we must forestall temptation ; 2° fight '-it stre- nuously; 3° 'thank God after victory or rise~up after 911. i° Forestall temptation. We know the proverb that says \ One ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ; this is but what Christian wisdom teaches. When Our Lord took the three Apostles into Gethsemane, JHe said to them : " Watch ye ; and pray that ye enter not into temp- tation. " I Watchfulness and prayer are the two great means of forestalling temptation. 912. A) To watch means , to put a sentry, as it were, about the sou) ,, /est it be taken by surprise. It is so easy to fall in an unguarded moment ! This watchfulness implies two main dispositions: distrust ofse/fand trust in God. a) We must avoid that proud presumption that thrusts us into the midst of dangers, under the pretence that we are possessed of sufficient strength to triumph over them. This was the sin of St. Peter, who at the moment Christ was prophesying the desertion of the Apostles exclaimed -. "Although all shall be scandalized in thee,yet not I. " 2 Let us, on the contrary, be mindful of the words of -St. Paul : " Wherefore, he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall, " 3 for if the spirit be willing, the flesh is weak, and safety lies only in the humble mistrust of self. b) But, we must likewise avoid those vain terrors which only increase the danger. It is indeed true that of our- selves we are weak, but we are invincible in- Him Who strengthens us : " And God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able : but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it. "4 c) This proper mistrust of self makes us shun all dange- rous occasions, this or that association, such or such amuse- ment, etc.... which we know by experience expose us to fall. It declares war against idleness, one of the most dange- rous. of occasions, n. 885, as well as against that habitual indolence which relaxes all the springs of the will, and 1 Matth., XXVI, 41. - ' JMwvti'XIV, 29. * / Cor., X, 12. — 4 // Cor., X, 13. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. 433 prepares it for every kind of surrender. * This mistrust holds in horror those empty day dreams, which people the soul with a host of living phantoms that become threaten- ing ere long. In a word, such mistrust leads to the practice of mortification, under the forms pointed out in nos. 767-817, the compliance with our duties of state, the leading of an interior life, and the exercise of zeal. In such an intense spiritual life there is but little room left for temptation. d) Vigilance should center round the soul's weak point, since the onslaughts generally proceed from that side. In order to fortify this weak spot,*we make use of the particular examination, which concentrates our attention during an appreciable length of time upon this defect, or rather upon the contrary virtue, (n. 468.), 913. B) To watchfulness we must join prayer, which, placing God on our side, renders us invincible. God is concerned, in our success, for it is He Whom the devil assails in us, it is His work which he would wreck in us. We may, therefore, call upon the Almighty with , a holy assur- ance, certain that He wants to help us. Any kind of prayer vocal or mental, private or public, 'prayer of adoration or prayer of petition, is good against temptation. One may, especially in times of calm, pray for help in the moment of temptation. When this moment does arrive, one has but to raise the heart to God in order to resist more successfully. 914. 2° Resisting' Temptation. This resistance will vary according to the nature of the temptations. Some of these recur frequently, but are less serious; these rriust.be treated with scorn, as St. Francis de Sales 2 so well explains: . "As to these smaller temptations of .vanity, suspicion, impatience, jealousy, envy, fond love, and 'such like trash,- which like flies and gnats continually hover about us, and sometimes sting us on the legs, the hands or the face ; as it is impossible to be altogether freed from them, the best defence that we can make is not to give ourselves much trouble about them ; for although they may tease us, yet they can never hurt us, so long as we continue firmly resolved to serve God earnestly. Despise then these petty attacks, without so much as thinking of what 1 This softness is well described by M.GR. GAY, Christian Life and Virtues, Tr. VIII. "Such a soul sleeps and hence it is exposed to the enemy's blows. The slothful,. indolent, remiss, pusillanimous soul which all sacrifice fills with terror, which all real woik lays low, no. matter how teeming it may be with desires, remains barren in good resolves and even more so in. good deeds! That soul that spares itself in all things, yields to well-nigh all its propensities and lets itself be carried along with the stream. " * Devout Life, P. IV, C. IX. NO 680. — 16 • - 434 CHAPTER V. they suggest. Let them buzz and hover here and there around you ; pay no more attention to them than you would to flies. " Here we concern ourselves chiefly with serious tempta- tions. These must be fought promptly, energetically, perse- veringly, and humbly. A) Promptly, without parleying with the enemy, without • any hesitation. At the outset the temptation is repelled easily enough, for it has not yet gained a foothold in the soul ; if we wait until it has gained entry, the repulse will prove far more difficult. Hence, let there be no debate. Let us associate the idea of illicit pleasure with all that, is repelling, with the serpent, -with a traitor that wishes to ensnare us, and let us remember the word of Holy Writ : "Flee from sins as from the face of a serpent: for if thou earnest near them they will take hold of thee. " x We effect this flight by prayer and by turning our minds to some- thing else. - 915. B) Energetically, not indolently and with regret, for this would be like inviting the temptation to return, but with determination and vigor, showing the horror in which such a proposal is held : " Go behind me, Satan. " 2 There are, however, different tactics to be employed, according to the kind of temptations that assail us : if it is question of those temptations to alluring pleasures, we must' turn away from them and take to flight by concentrating our atten- tion on any other matter calculated to engage our faculties. Direct resistance in such instances generally increases the danger. If it be question of temptations of. aversion towards duty, of antipathy, hatred, human respect, the- better course often lies in .facing the difficulty squarely and honestly, and in having recourse to the principles of Christian faith in order to overcome it. 916. C) Perseveringly, for at times after having been routed, temptation returns with renewed obstinacy, and the devil brings with him from the desert seven other spirits worse than himself. 3. Equal tenacity, and not less, must be matched against this'jpersistence of the enemies of our soul; he that fights unto the end, overcomes. To be all the more assured of victory we should make the temptation known to our spiritual director. •'•'... This is the advice, given by the'Saints, especially St. Ignatius and St. Francis de Sales: "For you must observe, " says the latter, "that ' Ecclus., XXI, 2. — * Mk.. VIII, 33. — 3 Mallh., XII, 45. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. 435' the first condition that the enemy of salvation makes with a soul which he desires to seduce, is to keep silence; as those who intend to seduce maids or married women, at the very first forbid them to communicate their proposals to their parents- or husbands; whereas God requires, when he sends inspirations, that we should make them known to our _ superiors and directors. " x -In truth, it seems as if a special grace were attached to this openness of heart. A temptation disclosed is a temptation half-vanquished. 917. D.) Humbly. Humility attracts grace, and grace gives us the. victory. The devil who sinned by pride, flees before a sincere act of humility; and. the threefold concu- piscence, that holds its power from pride, is easily overcome when by humility we have, so. to speak, laid its head low. 918. 3° After temptation we must be on our guard against examining too closely whether we consented or not; such an imprudent course; might bring about a recurrence of the temptation and create a new danger. Besides, it is easy to see from the testimony of our conscience, without any probing search, whether we came out victorious, A) If we have had the good fortune of overcoming, let us thank God with our whole heart, God Who gave us the victory. This is a duty of gratitude, and the best means of obtaining new graces at the opportune moment. Woe to the ungrateful who, attributing to themselves the victorious issue, do not think of returning thanks to God! They will ere long be made to 'know from experience their own weakness. 919. B) If, on the contrary, we have had the misfor- tune si succumbing^ let us not lose heart. Let us remember the welcome accorded the Prodigal Son, and let us, even as he did, cast ourselves at the feet of God's representative, with the same heartfelt plea : " Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee : I am not worthy to be called thy son. " 2 And God, still richer in His mercies than the father in the parable, will give us the kiss of peace and restore us to His friendship. In order, however, to prevent new falls, the repentant sinner will take the occasion of his fault to humble himself sincerely before God, to acknowledge his incapacity to do any good, to place hi's trust in God, to be all the more cau- tious, and return to the practice of penance. A fatflt thus repaired will not constitute a serious obstacle to perfection. 3 Those who act thus, " rise, " as St. Augustine rightly ' Devout Life, P. IV, C. VII. — 2 Luke, XV, 21. 3 Cf. TISSOT, Profiting by Our Faults. 436 . ,' CHAPTER V. remarks, " from a fall to be more humble, more prudent, , more earnest." l , ' . * ' - ART. II. THE CHIEF TEMPTATIONS OF BEGINNERS Beginners are subject to all kinds of temptations, springing from the sources we have indicated. There are some, however, that seem to be peculiar to them :i° illusions, proceeding from consolations and from aridity; 2° incon- stancy; 3° over-eagerness; 4° 'at times, scruples. § I. Illusions of Beginners with regard • to Consolations 2 920. God generally bestows sensible consolations -on beginners in order to draw them to His service; He then deprives them of these in order to test and to strengthen their virtue. There are some persons who because they enjoy many consolations think they have already attained to a certain. degree of sanctity"; if the consolations happen to vanish and spiritual -dryness or aridity takes their place they -think themselves lost. It is, therefore, important in order that they may forestall both presumption and cliscou- ragement, that the true doctrine concerning consolations rand aridity be explained to them. I. Consolations . 921. i° Nature and Origin of Consolations, a) Sen- sible consolations are tender emotions that affect our sensibi- lity and cause us to experiences feeling of spiritual joy. .The neart expands and throbs with more energy, the circulation of the blood is acceleratecl, the features beam, and at times .tears of joy flow. Sensible consolations differ from the spiritual consolations- generally granted to more advanced souls : the latter are consolations of a higher order, acting upon- the intellect by enlightening it, and upon the will by drawing it to prayer and to the .practice of virtue. How- ever, these two kinds of consolations often intermingle, and what we are about to say can in some measure be applied to both. . . b) These consolations may proceed from three sources : 1 De corrept. et gratia, cap. I. 2 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life, P. IV> C. XII-XV; F. GUILLORE, Lcs secrets de la vie spirituelle; FAHER, Growth in Holiness, XXIII; DOM LEHODEY, Holy Abandonment, The Ways of Mental Prayer, P. II, C. VI; DE SMEDT, Notre -vie surnaturelle. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. 437 1) From God, Who acts towards us as a mother towards her child and attracts us to Himself by means of the sweetness He makes us find in serving Him, in order to wean us away more easily from the false pleasures of the world. ; "• 2) From the devil, who acting upon the nervous system, upon the imagination and upon the feelings, is able to produce certain sensible emotions* which he will later use to urge us on to ill-considered austerities, to vanity and to presumption soon to be followed -by discouragement. 3). From our nature. There are imaginative, emotional, sanguine temperaments, which, while they apply themselves, to piety, naturally find therein food for their emotions.' 922. 2° Advantages of consolations. Consolations, assuredly, have their advantages : ^ ' ..'-•• ; : a) ^^Qy facilitate the knowledge of God : the imagination helped by grace, delights in representing the lovableness of God, and the heart rejoices in it. Then one loves to pray, to meditate at- length, and the soul realizes better the goodness of God. b) Consolations contribute to the strengthening of the will, which, finding the lower faculties to be no longer hindrances, but valuable helps, detaches itself all the more easily from creatures; it loves God more ardently, forms more vigorous resolutions, .and keeps, these more easily because of the aid obtained through prayer. Loving God with a sensible affection, the will courageously ensures the little sacrifices of every-day life,~and even undertakes on its own initiative certain mortifications. • . - . C) Consolations help us to form habits of recollection, of prayer, of obedience, of love of God, which remain in some measure even after tile-consolations themselves have disap- peared. / 923. 3° Dangers. Withal, these consolations have also their dangers: • a) They excite a 'sort of spiritual greed, which makes us cling rather to the consolations of God than .to the God of consolations, so much so that when spiritual cem- forts vanish, spiritual exercises and duties of state are neglected. Even whilst we. enjoy these consolations, our devotion Js far from being 'solid, for while we shed tears over Our Lord's sufferings, we, refuse to sacrifice for Him this or that sentimental friendship or to undergo for His 438 CHAPTER V; sake such or such privation. But solid virtue exists only when our love for God is carried as far as sacrifice, n. 321. " There are many souls who experience these tendernesses and consolations, and who, nevertheless, are very vicious, and consequently, have not a true love of God, much less true devotion. " l , lb) These consolations often foster pride under one form or the other, i) Vain self-complacency; for when we enjoy consolations, and prayer becomes easy, we, readily believe ourselves to be saints, whilst in truth we are but novices in the ways- of perfection. 2) Vanity: we wish to speak of these consolations to others in order to make known our worth; and in such cases God often withdraws them for a notable period of time. ' 3) Presumption : we think our- selves invincible and at times expose ourselves to danger, or at least, we begin to relax, when we ought to redouble our efforts and forge ahead. 924. 4° Our Attitude towards Consolations. In order to profit by divine consolations and escape the pitfalls we have pointed out, the following rules are to be observed : a) We may wish for such comforts conditionally with the intention of using them in order to love God and to fulfil His holy will. Thus the Church has us ask for .the grace of consolation in the Collect of Pentecost : " That we may ever enjoy His. consolation." . Consolations are a gift of God the purpose of which is to aid us in the work of our sanctification. We must, therefore, hold them dear, and we may well ask for them provided we submit ourselves to the holy will of God. • • b) When such consolations have been granted us, let us receive them with gratitude and with humility, acknowledg- ing ourselves unworthy of them and attributing all the merit to God. If He does vouchsafe to deal with us as with little children, let us bless Him for it; but let us also recognize that we are as yet far from perfect, since we stand in need of the milk of children : " Who 'need milk and not solid food. " 2 Above all, let us not boast of them, for this would be the surest and "quickest way of losing them. c) Having received them with a humble heart, let us employ them with the utmost care according to the pur- - ' ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life, Part IV, C. XIII. '/ Cor., III,. 2. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION, .439 poses of the Giver. He gives them to us, says St. Francis de Sales, " to make us sweet towards every one and excite us to love Him. The mother gives little presents to her child to induce him to embrace her; let us then embrace our blessed Savior Who grants us favors. But to embrace Him is to obey Him, to keep His commandments, do His will, and follow His desires with a tender obedience and humility."1 • . d) Lastly, we must realize that these consolations will not last forever, and we must humbly beg of God the grace to serve Him in dryness of soul, when it. will so please Him. In the, meantime, instead of trying to prolong these conso- lations by our own mental efforts, we must moderate them and cling steadfastly to. the God of all consolations. II. Aridity In order to strengthen us in virtue, God visits us from time to time with aridity. We shall explain : i ° the nature of aridity; 2° its -providential purpose;- 3° our attitude towards it. 925. i ° Nature of Aridity. Aridity is a privation of those, sensible and spiritual consolations which make prayer and the practice of virtue easy. In spite of oft-renewed efforts one no longer relishes prayer; one even experiences a sense of weariness; one finds prayer irksome and the time given. to it endless; faith and trust seem dormant; once alert and joyous, one lives now in a sort of torpor and acts only by sheer force of will. This is, indeed, a most painful condition, but one not devoid of advantages. 926. 2° Providential purpose of Aridity, a) When God sees fit to "visit us with aridity, it is in order to detach us from all created things, even from the happiness derived from devotion, that we. may learn to love God for His sake alone. ' .. • b) He wants likewise to humble us, by showing us that consolations are not our right, but entirely free gifts. e) God thereby also effects a further, purification of the soul from past faults, present attachments and all manner of self-seeking. When we have to serve God without any relish, on principle and by sheer will-power, we suffer keenly, and our suffering becomes an act of expiation and atonement. '"'.'' — " -— -" •'" ' """ " .——.,— .,.. .- ,.-.— . .1 !!..._ _ • " " "' *«,' 1 Devon/ Life, Part IV, C. XIII. 440 CHAPTER V. d) Lastly, God thus strengthens us in virtue, for in order to persevere in prayer and in well-doing the will must be energetically and steadily exercised, and it is by such exercise that we are' grounded in virtue. .'••"- 927. 3° Our Attitude towards Aridity, a) Since dryness at times proceeds from our faults; we must first of all carefully search ourselves, yet without over-anxiety, in order to see if we are not. the responsible cause i) by reason of our tendencies, more or less consented to, towards self-complacency and pride ; 2) by a sort of spiritual sloth, or, on the other hand, by an untimely and excessive straining of the mind; 3) by seeking after human conso- lations, after personal attachments that are -too sentimental, after worldly pleasures; for God will not have a divided heart; 4) by a want of frankness .towards our spiritual director: " For, since you try to deceive the Holy Ghost" says St. Francis de Sales, " it is no wonder that He withholds from you His consolations."-1.. Once the cause of aridity is discovered one must with due humility strive to remove it. ' - • ~ 928., If we are not responsible for this aridity, it is important that we should draw profit from the ordeal, i) The great means is to convince ourselves that it is more meritorious to serve God in the absence of attraction and warm emotions than in the midst of many consolations; that in order to love God it is enough to zvill to love Him, and besides, that .the most perfect act of love consists in having our will conform to that of God,. 2) In order to render such an act still 'more meritorious we can do no better than to unite ourselves to Jesus, Who in the Garden of Gethsemane consented to experience sadness and weari- ness of soul, out of. love for us, and to repeat after Him: " Not my will, but thine be done. " 2 . 3) Above all, we must never lose 'heart, nor subtract anything from our exercises of piety, from our efforts, from our good resolutions; but rather imitate Our Lord, Who " being in an agony, prayed the longer. "3 '.,,-. 929. Advice for the spiritual Director. In order that penitents may thoroughly understand these practical lessons regarding consolations and aridity, spiritual, directors should frequently insist on them, for penitents are often persuaded that they are bette,r off when things go according ' Devout Life, Part IV, C. XIV. * Luke, XXII, 42. — 3 Id. XXII. 43. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. 441 to their wishes than when they go against the grain. Gra- dually, however, they are 'enlightened, and once they have learnt not to exalt themselves in their own eyes in time of consolation and not to be discouraged during periods of dryness, they make progress more rapidly and more steadily. § II. Inconstancy of Beginners 930. i° The Evil. When a soul gives itself to God and begins to advance, in the spiritual life, it is sustained by divine grace, by the attractiveness of the novelty and by a certain urge towards virtue, which removes many an obstacle. A moment arrives, however, when God's grace is given in a less sensible manner, when the soul grows weary of essaying again the self-same efforts, which seem to be thwarted by the self-same difficulties. It is then that the soul is liable to relax and falter. "• This tendency to inconstancy and tepidity shows itself i) in our spiritual exercises, which we now perform with less attention, which we shorten or omit; 2) in "Cs\z practice of virtue: we entered full-heartedly into the ways of penance and mortification, but now we find this hard and irksome and we relax our efforts ; 3) in the habitual sanctification of our actions : we had been accustomed to renew frequently the offering of our actions, in order to insure the purity of our intention; now we find this practice fatiguing, we neglect it with the result that soon many of our actions are inspired by routine, curiosity, vanity, sensuality. It is impossible to make progress with dispositions such as these, for we arrive nowhere without a sustained effort. * 931. 2° The Remedy. A) We must realize that the work of perfection is a work of long endurance, demanding much steadiness of purpose, and that only those succeed who despite partial setbacks return again and again with fresh energies to the task. This is just what men do to succeed in business, and this is what must be clone by anyone who wants to advance in holiness. Each morning we must ask again the question, whether we cannot do more, and espe- cially whether we can not do better for God;- and every- e vening we must examine to see if we have carried out, at least in part, our program for .the day. B) Nothing insures constancy so. well as the particular examination, . n. 468. By concentrating our attention upon one objective, one virtue, and by rendering to our confessor an account of the progress made, we are certain to advance, even though we may not be aware of the fact./ What we have said regarding the training of the will, n. 812, is likewise a very apt means to overcome inconstancy. 442 CHAPTER V. § III. Over-Eagerness of Beginners Not a few beginners, full of good will, apply themselves too eagerly and too anxiously to the work of their per- fection and end by fatiguing and exhausting themselves in futile efforts. ) • 932. 1° The Causes, a) The chief cause of this defect is the substitution of one's own activity for that of God. Instead of reflecting before acting, of asking light from the Holy Ghost and following it, such beginners' thrust them- selves headlong into action. Instead of taking counsel with their spiritual director, they act -first, and afterwards con- front him with the accomplished fact. Hence, numerous imprudences and many wasted efforts. b) Often presumption enters into the case. They would like to emerge hastily from the discipline of penance and promptly arrive at the desired union with God. But alas ! many an unforeseen obstacle appears; they then lose heart, retrace their steps and at times fall into grievous faults. C) At other times, it is curiosity which predominates. They seek continually new means of perfection, try them a while and soon discard them before giving them a chance to produce their effects. They continually plan new projects of reform for themselves and for others and forget to carry them out. The net result of such over-exertion is the loss of interior recollection; it is excitement and trouble without any solid gain. 933. 2° The Remedies, a) The chief remedies are submission to and entire dependence upon the action of God, mature reflection before acting, prayer to obtain divine light, consultation with and docility towards a spiritual director. Just as in the workings of nature it is not violent force that yields the best results, but rather well controlled energy, so in the spiritual life it is not feverish efforts that make for progress, but calm and well-directed ones. b) But if beginners are to submit themselves to the action of 'God, they must combat the causes that produce such over-eagerness; they must fight i) a natural vivacity of character that inclines to hasty decisions; 2) a presumption that arises from too high an esteem of self; 3) curiosity that is forever in search of novelties. They should, therefore, direct their attacks successively against these defects by means of the particular examination, and then God will THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION, 443 take once more His rightful . place in their souls and lead them calmly and sweetly along the paths of perfection. '§ IV, Scruples ' ''< 934. Scruples are a disease, physical 'and moral, which produces a sort of derangement of conscience, and causes one to harbor vain fears, of having offended God. .This disease is not restricted ,to beginners; still, it is found in them as well as in the more advanced souls. Hence, we must say a word about them and explain: i° the nature, 2° the object, 3° the disadvantages and advantages of scruples, , and 4° the remedies .against them. I. Mature of Scruples -. 935. The term scruple (from the Latin scrupulus, pebble) was employed for ages past to designate a. weight under which only the most sensitive scales would tilt. In the moral sense, it stands for some trifle which only the most delicate conscience would notice. Hence, this word has come to be commonly used to designate the anxiety about having offended God which certain souls feel for little or no' reason. The better to know the nature of scruples we shall explain their origin, and degmes, as well as the distinction between a scrupulous and a delicate conscience. 936. i° Origin. Scruples arise sometimes from purely natural causes and sometimes they are due to supernatural intervention. - ' •' '' .'•''•• . ' a) From a natural point of view, scruples are often a physical and moral disease. I ) The physical ailment which brings about this disorder is a sort of nervous depression, which hinders a well-balanced decision on moral questions and tends to produce without solid reasons the obsessing idea that one has sinned. 2) There are also moral causes which produce the same effect, such as a meticulous mind, a mind that loses itself amid the most trifling details, that wants to reach absolute certitude in all things; a beclouded mind, that represents God not as a just judge, but as , . VSt. IGNAT., Exercit. spirit., Reguils de scrupulis; ALVAREZ DE PAZ, t, II, - lib. I, Part. Ill, 'cap. XII, § V; SCARAMELLI, Guide ascetique, tr. II, art. XI; SCHRAM, Iws£. theol. mysticce, 1. 1, § 73-83; St. ALPHONSUS, Tlteol. moralis, tr. I. De conscientia; n. 10-19; ' LOUSES, Interior . Peace, P. II, C. VII;.FABER, Growth in Holiness, XVII; DUBOJS, L'Ange conAucteitr des dme-s •scrupuleuses ; DE LEHEN, Tlie Way of Interior P'eace, P. IV; RAYMOND, Spiritual Director nnd, Physician, !P. II; -DOM LEHODEY,; Holy abandonment, p. 407-414; CASEY! ' ad treatment -of, sQ '' 444 CHAPTER V. a merciless one ; a mind that confuses feeling with consent in human acts, and imagines, that because the imagination has been for long alive to vivid impressions, sin has been committed ; an obstinate mind, that prefers its own judgment to that of the confessor for the very reason that it lets itself be led by impressions rather than by reason. When these two causes, physical and moral, are present, the evil is more deeply rooted and the cure is more difficult. 937.. :b) Scruples can also arise from a preternatural intervention on the part of God or of the devil. 1) God allows us to be thus obsessed either as a punish- ment, chiefly of our pride, of pur inclinations to vain complacency, or as a trial, to make. ..us expiate our past faults, to detach us from spiritual consolations, and bring us to a higher degree of sanctity. This is the case espe- cially with the souls whom He wants to fit for contem- plation, as - we shall explain when treating of the uni- tive way. 2) The devil also at times injects his activity into the morbid predisposition of our nervous system in order to create a turmoil in our souls. He persuades us that we are in the state of mortal sin in order to hinder us from receiv- ing Holy Communion, or to hamper us in the discharge of our duties of state; above all, he strives to deceive us as to the gravity of some act or other in order to make us sin, because of a false conscience, even when there is no matter for sin and much less for grievous sin. 938. 2° Degrees. Evidently there are many degrees ( in; scruples, a) At the outset it is simply question of a me- ticulous conscience, extremely fearful, which sees sin. where sin does not exist; to) then it is a matter of transient scruples which one submits to the judgment of one's spiri- tual director, accepting forthwith his decision; e) lastly, it is a case of scruples properly so called, tenacious and obstinate. '•'•.' 939. 3° Distinction between a Scrupulous and a Delicate Conscience. a) Their genesis or starting-point is not the same.. The delicate conscience loves God ardently and, in order to please.. Him, wants to avoid the least fault, the slightest wilful imperfection. The scrupulous" conscience is led, on by a certain egotism which causes an inordinate eagerness for absolute certainty of one's state of. grace. TIIE~STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. ' 445 b) The delicate conscience, possessed of a horror of sin and ~ knowing its own feebleness, has & rational, yet quiet fear of displeasing God; the scrupulous conscience harbors vain fears of sinning in every circumstance. : e) The tender conscience knows how to discriminate between mortal and venial sin, and, in case of doubt, abides by- the judgment of the spiritual director; the scrupulous conscience peevishly questions the decisions of the spiritual director and submits to them only with difficulty. Whilst scruples are a real evil to be carefully avoided, there is nothing more precious than a delicate conscience. II. The Subject-viatter of Scniples- ' . 940. i° Sometimes scruples are universal, bearing on all subjects. Before an action, they magnify beyond all proportion the dangers that may be encountered in this or that circumstance; after an action, they fill the soul with groundless anxieties and easily convince it of having sinned gravely. , , • 941. 2° More often scruples bear upon a number of particular subje'cts .- ... a) Past confessions:^ even after having made several general confes- sions, one is not satisfied, one fears lest all" has not been accused, or lest sorrow has been defective, and one wants always to begin all 'over again, b) Evil thoughts: the imagination is filled with dangerous or obscene thoughts, and since these make a certain impression, one fears one has given consent, nay one is sure of having consented, although one was quite displeased at them, e) Blasphemous thoughts : because such ideas .cross the mind, one is persuaded of having acquiesced in spite of the horror one experiences, d) The virtue of charity: one has for instance, listened to conversations against the neighbor without protesting; one has, through human respect, neglected the duty of fraternal correctiqn, one has scandalized the neighbor by indiscreet talk, or, one has failed, upon witnessing a crowd congregate, to ascertain whether an accident had occurred where the ministrations of a priest might have been needed to give absolution1 to the dying; in all this, grievous sins are seen, e) The correct pronunciation and enunciation of the words of Consecration, the integral recitation of the Divine Office, etc.... -III. Disadvantages and Advantages of Scruples ' i . ' 942. i? .When one 'has the misfortune of allowing oneself to be governed ^by scruples, baneful effects follow for body and soul : — a) Scruples gradually induce a weakening and a certain unbalancing of the nervous system. Fears and continual anguish exercise a depressing action on bodily health; they 446 CHAPTER V. may even become a real obsession and bring about a species of monomania, bordering on insanity. . r b) Scruples becloud the mind and distor i the judgment : little by little one loses the ability to discern between what is sin and what is not sin, what is grievous and what slight ; and the soul becomes much like a ship -without a rudder. e) Loss of true devotion is often the sequel. The strain of living in anxiety and yvexation turns one into a terrible egotist for whom everybody becomes an object of mistrust, even God, Whom one deems too severe. Complaints arise that He leaves one in that wretched state. Evidently, the heart is incapable then of any genuine devotion. d) Finally, come faults and even grave falls, i) The scrupulous spend their strength in useless efforts overtrifl.es, and retain but little energy to meet important issues, for .the attention cannot be directed to bear with equal inten- sity upon the entire line of battle. Hence, surprises, faults and at times even grievous sins. 2) Besides, they instinct- ively seek relief for their sorrows ; but finding no solace in piety, they seek it elsewhere, in reading and in associations that are dangerous. This is sometimes the occasion of lamentable falls which throw them into a deep state of dejection. 943. 2° On the other hand, if we know how to. accent scruples as a trial, and to correct them gradually with the help of a wise spiritual director we derive from them price- less advantages. ; , a) They serve to purify the soul. By being -intent on avoiding the least sin and the least wilful imperfection, we acquire a great purity of heart. b) They lead us to the actual exercise of humility and obedience by obliging us to refer our doubts in all simplicity to our spiritual director, and to follow his counsel with entire submission not only of will, but of judgment. e) They contribute to increase the purity of our intentions v by detaching us from spiritual comforts arid by having us cling solely to God for Whom our love increases the 'more He puts us to the test. ..,•. .... .: IV. Remedies against Semites 944. Scruples must be attacked before they take deep root in the soul. Now the^ great remedy and indeed the only remedy is obedience, full and absolute obedience to an enlightened spiritual director. The light of conscience THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. - '447 has become dim and we .must seek enlightenment elsewhere. A scrupulous person is exactly- like a ship without rudder or compass. The spiritual director, therefore, must win his confidence and must know how to wield authority over him if he is to effect a cure. x .' • 945. i° Before all else, it is necessary to gain his confid- ence; {for we do not easily obey those whom we do not trust.! This, however, is not always easily accomplished. True,; the scrupulous soul instinctively feels the need of a guide, but some scrupulous persons do not dare abandon themselves entirely to the said guide ; they want to consult, indeed, but also to discuss the reasons'. Now, one must not enter into any discussion with the scrupulous, but speak to them with authority, telling them categorically what they must do. . To inspire this confidence the spiritual director must merit it both by his competence and his devotedness. a) He will allow the penitent to speak first, limiting himself to a few. remarks here and there to show that he has thoroughly understood. After that he will put a few questions to the penitent, to which the latter will answer yes or no, and thus the director will himself conduct the metho- dical examination of the penitent's conscience. Then he .will add : I understand your case, you suffer in this or that manner. To see that he has been well understood is already a great comfort to the penitent, and at times- suffices to win his confidence. i b) Devotedness must be joined to competence. • The spiritual director should therefore show himself patient, listening quietly to the lengthy explanations of the peni- tent, at least at the beginning. He must be kind, taking an interest in that soul and expressing the desire and the hope of curing it. He must be gentle, refraining: from taking a tone of severity or harshness, even when he is obliged to use the language of authority. Nothing wins confidence better than this union of kindness and firmness. 946. 2° Once the spiritual director has: gained the confidence of his penitent, he must exercise his authority and exact obedience, saying : If you want to be cured you must obey blindly : in obeying you are always safe, even if your spiritual director be mistaken, for God demands of you only one thing just now, and that is obedience. . This is so true that if you think that you cannot obey me, you 1 Taking into account his physiological state in consultation, perhaps, with a doctor. 448 CHAPTER V. must seek another spiritual director. Blind obedience alone can cure you, and it will certainly do so. { a) In 'giving his orders the spiritual director must be direct, clear and precise, avoiding any equivocation ; he must be positive, speaking categorically, never conditionally ; for instance, he will not say: If that disturbs your pe^ce, do not do it; rather he will say: Do this, avoid that) spurn such temptation. i b) Generally no reasons must be given for the decisions, especially at the beginning. Later on when the scrupulous penitent is capable of understanding them, and of feeling their weight, the director should briefly state these reasons in order to form his conscience little by little. But there must be no discussion of the decision itself. If there be any obstacles to prevent its immediate execution, they are to be taken into account, but the decision stands. e) The spiritual director must not reverse his judgments. Before giving a decision he considers it fully, and gives no orders that he cannot insist upon; but once an order has been given, it must not be revoked so long as there is no new fact requiring a change. d) To ascertain if the order has been clearly understood, penitents should be asked to restate it, and then it but remains to have them carry it .out. This is difficult; but they must be plainly told that they must report on it, and that if they have failed to- follow the advice given, they will not be listened to until they have complied. There will be ample opportunity, therefore, to repeat the same injunc- tion many times. This is to be done without losing patience, but with increasing firmness, and in the end the scrupulous persons will yield obedience. 947. 3° When the moment arrives, the spiritual director must inculcate the general principle that will enable scrupulous penitents to disregard, all doubts artd if need be, he will have them put this principle in writing in this or a similar form : / dm in conscience, bound to take only evidence into account, that is to say, a certitude that excludes all doubt, a certitude as clear as the one" that tells me that two and two make four. I cannot, therefore, commit a sin either mortal or venial, unless I am absolutely certain that the action I am to perform is forbidden under pain of mortal or venial sin, and that .fully aware of this fact, I will nevertheless to do it just the same. I will, therefore, pay no attention whatsoever to probabilities, no matter how jfV *,*#-•• '.^, ' ,«"*"« ' l ^' ' >*," ' * -"•„ ' , ,. ~* ' THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION. '449 1 strong they may be, I will hold myself bound solely by clear-cut "and positive evidence. Barring such, there is no sin. When the penitent proceeds to accuse himself of having committed a venial or a mortal sin, the confessor must ask : Can you affirm under oath that before acting you saw clearly - that, this action was a sin and that seeing this you gave full consent? Such a question will give precision to the general principle laid down and will make it "better understood. 948. 4° Lastly, this general principle must be applied to the specific difficulties that arise. a) With regard to a general confession^ after allowing it once, the confessor should permit no repetition except when there is certainty, on these two points : i) a mortal sin was committed, and 2). this sin has never been accuseds any valid confession. As for the rest, after a certain lapse of time the spiritual director should declare that the past must not be touched upon under any circumstances and that, should some sin have been omitted, it has been already pardoned along with the others. b) With regard to interior sins, 'thoughts and desires, the following rule should be given -.during the crisis, divert your attention by thinking of any other thing; after the crisis, do not .examine yourself to see if you have sinned or not (this would bring back the temptation), but pursue the even tenor of your way by devoting . yourself to your duties of state, and receive Holy Communion as long as there is no evidence that you have given full consent (n. 909). 949. c) Communion is often a torture to the scrupulous. • . They fear lest they be not in the state of grace or be not fast- ing. Now, i) the fear lest they be not in the state of grace proves that they are not certain of that fact ; hence, they ' should after a sincere act of contrition approach the Sacrament of the Altar; this contrition together with Holy Communion will put them in the state of grace if they are not in it; 2) The' Eucharistic fast must not prevent the scrupulous from receiving Holy Communion unless they are absolutely certain of having broken it. d) Confession for the scrupulous is a still greater torture, and therefore, it must be simplified for them. They should be told: i) You are not bound to accuse any except mortal sins. 2) As to venial faults,, make "mention only of those that happen, to come to your mind during, your short exa- mination of conscience, which should not exceed five minutes.. 3) With regard to contrition, devote a little longer 450 CHAPTER V. time to ask it of God and to excite yourself to it, and then you will have it. Should the penitent answer: " I will not constitute an obstacle to spiritual progress. 960. We must, however, add that the active purifi- cations we have described in this first book do not suffice to render a soul perfectly pure. Therefore, this work of purification will continue through the illuminative way by means of the positive exercise of the moral and the theolo- gical virtiies. It will not be. thoroughly effected until the passive purifications, so well described by St. John of the Cross, supervene in the unitive way. These bestow on the soul the perfect purity of heart normally, necessary to con- templation. Of them we shall treat in the third book. BOOK II The Illuminative Way or The State of. Souls More Advanced in the Spiritual Life 961. Once the soul is purified from past faults by a long and arduous penance, in keeping with the number and gravity of those faults, once it has been grounded in virtue through the practice of meditation, of mortification, and resistance to the disordered inclinations and to temptations, then it enters into the illuminative way. This stage of the spiritual life is thus named because the great aim of the soul is now the imitation, the Following of Christ, by the positive exercise of the Christian, virtues; Jesus is the Light of the World, and whosoever follows Him walks not in darkness: "He that follow eth me walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life." l INTRODUCTION2 Before describing the virtues to be practiced by souls in the illuminative way, there are three questions that must be answered : i° Which are the souls that belong in the illumi- native way? 2° What is the program such souls are to follow? 3° What difference is there between devout and fervent souls walking along this way? I. Which are the souls that belong in the illuminative way? 962. . St. Theresa thus describes the inhabitants of the third mansion, 3 that is to say, the souls that are more advanced in the spiritual life: " They have an intense desire of not offending the Divine Majesty : they avoid even venial sins; they love penitence; they have their ho'urs of recol- lJohn, VI 1 1, 12. , -' ' 2 PHIL. A SS. TRINITATE, Sum, Theol. myst., P. II; LE GAUDIER, De perfect, vita spii:, P. IIa, sect. IIa; SCHRAM, Instit myst., § GUI ; A. SAUDKEAU, Tlie Degrees oj the Spiritual Life, Vol. I, The Illuminative Way, p. 128-35; Cursus Asceticus, Vol. II. 3 Interior Castle, Third Mansion, C. I. BOOK II. — THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY. . 455 lection ; they employ, their time usefully ; they perform works of charity toward the neighbor. Everything about them is in perfect order : their words, their clothes, their homes. " From this description we can draw the following con- clusions. 963. i° Since the illuminative way consists in the imitation of Our Lord, in order to enter therein we must fulfil the three following conditions which enable us to follow the Divine Master through the positive practice of those .virtues of which He has given us the example. A) We must have already acquired purity of heart in some measure, in order to aspire without rashness to that habi- tual union with Our Lord which the imitation of His virtues implies. So long as the soul. remains exposed to fall from time to time into mortal sin, it must above all else avoid energetically the occasions of sin, combat- the evil tendencies of nature and resist temptations. It is only after these obstacles have been overcome that the soul concerns itself with the positive side of virtue. The soul must likewise hold in abhorrence deliberate venial sin and strive to avoid it. • B) In the second place, we must have mortified our passions. To follow Our Lord it is necessary to renounce not merely mortal sin but deliberate venial sin as well, especially such as we often commit and to which we are attached. It is by a determined fight against the passions and the capital sins that 'we gain that self-control which enables us to practice the positive side of virtue and thus to gradually come nearer to the Divine Model. Then, indeed we can lead a well-regulated life, have moments in which to recollect ourselves and devote our time to the fulfilment of our duties of state. 964. C) Lastly, it is necessary that through meditation we should have formed profound convictions on all the great truths, so that in our meditations we can give more time to devout affections and petitions, for it is by these that we attract to our heart Our Lord's virtues, and that we are able to practice them without too much difficulty. . The souls, then, that are progressing in the life of per- fection are recognized by these two principal signs : i) They experience great difficulty in making their mental prayer in a purely discursive fashion; the Holy Ghost inspires them to give less time to considerations • and more to affections and petitions. 2) They are habitually possessed 456 BOOK II. with a longing to be united to Our Lord, to know Him, love Him and imitate Him. 965. 2° From what we have just said, we can see the principal differences between the purgative and the' illumi- native way. ' * A) In both we find effort and struggle; but beginners struggle against sin and 'its causes, whilst the souls in progress struggle to adorn themselves with Christ's virtues. However, there is no opposition between these two ways ; rather one leads into the other. By detaching oneself from sin and its causes in the purgative way, one already exercises oneself in the practice of the virtues, although in their lowest degree, which is predominantly negative. On the • other hand, the positive virtues one practices in the illumi- native way, perfect the detachment from self and from creatures. In the first instance it is the negative, in the second, the positive side that is emphasized. The one completes the other. By entering on the illuminative way one does not cease to practice penance and mortification, but one practices them with the view. of becoming more like Our Lord. B) The means used in the two ways remain substantially the same, but vary in the manner in which they are employed : meditation, which in the purgative .way is discursive, be- comes affective in the illuminative way; thought which here- tofore centered in God, now converges round the Person of Our Lord, to know, love and imitate Him. He becomes the real center of life. II. Program to be followed in the Illuminative Way 966. This program follows from what has been hereto- fore said. - - 1° The direct Object in view is so to assiinilate ourselves to Our Lord that He becomes the center of our lives. A) We make Him the center- of our thoughts. .We love to study His life and His mysteries, The Gospel presents to us new charms : we read it slowly and affection- ately; the least details of Our Savior's life, especially His virtues have a deep interest for us. We find in the Gospel an inexhaustible source of subjects for meditation. . We love to ponder over the words of our Lord, to analyze them and to apply them to ourselves. -When we wish to practice some virtue, it is in Jesus that we study it first of all, recall- ing His teachings and His examples, and finding there the THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY. . great motive for reproducing in ourselves His own dispo- sitions and virtues. It is on Him that we focus our thoughts during Holy Mass and Holy Communion: the liturgical prayers become for us an excellent means of studying Our Saviour.. Lastly, by devout readings we strive to gain a deeper knowledge of His doctrines, especially of His spiritual teachings. It is Jesus we seek in books, "Jesum qutsrens in libris." .- _ , 967. B) This knowledge leads to love, and Jesus becomes the center of our affections, a) How could any one, day after day, contemplate Him Who is t]he perfection of beauty and goodness itself, and' not feel drawn to love Him! "Since I have known Jesus Christ, " said Lacor- daire, •" nothing has seemed to me beautiful enough that I should look upon it with desire."1 If the Apostles on Mt. Thabor were ravished at the sight of the Lord's trans- figured humanity and cried out in wonder. and love: " // is good for us to be here ", 2 our rapture must be still greater as we gaze on the resplendent comeliness of the Risen Christ. b) How can we help loving Him if we often ponder the earnest proofs of love He has given and continues to give us, the Jncarnation, the Redemption, the Holy Eucharist?. St. Thomas has rnarvelously grouped within a single strophe the great things the Saviour has done for us : Se nascens dedit socium, Cbnvescens in edulium, Se moriens in •pretium^ . - Se regnans dnt in pranninm. 3 His birth made Him our fellow, our friend, our brother, and He never departs from us. By instituting the Holy Eucharist He becomes our food and drink, replenishing our souls with His Body, His Blood, and. His Divinity. Dying on .the Cross He paid the price of our' ransom, set us free from the slavery of sin, restored to, us our supernatural life, and gave us the greatest proof of love that friend can give to .friend. In heaven, at 1 CHOCARNE, VieduP. Lacordaire, t. II, 119. *MaUh., XVII, 4. 3 Hymn of Lauds : - " Born man, He makes Himself our kin, He gives His Body at the board, 1 le dies and is the price of sin, " lie reigns and is our sweet reward. " {Translation from Donohue's •" Early Christian Hymns.") 458 . BOOK II, last, He gives Himself as a reward, to be possessed for all eternity; henceforth 'His glory and our happiness are one. For all this we shall never be able to thank Him nor to love Him enough. 968. C) But love leads to imitation. By the very fact that we prize the qualities of a friend, that we are drawn to him by those, qualities, we want to reproduce them in ourselves, so as to be but one with him in heart and soul; for we feel that our union will not be strong and deep unless we share in the thoughts and feelings a'nd actions of our friend. We copy instinctively the one , whom we love.- And thus it is that Jesus becomes the center of our actions, of our whole existence. When we pray, we draw unto ourselves Our Lord with His spirit of religion to glorify the Father and effectively beg for the graces that, we need. When we labor > we unite ourselves to the Divine Artisan of Nazareth, to work as He. did, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. When we want to acquire some virtue, we draw to ourselves the perfect model of that virtue, Jesus, and with Him we strive to practice it. Even our recreations .are taken in union with Him and in His spirit, with a view to labor later on for the' great interests of God and of His Church. 969. 2° To attain this end, however, means must be employed ; these are,' besides vocal prayers and affective 1 mental prayer, a sustained effort to practice those Christian virtues 'which acquaint us better with Christ, increase our love for Him and enable us to follow closer in His footsteps, that is to say, the theological and the moral virtues. We aim at solid virtue, based not on emotions but on deep- rooted convictions. A) We practice these virtues along parallel lines : we cannot exercise ourselves in the practice of the. moral virtues without practicing the theological virtues, and vice versa. Thus we cannot cultivate Christian prudence without being guided by the light of faith, sustained by hope, and stimu- lated by the love of God; in like manner, faith and. hope presuppose prudence, fortitude and temperance, and so it is with the other virtues. However, there are some virtues that harmonize better than others with one or other of the degrees of the illuminative way. Thus, those who have but entered into this way, concentrate their efforts on the exercise of some of the moral virtues, the need of which they feel THE ILLUMINATIVE .WAY. 450 more keenly in order to triumph over pride or sensuality. Later on, when these vices have been • brought under con- trol, such persons devote themselves more especially to the practice of the theological virtues, which unite us more directly to God, , 970. B) The better to understand this teaching, we must briefly note here the difference .between these two kinds .of virtues. , a) The theological virtues have God Himself as their direct object and some divine attribute as their motive. Thus, by Faith I believe in God, relying on His divine authority; by chanty, I love Him because of His infinite goodness. On this very account these virtues unite its directly to God; faith makes us share in His thought, charity in His love. fo) The direct object of moral virtues is some created good^ and their motive, some moral good. Thus the object of justice is the rendering unto each one what is due him, and the motive of this virtue is honesty. These virtues prepare for our union- with God by removing obstacles, and they even initiate that union ; for instance, by being just I become one with God, Who is justice itself. However, it is the theological virtues that directly constitute and perfect our union with God. • • 971. C) From this it follows that if we study the virtues in the order of their excellence, we must begin with the theological virtues; but if we follow, as we do here, the psychological order, which proceeds from the less to the more perfect, then we must begin with the study of the moral virtues, without however losing sight of the aforesaid remark concerning the parallel development of all Christian virtues. III. Two Classes of Souls in the Illuminative Way In the illuminative way there are many classes of souls, two of which are of special interest : devout souls and fervent souls. , " . 972. i ° Devout souls- are those possessed of good-will, of ambition to do good, and who strive by serious efforts to avoid deliberate faults. But as yet, they are vain and presumptuous. Little inured to self-denial, they lack energy, steadiness of purpose, especially in the face of trials'. Hence the' frequent vacillation in their conduct : ready to suffer 1 460- BOOK II. — THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY. when trials are far of, they lack patience when facing pain and desolation; quick to iorm generous resolves, they carry them out but imperfectly in practice, especially if unforeseen obstacles arise. Therefore, their advance is slow, and they stand in need- of cultivating the virtues of fortitude, of constancy and of humility. .973. -2° Fervent souls are more humble and more generous. Distrustful of self and confident in God, and already habituated to. the practice of Christian selrVdenial, they are more energetic and "more constant. However, their abnegation is neither absolute nor universal. They long ,for perfection, but their virtue has not yet been soli- dified by trial. When consolation and 'spiritual joy come, they welcome them and rest complacently in them. They have not as yet the love of the cross. The firm resolutions they take in the morning, they carry out but partially during the day, because they lack constancy. They have so far -advanced in' the love of God that they actually renounce what is dangerous, but they bestow their affections, at times overmuch, upon what God allows them to love : their parents, their friends, the consolations they find in their exercises of piety. They have still to detach themselves more perfectly from whatever hinders their union with God. We shall not treat separately of these two classes .of souls. The spiritual director will choose from' among the virtues we describe the ones best suited to each individual. DIVISION OF THE SECOND BOOK . . 974. The aim of souls in the illuminative way being that of making Jesus the very center of their lives, i° they must give themselves to the practice of affective prayer, in order to draw from it the knowledge, the love, and the imitation of their divine Model. 2° They must practice in a special though not exclusive manner, those moral virtues which, by removing the obstacles to union with God, initiate this union with Him, the Exemplar of all perfection. 3° Then the theological virtues which they, practiced in the purgative way side by side with the moral virtues, develop in them and become the great motive power in their life. 4° But,. since the warfare is far from being over, they must foresee and make ready for new onslaughts of the enemy. * Hence this second book comprises four chapters. 1 We shall, therefore, not treat here, in the illuminative way, of \hz passive puri- fication of the senses, nor of the prayer of quiet. These are the beginnings of CHAPTER I. — AFFECTIVE PRAYER. . 40 1 C. ,!.•'. .'-** AFFECTIVE PRAYER, THE DISTINCTIVE PRAYER , OF THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY . ~ . _' C. II. — MORAL VIRTUES ' C. III.'— THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES C. IV. —-STRUGGLE AGAINST THE NEW OFFENSIVES OF " THE ENEMY CHAPTER I Affective Prayer1 ••* . ..•'•" 975. Souls in the illuminative way continue in the practice of the same spiritual exercises as beginners (n. 657),- but by increasing "their number ancT by, prolonging them, they approach the state of habitual prayer, already described in 11. 522, which finds its perfect .realization only in the uni- tive way.. They apply themselves particularly to, the practice of affective prayer, which little by little takes the place of discursive meditation. We shall explain : i° the nature of affective prayer; 2° its advantages; 3° its diffi- culties; 4° its method. ART. I; NATURE OF AFFECTIVE PRAYER 976. i° Definition. -Affective prayer, as the term indicates, is that form of prayer in .which devout affections predominate, that is, those various acts of the will whereby we express to God our love and our desire of glorifying Him. In this kind of prayer the heart is engaged to a greater extent than .the mind. Beginners, as we have said (n. 668), need to acquire convictions ; therefore they insist upon reasoning and give but little • time to affections. But in. proportion as these convictions grow and take root in the soul, less time is infused contemplation and therefore belong to the unitive way. However, we bug to call the reader's attention to the fact that some writers of note hold that the first passive purification and the prayer of quiet belong to the illuminative way. Cf. GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE, Perfect. Chrtt. et contemplation, t. I,vp. VIII. . 1 THOMAS DE VALLGORNERA, Q. II, disput. VI; RODRIGUEZ, Christian Per- fection, P. I, Treat.- V; CRASSET, A Key to Meditation; COURBON, Familiar Instructions on. Menial Prayer; LALLEMANT, -Spiritual Doctrine, Seventh Principle; GROU, How to Pray; POULAIN; Graces of. Interior Prayer, C. II; LEHODEY, The. W ays of Mental Prayer , P. II, C. VIII; SAUDREAU, The Degress of the Spiritual Life, Vol. I, P. 249-274; BEI.ORGEY, The' Practice of Mental Prayer. 462 CHAPTER I, required to renew them and greater play is allowed to the affections. Smitten with love for God and charmed by the beauty of virtue, we rise with greater ease in loving aspirations towards the Author of all good in order to worship Him, to praise Him, to thank Him, to love Him; towards Our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Exemplar, Master, Friend, and Brother, in order to offer Him the tenderest sentiments of love; towards the Most Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God and -our Mother, the dispenser of God's gifts, in order to express to her our filial, trustful and unselfish love (n. 1 66). Other sentiments ajrise spontaneously in the soul : senti- ments of shame, of confusion and humiliation at the sight of our miseries; ardent desires to become better, and confident petitions to obtain the necessary grace; zeal for God's glory- which makes us pray for the great interests of the Church and the welfare of souls. 977. 2° Transition from discursive meditation to affective prayer. One does not attain suddenly to this kind of prayer. There is a period of transition when to a greater or lesser extent considerations and affections intermingle. There follows another period in which consi- derations still take place, but in the form of a colloquy after this fashion: " Help me, 0 my God, to realize how neces- sary is this virtue. " Some brief moments are then given to reflection, and the colloquy continues : " I thank Thee, 0 my God, for Thy divine lights. Vouchsafe to burn into my soul these truths, in order that they may affect my life more deeply... Help me, I beseech Thee, to see how short 1 fall of this virtue... what I must do to practice it better... this very day. " At last, a time arrives when reasoning all but ceases, or at least, it is so rapidly done that the greater part of prayer is passed in devout colloquies. Still, at times one feels the need of returning for a few moments to consi- derations so as to keep the mind sufficiently occupied. In all this one must follow the motions of grace under the guidance of a spiritual director. ; 978. 3° Sighs that warrant this change. A) It is important that we recognize the signs which tell us when to relinquish discursive for affective prayer. To "do so ^prema- turely would be imprudent, for if the soul is not yet suffi- ciently advanced to entertain these affections, it will fall into distractions or aridity. On the other hand, it would be a loss to make the change too late, for according to all spiritual writers, affective prayer is more fruitful than AFFECTIVE PRAYER. 463 discursive prayer, since it is chiefly by acts of the will that we give glory to God and attract virtue to ourselves. \ . B) These signs are as follows: i) When despite good- will one finds it difficult to pursue considerations or to draw profit from them, and at the same time one is inclined towards affections in prayer. 2) When convictions are so firmly rooted in the soul that it takes but a moment to recall them. 3) When the heart, detached from sin, easily tends towards God or towards Our Lord. However, since no one is a fair judge in his own case, these signs are to be- submitted 'to the judgment of the spiritual director. 979. 4° Means. of fostering affections in prayer. A) These devout affections are -multiplied and prolonged chiefly through the exercise of the virtue of charity, for they spring from a heart where the love of God reigns supreme. It is such a heart that moves us to admire the divine perfections. Aglow with faith, it makes visible to our eyes the infinite beauty, the goodness, and the loving mercy of God ; a sense of awe and of wonder arises sponta- neously and in turn gives birth to gratitude, praise, % and delight in God. The more the soul loves God, the more are these various acts prolonged. The same is true of love towards Our Lord Jesus Christ. When, we pass in review His many favors to us (n. 967), the sufferings He has endured for us, the love He shows us now in the Holy Eucharist, we are easily drawn on to sentiments of admi- ration, adoration, gratefulness, pity, love, and we feel constrained to praise and bless One Who loves us so much. t 980. B) To nurture this love, souls in the illuminative way should be advised tcr meditate frequently on the great truths that recall to us what God has done and ceaselessly does for us: — a) The indwelling of the Three Divine Persons in our soul and Their paternal action in our regard (n. 92-130). b) Our incorporation into Christ and the part He plays in the Christian life (n. 132-153). His life, His mysteries and, above all, His cruel Passion, His love in the Eucharist. e) The share of the Blessed Virgin, the Angels and the Saints in the Christian life (n. 154-189). Herein we find an excellent means of lending variety to the affections by addressing ourselves now to our Mother in Heaven, now to the Holy Angels, especially to.pur Guardian Angel, now to the Saints, and in particular to those that inspire in us greater devotion. cl) .Such vocal prayers as the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Hymns of St. Thomas to the Blessed Sacrament, etc. .. which abound in sentiments of love, gratitude, conformity to God's will.- 464 CHAPTER I. e) The fundamental virtues: religion towards God, .obedience to superiors, humility," fortitude, temperance, and, above all,: the three theological virtues. These virtues are. to be considered now not in the abstract but as exemplified by Our Lord. It is in order to resemble Him and to show Him our love that we strive to practice them. f ) We must nevertheless continue to meditate on penance, mortifi- cation, sin, and the last things, but in a manner different from that of beginners. We should consider Our Lord as a perfect model of penance and of mortification, loaded down with the burden of our transgressions and atoning for them through a long martyrdom, and we should strive to draw to ourselves these virtues. Should we meditate von death, heaven, and hell, it will be to detach ourselves from created things in order to unite ourselves to Jesus .and thereby secure the 'grace of a happy death and a bright throne in heaven, close to Jesus. ART. II. ADVANTAGES OF AFFECTIVE PRAYER • ' \ ' - ' These flow from the very nature of this prayer. 981. i° The principal advantage is a closer and more abiding union with God. Because this prayer multiplies affective acts, it produces an increase of love for God. Thus the affections 'are at once effect and cause. They spring_from our love of God and at the same time perfect that love, since virtues grow by the repetition :of the same acts. For the same reason they give us a better knowledge of the divine perfections. For, as St. Bonaventure * points out, "the best way to arrive at a knowledge of God is to taste the sweetness of His love; this is a far better way, worthier, and' more gratifying, than the way of intellectual research." Just as we form a better appreciation of the fine quality of a tree by tasting the fruit it produces, so we realize all the better the worth of the divine attributes, once we experience the charming tenderness of God's love. This knowledge in turn increases our charity, our earnestness, and urges us on to the perfect exercise of all virtues. 982. 2° Because affective prayer increases our love for God, it perfects all the virtues that flow from charity : a) conformity to God's will, for we delight in doing the will of those we love; b) desire to procure the glory of God and the salvation of souls, for if we love we cannot but praise and seek praise for the object of our affections; e) love of silence and recollection, for we want to be alone .with Him Whom we love, in order to think the oftener of Him and to tell Him again of our love; d) desire of frequent Communion, for we want te possess as perfectly as we can the object of *-Sevi..L III, 'dist. 35; a. i, q. 2. AFFECTIVE PRAYER. 465 our love, to welcome Him joyfully into our hearts and joyfully abide with Him all the day long; e) the spirit of sacrifice, for we know that we cannot be one with the Crucified and through Him with God, except inasmuch as . we deny ourselves and sacrifice pur ease in order to carry our cr.oss without faltering and to accept all the trials that Providence sends us. '.. 983. 3° In affective prayer we often find spiritual con- solation. There is no purer, no sweeter joy than that found in the companionship of a friend, and Jesus being the tenderest and most generous of friends, we relish in His presence a. taste of Heaven's joys : To be with Jesus is a sweet paradise. True, side by side with these joys there are at times trials, such as aridity, but we accept these with a sweet resignation and we tell God again and again that in spite of all we wish to love and serve Him. The thought that we suffer for God's sake alleviates pur sufferings and becomes a source of consolation. - - - We may add that affective prayer is not as difficult as discursive prayer. In the latter, fatigue follows quickly upon the effort of reasoning, whilst if we let our heart pro- duce sentiments of love/of gratitude, of praise, the soul experiences a sweet rest, and is thus enabled to conserve its energies for action. 984.- 4° Lastly, affective prayer becomes more and more simple as we lessen the number and the variety of affections and intensify a certain few of them, a'nd it thus leads us 'on gradually to • the prayer of simplicity. This already constitutes acquired contemplation, and it prepares for infused contemplation the souls that are called to it. Of this we shall speak when treating of the unifive way. ART. III. THE DISADVANTAGES AND THE DANGERS- OF AFFECTIVE PRAYER The best things in this world are not free from disadvan- tages and dangers. This holds true of. affective prayer unless it be practiced with discretion. . We shall now point out its dangers and disadvantages together with the proper remedies. , .. . .../.. ' ' 985. i° The first danger is mental strain, leading to fatigue, and exhaustion. Some persons, anxious to lend intensity to their affective acts, strain their minds • and hearts, and violently bestir themselves to produce acts of NO 680. -17 ' 466 CHAPTER I. love in which nature plays 'a greater part than grace. Such' efforts wear out their nervous system and cause ,the blood to rush , to the brain; a sort of slow fever con- sumes their strength and they are soon exhausted. Physio- logical .disorders even may ensue, and sensations more or less sensual may join .with devout affections. '. ; : 986. This is a serious defect which must be corrected at .the very outset by consulting a wise director and following1 his advice. Now, the remedy consists in the profound conviction that true love of God is centered in the will rather than in the feelings; that the generosity of that love does not consist in vehement * emotional transports, but in .a calm and determined purpose of .refusing nothing to Almighty God. Let us bear in mind that love is an act of the will. No doubt, it does react on the feelings and excite more or less lively emotions, yet these do not con- stitute the essence of true devotion ; they are but acciden- tal manifestations thereof which must remain subject to ,the will and must be regulated by it. In the absence of this control, the emotions gain the ascendency, (which means disorder) and instead of fostering solid piety, they make it degenerate into sentimental, at times into sensual love, for all violent emotions are fundamentally of the same kind, and the passage "from one to the other is easy. We must therefore strive to spiritualize our affections, to 'moderate them and press them into the service of the will. Then we shall enjoy a peace that -lies above and beyond all feeling, " The peace of God which surpasseth all understanding."2 . ' - 987. 2° The second danger of affective prayer is pride and presumption. Because one is possessed of good and noble sentiments, of holy desires, of fine projects for spiri- tual progress ; because one experiences sensible fervor, and in such moments scorns the pleasures and goods and vani- ties of this world, one becomes easily persuaded that one is far more advanced in the spiritual life than one really is, and 'one may even wonder whether one has not all but reached the heights of perfection and contemplation. At times, one may even hold one's breath at prayer awaiting some divine communication. These sentiments show, on i No doubt, there are Saints who have at times experienced transports of love, which manifested themselves by sensible phenomena; these however were not pro- duced by the Saints themselves, but by the grace of God. -To wish to stir up .violent emotions in oneself by way of imitation of the Saints would amount to presumption. '— 2 Phil., IV, 7. AFFECTIVE PRAYER. 467 the contrary, that one is still far removed from .such exalted - heights; for/the saints arid the truly fervent distrust them- selves, ; ever, regard themselves as the worst, 'arid readily believe that others are -better than themselves. Therefore^ one must return to the practiee,of humility and self-distrust, taking into ^consideration what we shall say subsequently regarding this virtue. Besides, when these \ sentiments 'of pride develop, God frequently takes, it upon ^Himself to bring back such souls to a right sense of: their unworthiness, and their insufficiency, by depriving them7 of consolations and of choice graces. Then they, realize that they. -are as yet far removed from the desired goal. : . • ••'.;, 988. 3° There are some who make their .entire devptipn' consist in a quest after 'spiritual Qotts^ationSy /whilst, they neglect their duties of state and the practice of the ordinary" virtues. Provided, they are able to make what :they con- sider beautiful meditations, they imagine themselves tO;h)'ei perfect. This is a gross delusion. There is no perfection without conformity to the "divine will; and it is God's will that besides keeping the commandments we should faith-; ' fully discharge our duties .of state, practice the homely; virtues of modesty, kindness, graciousness, amiability, :as well as the greater ones. To believe that ; one is- a sainti because one loves prayer and especially the comforts, of prayer, is to forget that he alone is .perfect , who doesVthe will of God : " Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lorcl,' shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven: but he that /doth the will of my Father. "* '....,;,. . : ; ; ; !: ': Once we know how to remove these obstacles, and dan- gers by using the means indicated, affective prayer becomes highly conducive to our spiritual progress as well as to the . exercise of apostolic zeal. 7; . , T|v ART. IV. METHODS OF AFFECTIVE PRAYER These methods are reduced to two types : the method of St. Ignatiiis and that of St. Sulpice. • \.The Methods of St. Ignatius? A, • Among the methods of St.. .Ignatius there are three related to affective prayer : ' IQ Contemplation. ,2^ The Application °f the Senses. 3° Meditated vocal prayer. " . . . lMatth., VII, 21. ''".'. 3 ST. IGNATIUS, Spiritual Exercises, and week; R. DE MAUMIGNY, Practice of Cental Prayer, I, P. V. 468 CHAPTER I. 1° ST. IGNATIUS' METHOD OP CONTEMPLATION • 989. It is not question here of infused contemplation nor even of acquired contemplation,: but of a method of affective prayer. To contemplate any given thing is not merely to glance at it, but to linger on it with pleasure, to look, at it with wonder and love, much as a mother gazes upon her child. The object of this contemplation ^ may be the mysteries -of Our Lord or the divine attributes. When we meditate upon some mystery: i) we contem- plate the persons who take part in it, for instance, the Most Blessed Trinity, Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, the Saints; 2) we listen to their words, see to whom they are addressed, and search their meaning ; ' 3) we consider the nature and circumstances of their actions. . : All these lead us to. offer our homage to God, to Jesus Christ, to Our Lady and to the Saints, and thus to know and to love better our Blessed Saviour. 990. That this contemplation may be fruitful! we look upon the mystery in question, not as a past event, but as one actually, taking place before our eyes. Moreover, we do not snuply witness the mystery, but actively share in it, for example, by making our own the. sentiments that animated the Blessed Virgin at the moment of Our Lord's birth. Besides, we seek to attain some practical result, for example, a more intimate knowledge of Jesus, a more unselfish love for Him. . We can easily see how a subject thus considered readily admits of all sentiments of admiration, adoration, gratitude, love towards God, as well as of .self-reproach, unworthiness, sorrow at the sight of our sins, in a word, of every kind of prayer which we can offer for ourselves and for others. . ... .In order that these manifold affections, may not alter our peace of soul, we must hot forget the wise remark of St. Ignatius * : " If I experience in this or that point of meditation such sentiments .as I wanted to. excite in my soul, I shall stop and tarry there, without concerning myself with proceeding further, until my soul has had its fill ; for it is not an abundance of knowledge that lays hold on the soul and satisfies it, but the inward relish of the truths it meditates. " .2° THE APPLICATION OF THE SENSES : ''".-,; ' \ .__•.--- , v 991. This is the name given to a very simple and very devout way of meditating. It consists in the imaginative or spiritual exercise of our senses upon some mystery o( Our Lord's life, in order that the soul may attain to a fuller realization. of all the circumstances attending the said mys- tery, and that the heart may be moved to stir up pious sentiments and to make good resolutions. ' . 1 Spiritual Exercises, and annot., 4th addit.; R. DE MAUMIGNY, Practice of Mental Prayer, I, P. V. • • AFFECTIVE PRAYER. 469 The following is an example taken from the mystery of the Nativity. 1) Application, of the sense of sight :\ see the tiny'Babe laid in the manger, the straw whereon He rests, the swaddling clothes wherewith He is wrapped. . I see His little hands trembling with cold, His eyes glistening with tears. This Infant is my God! I adore Him with lively sentiments of faith. I see the Blessed Virgin, a picture of meekness and heavenly beauty! I see her taking the Child Jesus in her arms, covering Him tenderly, .pressing Him to her heart and laying Him upon the straw. That Babe is her Son and her God! I wonder and pray. Then I think of Holy Communion, in which I receive the self-same Jesus. Do I have Mary's faith, Mary's love? 2) Application of the sense of hearing :\ hear the cries of the Divine Infant. I hear the sobs that suffering wrings from Him. He is cold, He suffers, chiefly because of the hard-heartedness of men. I listen to the words His heart speaks to the heart of His Mother. I hearken to the answer She makes, an answer full of faith, of adoration, of humil- ity, of love. I join in her sentiments. . 3) Application of the sense of smell: I breathe the aroma of the vir- tues the lowly manger holds, the fragrance of Christ Jesus, and I beg my Savior to grant me that spiritual sense that .will enable jne. to breathe in the perfume of His humility. 4) Application of the sense of taste: I relish the delight of being nigh to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the delight of loving them, and the better to enjoy this delight I silently rest close to my Savior. 5) Application of the sense' of 'touch : With -loving reverence I feel that straw whereon my Savior lies, I press it to my lips with love; and by the leave of the Divine Child, I kiss His sacred feet.1 . One ends by holding a devout colloquy with Jesus and with His Blessed Mother, asking the grace of loving this Divine Savior with a more generous love. 992. As to meditation on the divine attributes, it is made by considering each of them with sentiments of ador- ation, of praise, and of love, in order to arrive at the complete surrender of self to God. 2 3° VOCAL PRAYER MEDITATED 993. This method of meditating consists in a leisurely consideration of any vocal prayer, such as the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Hail Holy Queen etc., in order to ponder and relish the meaning of each word. Thus, with the Lord's Prayer,- we consider the first word and say, for instance : 0 my God, Thou the Eternal,; the Almighty Creator of all things, Thou hast adopted me as Thy child, Thou art my Father. Thou art so, because at Baptism Thou hast vouchsafed to have: me share in that divine life which is Thine, because each day Thou dost foster it in my soul. Thou art so, because Thou lovest me with a love 1 St. Ignatius dares not go 'this far. Other Saints have done so, and if grace prompts us we may imitate them. 3 See the last contemplation of St. Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises, IV Week. 470 CHAPTER I. surpassing that of any earthly father or mother for a child, because Thou dost encompass me with a solicitude truly paternal. ' , We dwell upon this one word as long as we find therein new depths of meaning and draw therefrom fresh sentiments that yield some light, strength or consolation. If we find in one word or two sufficient matter for all the time of our prayer, we do not proceed further, but we relish these words, draw from them some practical conclusion, and pray to be enabled to carry it out. These methods are three simple and easy ways of making affective prayer. 1 1. The Method of St. Sulpice , : - . We have already noted, n. 701, that this method is particularly adapted to affective prayer. Souls in: the illum- inative way may make profitable use of it if only they bear in mind the following remarks : 994. 1° The first point, the adoration, which was father brief for beginners, is now prolonged more and more, and at times .may take up, over- one-half .of the time of meditation. The soul, seized by love for God, admires, adores,: praises, blesses, thanks now the Three Divine Persons, now each of Them in particular, now Our Blessed Lord, the perfect model of the virtue we wish to make our own. According to circumstances, the soul likewise offers here its .reverent, grateful, and loving homages to the Blessed Virgin and to the Saints, and whilst -so doing it feels itself drawn to imitate their virtues. . - 995. 2° The second point, the communion, likewise becomes almost completely affective. The few .considera- tions made are rather brief, and they are made in the form of a colloquy with God or with Our Lord, thus : " Help me, O my God, to establish this truth more firmly in my soul..." These colloquies are accompanied or followed by outpour- ings of gratitude for the lights received, and by ardent desires of practicing the virtue upon which we meditate. On turning to examine ourselves with regard to this virtue, we do so under the gaze of Jesus and by comparison with this Divine Model. The result is a clearer realization, by far, of. our defects and of our misery which are brought out by the contrast between Him and us. Then sentiments of humiliation and shame are more deeply felt, our confidence in God increases because we find ourselves before the Divine Healer of souls, and instinctively the heart utters 1 A. DC/RAND, op. fit,, p. 458-459; R. DE MAUMIGNY, 7. e.t C. VI. AFFECTIVE PRAYER. 471 the cry: "Lord, behold him whom Thou lovest is sick."1 Earnest petitions are then made for the grace of practicing some particular virtue, petitions in behalf of others, petit- ions for the universal Church, petitions full of confidence, because being incorporated into Christ, we know our prayers have His support. 996. 3° The third point, the co-operation^ assumes a more affective character : the resolution that we form is submitted to Jesus for approval, and the desire which prompts us to carry it out in practice is that of becoming even more thoroughly one with Christ. For the realization of this good purpose we rely on His collaboration, while distrusting ourselves. We associate this resolution with a spiritual bouquet, a loving aspiration which we repeat often during the course of the day, and which helps us not only to put our resolution into practice, but also to remind us of Him Who inspired it. 997. There are times, however, when the soul affected by aridity., cannqt, save with great difficulty, produce such affections. Then, in sweet abandonment to the will of God, it reaffirms its determination to love Him, to remain loyal to Him, to abide in His presence and in His service, no matter what it may cos"t; it humbly avows its own unwor- thiness, its own powerlessness, makes its will one with Christ's, offers with Him the homages,. He renders to God and joins thereto its own suffering at not being able to do more to honor the .Divine Majesty. These acts of the will are even richer in merit than devout affections. Such are the principal methods of affective prayer. Let each one choose the method best adapted to himself, and, under the influence of divine grace, take from it what actually answers to his needs and supernatural attractions. In this manner the soul will advance in the practice of virtue." • ' . .;.-. •: *John, XI, 3. 472 CHAPTER II, CHAPTER II The Moral Virtues1 . Before proceeding to describe them singly, we must briefly recall the theological notions concerning the infused virtues. < . PRELIMINARY NOTIONS CONCERNING THE INFUSED VIRTUES - . First we shall speak of the infused virtues in general, and then of the moral virtues in particular. , I. The Infused Virtues in General* 998. There are natural virtues, that is to say, there'are good habits, acquired through the frequent repetition of acts, that render easy the performance of morally good actions. Thus, pagans and unbelievers can with the help of God's natural concurrence acquire and gradually perfect the moral virtues of prudence,- justice, fortitude and temper- ance. We do not treat here of these natural virtues, but of the supernatural or infused virtues as they exist in the Christian soul. 999. Raised to the supernatural state, and having no other destiny than the Beatific Vision, we must tend thereto through acts performed under the influence of supernatural principles and of supernatural motives, for there mu$t be a proportion between the end and the acts that lead to.it. And so, the virtues which the world calls natural, must be practiced by us in a supernatural manner. As Father Gar- rigou-Lagranges, following St. Thomas, rightly says : " The Christian moral virtues are infused' and because of their formal object, are essentially distinct from the highest of acquired moral virtues described by the greatest philoso- » ST.' THOMAS, la Has, q. 55-67; II* 11^, q. 48-170; SUAREZ, Disput. metaphsy., XLIV; de Passionibus et habitibus, De fide etc.; JOANNES A S. THOMA, Carsits theol., Tr. de Passionibus, habitibus et virtutibus, etc.; ALVAREZ DE PAZ, t. II, lib. Ill, de adeptione virtutum; PHIL. A SS. TRINIT., P. It, tr. II, dis. I, II;, J. J. OLIER, Introd. a la vie et aux vertus chrtt.; RIBET, Les vertus et les dons; P. DE SMEDT, Notre vie surnaturelle, I. II; ST. FRANCIS OF SALES, Devout Life, passim; GAY, Christian Life and Virtues. 2 ST. THOMAS, la Use, q. 62-63 ;, SUAREZ, De passionibus et. habitibus, diss. Ill; J. A ST. THOMA, op. tit., disp. XVI; L. BILLOT, De virt. infusis; P. JANVIER, Careme 1906; P. GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE, Perfect, chret. et contemplation, p. 62-75. SO/. cit,t p. 64. -•'-;-• THE MORAL VIRTUES. 473 pliers... There is an infinite difference between Aristotelian temperance with reason as its only rule, and Christian tem- perance with the superadded rule of divine faith and super- natural prudence. " We have already shown in nos. 121-122, how these virtues are communicated to us by the Holy Ghost dwelling in us; now we have but to describe : i° their nature, 2° their growth, 3° their decline, 4° the bond of union existing among them. - i° THE NATURE OF THE INFUSED VIRTUES 1000. . A) The infused virtues are principles of action which God ingrafts in us, that they may perform in the soul the function of -supernatural faculties and may thus enable us to perform meritorious acts. • ' ' ' \ There exists an essential difference between the infused and the acquired virtues from the threefold point of view of origin, mode of operation, and purpose. a) As regards origin, the natural virtues are acquired by the repeti- tion of the same acts, whilst the supernatural virtues proceed from God, Who implants them1 in the soul together with habitual grace. b) From the point of view of operation^ the natural virtues, because . they are acquired through the repetition of the same acts, give us a facility for producing the like acts readily and with a sense of pleasure ; the supernatural virtues, placed by God in the soul, simply give us the power to produce meritorious acts, together with a certain tendency towards the production of these acts ; facility will come with frequent repetition.- e) With regard to their purpose, the natural virtues seek natural righteousness and direct us towards the Creator, the God of Nature; the infused virtues pursue supernatural good and lead us to the God of Revelation, the Triune God, made known to us by faith. Hence, the motives inspiring the latter must be supernatural ; they all refer to our friendship with God. I practice prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude, in order to be one with God. • • .. 1001* It follows that acts of supernatural virtue are. possessed of a far higher perfection than acts of acquired virtue1. Christian temperance, for instance, leads us not merely to the moderation needed to maintain man's dignity, but to positive practices of mortification whereby we become^ more like Our Savior; Christian humility not only makes us avoid the excesses of pride and of anger incompatible with right reason, but it causes us to embrace humiliation, which renders us more like Our Divine Exemplar. 1 Sugt. thedl, II» Use, q. 63, a. 4; H. NOBLE, 'Vie sfiritvelle, Nov. 1921 P. 103-1104. 474 CHAPTER II. There is therefore an essential difference .between acquired and infused virtues; for their principle and their motive differ. 1002. B) We have said that facility in the exercise of the infused virtues is acquired by the repetition of the same acts and lends readiness, ease and pleasure to action. Three main causes concur in producing this happy result : a) Habit lessens the obstacles or the resistance offered by our lower nature, and thus, with the same amount of effort, better' results are obtained, b) Habit likewise renders our faculties, more pliant, makes them quicker to respond to the motives that' lead us to good and more skilful in the attainment of the good perceived ; we even experience a certain satisfaction in the exercise of faculties so well trained; much as a musician does in playing upon a delicate instrument, e) Lastly, actual grace, bestowed upon us in proportion- to our faithful correspon- dence, likewise gives us a singular facility to perform our task and to love it. We may note in passing that this facility once acquired is not immediately lost when by mortal sin we lose the infused virtue; but being the result of oft- repeated acts, it still remains for a time, in virtue of the psychological laws governing acquired habits. 2° THE GROWTH OF INFUSED VIRTUES 1003. A) The infused virtues are susceptible of growth in the soul and do, as a matter of fact, grow there with the increase of habitual grace, whence they flow. This growth is God-given, since He alone can give us an increase of divine life and of the elements that constitute it. Now, God causes this increase when we receive the Sacraments, perform good works, or recite our prayers. a) Because of their very. institution, the Sacraments cause within us an increase of habitual grace, and thereby of the infused virtues that go with grace, in proportion to our dispositions, hos. 2,59-261. b) Our good works, also, merit not only glory, but an increase of habitual grace and thereby an increase of the infused virtues. This increase depends in a large measure upon the fervor of our dispositions, no. 237. e) Prayer, besides its meritorious value, has an impetratory power; it obtains an increase of grace and of virtue in proportion to the fervor with which we pray. It is important, then, that we unite our prayers to those of the Church and that with her we ask for an increase of faith, hope, and charity. . • B) According to St. Thomas, this increase is effected not by an accession of degree or of quantity, but by a wore perfect and more effective possession of the virtue. It is in this manner that virtues take deeper root in the soul and become more solid and more active. © THE MORAL VIRTUES. 475 * 1 . ' ^ .- ' . . 3° THE DECLINE AND Loss OF THE VIRTUES' Any activity that is given up or is brought into play but seldom, tends to. decline or even to be lost entirely. 1004. A) The Weakening of the Virtues. In reality, ' the infused virtues' cannot be decreased, any more than 'can sanctifying grace, on which they depend. Venial sin can- not diminish them, just as.it cannot decrease habitual grace itself. But venial sin, especially when frequent and fully deliberate, does hinder considerably the exercise of these virtues, by lessening the facility acquired through previous acts. This facility is the result of earnestness and perseve- rance in effort; but deliberate venial faults chill our ardor, and partly paralyze our activity, no. 730. Thus, venial sins against the virtue of temperance, though they do not detract from that infused virtue -itself, gradually lessen the facility once acquired for mortifying sensuality. Besides, abuse of grace causes a reduction of the number of actual graces which help in the exercise of the virtues, and- on this account the practice of virtue lacks vigor. Lastly, as 'we have stated, (no. 731) deliberate venial .faults pave the way for grave ones and thereby for the loss of the virtues. 1005. B) The Loss of the Virtues. We can state as a principle that the infused virtues are lost by any act that destroys their formal object, their motivei In fact, virtue is thereby torn oitt by the roots. a) Thus, charity is forfeited by any mortal sin, for such sin destroys the formal object or basis of that virtue, since mortal sin is directly opposed to God's infinite goodness. b) The infused moral virtues also are lost through any mortal -sin. They are bound to charity in such wise, that they come and go with it. However, the facility, that had been acquired to perform acts of pru- dence, of justice etc., remains for a time after the infused virtues- have been lost, due to the persevering character of acquired habits. e) As to the virtues of faith and hope, these abide in the soul, even when grace has been lost by mortal sin, unless it' be a sin directly opposed to either of these virtues. This is so because other sins do not destroy in the soul the foundations of faith or of hope; besides God in His infinite mercy wills that these two virtues stay with us as a last anchor of salvation. As long as we believe and as long as we hope conversion remains relatively easy. 4° THE BOND OF UNION EXISTING AMONG THE VIRTUES 1006. It is often said that all virtues are correlated. This demands explanation. A) First of ^charity rightly conceived and rightly practiced comprises all the virtues ; not only faith and hope 476 CHAPTER II. (which is evident), but even the moral virtues, as we have explained, following St.. Paul, in no. 318 : " Charity is patient, is kind, etc." This is true in the sense that he who loves God and the neighbor for God's sake, is ready to practice , one and all the virtues the moment- conscience makes him aware of his obligation. As a matter of fact one cannot truly love God above all things, and not want to observe His commandments and even some of the counsels. Besides, the proper function of charity is that of directing all our acts towards God, pur last end, and hence of controlling the acts of all the Christian virtues. One may say that a growth in charity is attended by a positive growth in the other virtues as well. . . .However, whilst the love of God inclines the will towards acts of the moral virtues and facilitates their practice, it does not immediately and necessarily bestow the perfection of all these virtues, for instance, of prudence, of humility, of obedience, of chastity. A sincerely converted sinner, for example, who had previously contracted evil habits, will not, though practicing charity in all earnestness, become at once perfectly prudent, perfectly chaste, or temperate. Time and effort will be required before he can discard old habits and form new ones. 1007. B) Since charity constitutes the form, the fulness of perfection of all the virtues, the latter are never perfect without it. Thus faith and hope which abide in the sinner's soul are indeed real virtues, but remain incomplete, that is to say, they lack that quality that directs them towards God as last end ; and so the acts of faith and of hope per- formed in the state of sin cannot merit heaven, even though they are supernatural and form a preparation for con- version. ' 1008. C) With regard to the moral ., virtues, if one possesses them in their perfection, that is to say, animated by charity and in a somewhat high degree, they are truly correlated in this sense that we cannot be in possession of one without possessing the others. Thus, all virtues in order to be perfect, require the virtue of prudence. Pru- dence itself cannot be practiced perfectly without the con- currence of fortitude, of justice, and of temperance. A weak character prone to injustice and to intemperance will in many circumstances fail in prudence. Justice, likewise, cannot be practiced in all its perfection without strength of soul and temperance. Fortitude in turn must be tempered by prudence and justice, and it would not long survive without the virtue of temperance. r 1 Cf. ST AUGUSTINE, Letter 167 to Jerome P.-L. XXXIII, 735. THE MORAL VIRTUES. 477 When : however the moral virtues exist but in f a low degree, the presence of one does not necessarily, entail the practice of, the others. Thus there are persons who are modest without being humble and others who are humble without being merciful, or merciful/without being just. * .. II. The Moral Virtttes We shall give a brief account of their .nature, their nuin- ber, and of the character common to all. ; 1009. i° Their Nature. These virtues are called moral for a. twofold reason: a) to distinguish them from the purely intellectual virtues, which perfect the intellect with no refe- rence to the moral life, such as science, art, etc. ; b) to differentiate them also from the theological virtues, which do indeed regulate our moral life, but which, as we have already said, have God directly for their object, while the moral virtues pursue directly a supernatural, created good, for example, the mastery of our passions. Withal, we must bear in mind that the supernatural, moral virtues themselves constitutes participation in the life of- God and fit us for the Beatific Vision. Furthermore, according as these vir- tues become more and more perfect, and especially when they are complemented by the gifts of the Holy Ghost, they merge with the theological virtues, in such wise as to become, as it were, permeated by these, until they are but the various manifestations of the charity that animates them. 1010. 2° Their Number. The moral virtues considered in their divers ramifications are very .numerous, but all can be reduced to the four cardinal virtues (so called from the word cardines, hinges) since they are, so to speak, four hinges upon which all the other virtues depend. - These four virtues, in fact, meet all the soul's needs and perfect all its moral faculties. ' .. 1011. . A) They meet all the needs of the soul: . a) First of all, we must make a choice of all the -means necessary or useful to the attainment of our. supernatural . end : this falls" within the scope of the virtue of prudence. b) We must likewise ^respect the. rights of others : this comes within the sphere of justice. e) In order to defend, without fear, or violence, both ourselves and -our possessions from the dangers, that threaten us, we 'stand in need of the virtue of fortitude. \ ' •. 1 ST. GREGORY, Moral.. \. XXII, c. I. - . . ; . 478 "..-CHAPTER II. • d) If we would use the goods of this world arid its plea- .sures without exceeding the proper measure, we need' the vir- tue of temperance.. Ttms, justice regulates our relations with the: neighbor, fortitude and temperance determine our duties to ourselves w\&,prudence directs the other .three virtues. 1012. B) They perfect all the 'moral faculties. The intellect is .controlled by prudence, the will by justice, the irascible appetite by fortitude, arid thexioricupiscible appetite by temperance. We must however call attention to the fact that inasmuch as both the irascible and concupiscible appetites receive their morality solely through the will, the virtues of fortitude and temperance reside in this superior •faculty as well as in the lower faculties that are directed in 'their function by the will. ••• •- . 1013. C) Lastly, we may, add that each of these .virtues can.be considered as a genus containing integral, subjective and potential parts. . ; : a) The integral parts are complements so useful or. necessary to. the practice- of virtue, that the virtue would not be perfect were these elements lacking. Thus, patience and constancy are integral parts of fortitude. b) The . subjective (or ' inherent) parts 'are, so to speak, different species subordinated to the principal virtue. Thus, sobriety and chastity are subjective parts of temperance. e) The potential (or accessory) parts have a certain similarity to the principal virtue, but do not in every respect fulfil all the conditions found in it. Thus, the virtue of religion is an accessory part of the virtue of justice, because it tends to render to God the worship due to Him, but it can do so only inadequately, both as regards the perfection of the .manner in which that worship . should be rendered, and the extent in which it should be offered. Obedience likewise renders to superiors the submission due to them, but here again there exists no strict right, absolutely speaking, nor the relation of equal to equal. Our task will be easier, and that of our readers also, if we do not enter into an enumeration of all. these divisions and subdivisions." We shall select the principal virtues and we shall lay stress only upon their most essential elements from the twofold point of view of theory and practice. 1014. 3° The Character Common to All Moral Virtues. a) All the moral virtues strive to keep the golden mean: in medio stat virtus. They must follow the rule of right reason enlightened by faith. This rule may be broken either by excess or defect, and so, moral virtue consists in avoiding these two extremes. b) The theological virtues as such do not consist in holding this middle course, since, as St. Bernard says, the measure wherewith to THE MORAL VIRTUES. 479 love" God is to love Him without measure. However, considered in their relation to us, the theological virtues must likewise take cognizance of the -golden mean, in other words, they must be controlled by pru- dence, which tells us what' are the circumstances in which we can and must practice these virtues. It is prudence, for instance, which shows . us what we must believe and what we must not believe, as well as how to avoid both presumption and despair. DIVISION OF THE SECOND CHAPTER 1015. In this second chapter we shall treat of the four cardinal virtues and of the principal virtues related to them. I. Prudence , II Justice I ReliSion II. justice obedience III. Fortitude ( Chastity IV. Temperance -j Humility . { Meekness ART. I. THE VIRTUE OF PRUDENCE1 We shall explain : i° its nature; 29 its necessity; 3°' the means of progressing in this virtue. I. The Nature of Prudence The better to understand prudence, we shall give its defi- nition, its constituents elements and its different species. ' 1016. i° Definition. Prudence is a supernatural, moral virtue which inclines our intellect to choose in every instance the best means for attaining our aims, by subordinating them to oyr ultimate end. Hence,, it is not the prudence of the flesh, nor merely human prudence, but Christian prudence. . ' / A) It is not the prudence of the 'flesh, such as makes one skilful in discovering the means whereby, a bad end is to be attained, in satis- fying one's passions, in obtaining wealth, in gaining honors. This kind of prudence has been condemned by St. Paul, because it is inimi- cal to God, at odds with His law, and because it militates against man, whom it leads to eternal destruction. 2 Y . It is not merely human prudence, such as seeks out the means best, adapted to attain a natural end, without referring them to the last end. Such is the prudence of the masters of industry, of merchants, artists, laborers, who seek gain or fame, unconcerned about God and eternity. 1 CASSIAN, Conferences, II; ST. JOHN CLIMACUS, Scald, XXVI; ST. THOMAS, IIa II«, q. 47-56; CH. DE SMEDT,''^/^ vie surnaturelle, t. II, p. 1-33; P. JAN- VIER, Careme igr1?. — s Rom.t VIII, 6-8. 480 CHAPTER II. These persons must be reminded that it profits us nothing to gain the whole world if one suffers the loss of one's soul. x ...."..*' , -. • / - ' . : • • 1017. B) It is Christian prudence which, based upon -the principles of Christian faith, refers all. things to. the supernatural end, that is to say, to God known and loved upon earth and possessed in heaven. Of course, prudence is not directly concerned with this end, which is proposed to it by faith, but it keeps^ it ever in view in order to dis- cover by its light the means 'best adapted to direct all o.ur actions. Prudence therefore concerns itself with all the details of our life. It regulates our thoughts to prevent them from straying away from God. It regulates pur motives to keep them aloof from whatever may affect their singleness of purpose. It regulates our affections, our senti- ments and our choices, so as to center them on God. It regulates even our exterior actions and the execution of our good resolves so as to. refer them to our ultimate end. a . 1018. C) This virtue resides, strictly speaking, in the intellect, since it judges and determines what in each particular circumstance is most suitable to the attainment of our end.- It is an applied science which joins to the knowledge of principles the knowledge of the actual realities in the midst of which we are to live our lives. 3 The will however intervenes to command the intellect to engage in the consi- deration of the motives and of the reasons that will enable it to make an enlightened choice, and again to command the employment of the means thus chosen. 1019. D) The rule of Christian prudence is not reason alone, but reason enlightened by faith. Its noblest expres- sion is found in the Sermon on "the Mount, in which Our Lord completes and perfects the Old Law, by ridding it of the false interpretations of the Jewish doctors. Super- natural prudence, then, draws its light and inspiration from the Gospel maxims, which are directly opposed to those of the world. In the application of these maxims to the actions of every-day life, it draws inspiration from the examples of the Saints, who lived according to the Gospel, and from the teachings of the Church, our infallible guide. Thus, we are sure of not going astray. Besides, the means employed by Christian prudence are not merely right means; they are supernatural means; i-Matth., XVI, 26. - - 2 " That prudence is at once true and perfect, which rightly counsels, judges, ana commands in view of the end and aim of all human life. " (ST. THOMAS, IIa II*, q- 47. a. 73)- , 3 " Hence the prudent man' must know both the universal rational principles and the particular objects of action. " (ST. THOMAS, IIs II*, q. 47, a. 3), . THE MORAL VIRTUES. 481 prayer and the sacraments, which by multiplying our power for good cause us to attain far better results. ; ; . This will become still ; more apparent when we consider, the constituent elements. of this virtue. . • / ' 1020.2° Its Constituent Elements. To act prudently three conditions are particularly necessary : .mature delibe- ration, a wise choice, &\\d. right execution. A) First of all, a mature 'deliberation is required in order to discover the means most apt to the attainment of the end in view, a deliberation which must be in keeping with the import of 'the decision to be taken. This requires personal reflection and wise consultation, "~ : ; 1021. a) We must consider the past, the present, and the future. . •' ' • ** .••--- 1) The remembrance of the past will prove to be of great advantage : human nature remains essentially the. same throughout the ages. We must therefore consult history to see how others have -solved the problems that now confront us. The experiments whereby they attempted a solution will throw light upon our inexperience and will save us many a blunder. By observing what succeeded and what failed, we shall know better the dangers to be avoided and the means to be taken. We must likewise probe into our personal experience. From our early youth we have encountered at one time or another similar difficulties. We must examine what brought them to a happy issue and what proved a cause of failure and then determine resolutely not to expose ourselves to the same dangers and not to fall before the same temptations, 2) We must furthermore take account of the present, of the different' conditions in which we live. Times differ and so do men. Youthful tastes are not those of maturer years. We must therefore know how to interpret intelligently past experiences in applying them to present issues. • '. 3) Lastly, it is no less the part of prudence to look into the future. Before taking a decision, it is useful to foresee as far as can be done the consequences of our acts both to ourselves and to others. By recalling the past and foreseeing the future we can best plan our present course of action, We may illustrate all that has been said by applying it to a particular virtue, chastity. History will tell us what the Saints did in order to remain pure in the midst of the world's dangers ; our own experience will recall our past temptations, the means used to resist them and our success or failure. From this we can conclude with a high degree of probability what will be the future result of such or such proceeding, of this or that reading, of such or such association. 1022. b) Reflection does not suffice; we must know how to take counsel with wise and competent men. A, word, the remark of a friend, of a. relative, even of an inferior, at times opens our eyes and reveals to us a side of things we 482 ' CHAPTER II. had forgotten or overlooked, Two heads are better than one, and enlightenment results from discussion. This is especially true of consultation with our spiritual director ; for knowing us and being a disinterested party, he sees better than we do what is good for our soul's welfare. We should, then, seek with docility and care the advice of some judicious and experienced person. This will in no way hinder us from exercising our own powers of discernment, by which we are to judge what is well-founded, both in the advice given and in our personal observations. We must not forget to have recourse to the best of coun- sellors, the Father of Lights. The confident invocation of the Holy Spirit will often prove more profitable to us than repeated deliberations. 1023. B) Once we have deliberated, we must judge wisely, that is to say, we must determine which among the suggested means are really the most effectual. In order to succeed in this : a) we must carefully rid ourselves of pre- judice, passion and impressions, which would bias the judgment, and we must resolutely set our face towards eternity, so as to form an estimate of all things from the point of view of faith, b) We must not rest content with a superficial examination of the reasons which incline us to this or that course, but we must probe into them carefully weighing the reasons for and against, e) Lastly, we must decide resolutely ', without allowing ourselves to be drawn hither or thither by .excessive hesitation;- Once we have deliberated according to the relative importance of the question at hand, and have taken the course that seems best, Almighty God will not reproach us for the line of conduct adopted, since we did all in our power to know His holy will. We can then count on His grace to carry out our resolutions. 1024. C) We must not delay the execution of the plan we have adopted. This makes foresight, discretion and caution necessary. a) It requires foresight. To foresee means'to count in advance the effort necessary to attain our aims, the obstacles to be encountered and the means of overcoming them, in order to measure our efforts by the end in view. . • b) It requires discretion. We must open our eyes and view persons and things from every angle in order to derive therefrom the greatest possible advantage. We must consider all the circumstances in order to adapt ourselves to them. We must study events in order to profit by them if they be favorable, to prevent their consequences if they be adverse. THE MORAL VIRTUES. _ - 483 e) It requires caution: ".See,: therefore, how you walk circum- spectly."* Even when we have tried to foresee all, things do not always happen as we foresaw them, for ours is a limited wisdom and liable to err. Therefore, we must do in our moral life as we do in business, store up reserves and surround ourselves with safeguards. Our spiritual foes renew the offensive, as we have already explained in no. 900. Then we need to have recourse to our reserve force, to prayer, to the sacraments, to the advice of a spiritual director. Thus, 'we shall not be the victims of unforeseen circumstances, we shall not lose heart, and, with the help of God's grace, we shall bring to a successful issue the plans we had wisely laid., , 1025. 3° The different species of prudence. Prudence varies in accordance with the diversity of the objects upon which it is exercised. It is individual when it regulates personal conduct ; this is the prudence of which we have spoken. It is social when its object is the welfare of society; and since we distinguish three different kinds of societies, the family, the state', and the army, we distinguish likewise three kinds of prudence : domestic prudence, which regulates the relations of man and wife and of parents and children ; civic prudence, which pursues the common weal and good government; military prudence, which is concerned with the direction of armies. Here we shall not go into details. The general principles we have explained suffice for our pur- pose. It is for Christian parents, for statesmen and military leaders, to look more deeply into the application of these principles to their respective situations. . - II. Necessity of Prudence Prudence is no less necessary for the control of our own personal conduct than it is for that of others. 1026. i° For our own personal conduct. It is prudence that enables us to avoid sin and to practice virtue. A) In order to avoid sin, we repeat, we must know its causes and occasions, seek the remedies and apply the treatment. This is what prudence effects, as we can gather from the study of its, constituent elements. From the consideration of past experience and the actual condition of the soul, prudence sees what is or will prove to be in the future a cause or an occasion of sin. And so, it suggests the best means to remove or moderate these causes, and the tactics that will best help us to overcome temptations and even to profit by them. Without such prudence how many sins would be committed ! How, many are actually committed because of the lack of prudence! 1027. B) Prudence is likewise necessary in order to practice virtue and to facilitate pur union with God. : The virtues are rightly compared to a chariot that conducts us to God and prudence to the driver who chooses the way. 484 CHAPTER II. It is, so- to speak, the soul's eye; which sees the road and ithe obstacles to be avoided. --'--' 1) Prudence is necessary for the exercise of .all the vir- tues : of the moral virtues, which must keep to the golden mean and avoid extremes ; of the theological virtues, which must be practiced in season and by such means as are in keeping with the various circumstances of our. life. Thus, it is the part of prudence to scan the dangers that imperil faith and discover the means to remove them; to seek how faith can be strengthened and made more practical; to see how trust in God and fear of His judgments must go hand in hand, how both presumption and despair must be avoided, how all our actions can be animated by charity without hindering the discharge of our duties of state. What .prudence is required in the. practice of fraternal charity! . . . ' 2) Prudence is even more necessary for the practice of certain seemingly contradictory virtues : justice and goodness, meekness and fortitude, a holy austerity of life and the right care of health, devotedness to our neighbor and cha- stity, the practice of an interior life and compliance with social duties. . ... . \ .'. 1028. 20 When it is question of works of zeal in the ministry prudence is likewfse necessary. a) In the pulpit^ prudence suggests what must be said and what must be left unsaid; it suggests the manner in which the thought must be expressed in order not to antagonize the hearers, in .order to adapt the Word of God to their intelligence, to persuade, move and convert them. It is still more needful, perhaps, in teaching catechism, for it is question then of forming the minds and. hearts" of children, of making an impression for life on their souls. b) In the confessional it is prudence that makes the confessor a keen and upright judge in discerning guilt, in putting clear- and precise questions to penitents, according to their respective age, condition and circumstances. Prudence makes the confessor a teacher who knows how to instruct without giving scandal, when to leave souls in good faith and when to enlighten them. Prudence again makes of him a physician who can tactfully probe into the causes of the soul's ailments and prescribe the needed remedies. And it is prudence that invests him with the character of & father, so devoted as to inspire confidence, yet so reserved as to secure reverence. e) Much .tact is also needed to reconcile the ^wishes of parishioners with divine and liturgical ordinances in what relates to Baptisms, First Communions, Marriages, Last Rites, Funerals,. etc., just as great discretion is demanded upon the occasion of sick-calls and other pro- .' fessional. visits. ... ..' ... d) Great prudence is likewise required in the administration of tem- poralities, with reference to stole fees, church dues and church funds, so * > r v^: THE MORAL VIRTUES. 485 &s not to give offence or scandal to the faithful, or ;to compromise the reputation for perfect detachment which a priest must enjoy. III.' Means of Progressing in this Virtue 1029. One means is general and applicable to:all the virtues, moral or theological : prayer, through which we draw unto ourselves Jesus Christ and His virtues. We mention this once and for all. We shall speak only of the means that are proper to each particular virtue. 1030. i° A general means, one that governs all the others and which applies to all souls, is that of referring all our judgments and all our decisions to the ultimate, super- natural end. This is the^ advice offered by St. Ignatius at the outset of the Spiritual Exercises in his fundamental meditation. a) We must note however that this principle will not be understood in the same manner by all. Beginners considering ,man's final end will emphasize salvation; perfect souls, God's glory. The latter mode of understanding this general principle is in itself the better way, but not all will be able thus to understand and relish it. b) To give this principle a concrete form, it may be embodied in some maxim or other that presents it. vividly to our minds, for instance: " What does this matter for eternity? — Whatever is not eternal is of no account.— What does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?" In practice, the way to lay in our so^uls the foundation of Christian prudence, is to realize the full meaning of these maxims, to reflect upon them over and over again until we become familiar with. them and habitually live by them. ; 1031. 2° Provided with this principle) beginners strive to rid themselves of the faults opposed to Christian prudence.1 a) They combat vigorously the ^prudence of the flesh, which seeks with avidity the means of satisfying the three- fold concupiscence; this they do by mortifying their love for pleasure, by remembering that the false joys of this world are often followed by bitter regrets and are as nothing compared to eternal happiness. b) They carefully avoid trickery, deceit, fraud, even in the pursuance of honorable ends, well realizing that- honesty is the best policy, that the end does not justify the means, and that according to, the G6spel, the simplicity of the dove must be joined to the wisdom of the serpent. This is all the more necessary, since devout lay people, priests and 1 Not to return repeatedly to the same virtues, we shall indicate here the degree of each corresponding to the different stages of Christian perfection. • 486 CHAPTER II. religious are at times reproached with these defects, though unjustly in most instances. Perfect integrity and evangeli- cal candor are therefore to be. assiduously cultivated. 1032. e) They strive to hold in check those two distur- bing elements of '^m&ni, prejudice w\& passion : prejudices that cause us to make decisions under the influence of flimsy and preconceived notions which are liable to prove groundless or unreasonable ; passions of pride, Sensuality, over-anxiety for the goods of this world, which unbalance men and cause them to choose not the best, but what is more agreeable or useful from the point of. view of earthly interests. To free themselves from these perturbing influ- ences, they call to mind the Gospel maxim: " Seek ye' first the kingdom of God and His justice. " l They .therefore avoid making decisions under the pressure of strong passion, delaying a choice until calm reigns in the. soul. Should action be urgent, they place themselves, at least for a moment, in the presence of God, to beg His light and to follow it faithfully. d) In order to resist flightiness ofmind> hastiness of judg- ment or listlessness, they accustom themselves never to act without previous reflection, without, accounting to themselves for the motives that prompt them to act, without looking into the consequences, good or bad, of their actions; all this, from the point of view of eternity. This reflection should be measured by the importance of the decision to be made, and in things of graver moment a judicious and experienced person should be consulted. Thus, the habit of deciding nothing, of doing nothing that is not referred-to God is gradually acquired. e) Lastly, ,to escape the bane of indecision., that is, extreme hesitation in making a choice, beginners take good care to remove the causes of this spiritual malady (a com- plicated and confused mind, a lack of initiative, etc.) by having a clear-sighted spiritual director devise fixed rules of action, whereby they will decide promptly and firmly in ordinary cases, and in greater difficulties have recourse to the director himself. . 1033. 3° Souls advancing in th6 way of perfection grow in this virtue of prudence in three different ways : a) By the study of Our Lord's actions and words as set forth in the Gospel, in order to find in them a rule of con- *Matik., VI, 33. : :. • r . THE MORAL VIRTUES. 487 __ j_ " " "- --~"-r -rri-'^-i-,--'— r- — ------ - - -- - - _ ,.. , -' •••' .•••-'' "' duct and to attract to' themselves .through prayer -and imitation the dispositions of that Divine Model i) Thus; they will contemplate His prudence, as manifested in His hidden life. For thirty years He practiced those virtues, the exercise of which is so hard for us, humility, obedience, poverty, knowing full well that without such an object lesson we should never learn to practice these necessary virtues. No less an object of admiration is His prudence as exemplified in His public life. He withstands Satan, so as to baffle his designs and confound him with replies that admit of no retort. He unfolds His teaching gradually according to circumstances, disclosing only by > degrees His dignity as Messias and as Son of God. He makes use of familiar comparisons the better to make His thought understbod ; He employs parables to veil or reveal the same, as the occasion demands. He skilfully unmasks His adversaries and meets their cunning with disconcerting questions. He trains His Apostles step by step, suffering their defects and adapting His teachings' .to what they can actually bear : " But you cannot bear them now. " I He knows, withal, how to tell them unpleasant, but plain truths, as when He announces to them His Passion, in order to prepare them for the scandal of the Cross. In the very midst of that painful ordeal, He answers judges s and underlings alike with the same unruffled calm, and He knows when to remain . silent. In" a word, He* knows in all things, how to harmonize the highest form of pruderice with firmness arid devotedness to duty. *• 2) As regards His teachings, these are summed up in the following words : " Seek ye therefore first the kingdom, of God and His justice..." z " Be ye therefore, wise as serpents and simple as doves..." 3 " Watch and pray. " 4 The chief means of growing in this virtue is the prayer- ful consideration of these examples and the ardent petition to Our Savior to make us share in His prudence. 1034. b) The constituent elements of this virtue must then be fostered, namely, common-sense, a habit of reflect- ion, readiness to consult others, determination, foresight and caution. 1035. C) Lastly, efforts must be made to adorn pru- dence with those qualities of which St. James speaks. After distinguishing true from false wisdom he adds : " But *Mnt XVI, 12. — 2 Matth., VI, 33. — 3 Matth., X, 16. — ^ Mark, XIII, 33. ,488 CHAPTER II. the wisdom that is from above, first indeed is chaste, then peaceable, modest, easy to be persuaded, consenting to the good,/#// of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation."* Chaste: on its guard to keep that purity of body and soul that unites us to God, and, which therefore unites us to the Eternal Wisdom Itself. Peaceable : maintaining the soul's jpeace, the calm, the sense of pro- portion, the poise that enables 'one to make a judicious choice. Modest: meek towards others, and by that very fact, easy to be persuaded, open to conviction, amenable to reason, thus precluding exasperation, which terminates in strife. Full of mercy and good fruits : abounding in mercy towards the unfortunate, eager to do them good, since one of the characteristics of Christian wisdom is to lay up treasures in heaven. Without, judging, without dissimulation : that is, without partiality, duplicity or hypocrisy, which trouble the soul and the faculty of judgment. 1036. 4° In what concerns the exercise of -this virtue by the perfect, suffice it to say that they practice it to a high degree, under the action of the gift of Counsel, as we shall explain when treating of the unitive way. ART. II. THE VIRTUE OF JUSTICE 2 After briefly recalling the theological doctrine on justice, we shall treat of the virtues of religion and obedience, which form parts of this virtue. - • ) ' § I. Justice Properly so Called We shall explain : i° its nature, and 2° the principal rules to be followed in its exercise. . • I. Nature of Justice - . . 1037. i° Definition. The word justice often stands in Holy Writ for the sum-total of Christian virtues. Thus, Our Lord proclaims blessed those who hunger .and thirst after justice, 3 that is, after holiness. However, in the strict sense in which we employ the term here, it desig- nates that moral, stipernatural virtue, which inclines the , will to render unto others at all times what is strictly their due. . . .^ i James, III, 13-18. a ST. THOM., II* Use, q. 56-122; DOM. SOTO, De justitiA et jure; LESSIUS, De juslitia; AD. TANQUEREY, Synopsis tkeol. moralis, t. Ill, De virtute justitise; P. JANVIER, Carime, 1918. — * Matth., V, 6. . ^-* '"'>L— f TO-l! THE MORAL VIRTUES. 489 This virtue resides in. the will and regulates - which we are strictly bound to discharge towards the neighbor. It is .distinguished from the theological virtue of charity; which bids us regard others as brothers in Christ and inclines us to render them services not otherwise enjoined by strict justice. ' ~ ; • ' •> , /•.•••• 1038. 2° Excellence of this virtue. Through justice, order and peace reign in the Jives of individuals as well as in society at large. In that it respects each one's rights, it makes for honesty in the affairs of men, it restrains deceit, it protects the rights of the helpless and the lowly, it checks the rapacity and injustice of the powerful, and thus it establishes social order. z Without justice we should have anarchy, warfare between rival interests, oppression of the weak by the strong, the triumph of evil. If such is the preeminence of natural justice, how- much more excellent must Christian justice be, which is a partici- pation in the very justice of God. The Holy Ghost in communicating it to us, makes it enter into the inmost recesses of the soul and renders it resolute and inaccessible tq corruption, inspiring us at the same time -with such regard for the rights of others, that we not only loathe injustice, pro- perly so called, but stand in horror of the least unfairness. 1039. 30 The principal kinds of justice. They are chiefly two : social justice, which bids us render to society what we owe to it,, and individual justice whereby we render to individuals what is their due. a) The first is called legal justice, because it is based on the exact observance of laws; it obliges us to acknowledge the great benefits which we derive from society, by accepting our share of. the lawful burdens itv imposes upon us, and by rendering to it the services it expects of us. Since the commonweal takes precedence over indivi- dual welfare, there are instances when citizens must sacrifice part of their goods, of their freedom, and even risk their lives in defence of the country. But society likewise has duties to discharge towards its mem- bers.- It must' effect the distribution of social advantages and social burdens, -not according to the moods and whims of favor, but according to the capacity of each citizen ,and in keeping with the rules of equity. To all,' society owes the full protection and aid needed for safeguarding the essential rights and interests of every citizen. Favoritism towards some and persecution of others are abuses opposed to distributive jttstice^ which society must observe towards its' subjects. •' 1 "When I- speak of justice, I speak of the sacred bond that preserves human society, the indispensable curb to license... If justice prevails, good faith :is found in treaties, truth in transactions, order in government, the earth is at peace, and heaven itself sheds over us its beneficent.light and radiates down to us Us blessed influence. " BOSSUET, Sermon on Justice, V K 490 CHAPTER II. 1040. b) The second kind of justice, called individual justice, regulates the rights and duties of individuals towards one another. It respects all rights, not only the right of ownership, but the right to bodily or spiritual goods, to life, liberty, honor and reputation. • ,We cannot in this place enter into all the details which we have explained in our course of Moral Theology. * It will suffice for our present purpose to recall the principal rules by which we must be guided in the practice of this virtue. -".'•• ••'-"' II. Principal Rules Governing the Practice of Justice 1041. i° Principle. It is evident that devout laymen, religious and priests are obliged to practice the virtue of justice more perfectly and more scrupulously than the rank and file of persons in the world. Their duty is to set the good example in matters of honesty as well as in all other virtues. To act otherwise would be to set a stumbling- block for the neighbor, and furnish our enemies with a pre- text to denounce religion. It would constitute an obstacle to' spiritual progress, for an All-just God cannot have -for intimate friends those who glaringly violate His formal commands regarding justice. 1042. 2° Applications of the Principle. A) One must, first of all, respect the right of ownership in what relates to temporal goods, a) Hence, one must scrupulously shun petty thefts, which often and easily lead to graver forms of injustice. This principle should be instilled into children so that they will instinctively recoil with horror from the slightest infraction of justice. . All the more must one avoid such thefts as are committed by dealers and manufacturers, who habitually defraud both as to the quality and the quantity of their goods, under the pretext that their competitors do likewise; who sell at too high a price, or buy at a ridiculously low one, taking advantage of the simplicity of those'with whom they deal. One must keep clear of wild speculations, of those questionable transactions in- which one's fortune is risked along with that of others, with the hope of making huge profits. . b) One must carefully avoid contracting debts, when one is not sure of being able to pay them, and one must 'make it a point of honor to pay at the earliest possible moment those that have already been contracted. • ... e) We should treat a borrowed object with still greater care than if it were our own property, without ever forgetting to return it in due time. Much unconscious injustice is committed by those .who neglect these precautions. • . . - 1 Synopsis Theologies Moralis, t. Ill, De Virtute Justitise. THE MORAL VIRTUES. . 491 d) Any damage -voluntarily caused must be repaired. If involuntary, one is not .strictly bound to make restitution, yet those who aim at perfection will do so according to their means. e) Should one be the recipient of trust-funds to be devoted to good works, one must take all the legal safeguards required, so that in case of death these funds may be applied according to the intentions of the donors. This holds especially in the case of priests who receive Mass stipends or alms. They must not only keep their accounts up to date, but must also provide a legatee or executor in the person of a priest who will attend to such Mass intentions and other obligations. -i .- A _ * • , . . 1043. B) Respect for the good-name and the honor of the neighbor is no less essential. a) Rash judgments must be avoided. To censure others on mere appearances or for reasons more or less trivial," without knowing fully their motives, is nothing less than to arrogate to oneself divine rights, the rights of Him Who alone is the Supreme Judge of the living and the dead; it is an act of injustice against the neighbor, who is thus condemned without a hearing, without the knowledge of the unseen determining motives of his actions, and oftener than not, under the influence of prejudice or passion. Both justice and charity demand hot only that .we abstain from judging the actions of others, but that we interpret them in. the best possible light. b) Graver reasons bid one refrain from slander, which makes. known to others the faults or the secret defects of the neighbor. These defects are real, but as long as they are not generally known, one has no right . to reveal them. By speaking of '. them, one grieves the neighbor; and the dearer he holds his reputation, the more he is grieved. One lowers him in the estimation of his fellows, "and one undermines his prestige, the good standing he needs in order to conduct his affairs and exercise his rightful influence. Thus, one may cause at times, a damage that is well-nigh irreparable. . It is of no avail to argue that the personvwhpse faults are thus made known, has no right to his good name. This right remains' as long as his faults are not public ; and after all, one must not forget the Savior's word : " He that is without sin among you, let him first castxa stone."1 The Saints are extremely merciful ; they seek in every possible way to safeguard the reputation of their fellow-men. We cannot do better than follow in their footsteps. ' ' e) Thereby we shall more safely avoid indulging in calumny, which by false imputations charges to our neighbor faults he has never com- mitted. This kind of injustice is all the more serious since it is often borri of malice or of jealousy. The evils that follow in its wake are numberless. Such talk is, alas,, all too welcome, and making the rounds from mouth to mouth, ruins the reputation and the prestige pf its victims, and at. times causes them considerable harm even in. tem- poral matters. : • . 1044. There exists, therefore, a strict obligation of repairing slanders and calumnies. No doubt, this is difficult, for it is painful to recant, and besides, the retractation, no matter how sincere, but covers- up the injustice committed. "/«*«., VIII, 7. 492 . / CHAPTER II. A "lie, even when retracted, often leaves ineffaceable; traces. This, of course, is no reason for not . repairing the injustice committed; on the contrary, the greater the harm done, the jmore earnestly and persistently must one work at undoing it. The difficulty of such reparation ought to restrain us from whatever could, either proximately or remotely, expose us to a fall so grave. This is the reason .why those who tend to perfection cultivate not only the virtue of justice, but also that of charity, which by causing us. to see God in our neighbor, makes us avoid whatever may sadden him.' We shall return to this later on. ".-•• § II. The Virtue of Religion1 ' 1045. . This virtue is related to justice, because it makes us render to God the worship that is dfo.'Him; but, since we are unable to offer to God the infinite homage to which He is entitled, our religion does not comply with all the requisite conditions of the virtue of justice, and thus it does not, properly speaking, constitute an act of this virtue, though it is closely related to it. We shall explain • i° the nature, 2° the necessity and 3° the practice of religion, I. Nature of the Virtue of Religion 1046. Religion is a moral, supernatural virtue . that inclines -the will to render to God the worship due Him by reason of His infinite excellence and of His sovereign dominion over us. - a) This is a special virtue, distinct from the three theo- logical virtues, which have God Himself for their immediate object; the object proper to the virtue of religion is the worship of God, whether interior or exterior. However, it presupposes the virtue si faith, which enlightens us as to God's rights. - When religion has attained its perfection, it \s animated \sy charity and becomes but the expression and the manifestation of the three theological virtues. b) Its formal object or motive is the acknowledgment of the infinite excellence of God, the first beginning and last end, the perfect Being, on Whom all things depend and towards Whom all things must gravitate. 1 ST. THOMAS, II* 11*, q. 84; SUAREZ, De virtute et statu religionis, t. I, 1. II; ' BouQUiLLON,,Zte virtute religionis; T. J. OLIER, Introd. d la vie et auxvertus, ch. I; MGR D'HULST, Car&ne 1893, Conf. I; CH. DE SMEDT, of. cit., p. 35-104; RIBET, L«s vertut, ch. XXI. e) The. acts to which religion . inclines us . are interior and exterior. • •.' ':; " '••• * 1047. By the interior acts we subject to 'God our 'soul, with its faculties, chiefly the intellect and the will." i) The first and the" most important of these acts is that of adoration, in which we abase our whole being before Him Who is the fulness of being and the source of all the good that is found in creatures; It is accompanied or. followed by the reverent admiration experienced at the sight of His infinite perfections. ' 2) Since He is the author of. all the good we possess, we offer 'Him- our' gratitude. 3) Remember- ing that we are sinners, we enter into sentiments of '-'peni- tence, to. "atone for the offences committed against His infinite majesty. 4) Because we stand in continual, need of His help to do good and attain our end, we address to Him our prayers or requests, thus acknowledging Him as the source pf all good. 1048. These interior sentiments are manifested by exterior acts, which have all the more worth as the interior acts they express are more perfect, i) The foremost among these acts is, without question, that of sacrifice, which is an exterior and social act, whereby, the priest offers, God, in the name of the Church, an immolated victim in order to acknow- ledge His supreme dominion, to repair the offence offered to His majesty, and to enter into communion with Him. In the New Law there is but one sacrifice, that of the Mass, which, renewing the sacrifice of Calvary, offers to God an infinite homage and obtains" for men all the graces they need. We have already pointed out, in nos. 271-276, the effects of the Mass and tile requisite dispositions to profit by it 2) To this- principal, act' are added the public prayers offered in the name of the Church by her represen- tatives : the Divine Office, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament^ra/flte vocal prayers; oaths and vows prudently taken in God's honor and accompanied by all the conditions explained in the treatises of Moral Theology, supernatural exterior acts, done for the glory of God, which, according to the expression of St. Peter, are " spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God "* We can conclude from this that religion is the most excellent among the moral virtues; for, by causing us to 'offer up divine worship, it brings us closer to God than do the other moral virtues. '/. Peter, II, 5. -vf- 494 CHAPTER II. II. Necessity of the Virtue of Religion To proceed methodically we shall show : i° that all crea- tures must give glory to, God; 2° that/0r /«##,. this is a special duty; 3° that it is so, above all, for the priest. 1049. i° All creatures must glorify God. If every work must reflect credit on the doer, far higher must be the Way in which the creature must proclaim the glory of its Maker! Man does not create things ; he can but fashion them. This over, he has done with them. Now, God has not only formed his creatures, but He has drawn them out of noth- ing; He has not merely left the mark of His genius upon them,xbut also the reflection of His own perfections. More- over, He preserves them, lending them His concurrence and His grace> so that they are utterly dependent upon Him. They must, therefore, more than the works of man's crea- tion, declare the greatness of their Author, inanimate creatures do this after their own fashion ; by revealing their beauty and harmony, they invite us to glorify God : " The heavens shew forth the glory of God.1 He made us, and not .we ourselves. " 2 This homage, however honors God but very imperfectly, since it is not free. 1050. 2° It is to man, then, that the duty falls of consciously giving glory to God, of lending his heart and his voice to inanimate creation to render Him a free and. ratio- nal homage. To man, therefore, the king of creation, it belongs to contemplate these wonders, to refer.. them to God, and thus to become creation's own high-priest. Man must praise God, above all, in his own name; for endowed with a higher perfection than irrational beings, created to the image and likeness of God, sharing in His life, man's life should be one of perpetual admiration, perpetual praise, worship, thanksgiving, and love towards His Creator and Sanctifier. This St. Paul declares to us : " For of Him and by Him, and in Him, are all things : to Him be glory forever ! 3 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord : or whether we die, we die unto the Lord. " 4 Reminding his disciples that our body as well as our s6ul is the temple of the Holy Ghost, he adds : " Glorify and bear God in your body? 5 1051. 3° This duty is particularly laid upon priests. Unfortunately the majority of men, absorbed in business or *Ps. XVIII, a. — a Ps. XCIX. 3. — 3 Rom., XI, 36. 4 Id. XIV, 8. — s /. Cor., VII, 20. THE MORAL VIRTUES. 495 pleasure, devote but little time to the worship of God. It was necessary, therefore,, that from among them some special representatives acceptable to God be chosen, that they might, not only in their own name, but in the name of society, render God the religious duties to which He has a right. This is the r61e of the priest. He is chosen by God from among his fellows to be a mediator between earth and heaven, charged with glorifying God, with offering, Him the homages of all creatures and with drawing down upon the earth God's graces and blessings. This is his duty of state, his profession, a real duty of justice, as St. Paul explains :x "For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins. " For this reason, the Church has confided to him two great means of exercising the virtue of religion, the Divine Office and Holy Mass. This twofold duty he must discharge with great fervor, for by glorifying God, he at the same time renders this Divine Majesty pro- pitious to our supplications. In this way, the priest pro- . cures his own personal sanctification and that of the souls entrusted to his care (nos. 393-401). His. prayers are all the more effective, since it is the Church, since it is Jesus Who prays with him and in him, and the prayer of Christ is always heard : " He was heard for his reverence. " 2 ..-..-. - . . f III. The Practice of the Virtue of Religion 1052. For the right practice of this virtue, we must cultivate true devotion^ that is to say, an habitual attitude of the will, wich causes us to lend ourselves readily and generously to whatever appertains to the service of God. This disposition is in reality but a manifestation of love for God, and it is in this way that religion is related to charity. \.. . ' 1053. i° Beginners practice this virtue : a) by the observance of the laws of God and of the Church regarding prayer, the sanctification of the Lord's Day and holydays of obligation ; b) by avoiding dissipation; interior or exte- rior, which is a source of many distractions during prayer. This is effected by being on guard against the pressing host of worldly amusements and empty day-dreams ; C) by inward recollection before prayer in order to make it with greater attention, and by practicing the holy exercise of the presence of God (n. 446). 496 CHAPTER II. 1054. 2° Those advancing1 in the way of perfection strive to enter into the spirit of religion in union with Jesus, .the supreme Worshipper of the Father, Who, in His. life, as well as in His death;. glorified' God. 'in 'an infinite manner (n. 151). ; . ••--. a) This spirit of religion comprises two main dispositions, reverence and love. The former is a profound sentiment of respect mingled with awe whereby we acknowledge God as our Creator and Sovereign Master and rejoice in proclaim- ing bur utter dependence upon Him. The latter is directed towards God, to the most lovable arid loving Father, Who has deigned to adopt us as His children and forever sur- rounds us with -His. paternal tenderness. From these two sentiments all the others proceed; namely, admiration gratitude, praise. 105,5. b) It is from the Sa'cred Heart of Jesus that we .seek to draw these sentiments of religion. 'This Divine Mediator lived only to glorify His Father : " / have .glorified thee on^the earth."* He died to carry out His Father's ;will, proclaiming by His death that nothing is worthy of .life and being before the face of God. After His death He .continues to glorify' His Father, not only in the Eucharist where He unceasingly adores the Holy Trinity, but also in our hearts where, through His Divine Spirit, He produces religious dispositions like unto His own. He lives in the soul of every Christian, but especially in the soul of every priest, and through His priests He procures glory to Him, to Whom alone is due adoration and reverence.. Through ardent desire, then, we must draw Him unto, us and give ourselves to Him, that He may carry out the practice of the virtue of religion in us, with us, and through us.- "•He comes to us then," says Father Olier2 "and abides upon the earth as a sacrifice of praise in the hands of His priests, that He may impart to us His spirit of victim, have us join in the praise He offers, and make us inwardly share in His sentiments of worship. He diffuses Himself within us, He infuses Himself into us, He envelopes our soul and replenishes it with the intimate dispositions of His spirit ofireligion, so that His soul and ours form but one, animated by the same spirit of reverence, of love, of praise, of interior and exterior sacrifice of all things unto the' glory of His Father." ' '••''. 1056. e) We must not forget, however, that Jesus requires our co-operation. Since He comes in order to -make us share with Him in His condition and in His sentiments of victim, we must needs live with Him and in Him in the 1 &(. John, XVII, 4. — 8 Introd. d, la vie et aux vertus, ch. I. THE MORAL VIRTUES. 497 spint of sacrifice, crucifying the ill-regulated tendencies of disordered nature, and/yielding a ready obedience to the inspirations of grace. Then will all our actions be pleasing to, God, then will they be so many sacrificial offerings, so many acts of religion, praising and glorifying God, our Creator and Father. We thereby proclaim the supremacy of God and the nothingness of the creature, since we sacrifice every part of our -being, offer every one of our. actions to the honor and glory of our Sovereign Master. d) This we do more particularly in those acts of religion properly so < called, like assistance at Holy Mass, the reci- tation of liturgical prayers or other' prayers, as explained in numbers 274, 284, 523. N. B.— Perfect souls practice this virtue under the influence of the gift of piety, of which we shall treat further on. § III. The Virtue of Obedience1 This virtue is allied to justice, since obedience is a' homage, an act of submission due to Superiors; but it differs from justice inasmuch as it implies, an inequality between superiors and subjects. We shall explain :i° the'; nature and foundation of obedience; .2° its degrees'; 3° its qualifies; 4° its excellence. I. Nature and Foundation of Obedience ,-.-.. 1057. i° Definition. Obediehge is a supernatural, .moral- virtue which inclines us to submit our will to that of OUT : lawful superiors, in so far as they are the representatives?^/1 God. These last words are the ones that need to '-Be' explained first, since they are the foundation of Chris-Han ; obedience. ' {9!fM '-1' 1058. 2° The foundation of this .virtue, , ptedience rests upon God's sovereign domain and. upon the absolute submission creatures owe Him. .- . ,.•'.,. . ..... - A) First of all, it is evident that we must obey God ("-.481).;. . ., .. ' ' . • . .."'.., i) We must be entirely dependent upon the holy will of God. since we were created by Him : " All things serve Thee. "3 As rational crea- tures, we are all the more obliged to this submission because we have 1 ST. JOHN CLIMACUS,.- Tfo Ladder of Paradise, IV; ST. THOMAS, II» II35", q. 104-105; ST. FRANCIS OF SALES, Devout Life, P. Ill, C. XI; Spiritual Confe- rences, X-XI; RODRIGUEZ, Christian Perfection, P. Ill, Treat. V; GAY, Christian J.i.le and Virtues, Vol. II, Treat. XI; MARMION, Christ ideal of the monk, C. -XII. 2 Ps. CXVIII, 91, . 'vV '•' N" 680. - 18 : 498 CHAPTER II. received more from. Him ; we have received in particular the gift of a free will, which we can best acknowledge by freely submitting it to the will of our Maker. 2) Being children of God, we must obey Our Heavenly Father as Jesus Himself did. Who having come into the world through obedience, through obedience went ou,t from it : "He was made obedient unto death." z 3) Redeemed from the bondage of sin, we no longer belong to ourselves, but to Jesus Christ, Who gave His blood to make us His own : " And you are not your own, for you are bought with a great price. "' Wefind employers and employees, whose respective rights and duties are determined by special, particular contracts. ' • 2) In the supernatural order, the hierarchical superiors are: the Sovereign Pontiff, whose i authority is both supreme and immediate over the whole Church; Bishops., who have jurisdiction over their respective dioceses, and, under their authority, pastors and curates^ each within the limits deter- mined by the Code of Canon Law. Moreover, there are in the Church particular communities with constitutions and rules approved by the Sovereign Pontiff or by the Bishops, and having superiors appointed in accordance with their Constitutions or rules. Here, again, we find legitimate authority. Therefore, whoever joins a community binds himself to keep the rules and obey the Superiors who com- mand within the limits defined by the rule. - • • ..' • .-.:•- • " - 1061. C) There are, then, limits set to the exercise of authority. ^ 1) It is evident that it is neither obligatory nor permis- sible to obey a superior who would give a command mani- festly opposed to divine or ecclesiastical laws. . In this case we should have to' repeat the words of St. Peter :2 "We ought to obey God, rather than men, " words that proclaim and vindicate Christian liberty against all tyranny. 3 The same would hold true, if what is commanded is clearly beyond our powers, for no one is held to do the impossible. In case of doubt,' however, since we are prone to illusions, we must act on the principle : in doubt the presumption is in favor of the superior. 2) If a superior should in commanding go beyond the limits of, his authority, for instance, if a parent should oppose the duly considered vocation of his child, he would be exceeding his rights and the child would not be bound to obey. A similar case would be that of the Superior of a community who would give commands over and above ' See the Encyclical Letter of Pope LEO XIII, Rerum novarum, (Engl. transl. in The Great Encyclicals of LEO XIII, p. 209; AD. TANQUEREY, Dejustitia, wherein the Encyclical is commented upon). . *Act.,V, 29' . 3 This is the doctrine of ST. FRANCIS DE SALES: "Many have been greatly mistaken as to this condition of obedience, believing that it consisted in doing at' random whatever should be commanded, even were it contrary to the Command- ments of God and of Holy Church. In this they have been greatly mistaken, imagining a folly to lurlrin this quality of blindness which is not there at all; In all that relates to the Commandments of God, just as Superiors. have no power whatever to give any contrary command, so in such a case inferiors have ho obli- gation to obey— indeed, if they did so they would sin. " Cf. Spiritual Conferences «/ ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Conf. XI, p. 179. (Translation by. Canon Mackey). 500 CHAPTER II. what the rules and constitutions permit, for these determine the limits of the authority of Superiors. II. The Degrees of. Obedience 1062. i° Beginners apply themselves, first of all, to observe faithfully the Commandments of God arid of. the Church, and io conform to the^brders of lawful superiors with diligence, punctuality, and in a supernatural spirit. 1063. 2° More advanced souls : a) carefully ponder the examples given by Jesus from the very first moment of His existence, when He pledged Himself to fulfil -in all .things the will of His Father, until the last instant of His life when Fie died a. victim of obedience. They pray Him to come and live within them in that same spirit of obedience, and they strive to unite themselves to Him in submitting to their superiors, just as He was subject to Mary and to Joseph :" He was, subject to them. " l. b) They submit their wills even in things that entail hardship and go against their preferences. They do so whole-heartedly, without com- plaint, even with joy at being able to imitate more perfectly their Divine Model. They avoid especially taking any steps that would lead the superior to conform to their desires, for, as St. Bernard remarks : " You need not flatter yourself with the idea that you are truly obedient, if, when you desire something, you strive either openly or covertly to have your spiritual father command it to you. In this you only deceive yourself, for it is not you that obey the superior, but the superior that obeys you."2 ......' 1064. 3° Perfect souls go even further. They submit their judgment to that .of their superior, without even con- sidering the reasons for^his command. .St. Ignatius gives an excellent explanation of this degree of obe- dience.3 "If, however, one wishes to make the perfect sacrifice of self, one must, after having submitted one's will to God, consecrate to Him one's understanding in such a way as not only to -will what the superior wills, but to be of the same mind also, and to submit one's judgment to that of the superior to the extent that an already obedient will can sway the mind. " Our judgment as well as our will can go astray in the things that touch us closely, and therefore, just as we conform our wills'to that of the superior to prevent it, as it were, from losing its bearings : " so, lest our judgment go astray, we must likewise make it conform to that of the superior. " The Saint adds, however, that " should another view come to our mind differing from that of the superior, and, if after having consulted the Lord in prayer, it seems to ' us that the same should be made known to him, we riiay we'll tell him, Still, lest our self-love and our own opinions deceive us, it is proper to take the precaution of maintaining a perfect evenness of mind both before and after disclosing our opinions, ever ready not only to under- 1 St. Luke, II, 51. — ..? Serm. de divenis, XXXV, 4. — 3 Letter CXX. \ THE MORAL VIRTUES. 50] take or to relinquish the purpose in -question; -but -even to approve and acknowledge as the best course: the one to be determined by the superior." This is what is. termed blind obedience which places us in the hands of superiors "after the manner of a staff... after the manner- of a corpse."1 This obedience, 'however, if explained with the reservations of St. Ignatius and those we have noted above, is not unreasonable, since it is to God that we subordinate our will and our intellect. . " III. The Qualities Of Obedience ' , . • In order to be perfect, obedience must be supernatural, in its motive, universal in its extent, and entire in its execution. 1065. i° Supernatural in its motive, which means that we are to see God Himself, or Jesus Christ in the persons of our superiors, since they have no authority 'except from Him. Nothing can render obedience more easy, for; who would refuse to obey God? This is what St. Paul recom- mends to, servants: "Be obedient to them that are your lords according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ : not serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men, but, as the servants of Christ .doing the will of God from the heart with a good -will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men."2 .'•'-,- - In the same tenor St. Ignatius wrote to his Religious of Portugal : " It is my ardent desire that you should carefully strive in all earnest- ness to see Our Lord Jesus Christ in your superiors, whosoever they may be, and, in their persons, reverently offer the Divine Majesty the honor due to Him... Let them not consider the ^person whom they obey but let them see in that person Jesus Christ, for Whose sake obedience is given. As a matter of fact, we .are bound to obey a Supe- rior not ort account of his prudence, of his goodness or of any other personal qualities- wherewith God may have endowed him, but because he is God's representative... Even if. he should. seem to lack in pru- dence and wisdom, this is no reason for failing in exact obedience, since in his capacity of superior, he represents a Person, Whose wisdom is infallible and Who will Himself provide for all those things in which His 'minister falls short, be it virtue or any other quality. "3 Nothing could contain .greater wisdom than this prin- ciple ; for, if to-day we obey our. superior because his qua- lities please' us, what shall we do to-morrow if we have another superior who seems to us to be devoid of such qualities? Besides, do we not forfeit the merit that, should be ours, by subjecting ourselves to a. man whom we esteem instead of submitting to God^Himself? We must not, therefore, dwell upon the defects of our superiors, a thing that would render our obedience more difficult, nor yet 1 ST. IGNAT., Constit., VI, § I, rule 36. . * Ephes., VI, 5-9. —3 Letter CXX. 502 CHAPTER It upon their personal qualities, a thing that would render it less meritorious, but we must .consider God living and commanding in their persons.. . • 1066. 2° Universal in its: extent, in the sense that we are to comply with all the commands of a superior as long as he .commands lawfully. Stv Francis de Sales *• says : " Obedience lovingly undertakes to do all that is commanded it with simplicity and without ever considering whether the command is good or bad, provided that the person who orders has authority to order, and .that the command serves to unite our mind to God. " He adds, however, that if a superior orders what is evidently against, the law of God, it is one's duty not to submit. -Such obedience, St. Thomas 2 says, would be injudicious :" Obedience in unlawful matters is injudicious." Aside from this case, the truly obedient person does not go astray even when the superior is wrong and commands what is less good than what we 'ourselves-. would, choose. Then as a matter of fact God, to Whom the submission is given and Who sees the heart, rewards this obedience by assuring success. St. Francis de Sales, 3 commenting upon the words, "the obedient man. shall speak of victory n, says: "The truly obedient man will come out the conqueror in all the difficulties into which he may be led by obedience, and with honor from all the roads he : has traversed, however dangerous." In other words, a superior may err in commanding, but we make no mistake in obeying. 1067. 3° Entire in the execution, hence prompt^ without reservations, persevering and even cheerful. a) Prompt; for love, which is the prime mover of perfect obedience, makes us obey with readiness:: "The obedient man loves the command, and as soon as he is aware of it, whether it be to his taste or. not, embraces it, caresses it, and cherishes it tenderly. " 4 , This is just what St. Bernard says : "The truly obedient man knows of no hesitation ; he has a horror of procrastination ; he ignores delays ; he anticipates orders; his eyes are on the lookout, his ears on the alert, his tongue ready to speak the word, his hands ready to act, his' feet ready to start; he is all intent on knowing the will of him who commands. " 3 b) Without reservations; for to. make a choice, to obey in some things and disobey in others is to forfeit the merit of obedience; it is to show that we submit in what pleases us andj therefore, that our submission is not supernatural. 1 Spiritual Conferences, XI, p. 179. . 2 ST. THOM., IIa II», q. 104, a. 3,.ad 3. ? Spirit. Conferences, XI, p. 199. — * Ibid., p. 186. Sermo de aiversis, XLI, 7.— This should be read in its entirety. Let us, then; remember what Our Lord says : " One jot or one tittle' shall not pass of the law > till all be fulfilled." * " v Perseverance is likewise required of us. .- This is one of the • great merits of the virtue of obedience," for to do a, thing cheerfully which \ye are only commanded to do once, costs nothing; but when our superior says to us : You will do that always, and all through your life, there lies the- virtue and there also the difficulty. " * ' e) Cheerful^ "for God loveth a cheerful giver. " 3 In those things that entail hardship, obedience cannot be cheerful, unless it be animated by love.. In fact, nothing is painful to him who loves, because he thinks not- of the suffering undergone, but of the .person for whose sake he suffers. Now, if we see Our Lord in the person of him who com- mands, how can we fail to love Him, how can we fail to offer with our whole heart the trifling sacrifice that He demands, Who died a victim of obedience for our sake! This is why we must always return to the general principle we have established, that is, to see God Himself in the person of our Superior. IV. The Excellence .of Obedience , 1068. The excellence of obedience flows from all. that we have said of this virtue. St. Thomas does not hesitate to say that, after the -virtue of religion, it is the most perfect of all the moral virtues, for the reason that it unites us closer to God than any other virtue, inasmuch as obedience detaches us from our own will, which is the main obstacle to union with God. 4 Obedience* is, besides, the mother and guardian of the other virtues, and transforms our ordi- nary actions into so many virtuous acts. 1069. i° Obedience unites us to, God and makes us habitually -share in His life. ': . . a) It subordinates our will directly to that ,of God and thereby all our other faculties, inasmuch as they are ia turn subordinated to the will. This submission is all the more meritorious because it is freely made. Inanimate creatures obey God,,,t?y ;an innate necessity of their nature, but man obeys by the free ctjoice of his will. In so doing, man tenders His Sovereign Master the/homage of what he holds most clear; he offers Him a pleasing sacrifice,: " Through obedience our wills . are sacrificed."3 Thus man enters^zwA? communion with God, since he has no longer any other will but God's will. He can make his own the words of Christ in His agony : ".Not. wzy will, but thine :be done." 6 This is a mosf meritorious and a most sanctifying union since it unites the best that is in us, our will, to that of God, ever good and ever holy. 1 Matlh., V, 18. — o ST. FR. DE SALES, Spiritual Conferences, XI, r\ 191. 3 // Cor., IX, 7. — « Sum. Theol., lla II«Vq. .104, a. 3. 5 ST. GREGORY, Moral., \. XXV, c. 10. — * Luke, XXII, 42. . ' 504 CHAPTER II. b) Since the will is the master-faculty in man, by uniting it to God, we unite to Him all the powers of our soul. , Such a sacrifice is greater than the sacrifice of external goods made by the virtue of poverty, greater than the sacrifice of bodily pleasures entailed by the practice of chastity and of mortification. Obedience is, in all truth, the highest sacrifice we can make : "For obedience is better than sacrifices." x e) Obedience likewise constitutes' Jthe most abiding . and lasting union. Through Sacramental Communion we effect a temporary union with God, but through habitual obedience we establish in our soul a species of spiritual communion which is permanent, which causes us to abide in God as He abides in us, since we will what He wills and nothing.but what He wills. This is, as a matter of fact, the most real, the most intimate, and the most effective of all unions — linwn velle unum nolle. 1Q70. 2° Obedience is logically the mother and the guardian of all the virtues, as St. Augustine beautifully expresses it : "In a rational creature, obedience is, as it were, the mother, and guardian of all virtues. " 2 a) Obedience really becomes one with charity, for, as St. Thomas teaches, love effects primarily a union of wills. 3 And is not this the doctrine of St. John? After declaring that he who pretends to love God and keeps not His Commandments is. a liar, the Apostle adds: "But hex that keepeth His word, in him. in very deed 'the charity of God is perfected; and by .this we know that we are in Him. "4 And this is, the ; teaching of the Divine Master Himself. He tells us that to keep His commandments is to love Him : " If , you love me,,, keep my commandments. " 5 True qbedience,. therefore,' is in reality a genuine act of love. 10 7 1. b) Obedience makes us practice the other virtues, inasmuch ~ as they all fail under a precept or a counsel: " All acts of virtue come: under obedience, inasmuch as they are contained in a precept." 6 Thus, obedience makes us practice penance and mortification, so frequently prescribed in the Gospels,, as well as justicej religion, charity, and all the virtues embodied in .the Decalogue. More, -obedience likens us to the martyrs, who sacrificed; their lives for God, as St. Igna- _tius ? explains : " Through it, self-will ancl self -sufficiency are ever being ^immolated and laid as victims upon, an:.altar,. in such wise that instead of man's free-will there remains but the w^of Jesus Christ Our. Lord, made known to us by him who oommaridrs.sus. , Nor is it merely the desire to live that is sacrificed by obedi0iiG.e,-;as happens in the case of martyrdom,, but here all our desires are.;sajrificed at one and the same time." The same thought was expressed. by St. Pacom'ius to a young monk longing for martyrdom : " It is far -better to live in obedience and 1 / Kings, XV, 22. — 2 De Civitate Dei, \. XIV; c. -12. 3 Sum. Theol., lla II«, q. 104, a. 3. — W'Joh^ll, 5. —tjolm, XIV, 15. 6 ST. THOM.; Ila Use, q. 104, a. 3, ad a. — 1 Letter quoted above. THE MORAL VIRTUES. 505 to die daily to self by mortifying our own desires, than to suffer mar- tyrdom, in imagination. He who mortifies himself, dies a martyr's death as far as need be; it is a far greater martyrdom to persevere 'in obedience all through life, than to die in a moment by a stroke of the sword. "'•> -..'-."' . . ' 1072. e) Obedience offers us perfect safety. Left to ourselves, we would be wondering whfch would be the more perfect course to take, whereas obedience by determining what is our duty in every instance, points out to us. the, surest way of working out our sanctification. By doing what obedience prescribes, we realize to the fullest possible extent the one essential condition of perfection, that is, compliance with God's good pleasure: "/ do always the things that are pleasing to him. " 2 . From this arises a sense of profound and abiding peace : " There is great -peace for them that love thy law, O Lord. " 3 When we -are desirous of doing only the will of God as manifested through superiors, WQ are not preoccupied about what is to be done nor about the means to be employed. All that we must do is to receive orders from him who holds God's place in our regard and to carry them out as best we can. Providence takes care of the rest, demanding of us, not success, but simply the effort to fulfil the orders given. Besides, we may rest assured of the final result. It is clear that if we do God's will, He will take care of doing ours, that is to say, of granting our requests and fostering our designs. Obedience, then, means peace on earth, and at the end of life's journey, it is obedience that opens for us the gates of Heaven. Lost through the disobedience of our First Parents and regained through the obedience of Jesus Christ, Heaven is reserved for those who allow themselves to be led by the human representatives of our Divine Savior. There is no Hell fof the truly obedient:"" What else does God loathe or punish except self-will? Let self-will cease, and Hell shall be no more. " 4 . . 1073. 3° Lastly, obedience transforms into virtues and. merits the most commonplace occupations of life : meals, recreations, work. Whatever is : done in the spirit' of obe- dience shares in the merit of that virtue, is acceptable to God, and will be rewarded by Him. On the other hand, whatever is done in opposition to the will of superiors, no matter how praiseworthy in itself, is in reality .an act of disobedience. The obedient man is therefore often likened to the traveller Avho goes ab'oard a ship that is in charge of an expert pilot. Each/ single day, even though he sleeps, he is steadily making for port, and, thus, without fatigue or preoccupation he reaches the desired goal, the haven of a blissful eternity. 1 Quoted by ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Spiritual' Conferences, p. 192. ijohn, VIII, 29. — 3 PS., CXVIII,i6s. . 1. 4 ST. BERNARD, Sermon III for Eastertide, 3. . . 506 , CHAPTER II. 1074. We end with the following words addressed by_ God to St. Catherine of Sienna:1 "How sweet- and glorious is this virtue which in itself embodies all the others ! It has been conceived and begotten by charity. Upon it rests the foundation of divine faith... It is the very center of the soul, which no tempest can reach... Pri- vation causes it no affliction, for obedience has taught it to desire nothing outside of Myself, Who arirable, if I will it, to 'fulfil all its desires... O,- Obedience ! thou dost accomplish the. journey without fatigue, and readiest the haven of salvation without mishap! Thou identifies! thyself with the Word, my Only-begotten Son. Thou sailest on the bark of the most hallowed Cross, ready to suffer all things rather than depart from obedience to the Word and infringe upon His teaching ! How great does thy long perseverance make thee 1 So great that thou readiest from earth to heaven, since it is by thee and by thee alone that it can be laid open. " ART. III. THE VIRTUE OF FORTITUDE 2 1075. Justice, complemented by religion and obedience, regulates our relations with others. Fortitude arid tempe- rance regulate our duties towards ourselves. We shall treat of fortitude by describing : i° its nature, 2° the virtues related to it, 3° the means of practicing it. § I. Nature of the Virtue of Fortitude We shall explain : r° its definition; 2° its degrees. I. Definition 1076. This virtue, called also strength of soul, strength of character, spiritual vigor, is a supernatural, moral virtue that strengthens the soul in the pursuit of arduous moral _good, without allowing it to be deterred by fear, even the fear of death. '• '.. - A) Its object is twofold, the repression of the feelings of fear which tend to paralyze our efforts towards good, and the control of the spirit of daring which, without such a check, would easily turn into temerity : " And, therefore, the relations of fortitude to fear and to audacity consist in repressing the former and controlling the latter. " 3 . 1077. B) I ts action is chiefly twofold- : to undertake and "to endure difficult things : " Arduous tasks both to pursue and to sustain. " 1 Dialogue. 2 ST. THOMAS, Ila Use, q. 123-140; his commentators, particularly Cajetan and John of SI. Thomas; JANVIER, Lenten Conferences of 1920; RIBET, Vertus, ch. XXXVII-XLII; CH. DE SMED.T, Notre vie surndt., t. II, p. 210-267. 3 ST. THOM., Ila ijas, q. I23, a. 3. THE MORAL VIRTUES. "507 a) First of all, fortitude consists in undertaking and carrying into execution difficult enterprises. On the road to virtue and to perfection there lie innumerable obstacles-,' difficult to overcome and forever recurring. They must nor only not be feared, but they must be faced with the cou- rageous effort necessary to overcome them. This is the first act of this virtue. . ... . This act implies : i) determination to arrive quickly at the decision of doing one's duty no matter what the cost may be; 2) courage and generosity in putting forth all the effort that the peculiar difficulties of the ca'se may require; 3) steadfastness, to prolong the effort to the end, in spite of the stubbornness and the repeated attacks of the enemy. b) Furthermore, we must needs learn to suffer for God's sake the manifold and difficult trials which He sends us, to .bear the sufferings, the illnesses,. the mockeries/the calumnies of which we may be the victims. This often proves even more wearisome than action. " To bear is more difficult than to attack, " J says St. Thomas, and for this lie gives a threefold reason. First, because one who is on the defensive gene'-' rally feels that his adversary is more po\verful than himself, while -he who takes the offensive comes on with a sense of superiority. Secondly, because the one who holds out in the face ef attack actually, feels the difficulties, whereas he. who takes the offensive can orily foresee them. Now, an evil that is actually present inspires more fear than one we merely foresee. Thirdly, because to hold put under trials means unflinching perseverance for a notable time, for instance, in the case of a long and painful illness, or of violent and prolonged tempta- tion; whereas to undertake a difficult task often requires but a mo-, mentary effort. . . .II. Degrees of the Virtue of Fortitude . , 1078. i° Beginners fight valiantly against the many fears that deter them from the fulfilment of duty ;^- i) Fear of effort and fear of-m&y. ' They recall that man has even more priceless possessions than goods of fortune, health, "good name and life itself.. Such are the -gifts Lof- grace which are in themselves but the prelude of eternal bliss. They come therefore to the practical conclusion that one must unhesitatingly sacrifice the former to lay hold, of the latter, which endure forever. They convince themselves of the fact that the only real evil is sin, and that, thereforey that evil must be avoided at all costs, even at the risk1 of1 suffering all the temporal ills that may befall them. r ' ' :' - 1079. 2) The fear of criticism or of ridicule, in -other > words, huma'n respect, which leads them to' neglect their- 1 Sam. Theol,,\l* II* q. 123, a. 6, ad i. :' - - ., ,xv- 508° CHAPTER II. duty through fear of unfavorable comment, of the ridicule of which they may be the target, of the threats that may be hurled against them, of the injuries and injustices of which they may be the victims. Many a man dauntless on the battlefield cowers in the face of such sarcasm or such threats. Of what paramount importance it is to school the young in the contempt of human respect, to school them in that manliness that knows how to brave public opinion and follow convictions, without fear, without blush! . ,3) The fear of displeasing friends. This fear is at times more potent than that of incurring the vengeance of enemies. And yet, we must remember that it is better to please God than men; that those who would hinder us from doing our full .duty are but false friends, and that if we were to please them we should forfeit the esteem and the friendship of Jesus Christ, Our^ Lord : " If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. " * With far greater reason must we avoid sacrificing duty to the craving for vain popularity. The plaudits of men die away. There is no approbation that is lasting, none that is truly worthy of us, save that .of God, the infallible Judge. Let us then conclude with St. Paul that the only glory to be sought ! after is that which proceeds from loyalty to God and fidelity to duty : " But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he who commendeth himself is approved: but he, whom God- commendeth. " 2 1080. 2° Souls in the illuminative way exercise them- selves in the practice of the positive side of the virtue of fortitude, by strivfng to imitate that strength of soul that Jesus Christ exemplified for us during His life. 1) This virtue appears in His hidden life. From the very first mo- ment of His Incarnation, Our Lord offers Himself to His Father in the place of all the victims of the Old Law, by giving Himself for all mankind. He is aware that, in consequence, His life will be a pro- tracted martyrdom,. yet He freely chooses that martyrdom. That is. ' why from His birth He eagerly seeks poverty, mortification and obe- dience; why He submits to persecution and exile; why during thirty years He' hides Himself in the most complete obscurity, in order'to merit for us the grace that would enable us to sanctify our most com • J monplace actions and to inspire us with a love of humility. Thus-- He * tqaches us the practice of the virtue of fortitude and courage amidst the thousand details of daily life. 2) This fortitude is likewise evident during the course of His public . life : in the long fast which,. He undertakes . before beginning His ministry; in His victorious struggle against Satan; in His/preaching, * Galat., I, 10. — " II Cor., X, 17-18. . 4 THE MORAL VIRTUES. 509 where contrary tp the preconceptions of the Jews, He announces the advent of a kingdom altogether spiritual, founded on. humility, sacri- fice, self-denial, as well as on the love of God. It is shown forth in the vigor wherewith He stigmatizes scandal and condemns the casuistry of the Doctors of the Law; in the jealous care wherewith He avoids popularity of a questionable character and eschews the royalty offered to Him; in the" manner, at once sweet and forceful,, with which he trains His Apostles, correcting their prejudices, their defects, and' rebuking him whom he had chosen as the leader of,the Twelve. It is shown again in the determination to return to Jerusalem, well knowing that .He is to encounter suffering, humiliation and death. Thus He sets us the example of the calm and steady courage which we must have in all our relations with others. 3) Fortitude is manifested in His Passion : in the midst of that torturing agony, where, in spite of the absence of consolation and in spite of weariness of soul, He perseveres long in prayer : " And being in agony ^ He prayed the longer; " * in the unruffled serenity He shows at the moment of His arrest ; in the silence He maintains in the face of calumnies and the curiosity of Herod; in His dignified attitude before His judges ; in the heroic patience which He exemplifies while in the midst of undeserved torments and the mockeries offered His sacred Person ; in' the calm resignation wherewith He commends His spirit into the hands of God, His Father, and gives up the ghost.2 He thereby teaches us patience amidst the severest trials. As can be easily seen, there is here an ample field for imitation. The better to succeed in this we must beg Our Lord to deign come to dwell within us in all the fulness of His power. Besides, we must cooperate with Him in the actual exercise ,of this virtue, by practicing it, not only when some great issue demands it, but also in the thousand and one actions that make up the ordinary run of our life, remembering that the constant practice of. these little virtues demands a higher degree of heroism than do bril- liant deeds. 1081. 3° Perfect souls cultivate not only the virtue, but likewise the gift of fortitude, as we shall explain in the unitive way. They maintain themselves in that generous attitude of immolating themselves for God, and of under- going that slow, unbloody martyrdom, which consists in. an ever-renewed effprt to do 'all things for God and to suffer everything for His greater glory. §'ll, Virtues Allied to Fortitude 1082. There are four virtues connected with the virtue of fortitude. -: Two of them aid us in the accomplishment of things-arduous : magnanimity and munificence. The other t wo- help., us to suffer in the right manner -.patience and • 'Luke, X-XFT, 43. -*•« Luke, XXIII, 46. 510 CHAPTER II. constancy. St. Thomas holds these four to be integral 'and potential parts of 'the virtue of fortitude. ; . . !. I. Magnanimity. - 1083. i° Its Nature. Magnanimity, . which is also called' greatness of sour or nobility of character, is the noble and generous disposition to undertake great tilings for God and for our neighbor. , It is not the same as ambition, which is essentially egotistical and goads us on to surpass others by wielding authority, or receiving honors. The characteristic of magnanimity is .disinterested service. a) This virtue therefore presupposes a noble soul, pos- sessed of high ideals and unselfish thoughts, a valiant spirit that does not hesitate to make its life accord with its convictions. . . . b) It is brought out not only by noble sentiments, but also by noble acts, and this in every sphere of action : in the army by brilliant exploits, in civil life by great reform movements, or. great industrial commercial, economic enter- prises etc.; in the realm of the supernatural, by the pursuit of a high ideal of perfection, by generous efforts to conquer self and to rise ever higher, by striving to acquire solid virtue and to exercise zeal in its various forms. All this is done without fear of risking fortune, health, reputation and life itself. . 1084. 2° The contrary defect is which, through an excessive fear of failure, makes one hesitate and remain inactive. Seeking to avoid blunders the pusillanimous fall into the greatest mistakes; they do nothing or almost nothing, and thus waste their lives. Evidently, it is better to risk making mistakes than to do nothing. '..'_" , 11. Munificence or 'Magnificence 10.85. IP Its Nature. \ Persons with a great soul and- a big heart practice magnificence or munificence, which inclines us to do great works, and at . the, same time to undergo the great expenses that such works entail. a), At times it is pride or ambition rather than virtue that inspires these undertakings. But when it is the glory of God or the welfare of our fellow-men which one has hi view,' one supernaturalizes that natural desire for grandeur, and, instead of forever saving and investing, one generously employs- wealth for the furtherance of great undertakings THE MORAL VIRTUES. such as; works of art, public monuments, erection of churches, hospitals, schools, universities, in a word of all that promotes the common good. This virtue, then, makes one overcome the natural attachment one has for money and the thirst for further riches. 1086. b) This is an excellent virtue which must be urged upon the well-to-do by showing them that the best use they can make of the wealth Providence has entrusted to them is to imitate God's own liberality and His magnifi- cence in all His works. • There are Catholic institutions that languish because of lack of means. They offer an open field for the worthy employment of accumulated funds, and the best way of preparing for ourselves a glorious dwelling in Heaven. Then, there are numberless under- takings to initiate. Each new generation brings a host of new needs : churches to build, schools to found, a larger ministry to support; at times there are public calamities, to relieve, at others new agencies of welfare to inaugurate for youth, for old age, etc. ; There is here a vast field, open to every activity and to every purse. e) And there is no need of being rich in order to practice this virtue. St. Vincent de Paul was by no means rich, and yet, was there any other man who provided with such royal munificence for every misery of his day? Was there any who initiated such lasting and successful charitable enterprises? A noble soul always finds resources in. public charity, and it seems as if Providence makes common cause with devoted service if one knows how to trust in God and to follow the dictates of prudence or the inspirations of the Holy Ghost.. 1087. 2° The contrary defects are miserliness and extravagance. ^ * ' "•••'- - a) Miserliness or stinginess paralyzes the impulses of the heart, knows not how to make adequate provision for important enterprises, and does nothing but what is cheap or small, b) Extravagance, on the-contrary, impels one to make unnecessary expenditures, to be prodigal of money and at times to spend beyond one's means. This defect is also called prodigality. It is the part of prudence to hold a middle course between both extremes. III. Patience1 1088. i° Its nature. Patience is a Christian virtue that makes us withstand with equanimity of soul, for the 1 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life, Part III, C. Ill ; OLIER, Introd., C. IX ; FABER, Growth in Holiness, C. IX; D. V. LEHODEY, Holy Abandonment, Part. Ill,' C.III-V, 512 . CHAPTER II. love of God, an'din union with Jesus Christ, all physical 'and moral sufferings. We all have an ample share of suffering sufficient to make us saints, if we would only suffer courage- ously and from supernatural motives. Many, however, suffer complainingly, in bitterness, of heart, at times even in a. spirit of rebellion against Providence. Others, again, withstand suffering out of pride or ambition and thus forfeit the fruits of their endurance. The true motive that should inspire us is submission to the will of God (n. 487), and, the hope of the eternal reward that will crown our patience (n. 491). Still, the most potent stimulus, is the thought of Christ suffering and dying for us. If He, innocence itself, bore so heroically so many tortures, physical and moral, in order to redeem us and sanctify us, is it not meet that we, who are guilty and who by our sins are the cause of His sufferings, should consent to suffer with Him and- with His intentions, in order to cooperate with Him in the work of our purification and sanctification, and to partake in His glory, by having shared in His' sufferings? Noble, and generous souls add to these motives the motive of zeal. They suffer to fulfil what is wanting of the sufferings of Christ and thus work for the redemption of souls (n. 149). Herein lies the secret source of that heroic patience of the Saints and of their love of the Cross. 1089. 2° The degrees of patience correspond to the three stages of the spiritual life. ' a) At the beginning, suffering is accepted as coming from God; without murmur, without resentment, in hope of heavenly rewards. It is accepted in order to atone for faults and to purify the heart; in order to control ill-regulated tendencies, especially sadness and dejection. It is accepted in spite of our natural repugnance, and, if a prayer goes up that the chalice pass away, it is followed by an act of sub- mission to the holy Will of God. I 1090. b) Patience, in its second degree, makes us eager to embrace suffering, . in union with Jesus Christ, and in order to make us more like that Divine Model. Hence the soul is fond of following Him along the sorrow- ful road that He took from the Crib to the Cross ; it con- templates Him, praises Him, and pours forth, its love upon Him in all His sorrowful mysteries: at His entrance into this world when He "emptied Himself"; in His resignation , THE MORAL VIRTUES. 513 within the lowly crib that was His cradle and wherein He suffered even more' from the insensibility of men than from the cold and the elements; amidst the sufferings • of His exile, the menial labors of His hidden life, the work, the fatigue, and the humiliations of His public life; but, above all, in the physical and moral tortures of His, painful pas- sion. Strengthened by the words of St. Peter,1 "Christ, therefore, having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed with the same thought," the soul takes new courage in the face of pain and sadness; side by side with Jesus, it tenderly stretches itself forth on the Cross, for love of Him ; " With Christ I am nailed to the cross. " 2 When suffering increases, a loving, compassionate glance upon the Crucified Christ brings the response from His lips : " Blessed are they that mourn... blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice's sake. "3 Then, the hope of sharing in His glory in the heavenly places renders more bearable the crucifixion undergone in union with Him : "Ifwe suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. "4 Nay, the soul at times comes, like St. Paul, to the point where it rejoices in its miseries and tribulations, well knowing that to suffer with Christ means to comfort Him, that it means the com- pletion of His passion, a more perfect love for Him here on earth, and a preparation for the further enjoyment of His love' through all eternity : " Gladly therefore will I glory -in my 'infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me... 5 I exceedingly abound with joy in -all our tribulation. " 6 1091. e) This leads to the third degree of patience, the desire and the love of suffering for the sake of God Whom one wishes to glorify, and for the sake of souls, for whose sanctification one wants to labor. This is the degree proper to perfect souls and especially to apostolic souls, to religious, priests and devout men and women. Such was the dispo- sition that animated Our Blessed, Lord when He offered Himself as victim . at His entrance into this world, and which He expressed in proclaiming His desire to suffer the baptism of His Pa,ssion : " And I have a baptism wherewith I am to_ be baptized. And how am I straitened until it be accomplished. " ^ Out of love for Him and in order to become more like unto Him, perfect souls enter into the same sentiments : " For", in the words of St. Ignatius,, "just -as men of the world who are attached to the things of earth,. love and seek with great eagerness honors, good name, and 1 / Peter, IV, i. — = GalaL, II, 19. — 3 Matt., V, 5, 10-12. — * Rom., VIII, 17. s // Cor. , XII, 9. — 6 // Cor. , VII, 4. — 1 Luke XII, 50. 514 CHAPTER II. display among men... so those who march ahead in- the ways .of the spirit and who earnestly follow Jesus Christ love 'and ardently desire whatever is opposed to the spirit of the world.. vso that were it pos- sible with no offence to God and scandal to the neighbor, they would -want to suffer insults, slanders, and injuries, be reckoned as fools, though having given no occasion therefor, such is their intense desire to be likened in some way to Our Lord Jesus Christ... so that with the help of His grace we strive to imitate Him as far as we can, and to follow Him in all things, since He is the true way which leads men to life. " * Evidently, it is only love for God and for the Crucified Christ that can inspire a like love for the Cross and humiliations. „ 1092. Mtlst a soul go further, and offer itself to God as 'E victim and formally ask God for extraordinary sufferings, in order either to offer reparation to God, or to obtain some signal favor? No doubt some of the Saints have done so and in our day there are still generous souls who are moved to do likewise. However, generally speaking, such requests cannqt be prudently counselled. They may easily lead to illusions and are often the outcome of some ill-considered impulse of generosity which has its origin in presumption. "Such requests are made," says Father de Smedt, "in moments of emotional fervor, and once this is gone.r. one realizes one's weakness to accomplish the heroic acts of submission and resignation so energetically made in the imagination. Therefrom issue violent temptations to dis- couragement and even to complaints against God's Provi- dence... It is a source of great annoyance and, perplexity to the spiritual directors of such souls. " 2 Hence, we must not take it upon ourselves to ask for extraordinary suffer- ings or trials. If one feels oneself drawn thereto, one must take counsel with a judicious director of souls and do noth- ing without his approval. IV. Constancy 1093. Constancy in effort consists in struggling and suffering to the end, without yielding to weariness, discour- agement^ or indolence. i °. Experience shows that after reiterated efforts one wearies of well-doing, one finds it irksome to be forever obliged to strain the will. St. Thomas remarks : " A special difficulty is attached to long persistence in a difficult task. " 3 1 Constitut. Soc. Jesu, Exam, generale, cap. IV, n. 44. * Noire vie surnaturelle, t. II, p. 260. — Father Capelle, who has made a special study of this particular matter (Les Ames Gtntreuses, 1920, 3° P., Ch. IV-VII) sums up his teaching in three propositions : i) It is Our Lord Himself who selects such victims. 2) He warns them in advance of what they will have to undergo. 3) He asks their free consent. 3 Sum. Theol., IIa 11=, q. 137, a. i. THE MORAL VIRTUES, f 515 Yet, no virtue is solid 'that has not stood-: the test of time, that has not been strengthened by deeply rooted habits. A sense of weariness often results in discouragement and indolence. The annoyance experienced at repeating efforts relaxes the energy of the will and produces a species of moral depression or discouragement; at this juncture, the love of pleasure and a sense of regret at being deprived of it gain the upper hand and one lets oneself be carried by the current of evil "tendencies. '*•"•• 1094. . 29 In order to react against this weakness, we must remember: i) ,that perseverance is a gift of God (n. 127) .obtained by prayer. Hence, we must ask insis-, tently forjt in union with Him Whp persevered unto death, and through the intercession of Her Whom we rightly call Virgin most faithful. . •- 2) We must, after that, renew our convictions as regards the shortness of life and the everlastingness of the reward that crowns our efforts. Having an eternal rest awaiting us we can well afford a measure of annoyance here on earth. If in spite of these considerations we still remain weak and hesitant, then we must beg insistently for that grace of perseverance the need of which we feel so ^keenly, by repeating the words of St. Augustine : " Grant me 0 Lord tvhat Thou commandest and tJien command whatever Thou 3)' I7inallyKwe must go back courageously to our task, supported by the all-powerful grace of God, and work on .despite the apparently small measure of success that attends our efforts, remembering that it is effort and not success that God demands. Besides, we must not forget that we need a certain amount of relaxation, of rest, and of diversion : Man cannot live long without some consolation. Constancy does not therefore exclude due rest : " Enjoy thy leisure that thou mayest the better perform thy labor. " The important thing is that we take our rest in submission to God's will, according to rule and the advice of our spiritual director. - . • . .... i ' • _ / . . ' ' • ... " ' • , . § III. Means of Acquiring and Perfecting, ' the Virtue of Fortitude •We refer the reader to what we have said in number 811 regarding the education of" the will, adding here .some few" remarks more pertinent to the special subject now under discussion. .. .51 G CHAPTER II. 1095. i° The'secret of our strength lies in distrust of self and absohite confidence in God. Incapable as we are of any good, in the supernatural order without the help of grace, we share in the very power of God and become invin- cible if we seek support in Jesus Christ : " He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit J ... / can do all things in him who strengthened me, " 2 This is why it is the humble who are strong, when the consciousness of their weakness is accompanied by trust in God. These two dispositions, then, must be cultivated in souls. 'If it is question of the proud and presumptuous, insistence must be laid upon distrust of self; when we have to deal with the timid and the pessimistic, confidence in God is to be emphasized, by explaining to them the consoling words of the Apostle : " The weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong. . . and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are. " 3 1096. 2° To this twofold disposition of soul deep con- victions must be joined, as well as the habit of acting in accordance with such convictions. A) These convictions are those based upon the , great truths, particularly, the end of man, the necessity of sacri- ficing all in order to attain this end, the horror that sin, the only obstacle to our end, must inspire in us, the necessity of submitting our will to the will of God in order to avoid, sin and attain our end, etc. These convictions constitute the directing forces of our conduct and the motive-powers that infuse into us the Courage required to triumph over obstacles. B) This is the reason why it is so important to acquire the habit of acting from conviction. We are not so apt then to allow ourselves to be carried away by passing impulses, by the violent urge of passion, by routine, or personal interest; on the contrary, before acting, such questions as these will arise in the mind: "What bearing has this on eternity? " Does this action which lam about to perform bring me closer to God, nearer to , the attainment of a blissful eternity? If we can answer in the affirmative we act; if not, we refrain. Thus directing all. things to the final end, we live up to our convictions and we become strong. 1097.. 3° The better to surmount obstacles it is well to foresee them, to look them squarely in the face,. and to ' John, XV, 5. — * Phil., IV, 13. — 3 / Cor., I, 27-28. THE MORAL VIRTUES. .517 muster courage to fight them. This/however, we do with- out magnifying the difficulties, counting upon the aid which God will not fail to grant us at the opportune moment. A difficulty foreseen is a difficulty half overcome 1098. 4° Finally, we should bear in mind that nothing renders us so fearless as the love of God : " For love is strong as death," If mother-love inspires a woman with courage1 and daring when it is question of defending ' her children, what cannot the love of God do if it be deep-rooted in the soul? Is it not love that has made 'martyrs, virgins, apostles and all the saints? When St. Paul'describes the. ordeals' he underwent, the persecutions he suffered, the pains he en- dured, one .cannot but wonder at the power that sustained his courage in the midst of so' many adversities. He tells us himself it was love for Christ : "For the charity of Christ presseth us. " * This is why the Apostle is without appre- hension for the future. " Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ?"2 He enumerates the various tribu- lations that might befall him, and says : "Neither death, nor life, nor angels... nor things present, nor things to come, nor might... nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord. "3 What St. Paul said, every Christian also can say, provided he bears his God a loyal love; and then He will share in the very power of the Almighty : " For Thou, 0 Lord, art my strength. "4 . ; ART. IV. THE VIRTUE"" OF TEMPERANCE s If fortitude is needed to restrain fear, temperance is no less necessary to control that allurement to pleasure which so easily turns us away from God. 1099. Temperance is a supernatural, moral virtue that, moderates the attraction tpivards sense-pleasure, especially the pleasures of the palate' and the flesh, and keeps them within the proper limits of propriety. Its object is the" moderation of all sense-pleasure, but particularly of that connected with the two great functions of organic life; namely, the preservation of^the individual by nourishment, and' the preservation of the race by sexua] 1 // Cor., V, 14, — « Rom., VIII, 38-39. - 3 Rom., VIII, 35. •— < Ps. XLII, 2. s ST. THOM., la IF, q. 141-170;. SCAR AMELLI, Guide ascttiqiie, 11.1?, TraW, art. .4; RIBET, Vertus, ch. XLIIl-X:LV. Ill ; CH, DE SMEDT, t. .II, p. 268-342; P. JANVIER, Carime, 1921 et 1,922. See references, Nos.75i and 864, under Mor- tification and Gluttony. . ,. ffm 518 CHAPTER II. > relations. Temperance causes us to make use of pleasure for an end which is worthy. and at the same time super- natural. By that very fact it regulates the use of the said pleasures according to the dictates of reason and of faith. Precisely because pleasure is enticing and easily lures us beyond the proper limits, temperance leads us to mortify ourselves, even in some of the things that are permissible, in order to ensure the preponderance of reason over passion. It is by the aid of these principles that we shall solve particular questions. / '•.'-" We have already 4ealt sufficiently with the rules to be followed in the regulation of the pleasure that accompanies the function of nutrition (n. 864). Now we shall treat of chastity, which moderates the pleasures" attached to the propagation of the race. Then we shall speak of the two virtues allied to temperance; namely, humility and meekness. § I. "Chastity1 1100. i° Notion. The -aim of chastity is to check what- ever is inordinate in voluptuous pleasures. These pleasures have for their principal end the perpetuation of the race through the right use of marriage. They- are. lawful only between married persons, and then only when they further, or at least do not interfere with the primary end of mar- riage which is the procreation of children. Chastity is rightly called -the angelic virtue, because, it likens us to the angels, who are pure by nature. It is an austere virtue, because we do not succeed in practicing it unless we subdue the body and the senses by mortification. It is a frail virtue, tarnished by. the least wilful failing. On this account it is a difficult virtue, since it cannot be observed except by a generous and constant struggle against the most tyrannical of passions.. . 1101. 2° Degrees, i) There, are several degrees of chastity.' ' The first one consists in carefully refraining from consent to any thought, fancy, feeling or action con- trary to this virtue. 2) The second aims at ridding oneself immediately and energetically of every /thought, image or impression that could soil the luster of chastity. - - 3) The, third, which Js seldom attained save after long efforts in the practice of the love of God, consists in acquir- '••CASSIAN, Conferences, XII; ST. JOHN CLIMACUS, The Ladder of Paradise, XV; ST. THOMAS, lIalI«,'Q. 151-156 ;: RODRIGUEZ, Christian Perfection, P. Ill, Treat. IV; ST. FRANCIS OF SALE.S,'£>evout Life, P. Ill, C. XII-XIII;GAY, Chris- tian Life and Virtues, Trent. X. — See references No. 873. • . THE ;MQB.AL -VIRTUES. • 519 ing such a .mastery over our senses and our thoughts that; when duty requires us to deal with questions relating to chastity, we do so with all -the calm and composure that would attend the treatment of any other sub jet. 4) Finally, there are some who, by a special privilege, attain such a degree of chastity that they experience no . inordinate feelings whatever, asris related of St. Thomas after his victorious issue from an extraordinary temptation* , 1102. 3° Kinds. There are two kinds of chastity: conjugal chastity proper to persons living in lawful wed- lock, and continence -proper to the] unmarried. After briefly treating of the first, we shall lay emphasis on the 'second, chiefly in so far as it applies to. persons who lead a life of celibacy either in the religious or in the ecclesiastical state. .. - - . - ^ v - •'-.'• . I. Conjugal Chastity il. .• 1103. i° Principle. Married persons should never forget that, according to the teaching of St. Paul,'Christian. marriage is symbolical of the holy bond that exists between Christ and His Church : " Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church and delivered himself for it, that He might sanctify it. " 2 They must then love respect and sanctify each other (n. 591). THe first effect of this love is an indissoluble union of hearts, and- therefore an inviolable mutual fidelity. -" . 1104. 2° Mutual Fidelity, a) Here we shall borrow the language of St. Francis de Sales 3 or give a summary of his thought. _ "Preserve, then, O husbands! a tender, constant, and cordial love ' for your wives... If you desire that, your wives should be faithful to you, give them a lesson by your example. How, says St. Gregory Nazianzen 4, can you exact..purity of your wives, when you yourselves " live .in. impurity? " — " But you, O wives, whose honor is inseparably joined with purity and modesty, be zealous to preserve this your glory, and suffer no kind of loose> behavior to tarnish the whiteness of your reputation.. Fear all kinds of assaults, how small soever they may b.e; never suffer 'any wanton address to approach you; for he that praises the ware which he cannot buy is strongly tempted to steal it, but if to your praise he adds the dispraise of your husband, he offers you a. heinous injury; for it is evident that he not only desires to ruin you, but accounts you already half lost, since the bargain is half made .with a second merchant when one is disgusted with the first .". . . ,; ,, . 1 PIE XI, Encycl. Casti Connubii, 31 dec., 1930. - Ephes., V, 25-26. • • . 3 Devout Life, Part. Ill, C. XXXVIII. « Orat., XXXVII, 7. : 520 CHAPTER II. b) Nothing so well secures this mutual fidelity as the practice of true devotion , particularly of prayer in common. " Thus, wives ought to wish that their husbands should be preserved with the sugar of devotion; for a man without devotion is severe, harsh, and rough. And husbands ought to wish that their wives should 'be devout, becausex without devotion, a woman is very frail, and. liable to obscure, and perhaps to lose, her virtue. " .e) " As to the rest, their mutual bearing with each other ought to.be so great that they should never be both angry with each other at the same time, so that dissension or debate be never, seen between them." Therefore, if one be angry, let the other hold his peace, in order that peace may be restored the sooner. " 1105, 3° Conjugal Duty. They should reverence the holiness of the marriage-bed by \hz-purity of their intention and the seemliness of their relations. A) Their intention must be the same as that of the young Tobias when he took Sarah for wife; " And now, Lord, thou knowest that not for fleshly lust do I take my sister to wife, but only for the love of posterity .in which thy name may be blessed for ever and ever. " * This is in fact the primary end of Christian marriage, to procreate children who are to be reared in the fear and love of God, to be trained to a pious and Christian lite so as to become one day citizens of Heaven. The secondary end of marriage is mutual help to bear the sufferings of life, and to overcome passion by subordinating pleasure to duty. 1106. B) They must, then, faithfully and candidly fulfil their marriage obligations. Whatever favors the transmis- sion of life is not only licit, but praiseworthy. On the contrary, any act whatever whereby this primary end would .be hindered constitutes, a. grave sin, since it is against the essential purpose of marriage. They should bear in mind the following observation of St. Paul :2 "Defraud not one 'another, except, perhaps, by consent, for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer : and return together again, lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency. " C) Moderation is necessary in the use of the marriage right as it is in the taking of meals.- It is even. a hygienic measure, and propriety requires that continence be practiced at times. One does not succeed in this unless one has formed the habit of subordinating pleasure to reason, and unless one seeks in the frequent reception of the Sacraments a remedy for the too violent motions of concupiscence. . Tobias, 9, VIII, — -' I Cor. , VII, 5. gr- :- >' ^ ;i '- • ^ - - - ?iV; ' .. f - ~^- THE MORAL VIRTUES. " ,521 However, let no one forget, that it is by no means impos- sible, and that through prayer one' always obtains the grace of practicing virtue, even the most. austere. .- II. Continence or Celibacy ; 1107.- Absolute continence is a duty of those who are., not united m the bonds of lawful wedlock. Therefore, it must be practiced by all before marriage as well as by those who are widowed. *• There is yet another class of chosen souls called to practice a life-long continence either in the religious state, or -in the priesthood, or even in the world. It is well to give them special rules for the perfect preservation of purity. 2 •-.-,•' .Chastity is a frail and delicate virtue that cannot be preserved unless it be protected by other virtues. It is, as it were, a 'citadel that requires for its defence the raising of outward ramparts. These are four in number: i° humi- lity, which produces self-distrust and prompts to flight from dangerous occasions; 2° mortification, which by waging war against the love of pleasure, reaches the evil at its roots ;- 3° devotion to the duties of state, which protects one from the perils created by idleness; 4° love for God, which by filling the heart, prevents it from giving itself over to dangerous affections. Within these four ramparts the soul is not only able to repulse the onslaughts of the enemy, but also to grow in purity. i° HUMILITY THE GUARDIAN OF CHASTITY 110 8 i This virtue produces in us principally three dispo- sitions, which shelter us from many a danger : distrust of self and confidence in. God, flight from dangerous occasions, sincerity in the Sacrament of Penance. A) Distrust Of self accompanied by confidence in God. Many a soul falls into impurity through pride and pre- sumption. St. Paul calls attention to this fact with regard to the Pagan philosophers, who whilst glorying in their wisdom yielded to all manner of turpitude : " For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affection. " 3 Father Olier thus explains this fact : " God, Who cannot suffer pride in the soul, humbles .it to the very depths; and, desiring to show the soul its weakness, and that it has no power of itself to resist evil and persevere in well doing.... allows.it to be tormented by those terrible 1 See the excellent advice of St. Francis de Sales to widows, Devout Life Part III, C, XL. / 2 PIE XII, Encycl. " Sacra Virginitas " 25 march 1954, 3 Rom., I, 26. 522 CHAPTER II. temptations, and at times even to fall, because such temptations are the most shameful and leave ' behind them the greater confusion.'' When, on the contrary one is firmly convinced that of oneself one cannot be chaste, one repeats the humble prayer which St. Philip Neri used to address to God: "My God, beware of 'Philip; otherwise he •will betray Thee." , ' , 1109. a) This . distrust must be universal, i) It is necessary to those who have sinned 'grievously ', for the temptation will return, and without the help of grace they will be exposed to a. fresh fall. It is no less necessary to those who have preserved their innocence^ -for one day or another temptation will assail them, and will be all the more dangerous for them because of their inexperience. 2) This distrust mus.t last to the very end of life. Solomon was no longer a youth when he let himself be caught by the love of women. It was old men that tempted the chaste Susanna. The evil spirit that assails us in -mature life is all the more dangerous, because we thought Him conquered. Experience shows that so long as there remains in us a spark of life, the smouldering fires of concupiscence may burst forth once more. 3) This diffidence is necessary . for- even the holiest souls. The evil one is more anxious to cause their fall than that of, coarser souls, and he lays for them more treacherous snares. This is the warning of St. Jerome x in his letter to Eustochium, and elsewhere z he adds that it is vain to seek reassurance in the long years already lived in chastity, in holiness and in the pursuance of wisdom. 1110. b) Withal, this' diffidence of self must be ever attended by a perfect trust in God. For God will never allow us to be tempted beyond our strength. He does not ask of us the impossible. He either gives us immediately the grace of resisting temptations or the grace of praying for the help necessary to overcome them. 3 "One must, then," says. Father. Olier4 "withdraw, interiorly into Jesus Christ to find in Him the power of resistance to temptation... He wills that we be tried, so that, 'warned thereby of our weakness and of the need we have of His help," we may withdraw into Him to find in Him the strength which we lack. " If the temptation becomes more i Epist. XXII, ad Eustochium, P. L., XXII, 396. - *Epist. LIT, ad Nepotian. P. L. XXII, 531-532: "Trust not in your former chastity: you are not holier than David, nor can you be holier than Solomon. Always remember that a woman evicted the tenant of paradise from his'possession. " 3 " For God does not enjoin the impossible; but when He commands, He bids us do what in our power lies-and to pray for what Ifes beyond, the while He lends us the power to accomplish His command. " (Council of Trent, Sess. VI, C. II, DENZ. 804.) ".'•'... < Introd., C, XII, ' THE MORAL VIRTUES, 523 violent we must fall on our kness and lift our hands to Heaven to invoke the assistance of God. When all these precautions have been taken one tnay infallibly count on God's help : " And God is faithful^ who will not suffer you to be tempted above -that which you are able: but will make also with temptation issue, thai you may be able to^bear 'it."1 We must not, then, have too much dread of temptation before it comes. That would be a way of bringing it on. Nor must we stand in dread of it when it actually assails us,;since with reliance on God \ve are invincible. 1111. fi) The Flight from Dangerous Occasions. a) The mutual attraction that exists between the sexes creates dangers for those vowed to celibacy. Hence, useless meetings, must be dispensed with, and when meetings are necessary, the- danger must be made remote.2 This is why the spiritual direction of women must be conducted exclu- sively in the confessional, as we have noted in n. 546. Two things we have to protect : our virtue, and our good name.: The one and the other make extreme reserve - imperative. b) Children of .graceful appearance, of a joyful and affectionate nature, may likewise be a source of danger. One loves to look at them, to caress them, and, if one be, not on guard one may be led to familiarities that perturb the senses. This disturbance is a warning given us by God, to make us understand that we must desist and that we have even proceeded too far. Let us recall to mind that those children have Guardian Angels xwho look upon the face of God; that they are the living temples of the ' Holy Trinity and members of Christ. Then we shall more easily treat them with , a holy reverence while we show them real affection. 1112. e) In a general way, humility causes us to repress the desire to please^ which prepares the way for- many a fall. This desire, which proceeds both from vanity and from a natural longing for affection, is manifested by an exagger- ated concern for our personal appearance, over-carefulness *I Cor. VIII, 14.. • 8 This 'was St. Jerome's advice to Nepotian : " A woman's foot should seldom if ever cross the threshold of your home... If in the course of your clerical duty you have to visit a widow or a virgin, never enter the house alone. Let your compan-_ ions be. persons, associates who 'will not disgrace you... You must not sit alone" with a woman or see one without witnesses... Beware of all that gives occasion for suspicion; and to avoid scandal shun every act that may give colour to it. ". Letter Lll, s, P. L., XXII, 531-532- ' ' 524 CHAPTER II. in dress, an affected pose, tender language, caressing glances, the habit of complimenting others upon their ', exterior accomplishments.* This manner of acting soon attracts notice, especially in a young ecclesiastic, in a priest, or a religious. He soon jeopardizes his good name; and would that he stop before he likewise imperils his virtue! 1113.. C) Humility, finally, inspires us with that candid frankness toward our spiritual director which is so necessary to avoid the snares of the enemy. St. Ignatius rightly says that " when the enemy of man wishes to lead a just soul into error by his tricks and ruses, he wants above al'r- that such a soul listen to him and keep his words secret. But should that soul confide all to an enlightened confessor, Satan is chagrined, because he knows that all his malice will become impotent the moment his attempts are detected and brought out into the light."2 It is especially in matters of chastity that this wise advice applies. If we are faithful to disclose humbly and candidly our temptations to our spi- ritual director, we are warned in time of the dangers to which we are exposed, and we take the means suggested by him. A temptation laid bare is a temptation already overcome. If, on the contrary, trust- ing to our own lights we fail to seek advice, under the "pretext that a temptation is not a sin, we fall easily into the snares of the great seducer of souls. .- 2° MORTIFICATION THE GUARDIAN OF CHASTITY We have already explained the necessity and the princi- pal forms of mortification (n. 755-790). We shall recall here the points that bear more directly upon the present subject. Because the poison of impurity seeps through every open- ing, we must know how to mortify both our exterior and our interior senses, as well as the affections of the hear -ti 1114. A) .The body, we have said (n. 771 and foil.), must be disciplined, and if need be, chastised that it may remain subject to the soul : " But I chastise my body and bring it into subjection : lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway, " 3 From this principle arises the necessity of sobriety, at times of fast- ing, or of some other exterior forms of penance ; also the need, at certain periods and especially in the spring of the year, of a less rich diet to abate the mounting surge of the blood and soothe the ardors 1 St. Jerome well describes these oddities : "Such men think of nothing but their dress; they use perfumes freely, and see that there are no creases in their leather shoes. Their curling hair shows the traces of tongs; their 'fingers glisten with rings; they walk on tiptoe across a w.et road, not to splash their. feet. When you see men acting in this way, think of them rather as bridegrooms than as clergymen. " Letter XXII, 28. ... 2 Spiritual Exercises, Rules for the Discernment of Spirits, XIII. 3 1 Cor., IX, 27. f THE MORAL VIRTUES. 525 of concupiscence. ..Nothing is to be neglecfed that may ensure the dominion of the soul over the "body. There should be no protracted hours of sleep, and as a general principle we must not remain in bed of mornings, once we are awake and are unable to fall asleep again. Each of our bodily senses needs to be mortified. 1115. • a) The just Job had made a pact with his eyes that they should not look upon such persons as could prove a source of temptation to him : "I made a covenant with my eyes> that I would not so much as think upon a virgin." * The Book of Ecclesiasticus carefully recommends not to fasten our glances upon a jnaiden and to, turn our eyes from a beautiful woman.: "For many have perished by the beauty of a w.oman, and thereby lust is enkindled .as a fire."2 All these counsels have a, good psychological foundation. The eye acts as stimulus to the imagination, this enkindles the desire, and the latter solicits the will. If the will yields consent, sin enters into 'the soul. 1116. b) Speech and hearing are mortified by. reserve in conversation. This reserve is not common even among Christian men and women. The reading of novels and the frequenting of theatres cause them to speak freely of-many a subject that should be passed over in silence. Likewise, they want to keep informed about the scandals that occur in the world. At other times they chat pleasantly about things of a more or less risky nature A sort of unwhole- some curiosity finds delight in such pleasantries and reports, the imagination is fed on them and visualizes in detail the descriptions given, the senses react and often the will ends by taking culpable pleasure. And so it is that St. Paul rightly denounces evil associations as a source of corruption : " Evil communications corrupt -good manners.'' 3 The same Apostle says elsewhere :" Obscenity, or foolish talking, or scurrility, which is to no purpose... let it not so much as be named among you. "4 Experience shows that sterling souls have been perverted through the unwholesome curio- sity aroused by imprudent conversations. 1117. e) In the sense of touch there lurks a special danger " _ Father Perreyye understood this well when he wrote the following : 5 " More than ever, 6 Lord, I consecrate my hands to Thee. These *jo6, xxxx, ;i. :/;.. "^;r '.-."• : 2 ."Gaze not upon a niaiclen: lest her beauty be a stumbling block to thee... Turn away thy face from a woman dressed up ; and gaze hot about upon another's beauty. ' ' Ecclus. IX, 5, 8, 9. — 3 / Cor. , XV, 33. — < EpAu. , V, 3. & 4. s Meditations sur les ~SS. Ordres, p. 165. 526 CHAPTER II, hands are to receive priestly consecration within three days. On- the morrow of the third day they will touch, hold, handle Thy. Body and Thy Blood. I want to reverence these hands, honor them as hallowed instruments dedicated to Thy service and that of Thy altars... " When we recollect that in the' morning we have held within our hands an AlUholy God, we arejnore ready to abstain from whatever could soil their purity. Hence^ deep reverence for our own person; hence rever- ence for others, treating all with the accepted marks of -courtesy, but abstaining from any sentimental feeling or ill-ordered affection. To a priest who asked St. Vincent de Paul if it were expedient to feel the pulse of a dying woman, the Saint replied : "That practice must be carefully avoided, for the evil spirit might easily make use of it to tempt the living and even the dying. The devil, in this last moment uses any and -every device to ensnare a soul... You should never touch eitheir girl or woman under any pretence whatever." ' 1118. B) The interior . senses are no less exposed to danger than are the exterior. Even when we modestly lower our eyes, importunate memories and obsessing images still pursue us. St. Jerome complained of this even in the solitude of the desert where, though parched by the burning sun and living in a bare cell, he would feel himself carried in fancy mid the pleasures of Rome. 2 He therefore urges instant riddance of such fancies : " You must never let the suggestion of evil grow on you... Slay the enemy while he is small; and that you may not have a crop of tares, nip the evil in the bud" '3 The enemy must; be strangled before his strength grows and the tares pulled up by the root before they sprout, otherwise the soul is invaded,, obsessed by temptation, and the temple of God becomes the haunt of demons : " Let not the temple of the Blessed Trinity become a place where demons shall dance and sirens make their dens "^ 1119. In order to escape these dangerous "fancies it is important not to indulge in the reading of such novels or attend such theatrical representations, where inhuman passions and chiefly that of love are presented in a vivid and realistic fashion. Such descriptions cannot but trouble the imagination and the senses. They persistently recur in our leisure moments, impart to temptation a -more vivid and more alluring form, and at times extort consent. Now, St. Jerome remarks that virginity is. forfeited not merely through exterior but also by interior acts : " And so, "virginity is lost even by thought." s Furthermore, the Saints exhort .us to mortify the imagi- nation and useless day-dreaming. For, experience shows that these are frequently followed by dangerous sensual images, and that, therefore, if we wish to prevent the latter, 1 MEYNARD, Virtues and Spiritual Doctrine of St. Vincent dejPaul, C. XIX. 2 " How often, when I was living in the desert, in the vast solitude which gives to hermits a wild dwelling-place, parched by a burning sun, how often did I fancy myself among the pleasures of Rome I" Letter, XXII, n. 7. — * Ibid. '. * ST. JEROME, Letter, XXII, n. 6. — s Letter quoted, n. 5. " ' THE MORAL VIRTUES. 527 we must quickly banish the former. It is only by -so doing that we gradually succeed in subjecting the imagination to the service of the will. . ; This is particularly necessary to the priest, who by the very reason of his ministry,, is the recipient of confidences of a delicate nature. No doubt, he has the grace of state >not to take any pleasure therein, but this on condition that upon leaving the confessional he does npt voluntarily dwell upon ' what he has heard. Otherwise, his virtue would be put to a severe test, and God has not bound Himself to vouchsafe His help to imprudent souls that rush headlong into danger : ' " He that loveth danger shall perish in it. "x ' 1120. C) The heart needs to be mortified just as much as the imagination. It is one of the highest and noblest of faculties, but it is also a, source of danger. By religious vow or by priestly ordination, we consecrate our heart to God and renounce the joys of family life. Still, the heart remains open to affection; and if it be true that we have special graces, they are graces for the struggle, and they demand of us great vigilance and great effort. Besides the dangers common to all, the priest encounters in 'his ministry some peculiar to himself. He may become unconsciously attached to the persons to whom he does good, and they in turn may feel naturally moved to manifest their gratitude. Therefrom arise mutual affections ; these are supernatural at first, but unless carefully controlled, they easily descend to the plane of natural, sentimental and absorbing attachments. Indeed, it is easy to deceive ourselves. " Oftentimes, " says St. Francis-de'Sales, " we imagine , we love persons for God's sake, whilst in reality we love them for the sake of the pleasure we experience in their company. " A famous text, attributed to St. Augustine, shows us the successive degrees through which we pass from spiritual to carnal love : " Spiritual love engenders affectionate love, affectionate love devoted love, devoted love tender love, and tender love carnal love. " ' •• . 1 121. In order to escape such' a misfortune, we must ask ourselves from time to time whether or not we see in ourselves any signs of friendship that is too natural and sentimental.8 Father de Valuy3 says that such a friendship exists: " If the presence of a person begins to captivate our eyes, or his agreeable disposition to thrill our heart; if we offer- tender greetings, speak tender words, cast tender glances, make small gifts, exchange smiles more eloquent than words and permit liberties that little by little lead to familiarity ; if we seek oppor- tunities to meet alone, to prolong these meetings interminably and to renew them for no apparent reason ; if we speak little of divine things but a great deal of self and of mutual esteem ; if we praise, flatter or excuse" each other ; if we complain bitterly of the warnings of superiors, of the obstacle's they place in the way of our meetings ; and of .the suspicions in which they seem to indulge ;... if we experience uneasiness and sadness at the absence of our friend; if we are distracted in 'prayer at the thought of him, and recommend him to God with extra- " " ' •" ' • '/'•'...' •- . 1 Ecdesiasiicu?,'IU, 27. — 2 cf. aboye; nos 595-606— friendships, true and false. 3 Fw/w r«/^Mfcre.r, pp. 73-74. 528 CHAPTER II. ordinary fervor ; if we have his image deeply engraved on our mind, arid are preoccupied with the thought of, him day and night, anxiously wondering as to his whereabouts, as tg the time of his return, and as to his affection for others; if we experience unwonted joy at his reap- pearance, undergo a species of martyrdom when again he must depart, and strive in a thousand and one ways to bring about a reunion. " Let no one try to reassure himself by citing the piety of the persons to whom he thus attaches himself, for the holier they are, the more they attract us. Besides, such persons imagine that the affection they bear a* priest holds no dangers whatever, and may, therefore, allow their affection ' to grow without fear. It is imperative, then, that the priest keep them at a distance by his own reserve. . 3° APPLICATION TO STUDY AND TO DUTIES OF STATE 1122. One of the most profitable forms of mortification is the avoidance of idleness by an earnest application to ecclesiastical studies and to the faithful fulfilment of the duties of state. Thereby the dangers of idleness are removed : " For idleness hath taught much evil. " I For one demon that tempts a busy man there are a thousand evil spirits that tempt an idle one. What do we do, as. a matter of fact, when we are not engaged in any useful task? We muse, day-dream, read light literature, indulge in protracted visits, hold conversations of a more or less dangerous nature, while our imagination teems with vain fancies,, our heart drifts on towards- sentimental affections and our soul, laid open to all sorts of temptations, finally yields to sin. On the contrary, when we become absorbed in study or the work of the ministry, our mind is filled with wholesome thoughts,2 and our heart soars to worthy and pure affections. Our one absorbing 'thought is 'of souls, whilst the very multiplicity of occupations leaves no opportunity 'whatever for any inordinate friendships. If at any time temptation makes its appearance, the self-mastery acquired through assiduous work enables us to head it off far more quickly, for study and work make their wonted demands upon our attention, and we soon tear ourselves away from reveries to busy ourselves with the concrete realities that take up the greater part of our life. ^ - 1123. Hence, it is a great service to seminarians and priests to inspire them with a taste for study; fo teach them how to avoid "••_••. - v 1 Ecdesiasticus, XXXIII, 29. '' 2 " Love the knowledge of Scripture, and you will no longer love the sins of the flesh... Always have some work on hand) that the devil may find you busy." ST. JEROME, Letter CXXV, n. n. . ' THE MORAL VIRTUES. . 529 idleness, even in holiday time, and how to turn to profit every moment of their life. Wnen one can help them sketch a plan of study that they can follow in the ministry, or aid them in the preparation of some course of instructions, or interest them in some special question, one does them a signal service"; for if they have no such program, they are liable to waste precious time, whilst with it, they bring to their task a greater enthusiasm arid more perseverance. 4° ARDENT LOVE FOR JESUS AND His BLESSED MOTHER 1124. If work preserves the mind from dangerous thoughts, love for God shields the heart from sentimental affections, and thus spares us many a temptation. Man's heart is made for love. Priestly ordination or religious profession do not change this affective part of our nature, but they help us raise our affections to a supernatural plane. If we love God with our whole soul, if we love Jesus Christ above all things, we shall be less inclined to give our affections to creatures. St. John Climacus remarks : " He is truly virtuous upon whose spirit heavenly beauty is so engraved, that he deigns not to cast a look upon earthly beauty, and thus feels not the burning of that fire, which consumes the hearts of other men. " * 1125. But in order that love for 'Jesus may produce these effects, it must be intense, generous, and absorbing. Then it will bring us, a threefold blessing : i) It will so fill the mind and the heart that we no longer give a thought to human affections. If at times they make their way to our heart, we turn them aside, repeating these words of St. Agnes : " / am espoused to Him Whom the Angels serve, at Whose beauty the very sun and moon stand in awe. " "It is easy "to under- stand how ail creatures vanish and lose their charm in the presence of Him Who is the fulness of beauty, of goodness and of power. 2) Should we unfortunately become entangled in any ill-ordered affections, Jesus Who cannot sufffer strange gods in,,our heart, will reproach us severely and thus make us all the stronger for the fight against them. 3) Lastly, He will Himself protect wjth jealous care the hearts of those who give themselves to Him. He will come to our aid at the time of temptation and will strengthen us against the seductions of creatures. • . '• . This generous love for Jesus we draw from prayer, from the reception of Holy Communion, from silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, "and we render it habitual and permanent through that intimate union with Our Lord which we described above, in number 153. 1126. To this we add a great devotion to Mary, the Virgin Undefiled. Her name breathes forth purity, and, it seems, no sooner dp we confidently invoke Her, than temptation . is put . to. flight. If we consecrate ourselves ' Ladder if Paradise, Degree XV, 7. N° 680. - 19 530 CHAPTER II. '.. entirely to this Good Mother (n. 170-176), She will watch over us as Her very own, and help us to repel successfully the most harassing temptations. Let us, then, delight in the recitation of the prayer, 0 Domina mea, so powerful against impure suggestions, and the Ave Maris Stella, especially the following strophe : Virgin of all mrgins, Thee our queen we seek; Fire with love our bosoms, Make us chaste and meek. And if we are ever worsted in the struggle, we must not forget that the Immaculate Heart of Mary is also the sure refuge of sinners, that through the invocation of Her Name we shall find the grace of repentance, followed by the grace of absolution. Who could better ensure our perseverance than the Virgin most Faithful? § II. Humility1 This virtue could in some respects be connected with the virtue of justice, since it inclines us to mete out to our- selves what are our just deserts. However, it is generally related to the virtue of temperance, because it moderates the sense we have of our own worth. We shall explain : i° its nature; 2° its various degrees; 3° its excellence'; 4° the means to practice it. ' - I. Nature of Humility 1127. i° Humility is a virtue that was unknown to the Pagans. For them humility connoted something vile, abject, servile or ignoble. It was not so with the Jews. Enlightened by faith, the best among them, conscious of their own nothingness and of their wretchedness, patiently accepted trials as a means of expiation. God, on His part stooped down to help them; He delighted in the prayer of the humble, and pardoned the contrite and humbled sinner. Therefore, when Our Lord came to preach humility and meekness, the Jews were able to understand Him. As for us, we understand Him even better, after reflecting, on the examples of humility He has given us in His hidden life, during His public ministry, and in His passion, nay, gives us still in His Eucharistic life. Humility may be defined as a supernatural virtue, which, through the self-knowledge it imparts, inclines us to reckon 1 See references, N° 818, under Pride. THE MORAL VIRTUES.' 531 ourselves at.:our:true worth' and to seek self-effacement > and contempt. More . succinctly, ; St. Bernard *' defines 'it as " a virtue whereby man, through a true knowledge of himself, becomes despicable in his own eyes. " This defi- nition will be better understood after we have explained the basis of humility. . 1128. The Basis of this virtue. Humility has a twofold basis: truth and justice. Truth causes .us to know our- selves just as we are; justice inclines us to act upon that knowledge. , A) To attain self-knowledge, says St. Thomas, we must see what in us belongs to God, -and what to ourselves. Now, whatever there is in us of good, comes from God and belongs to Him; whatever there is of evil, proceeds from ourselves: "In man two things may be considered: what . there is of God, and what there is of man. Of man there is whatever points' to defect; but of God, all that makes for , salvation and perfection." * Justice, then, absolutely demands that we render to God, and to Him alone, all the honor and all the glory : " To the king of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory ... 3 Benediction and glory, and wisdom, and thanks- giving, honor and power and strength, to our God."* Undoubtedly, there is some good in us — our natural being and especially our supernatural privileges. Humility allows us to see and admire this good, but in such , wise only that when we contemplate the gifts 'and graces of God in us, it is Him, and not ourselves that we admire, just as when we admire a work of art we give credit to the artist, not to .the canvas. 1129. B) Besides, the fact of being sinners condemns us to humiliation. In a certain sense, of ourselves we are but sin, since bo'rn in sin, we keep within us concupiscence, which leads to sin. a) Upon our entrance into the world, we are already tainted by original sin, from which only the mercy of God can cleanse us. b) How many actual sins have we not committed from the dawn of reason! If we have com- mitted even one mortal sin, then on that score we deserve eternal humiliations. Even 'if we have fallen into but venial sins, we must remember that the least sin constitutes 1 De Gradibus humil., C. I, n. 2. " II* II*, q. 161, a. 3. — 3 / Tim., I, 17. — * Apoc., VII, ia. 532 CHAPTER II. an offence against God, a wilful violation of His law, an act of rebellion whereby we prefer our will to His. A whole life- time of penance and humiliation would, not suffice to atone for this, e) Furthermore, even after our regeneration, we still keep within ourselves strong tendencies to all kinds of sin, so much so that, according to St. Augustine, it is due to God's grace that we have not committed every sin in the world. * In justice, then, we must love humiliations and accept all reproaches. If we are told that we are miserly, dishonest, proud, we must acknpw- ledge it, since we have within us the inclination to each of these defects. Father Olier rightly comes to the conclusion that "in sick- ness, in persecution, in contempt, and any other affliction we must take God's part against ourselves and acknowledge that we justly deserve all that and more; that He has a pe'rtect right to use every icreature for our punishment, and that we must adore the great mercy He uses towards us, knowing full well that according to His justice we would fare far worse. "* Such is the twofold basis of humility. Being nothing of, ourselves, we must love oblivion and self-effacement : to be unknown, to be reckoned as nothing. As sinners we deserve every kind of humiliation. . . v • .' .. --,;-, it. II. The Various Degrees, of .Humility. There are different classifications of the degrees of this virtue according to the various points of view taken. We shall note the principal ones, which can be reduced to three : that of St. Benedict, that of St. Ignatius and that of Father Olier. 1130. i° The Twelve Degrees of St. Benedict., s Cas- sian discerned ten different degrees in the practice of humility. St. Benedict completed this division, adding two others. To understand this arrangement, we must know that St. Benedict conceived humility as " an .habitual attitude of soul which regulates the entire range of a monk's relations with God, as a sinful creature and as an adopted son. " This concept is founded upon reverence towards the Almighty and comprises besides humility properly so-called, obedience, patience and modesty; Of these twelve degrees, seven refer to interior and five to exterior actions. 1 " I realize that it is Thy grace that has prevented me from doing whatever evil I have not done ; for what evil is there that I could not have done, being given that I could take pleasure in doing wrong just for the pleasure of doing it? And 1 confess to Thee, my God, that Thou hast pardoned all my sins, those which I freely committed, and those which because of Thy guidance I did not commit. ' (Confess. II, C. 3, P- L. XXXII, 681). — 2 Catech. for an Int. Life, P. I, Lesson XVIII. 3 BUTLER, Benedictine Monachism,p. 51; MARMION, Christ ideal of the monk, C. XL THE MORAL VIRTUES. 533 1131. Among the interior acts he places : 1) The fear of God ever present to the mind and causing us to keep the commandments. This fear is, in the first place, fear of punishment, then reverential fear, which terminates in adoration : " The fear of the Lord is holy^ enduring forever and ever. " I - ' ..'... ^ 2) Obedience, or the submission of our will to God's, For if we fear and reverence God^' we shall do His will in all things. This obedience is, indeed, an act of humility, since it is the expression of our dependence upon God. 3) Obedience to Superiors out of love for God. It is more difficult to submit to Superiors than to God Himself. More faith is needed to see God in the person of one's Superiors; likewise a more perfect self-denial is needed because this obedience extends to many more things. ' .. 4) Patient obedience even in the most difficult things, bearirig injuries without murmer, even and above all, when humiliation comes from Superiors. To succeed in this, one must consider the heavenly recompense awaiting us and the sufferings and humiliations of Jesus. - 5) The avowal of secret faults, thoughts included, to the Superior,2 apart from sacramental confession. This act of humility is a powerful check. The prospect of having to lay bare the most secret faults halts one on the brink of the abyss. . ,6) The willing acceptance of all privations, ,of menial offices, considering oneself unworthy of even such tasks. 7) To consider oneself in all sincerity as the lowest of men. This is a degree of humility rarely found. The Saints attain it by saying to themselves that if others had received as many graces as they, they would have made much better use of these divine gifts. 1132. These interior acts manifest themselves in exterior actions, the principal ones being : 8) Avoidance of singularity : to do nothing out of the ordinary, but to be satisfied with what is sanctioned by the common rule, the examples 1 Ps. XVIII, 10. - ; * According to the Code of Canon Law (can. 530) religious Superiors can no longer in any way seek to induce their subjects to disclose to them their conscience ; but the, Code adds: "it is profitable for religious" to approach their Superiors with filial confidence and manifest to them, if the Superiors be priests, their doubts and troubles of conscience. " 534 CHAPTER II. of our seniors, and accepted customs. To wish to be singular is a sign of pride. . •»!9). Silence:, to .know, how to. •remain silent as long as coriyersatioa is hot addressed to us, or as long as there is no good reason to speak. There, is a greatdeal of vanity ;behind. .our readiness to talk: , •; 10) Moderation of laughter : 'St. Benedict does: not condemn laughter in so far as it is an expression of spiritual < joy, but only laughter of, a vulgar kind, uncouth laughter, sneering laughter, or the> 'habitual disposition1 to laugh boisterously, and upon the least provocation, all of which shows little regard for, Qod's 'presence and little 'humility. •'• ; : v.i i) Reserve in speech; .when: one speaks, it must be done quietly and humbly, with all the gravity and propriety of the wise. man. 12) Modesty of ': behavior : to walk, sit, and hold oneself erect; to practice modesty of the eyes without affectation, to keep one's -thoughts fixed on God, reflecting that one is'not worthy of raising one's eyes to heaven: Lord, I ain not worthy, a sinful man,- to raise my eye's to heaven. . .: • . - After explaining the Various degrees of humility,:St Bene- dict adds that they lead to the love of God, that perfect love that excludes fear: " Therefore, after -having ascended all these degrees of humility, the monk soon reaches, the love of God, ihat perfect love that casteth out fear. " This, then, is the goaj whither humility leads. The way: is rough, but the heigHts to which it leads us are .those of Divine Love. 1133. 2° The Three Degrees of St; Ignatius. Towards tlie end of the Second Week of the Exercises, before the Rules for Election, St. Ignatius proposes three degrees of humility,' which are at bottom three degrees of self- abnegation. ' ' '•-i) The first degree consists "in perfect submission to the law of God, so that we should be ready to refuse the empire of the whole world, or even to sacrifice our lives, rather than transgress any precept which obliges us under pain of mortal sin;" This degree is essential for every Christian who wants to remain- in the state of grace. • \ 2) The second is more perfect. "It consists in the indif- ference of the soul towards riches or poverty, honor or shame, health or sickness, provided the glory of God and the salvation of souls are equally secured; further, that no consideration of interest or temporal disgrace, not even the consideration of immediate death, should be capable of drawing us into deliberate venial sin. " This is a disposition already implying great perfection, and few souls attain it 3.) "The third is i most perfect. It .embodies, the'' first. 'two, and it goes further, preferring, for the sole love of Jesus Christ and from the wish to resenable Him the more, THE MORAL VIRTUES. 535 poverty to riches, shame to honors,' etc.;.,- even though our salvation and the glory of God would be assured by either" This is the degree of perfect souls; it is the love of the Cross and the love:of humiliation, in union with Christ arid out of love for Him/ When a soul has arrived thus far, it is already on the highroad, to sanctity. 1134. 3° The Three Degrees of Humility according- to 'Father Olier. After having explained, in his " Cate- chism for an Interior Life" the necessity of humility, and the way to combat pride, Father Olier in his Introduction to Christian 'Life and Virtues, goes on to explain the three degrees of interior humility proper to fervent souls. a) The first degree is to. rejoice in .the knowledge of self, the knowledge of one's vileness, of one's nothingness, of one's defects, of one's sins. The mere knowledge of these miseries does not constitute humility; there are some who discover their faults, but who are saddened at the sight of them, and strive\to find in themselves something, good that will spare them the confusion they experience* This, is an effect of pride. However, when one. is pleased at the know- ledge of one's 'wretchedness, when one loves one's own vile and abject condition one is truly humble. If one has the misfortune of falling into sin, one must, of course* detest it, but at the same, time be , pleased at. the humiliation. , To rejoice in one's infirmities, one must remember that such a. sentiment redounds to God's glory, by the very fact that one's littleness makes manifest God's greatness, and one's sins His holiness. In this way the soul acknowledges that it has no worth' whatever, that of .itself -it is incapable of any good, and that all has its origin in God, that all depends on Him, and that all must be done through Him. :• b) The second degree is that 'of wanting to be known as vile, as 'base, as being nothing but sin, and to be considered as -such by all men. In fact, if knowing pur misery arid being pleased at it -we should still wish to be esteemed by men, we should be. hypocrites, wanting to seem better than we really are. '••'••', • : Alas ! such is our tendency ! Hence the chagrin we experience when our imperfections are discovered," the concern we have for the 'Success. ' ^ of our undertakings, for gaining the esteem of 'men. To covet esteem is to be -a thief wishing; to make his what belongs to the Sovereign Being. The humble soul, on the contrary, is unconcerned about the regard in which it is held. It is pained when, praised, and would prefer a thousand injuries to a. word of praise, since the former is based on truth, the latter on falsehood. . ' . -•'•• ' . e) The third degree is to want not merely to be known- as a vile thing, but to be treated as such, as a base and contemptible being; it is to accept joyfully' all. the scorn 536 CHAPTER II. and all the humiliation possible; in a word, it- is to want to be treated according to our deserts. And what contempt is not due to nothingness, and above all, to sin, which removes us from the One Who is our true good, God? Thus, when God deigns to send us aridity of soul, interior desola- tions and reversals, we must take God's part against ourselves, and ' acknowledge that He is right in rebuking us and our works. Likewise, if we. are ill-treated, by pur superiors, our equals, and even our inferiors^ we must rejoice at this as being most just, most profitable to us and most in accord with the desires of J'esus Christ. We must not even aspire to a high place in Heaven from a motive of pride. Indeed, we must love God as much as He wishes to be loved, and be faithful so that we mary attain to the degree of glory and bliss that He prepares for us ; but with regard to our place in Heaven we must leave that entirely in God's hands. . " Then we attain complete self-effacement, and God alone lives -and reigns within us. " 1135, Conclusion. • Each of these points of view con- cerning the degrees of: humility as explained by St. Bene- dict, St. Ignatius, and Father Olier, has its foundation in- faqt. It is the duty of a spiritual director to advise the one which "best harmonizes with his penitents state of soul. III. The Excellence of Humility To be able to understand the language of the Saints on this subject we must differentiate between humility in itself, and humility as i\\& foundation of the other virtues. . 1135. i° Considered in itself, says St. Thomas, * humility is inferior to the theological virtues, which have God Himself as their direct, object; it is even inferior to -certain moral virtues; for instance, prudence, religion, and legal justice which refers to the common good ; however, (with the pos- sible exception of obedience) humility is superior to all the o.ther moral virtues, because of its universal character, and because it subordinates us to the divine order in all things. 1137. 2° But, if we consider humility as being, the key that opens the treasures of grace and as the foundation of all virtues,.it is, as the Saints say, one of the most excellent of virtues. A) It is the key that lays open the riches of grace : "But to the humble He giveth grace. " 2 a) God knows that the humble soul does not take complacency in the graces He 1 II» II* q. 161, a. 4. — * I Peter, V, 5. THE MORAL VIRTUES. 537 bestows, that it is not puffed up with vanity because of them, but rather that it refers all the glory to Hi'm.. Almighty God can therefore pour upon that soul the abundance of His favors, since His own glory will be thereby increased. On the other hand, He sees Himself, obliged to withdraw His grace from the proud — "God resisteth the proud, " I — since they would appropriate it to< their own ends and would glory therein. This God cannot .; suffer : " / will not give my glory to another. " 2 b) Besides, humility empties the soul of self-love and vain-glory, and thus creates there a vast capacity for grace, which God is ready to fill; for as St. Bernard says there is a close affinity between grace and humility : " The virtue of humility is, always found closely associated with Divine grace. " 3 1138. B) Humility is likewise the foundation of all the virtues. If not the mother of all, it is at least their foster-- mother, and this from a twofold point of -view : first in the : sense that without it there is no solid virtue, and then that with it all other virtues grow in depth and perfection. 1) As pride 'is the great stumbling-block to faith, humility renders our faith, more active, more ready, more firm, and even more enlight- ened : " Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and,, hast revealed them to little ones. " 4 How much easier it is to sub- ject the intellect to the authority of faith, if we are conscious of our dependence upon God ! " Bringing into captivity every understand- ing unto the obedience of Christ." Faith in turn, s revealing to us the infinite perfection of God and our own nothingness, grounds us in humility. : 2) The same occurs in the case of hope. The proud man trusts in himself and presumes overmuch in his own strength. He hardly thinks of imploring divine aid. The humble man, on the contrary, places all his hope in God, because he distrusts himself. Hope, in its ; turn, makes us more humble, because it shows us that the joys of heaven are so utterly beyond our powers that without the help of grace we could never attain them. 3) The enemy of the love of God, of charity, is the love of self. It is, then, by the "emptying of self" that the love of God grows, which in turn deepens humility, for we delight in effacing ourselves before Him Whom we love.. Therefore, St. Augustine rightly said that there is nothing more sublime than charity, and that only the humble practice it : " There is no higher road than that of charity, and ' none hut the humble walk therein. " 6 There is likewise no surer way ' to practice charity.. towards the neighbor than that of humility, which' throws a veil over, his defects and makes us .sympathize with his infirmities, instead of becoming impatient with him. > 1 IPeter,V, 5. — a Isaias, XLII, 8. — 3 Super Missus est, Homil. IV, 9. « Matth., XI, 25. — s // Cor., X, 5. — 6 Enarrat. in Ps. CXLI, c. 7. 538 CHAPTER II. > 4 139. 4) Religion is all the better practiced the clearer we perceive that all must be offered in holocaust and sacrificed to God. 1 5) Prudence demands humility. The humble are fond of reflecting and taking counsel before 'acting. 6) Justice cannot be practiced without humility, for the proud man exaggerates his own rights to the detriment of those of the neighbor. 7) Christ! an fortitude, proceeding as it does, not from self but from God, is not found except in, those who, conscious .of their weakness, find support in Him Who alone tan strengthen them. ' 8) Temperance and chastity, as we have seen, presuppose humility. 9) Meekness and fiatience are /never well practiced until we learn to accept humiliation. > And- so, it can be said that without humility there is no solid and lasting, virtue, and that, on the 'other hand, -through humility, all virtues grow and take deeper root in the soul. We may well conclude with the words of St. Augustine : "Dost thou wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that shall pierce the clouds? Lay first the foun- dations on humility. " I The loftier the building, the deeper must be its foundations. IV. The Practice of Humility 1140. Beginners, as we have said (n. 838-844), wage war against pride; souls advanced in the spiritual life direct their efforts to the imitation of Our Lord's humility. 1141. i° They strive to draw to themselves the humble dispositions of the soul of Christ. This is what St Paul urges us to do: " Let .this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus : Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself ... "2 We must, then, meditate frequently upon and strive to imitate the examples of humility given us by Our Lord in His hidden and public life, in His Passion, and in His Eucharistic life. . . . A) During His hidden life He practices humility chiefly under the form of self-effacement, a) He practices this self-effacement before His birth by hiding Himself for nine months, in the virginal womb of Mary, where He conceals completely His Divine Attributes : " He emptied himself; " 3 by submitting Himself to Caesar's edict : " There went out a decree from C&sar Augustus ; " 4 by suffering uncomplainingly the rude refusals His Mother, had to face: " There 'was no room for them in the inn;" $ above all, by being the object 1 Sermon 10 on the Words of the Lord. — z Phil., II, 5. — 3 Ibid., 7. e, II, i. — - THE MORAL VIRTUES. ' 539 of the ingratitude of men, who thought not of making ready a place for Him in their hearts : u^He came unto his own, and Ms own received htm not."1 b) He likewise practices seif.-effacement at His 'biftkvJ&e appears as 'a poor in fan tj -bound in swaddling clothes, placed in a /manger, and laid upon a bit of straw ; " You shall find the infant wrapped i^ sivaddling clothes and1 laid in a manger" 2 Ancl this little Child is the Son of God, coequal with the Father, Uncreated Wisdom! - , e) He practices humility also in all the circumstances ' that follow His birth .-.like any ordinary child he is circumcised; He is obliged to flee into Egypt to escape the persecuting hand of Herod, whom with but one word He could . reduce to dust, d) His life at Nazareth is. but continued self-effacement. ..Hidden avyay in a small Galilean .village, He at first helps His Mother in .her household duties, then becomes an apprentice, a workman, and spends thirty years, in, obedience to two human beings. He, the Lord of the ^orld, " was subject to tJtem." 3 We can well 'understand the words of Bossuet : 4 " My ,GodJ I stand aghast once more! Come, ye ,proud ones, /behold, this spectacle! 'Jesus, a carpenter's son ! 'Jesus, -Himself a carpenter! Jesus, "'known only as a carpenter and as the son of a carpenter, and nothing more ! 5> ' • • ; 1142. B) During the course of His public life Jesus does not cease to practice this forgetfulness of self to the extent compatible with His mission. He is, no doubt, obliged. to proclaim both by word and deed that He is. the Son of God; yet, He does so in a discreet, measured way, .sufficiently clear to reach the minds of men of good will, but 'not with such evidence as- to force assent. His humil- 'ity appears in everything He does. /'. , -;. a) He-surrounds Himself with Apostles, ignorant and uncouth, and .therefore little esteemed, .eleven fishermen and a publican. - He shows a marked preference: for those whom the world despises : .the;poQr, sinners, the , afflicted, little; childre'n, .those disowned by /the world. He-lives by alms and haS'no place that.He can call His home. .t>) Hjs teaching is plain and simple, within the reach of all, and His similitudes like His* parables are taken from ordinary, eyery-day life., : He does n.ot .seek to:excite the admiration of riien, but to instruct them and 'to touch their hearts. e)-His':'/«w'«f/PJ are of rare. occurrence, and when:He .does perform them He. .often charges His beneficiaries to .speak of them to no man. There is ho studied austerity in His life :>HeVeats .like .everyone .else, He attends a wedding-feast at Caiiaj and some banquets to which He is.in.vitedi ,:He..shuns. popularity ; '.He does-not hesitate when -necessary to displease His disciples: "This is a hard -saying, ",5;:andA,H,e^ takes to flight;,when:. the. people •would make; Him king, d) If we iook.4rito. the innerjiiQst. sentiments 'c&. ;His soul,,.w.fi..see how He wishes to liverin: depen'derice upon God.'6 "He speaks "only" to .give expression'to' the doctrine of Him- Who sent Him : ~w ~I~ speak not .. . . . ., ., * J-ohtl, I, IIv- — 'frjtwiStf, II,.X2, — 3 Luke,, \\ftJL. -.:..,•.; •' .'.i ... -'-.. -•• ...--•:"' I, 6t — $ Situations, XXe Semaine,' 8« M|v;: — 6 Jahn.Vtif, 15-16. 540 CHAPTER II. of myself ... " x- " My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me;n * He does nothing of Himself but only in deference to His Father : " I cannot of myself do anything... But the Father who abideth in me, he doth the 'works. " 3 Thus it is not His own glory that He seeks, but that of the Father, and for this cause only He lives on earth : " / seek not my own glory... " 4 " 1 have glorified thee on the earth." $ Nay more, He, the Lord of Creation, becomes the servant of men : " The Son of man is not come to, be ministered unto, but to minister. "6 In a word, oblivious of self, He continually immolates Himself for 'God and men. 1143. C) This is all even more apparent in His Passion where He practices abject humility. He, Holiness itself, wills to bear the weight of our iniquities and suffer the penalty, as if He were guilty : "Him, who knew no sin, he hath made sin for us. " 7 a) Hence proceed that sorrow, that dejection, that weariness, which He feels at Gethsemane at seeing Himself loaded with our sins : " And he began to fear and to be heavy... My soul is sorrowful even unto death. " 8 b) He bears the outrages heaped upon Him : betrayed by Judas, He has for him only friendly words : " Friend, whereto art thou come? " 9 Deserted by His Apostles, He does not cease to love them. Arrested, bound like a common criminal, He heals Malchus wounded by the hand of Peter. Delivered to the rabble, He suffers their affronts in silence. Calumniated, .He does not justify Himself, and utters not a word except to make answer to the abjuration of the high-priest in whom He respects the authority of God. He knows full well that His answer will bring upon Him the penalty of death, still He speaks the truth. Treated like a fool by Herod, He holds His peace ; He speaks not a single word nor works a single miracle to vindicate His honor. The people to whom He had done so much good choose Barabbas instead of Him, and still Jesus ceases not to suffer for their conversion. Unjustly condemned by Pilate, He keeps silence, He lets Himself be scourged, crowned with thorns, vilified like a mock-king on the stage ; He accepts without murmur the heavy cross that is laid upon His shoulders and allows Himself to be crucified without a word of com- plaint. Insulted and sneered at by His enemies, He prays for them and excuses them before His Father. Deprived of all heavenly com- fort, deserted by His disciples, His dignity as man, Hjs reputation, His honor, all set at naught, He suffers it seems every species of humiliation that the mind of man can conceive, and He can say with 'far greater truth than the Psalmist : " 1 am a worm and no man: the reproach of men and the outcast of the people. " I0 It is for us sinners, it is in our stead, that He endures so heroically all those outrages with- out a murmur : " Who, when He was reviled, did not revile: when he suffered, he threatened not, but delivered himself to him that judged him unjustly."™ How then can we, who are so full of guilt, ever complain, even should we be, at times unjustly accused ? 1144. D) His Eucharistic life in the tabernacle repro- duces these different examples of humility. 1 John, XIV, 10. — 2 John, VII, 16. — 3 John, V, 30 ; XIV, 10. / 4 John, VIII, 50. — s John, XVII, 4. — 6 Matth. , XX, 28. ? // Cor. , V, 21. - 8 Mark, XIV, 33, 34. - 9 Mattk. , XXVI, 50. ™Ps. XXI, 7.—" f Peter, II, 23. , ' THE MORAL VIRTUES. 541 r ^_ ^ a) Therein the Divinity of Jesus Christ is veiled to a greater extent . than it was in the Crib and on Calvary : " On the Cross was veiled Thy Godheads splendor. Here Thy Manhood^ lieth hidden too."* And yet, from the recesses of the tabernacle, it is He Who is the first and principal cause of all the good done in the world, He the One that inspires, strengthens and comforts all apostles, martyrs and virgins. And He chooses to be hidden, to be unknown, to be accounted as nothing. b) How many insults, how many affronts does He not receive in the Sacrament of His love, not only from unbelievers who refuse to ack- nowledge His Presence, from the impious who profane His Sacred Body, but also from Christians, who either out of weakness or shame make sacriligious communions, even from souls consecrated to His service who at times forget Him and leave Him alone in His taber- nacle : " Could you not watch one hour with me?"3 Instead of com- plaining He says to us incessantly : " Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy burdened, and I will refresh you. " 3 Truly, we have here all the examples that we need to sustain and strengthen us in the practice of every form of the virtue of humility. And when we reflect further that at the same time Christ has also merited for us the grace of imitating these examples, how can we hesitate to follow Him? 1145. 2° We shall now examine the manner in which we can, after Our Lord's example, practice humility towards God, towards our neighbor and with regard to ourselves. A) Towards God, humility is manifested chiefly iri three ways : a) By the spirit of religion^ whereby we honor God as the plenitude of being and perfection. This we do by lovingly and joyfully acknowledging our nothingness and our sinfulness, glad to proclaim in this way the self-suffi- ciency that is God's and the perfection of His holiness. Thence spring those sentiments of adoration, of praise, of filial fear and filial love; thence comes the heart's cry: Thou alone art holy, Thou alone -art. Lord, Thou alone art most high. These sentiments issue forth from our hearts not only when we pray, but also when we contemplate God's work : His natural works wherein are mirrored the perfections of the Maker, His supernatural works wherein the eyes of faith perceive a real likeness, a participation in the Divine life. ' 1146. b) By a spirit of thankfulness, which sees in God the source of all the natural and supernatural gifts we con- template in ourselves and in others. Then, like the Blessed Virgin, and in unio'n with her, we glorify God for all the 1 Hymn "Adorote" of St.' Ttiomas. — ' MattJi., XXVI, 40. —3 Maith.\ XI j 28 542 . , CHAPTER II. good He has bestowed upon us : " My soul doth magnify the X,ord... He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His name. " T Thus, Instead of priding ourselves upon such gifts, we refer to God all the honor that comes from them and acknowledge that we have often misused them. 1147. c) By a spirit of dependence, which makes us cork fess our inability to do any good of ourselves. Convinced of this fact, we never begin any action without first placing ourselves under the influence of the Holy Ghost, without imploring His grace, which alone can supply for our deficiency. This should be practiced especially by spiritual directors, who in the exercise of their ministry must not glory in the confidence which their penitents .show them, but candidly avow their insufficiency, and consult the Almighty before dispensing any advice. 1148. -B) As to the manner of practicing humility/with regard: to our neighbor, the principle that must guide us is the; following : we must see in him all the good, natural and supernatural, which God has placed in him, and admire it without either envy or jealousy. On the other hand, we must throw a veil over his defects and overlook them, at least as long as it is not our duty to correct them. • In accordance with this principle : a) we rejoice at the virtues and successes of others, for all these redound to God's glory : "'So that by all means,;. 'Christ be preached." z Of course, we may wish to possess their virtues, but then we invoke the Holy Ghost that He may deign to give us a share therein, and thus a worthy emulation ensues: "-tAnd let us 'consider one another, to provoke, unto charity and. to good works." 3 to) If we- see- our neighbor commit some fault, instead of becoming indignant, we pray for his conversion, and frankly acknowledge "that, were it not for God's grace, we should ourselves be guilty of greater sins (n. i 129). •;4149> e) This is the attitude of mind that really enables us to consider. ourselves 'zw/mo;' to others : " In humility, hi each esteem others better than themselves" ^ We may .well reflect especially, if not exclusively, upon the good there is in;bthers:and the evil there is in ourselves. -- "The following is the advice of St. Vincent de Paul to his disciples : 5 "If, then, we study to know ourselves thoroughly, we shall find in all •r.;'-J '-'-'••• "••'• - '•' ' •-.'-!., ' • ;. _; '••••' '**• ' •— '-'..-.• .-' '•- '-—L. •* 'Ltike 1Tri46V49, ; — a Phil., I, 18. — 3 Hebrews, ; X, 24. — •< Phil. II, 3. .:-.? MAYNA-RD, Virtues and Spiritual Doctrine of St. Vincent de Paul, p. 202,203. THE MORAL VIRTUES. 543 we think, in all we say, in all we do regarding either the' substance or the circumstances, that we are fully and completely surrounded with cause for shame and confusion ; and if we do not flatter ourselves, we shall perceive that we are not only worse than other men, but even, in ; a certain sense, more wicked than the demons in hell. For, if these unfortunate spirits had had the graces that have been given to us, they would have made a thousand times better use of them. " ' One may ask how one can arrive at such a conclusion, since it does not always correspond objectively to the truth. Let us note, first of all, that this conviction is found in all the Saints, and, therefore, it must rest upon some solid foundation. The foundation is this : every man can and should judge himself; and when he knows himself inti- mately, he sees clearly that he is indeed guilty, and further, that there exist in him evil tendencies. From this he concludes that he must hold himself in contempt. Others, however, he should not and cannot judge, since he does not know their motives, which are essential ele- ments for the appraisal of conduct. Neither does he know the measure . of grace God has given to others, which grace, however, he must/take into account in order to form a just appreciation of their actions. By judging self severely and not judging others, except leniently, one comes to the practical conclusion that one must assign to oneself a place below all others. 1150. C) In the practice of humility with, regard to ourselves., the following principle will guide us : while recog- nizing all the good that is. in us in order to give thanks to God for it, we must consider above all what is defective: our nothingness, our helplessness, our sinf ulness, so as ever to keep alive within us a sense of humiliation and shame. With the help of this principle it becomes easier to practice humility, which must extend to the whole man, to mind, heart and outward conduct. a) Humility : of mind comprises chiefly four things : 1) A proper distrust of self, that prevents us from overrating our ability, and disposes us to feel humiliated at the ill-use. we have made of the gifts of God. Such is the counsel of the Wise Man : " Seek not • the things that are too high for thee, and search not into things above thy ability."1 This is what St. Paul recommended to. the Christians of Rome : " By the grace that is given me, to all that are, amdng you, not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety and according as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith."* •>:••,- ,..'• 2) In the use we make of our talents, we must not seek to make a display or to be praised, but to be useful and to do good. . St. Vincent de Paul recommended this to his missionaries : 3 "To do otherwise would be to preach self, not Jesus Christ. And .he, who preaches for applause, for praise, for esteem, to -have his name, on everybody's tongue, what does he do? What does such a preacher do? He commits a sacrilege. Yes, a sacrilege! To make the word of God 1 Ecclesiasticus, III, 22: — 2 Romans, XII, 3. 3 MAYNARD, Virtues and Doctrine, p. 209. 544 CHAPTER II. and things divine the. means of acquiring a reputation ! Yes, it is a sacrilege!" ' 1151. 3) We must practice intellectual docility, not only by sub- mitting to the official decisions of the Church, but by heartily accepting pontifical directions even when they have not the character of infallibil- ity, reflecting that there is in them greater wisdom than in our own judgments. 4) This docility will prevent obstinacy in controverted questions. No doubt, it is our right to adopt whatever system appears to us as best founded, in questions where free discussion is in order, but is it not just and fair to allow the same freedom to others? 1152. b) Humility of heart requires that instead of wishing for and seeking glory or honors, we be satisfied with our situation and prefer a hidden life to an exalted position : Love to be unknown and to be reputed as nothing. This humbleness of heart goes even further ; it hides what- - ever could cause us to be loved and esteemed and it wishes for the last place not only in rank but also in the esteem of men : " Sit down in the lowest place. " I Indeed, at times it goes so far as to make us wish that our memory perish from the earth. ' Let us listen to St. Vincent de Paul : z " We should never turn or fix our eyes on what is good in us, but rather strive to know what is bad and defective; this is a great means of preserving humility. We ought not to dwell on the gift of converting souls nor on whatever other exterior talents we may have, for they are not ours; we are only the bearers of them, and even with these gifts we can lose bur souls. For this reason, no one should flatter himself, nor take any complacency in. himself, nor conceive any self-esteem because God works great things through him; he should rather humble himself and acknowledge that he is but a poor instrument which God deigns to employ. " 1153. C) External humility should simply be the out- ward manifestation of our interior sentiments, still it may be said that exterior acts of humility react upon our interior dispositions to solidify and intensify them. Therefore, they must not be neglected. However, to them we must join real sentiments of humility, that is to say, the soul must be humbled together with the body. 1) Poor lodgings, plain clothes, even worn and patched, as long as they be clean, foster humility. Fine lodgings and expensive attire easily inspire sentiments contrary to this virtue. 2) A humble and unassuming posture, gait and behavior, devoid of affectation, help in the practice of humility ; 3 humble occupations 1 Luke, XIV, 10. — 2 MAYNARD, Virtues and Doctrine, p. 213. 3 This is well explained by MGR. GAY in Christian Life and Virtues, Vol. I, On Humility, p. 370. " There is a habit of exterior humility in which the soul thai THE MORAL VIRTUES. 545 such as manual labor, mending one's, clothes, etc., produce the same, result. ' , f 3) The same may be said of the condescension, the marks of defer- ence, the acts of courtesy shown to others. 4) In our conversations, humility prompts us to let others talk about what is of interest to them and to speak little ourselves. Above all, it prevents us from speaking of ourselves and of whatever concerns us. It takes a saint to speak ill of self and mean it ; T and to speak well of self is boasting. We must not, under the pretext of humility go to any extremes. St. Francis de Sales2 says that "if some great servants of God have pretended to be fools, to render themselves more abject in the eyes of the world, we must admire, but not imitate them ; for having had peculiar and extraordinary motives that induced them to this excess, no one ought thence to draw any consequence for himself.' Humility is, then, a most practical and sanctifying virtue; it extends to the whole man, and aids us in the practice of all the other virtues. § III, Meekness s 1154. Our Lord rightly associates. meekness with humi- lity, since the former cannot be practiced without the latter. We shall treat : i° of its nature, 2° of its excellence, 3° of its practice. ' I. Nature of the Virtue of Meekness 1155. i° Its Constituent Elements. Meekness is a complex virtue which comprises three principal elements : a) a certain self-mastery, which forestalls and checks impulses of anger; from this point of view it is related to tempe- rance; b) tolerance of the. failings of others, which demands patience and, therefore, the virtue of fortitude; e) forgiveness is truly humble always maintains the body. There is, .exteriorly, a self-restraint, a reserve, a calm which gives to the whole physiognomy that charm which we express by the word "modesty". The look is modest, the. voice is modest, the laugh is modest, and every movement is modest... Nothing is further from affectation than true modesty.- St. Paul says : Let your" modesty be known to all men, the Lord is nigh! There, in fact, is the secret of this ravishing and holy attitude. ...; God is nigh to this soul, and this soul never forgets it: it lives in His Presence, and acts under His Eye, in the company of the good Angels. " ' ' ' We often confess ourselves to be nothing, nay, misery itself, and the refuse of the world; but we would be very sorry that any one should believe us, or tell others that we are .really such miserable wretches. On the contrary, we pretend to retire, and hide ourselves, so that the world may run after us, and seek us out. We feign to wish ourselves considered as the last in the company, and sit down at the lowest end of the table ; but it is with a view that we may be desired to pass to the upper end. True humility never makes a show of herself, nor uses many humble words. " (Sx. FRANCIS DE SALES, Devout Life, HI Part, C. V). 2 Ibid. ' ' ' . • 3 ST. JOHN CLIMACUS, The Ladder of Paradise, XXIV; ST. FRANCIS OF SALES, Devout Life, P. Ill, C. VIII-IX; OLIER, Introduction, C. X; C^AKD. BONA, Manuductio, C. XXXII; RIBET, Ascltique; VEN. A. CHEVRIER, Le Veritable Disciple, p. 345-354. — See references under- Anger, N° 853 and Fraternal Charity, N° 1236. • • . 546 CHAPTER II. of injuries, and benevolence towards all, even our enemies; in . this respect it is inclusive of charity. From this we see that it is a combination of virtues, rather than a distinct virtue. 1156. 2° Meekness may be defined as a supernatural, moral virtue, by which we prevent and restrain anger, bear with our neighbor in spite of his defects •, and treat him with kindliness. Meekness is not that weakness of character which con- ceals deep resentment behind a suave demeanor. It is an interior virtue, existing both in the will and in the emo- tions, in order to make peace reign therein ; but it is also outwardly manifested, in word and gesture, by affability of manner. * It is exercised, not only toward pur neighbor, but also with regard to self and all beings animate or inanimate. II. Its Excellence Meekness is excellent both in itself and in its effects. 1157. I6 In itself, it is, as Father Olier'2 puts it, "the completeness of perfection in the Christian, for it presup- poses in him absolute self-effacement and the death of all self-interest." . Hence, he adds: "True meekness is hardly found outside those innocent souls within which Jesus Christ has continually dwelt from the moment of their regeneration. " Penitent souls rarely possess it in all its perfection, because few of them labor with sufficient energy and constancy to destroy the faults they have contracted. Thus Bossuet tells us that " the true mark of innocence whether preserved from the beginning or recovered, is meekness. "3 ' i ^ ' 1158. 2° The great benefit meekness brings us is the . reign of peace in the soul, peace with God, peace with our neighbor, peace with ourselves. a) Peace with God, because it makes us accept all events, even the most adverse,, with calm and serenity, as means of growing in virtue, and especially in the love of God : " And .we know, "says St. Paul, " that to them that love God, all things work together unto good. "4 b) Peace with our neighbor; for, in preventing and repress- ing the impulses of anger, meekness makes us bear with 1 St. Jerome gives an excellent description of this virtue in his Commentary* on Galatians, V. 20 : "Meekness is a mild virtue, it is kindly, serene, gentle in speech, gracious in manner, it is a delicate blending of all the virtues. Kindness is akin tc it, for, like meekness, it seeks to please;, still it differs from the latter in that it is not as winsome and seems more rigid, for though equally prompt to accomplish good and render service, it lacks that charm, that gentleness that wins all hearts. 3 Introduction, C. X. — 3 Meditations sur I'Evangile. — * Romans, VIII, 28. THE MORAL VIRTUES. 547 our neighbor's faults and enables us to keep on gPod terms with others, or at .least, to remain inwardly unruffled if others be provoked at us. :: ; e) Peace with ourselves. If we happen to commit a fault; or; make a blunder, we do not become1 impatient or lose~ pur temper; but we reproach ourselves quietly and kindly, and learn by the experience to be; more, on our guard; Thus we avoid the mistake of those who, " being overcome by anger, are angry for having been angry, and vexed .to see themselves vexed. " * Thus, we preserve our peace, which is one of the greatest blessings. ; III. The Practice of the Virtue of Meekness, • 1159. i° Beginners exercise themselves in this\ virtue by fighting anger and the desire for revenge, as well as every impulse of passion stirring in the soul (n. 861-863). 1160. 29 Souls advanced in the way of perfection strive to attract to themselves the meekness of Jesus, which. He teaches so admirably by word and example. * A) Our Lord attaches such great importance to this virtue; that He had it announced by the prophets as prie of the marks of the promised Messias, and Had the ful- filment of this prophecy pointed out by the Evangelists, 3 •1161i B) He-bffers Himself as a model of that meekness and invites us to become His disciples, because He is meek: and humble of heart. 4 a) He fulfils perfectly the ideal of me'ekness described by the prophets. - When He announces, the Gospel; it is not with violence, animo'sity 'and bitterness,. but with calm' ahcV '" " ' '''' ' ' He utters no shouts, no useless cries, no angry words ; noise dies out and. dogs, no; good; ?,His rnanner is so :mild that He does .not break', the bruised^reed'.!!©? quench' the ; smoking^ flax, that is,'the' spark" of -faith'' and loyje 'that';.stilJ remain: in theisinrier's soul. ".: To draw men to: Him -• selfj He;;is.:'neitbeK melancholy .nor impetuous. .He is kindness' ahd'^ meekness itsfelfj .and He invites. those who -labor and are . heavily laderii to.;come';and seek-irep6.se. in; Himil.:...; -;>.i;.:' ;"-• •••'• •"••• • '; ••'-'- -•:^;--:^:^-^ %.',.. ti^TpwMds ^ l^-Apostles ^ .1 )..• H is: . conduct/ is •.'-- f ul| of meekness: He bears! with ^ their sfaiilfs,- -their ^'1 their rudeness* He rarpceeds tactfully with them, revealing _.._ izfe, Part 111, C. ; IX. " 2 P. CHEVRIER, l-*-Discipk, p. 345-354. ' ' : "i ---—-•-- 3 fraias, XLII, 1-4; Mattli,, XII, 17-21. — < Ma«A., XI, 29: :; ., ,:V,-,; ,..••< \ 548 CHAPTER II. — THE MORAL VIRTUES. to them the truth only by degrees and in the measure in which they can stand it, leaving to the Holy Ghost the care of finishing His work. He defends them against the unjust accusations of the Pharisees who reproached them with not observing the fasts. He reprimands them when they fail in meekness towards the children that gather round about Him, and when they would wish to bring, down fire from Heaven on a village of Samaria. When Peter strikes Malchus with the sword, He upraids him; but He forgives him his threefold denial and makes him atone for it with a threefold profession of love. , 2) Furthermore, He preaches meekness to the apostolic workers : they must have the simplicity of the dove as well as the cunning of the serpent. They must be as lambs in the midst of wolves ; they must not resist evil, but proffer the left cheek to him who strikes them on the right ; they must yield their cloak rather than appear before the bar of justice, and they must pray for them that persecute them. 1163. e) He readily forgives smnersyeven the most guilty, as soon as He sees in them the least indication of repentance. It is with no small degree of delicacy that He elicits, the avowals of the Samaritan woman and effects her conversion ; that He pardons the adulteress and the penitent thief, for He is come to call, not the just, but sinners to repentance. Like the good shepherd, He goes in search of His stray sheep and brings it back to the fold upon His shoulders. He even gives His life tor His sheep. If at times He speaks severely to the Scribes and. the Pharisees, it is precisely because they impose upon others unbearable burdens and thus hinder them from entering into the kingdom of God. d) Even with His enemies He is meek : Judas after his sin of treason hears himself called by the sweet name of friend. Upon the Cross He prays for His executioners and asks His Father to take account of their ignorance and pardon them. • 1164. C) In order to imitate Our LordviQ must : a) avoid quarrels, harsh or hurtful words and actions, so as not to frighten away the timid. We must strive never to render evil for evil, to, avoid all abruptness of manner, and never to speak while in an angry mood. b) We must try to treat with due regard all those that approach us; to present to all a pleasant and affable mien, even if they be a cause of fatigue or boredom to us ; to be especially kind to the poor, the afflicted, the sick, sinners, the timid, children; to soothe with a few kind. words the sting which the reprimands we are called upon to administer may leave; to be ever ready to render service, at, times to do even more than we are asked and, above all, to do so with good grace. We must, if need be, be ready to bear affronts, and to turn the left cheek to him who strikes us on the right. , ' ., •.-. 1165. 3° Perfect souls strive to imitate the very meek- ness of God, as Father Olier * remarks : " He is meekness : Introduction '•, C. X. CHAPTER III. — THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 549 itself, and when He wishes to share it with a .soul,. 'He- makes His abode therein in such a way that nothing of the flesh remains in it, but is all absorbed in God, in His being, His substance, His perfections, so that all that it does is done in meekness, and even when moved by zeal, it is always in a meek manner, because bitterness and harshness no longer have any part in it, just as they can have no part in God Himself. " 1166. Conclusion. Not to be too long, we end 'here the explanation of the cardinal virtues, a) They discipline, school and perfect all our faculties by subjecting them to the dominion of reason and will. Thus, the original order that once prevailed in the soul, that is, the submission of the body to the soul, and the subjection of the lower faculties to the will, is gradually restored. , b) The cardinal virtues do even more : not only do they eliminate the obstacles whiclj impede our union with God, but they initiate that union. For the prudence we acquire is a participation in God's wisdom, and our justice a parti- cipation in His justice; our fortitude proceeds from Him and unites us to Him; our temperance makes us1 share,. in the wondrous poise and harmony that exist in Him. When we yield obedience to our Superiors, it is He Whom we obey. Chastity, is but a means of approaching the perfection of His purity. Humility creates a void in our soul solely that it may be rilled with God, and our meekness is but a parti- cipation in the meekness of God. Thus, our union with God, begun by the practice of the moral virtues, will be perfected by the theological virtues, the object of which is God Himself. CHAPTER III j; The Theological Virtues 1167., i° St. Paul makes mention of the three theological virtues. He groups them together as three essential ele- ments of the Christian life, and points out their superiority .over the moral virtues. * Thus he urges the Thessalonians to put on the breast-plate of faith and chanty arid the helmet of hope, 2 and he* praises in them the work of faith^ the labor of charity and the enduring of hope.* As con-; " - - - ' IThess., V, 8. — 3 / T&ess., I,/3. 550 CHAPTER III. trasted with the charisms (special gifts), Which are of a transitory nature, faith, hope and charity are lasting. :J 1168. 2° Their role is to unite ^us to God through Jesus Christ, in order to make us sharers in the Divine' life. They are, then, at once unifying and transforming. virtus. a) Thus, faith unites us to God, Infinite Truth, i^a'rid makes us enter into communion with the" divine mind, since it makes us know God as He made Himself ;known through revelation. Thereby faith prepares .us, for, the. Bea- tific Vision. ''••': ,.,•/,. '•>..'' • - ' • ' '• .-..'•-••'• !••,:-, .•.. •'• ' . b) Hope unites us to God, Supreme Beatitude, and makes us love Him for His goodness to us. . By, it .we firmly and trustfully expect the happiness of Heaven; -as 'well as the means necessary to attain it. Through it we prepare, our- selves for the full enjoyment of celestial, bliss. C) Chanty unites us to; God, 'Infinite 'Goodness, and makes us love Him as infinitely good and lovable in Himself ^ and establishes a holy friendship between Himself and us, a friendship which, makes us -partake even now of His life, because we . begin ,tq love Him as He loves Himself. - Here oil earth,' charity always includes the other two theological virtues. It is, so 'to speak,' their soul, their vital principle or life;' so much so, that, devoid, of .charity, faith and hope remain imperfect, inert, dead. . Thus, according to St. Paul, faith is not complete unless it bring forth love and action : "Faith that worketh by charity;"2 rior is hope complete until it gives us a foretaste of heavenly bliss through the possession of sanctifying grace and charity. : - '•'•'- : •' '•-. ART.' I. 'THE VIRTUE OF- FAITH s . : Three things must be explained: i° the nature of faith; 2° its sanctifying power; 3° the progressive growth in the practice of this virtue. . . . • "I. The Nature of Faith '• We briefly recall here 'what we have explained more at length ^'n Dogmatic and 'Moral Theology. "• V • 3 ST. AUGUSTINUS, Enchiridion de Fide, :Spe ei .Cdritdte ; ST. Virtues, Vol. I, Treat. .Ill; NEWMAN, Discourse^ to Mixed Congregations, X,..XL; YiwLtci', Divine Fdith; 'BAiviVEL.~FaJJ&~and the Act of ~FaUh; VAUGHAN, Faith and Folly; "Thoughts for All Times, P.:iH,:;G. VlivVIl; McN*BB,:£»» "Faith, McKENNA, Theology of Faith; MEDLEY, The Spirit of Faith. ^ .3 ' ^ THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 551 1169. i° The meaning- of faith in Holy Writ. The word faith signifies, in the most instances, an assent of the mind to truth, which assent, however, is based upon trust. To believe any one, we must have confidence in him. A) In the Old Testament, faith is presented as a necessary virtue, on which depends the salvation or the ruin of the nation : " Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be secure. " * " If you will not believe, you shall not continue. " z This faith is an assent given to the word of God, but accompanied by trust, self-abandonment, and love. B) In the New Testament,1 faith is so essential that to believe means to profess Christianity, and no't to believe is not to be a Christian: " He that beli-eveth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned. " 3 Faith .means the acceptance of the Gospel preached by Jesus Christ and His Apostles; therefore, it presupposes preaching : " Faith, then cometh by hearing, " * This faith, then, is riot an intuition of the heart, nor a direct vision : " We now see through a glass in a dark manner; "s but it is the acceptance of divine testimony, 'free and enlightened, since man, on the one hand, can refuse belief, and, on the other, he does not arrive at belief without reasons, without an intimate conviction that God has really spoken. 6 This faith is associated with hope and is perfected by charity : " Faith thatworketh by charity. »? , > . 1170. 2° Definition. Faith is a theological virtue that inclines the mind, under the influence of the will and of grace, to yield a firm assent to- revealed truths, because of the authority of God. , A) Faith is before all else an act of the intellect, since it is a question t)f knowing the truth. But, since this truth is not self-evident our, assent cannot be effected without the action of the will, bidding the mind, study the reasons .for ' believing, and, when these are convincing, giving a further command to assent. Because it is question of a super- natural act, grace must intervene to enlighten the mind, and to. aid the will. It is in this way that faith becomes a free, supernatural and meritorious act. B) The material object or the subject-matter of our faith is' the sum-total of revealed truths, both those that reason alone could not possibly discover, and those others which reason could come to know, but which faith makes better known. \ . ' All these truths refer to God and to Jesus Christ. They refer to God with regard to the Oneness of His Nature and His Trinity of Persons, our. first beginning and our last end. They refer to Jesus Christ, Our 'Redeemer and Mediator, Who is none other than the Eternal Son of God made man in order to save us. Hence, these • - - •. > - ,/ 1 II Paral., XX, 20. — 2 Isaias, VII, 9. — 3 Mdrk,"KV\, 16. — * Rom., X, 17. 5 / Cor., XIII, 12. — 6 Phil., Ill, 8-10; / Peter., Ill, 15. — 7 Galat.,y, $. \ 552 CHAPTER III. truths refer likewise to the work of Redemption and to whatever is connected therewith. In other words, we believe what we shall one day behold in the glory of Heaven : " This is eternal life: that they may know thee,the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou Most. sent.1'" 1171. C) The formal object or what is generally called the motive of our faith is divine authority made known through revelation and imparting to us some of the secrets of God. .Thus, faith is a virtue entirely supernatural, both as to its object and its motive; it puts us in communion with the divine thought. D) Often revealed truth is authentically proposed to us by the Church which Jesus Christ instituted as the official interpreter of His teaching; this teaching is then termed a doctrine of Catholic faith. If there has been no authentic definition of the Church regarding revealed truth, the said teaching is simply called a doctrine of Divine faith, E) There is nothing more firm than the assent of faith. Having full confidence in the Divine authority much more than in our own lights, we believe revealed truth with our whole soul. We dp so with a far greater sense of security, inasmuch as divine grace comes to facilitate and strengthen our assent. And so it happens that the assent given by faith to revealed truth is more prompt and more firm than that given to natural truth. II. The Sanctifying Power of the Virtue of Faith 1172. Faith thus understood cannot but have an impor- tant share in our sanctification. By bringing us into com- munion with divine thought it becomes the foundation of our supernatural life and unites us fo God in a most intim- ate way. 1173. i° It is the foundation of our supernatural life. We said that humility is looked upon as the foundation of all the virtues, and we explained (n. 1138) in what sense it is so regarded ; but faith is itself the foundation of humility (which, as we have said, was unknown to Paganism) and therefore it is in a truer sense the foundation of all the virtues. . The better to understand this fact, we have but to com- ment on the words of the Council of Trent stating that " faith is the beginning, the basis and the root of all justifi- cation, " z and by that very fact, of sanctification. *John, XVII, 3. — « Sess. VI, Cap. 8. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 553 A) It is the beginning .of justification, because it is. the mysterious means used by God to initiate us into His life, to make us know Him as He knows Himself. On our part, it is the first supernatural disposition for justification, without which we can neither hope nor love. It is, so to speak* the taking possession of God and of divine things. In order to lay hold upon the supernatural and live by it we must first of all come to the knowledge of it : "Nothing can be willed that is not foreknown . " Now, we arrive at a knowledge of the supernatural through faith, a new light added to reason, which enables us to look into a new world, the supernatural world. It is like a telescope that enables us to discover far-off things invisible to the naked •. eye. Still, this is but an imperfect comparison, for a telescope is an outward instrument, whilst faith penetrates into the recesses of the mind and sharpens its power of perception as well as its field of vision. • 1174. B) Faith is likewise the foundation of the spiritual life. This simile is intended., to show that sanctity is like an edifice, vast and lofty > the basis of which is faith. Now, the deeper the foundations, the higher the edifice may rise without danger to its stability. Hence, it is important ,to strengthen the faith of devout souls, especially of semina- rians and priests, so that upon this solid foundation may rise the temple of Christian perfection. C) Lastly, faith is the root of sanctity. Roots seek in/the soil for the chemicals necessary to nutrition and growth in a tree ; so, faith sinking its roots into the furthest recesses of the soul, and feeding there on divine truths, furnishes perfection with a rich, life-giving sap. Roots, if deep, lend solidity to the tree they sustain j so the soul, imbedded in ' faith, withstands spiritual storms. Hence, deep faith is of capital importance in order to attain a high degree of perfection. 1175. 2° Faith unites us to God, and makes us share in His thought and in His life. This is God's own knowledge of Himself given in some measure to man. " By it, " says Mgr. Gay, " the light of God becomes our light ; His wisdom our wisdom; His knowledge our knowledge ; His Spirit our spirit; His life our life, "' It unites our intellect directly to the Divine Wisdom; but, since the act of faith cannot be performed without the action of trie will, this faculty also has a share in the.results produced in our soul by faith. Qne may say, therefore, that faith is a source of light to the, mind, a source of 1 Lift and. Virtues, Vol. I, p. 156. 554 CHAPTER III. ^strength and comfort to the will, a source of merit to the /entire soul. ..,-••. i 1176. - A) It is a light which illumines our intellect, and 'differentiates the Christian from the philosopher, as reason distinguishes a human being from an animal. There is in us a threefold knowledge : sense knowledge, attained through the senses ; rational knowledge, acquired through the intel- lect ; and spiritual or supernatural knowledge, obtained through faith. The last is by far superior to the other two. a) It widens the scope of our knowledge of God and the things of God. Reason tells us little of God's nature and of His inner life, whilst faith teaches us that He is a living God; that from all eternity He has begotten a Son, and that from the mutual love of the 'Father and the Son proceeds a Third Person, the Holy Ghost; that the Son became man for our salvation and that those who believe in Him become the adopted sons of God ; that the Holy Ghost comes to dwell in our souls, to sanctify them and to endow them with a supernatural organism which enables us to perform acts that are Godlike and meritorious. This is but a portion of what has been revealed to us. b) It gives us a deeper insight into, the truths, already known by reason. Thus the moral precepts of the Gospel are far more definite, far more perfect than those of mere natural ethics. , To be convinced of this we have but to read the Sermon on the Mount. From the very outset, Our Lord does not hesitate to proclaim blessed the poor, the meek, the persecuted ; He requires His disciples to love their enemies, to pray for them and to do good to them. The holiness He preaches is not legal or exterior sanctity; it. is an inward holiness, based on the love of God and of the neighbor. To arouse our fervor, He proposes to us the most perfect ideal, God and His perfections, and since God seems far removed from us, He sends us His Son from Heaven to be made man, to live our own life, and. thus to offer us a concrete example of the perfect life which we must lead on earth, To impart to us the strength and constancy such an under- taking demands, He does not rest satisfied with going before us, but He comes Himself to dwell within us with all His graces and virtues. We cannot, then, plead weakness. He is Himself our strength, as well as our light. . 1177. B) That our faith is a source of strength is well brought out in the Epistle to the Hebrews. I ' . Faith provides us with deep convictions which greatly strengthen our will : a) It shows us what God has .done and what He incessantly does in our behalf, how He lives and acts "'in our son! to sanctify it, THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUE^ 555 how Jesus incorporates us into Himself and makes us share in His own life (n. 188-189); then, haying our eyes directed towards the author of our faith, Who preferred the -Cross and humiliation to joy and success, " who having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, " x we feel ourselves strong enough to carry our cross cou- rageously after Jesus. , • . . ...' . ; v'\. b) Faith ever keeps before bur eye,s the efernal reward that will be the rich fruit of the sufferings of a moment : " That which is at present momentary and light of our tribu- lation worketh for us above •; measure exceedingly- an eternal weight of glory. " 2 Then, with St. Paul, we say- : " / reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come," 3 and like him we rejoice, even in the midst of tribulations, 4, for each^of these, if patiently borne, will earn for us a further degree of God's vision and of God's .love. . „ C) Jf we are at' times conscious of our weakness, faith reminds us that, since God is Himself our strength and our support, we have nothing to fear, even when the world and the devil join forces against us: " And this is the victory which overcometh the world : Our faith." $ This is most evident in the wondrous change wrought by the Holy Ghost in the Apostles. Armed at His coming with the power of God, they, who up to this time, had been timid and slothful, go courageously to meet all kinds of trials — scourgings, imprisonment, and death itself — glad to undergo suffering in the name of Jesus : "They: went forth rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus. " 6 1178. C) Faith is likewise a source of comfort, not only in the midst of tribulations and of -humiliations, but also when we have the misfortune of losing our dear ones.: We are hpt among those who sorrow without hope. We know that death is but a sleep, to be soon followed by the resur- rection, and that through death we merely exchange a temporary dwelling for an everlasting mansion. Our chief consolation is the doctrine of the Communion of Saints. Whilst awaiting the day when we shall be reunited, to those that have departed this life, we are even now bound to them by the most inti- mate ties. in Christ Jesus. We pray that :their time of trial- be short- ened and their entrance into Heaven hastened ; they in their turn, now assured of, their salvation, ardently pray that we may one day join them. • • . 1179. D) Finally, faith is a source of manifold merit: a) The,act of faith itself is highly ^meritorious, for it subjects to divi'ne authority , the best .that is in us, our intellect and 1 Heir., XII, 2. — * II Con, IV, 17. — 3 Rom., VIII, .18. - < Rom.,V, 3-5. if John, V, 4.— 6 Acts V, 41, , 556^ CHAPTER III. :our will. This faith has all the more merit since in our times it is made the object of more numerous attacks, and : since those who make open profession of their faith are, in certain countries, exposed to ridicule, and persecution. V) Furthermore, it is faith that renders meritorious our other acts, since they cannot become so without a supernatural motive and the help of grace (nn. 126, 239); but faith by directing the soul towards God and towards Jesus Christ enables us to act in all things with supernatural intentions. Likewise, by disclosing to us our own weak- ness and God's power, faith makes us pray ardently to obtain His grace. III. Practice of the Virtue of Faith 1180. Since faith is at once gift of God and a free assent of the mind to revealed truth, it is evident that in order to grow in faith, we must rely on prayer and our own personal efforts. Under this twofold influence, faith will become more enlightened, simple, strong and active. We shall apply this principle to the various stages of the spiritual life. 1181. i° Beginners should strive .to strengthen their faith. A) They should thank God for this great gift, which is the foundation of all others, and with their whole soul they repeat the words of St. Paul : " Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift " V They, should thank Him all the more at the sight of so many unbelievers round about: them. They should pray for the1 grace to preserve this gift in spite of all the dangers that beset it, and implore God's help for the conversion of unbelievers, heretics and apostates. 1182. B) With humble submission and with a firm con- viction they should make acts of faith, saying with the Apostles : " Increase our faith " ^Moreover, to prayer they should add study or the reading of books calculated to enlighten and strengthen their faith. Much reading is done in our day, yet how few even among intelligent Christians read serious books on religion and spirituality ! What a mistake .! Men wish, to know all things, save the one thing necessary. - 1183. C) They should avoid carefully whatever could trouble their faith : a) those dangerous writings, wherein the truths of faith are either attacked, ridiculed or called into question. Most of the books that appear in our day, not only doctrinal works, but novels and plays as well, cpntain open or covert attacks against our 1 II Cor., IX, 15. — 2 Luke, XVII, 5. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 557 faith; • .Unless we be: on our guard, we are liable to drink in little by little the poison of unbelief or, at least, to, lose the purity, of faith, and a time may come when, shaken by hesitation and doubt, we no longer know how to resist. In this matter we must' respect the wise prescrip- tions of the Church, made known to us in her catalogue of bad or dan- gerous books, and not make light of them on the plea that we are immune to the danger. In truth we 'are never immune. Balmes, one of the great defenders of the Church, gifted with a keen mind and a well-balanced judgment, and obliged as he was to read heretical books in order to refute them, used to say to his friends : " You know how deeply rooted within me are orthodox sentiments and doctrines. Not- withstanding, I never read a forbidden book without feeling the need of going to the Bible, the Imitation, or Louis of Granada for strength against unoelief. What will become of our foolish youth, which in its inexperience dares read everything without the necessary safeguards? The mere thought of it fills me with horror. " T For the same good reason no doubt we must avoid the conversations and discourses of unbelievers. >, b) Beginners should likewise. shun that pride of intellect which seeks to bring all down to its own level and refuses to accept what lies beyond its comprehension. They should remember that there is above us all a Spirit whose infinite intelligence sees what .our reason cannot understand, and that God greatly honors^us by the communication of His thought. Once, therefore, we have ascertained that He has spoken, there is but one rational attitude to take, to welcome gratefully this superadded knowledge. ' If we bow before the authority of a man of genius, who deigns to impart to us some of his knowledge, with what confidence should we not bow before Infinite Wisdom Itself? 1184. D) With regard to temptations against faith, a dis- tinction is to be made between those that remain vague and those that definitely center around some particular object. a) When they are vague, taking such form for instance as: Who knows if alLthat be true? then we must quietly drive them away. i) We are in possession of truth, and we are sure of our title ; this is enough for us. 2) Besides, we have seen that our faith rests upon solid grounds ;. again, this suffices, for we cannot be every day raising doubts over things already proved. In the affairs of every-day life, we do not stop when such doubts, such inane ideas, cross our mind, but we go on, and certitude reasserts itself. 3) Lastly, others more intelligent than' ourselves believe these truths, and are persuaded that they are well proved; therefore, I submit to their judgment which is far wiser than that of those extremists 'who take a malicious delight in attracting notice by undermining all the bases of certitude. To these common- sense reasons we should add prayer : " I believe Lord, help thou my unbelief."8 '..'.. 1 A. DE BLANCHE-RAFFIN, /. Balmes, p. 44. — 2 Mark, IX, 23. 558 CHAPTER III. . '1185.; b) If the temptations are well-defined, bearing on some particular doctrine, we hold firmly to our belief since we are in possession of the , truth. But we seize the first: opportunity to clear up the difficulty, either by. personal study, if we have the intelligence and the documents requireds or by consulting some learned man who may help us to solve the problem more easily. If we add prayer to this earnest and loyal research, a solution, as a rule, will not be long in coming. However, we must remember that such a solution does not always do away with the difficulty. There are at times historical, critical, exegetical objections that can be cleared away only after long years of study. We must reflect, then, that once we have a good reason to hold something as true, wisdom demands that we continue ito give it our assent even while- the darkness lasts. The difficulty does not destroy the grounds of belief, it simply shows the deficiency of our 'minds. "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt." ' 1186. 2° Advanced souls practice not only faith, but the spirit of faith : " The just man liveth by faith, "2 A) They read the Gospel with loving attention, happy to follow Jesus step by step, to relish His maxims, to contem- plate His examples in order to imitate them. Jesus be- comes the center of. their thoughts: they seek Him in their readings and in their labor, desiring to know Him better so that they may love Him more. 1187. B) They accustom themselves to see all things, tc judge all things from the point of view of faith, i) They see the Hand 'of the Creator in all His works, and they hear all creatures repeat the refrain : " He made us, and not we ourselves. " 3 Hence, it is God Whom they admire everywhere. 2) The persons that surround them are to them so many images of God, children of the same Heav- enly Father, brethren in Christ Jesus. 3) Events, which at times are so baffling to unbelievers, are interpreted by them in the light of the great principle that all is ordained in behalf of the elect, and that good and evil are dispensed with a view to our salvation and perfection. 1188. C) Above all, they strive to be led in all things according to the principles of faith, i) Their judgments are based upon the maxims of the Gospel, not upon those of the world ;• 2) their words are inspired by the Christian spirit, not by the spirit of the world, for they conform their words to their judgments and thus triumph over 1 NEWMAN, Apologia, p. 239. — 2 Rom.,\, 17. — 3'Pj. XCIX, 3. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 559 human respect; 3). their actions'- -become more and more Christlike for they delight in considering Our Lord as their - model, and thus escape being carried away by the examples of worldlings. In short, they live a life of faith. 1189. D) They strive, finally, to spread round about them this faith that is in them: i) through their prayers, asking God to send apostolic workers to labor for the evangelization of infidels and heretics : " Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he may send forth laborers into his harvest; " * 2) through their example, discharging so well . their duties. of state, that those who witness their life may feel drawn to imitate them ; 3) through their words, declaring in all simplicity but without any human respect, that they find in their, faith power to do good, and comfort in the midst of their trials; 4) through their works, doing their share by their generous offerings, their sacrifices, and their personal efforts for the moral and religious instruction and .education of their neighbor. 3° Perfect souls, by cultivating the gifts of knowledge and under- standing perfect their faith still more, as we shall explain when' treating of the unitive way. • ART. II. THE VIRTUE OF HoPE2 We shall describe : i° its nature; 2° its sanctifying power ; 3° its practice. I. Nature of Hope 1190. i° Different significations. A) In the natural order, hope means two things : a passion and a sentiment. a) Hope is one of the eleven passions (n. 787). It is, therefore, an impulse of the sensitive appetite, that tends towards some absent good apprehended by the senses, and' which is attainable, but not without some difficulty, b) Ho.pe is one of the worthiest sentiments of the human heart, which tends towards some absent- moral good, despite the obstacles that stand in the way of its acquisition. This sentiment plays an important part in human life ; it sustains men in their arduous undertakings : the laborer when he sows, the seafarer when he sails, traders and pliers of fortune when they embark on some enterprise. B) There is also a supernatural hope that sustains the Cnristian midst the obstacles encountered in the attainment of salvation and perfection. The object of this hope is *Matth., IX, 38. 8 ST. THOMAS, II" Ite, Q, XVII-XX; SUAREZ, De Spe; ST. FRANCIS OF SALES, The Love of God, Book II, C. XV-XVII; ScARAMELLi-STOCKMAN, Christian Perfection, P. IV,, Art. II; GAY, Christian Life and Virtues, Vol. I", Treat. V; FABER, Growth in Holiness, II. . • 560 CHAPTER III, eternal life and the means of reaching it. Since this hope is founded upon the power and the goodness of God, it is firm and unshakable. 1191. 2° Its essential elements. If we analyze this virtue, we notice that it comprises three principal elements : a) The -love and desire of supernatural gbod> that is to say, of our supreme happiness, which is God. The origin and development of this, sentiment -is as follows. The desire for happiness is universal. Now, faith shows us that God alone can constitute our happiness. We, therefore, love Him as the source of our happiness. This is an interested love, but it is supernatural since it has for object God as known to us through faith. Because this good is difficult to attain, we instinctively experience fear lest we fail to attain it, and to overcome this fear a second element intervenes, namely, the well-founded expectation of obtaining it. . . b) Evidently, this expectation is not based upon our own strength which is insufficient of itself to attain such good, but it is based upon God, upon His all-powerful help. It is from Him that we expect all the necessary graces to obtain perfection in this life and salvation in the next. c) But grace demands our co-operation, and hence there is a third element. This is an earnest effort to tend towards God and make use of the means of salvation placed at our disposal. This effort must be all the more determined and steadfast, the higher the object of our hope. 1192. 3° Definition. From what we have said, we may thus define hope : a theological virtue that makes us desire God as our highest good, and expect with a firm confidence eternal bliss and the means of attaining it, because of God's goodness and power. A) The primary and essential Object of our hope is God Himself j inasmuch as He constitutes our happiness; it is God eternally possessed by clear vision and undivided love. Our Lord said that eternal life is the knowledge, the vision of God and of Him Whom He sent: "Now 'this is' eternal life : That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom thouf hast sent. " * Besides, since we cannot attain this object without the help of grace, our hope is, likewise, directed towards all the supernatural aids needed in order to avoid sin, overcome temptation, and. acquire Christian virtue; it even extends to temporal goods in the measure in which they are necessary or profitable to our perfection and salvation. ' John, XVII, 3. V p.: ,,,.-..,, , _ , -?''" • N. ( \ . THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 561 1193. B) The motive of hope depends upon the point of view from which we consider hope itself, a) If we think, as Scotus did, that its principal act is the desire or love for God inasmuch as He is our happiness, the motive will be God's goodness towards us. b) If, with St. Thomas, we con- sider hope as consisting essentially in the expectation of a good difficult to attain, namely, the possession of God, then the motive will be the assisting omnipotence of God, which elevates our souls, snatches them from the hold of earthly goods and bears them towards Heaven. The Divine pro- mises simply confirm the certainty of such help. We may, then, say that the adequate motive of hope is both the goodness of God and His power. II. The Sanctifying Power of Hope Hope furthers our sanctification in three principal ways : i° it unites us to God; 2° it imparts efficacy to our prayers; 3° it is a principle of fruitful activity. 1194. i° It unites us to God by detaching us from earthly goods. We are drawn by sense-pleasures, the gratification of pride, the fascination of wealth^ and lastly by the higher, natural joys of the mind and heart. Hope, based upon a lively faith, shows us that all these earthly joys lack two elements : perfection and permanence. A) None of these goods is perfect enough to satisfy us. Having provided a short period of enjoyment, they soon produce satiety and weariness. Our heart is too great, its aspirations too vast and too high to be satisfied with mate- rial goods, which are but means of reaching a far nobler end. Neither do the natural goods of the mind and heart suffice us. Our intellect never rests satisfied but with the understanding of the First Cause, and our heart that seeks a perfect friend does riot find him but in God. He alone possesses the plenitude of being, the perfection of beauty and of goodness, the fulness of power. , He Who is per- fectly self-sufficient is evidently sufficient for our happiness. The one important thing is to reach Him, and it is hope that shows Him to us stooping 'down in order to' give Himself to us. Once we have understood this, our hearts break away from the things of earth to move towards Him, like the iron towards the magnet. 1195. B) Even if the goods of earth could satisfy us, they have their day and cease to be. We know this, and this thought casts its shadow upon our joy even when we N° 680. - 20 562 ...- CHAPTER III. possess these goods. God, on the contrary, abides forever, and death that severs us from all earthly things, merely unites us more perfectly to Him ; and so despite the natural horror death inspires, we face it with confidence, because of the hope we harbor of being everlastingly united to Him Who alone can constitute our bliss. . 1196. 2° It is hope also, that, united to^humility, imparts efficacy to our prayers and thereby obtains for us all the graces of which we stand in need. A) Nothing is more touching than the manner in which the Sacred Writers urge us to place our confidence in God. The Book of Ecclesiasiicus sums up in these words the teaching of the Old Testament concerning hope: "My children, behold the generations of men : and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord and hath been confounded. For who hath continued in his commandment and hath been forsaken ? Or who hath called upon him, and he despised him? For God is compassionate and merciful, and will forgive sins in the day .of tribulation. " x B) But it is chiefly in the New Testament that the efficacy of confidence is brought out. Our Lord works His wonders on behalf of those who trust in Him. We have but to recall His attitude towards the centurion ; 2 towards the paralytic who, unable to come near the Master, has himself let down through the roof3; towards the blind men of Jericho4; towards the Chanannean woman s who, thrice rebuked, reiterates her request ; towards the sinful woman 6 ; towards the leper who comes to thank Him. 7 Besides, how can we lack confidence when Christ Himself authoritatively asserts that all that we shall ask the Father in His name will be granted to us : " Amen, amen, I say to you: if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it you. " 8 Here lies the secret of our strength. When we pray in the Name of- Jesus, that is to say when we trust in His merits and satisfactions, His Blood pleads more eloquently for us than do our own poor prayers. G) Moreover, nothing so honors God as confidence. There- by we proclaim His power and His goodness, whilst He, Who lets not His generosity be surpassed, responds to this . confidence by a further effusion of graces. We may there- fore conclude with the Council of Trent that we must all place the most unhesitating confidence in the help of God. 9 1197. 3° Finally, hope is a principle of fruitful activity. a) It begets holy desires, particularly the desire to possess 1 Ecchts., II, 11-13. — 2 Matth., 10, 13. — 3 Matth., IX, 2. 4 Matth., IX, 29. — 5 Matth., XV, 28. — 6 Luke, VII, 50. 1 Lw&.-XVII, 19. —*John, XVI, 23. — 9 Trent., sess. VI, C. 13. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 563 God. This gives the soul the impulse, the motion, the neces- sary yearning to attain the "coyeted good, and 'it sustains our efforts until we have reached the goal. i ft) It increases our energies, through the prospect of a. reward that will be far in excess of our efforts. If people in the world labor with such earnestness to acquire perish- able riches, if athletes submit to such arduous training, if they make desperate efforts in order to gain a corruptible crown, how much more should we not labor and endure for an eternal crown? "And every one that striveth for the, mastery refraineth himself from all things. And they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown : but we an incor- ruptible one. "i . .' • ' . • , 1198. c) It infuses into us that courage, that endurance that gives us the assurance of success. Just as there is nothing so disheartening as to struggle without any hope of victory, so on the other hand, the certainty of triumph is a singular source of energy. Such certainty hope furnishes. Of ourselves we are weak, but we have powerful allies, God, Jesus Christ, the Most Blessed Virgin, and the Saints (n. 188-189). Now, if God is for us, who is against us? 2 If Jesus, Who overcame the world and Satan, lives within us and communicates to us His Divine energy, are we not sure of triumphing with Him? If the Immaculate Virgin, who crushed the head of the serpent, sustains us by her powerful intercession, shall we lack the needed help? If God's friends, the Saints, pray in our behalf, will not these many supplications give us absolute security? And being assured of victory, are we to shrink from the few efforts required for gaining eternal possession of God? - ' . III. Gradual Progress in the. Practice of Hope 1199. i° General Principle. To make progress in the practice of this virtue, we must strengthen its foundations and make it more fruitful. \ A) To render our hope more solid, it is important that we meditate often on the motives on which it rests : the power of God, His goodness and ,the glorious promises He has made to us (n. 1193). Should these not be enough to strengthen our confidence, we have but to recall the words of St. Paul : 3 " He that spared not even his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how hath he not also, with him, given us all things ? Who shall accuse against the elect of . ' / Cor., IX, 25. — 2 Rom., VIII, 31. — 3 R0m,, VIII, 32-34. 564 CHAPTER III. God? God that justifieth. Who is he that shall condemn? Christ Jesus that died, yea that is risen also again; who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Thus, on the part of God, our hope is absolutely certain, However, on our part, we have reason to fear, because we are far from being always faithful to correspond perfectly to the grace of God. All our efforts, then, must tend to^ render our. hope more firm by making it more fruitful. 1200. B) To gain this end, we have to collaborate with God in the work of our sanctification : " For we are God's coadjutors."* God by according us His grace, does not mean to substitute His action for ours ; He simply means to supply for our insufficiency. Doubtless, He is the pri- mary and the principal cause, but, far from suppressing ou'r activity, He wants to excite it and render it more effective. St. Paul understood this well : " But by the grace of God I am what I am. And his grace in me hath not been -void: but I have labored more abundantly than all they. Yet not /, but the grace of God with ' me. " 2 He urged others to ,do what he did himself: " And we helping do exhort you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. " 3 It was especially to his dear disciple Timothy that he addressed the following urgent recommendation : " Labor as a good soldier of Christ Jesus^ " 4 because he was to labor not only for his own sanctification, but for that of others. St. Peter employed the same language. He reminded his disciples that although called to salvation, they were to render certain that calling by the performance of good works : " Wherefore, brethren, labour the more, that by good works you may make sure of yoUr calling and election. " 5 We must, therefore, be fully persuaded that in the work of our sanctification all depends on God ; still, we must act as if all depended on ourselves. God never refuses us His grace, and consequently, in actual practice all we have to attend to is our own personal effort. 1201. 2° Application of the general principle to the various degrees of the spiritual life. We can easily see how the principle enuntiated above applies to the different stages of the Christian life. A) Beginners should be on their guard first of .all against the two excesses opposed to hope: presumption and despair. a) Presumption consists in expecting from God Heaven and the graces necessary to reach it, without willing to take the means He has ordained. One may presume on the Divine Goodness, by neglecting God's commandments, persuading oneself that God is too good to 1 / Cor., Ill, 9. — z / Cor., XV, 10; Phil., Ill, 13, 14. 3 // Cor,, VI, i. — •» // Tim., II, 3. — 5 // Peter, I, 10. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.. 565 sentence one to damnation. ./This is to forget, that if God is good, He is likewise just and holy,, and that He hates iniquity. J- Again, one may through pride presume on one's own strength, rushing into the midst of dangers and occasions of sin, and forgetting that he that loves danger will perish in it. Our Lord promises us the victory, but on condition that we watch and pray : " Watch ye : and pray that ymt enter not into temptation;"'2- and St. Paul, who so trusted in God's grace, warns us to work out our salvation in fear and trembling. 3 b) Others, on the contrary, are exposed to discouragement and, at times, to despair. Frequently tempted, and at times overcome in the struggle, or tortured by scruples, they lose heart ; imagining they can- not reform, they come to despair of their salvation. This is a danger- ous state of mind, against which we must.be on our guard. We shall recall how St. Paul, tempted and realizing that of himself he could not stand fast, confidently abandoned himself to the grace of God : " 'The grace of God, by Jesus Christ."* Following the example of the Apostle, we shall pray and we shall be delivered. 1202. B) After carefully avoiding these dangerous shoals, we must set ourselves to acquire detachment from the goods of earth, so that our thoughts and desires may frequently soar to Heaven. This St. Paul .asks of us-: " Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Mind the. things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. " 5 Risen with Christ our leader, we must no longer seek and relish the things of earth, but rather those of Heaven where Jesus awaits us. Heaven is our true country, this earth but an exile. Heaven is our destiny, the true happiness we seek; this earth can yield us nothing but fleeting joys. , 1203. 3° Those advanced in the way of perfection not only practice the virtue of hope, but entertain a filial confi- dence in God, relying on Jesus Who has become the center of their lives. A) Incorporated into 'Christ, they await w?th invincible trust that Heaven where Jesus has prepared a home for them, 6 and where they already abide, through hope, in the Person of their Saviour : " For we are saved by hope." 7 a) They await it, 'even in the midst of adversities .and of the trials of this life, and with the Psalmist they say: " / will fear no evils, for ' thou art with me."8 Our Lord living within them comes to comfort them, saying as He did once to the Apostles : "Peace be to you, h is I: fear not. "9. i Ps. CXVIII, 163. — 2 Mark, XIV, 38. — 3 P'hil.,\\, 12. 4 Rom., VII, 24-25. — 5 Col., Ill, i-2. —6John, XIV, 2. i Rom., VIII, 24. — 8 Ps. XXII, 4. — 9 Luke, XXIV, 36. 566 CHAPTER III. If intrigues and persecution come to trouble them, they recall what St. Vincent de Paul said to his disciples : " Even were the entire world to rise up to destroy us, it could do nothing but what is pleasing to God, in Whom we have placed our hope. " * If they suffer temporal losses, with the same Saint they say to themselves : " All that God does He does for the best ; and therefore we must hope that this loss since it comes from God, will be profitable to us. "2 If they have to face physical or moral sufferings, they look upon them as blessings from on high, destined to procure Heaven in exchange for a few fleet- ing pains. - 1204. b) .This confidence teaches them to escape the clutches of pleasure andtsuccess, more perilous still than the grip of suffering. "When life seems to smile upon our earthly hopes, it is hard to despise these flattering promises that seize upon our emotional nature; it is hard ,to steal away from the bonds of pleasure, to say to approaching bliss : you cannot satisfy my heart. " 3 But Christian souls remember that worldly joys are deceiving, that they hinder our flight towards God. In order to resist their attraction, they cling to the positive practices of mortification and seek for purer and holier joys in a more intimate friendship with Our Lord: " To be with Jesus is a sweet paradise " 4 e) If it be a sense of their miseries and imperfections that disturbs them, they reflect on these words of St. Vincent de Paul : • " You point out to me your miseries. Alas ! and 'who is there that is not full of them ! The only thing is to know them and to love the humiliation arising from them, as you do, without stopping save to lay the strong foundation of confidence in God ; for them the house is built upon a rock and when the storm comes it remains firm. " 5 Our mise- ries entitle us to Divine Mercy, when we humbly implore it, and they but fit us all the better for the reception of divine graces. St. Vincent adds that when God begins to do good to a person, He continues to do . so tto the end, unless that person makes himself unworthy. Thus, God's past mercies are a pledge of those to come. (- • • " > ' 1205. B) Hope makes us habitually live, in spirit, in Heaven and, for Heaven. According to the beautiful prayer that the Church puts on our lips on Ascension Day, we must' even now, " live in mind amid heavenly things. " 6 This means that it is for Heaven that -we must act and suffer, to heaven that we must turn our hearts and our desires : " that amid the changing things of this world, our hearts may be fixed where true joy is found. " 7 And, since 1 MAYNARD, Life and Doctrine, p. 10. — 2 Ibid., p. 9. 3 MGK u'HuLST, Careme, 1892, p. 201. — * Imitatiun, P.k. fi. ch. 8. 5 MAYNAKD, Life and Doctrine, p. IO-H. 6 Collect of the Mass for Feast of the Ascension. ' Id. for mil Sunday after Easier. , <"> THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 567 the joys of Communion are a foretaste of Paradise/ we shall, whilst waiting, seek therein the consolations our heart needs. ,-. • . , 1206. C) This thought will make us pray often for the gift of final perseverance^ the mos£ precious of gifts. We cannot indeed merit it; but we can obtain it of the Divine Mercy. For this, we have but to join in those prayers in which the Church makes us ask Jor the grace of a happy 'death, for instance, the Hail. Mary, which we so often recite and wherein we implore the special protection of the Blessed Virgin at the hour of death. 4° Perfect souls practice trust in God through holy abandonment. This we shall explain when speaking of the unitive way. ART. III. THE VIRTUE OF CHARITY* 1207. The virtue of charity supernaturalizes and sanc- tifies the sentiment of love towards God and towards the neighbor. After a few preliminary remarks on the nature of love we shall speak: i° of charity towards God; 2° of charity towards the 'neighbor; 3° of the Sacred Henrt of Jesus as a model of both. , Preliminary Remarks 1208. i° Love in general^ an impulse, a tendency of the soul towards good. If the good towards which we are drawn is the kind which appeals to our sense-nature and which our imagination apprehends as agreeable, our love is sensible love. If the good is moral good acknowledged by our reason as worthy of esteem, our ' love is rational love. If the good is a supernatural good perceived by faith, our love is Christian love. . As we can see, love always presupposes knowledge; but, as we shall explain later on, love does not always cor- respond to that knowledge. ' Whatever be the kind of love, four elements can be discerned in it: i) a sort of sympathy felt for another person because of a certain harmony existing between him and ourselves. Now, this harmony does not imply that both are exactly alike, but rather that the one completes the other. 2) An impulse of the soul towards the beloved person, to draw close to him and enjoy his presence. 3) A certain union or communion of mind and heart to share in. common the goods 1 ST. BERNARD, De diligendo Deo; ST. THOMAS, IIa II*, Q. 23-44; SALMANTI- CENSES, Tr. XIX, De caritate theologica; ST. FRANCIS OF SALES, The Love of G»d; SCARAMELLi-STOCKMAN, Manual of Christian Perfection, P. IV, art. Ill; REGINALD BUCKLER, Spiritual Perfection.—?,^ Nn, .306 sqq. -Notion of Christian Perfection. 568 CHAPTER III. ' each possesses. 4) A sense of joy, of pleasure or of happiness expe- rienced in possessing the object of our love. 1209. 2° Christian love is love that is supernaturalized as to its principle^ its motive and its object, a) It is supernaturalized in its principle through the infused virtue of charity that resides in the will. This virtue, set into action by actual grace, transforms naturally good love and raises it to a higher level. b) Then faith furnishes us with a supernatural motive to sanctify our affections : it directs these, first, towards God, by showing to us the Supreme, Infinite Good, which alone can correspond to our rightful aspirations; then, towards God's creatures, which it presents to us as reflections of the divine perfections, so much so, that in loving them we love God Himself. c) The object of our love becomes supernaturalized in this wise : the God we love is not God known merely by reason, but the Living God known through faith, the Father Who begets a Son from all eternity and adopts us as His children; the Son, equal tq the Father, Who by taking flesh becomes our .brother; the Holy Ghost, the mutual kove of Father and Son, Who comes to diffuse into our souls divine charity. Men do not appear to us as mere creatures of God, but they5 are seen in the light of revelation as they truly are, the children, of God, Our Common Father, brethren in Christ Jesus, living temples of the Holy Ghost. All, then, is supernatural in Chris- tian love. According to St. Thomas I, charity adds to love a cer- tain perfection that proceeds from a high, esteem for the thing loved. Hence, all charity is love, but not all love is charity. 1210. Charity may be thus defined: a theological virtue that causes us to love God above all things, for His own sake, in the way in. which He loves Himself, and lo love the neighbor for God's sake. This virtue, then, has a twofold object : God and the neighbor. These two objects, however, constitute but one, since we love creatures only inasmuch as they are reflections ' of the divine perfections, and therefore it is God Whom we love in them. We love the neighbor, adds St. Thomas2, because God is in him or, at least, in order that God may be 1 Sum. Tlieol., I* Use, q. 31, a. 3. — 2 Qq. disp. de Caritate, a. 4. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 569 in him. This is why there is but one and the same virtue of charity. § I. The Love of God We shall explain : i° its nature; 2° its sanctifying power; 3° how to advance in the practice of this virtue. \. Its Nature 1211. The first object of charity is God. Since He possesses the plenitude of being, the perfection of beauty and of goodness, He is infinitely lovable. It is God, con- sidered in all the infinite reality of His perfections, and not- some particular Divine . attribute. The consideration of any given attribute, His mercy, for instance, readily leads us to the consideration of all His perfections; but it is not necessary to know them in detail. Simple souls , love Almighty God as faith makes Him known to them, without analyzing His attributes. To elucidate the notion of, the love of God we shall explain the precept that imposes . it upon us, the motive upon which it rests, and the different degrees through which we arrive at pure love. • , • ' 1212. i° The Precept. A) Already formulated in the Old Testament, it is reenacted by Our Lord in the New and proclaimed by Him as the sum-total of the Law and of the Prophets : " Thou shalt love the Lord Thy God with thy ' iv hole heart, and with thy whole soul, 'and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, " J This is . equivalent to saying that we must love God above all things and with all the faculties of our soul. . . ' St. Francis de Sales explains this well : "Our love for Him should exceed all other affections, and reign over all the passions. He wishes that it' should be the most- sincere, that it should proceed from the heart and rule over its affections; He desires that we should consider it the most precious, the most valuable ; He requires that it should fill the capacity of our souls; that it should be universal, extending to all our powers ; that it should be elevated, and occupy the whole attention of the mind; and, in fine, that it should be generous and unalterable."2 The Saint ends with a magnificent effusion of love : " Yes, Lord, I belong to Thee alone : I live more in Thee than in myself, therefore, my love should be wholly centered in Thee : I should love Thee as the origin of my being, and as the term of my repose : I should love Thee more than myself, since I only exist in Thee. "3 1213. B) The precept of charity, then, is very extensive. In itself it has no limits, for the measure of love of God is to 1 Luke, X, 27. — 2 The love of God, Bk. X, C. VI. — 3 nid., C. X. 570 ' CHAPTER III. love Him without measure. Therefore, it obliges us to tend unceasingly towards perfection, (n. 353-361) and our charity must continue to grow until death. According to the doctrine of St. Thomas,1 the perfection of charity is com- manded as an end to be attained ; hence we must want to attain it Cajetan explains this' by saying that "precisely because it. is an end, it is enough in order not to fail., in the precept, to be in a fit condition to attain this perfection some day, even though this be in eternity. Whoever pos- sesses charity, even iri the least degree, and thus advances towards Heaven, is in the way of perfect charity and there- by keeps the precept, which is necessary for salvation. " However, souls aiming at perfection are not content with this first degree; they climb ever higher, striving to love God not only with their whole soul, but with all their strength as well. 1214. 2° The motive of charity is not the good one has received from 'God or that which one expects to receive from Him; it -is God's infinite perfection, at least as the predominant motive. Other motives may be joined with this, motives of wholesome fear, of hope, of gratitude, pro- vided that the said motive be truly predominant. Conse- quently, love, of self, in so far as it is subordinated to the love of God, is compatible with charity. Hence,, when the Saints so harshly condemn self-love, it is the inordinate love of self they have in mind. ; 1215. A) The opinion of Bolgeni, however, cannot be admitted. He pretends that the only love of charity possible and obligatory is that which has for motive God's goodness towards us, since, ^as he asserts, we cannot love except what we perceive as meeting our needs and aspirations. The author in question mistakes what merely con- stitutes a necessarily preexisting condition for the real motive of Cha- rity. It is, indeed, true that love of itself presupposes that the object loved corresponds with our nature and pur aspirations ; yet, the motive for which we love God, is not precisely this harmony, but God's infinite perfection loved for itself. Once more, St. Francis de Sales explains well this doctrine in the following lines : "If there could be an infinite good, with which we had no relation, no communication, and, consequently, no prospect of union (which is also impossible) we should still esteem it more than ourselves... This, properly speaking,, is not to love, because love tends to union, -which in this supposition is impossible. Still less could we be animated with love of charity for such an object, as this love is a real reciprocal friendship, terminating in union. "z 1 Sum. theol,, IIa Ha, q. 184, a. 3; Comment, of Cajetan on this article; CARDI- NAL MERCIER, Vie interie-ure, 1939, p. 98; P. GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE, Perfection chretienne, t. I, p. 217-227. 'Love of God, Bk. X, C. X. N THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 571 i . •' - " . ' ~~ " ' ,~ -- - .'-. ^", / . -1216. B) We may ask ourselves whether the motive of gratitude suffices for perfect charity. Here there is roorrT for distinction .: if gratitude does not rise above the bene- faction received to the Benefactor Himself, it does not suffice as a motive of charity, since it remains self-centered; but, if from the love of such benefaction we pass on to the love of the Benefactor, and if this love for Him is based on His infinite goodness, then this motive becomes one with -that of charity. As a matter of fact, gratitude easily leads to pure love, for it is a most worthy sentiment ; and so, Holy Writ and the Saints often pro- pose to us God's benefits as an incentive to the love of God. Thus, St. John, after saying that perfect love banishes fear, exhorts us to love God, " because God first- hath loved us. " T Many are the souls that have learned to love God with the purest love whilst pondering the love He has shown us from all eternity, and the love of Jesus for us in His Passion and in the Holy Eucharist. If we desire a rule whereby to distinguish pure from interested love, we may put it thus : the former consists in loving God because He is good and in wishing Him well ; the latter consists in loving God inasmuch as He is good to us and in desiring our own good. 1217. 3° As to the degrees of love, St. Bernard distin- guishes four 2: i) First, man loves himself for his own sake, since he is flesh, and he cannot have any taste except for things in relation to himself. 2) Then, .seeing that he is not able- to subsist by himself, he begins to seek God by faith and to love Him as an indispensable, aid; in. this second degree man loves God, not as yet for God's sake, but for his own. 3) But soon, by approaching God, living close to Him, and realizing the need of His help, man gradually sees how sweet the Lord is, and begins to love Him for His own sake. 4-) Finally, the last degree, attained by few in this life, consists in loving solely for, God, and consequently, in loving God exclusively ,for His own sake. • - ••••.- If we leave aside the first degree, which is nothing but self-love, there remain three degrees of the love of God that correspond to the three stages of perfection which we have already explained in numbers 340, 624-626. ", . '. II. The Sanctifying Power of the Love of God ;' 1218. i° Charity is of itself the most excellent and the most sanctifying of all virtues. This -we have already 1 Uo/itt, IV, J§. -~*f>e diligendo.Deo, C. XV; Efistola XI, n. 8. 572 CHAPTER III. proved by showing that it is the very essence of perfection, that is embodies all virtues,. and that it imparts to them all a singular perfection, by causing all their acts to converge towards God loved above all (n. 310-319). This is proclaimed by St. Paul in lyric language : " If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have pro- phecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. • Charity is patient, is kind : charity envieth not dealeth not perverse- ly ; is not puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil : rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with truth ; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. « Charity never falleth away . . . And now there remain faith, hope and charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity. " x 1219. In its power to unite the soul to God and to transform it, charity far excels all other virtues. a) It unites to God the whole soul with all its faculties and powers. It unites the mind to God through the esteem conceived for Him and the frequent thought » of Him. It unites the -will by perfect submission to the Divine Will. It unites the heart by the subordination of all our affections to the Divine Love. It unites our energies by. dedicating them all to the service of God and of souls. b) In thus uniting the whole soul to God, chanty trans- forms it. Love takes us away from self, raises us up to God, and inclines us to imitate Him, to reproduce in ourselves the divine perfections. We desire, in truth, to become like the one we love, because we consider him a model wormy of imitation, and we wish, by becoming more like him, to advance further in pur intimacy with him. 1220. 2° In its effects > charity contributes most effec- tively to our sanctification. a) It establishes between the soul and God a certain •fellowship, sympathy, or affinity which causes us to under- stand'and to relish better God and divine things; ...It is this mutual sympathy that makes friends understand one another, and become more and more intimately united. Many a simple, untutored soul, seized by love for God, relishes and lives the great Christian truths far better than the learned. This is an effect of charity. iJCor., XIII, 1-13. ,.-..• THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 573 1221. b) It increases our energies for good # hundredfold • by communicating to us an indomitable strength to over- come obstacles and to perform the highest acts of virtue, "for love is strong as death. " x How great is the strength a mother derives from love for her child ! \ Perhaps no one has described better the effects of divine love than the author of the Imitation.8 It lightens our sufferings and our bur- dens : " For it carrieth a burden without being burdened, and maketh all else that is bitter, sweet and savoury. " It lifts us unto God, because it is born of God : "For love is born of God, and cannot rest but in God. " It gives us wings to fly with joy unto the doing of the most perfect actions, unto the entire gift of self: " The lover flieth, runneth, and rejoiceth... he giveth all for all;" thus, it urges us to do great things and to aim at the highest perfection : " The noble love of Jesus impelleth us to do great things, 'and exciteth us always to desire that which is the more perfect." It is ever watchful, uncomplaining of fatigue, untroubled by fear; rather, like a living flame it soars ever higher and passes securely through the midst of dangers: '•'•Love watcheth... When weary, it is not tired; when straitened, is not constrained; when frightened, is not disturbed ; but, like a vivid flame... it mounteth upwards, and securely passeth through all. " 1222. e) Charity, likewise, is productive of great joy and expansion of soul; for it is the initial possession of the Sove- . reign Good, the beginning of eternal life imis, and such pos- session fills our soul with joy : " Giving true joy of heart. " 3 The Imitation goes on to say :, '•'•Nothing sweeter than love... noth- ing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in heaven or on earth.'''"' The cause of such joy is that we begin to be more keenly aware of the presence of Jesus and of the presence of God within us : "/0 be with Jesus is a sweet paradise. s When Thou art present, all things yield delight; but when Thou art absent, all things grow loathsome. " 6 1223. . d) This joy is followed by a profound peace. Once we are convinced that God dwells within us and that He exercises a paternal action, a paternal solicitude over us, we abandon ourselves with 'sweet trust into His hands, we' confide all our interests to His care, and thus we enjoy perfect peace and serenity: " Thou makest a tranquil heart, great peace, and 'festive joy '."? Now, there is no disposition more favorable for spiritual growth than inward peace: " In silence and in solitude the devout soul maketh progress. " s Hence, from whatever point of view we consider charity, in itself or in its effects, it is of all the virtues the most potent to unite us with God and to sanctify us; it is, indeed, the bond of perfection. 1 Cant., VIII, 6. — 2 Imitation, Book III, C. V. 3 Hymn for the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. Bk. V, C. 1-V. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 575 that God possesses the fulness of. being, of perfection, of wisdom, of power, of goodness. Now, with but a little good-will, we cannot help taking complacency in such infi- nite perfection; .,we rejoice at seeing that our God is rich in goodness, we delight more. in God's .pleasure than in our own, and we show our joy by acts of admiration, appro- bation and praise. , - _ • b) Thereby we draw unto ourselves the perfections of the . Godhead. God becomes our God'; we live on the thought of His perfection, His goodness, His sweetness, His Divine life; for the heart feeds upon such. things as it delights in. Thus we are enriched by the divine perfections, which we make our own by a loving complacency. 1228. e) But in thus attracting to ourselves the divine perfections, we attract God Himself, and we give ourselves entirely to Him, as St. Francis de Sales t well explains : " It follows that through this love of complacency we not' only enjoy the perfections of God as if they were our own; but also, .that since the divine perfections are infinitely above the powers and capa- city of our mind and heart, we could not attract them into us to enjoy and possess them without being also possessed by them in turn. The love of complacency is then a reciprocal donation, in virtue of which we may truly assert that we belong to God, Who is 'also our possession. " Thus, " the soul inflamed with the love of complacency exclaims from the midst of its repose and sacred silence : ' It suffices to my happiness to know that God is God ; that His perfections are boundless, that His goodness is infinite. I" am indifferent to life and death, since the object of all my love lives, and will live eternally, surrounded by the unfading splendor of endless, glory.' Death cannot terrify a heart which breathes but to love, and 'which is aware that its sovereign good lives forever. It suffices to her to know, that He Whom she loves more than herself is overwhelmed with, bliss: she lives more in the^ object of her predilection than in herself. " 1229. d) This love, when it contemplates the Suffering Christ turns into compassion and sympathy. A devout soul, beholding the depths of dejection and grief wherein the Divine Lover is plunged, cannot but share in the holy love that makes Him endure such afflictions. It was this love that caused the stigmata to be imprinted upon the flesh of St. Francis of Assisi, 'and the Sacred Wounds upon that of St. Catherine of Sienna.' Complacency produced compas- sion, and compassion produced a wound like that of the Beloved. 1230. B) From the love of complacency springs the love of benevolence, that is to say, an ardent desire of glo- * The Love of God, Bk. V, C. III. 576 CHAPTER III, rifying the object of our love and of causing it to be glo- rified. This may be done in two ways in regard to God. a) In what concerns His interior perfections, to which we can add nothing, we can give glory only in a hypothetical way, saying, for example : " If (assuming the impossible) I could procure Thee any good, I would unceasingly desire it, even at the cost of my life. If, being what Thou art, Thou couldst receive an increase of perfection, T would desire it with all my heart." 1231. b) In what touches His outward glory ', we desire unconditionally to increase it both in ourselves and in others, and with this end in view we desire to know' and love Him better, in order that we may in turn make Him better known and better loved. That this love be not a merely speculative love, we strive to study in detail the beauties and the perfections of God, to praise them and cause them to be blest, sacrificing to this end studies and occupations which would naturally be more agreeable to us. Filled, then, with esteem and admiration for God we long to have His Holy Name blessed, exalted, praised, honored, adored all over the earth. And as we are of ourselves incapable of doing this in a perfect manner, we call upon all creatures to praise and bless their Maker : Let all the works of the Lord praise the Lord. I We rise in spirit to Heaven there to join the Angelic choirs and the host of the Saints and sing in unison with them : " Holy, Holy, Holy Lord. . . " 2 We join the Blessed Virgin, who raised above the Angels, renders to God more glory than all other creatures, and we repeat with Her : " My soul doth magnify the Lord.''' '3 We join ourselves especially to the Incar- nate Word, the Great Worshiper of the Father, Who, being God and Man, offers the Most Blessed Trinity a praise that is infinite. Lastly, we unite with God Himself, that is to say, with the Three Divine Persons, in their mutual .praise and congratulation. "Then we exclaim : Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost! And in order to prove that the object of this aspiration is not the accidental glory of created praise, but the essential, eternal glory which God has in Himself, by Himself, from Himself, and which is, in a word, nothing else than Himself, we add immediately : ' As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end,' wishing that God be ever glorified with that infinite eternal glory, which he possessed in Himself before the formation ofcreatur.es."4 Religious and Priests realize that they are by virtue of their vows or of their priesthood specially bound to promote God's glory. Burning, with the desire of glorifying Him, they never cease, even in the midst of their occupations, to bless and praise the Almighty, and they have but one end in view, one ambition, that of extend ing, -the Kingdom of God and of procuring the eternal praise ot Him Whom they love as the only portion of their inheritance. 1 Dan., Ill, 57. — 2 Apoc., IV, 8. — 3 Luke, I, 46. * ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, The Love of God, Bk. V, C. XII. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 577 1232. C) The love of benevolence is manifested by the love of conformity. Nothing strengthens the reign of God in the soul more effectively than the accomplishment of His Holy Will : " Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. " Love is above all else a union, a fusion of two wills into one; and, since the Will of God is alone good and wise, it is evidently we who must conform our will to His : " Not my "will, but Thine be done. " x As we have explained in nos. 480-492, this conformity comprises obedience to the Commandments, the Counsels, the inspirations of grace, and the humble and loving submission to providential events whether fortunate or unfortunate : failure, humiliations, all sorts of trials sent to us for our sanctification and God's glory. Conformity in turn produces a holy indifference to whatever does not concern itself with God's service. Persuaded that God is everything and the crea- ture nothing, we want but God, His love and His glory, and our will remains indifferent to all else. This indifference is not a stoical insen- sibility, for we continue to feel the attraction of those things that please us, but it is an indifference of mind and will. Neither does this indifference consist in letting things take their course, as the Quietists pretended. We are not indifferent to our salvation ; on the contrary, we ardently desire it, but we desire it only in agreement with the Divine Will. - This holy abandon produces a profound peace of soul. We know that nothing 'can happen to us that' will not be profitable unto our sanctification : " To them that love God all things work together unto good."2 Hence we joyfully embrace trials and the Cross, out of love for the Divine Crucified and in order to become more like unto Him. Thus, perfect conformity to the Will of God, as Bossuet says,3 " makes us find our rest whether in pain or in joy, according to the pleasure of Him Who is our good. It makes us rest, not in our satis- faction, but in that of God, ever praying Him to be well pleased and to do ever with us as He pleases." 1233. D) This-conf ormity leads us to friendship with God. Friendship implies, besides benevolence, reciprocity or the mutual giving of self. Now this is Well realized in charity. This love is a true friendship, says St. Francis de Sales4, "for it is known and acknowledged to exist on both sides ; for God cannot be ignorant of our love for 'Him, since He Himself enkindles it in our hearts ; nor can we have a doubt of His eternal predilection for us, since He has so frequently assured us of it... and He incessantly speaks to our hearts by the inspirations of His grace. " The Saint adds : " The mutual love subsisting between God and His creature is not what is termed simple friendship ; it is a friendship of benevolent preference, that is, a special love of God founded on our choice and our preference. » 1234. This friendship consists in the gift of Himself, which God makes to us, and the gift of self which we make 1 Luke, XXII, 42. — " J?om.,VUI, 28. 3 Elevations, XIII, 7. — < Love of God, Bk, II, C. XXII. 578 CHAPTER III. to Him. We must, therefore, see what is God's love for us in order to understand what must be our love for Him. a) His love for us is i) eternal: " I have loved thee with an everlast- ing love"; x 2) it is desiiiterested, for being absolutely self-sufficient, He simply loves us for our good ; 3) it is generous, for He gives Himself entirely, coming Himself to live lovingly in our soul (n. 92-97) ; 4) it is prevenient, for not only has He loved us first, but He solicits our love and begs for it as' if He were in need of it: "My delight is to be with the children of men. . . Son, give me thy heart. " * No one could ever dream of such delicate thoughtfulness. 1235. b) We must, therefore, correspond to .this love with a love that is as perfect as possible: "Who. would not love Him Who loves us so much! "3 i) Our love must be forever growing. Not having been capable of loving God from all eternity, and never being able to love Him as He deserves, we must at least love Him more each day, placing no limits to our affection for Him, refusing Him no sacrifice that He may demand, and ever seeking to please Him : " I do always^ the things that please him. " 4 2) Our love must be generous, expressing itself in loving affections, frequent ejaculations and such simple acts of love as : " I love Thee with all my heart " ; but it must also express itself by actions, chiefly by the entire gift of self. God must be the center of our entire being: of our intelligence, by the frequent thought of Him; ' of our will, by a humble submission to His least desire ; of pur 'sensitive nature, by not allowing our heart to become entangled "in affections that would only be an obstacle to God's love ; of all our actions, by ever striving to please Him. 3) Our love must be disinterested. We must love God far more than we love His gifts. Hence we must love Him whether in desolation or consolation, protesting to Him again and again that we want to love Him and for His own sake. It is in this way that in spite of our weakness we respond to His friendship. • § II. The Love of one's Neighbor5 After explaining the nature of this virtue and its sanctify- ing power, we shall indicate 4he manner of practicing it. I. Nature of Fraternal Charity 1236. Fraternal charity is indeed a theological virtue, as we have said, provided that we love God Himself in our neighbor, or in other words, that we love our neighbor for God's sake. Should we love our neighbor solely for his 1 Jeremias,XXXI, 3. — 2 Prov., VIII, 31 ; XXIII, 26. 3 Adeste fideles. — 4 John, VIII, 29. 6 ST. FRANCIS OF SALES, Devout Life, P. Ill, C. VII, XXVIII, XXIX, P. IV, C. VI; RODRIGUEZ, Christian Perfection, Vol. I, Treat. IV; SCARAMELLI- STOCKMAN, Manual of Christian Perfection, P. IV, Art. Ill; VALUY, Fraternal Chanty; REGINALD BUCKLER, Spiritual Perfection, Book II, C. II; FABER, Spiritual Conferences, Kindness; GUIBERT, Kindness; SCHUYLER, The Charity of Christ; HEDLEY, Retreat, XXVI, A Bishop and His Flock, XXI -XXI I; The Little Flower of Jesus, C. X., XL THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 579 .-•* ' ' ' • . own sake, or because of the services he may render us,' this would not be charity. ' A) Hence; it is God tlhat we rriust see in our neighbor. He manifests Himself in men by natural gifts, which are a participation in His being and in His attributes, and by sttpernatural gifts, which are a participation in His nature and in His life (n. '445). Since the virtue of charity is supernatural, it is supernatural qualities that we must have in view as the motive of our love. Therefore, if we con- sider our neighbor's natural qualities, we must look on these with the eye of faith, that is, see 'them as supernatural- ized by grace. 1237. B) The better to understand the motive of fra- ternal charity, we should analyze it by considering men in their relations with God. Then they will appear to us as children of God, members of Jesus Christ, co-heirs with us of the Kingdom of Heaven. (nos. 93, 142-149). Even if they be not in the state of grace or have not the faith, they are called to the possession of these supernatural gifts and it is our duty to contribute, at least by our prayers and our example, to the work of their conversion. This is a -most powerful motive for loving them as brethren, and the differences that separate us from them dwindle into insignificance in comparison with all that binds us to them. II. The Sanctifying Power of Fraternal Charity 1238. i° Since the supernatural love of our neighbor is but another form of the love of God, we should repeat in this place all we have explained concerning the. marvellous effects of the love of God. Let it suffice to quote some texts, of St. John : " He that loveth his brother abideth in light; and there is no scandal in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness."* In the language of this Apostle, to abide in light means to abide in God, the source of all light, and to walk in darkness means to be in the state of sin. The same Apostle goes on to say: " We know that ive have passed from death to life, because -we love the brethren... Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer."* He concludes by saying: "Dearly beloved, let its love one another : for charity is of God. And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God: for God is charity. -If we love one another, God abideth in tis: and His charity is perfected in us.. . God is charity: and he that abideth in cha- nty, abideth in God, and God in him... If any man say: I love God, and hateth his brother: he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he' seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not? And this commandment we have from God, that he, who loveth God, love also his brother. "3 It would be impossible ,to express more clearly 'that to 1 1 John, II, IO-H. — * I John, III, 14-15. — 3 Uohn.lV, 7, 8, 12, 16, 20, 21. 580 CHAPTER III. love the neighbor is to love God, and that the love of the neighbor confers on us all the privileges attached to the love of God. 1239. 2° Futhermore, Our Lord tells us that whatever service is rendered to the least of His brethren, He considers as rendered to Himself : " Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. " J Now, Our Lord will not let Himself be outdone in genero- sity, and He will make return a hundredfold by giving all manner of graces for the least service done to Him in the person of His brethren. How consoling is this thought to those who practice fraternal cha- rity and perform the spiritual or corporal works of mercy ; how much more consoling to those whose entire life is devoted to works of cha- rity or zeal! Every moment of the day they do some service to Jesus Christ in the person of His brethren, and every moment of the day Jesus likewise labors in their, own, souls to beautify and sanctify them. III. The Practice of Fraternal Chanty 1240. The principle that must always guide us is to see God and Jesus Christ in our neighbor: 2 " Christ in all, " and thus render our charity more supernatural in its motives and its means of action, more universal in its scope, more generous and more active in its exercise. 1421. i° Beginners strive chiefly to moid, the faults contrary to charity, and to practise those acts to which we are bound by precept. A) In order not to give pain to Jesus and their neighbor they carefully avoid : a) Rash judgments, slander and calumny, which are against justice and charity, (n. 1043) ; b) natural antipathies, which when consented to are often the cause of faults against charity; 6) bitter words, words )f ridicule or contempt that cannot but engender or intensify enmities ; likewise, witticisms indulged in at the expense of the neighbor which cause at times smarting wounds; d) strife and discussions born of pride; e) rivalries, discord, false reports, which cannot but sow dissen- sion among the members of the great Christian family. 1242. Nothing so effectively helps us to avoid all these faults opposed to Christian charity, as the frequent consideration of the touching words of St. Paul to the first Christians : " I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the' vocation 1 Malik., XXV, 40. 2 ST. JOHN EUDES explains this very well in The Kingdom of Christ Within Us, C. I, p. 29-30: " See your neighbor in God and God in him ; that is, regard him as one who has come forth from the heart and goodness of God, who is created to return to Him one day, and to dwell within His bosom glorifying God for all eternity; and in whom God will, in reality, be eternally glorified either by Hii mercy or justice. " THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 581 in which you are called... supporting one another in charity, careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one Spirit : as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all... Doing the truth in charity, we may. in all things grow up in him who is the head, even Christ."1 Elsewhere he writes: "If there be there- fore any consolation in Christ... fulfil ye my joy: that you be of one mind, having the same charity, being of one accord, agreeing in sen- timent.- Let nothing be done through contention: neither by vain glory. But in humility, let each esteem others better than themselves : each one not considering the things that are his own, but those that are other men's. " 2 Who could remain unmoved by these exhortations of the Apostle? -Forgetting the chains that bind him in his prison-cell, he is concerned with the thought of repressing the dissensions that disturb the Christian community; he reminds the Christians that since there are so many ties that'uni.te them, they must put aside what divides them. After twenty centuries of Christianity this urgent appeal is not less pertinent today. 1243. But there is a fault against charity that must be especially avoided ; it is scandal, that . is, whatever could probably lead others to sin. We must carefully abstain from things, in themselves indifferent or lawful, but which, because of circumstances, may become to others an occasion of sin. This principle is enjoined by St. Paul regarding the meats offered to idols. Since idols are nothing, these meats are not in themselves forbidden ; but, because many Christians believe that they are forbidden, the Apostle asks those who are more enlightened to take into account the scruples of their brethren : " And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish,-for whom Christ hath died? Now. when you sin thus against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat scandalize my brother, I will never eat flesh, lest I should scandalize my brother. " 3 And today these words should still be the object of meditation. Christian men and women indulge in reading, shows and dances that are at least unbecoming, under the pretext that for them such things have no evil effects. This may be questioned, for alas! many who speak in this manner at times deceive themselves. Be this as it may, do they consider the scandal they give to those who witness their conduct and who take it as an excuse to indulge in pleasures still more dangerous? 1244. B) Beginners are not satisfied, with avoiding these faults; they practice also what the precept of charity 1 Ephes., IV, 1-16. . - * Phil., II, 1-4. — 3 / Cor., VIII, 13. 582 CHAPTER III. commands, particularly bearing with their neighbor and for- giving injuries. a) They bear with their neighbor despite his faults. Have we not ourselves faults that others must bear with? Besides, we are apt to exaggerate the faults of others, especially of those towards whom we feel a natural antipathy. Should we not, on the contrary, overlook their faults, and ask ourselves if it becomes us to notice the mote in our neighbor's eye when perhaps there is a beam, in ours? Instead of condemning the faults of others, let us honestly ask ourselves if we have not like faults or perhaps worse ones. Let us think first of all of correcting ourselves : " Physician, heal thyself.^" 1 1245. b) Beginners have the further duty of forgiving injuries and of seeking reconciliation with their enemies,' with those who have offended them or those whom they have offended. This duty is so imperative that Our Lord says : " If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar,,, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee; leave there thy offering before the altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother. " 2 According to Bossuet, the first gift we must offer God is a heart free from all resentment, of all enmity towards our brother. He adds that we must not even wait for the day on which we are to approach the altar, but that we must follow the advice of St. Paul ^ " Let not the sun go down upon your wrath ; " 3 for " darkness will add to our resentment ; our anger will return upon our awakening and become more bitter still. " 4 We must not ask ourselves whether our adversary is more in the wrong than we are, whether it is for him to make the first advance. Let us, at the very first opportunity, clear up every misunderstanding by a frank explanation. - If our enemy is the first to present his excuses, we must hasten to forgive : " For if you will forgive men their offences, your Heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences."5 This is but justice, since we ask God to forgive our tres- passes as we forgive those who trespass against us. 1246. 2° Souls advancing- in the spiritual life strive to draw unto themselves the charitable dispositions of 'the Heart of Jesus. x ' A) They remember that the precept of charity is His precept, and that its observance will be the characteristic mark of Christians : " A new commandment I give unto you : that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another." *> This commandment is new, says Bossuet,7 "because Jesus Christ adds to the old this important feature of loving one another as He fiats -. ! ! '. _______ 1 Luke, IV, 23. — = Matth.,M, 23-24. — 3 Ephes., IV, 26. 4 Mlditat. , XIV? jour. — 5 Matth. , VI, 14-15. * John, XJII, 34, — 7 Meditations, La Gene, I Part., 75e jour. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 583 loved us. His love reached out to us when we were not even thinking of Him. He came to us first. He is not disheartened by our infide- lities, our ingratitudes: He loves us to make us holy, to make us happy; He loves us in a disinterested way, for He has .no need of us, nor of our service. " Charity is to be the distinctive sign of Christians : "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. " T . 1247. B) They also try to imitate the examples of the Saviour. ' a) His charity isprevenient. He loved us first, when we were His. enemies : " When as yet we were sinners. " 2 He came to us sinners knowing that we were the sick who needed a physician. His preventing grace went to 'seek the Samaritan woman, the adulterous woman, the thief upon the cross, in order, to convert them. It is to antici- pate'and heal our troubles that He gave us this tender invitation: "Come to me, all you that labour and are bur- dened: and I will refresh you. "3 We should imitate this divine thoughtfulness by taking the initiative with our brethren in order to discover and relieve their miseries, as do those who visit the poor to help them in their needs, and sinners, to lead them back gradually to the practice of virtue, and who do this without losing heart if at first they meet with resistance. - , 1248'. to) Christ's charity is compassionate. When He beholds the multitudes that followed Him into the desert in danger of fainting from hunger, He multiplies the bread and the fishes to give them food. Above all, when He sees souls deprived of spiritual food, He takes pity at their plight, and desires that God be asked to send .apos- tolic workers to their aid : "Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he send forth labourers into his harvest." * Leaving awhile the ninety nine , faithful sheep, He goes after the lost one and brings it back upon His shoulders to the fold. No sooner does a sinner give signs of repentance' than He hastens to forgive him. Full of compassion for the sick and the afflicted, He heals them in great num- bers and often restores their souls to health by pardoning their sins. Following Our Lord's example, we must harbor a great compassion for all the unfortunate and aid them according to our means. When our means are exhausted, let us at least show them kindness in word and deed. Let us, then, not be discouraged by the faults of the poor ; and besides giving alms for the relief of the body, let us add some good word of advice that one day or other may bear fruit. '•> John; XIII, 35. — 2 Rom. V, 8. - j Matth. , XI, 28. — •» Matth., IX, 38. 584 CHAPTER III. 1249. e) Christ's charity is generous. Through love of us He consented to labor, and suffer, and die: "He hath loved us and hath delivered Himself for us. " x Hence, we must be ever ready to render service to our brethren at the cost of real self-sacrifice, ready to care for them in illnesses, even if these be of a repelling nature, and to give them financial aid. This charity should be whole-hearted and sympathetic; for the manner of giving is worth more than the gift itself. It should likewise be intel- ligent, offering the poor not only a piece of bread, but if possible, the means of earning a livelihood. It should be zealous, doing good to, souls by prayer and example and, upon occasion, by discreet and wise counsels. This duty of zeal is imposed especially upon priests, reli- gious and devout -persons. These must always remember that "he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way shall save his soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins. " 2 1250. 3° Perfect souls love their neighbor unto the immolation of self : " In this we have known the charity of God because he hath laid, down his life for us : and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. " 3 a) This is what apostolic laborers do. Without shedding their blood for their brethren, they give their life-blood drop by drop, forever working for souls, immolating themselves in prayer, in study, even in the recreation they take. This is the ideal proposed by St. Paul : " I most gladly will spend and be spent myself for your souls : although loving you more, I be loved less. " 4 1251. b) This is what impelled holy priests to take the vow or servitude for souls : thereby they engaged themselves to consider their neighbor as a superior with the right to exact serviqe, and they bound themselves to comply with all his legitimate wishes. c) This charity is further shown by readiness to anticipate the least of our neighbor's wishes and to render him all possible service; at times also by the cordial acceptance of proffered service, for this is the means of making happy the one who offers it. d) Lastly, it is manifested by a special love for our enemies, whom we consider as the executors of divine vengeance, and whom we revere as such, praying for them in a special way and doing them good on all occasions, according to the counsel of Our Lord: "Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that per- secute and calumniate you. " 5 Thus we resemble Him " Who maketh His sun rise to upon the good and bad. " 6 § III. The Sacred Heart of Jesus the Model and Source of Charity? 1252. -IP Preliminary Remarks. In concluding our study of charity, we cannot do better than to invite our 1 Eplies,, V, 2. — 2 St. James, V, 20. — 3 / John, III, 16. 4 // Cor., XII, 15. — 5 Matth., V, 44. — 6 Malth., V, 45. ? ST. JOHN EUDES, Le Casur admirable de la T. S. Mere de Dieu, 1. IV et 1. XI I ; THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. 585 readers to seek in the Sacred Heart of Jesus the source and the model of perfect charity. In the Litanies officially approved by the Church we invoke the Sacred Heart as an " ardent furnace of charity " and as " full of goodness and love." There are two essential elements in the devotion to the Sacred Heart : the one sensible, the heart of flesh hyposta- tically united to the person of the Word ; the other spiritiial, symbolized by the physical heart, which is nothing else but the love of the Incarnate Word for God and for men. Just as a symbol and the thing symbolized are but one, so these two elements are but one. Now, the love symbolized by the Heart of Jesus is, no doubt, His Human love, but it is also His divine love, since in Jesus the divine and the human operations are indissolubly united. It ,is His love iov'men: "Behold the heart that has loved men so much"; but it is also His love for God, since, as we have shown, charity towards men flows from charity towards God, and draws from the latter its real motive. We can, then, consider the Heart of Jesus as the most, perfect Model of love towards God and of love towards our neighbor, and even as the Model of all -virtues, for charity contains and perfects them all. Since Jesus, during the course of His mortal life, merited for us the grace of imitating His virtues, He is also the meritorious cause, the source of the graces that enable us to love God and our brethren and to practice all the other virtues. 1253. 2° The Heart of Jesus as the Source and Model of love towards God. Love is the complete gift of self. How perfect, then, must be the love of Jesus for His Father! From the first moment of the Incarnation He offers Himself and yields Himself as a victim in order to restore glory to God outraged by our sins. At His birth, as well as on the day of His Presentation in the Temple, He renews this offering. During the years of His hidden life He shows His love for God by yielding obedience -to Mary and to Joseph, in whom He sees the representatives of the Divine Authority. Who could tell of the acts of pure love that arose to the Most Blessed Trinity from the little house of Nazareth? In the course of H\s public J. CROISET, La devotion au S. Cosur; STE MARGUERITE-MARIE, (Euvres, ea. Gauthey ; P. DE GALLIFET, Excellence de la devotion au S. Cosur; DALGAIRN?. Devotion to the Sacred Heart ; MANNING, The Glories of the Sacred Heart ; J.-B. TERRIEN, La devotion au S. Cceur; P. LE DORE, Les Sacres Cceurs et le V. J. Eudes ; Le Sacre Cceur; J. BAINVEL, La devotion au S. Cceur, doctrine, histoire; Cath. Encyclop., Heart of Jesiis; NOLDIN, Devot. to Sacred Heart of Jesus; HUSSLEIN, The Sacred Heart; Me GRATTY, The Sacred Heart; CHARMOT, Sacred heart and modern life. 586 . CHAPTER III. life He seeks but the pleasure of His Father : "I do always the things that please Him.. . " * " / honor my Father. " 2 At the Last Supper He can declare that He has glorified His Father during His entire life: " I have glorified Thee upon the earth."* The following day He carries out His self-surrender even to self-immolation on Calvary : " Made obedient unto death, even the death of the, Cross. " 4 Who could ever number the interior acts of pure l°ve that sprang incessantly from His Heart, and which made of His whole life a continual act of perfect charity? • • 1254. Above all, who could give an idea of the per- fection of that love? " It is a love" says St. John Eudes,3 "worthy of such a Father and of such a Son ; it is a love that fits most perfectly the unspeakable perfections of the Beloved One ; it is an infinitely loving Son that loves an infinitely lovable Father ; it is God Who loves God... In a word the Divine Heart of Jesus, whether considered in'its humanity or in its divinity, is infinitely more inflamed with love for His Father, and loves Him infinitely more at each single instant than all the Angels and Saints together could love Him throughout all eternity. " Now, this love of Jesus for His Father we can make our own, by uniting ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and by offering it to the Father, saying with Saint John Eudes : " My Saviour, I give myself to Thee in order . to unite myself with the eternal, boundless, and infinite love which Thou bearest Thy Father. Adorable Father, I offer Thee all this eternal, boundless, infinite love of Thy Son Jesus as a love that is mine... I love Thee as Thy Son loves Thee." 1255. 3° The Heart of Jesus The Source of Love for Men. We have seen (n. 1247) how Jesus loved men while on earth ; it remains for us to point out here how He never ceases to love them now that He is in Heaven. a) It is because He loves us that He sanctifies us through the Sacraments : these are, to borrow once more the thought of St. John Eudes, "so many inexhaustible fountains of grace and holiness which have their source in the boundless ocean of the Sacred Heart of Our Saviour; and all the graces that issue from the sacraments are so many flames of that divine furnace. " 6 " 1256. b) It is in the Eucharist especially that He gives us the greatest proof of His love. i) For nineteen centuries Hp has been with us night arid day, like a father who is loath to leave His children, like a friend who finds his pleasure with his friends, like a devoted physician who constantly ' John, VIII, 29. — 2 John, VIII, 49. — 3 John, XVII, 4. — •< Philip., II, 8. s Le C