THE PRIEST IN UNION
WITH CHRIST

BY

The Rev. R. GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE, O.P.
Professor of Dogma and Mystical Theology in the Angelico, Rome

Translated by
REV. G. W. SHELTON, S.T.L.
Professor of Philosophy and Lecturer in Ascclical Theology
at Oscott College, Birmingham

THE NEWMAN PRESS
Wesiminster, Maryland

1954

Nihil Obstat:

Hernicus Franciscus Davis, D.D., M.A.
Censor Deputatus
Imprimatur:

4- Joseph
Archiepiscopus Birmingamiensis
Birmingamiae, die t6a Septembris, 1951

First Printing 1952
Second Printing 1954

.■111 rights reserved

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

To the Holy Mother of God
as a token of gratitude
and filial obedience

INTRODUCTION
wo years ago I wrote a short work entitled De sanctificatione
Sacerdotum secundum exigentias nostri temporis (Turin, Marictti, 1946), which has recently appeared in a new edition. The
central theme of that work was the urgent need of a deeper faith
both amongst the faithful to enable them to stand firm against
the principal errors of the day—especially against the materialist
and atheistic spirit of the communist creed—and also amongst
the clergy so that they would be able to communicate this gift
to all Christians. In developing that theme I discussed the duty
which falls on every priest—not excepting secular priests—of
tending towards Christian perfection, and I stressed the exalted
nature of this state of perfection as revealed in the eight
beatitudes, which are concrete expressions of that perfection,
and in the supreme precept of love of God and one’s neighbour.
Special emphasis was also given to the fact that this precept
commands the perfection of charity not as something to be put
into practice at once but as the end towards which all the
faithful must be striving, each one according to his own par­
ticular calling in life, either as a married person or as a priest
or as a religious—whether in sacred orders or not. But if the
faithful in general in their state of life have this duty of con­
stantly tending towards a greater love of God and their neigh­
bour and towards the full perfection of charity which will be
found in Heaven, how much greater is the obligation of priests
to make a similar effort in order to be true lights of the world
and the salt of the earth.
In this new work The Priest in Union with Christ the spiritual
life of a priest and his special priestly functions are considered
with a view to underlining the following three points.
In the first place, the priest of to-day, no less than his counter­
part of yesterday, must never forget for one moment the words
spoken by Christ: “Make it your first care to find the kingdom
of God, and his approval, and all these things (i.e. food and
clothing) shall be yours without the asking” (Matt, vi, 33). In
other words, the end of all our endeavours must not be a mere
earthly happiness for the human race freed from every form of

T

vii

viïi

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

oppression, but eternal life—the Kingdom of God. True, it is
the final thing to be obtained, but it must always be the foremost
of all our intents and purposes. A certain amount of temporal
well-being will help us along the road towards eternal life but
it must always be subordinate to the final end.
In times past the priests who served in the Synagogue made
the mistake of looking forward to a Messiahship entirely of
this world, as though the Messias intended to found an earthly
kingdom with Israel as the ruling power. At the present time a
similar danger seems to exist, a danger which has been noticed
by many bishops in different parts of the world. Men and
women are eagerly awaiting another earthly “messianic
kingdom” in which the workers are to be completely free. This
is a very different situation from that which existed some years
ago when little notice was taken of the apostolate amongst the
working class. Although this apostolate is now under way it is
in danger of being inspired by a purely naturalist spirit, a
mistake already made by Lamennais, who imperceptibly lost
sight of the true mission of the Church—the guiding of men
towards eternal life—and began to preach more and more in
the vein that the true goal of the Church was the temporal
happiness of mankind freed from the yoke of oppression. That
is well explained by Fr. A. Fonck in the Dictionnaire de Théologie
catholique, under the heading “Lamennais”, cols. 2478, 2493 seq.
Signs of his error were already evident even before his apostasy,
but afterwards became still more apparent in his book Les
Paroles d’un croyant, a naturalist’s imitation of the Gospel written
under the influence of the teaching of J. J. Rousseau and the
romantics. Towards the end of his life Lamennais denied all
distinction between the order of grace and the order of nature;
from the very outset he had always maintained that the only
form of faith necessary for salvation was the acceptance of the
universal consent or general reason of mankind, which he
thought had originated from some primitive revelation.
Recently many bishops have expressed their fear of a similar
danger arising amongst those who are anxious to “christianize”
Marxist doctrine in their desire to remedy present-day evils. In
so doing they are laying too much store by the temporal
happiness of the people and neglecting their eternal welfare,
which is their true final end and ought to be their dominant

INTRODUCTION

ÎX

intention, something they earnestly desire, not merely the object
of an ineffective wish. Above all must it be true of a priest that
he constantly renews this primary intent of striving for the final
end, if he wants his activity to be supernatural and fruitful.
On the efficacy of that intention will depend all his other
intents, decisions, and actions. That is why Christ said:
“Make it your first care to find the kingdom of God, and his
approval, and all these things shall be yours without the asking” ;
that is to say, food, clothing, and a certain amount of temporal
well-being for mankind but in due proportion to their final end.
But he never promised to relieve man of the daily carrying of his
cross. The Catholic priest must remember this if he desires to
attain to a genuine union with Christ our high priest and victim,
and to make his apostolate supernatural and fruitful.
The second point I want to emphasize in the course of this
work is that Christ the Saviour and high priest of mankind came
on earth for the special purpose of revealing God’s love for his
creatures who stood in need of redemption. He came “so that
they may have life, and have it more abundantly”, to put
within their grasp the perfect life of eternity as the full flowering
of sanctifying grace, the seed of glory. This abundant life is
far and away superior to any earthly happiness and begins for
the faithful follower of Christ even here amidst the difficulties
of his present life in the following way (although the communist
is violently opposed to such an idea) : “Blessed are the poor in
spirit, the patient, those who mourn; blessed are the merciful,
the clean of heart, the peace-makers and even those who suffer
persecution in the cause of right.” These have received already
an abundance of life as the prelude to eternal life.
In order to counteract the errors of Protestantism and
Jansenism the priest should be continually reminding his people
that “God does not command impossibilities, but by his
commands he exhorts you both to do what you can and to pray
for what you are not able to do, and he helps you to have the
necessary power”, which the Council of Trent (Denzingcr 804)
quotes from St. Augustine. All who accept this teaching and
put it into practice will receive abundant life: that must be
the constant burden of the priest’s preaching.
And thirdly, I want to point out that Christ desires to live
in us as his members—especially in his priests—as a means of

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

showing God’s love for men in their need of salvation. There­
fore the priest should never forget to live day in and day out
and at every moment of the day in an ever-deepening union
with Christ, whether he is celebrating Mass, hearing confessions,
directing souls, or preaching, so that in all his work he is another
Christ, the minister of Christ. Never should he be a mere
functionary of the Church, since Christ himself has that ardent
desire to live in him for his own sanctification and for the
salvation of souls.
This book has therefore been divided on the basis of those
three ideas, and is taken from my course of spiritual theology,
the principal parts of which have been published in French
under the title Traité de théologie ascétique et mystique: Les trois
âges de la vie intérieure, Paris, 2 vols., 641 pp. and 866 pp.1
1 This work has been translated into English by Sister M. Timothea Doyle,
O.P. The Three Ages of the Interior Life, Herder, St. Louis, 1949.

CONTENTS
vii
xiii

Introduction
Bibliography

PART ONE
The Dogmatic Foundation : The Dignity of Christ's
Priesthood and of Ours

1. The Priesthood of Christ our Saviour
2. Our Priesthood : the Sacramental Character and Grace

3
15

PART TWO
The Interior Life of the Priest

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

The Life of Christ in Us, his Members
The Priest in Union with Christ as Priest
The Priest in Union with Christ as Victim
The Priest’s Communion
The Four Ends of Sacrifice and Priestly Perfection
The Priest in Union with Mary
The Example of Priests who were Saints
Summary: The Excellence of the Priestly Grace

29
44
56
73
80
92
105
108

PART THREE
The Priest's Ministry

In all his activities the priest must be another Christ
closely united to Christ himself
Section One. The Ministry of Preaching

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

The Model of Christian Preaching
The Secular Approach to Christian Preaching
The Purpose of Christian Preaching
The Efficacy of Christian Preaching
Essential Subjects for Sermons and their Treatment
Different Types of Sermons
xi

121
126
134
139
143
157

xii

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Section Two. The Ministry of Confession and

Spiritual Direction
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

The Priest’s Ministry in the Confessional
Spiritual Direction in General
The Direction of Beginners
The Direction of Proficients
The Direction of Perfect Souls
The Discernment of Spirits

161
167
173
181
185
igo

Part One

THE DIGNITY OF CHRIST’S
PRIESTHOOD AND OF OURS
The fundamental theme of this work is the dignity of the
priesthood. And thus the opening chapters are devoted to a
doctrinal study of the two parts of this theme: the dignity of
Christ’s priesthood, and the dignity of our priesthood, which
is simply a sharing in that of Christ.
Not only the nature but also the purpose of each priesthood
must be discussed, and it will then be evident that both have
the same purpose: the manifestation of God’s goodness and
love towards men in their need for salvation, so that they may
have life and have it more abundantly.

Chapter One

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR
the Epistle to the Hebrews; the commentaries of the
Fathers and of St. Thomas on this Epistle; the Summa,
Illa, q. 22.
It is clearly revealed that Christ our Saviour is a priest—the
high priest of the New Law—and that his priesthood remains
for ever. “We can claim a great high priest, and one who has
passed right up through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God”
(Heb. iv, 14). “There he stands, eternally, a priest” (Heb.
vii, 3). “Christ lives on still to make intercession on our behalf”
(Heb. vii, 25). See also the Council of Ephesus (Denz. 122)
and the Council of Trent (Denz. 938).
f.

G

Christ as man is a priest
The special office of a priest is to be a mediator between
God and men by giving divine gifts to man—namely, God’s
teaching and grace (the downward movement in mediation)
—and by offering to God the prayers and sacrifice of man (the
upward movement in mediation). This office is especially
appropriate to Christ as man since his humanity is inferior to
the divine nature and yet at the same time personally or
hypostatically united to the Word, and he has also received the
fulness of grace in his capacity as head of the Church. Hence
it is already evident that his priesthood has as its purpose the
manifestation of God’s love for man. And so St. Thomas,
when he asks whether it is fitting for Christ to be a priest
(Summa, Illa, q. 22, a. 1), quotes the words of St. Peter in his
second Epistle (i, 4) : “Through him God has bestowed on us
high and treasured promises; you are to share the divine
nature.” This was the way in which Christ brought divine
gifts to man—by giving grace which is the seed of glory or of
eternal life. In the passage just quoted, St. Thomas also refers
to the Epistle to the Colossians (i, 19): “It was God’s good
pleasure to let all completeness dwell in him, and through him
to win back all things.”
3

4

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Therefore Christ as man is priest and mediator and in this
respect inferior to God; but it should be borne in mind that
even as man he is by no means inferior to the angels, not
because of his nature but because of the hypostatic union and
his fulness of grace and glory.
Why is Christ’s priesthood everlasting?
St. Thomas gives three reasons (Illa, q. 22, a. 5). First,
because of his everlasting consecration through the hypostatic
union, from which results a completeness of grace and glory that
could never be lost. Secondly, because his priesthood has never
been superseded by any other, since he intercedes unceasingly
on our behalf. Thirdly, because of the consummation of his
sacrifice—namely, the unending union of redeemed man with
God in the Beatific Vision. This is the eternal treasure conferred
on man by the Saviour’s sacrifice—everlasting life—and that is
why Christ is said to have taken his place “as our high priest,
to win us blessings that still lie in the future” (Heb. ix, 11).
But Christ is not only a priest: he is also a victim by sub­
mitting to death and offering himself to God the Father on our
behalf. This is of faith, as is evident both from Scripture—
“He gave himself up on our behalf, a sacrifice breathing out
fragrance as he offered it to God” (Ephes, v, 2)—and from the
Council of Trent (Denz. 938) : “On the altar of the cross he
once offered himself through death to God the Father that he
might obtain their eternal redemption.” And Christ remains
the principal priest and victim in the Mass.1
What constitutes the nature of Christ’s priesthood? The
grace of the hypostatic union according to the opinion of an
increasing number of theologians, and this for three reasons.
In the first place, it was in virtue of the hypostatic union that
Christ was able to offer a sacrifice of infinite worth, which would
make satisfaction for sin and merit for us grace and everlast­
ing life. Secondly, Christ as man is a priest in virtue of his
anointing by God, and his original anointing came from the
1 Cf. Council of Trent (Denz. 940) : “For the victim (in the sacrifice of Calvary
and in the sacrifice of the Mass) is one and the same: he who is now offering
through the ministry of priests is the same person who then offered himself on the
cross, only the manner of offering is different,” in so far as the immolation is no
longer accompanied by the shedding of blood, neither is it meritorious, but applies
to us the merits of the Passion.

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR

5

grace of union. Thirdly, it is the same grace in Christ which is
responsible for his own sanctification and for the sanctification
of others. But the grace which is primarily responsible for
Christ’s sanctification is the grace of union. Therefore it is the
grace of union which is primarily responsible for Christ’s
sanctification of others.

Christ is both priest and victim
It is important to insist on the fact that Christ was and
remains for ever both priest and victim, for it gives us a clear
and practical expression of the dignity of his priesthood. Cf.
Illa, q. 22, a. 2. St. Paul writes in his Epistle to the Ephesians
v, 2 : “Order your lives in charity, upon the model of that
charity which Christ shewed to us, when he gave himself up
on our behalf, a sacrifice breathing out fragrance as he offered
it to God.” We find the same truth defined by the Council of
Trent (Denz. 938, 939, 940) when considering Christ’s institu­
tion of the sacrifice of the Mass and of the priesthood of the
New Law.
Why is it that Christ was and will always continue to be
both priest and victim?
Simply because there was no other victim befitting his priest­
hood. He was the most perfect victim possible, possessing an
infinite value, just as the offering of the sacrifice of the cross also
possessed an infinite value because of the person of the Word.
He was a victim in three different ways : a victim for sin, in
order to obtain the forgiveness of sin; a victim for peace, in
order to preserve grace; and a victim of a burnt-sacrifice, in order
to effect a perfect union of redeemed man with God in the
Beatific Vision. The texts which St. Thomas quotes from the
Epistle to the Hebrews are explicit on all these points (Illa,
q. 22, a. 2).
Christ certainly did not put himself to death but willingly
submitted to the blows of his executioners, although he could
have rendered them impotent as he had done previously in
the Garden of Gethsemane, when his enemies fell to the ground.
On an earlier occasion he had said (John x, 18) : “Nobody can
rob me of my life; I lay it down of my own accord.”
The fire which consumed the victim was, according to St.
Thomas, the fire of infinite love coming down from heaven.

6

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

The visible sign of the Father’s acceptance of the victim which
had been offered to him was the glorious Resurrection and
Ascension of Christ.
Notice how the voluntary death of Christ differs from the
death of a martyr, since it was a sacrifice in the strict sense of the
word. The martyrs submitted to their death willingly, but
once the death-blow had been delivered it was no longer within
their power to lay down their life or take it up again. Christ on
the other hand could have miraculously prevented his death
occurring under the fatal blows of his executioners, and this
he could have desired if his Father had not given him a com­
mand to die on our behalf. Furthermore not all the martyrs
were priests, so the sacrifice they made of their life was not a
sacrifice in the strict sense of the word since it was not offered
by a priest.
Therefore Christ the high priest offered himself as a victim,
first of all without the shedding of blood at the Last Supper
under the appearances of bread and wine, and then by pouring
out his blood on the cross. It is important to remember, how­
ever, that even if the Last Supper had never taken place,
Christ’s voluntary death on the cross would have been a com­
plete sacrifice and not merely a part of a sacrifice—although
Fr. de la Taille disagrees with the majority of theologians on
this point. For at the time of the crucifixion there was not only
a bloody immolation but also an offering, an offering which
was not entirely internal but also externally expressed in the
words: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”—“It
is achieved.”
The effect of the sacrifice was atonement for sin: “Our
weakness, and it was he who carried the weight of it, our
miseries, and it was he who bore them” (Isaias liii, 4).
The perfection of Christ's priesthood
St. Augustine {De Trinitate bk. iv, c. 14), St. Albert the
Great {De Eucharistia dist. v, c. 3; ed. Borgnet 1899, vol. 38,
p. 387), and St. Thomas (Illa, q. 48, a. 3; q. 22, a. 1 and a. 4)
are all agreed that it is impossible to conceive of any priesthood
being more perfect than that of Christ.
The proof of this assertion rests on the definition of priesthood
—together with the fact that although Christ’s habitual grace

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR

7

could be increased the grace of union could not. The argument
can be put briefly as follows—
The degree of excellence belonging to any priesthood depends
on the intimacy of union, first between the priest and God;
secondly, between the priest and the victim possessing the
greater purity and value and which is more completely des­
troyed; and thirdly, between the priest and the people on whose
behalf the sacrifice is offered.
This principle follows naturally from the definition of a
priest—the mediator between God and man for the offering
of sacrifice.
In the first place, a priest must be closely united to God by
holiness of life in order to make up for shortcomings in the
worship, petition, reparation, and thanksgiving of the faithful.
Secondly, a priesthood possesses a greater degree of excellence
if the victim offered in sacrifice possesses greater purity and
value in order to express the sinlessncss of a contrite heart, and
if the victim is more completely destroyed in order to express
the total consecration of oneself to God.1 Also, the perfection
of a priesthood is measured by the union existing between priest
and victim, since the external offering and destruction of the
victim are intended as signs of an internal offering and immola­
tion of the priest himself. In the words of Psalm L, 18: “If
thou hadst a mind for (external) sacrifice, sacrifice I would have
given thee, but thou takest no pleasure in burnt-offerings; the
sacrifice God loves is a broken spirit; a heart that is humbled and
contrite thou, O God, wilt never disdain.” That was the reason
for God’s refusal of the purely external sacrifice offered by Cain.
Thirdly, the excellence of a priesthood depends on the
intimacy of union between priest and people, and also on the
number of people with whom the priest is closely united, because
the priest in his capacity as man’s mediator for offering sacrifice
to God has to unite together all the worship, petition, reparation,
and thanksgiving of the people into a single raising of his mind
to God; that is, so to speak, the soul of the people’s prayer.
Consequently a priest in closer union with a greater number of
people is a sign of a more perfect priesthood, since the sacrifice
1 Considering the victim alone, the most perfect of all the sacrifices of the Old
Testament was Abraham’s offering of his dearly loved son, who as the type of Christ
offered himself heroically without any resistance in a spirit of prayer and love
of God.

8

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

he offers gives increased honour to God and its effect is more
widespread. Think of St. John Vianney celebrating Mass for
his own people and for the large number of pilgrims.
This principle can easily be applied to Christ’s priesthood,
revealing at once that its splendour could not possibly be
surpassed by any other.
In the first place, Christ as priest is not only more holy than
all other priests but he is holiness itself, since he is the incarnate
Word of God. Also, his holiness as man springs from the
uncreated grace of union with the Word, which sanctifies his
humanity. In this respect Christ’s formal and fundamental
holiness is not acquired but innate, is not accidental but sub­
stantial, is not created but uncreated. His human priestly
actions are theandric since they are the actions of the divine
person of the Word, and so possess of their very nature an
infinite value—originally for obtaining merit and making
satisfaction on our behalf, now for giving adoration and thanks.
Note that the grace which belongs to him as head of the
Church is not sufficient for giving his actions that infinite
value, since it is created habitual grace.
Moreover, Christ is holy by reason of the abundance of his
habitual grace and created charity, although it must always be
remembered that by the absolute power of God this created
habitual grace and charity in Christ could have been increased,
whereas the grace of the hypostatic union was as perfect as it
could be. Incidentally, this confirms what has been said
already, that it is the grace of union which constitutes the
nature of Christ’s priesthood.
Christ also possessed the chief ministerial power (potestas
excellentiae') of instituting the sacraments and a priesthood which
would endure for all time.1 He is the source of all priestly
power.
Therefore, because of his holiness or permanent union with
God, Christ’s priesthood could not be surpassed, since it
would be impossible to create any greater grace than the grace
of union—although it is within God’s absolute power to create
a greater habitual grace and charity than that present in the
most holy soul of Christ.
In the second place, Christ’s priesthood excels all others by
1 St. Thomas, Illa, q. 64, a. 4; q. 50, a. 4, ad 3.

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR

9

reason of his union with the perfect victim which he offered.
We have already stated that Christ is both priest and victim;
no other victim would have been worthy of his priesthood. And
it was not merely his body which was offered as the victim but
also his soul which was ready to die with sorrow. The corre­
spondence between the external and internal sacrifice could not
have been more perfect, neither would it have been possible
for the victim to possess greater purity or value or to undergo
greater destruction. So it was that the sacrifice of Calvary was
a perfect holocaust, verifying the words of St. John the Baptist:
“Look, this is the Lamb of God; look, this is he who takes
away the sins of the world” (John i, 29).
And finally, Christ’s priesthood is the most perfect possible
because of his union with all Christians—in fact, with men of all
generations and of all races who have belonged and must
belong to his mystical body, since he died for all men without
exception.
The sacrifice of the cross was universal both in time and in
place, and from Christ’s side the union between himself and
the people could not have been more intimate. Cf. St. Paul’s
teaching on the mystical body of Christ, 1 Cor. xii, 27; Ephes,
iv, 25; v, 26. The moral influence which Christ exercised over
his mystical body by merit and satisfaction while he was here
on earth is now continued in heaven by his prayer of inter­
cession: “He lives on still to make intercession on our behalf”
(cf. Illa, q. 21 and Ila Ilae, q. 83, a. 11). Moreover he is the
physical instrumental cause of all the grace we receive (IHa,
q. 62, a. 5) and of every act of transubstantiation which he is
actually willing.
Therefore, from whatever aspect we view Christ’s priesthood
—the union between Christ and God, or between Christ and
the victim, or between Christ and the people for whom the
sacrifice was offered—its supreme perfection is evident. It is
impossible to conceive of any closer union between priest and
God; and this confirms the view that the nature of Christ’s
priesthood is constituted not by his habitual grace and the
grace which is his as head of the Church—for this together with
his charity could be surpassed in virtue of God’s absolute
power (Illa, q. 7, a. 12, ad. 2; q. 10, a. 4, ad. 3)—but by the
uncreated grace of union which is identical with the Person of

10

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

the Word as terminating, possessing, and sanctifying the
humanity of Christ (Illa, q. 6, a. 6), and which is also the
foundation of the infinite value of the sacrifice of Calvary and,
therefore, of the sacrifice of the Mass.
In brief, the reasons why we find it impossible to think of any
priesthood being more perfect than that of Christ are the
following—
First, there cannot be a closer union between the priest and
God than the hypostatic union.
Secondly, no priest can be more closely united to the victim
of his sacrifice than Christ was, since he himself was both priest
and victim. Not only was his body offered as the victim but
also his soul which was ready to die with sorrow.
Thirdly, there cannot exist a more intimate union between
priest and people, nor can the number of people be surpassed,
since Christ is the head of all men and his sacrifice was offered
for everyone without exception.
There now remains one further question to be discussed
concerning the priesthood of Christ, and that is its relationship
to the Masses which are being offered at present throughout
the world.

Christ's priesthood and the Mass
Docs the priesthood of Christ exercise here and now an
actual influence on every Mass, so that Christ himself offers
each Mass not merely virtually but also actually ?
This question has been well treated by the theologians of
Salamanca in their work De Eucharistia (disp, xiii, dub. iii,
§i), and I myself have already considered it at length in the
first volume of my treatise De Eucharistia, 1942, pp. 290-300.
Scotus, the Nominalists, and Vasquez maintain that Christ
is the principal offerer at Mass in virtue of the fact that it was
he who instituted this sacrifice and issued the command that it
should be offered in his name. But he does not actually offer
the sacrifice here and now, since this would seem to entail the
presence in Christ of several acts of internal offering.
On the other hand, the majority of theologians—especially
the Thomist school—are of the opinion that Christ does
actually offer all the Masses celebrated each day of the year
throughout the world, although this does not imply several

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR

II

acts of interior offering; there is but one act in his soul which
endures for ever. Such is the opinion of Cajetan, John of
St. Thomas, the theological school of Salamanca, Gonet,
Suarez, Bellarmine, Bérulle, Condren, Bossuet, Olier, Thomassin; in more recent years, Lepin, Grimai, Hervé, Michel,
Pctazzi, S. J.
The following are the arguments which they bring forward
to support their view—
(1) This opinion is implied in the words of the Council of
Trent (Denz. 94.0): “For the victim is one and the same:
he who is now offering through the ministry of priests is the same
person who then offered himself on the cross, only the manner
of offering is different.” In other words, Christ is actually
here and now the principal offerer. However, since Christ is
no longer a wayfarer on earth the sacrifice is neither blood­
stained nor painful nor meritorious; the Mass applies to our
souls the past merits and satisfaction of Christ.
(2) Pius XI writes in his encyclical Quas Primas (Denz. 2195) :
“Christ the priest offered himself as a victim for sin and eternally
offers himself.” The same view is to be found in the encyclical
of Pius XII Mediator Dei el hominum, 30 November, 1947, for
when speaking of Christ as the principal offerer he writes:
“Similarly he offers himself daily on our altars for our redemp­
tion so that we may be saved from eternal condemnation and
numbered in the flock of his chosen ones.” In the Mass he
does not acquire new merit but applies the merit already gained
through the sacrifice of Calvary.
(3) The fundamental theological argument is based partly
on Scripture and partly on Tradition.
“Christ lives on still to make intercession on our behalf”
(Hcb. vii, 25, and Rom. viii, 34). It is also the common teach­
ing of the Fathers that Christ is the principal offerer of every
Mass. Now is this office of principal priest something which he
once exercised in the past when he instituted the Mass? But he
is “a priest for ever, in the line of Melchisedech” and “lives on
still to make intercession on our behalf”. Therefore he is
actually exercising this office at the present moment, for it is
one which he can never lay aside.
So Christ as the principal priest of the sacrifice of the Mass
actually wills and offers that sacrifice. How well this illustrates

12

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

the eminent dignity of our sacrifice, not only because of the
victim offered but also because of the principal offerer and his
theandric action of reparative worship, intercession, and
thanksgiving.
I have already shown in the first volume of my work De
Eucharistia, p. 294, that this was the opinion of the Fathers.
(4) According to St. Thomas (Illa, q. 62, a. 5) and the
majority of theologians the humanity of Christ is an instru­
mental cause of all supernatural effects, an instrument always
united to the divinity, conscious and free. In other words,
Christ as man wills to co-operate physically here and now in
the production of these supernatural effects. But amongst these
effects is each and every act of transubstantiation. Therefore,
Christ as man wills each one of these acts in virtue of an act of
his will made while on earth, when through the Beatific Vision
and his infused knowledge he foresaw and willed every single
Mass as an application of the merits of Calvary (Illa, q. 10,
a. 2; q. 11, a. 1).
So this interior offering continues unceasingly in Christ in
his state of glory; it is never renewed or multiplied. This
offering—so far as its effects are concerned—is subordinate to
the offering of the sacrifice of the cross, since the Mass is simply
the application of that sacrifice. Therefore Christ could truly
say on the cross: “It is achieved”, precisely because the Mass
only applies the merits already gained by the Passion.
A confirmatory argument can be derived from the fact that
Christ certainly wills to give himself in Holy Communion to
all the faithful who receive him. A fortiori, he must actually
will to offer himself to God the Father in accordance with the
four ends of sacrifice. The consecration is of greater importance
than the communion, since the essence of the sacrifice is obviously
more important than its participation by the faithful. So Christ
must will both actually.1
1 Cardinal de Bérulle writes in his book Vie de Jésus, c. 26: “This first voluntary
act of offering made by Jesus is not a transitory act like ours, but one which is
permanent as depending on the nature and state of eternity. It is an everlasting
act of the will which has never ceased day or night, which has never been disturbed
or interrupted by any other act, but has always remained actual in his soul. Just
as in that soul there is a perpetual life-giving movement, so also this interior and
spiritual act of offering has been (and is) everlasting in the mind and heart of
Jesus.”
...
This act of self-offering endures in Christ in the same way as the Beatific Vision

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR

13

This view would seem to be certain and has been confirmed
in the recent encyclical of Pius XII, Mediator Dei et hominum.
It is a truth which has far-reaching consequences for the
priest celebrating Mass. It means that he must strive to attain
to a still closer and present union with Christ, who is actually
offering the Mass in the most perfect manner possible by his
theandric act of infinite value, accompanied by the highest
degree of contemplation, fervent love, adoration, and piety.
The celebrant will thus share more intimately in the supreme
priesthood of Christ.
The priest will then be led on to recall that Christ is not
only the offerer of the Mass but also its victim, that he once
endured most painful sufferings and now offers to his Father
the sufferings of his mystical body—our own pains and sufferings
—so that they may possess greater value for the saving of souls.
If the priest happens to be somewhat distracted by any
irreverence in those around him at the moment of consecration,
Christ himself is certainly not distracted. His soul united to the
divine person of the Word sees and wills this present act of
consecration, secs and wills its value and its efficacy and the
spread of its influence even to the souls in Purgatory. All this
is seen intuitively by Christ and actually willed by him.
While on earth he had already foreseen all this in his capacity
asjudgeof the living and the dead (cf. St. Thomas, Illa, q. io,
a. 2). With even greater reason must he now enjoy the same
knowledge through the Beatific Vision, which is not subject to
time but to eternity in which it shares, and while in Heaven he
continues the same act of will. So at this ever-present moment
of unchanging eternity Christ secs and wills in his sacred soul
every Mass and the influence which it exercises on the whole
world—in the mission-fields, in Purgatory,, and even in Heaven
in so far as it is the Mass which leads us towards eternal life and
gives supreme glory to God.
and the love and the worship which accompanies that vision; it is measured not
by time but by the eternity in which it shares.
Cf. Bossuet Elévations sur les mystères, 13th week, 7th Elevation: “From the
moment that Jesus (entering this world) began this wonderful act (of self-offering),
he has never discontinued it; from the time of his infancy and even from the time
when he lay in his mother’s womb he has remained in his state of victim completely
resigned to the divine commands. . . . Let us, therefore, imitate the example of
Jesus Christ in his attitude of victim and abandon ourselves without reserve to the
will of God.”

14

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

This is a truth which wc ought to make known to the laity
in order to encourage them to fix their attention on the prin­
cipal priest, since the celebrant at the altar is only the minister
of Christ and not his successor. They would come to appreciate
better the infinite value of the Mass, which originates from the
victim and the principal offerer. They would also find it
easier to understand how the sacrifice of the Mass and the
sacrifice of Calvary arc essentially the same sacrifice—the same
victim and the same principal offerer—differing only in the
manner of offering. On Calvary there was suffering, shedding
of blood, and merit; now the sacrifice is bloodless and sacra­
mental. No longer is it painful and meritorious but confers on
us of its very nature (ex opere operato) the satisfaction and merit
of the Passion and produces in our souls abundant grace, depen­
dent on our present dispositions. On many occasions the saints
while assisting at Mass have seen Christ himself in the place of
the celebrant, making the actual offering of himself for the
glory of his Father and the saving of souls.
And so it is that the excellence of Christ’s priesthood stands
clearly revealed; it is obviously impossible to conceive of one
more perfect.

Chapter Two

OUR PRIESTHOOD
sublime character of our priesthood is evident both from
the manner of its institution and from the sacrament of
Holy Orders and its effects. We shall now consider each of
these points in turn, paying particular attention to the exalted
nature of the purpose of the effects resulting from our ordination.
he

T

The institution of our priesthood
The Council of Trent declares (Dcnz. 938) that at the same
time as Christ instituted the Blessed Eucharist he also instituted
the priesthood of the New Law: “Do this for a commemoration
of me” (Luke xxii, 19; 1 Cor. xi, 24).
By these words spoken after the consecration of the bread
and wine Jesus Christ ordained the Apostles priests for offering
the sacrifice of the Eucharist. Later on, after his Resurrection,
he also gave them the power of forgiving sin when he breathed
upon them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit; when you
forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven, when you hold them bound,
they arc held bound” (John xx, 22). On an earlier occasion
at the beginning of his public life he had called them to follow
him: “Come and follow me; I will make you into fishers of
men” (Mark i, 18). “It was not you that chose me, it was I
that chose you” (John xv, 16).
Now the priesthood, no less than the sacrifice of the New
Law, must endure for all time in order to promote the salvation
of men and women of all generations. Therefore the Apostles
chose out and ordained other ministers by an external and
visible rite—the laying on of hands—so that they might be set
apart from the rest of the faithful. To these men alone belonged
the office of ruling the Church, of dispensing the mysteries of
God, and of offering gifts and sacrifices: cf. Acts vi, 6; xiii, 3;
xiv, 22; xx, 28; i Tim. iv, 14; 2 Tim. i, 6; 1 Cor. iv, 1;
Heb. v, i. The office of mediator which the priest exercises in
offering sacrifice to God and in conferring divine gifts upon the
people presupposes that he has been called by God, because
>5

16

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

“his vocation conics from God, as Aaron’s did ; nobody can take
on himself such a privilege as this” (Hcb. v, 4).

Priestly ordination and its effects
The Church has defined that Ordination or Holy Orders is
a sacrament in the strict sense of the word, instituted by Christ
and conferring grace in virtue of its sacramental character. It
is further defined that “the hierarchy instituted by divine
ordinance consists of bishops, priests, and ministers” (Council
of Trent; Denz. 966). Nevertheless many theologians—for
instance, Billuart and other Thomists—maintain that the
Episcopate is not a sacrament distinct from the priesthood but
simply extends the priestly character to the power of ordaining
and confirming, a power which is in no way superior to that of
consecrating the Eucharist—the supreme sacrament and
sacrifice. This reveals at once the eminent dignity possessed
by every priest of the New Law, for neither the Bishops nor the
Pope himself have any greater power for the consecration of the
Eucharist, although they do possess this additional power of
ordaining, confirming, consecrating churches and chalices, etc.
It is also of faith that priestly ordination imprints on the soul
an indelible character and confers a special sacramental grace
(Denz. 964, 959). We must pause a moment to consider the
sublime purpose of this character and sacramental grace.
The character is an intimate and permanent possession of the
soul which enables a man to perform the actions of a priest
validly; so it is commonly understood as the active power of
Holy Orders to consecrate the Eucharist validly and to absolve
the faithful validly from sins committed since Baptism. Cf.
Council of Trent, Denz. 960.
But what is the purpose of the sacramental grace of Holy
Orders (Denz. 959)? It is easier to answer this question with
certainty than to decide what it is that constitutes its nature.
The grace is given that the priest may perform the duties of his
state not merely validly but also holily, and that this spirit of
holiness—which is intended to characterize all his work—may
develop in unison with his growth in grace and charity
demanded by the supreme commandment (cf. Denz. 960).
The reason is obvious. God never confers a power on any man
without at the same time giving him the necessary means for

OUR PRIESTHOOD

17

the worthy exercise of that power. And the prayers in the
Pontifical make it evident that this is the purpose of the
sacramental grace of Holy Orders. Hence it follows that this
grace is an even more precious effect than the character of the
sacrament. Cf. Illa, q. 62, in the introduction to the question.
Taking all these definitions and assertions together it is clear
that the Catholic Church regards our priesthood as invested
with a noble dignity. We shall return to this point later on, but
let us note at once how superior is the Catholic Church’s
teaching on this matter to the erroneous views of others.
Apart from certain ritualists, most Protestants deny the very
existence of the sacrament of Holy Orders, contending that all
the faithful arc priests by virtue of their Baptism and only need
a public mandate in order to exercise their priestly office. The
Modernists in their turn assert that the priesthood is nothing
more than an institution of the Church.
It is perfectly true that the facts we have been discussing were
not revealed in any theoretical form but in the practice followed
in the administering of the sacraments. Now the complex
nature of priestly ordination—no less than that of Baptism—
can be described in a number of assertions according as one
considers the matter, the form, the minister, the subject, or the
effects. Even from the practice of not repeating ordination,
much information can be gathered about the effects of this
sacrament, especially about the indelible character.
So it is that the character of Holy Orders is different from the
character of Baptism and of Confirmation, because these are
directed towards different acts. Cf. Illa, q. 63, a. 5.
Furthermore, while the Baptismal character is a power of
receiving validly the other sacraments, the character of Con­
firmation and of Holy Orders is an active power (q. 63, a. 3) ;
and whereas the character of Confirmation fits a man for the
defence of his faith, the character of Holy Orders gives a man
the power to consecrate and absolve validly. Christ himself
did not receive this special character since he was a priest in
virtue of the eternal grace of the hypostatic union.
Though the sacramental character is a permanent possession
of the soul—even in Hell—the sacramental grace is lost through
mortal sin and regained with the restoration of sanctifying grace.
We will now consider in greater detail this sacramental

18

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

grace of the priesthood which is intended to bear abundant
fruit throughout the whole course of our life.
The nature of sacramental grace—with special reference to the priesthood
It is difficult to determine accurately the nature of sacra­
mental grace, and the question is rarely given a sufficiently
systematic treatment. Yet it does help to bring out in greater
relief the dignity of our priesthood. We will begin by noting
what is more well known and certain about this question
from Revelation.
At once we discover that more is known with certainty about
the purpose of this grace than about its nature. In fact, the same
holds true of habitual grace; what is primarily known with
certainty about this gift is that it is the seed of glory or of
eternal life. But we know that this eternal life is a sharing in
God’s own intimate life through the Beatific Vision and an
unceasing act of love—acts which necessarily presuppose a
share in the divine nature. Therefore habitual grace must be
some kind of participation in the divine nature or Godhead, in
order to be the seed of glory.
And so it is the purpose of sacramental grace which is first
made known to us by Revelation through Sacred Scripture and
Tradition. It is conferred on man to help him exercise worthily
and in close union with God those actions which he can perform
validly by reason of the character he has received. Hence the
sacramental grace of the priesthood is intended for the worthy
and increasingly holy fulfilment of our priestly duties—con­
secration and sacramental absolution. This much is admitted
as certain by all theologians.
But what of the nature of this grace? This can be deduced
from its purpose, which is the primary cause of any being; an
agent only acts with a definite end in view, and produces a
perfection which corresponds to that end. Cf. Illa, q. 62, a. 2.
St. Thomas asks whether the sacramental grace adds anything
further to habitual grace which he calls “the grace of the
virtues and gifts”, since the infused virtues and the seven gifts
have their origin in that grace—that was true even of Adam
before his fall and of the angels, although they had not received
the sacraments. He replies that it must add something, other­
wise there would be no point in conferring the sacraments

OUR PRIESTHOOD

IQ

on those who already possess the grace of the virtues and
gifts.
Confirmation and the Eucharist are received by persons
already baptized, but such sacraments are meaningless unless
they produce some special effect. To suggest that they merely
produce an increase of grace is not sufficient, for the frequent
repetition of one and the same sacrament would have a similar
effect. Certainly there would never be any need for more than
three sacraments: Baptism for the reception of the first grace,
Penance for those who had lost their baptismal grace, and a
third sacrament for the increase of grace in the just. So any
solution of the problem along those lines could never explain
why there are seven sacraments specifically distinct from each
other, which must, therefore, confer a special grace if they are
not to be pointless. The whole question depends on this notion
of “purpose.”
The Council of Florence uses a similar argument, although
expressing it in a different form (Denz. 695) : “By Baptism we
are spiritually reborn·, by Confirmation we receive an increase
of grace and are strengthened in faith; already reborn and
strengthened we are then nourished with the divine food of the
Eucharist. If the soul should fall sick through sin, we are
spiritually healed through Penance, etc.” The Council of Trent
declares (Denz. 847) : “If anyone should say that the sacra­
ments of the New Law are not essential for salvation but super­
fluous ... let him be anathema.” Therefore the sacramental
grace does add something to habitual or sanctifying grace.
But what does it add? This can also be deduced from its
purpose, but in order to be methodical we must first decide
what it does not add and what is the general teaching of
theologians on this point. In this way it will prove possible to
discover what is admitted as certain by everyone and what is the
more probable opinion where certainty cannot be attained.1
It is the common teaching of theologians that sacramental
1 Many opinions have been expressed on the nature of sacramental grace,
(t) There were at one time some who held that it was a special infused habit
distinct from habitual grace, from the infused virtues and from the seven gifts.
(2) Others think that it is not a distinct habit but a reality giving a definite title to
special graces which will enable a man to fulfil the obligations flowing from the
sacrament. (3) Others assert that it is a special mode of the grace of the virtues and
gifts establishing a right to the actual graces already mentioned. An entire thesis
could be devoted to this question, having special regard for the purpose of this grace.

20

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

grace is not a new infused habit distinct from sanctifying grace.
On the one hand, the soul is already sufficiently sanctified in its
essence by habitual grace which makes us sharers in the
divine nature, just as Adam before his fall and the angels were
sanctified without receiving the sacraments; on the other hand,
the faculties of our soul are sufficiently empowered to perform
supernatural acts by the infused virtues and the seven gifts,
which flow from sanctifying grace. Cf. St. Thomas, loc. cit.,
ad. i. Therefore sacramental grace is not a new infused habit.
All theologians are also agreed that the sacramental grace
adds to sanctifying grace a definite right to receive at the
appropriate moment those actual graces which correspond to
the end of each of the sacraments. Without this addition the
sacramental grace would be possessed by anyone in the state of
sanctifying grace, and thus no special grace would be produced
by any of the sacraments. So the very least we can say of each
of the sacraments is that they give this title to special actual
graces. Cf. St. Thomas, loc. cit., corp.
But this title, being a relative and moral reality, needs a real
foundation which cannot be other than the sacramental grace
enduring in the soul as an intrinsic reality. We know already
that our right to an eternal inheritance is founded on habitual
grace—the seed of glory—and on our meritorious acts which
obtain an intensification of that grace. So in a similar way the
right to the actual graces corresponding to the particular end
of each sacrament is founded on the sacramental grace itself,
which cannot be regarded as a mere moral or relative entity but
must be the foundation of that right ; it is a permanent, intrinsic,
and supernatural reality inhering in the soul. Cf. St. Thomas,
loc. cit., ad. 3. Of this we are certain from what has been
revealed about the purpose of sacramental grace. St. Paul
speaks about this permanent supernatural reality in 1 Tim. iv,
14: “A special grace has been entrusted to thee; prophecy
awarded it, and the imposition of the presbyters’ hands went
with it; do not let it suffer from neglect.”
Is it possible to be more precise in determining the nature of
this permanent supernatural reality if it is not a new habit
distinct from sanctifying grace, the infused virtues or the gifts ?
So far we have moved in the realms of certainty but now we
must descend to probability.

OUR PRIESTHOOD

21

It seems to be the more probable opinion held by John of
St. Thomas, the theologians of Salamanca, Contenson, Hugon,
Merkelbach, and many other Thomists that the sacramental
grace is a special modification and strengthening of sanctifying
grace, which exerts an influence on the acts of the various
virtues. Cf. De Veritate, q. 27, a. 5, ad 12. We know already
that the grace of original justice had a particular vital force of
its own in addition to habitual grace which has now been
restored to us, and it is this special vigour which is given back
to us in some measure by the proper effects of each of the
sacraments. This modal reality added to habitual grace forms
the basis of the moral right to the future reception of actual
graces corresponding to the sacrament received. We find
something similar—although on a higher plane—in the lives
of Our Lady and St. Joseph. Our Lady was given the grace of
motherhood, the love and tenderness of a mother; St. Joseph
the love and prudence of a foster-father, both of them thus
receiving a special modification and strengthening of sanctifying
grace.
Although all the statements in this section have been deduced
from the purpose of the sacraments, this final conclusion cannot
be put forward as anything other than the more probable
opinion.
But our view can be confirmed by considering each of the
sacraments in turn. The grace of Baptism is given not merely to
make us capable of living a supernatural life—such as was
enjoyed by Adam before his fall and by the angels—but in
order to help us to live as Christians by following the example
of Christ in his work of Redemption. And so this grace by
enabling us to live as Christians disposes us to love the cross,
a disposition not present either in the good angels or in Adam
before their fall.
The grace of Confirmation is intended to make us constant
and prudent in witnessing to the truth of the Christian faith.
The grace of Holy Communion is given to unite us more closely
to Christ through an increase of charity. The sacramental
grace of Penance is meant as a help for avoiding the occasions
of sin. The sacramental grace of Marriage strengthens the
parties to live as followers of Christ in their married state and
to educate their children according to Christian principles. The

22

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

grace of Holy Orders is conferred that the priest may fulfil
his sacred duties—the act of consecration, sacramental absolu­
tion, preaching, spiritual direction—with ever-increasing holi­
ness: and so we speak of priestly love and priestly prudence.
It is clear, therefore, that the modality of habitual grace, about
which we have spoken above, exercises an influence on the
infused virtues which flow from sanctifying grace.
Notice once again that it is the purpose of the sacraments
which is always acting as our guide in this question—a clear and
practical illustration of the principle that the final cause is
the primary cause, since it provides the reason for the existence
of the other three.
Corollaries. Therefore the sacramental grace of the priesthood,
since it is a permanent and intrinsic mode of habitual grace, can
be looked upon as a feature of the priest’s spiritual character
which is meant to develop and grow to perfection—to the age
of maturity in the spiritual life.
It follows that while no growth is possible in the character of
Holy Orders which empowers a man to exercise validly the
priestly functions, yet the sacramental grace, having as its aim
an increasingly holy celebration of Mass and administration of
Penance, is intensified at the same time as habitual grace which
it modifies and strengthens in a special way. True, this is not
expressed in so many words in the theological works but it is
deduced as certain from the purpose of these divine gifts.
And thus all are agreed that the sacramental grace of Holy
Orders should bear fruit and that it entitles a man to further and
higher actual graces—provided no obstacle is put in the way.
It develops rather like the features of a child’s countenance
which change with the different facial expressions of smiling,
crying, blinking, etc. Therefore, “how careful we must be not
to lose that sacramental grace or prove ourselves unworthy of
it by receiving the sacrament without the suitable dispositions”
(Billuart).
The value of our priesthood is also evident in the fact to which
we have already alluded—namely, that so far as the consecra­
tion of the Eucharist is concerned, the Bishop himself has no
greater power than the priest. And this power of consecrating
the Body of Christ is far more outstanding than the power of
consecrating priests and chalices, because the Holy Eucharist is

23
the supreme sacrament and sacrifice, containing not merely the
gift of grace but the very author of grace. So we find St.
Thomas, St. Albert, St. Bonaventure, Scotus, and Soto of the
opinion that the Episcopate is not a separate sacrament from
that of the priesthood1 but is its extension and perfect comple­
ment, giving the power to ordain, confirm and govern. It is,
therefore, the fulness of the priesthood and is intended to be as
fruitful in the bishop as the grace of the priesthood should be
in the priest.
Our dignity is further revealed in the sacrament of Penance.
In order to receive absolution men and women entrust the
priest with their secret thoughts and desires, which not even
the angels themselves are allowed to know. And thus the priest
actually co-operates with God in giving back life to the soul.
So whether he is celebrating Mass or ministering to souls he
is another Christ. His priesthood is a splendid participation
in the supreme priesthood of Christ; he is Christ’s minister,
his living conscious instrument for the saving of souls.
Remember that the priest in celebrating Mass is so closely
united to Christ—the principal offerer—as his instrument that
the one effect of consecration is produced by both of them
together, just as the writer and his pen produce the same
effect. The effect of consecration—the changing of the sub­
stance of bread and wine—is produced by God as the principal
agent, by the humanity of Christ as the instrument conjoined
to the divinity, and by the celebrant as a separate instrument,
conscious and free.
It might be objected that the sacramental grace of the
priesthood is of less worth than the priestly character for
although the latter is indelible, sacramental grace, like sancti­
fying grace, is lost by mortal sin. This is a serious difficulty,
since the more perfect an accidental reality, the more firmly does
it inhere in the substance to which it belongs. Therefore grace
which can be lost does appear to be less perfect than the
character which can never be lost.
In reply to this objection, notice why it is that the character
cannot be lost. It is not because of its own perfection and
greater dignity, but because it is conferred for the valid celebra­
tion of Mass and for the valid administration of Penance, which
OUR PRIESTHOOD

1 And thus it would be inferior to the priesthood.

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
24
provide for the spiritual welfare of the faithful. This is very
well explained by St. Thomas, Illa, q. 63, a. 5c: “The sacra­
mental character is a sharing in Christ’s priesthood by his
faithful . .
also in answer to the first objection: “Grace
is present in the soul as a form complete in its being, whereas
the character is there as an instrumental power. Now a com­
plete form is present in its subject according to the condition
of that subject,1 so that grace is present in the soul of a person
here on earth according to the volatile nature of the will. But
an instrumental power is to be considered rather from the point
of view of the condition of the principal agent; hence the
character is indelibly present in the soul not because of any
perfection of its own but because of the perfection belonging to
Christ’s priesthood from which the character originates as an
instrumental power.”
Again, in answer to the third objection, St. Thomas says:
“The character endures even after this life, in the good as
redounding to their glory, in the wicked as stressing their
disgrace, just as the character of military service remains in a
soldier after the victory has been won, as a mark of honour in
the victors, as a mark of dishonour in the vanquished.”
This concludes for the present our study of the dignity of
Christ’s priesthood and of ours.
Summary. It is impossible to think of any priesthood more
perfect than that of Christ, since his union with God, with the
victim, and with the people could never be surpassed.
Our own priesthood, on account of its character and the
sacramental grace, is subordinated to Christ’s priesthood in such
a way that the same effect of consecration is produced by both,
just as the writer and his pen combine to produce the same
effect.
If we consider the act of consecrating the Eucharist, the
power of a priest is not exceeded by that of Pope or Bishop.
Furthermore, in order to receive sacramental absolution and
spiritual direction the faithful reveal to the priest their secret
thoughts and desires, although they remain hidden from the
angels.
While the indelible character which enables a priest to fulfil

1 For instance, the knowledge of a student after his lectures will depend on his
capacity.

OUR PRIESTHOOD

25
his duties validly cannot be intensified in any way, the sacra­
mental grace given for an increasingly holy offering of the Mass
and absolving from sin can increase together with sanctifying
grace of which it is a special determination. It develops as a
feature of the priest’s spiritual character and entitles him to
receive further and more excellent actual graces, so that he
may carry out his priestly functions with ever-growing sanctity
until the day of his death. And thus, normally speaking, the
priest’s final Mass will be celebrated in a higher degree of
holiness than was his first. Even though his sensible devotion
may be weaker, his virtues of faith, hope, charity, and religion,
aided by the seven gifts, will have grown stronger; and the
sacramental grace as a mode of sanctifying grace will be exert­
ing a greater influence on those virtues.
This was especially true of the saints, in the final Masses of
St. John the Evangelist, St. Benedict, St. Dominic, St. Philip,
St. Francis of Sales, St. Charles Borromeo, St.John Vianney.

Part Τινο

THE INTERIOR LIFE OF THE PRIEST
In this second part we intend to consider: first, the life of
Christ in his members; secondly, the priest’s union with Christ
as high priest; thirdly, the priest’s union with Christ as victim;
fourthly, the priest’s Communion; fifthly, the four ends of
sacrifice and priestly perfection; sixthly, the priest’s union with
Mary; seventhly, the example given by priests who were
saints; eighthly, the excellence of priestly holiness which,
according to the mind of the Roman Pontifical, is intended to
be a model for all the faithful.

Chapter One

THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US, HIS MEMBERS1

E will first examine the teaching of Christ and St. Paul;
then the general nature of Christ’s life within ourselves;
and finally, the practical consequences of this teaching on the
exercise of the various virtues.

W

The teaching of Christ and St. Paul
Christ himself said: “I am the true vine . . . you arc its
branches; if a man lives on in me and I in him, then he will
yield abundant fruit; separated from me, you have no power
to do anything” (John xv, i and 5). Nothing at all—not a
single salutary act, and therefore no act which merits eternal
life. Even the beginning of belief is due to the antecedent grace
of Christ—contrary to the teaching of the semi-pelagians.
St. Paul preached a similar doctrine : “We have been planted
together in Christ” (Rom. vi, 5), who is so to speak the root of
all holiness, “and if the root is consecrated, the branches are
consecrated too” (Rom. xi, 16). The same truth is expressed
in another metaphor: “You are Christ’s body, organs of it
depending upon each other” (1 Cor. xii, 27), and this St. Paul
often repeats.
Through our Baptism we have “died like him” to sin, we have
been “buried with him”, “come to life again with him” (Rom.
vi, 4). In writing to the Galatians the Apostle says (iii, 27):
“All you who have been baptized in Christ’s name have put on
1 Cf. St. Thomas, Illa, q. 8; the encyclical of Pius XII De Corpore mystico
Christi', and the many books which have been published recently on the mystical
body, such as: Emile Mcrsch, S.J., The Whole Christ (English tr. by Fr. J. Kelly,
S.J., Dobson, London, 1938) ; Ernest Mura, Le Corps mystique du Christ, sa nature et
sa vie divine, 2e cd., 1936. I have already discussed this question in my work The
Three Ages ofthe interior Life (English tr. by Sister M. Timothea, vol. 1, pp. 109-t 18).
A small work by Paul de Jacgher, S.J., One with Jesus (English tr. by Burns,
Oates and Washbourne, London, 1930), can be highly recommended for its
doctrine but not for the presentation of that doctrine. The author seems to presume
that his readers will have reached the passive state of the spiritual life, but there
will be many who could not admit that. It would have been better to have begun
by setting forth the Scriptural evidence for this teaching and then to have shown
that souls must strive for such an intimate union with Christ. That is the plan I
have adopted here.

29

30

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

the person of Christ.” And so “for me, life means Christ”
(Phil, i, 21). St. Thomas explains that just as the hunter lives
for the chase, the soldier for war and military service, the student
for study, so also the Christian—and especially the saint—lives
for Christ who ardently desires to live in him and he in his
turn lives in an atmosphere of faith and trust in Christ and of
love for him. “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send on
my account, will in his turn make everything plain, and recall
to your minds everything I have said to you” (John xiv, 26).
By the gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel,
piety, fortitude, and even fear he will recall to your minds
everything I have said to you, so that the words already spoken
in the Gospel may become for you “words of eternal life”, since
they are “spirit and life.”
We could not desire any clearer witness to the truth of Christ’s
life within us. “Yet I am alive; or rather, not I; it is Christ
that lives in me” (Gal. ii, 20).
The general nature of Christ's life in his members
Christ himself as head of the Church has made satisfaction
for all of us and has merited in strict justice all the sufficient
and efficacious graces which we are receiving and will continue
to receive in the future. At this present moment he is in Heaven
making intercession on our behalf, and he is the physical
instrumental cause of every grace we receive—the instrument
conjoined to the divinity, whereas the sacraments are separate
instruments for the conferring of grace. Cf. Illa, q. 62, a. 5
and q. 8.
But what is required from our side so that we may share in
this life of Christ? We must frequently call to mind and repeat
to ourselves this truth: Christ desires to live in me, to pray,
love, act, and suffer in me. Then we will be ready to lay aside
freely our former self with its inordinate, lower and limited
desires in exchange for the desires of Christ himself. This
renunciation of our old self is of vital importance. Gradually
we will come to realize the meaning of these words of St. John
the Baptist: “He must become more and more, I must become
less and less” (John iii, 30). Morally speaking, it is essential to
forget one’s own personality, to lose it—in the good sense of the
word—for the sake of living in Christ as members in the head;

THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US, HIS MEMBERS

31

in other words, we must think, desire, and act with him and in
him, in the same way as our hand moves under directions from
the head.
By degrees the spirit of Christ will take the place of our spirit
—a way of thinking, feeling, judging, loving, willing, doing,
and suffering, a mental outlook which is extremely cramped and
superficial since it is materially dependent on our physical
temperament, on our heredity, on the influence of our surround­
ing circumstances and on the ideas of our time and locality.
It is this spirit which must slowly yield ground to the spirit of
Christ, to his way of looking at things, of judging, feeling,
loving, acting, and suffering. Only then is Christ truly living
within us.
And thus we find the saints attaining a higher selfless state
in their spiritual life, a state vastly superior to that in which
they possessed their own natural personality. As an example in
the field of learning we can think of St. Thomas—the universal
doctor of the Church—who never speaks of himself in his works
but remains completely objective; as examples in the active
life there are many saints who vividly portray the life of Christ
in their actions, such as St. John Vianney. These saints have
amply fulfilled the words of St. Paul: “Life means Christ.”
They alone have realized that our moral personality cannot be
brought to its full perfection unless it is in some way lost in the
person of Christ, just as a river only reaches its term when it
flows into the sea. Consequently, the saints have substituted
for their own ideas and judgments the judgments of Christ
accepted on faith; their own will has made way for the
holy will of Christ, and their own activity for his sanctifying
activity. In this way they have become God’s servants in
the fullest sense of the word, just as our hand is the servant
of the will. And so St. Paul could say: “Yet I am alive;
or rather, not I; it is Christ that lives in me” (Gal. ii, 20).
St. John Chrysostom said that the heart of Paul was the heart
of Christ.
This does not mean that Christ must lower himself in any
way in order to come down to our level of life, but we must
offer ourselves to him, so that he may live in us his own divine
life which far surpasses our own. Thus, when we pray, we must
unite ourselves to the powerful prayer of Christ, so that our

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
32
prayer then becomes, so to speak, an extension or continuation
of Christ’s prayer.
If we adopt this way of life, our soul will not merely become
more perfect but will also surrender itself completely so as to
live in utter self-forgetfulness. It will then appreciate Christ’s
invitation to so many of the saints: “Allow me to live in you,
while you die to yourself.” That was the way followed by St.
Benedict, St. Francis, St. Dominic, St. Vincent de Paul; these
obtained the true freedom of the sons of God.
If this applies to the faithful—as, indeed, it does—then how
much more to priests ? We must be quit of the old self and
“clothed in the new”, “putting on the person of Christ”
(Gal. iii, 27; Ephes, iv, 24; Rom. xiii, 14).

The effect of this teaching on the practice of particular virtues
The truths we have been considering have important con­
sequences for the practice of prayer, humility, brotherly love,
faith, hope, love of God, and submission to the cross.
Prayer. The soul will no longer pray for its own cribbed and
narrow interests, but will regard its prayer as an extension and
continuation of Christ’s prayer, once it has penetrated the
meaning of the words spoken to the Apostles: “Whatever
request you make of the Father in my name, I will grant, so
that through the Son the Father may be glorified; every
request you make of me in my own name, I myself will grant
it to you. . . . Until now, you have not been making any
requests in my name; make them, and they will be granted, to
bring you gladness in full measure” (John xiv, 13; xvi, 23).
During the Mass the soul will worship God in the name of
Christ; it will intercede in the name of Christ for the conversion
of innumerable souls both in the present and in the future; it
will also make reparation in the name of Christ by accepting
generously every annoyance; it will thank God in the name of
Christ not only for individual benefits but also for the universal
gifts of creation, elevation to the life of grace, the Incarnation,
the Redemption, the Eucharist. On seeing the children receive
their spiritual food it will join in Christ’s praise of his Father:
“O Father, who art Lord of heaven and earth, I give thee
praise that thou hast revealed these mysteries to little children”
(cf. Matt, xi, 25).

THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US, HIS MEMBERS

33

Such a soul will speak to our Blessed Lady as though with the
voice of Christ and will find in her title of “Mother” hitherto
unsuspected depths of meaning. It will understand better the
wealth of Mary’s spiritual motherhood for those struggling
towards salvation.
The soul at this stage finds it easier to prolong its prayer
throughout the day, offering at each hour the various actions
of the Saviour, especially those which arc recalled in the
Rosary and in the Way of the Cross.
During its visits to the Blessed Sacrament this Christ-like
soul offers to God the acts of the infant Jesus, the acts of his
hidden life, of his public life, of his Passion, of his risen and
eucharistie life. Christ lives in that soul as fully as possible,
radiating, so to speak, his own contemplative prayer and salvific
love into that soul.
Humility. This devoted soul begins to detest a life lived only
for self: it begins to despise itself in comparison with Christ.
More than ever before it sees how limited, confined, base, and
opposed to the freedom of the sons of God is any excessive
thought of self. It strips itself of this mental fashion in order
to model itself through faith on the words of Christ which “are
spirit and life.”
It begins to shun self-love in all its forms as the chief obstacle
to Christ living within us, just as the hand would hinder the
life of the body if it were anxious to live for itself and not for
the body.
Such a soul is ready to delight in humiliations and to accept
contempt with little or no distress—it is only right that its
defects should be noted in order that the excellence of Christ
who must dwell within us should stand out in vivid contrast.
Now it sees more clearly the significance of Christ’s request:
“Allow me to live in you while you die to yourself”, and his
promise: “While you are stricken with extreme poverty, I am
rich and my riches will suffice for you.” His riches are to be
ours, our own personal property.
The soul learns to belittle its own limited virtues and to
extol as its own possession the unlimited perfections of Christ
himself. That which is highly prized by the proud and ambitious
is reckoned of no account, since the soul has ceased caring for
its own glory.

34

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Brotherly love. The Christian soul begins to see others as
Christ secs them, discovering in all a trait of beauty worthy of
imitation, just as beauty can be found in each and every wild
dower. She has a special love for the poor as the sorrowing
members of Christ, and also for the children because of their
innocence, loving them as far as possible as Christ loves them.
She loves the aged whom others have forsaken, finding in
many of them greater wisdom than elsewhere.
The faith of this soul is more and more enlightened by the
gifts, becoming more penetrative and lucid. She looks at every­
thing from Christ’s point of view, asking herself what would
Jesus think about this, what is he actually thinking about it.
The soul realizes better the true value of the Mass, Holy
Communion, and sacramental absolution. She has a keener
insight into the spiritual meaning of everyday events, seeing the
higher good which God intends through permitting evil. She
says to herself: “Christ secs this higher good”, and even she
herself foresees it to some extent.
Ina similar way her confidence increases, because the confidence
of Christ has supplanted trust in self. The encouragement of
Christ is constantly before her: “Have confidence, I have over­
come the world”—I have overcome sin, death, and the devil.
“Have confidence”: and the soul replies by putting all her
trust in God, no longer daring to hope in her own strength—like
St. Paul: “W hen I am weakest, then I am strongest of all.”
St. Philip Neri used to say: “Whenever I lose hope in myself,
then I can trust all the more in the grace of God.” John
Baptist Manzella, the apostle of Sardinia, adopted exactly the
same attitude when he was face to face with great difficulties:
“An act of despair—I do indeed despair of myself, 1 lose all
hope, but I trust in God alone.”
The love of God increases noticeably, because it is as though
the love of Christ passes into the soul which begins to live by
him, causing a spiritual ecstasy wherein the ardent soul goes
out of itself, so to speak, and is carried towards God. In his
natural state a man is nearly always thinking about himself and
his own interests, at least in a confused way; but the man in
whom Christ lives begins to think almost continuously of God.
His love for God is fully sincere, acting as the foundation for the
love of himself and his neighbour. This love has no other

THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US, HIS MEMBERS

35

purpose but the giving of greater glory to God in which he
finds peace and joy, at least in the higher part of his being.
Then it is that the soul dedicates itself without reserve to God,
abandoning itself entirely into the hands of God.
And so is realized that prayer of Blessed Nicolaus von Flüe:
“My Lord and my God, remove from me all that stands in the
way of my coming to you ; give me everything that will bring me
closer to you; rid me of myself and take me completely into
your possession.”
Then the soul generously accepts the cross permitted by God so
that it may co-operate more effectively in the saving of souls.
That was the way taken by the saintly poor like St. Benedict
Joseph Labre, and which is now being taken by many living
in our own day—by the sick, for example, who suffer night
and day without complaint, offering their sorrows in union
with Christ for the conversion of sinners, knowing that without
suffering the world can never enjoy true peace.
The reason why certain souls choose to make this generous
offering of themselves to God as a victim and holocaust is
because Christ, having foreseen their sufferings, inspires them
to do so. He himself bears their pains as though he were
suffering in them; in this sense he continues his agony until
the end of time. It was Christ who was the strength of the
martyrs, suffering in them, so to speak, during the first three
centuries of the Church.
And it is this spirit which inspires the prayer of many at the
present time: “Lord, in this time of world-wide strife, when a
spirit of pride is being spread abroad denying all religion and
God’s existence, give me a deeper understanding of the mystery
of the redemptive Incarnation and of your holy self-abasement
in the Passion. Make me desire to share in your own humilia­
tions and sorrows to the extent which your Providence desires.
Make me discover in this desire peace, strength, and even at
times joy according to your own good pleasure, in order to give
strength to me and confidence to others.”
This is true for all the faithful who desire to be saints: how
much more for priests who by their ordination are specially
obliged to strive for Christian perfection, seeing that they are to
sanctify those committed to their care, who today are
threatened by pernicious errors and false doctrines: they must

36

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

be able to lead back to the Christian way of life all who have
abandoned it.
Self-love : the greatest obstacle to Christ living in us
Spiritual writers have no hesitation in saying that the most
insidious enemy of the spiritual life is not the world with all its
temptations, nor the devil with his many wiles, but inordinate
love of self; if only we were to uproot this love from our
nature, the temptations of the world and the craft of the devil
would be overcome more easily. At the moment they find a
willing accomplice in our unbalanced self-esteem.
Once again we turn to the teaching of St. Thomas (la Ilae,
q. 77 and q. 84), who explains in a concrete and practical way
how this inordinate love of self is opposed to the love of God and
more often than not destroys it : how this inordinate love of self
is never completely annihilated even in perfect Christians:
how we ought to meet the craftiness of this love: what is the
best way of attacking it.1

How this inordinate love of self obstructs the love of God and eventually
often destroys it
This excessive love of self is extremely cunning in many
respects. Very often it assumes another name, e.g. honour,
care of one’s good name and dignity: it argues that a man just
like an angel is bound to have a natural love for himself and to
wish himself well. Where is there any lack of moderation in
that? In fact, supernatural love urges us to love ourselves even
more than our neighbour. But this disordered love of self
conveniently forgets that in the natural order—no less than in
the supernatural order—love of self must be subordinate to the
love of God, the author of nature and grace. Or if it does
remember this necessary subordination, it does so in such an
abstract, theoretical way that it has no practical influence. And
so, in effect, we are implicitly seeking our own interest, and
gradually this self-regard becomes disproportionate as a result
of original sin. Although Baptism removed from us this sin
of our race, there still remain wounds in our nature in the
* The reader could refer with profit to the practical work written by a Vincentian
missionary, Paolo Provera, Diamoci a Dio, Turin, 1945, p. 89: "Our most fearful
enemy is self-love and we must imitate the surgeon in the use of his scalpel in
order to rid ourselves of this growth.”

THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US, HIS MEMBERS

37

form of a scar which is re-opcncd from time to time by our own
personal sins.
This inordinate love of self can slowly introduce its own
disorder into most of our acts, even into our higher acts, if
we direct them towards ourselves for our own natural satisfac­
tion instead of towards God. By degrees this disease spreads
throughout the whole of our interior life, halting the growth
of Christ’s union with us. This was certainly exaggerated by
La Rochefoucauld in his book Les Maximes and by the Jansen­
ists, but at the same time there was a great deal of truth in what
they said.
So we find that many make no effort to foster in themselves a
love for God, but develop an exaggerated admiration for self
and its talents and are continually looking for approval and
praise from others. They are blind to their own failings but
never cease exaggerating the faults of others, rather after the
fashion of critics in political journals. They arc most severe in
their judgments of others, while making excuses for themselves.
The only remedy for such people would be humiliation,
which they ought to recognize as promoting their welfare:
“Lord, it is for my own benefit that you humiliate me.” This
immoderate regard for self breeds pride, vanity, and not
infrequently concupiscence of the eyes and flesh, and then
the capital sins which spring from these sin-bearing desires;
for example, sloth, gluttony, impurity, hatred, anger, and
so on.
The wide gulf between love of God and this inordinate love
of self is obvious, in so far as the true lover of God is only
anxious to do God’s will and to please him, whereas the lover
of self looks after his own personal satisfaction, even when this is
not subordinated to God.
Love of God urges a soul to generosity, to a determined and
practical effort for perfection: inordinate love of self urges a
soul to avoid all inconvenience, self-denial, effort, and weariness.
The love of God becomes more and more disinterested, it
thinks it is never doing sufficient for God and other souls:
inordinate love of self considers it is always doing too much for
God and for other people. True love for God is anxious to
credit God with all the glory and praise it receives for its
apostolic, zeal: inordinate love of self has no desire whatsoever

38

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

to give but only to receive, as though man was the centre of the
universe to which everything must gravitate. If a priest walks
along that road, his soul will be as barren as the fig-tree of the
Gospel.
Finally, this self-idolatry leads to the destruction in our soul
of all love of God and our neighbour, because of mortal sin
which follows from it, especially repeated mortal sin. The soul
becomes more and more confirmed in its antipathy to God, and
immerses itself in temporal pleasure and a depraved love for
self. In this way it would be possible for all our inclinations to
be vitiated, as they are in the damned : for example, even the
natural inclination to love God above all things as the author of
nature is twisted in the devil, because in the damned this
inclination gives rise to an inordinate desire to possess God not
through any love for him, but because of their unbridled
spiritual gluttony, in so far as they lack all other goods and
satisfactions.
This tragic opposition between the two loves is often des­
cribed by St. Augustine when he compares charity and
cupidity. At the end of the fourteenth book of the City of God
he writes: “Two loves have built two cities. The love of God
even to the extent of despising self has built up the city of God,
and the love of self even to the extent of despising God has built
the city of Babylon or perdition.” St. Paul had already written
to Timothy (1 Tim. vi, 10) : “The love of money (i.e. an inordi­
nate love of self) is a root from which every kind of evil
springs.” When St. Thomas is considering the triple cause of
the capital sins (la Ilae, q. 77 and q. 84), he explains that the
gratification of corrupt nature, the gratification of the eyes
and the empty pomp of living arc all derived from an in­
ordinate love of self. This is clearly revealed in the lives of
the wicked1 and, from another angle, in the lives of imperfect
Christians.2
Pride
Inordinate love
oi self gives rise"

Anger
Envy
Spiritual sloth
■ Vanity

Mental blindness in the place
of living faith

Γ of the eyes Avarice . . . Despair instead of
hope
Concupiscence J
I of the flesh ( Gluttony \ Discord and hatred of
V Impurity J God instead of love

THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US, HIS MEMBERS

3g

How self-love remains concealed even in perfect Christians and priests
In the life of St. Vincent de Paul written by Domino Coste
(I, 12; III, 300) the saint himself tells of an incident which
occurred when he was studying at some college: “One day I
was told that my father was coining to see me, but because he
was only a poor farmer from the country I was loath to go and
speak with him. On a previous occasion when my father was
taking me to town. I was upset by his state of life and I felt
ashamed of my own father.”
When speaking of the period after the foundation of his
Congregation the saint narrates the following story: “One of
my nephews came to visit me at the college of which I was
superior. Thinking of his uncouth appearance—as he would be
badly dressed like all country folk—I directed that he should be
brought to me without anyone else knowing. But immediately
I changed my mind and resolved to make amends for this
initial outburst of self-love. I went down to the door, embraced
my nephew, led him by the hand to the community-room
where my brethen were assembled, and introduced him to them :
‘Here is a member of the family who is far more respectable
than I am.’ ” In this way St. Vincent de Paul fought against
his self-respect; even so he was still afraid that this victory
might in fact have been a more subtle outlet for his self-love.

The dangerous deceit of self-love
For example, it is quite possible for our mental prayer to be
vitiated by an excessive desire for sense consolation, by spiritual
gluttony, by sentimentality when there exists in our sense

Grace gives
rise to—

The theological virtues 'Charity
and the corresponding- Hope
Living faith enlightened
gifts
. by the gifts

Union with God,
confidence,
and contem­
plation

prudence and the gift of counsel
The moral virtues and 'Christian
-,
their corresponding < ·> !«, rehgton, the gift of p.ety
.r
1
0 hnriitudtwinfirnsitv
Fortitude,
generosity
gifts
Temperance, chastity, humility
Cf. op cit., The Three Ages of the Interior Life, vol. 1, p. 321.
2 Men often show themselves prompt and energetic in satisfying their own
avarice, pride, and vanity, but when it comes to the fulfilment of some inconvenient
obligation—even though it be a matter of grave duty towards God or their neigh­
bour—they arc slow, sluggish, and slothful. The power of inordinate self-love is
almost unbelievable, and if we do not make the effort to destroy it, we may find
ourselves sooner or later deprived of all love for God and our neighbour

40

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

nature a pretence to the love of God and our neighbour which is
not sufficiently strong in the will. The soul is then seeking itself
rather than God, and that is why God purifies our soul by sense
aridity—in order to destroy this imperfection. If the soul
fails to respond with generosity during this period of trial, it
lapses into spiritual sloth and tepidity, making very little effort
towards perfection.
In a similar way our intellectual or apostolic labours may be
impaired by this disordered love of self, by trying to find in
them personal satisfaction or praise rather than the glory of
God and the saving of souls. And thus a preacher may find his
words become fruitless and ineffectual “as sounding brass and
tinkling cymbal.” The soul ceases to make progress, it no longer
takes the initial steps along the road to perfection, it fails to
reach the age of spiritual proficiency. The soul remains stunted
in its growth, like a child who stops growing; he neither remains
a child nor does he grow into a normal adult; he is a deformed
dwarf. This sterility of life results from immoderate self-love.1

The method of attack against this inordinate love of self
It is essential for victory that we recognize our predominant
failing and root it out. That failing is, so to speak, a caricature
of the good inclination which ought to have prevailed, the
reverse side of the coin. Then the battle is joined between the
good inclination and the bad. Although it is true that the
opposite vice to a virtue cannot be active in a person at the
same time as the virtue, yet the tendencies to both can exist
together. It is these which give rise to the struggle, the outcome
of which will be victory either for the good inclination in the
form of an active virtue or for the predominant failing in the
form of an active vice.
The original predominant fault is the corruption of a virtue
1 Cf. Matt, xxi, ig: “Jesus seeing a fig-tree by the roadside, went up to it, and
found nothing but leaves on it. And he said to it, Let no fruit ever grow on thee
hereafter; whereupon the fig-tree withered away.” St. Thomas makes the fol­
lowing comment: “Christ visited Judea, a country covered with leaves—that is,
legal observances—but bearing no fruit. Some people, therefore, may appear
outwardly as upright but inwardly they arc evil and perverse. . . . Then followed
the curse by which Christ signified the future sterility of Judea, as we read in
Romans ix. And so it sometimes happens that those who give an external appear­
ance of fruitfulness whereas they are in fact spiritually diseased are made to lose
their vigour by God so as to prevent them causing damage to others.” God does
this because of his great love for souls and his desire for their salvation.

THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US, HIS MEMBERS

41

into a vice which is materially similar to the virtue but formally
opposed to it; for instance, the natural inclination to humility
can degenerate into faintheartedness, the inclination to
magnanimity into pride and ambition, the inclination to
courage into bitter irony and cruelty, the inclination to justice
into severity, the inclination to meekness and mercy into weak­
ness. This can be better understood by considering, for example,
how the virtue of humility is more directly opposed to pride
than to faintheartedness which, however, is the contrary of
humility; so is magnanimity more directly opposed to faint­
heartedness than to pride. And these two virtues arc connected
like the two curves of a Gothic arch.
What we must do is to discover the particular form of self-love
in ourselves. Is it pride, or vanity, or laziness, or sensuality, or
gluttony, or anger? We must ask ourselves: what is my pre­
dominant fault which reveals itself in the sins I commit more
frequently, and which is continually captivating my imagina­
tion ? Some will find it is their pride which keeps their tendency
to anger in check so as to preserve the good opinion of others:
some may find their pride restrained by sloth which no longer
bothers about the good esteem of others.
So we must be on our guard to restrain this predominant
failing with tenacity and perseverance, and thus gain the
mastery over self for God’s sake without regard for the praise
of men. Although this is often a difficult task it will always lie
within our power so long as we are on earth. God never makes
impossible demands; he exhorts you both to do what you can
and to ask for what you are not able to do, and he will give
the help enabling you to do it.1
Even though some people do not have such a clear-cut
predominant fault they will find their self-love revealing itself
in various ways.
Everyone without exception must make war on the citadel
of self from different points, denying it all opportunity of
growing stronger, labouring more and more for the love of
God, trying to please him by fulfilling first their obligatory and
facile external tasks in a spirit of faith, and secondly, their more
spiritual and difficult duties. And thus by degrees our life will
1 St. Augustine, De natura et gratia, c. 43, 11. 50—quoted by the Council of
Trent (Denz. 804).

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
42
become dominated by the three theological virtues together
with their corresponding gifts.
In this methodical assault on self three principal weapons are
required: purity of intention, progressive self-denial, and
habitual recollection.
Purity of intention is of the highest importance. “The eye is the
light of the whole body, so that if thy eye is clear, the whole of
thy body will be lit up ; whereas if thy eye is diseased, the whole
of thy body will be in darkness. And if the light which thou
hast in thee is itself darkness, what of thy darkness? How deep
will that be” (Matt, vi, 22). St. Thomas in his commentary
on that passage says: “The eye signifies the intention. Aman
who desires to act first forms the intention. Therefore, if your
intention is clear—that is, directed towards God—your whole
body—your activities—will be clear.” This is true of every
good Christian and of every pastor who takes good care of the
flock committed to his care.
This purity of intention must first be practised in the easy
tasks of everyday life. It was in this way that St. Benedict used
to train his religious, who often possessed little or no education:
“Perform all the duties laid down by the Rule with a pure
intention, in a spirit of faith, hope and love of God, in order
to please God.” By carrying out their external actions of the
religious life in this spirit and with this purity of intention,
these religious—including the lay brothers—reached a high
degree of perfection and union with God. They subdued
completely their inordinate self-love and became genuine
saints to the immense spiritual profit of their neighbour.
Hence we read in St. Luke’s Gospel xvi, 10: “He who is
trustworthy over a little sum is trustworthy over a greater”,
or will be, even to the point of martyrdom. St. Augustine used
to say: “Details are in themselves of little value, but constant
faithfulness even in details is of the highest value.”
Progressive self-denial, both external and internal, must also
be observed: “If any man has a mind to come my way, let
him renounce self” (Mark viii, 34). No opportunity should
be wasted, so that the love of God and our neighbour may
gradually gain the mastery over our inordinate self-love. This
is expected even of the faithful in general in order that they
may tend in their own sphere of life to that perfection of charity

THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US, HIS MEMBERS

43

expressed in the supreme precept: “Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with the love of thy whole heart . .
with even
greater reason is the same mortification expected of religious
and priests, especially if they have the care of souls.
Habitual recollection is required if union with God is to be
maintained, and this not only while hearing confessions, cele­
brating Mass and preaching the divine word, but always, so
that at every moment of the day he will be a pattern to his
flock, a priest in whom Christ is evidently living.
Such a priest is then prepared for Christ to come and dwell
within him; this is obvious from his humility and simplicity,
from his way of thinking which is guided by the principles of
faith, from his confidence, from his zeal for souls and for God.
Gradually he will find verified in his own life the picture drawn
by St. Augustine: his soul will travel further and further away
from the city of perdition in which the love of self becomes so
brazen as to despise God, and will draw near to the heavenly
city in which the love of God develops into a complete con­
tempt for self by uniting together true humility with charity
for God and one’s neighbour. And so with the help of God’s
grace the victory will be won for his glory and the salvation
of souls.
Recently I came across the following inscription in a Car­
melite monastery : “Look for God alone and you will find him.”
Would that our intention were always as single-eyed as that,
and then with the aid of God’s grace it would infallibly direct
us towards our final end. That was the promise made by Christ :
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these
other things (food and clothing) will be added unto you”
(Matt, vi, 33).

Chapter Two

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS PRIEST
By virtue of his priesthood every priest is bound to
strive for this union with Christ because of his ordination,
because of his duties towards the sacramental body of Christ,
and because of his duties towards the mystical body of Christ.
Consequent on the degree of union existing between the
priest and Christ there are different ways of celebrating Mass :
sacrilegiously, hurriedly, with external correctness, worthily
in a spirit of faith, and after the manner of the saints.
ummary.

S

By virtue of hit priesthood every priest must be closely united to Christ
All the faithful, while they are here on earth, are obliged to
make continual progress in observing the supreme command­
ment of love of God and their neighbour, since this precept is
not confined to any particular degree of charity—it is not
limited to the ten commandments, for example. Where is there
mention of any limit in this command: “Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with the love of thy whole heart, and thy whole
soul, and thy whole strength, and thy whole mind; and thy
neighbour as thyself” (Luke x, 27 ; Deut. vi, 5) ? The charity of
a traveller on the way to eternity must for ever be increasing, as
it is by growth in charity—by the steps of love—that he
advances towards God.1
This perfection of charity does not fall under the precept as
something to be realized at once, but as the end towards which
everyone must tend according to his own condition in life,
whether it be in the married state, or in the priestly life, or in
the religious state as a lay brother or as a sister.2 A soul not
desirous of growing in charity would sin against the supreme
commandment which does not place any limit to the virtue.
Such a person would no longer be striving for his goal in life,
but acting as though he had already reached it—which he
certainly has not. So all the faithful without exception are
1 Cf. St. Thomas, Ila Ilae, q. 184, a. 3, ad 2.
2 Cf. The Three Ages of the Interior Life, vol. I, p. 203.
44

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS PRIEST

45
affected by this general obligation based on the supreme
precept to tend towards the perfection of charity, which is, in
fact, the perfection of the Christian life, since it is charity which
unites us to God and commands all the other virtues. But the
priest has an additional obligation of striving for this perfection
in view of his special vocation.
It is commonly taught that even a secular priest is obliged
by reason of his ordination and priestly office to tend to perfec­
tion, properly so called; in fact, a greater interior holiness is
demanded of him for the celebration of Mass and the sanctifi­
cation of souls than is required of a religious who is not a priest
—such as a lay brother or a sister.
This special obligation is founded on his ordination, on his
duties towards the sacramental body of Christ, and on his
duties towards the mystical body of Christ. This is of faith, at
least according to the ordinary and universal magisterium of
the Church as expressed in the Pontifical.
In the first place, therefore, his ordination binds him to strive
for perfection. This is stated in the Roman Pontifical during
the ordination of a priest: “The Lord chose the seventy-two
and sent them forth in pairs to preach before him, thus teaching
both by word and deed that the ministers of the Church should
be perfect in faith and action; that is, well-grounded in the
virtue of the two-fold love of God and their neighbour.”1
This is evident from the conditions required prior to ordina­
tion and from its effects.
Priestly ordination demands the state of grace, a special
aptitude for the priestly life, and a higher virtue than that
required for entering the religious state. Cf. St. Thomas,
Summa, Ila Ilae, q. 189, a. 1, ad 3: “Sacred orders pre­
suppose holiness, whereas the religious life is a series of exercises
for acquiring holiness.” Furthermore, tradition would seem to
imply that all that is required for entering religion is that the
postulant should have reached the spiritual age of beginners—
the purgative way; for priestly ordination, the appropriate
spiritual age is that of proficients—the illuminative way;
whereas bishops should be in the state of perfection—the
unitivc way (see St. Thomas, Summa, Ila Ilae, q. 184, a. 7
1 St. Thomas, IV Sent., disl. 24, q. 2. The same point is developed by Cardinal
Mereier in his book La vie intérieure, appel aux âmes sacerdotales, 1919, pp. 140-167.200.

46

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

and 8). In the eighth article St. Thomas says: “By holy
orders a man is appointed to the loftiest ministry, to serve
Christ himself in the sacrament of the altar. This demands
greater interior sanctity than that required for the religious
state”; for example, in a lay brother, or sister, or professed
novice.
The effects of ordination also show that a priest has a special
obligation of tending to perfection. In this sacrament the priest
receives a character which gives him a permanent share in the
priesthood of Christ, enabling him to consecrate and absolve
validly. A saint who was not a priest—such as St. Benedict
Joseph Labre—would be able to pronounce the words of
consecration and the formula of absolution, but the bread and
wine would remain unchanged, and sin would not be forgiven.
The same would be true of an angel and of Our Blessed Lady
(although she herself did give to the second person of the
Trinity something more—his human nature, and she offered
with him a sacrifice accompanied by a real and not merely a
mystical shedding of blood). In addition, at the moment of
ordination the priest receives the sacramental grace of Holy
Orders to carry out with increasing holiness his priestly func­
tions. St. Thomas writes, in IV Sent., dist. 24, q. 2: “They
who belong to the divine ministry assume a royal dignity and
ought to be perfect in virtue”; this is also repeated in the
Pontifical.1 And thus priesdy ordination is certainly superior
to religious profession. This sacramental grace of Holy Orders
is a modal reality added to habitual grace, which gives the
priest a right to receive all the actual graces he needs for an
increasingly holier celebration of the Mass. Cf. The Imitation
of Christ, bk. iv, c. 5: “Thou art made a priest and art con­
secrated to celebrate; see now that faithfully and devoutly, in
due time, thou offer up the sacrifice to God, and that thou
show thyself blameless. Thou hast not lightened thy burden,
but art now bound by a stricter bond of discipline and obliged
to greater perfection of sanctity. A priest ought to be adorned
with all virtues and set the example to others of a good life.”
In the second place, the duties of a priest towards the sacramental
body of Christ show even more clearly his special obligation of
tending to perfection. The priest celebrating Mass stands in
1 Cf. Suppi. Summae Thiol., q. 35, a. 1, 2, de Ordine·, and Summa, Illa, q. 63, a. 3.

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS PRIEST

47
the place of Christ; he is, as we say, another Christ. Therefore,
in order to be a minister fully conscious of his position and to
offer the sacrifice worthily and holily, the priest should unite
himself mind and heart to the principal priest, who is at the
same time the sacred victim. To approach the altar without
a firm determination to grow in charity would be hypocrisy,
and this would be at least indirectly willed because of the priest’s
negligence, since no one is exempt from making that progress in
charity which corresponds to their condition in life, by reason
of the supreme commandment of limitless love: “Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with the love of thy whole heart . . .”
The purity of soul required for the celebration of Mass—or,
at least clearly suited to it—is well described in The Imitation of
Christ, bk. iv, c. 5: “The priest, clad in sacred vestments, is
Christ’s vicegerent that he may suppliantly and humbly pray to
God for himself and all the people. He has before and behind
him the sign of the Cross of our Lord, that he may always
remember the passion of Christ. Before him he beareth the
cross on the chasuble, that he may diligently behold the foot­
steps of Christ and fervently endeavour to follow after them.
Behind him he is marked with the cross, that he may mildly
suffer for God’s sake whatsoever adversities befall him from
others.”
And finally, the priest’s special obligation to tend to per­
fection is confirmed by his duties towards the mystical body of
Christ. He is called upon to sanctify others by preaching the
word and by spiritual direction both inside and outside the
confessional.1
This intimate union between the priest and Christ has
important consequences for the life of the priest.2 He must
look on himself as having been ordained primarily to offer
the sacrifice of the Mass, which should guide both his study
and the external works of his apostolate. For his study must
have as its aim a deeper understanding of the mystery of
Christ’s priesthood; his apostolate must draw its inspiration
from the union existing between himself and Christ the prin­
cipal priest. So close is the union between the offering of the
Mass and the continual offering made by Christ the eternal
1 Cf. The Three Ages of the Interior Life, vol. 1, p. 221.
’ Cf. Fr. S. M. Giraud, Prêtre e hostie, 5e cd., 1924, vol. 1, p. 270.

48

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

principal priest that the celebration of Mass is far superior to
the functions of the guardian angels, and takes second place only
to the unique mission of Our Blessed Lady, who gave the Son
of God his human nature and offered with him the sacrificial
outpouring of his blood on Calvary.
Theologians have wondered how it is possible for the
ministry of a human priest to exceed the ministry of angels,
seeing that they are of a higher nature. The answer is found in
drawing a comparison between man and the eagle. The eagle,
although of a lower nature, possesses wings and a keener vision.
Now, as the eagle is superior to man in both these respects, so
is the priest celebrating Mass and absolving from sin superior
to the angels.
St. Ephraem in his work De Sacerdotio (Opera, Antwerp,
1619, p. 19) says: “The splendour of the priest’s dignity is
beyond all understanding and reason. He finds himself at ease
in the company of angels. . . . And even with the Lord of the
angels he is on terms of familiarity; and his authority entitles
him to receive in some form or other whatever he desires as
soon as he asks for it.”
Is it surprising, therefore, that the author of the Imitation
writes, bk. iv, c. 5 : “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. . . . Great is
the mystery, and great the dignity of priests, to whom is given
that which to the angels is not granted.”
A second practical consequence of the priest’s union with
Christ is that the priest should unite himself closely and humbly
to the principal priest at the moment of consecration. If he
effaces himself as much as possible in order to bring Christ
to the fore, then he is invested with the honour and glory
befitting a true representative of Christ: “He must become
more and more, I must become less and less” (John iii, 30).
Just as the humanity of Christ which lacked its own personality
was surrounded with all possible honour and glory in virtue
of its hypostatic union with the person of the Word, so also the
priest who does not consecrate in his own name is exalted to
the highest glory of heaven by becoming another Christ. If
the humanity of Christ had been separated from the divine
personality of the Word and had received a human personality,

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS PRIEST

4g

it would thereby have lost the infinite value attaching to all its
acts. Something similar would happen in the case of a priest
who acted in his own name and not in the name of Christ;
he would lose his dignity and be unable to perform the act of
consecration.1 St. Paul expresses well how the humility of a
priest is actually his greatest glory, II Cor. iv, 7: “We have a
treasure, then, in our keeping, but its shell is of perishable
earthenware; it must be God, and not anything in ourselves,
that gives it its sovereign power.” The same idea is conveyed
by the words of the liturgy: “God who exaltest the lowly and
didst enthrone thy confessor blessed Francis of Paola in glory
among the saints: grant we beseech thee . . .”
Only in the consecration and elevation of the body and blood
of Christ does the priest exercise fully the power of his
priesthood.
From all that we have said it is evident that the celebrant
must continue to develop the intimacy of his union with Christ
by a vigorous faith enlightened by the gifts of the Holy Ghost,
by unlimited confidence, and by love which daily becomes more
pure and perfect.

Different ways of celebrating Mass
It must always be remembered that the principal priest in
the sacrifice of the Mass is Christ, and that the celebrant must
be striving for an actual and closer union with him. There
are, however, different ways of celebrating Mass: the sacri­
legious Mass, the hurried Mass, the Mass which is outwardly
correct but lacks the spirit of faith, the Mass which is celebrated
worthily and holily, and the Mass of the saints. That was the
picture presented to me during a conversation with the founder
of the congregation known as the “Fraternité sacerdotale”,
and it is a picture which merits our careful consideration.
In the sacrilegious Mass the celebrant’s mind and heart are
at enmity with God and with Christ the principal priest. Such
an unworthy celebration of the Mass is a heinous mortal sin.
Nevertheless, the sacrifice will retain its infinite value because
of the victim and principal offerer; so it will not be deprived
of the infinite act of adoration, reparation, petition, and
thanksgiving, which perseveres in the theandric act of the
1 Cf. Fr. S. M. Giraud, op. cit., vol. I, p. 279.
5

50

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

principal offerer who lives on still to make intercession on
our behalf.
But, in the event of the interior state of this priest becoming
known to the faithful, it is impossible to say how much harm
will be caused by such a grave scandal.
“Corruptio optimi pessima.” The whole meaning of the priestly
life is distorted and falsified. The result is a simulated charity
and prudence, hypocrisy, wrong counsel, unrighteous example.
St. Catherine of Sienna often speaks of this scandal in her
Dialogue, saying that the Church appeared to her as a virgin
whose lips were being slowly eaten away with leprosy.
These acts of sacrilege demand reparation from the priest
who commits them. Sometimes it is offered to God by specially
favoured contemplative souls who undergo tremendous suffering
for the conversion of priests who have sinned so wretchedly.
Then there is the Mass which is said hurriedly, which is cele­
brated with excessive speed in fifteen minutes, and sometimes
with a doubtful conscience. This also, in its own way, is a
cause of scandal. St. Alphonsus, as bishop, wrote about this
way of celebrating Mass and forbad it in his own diocese.
This haste in saying Mass shows that the priest has lost sight
of the true importance and seriousness of his life. For him it is
no longer the Mass that matters most, but outward activity
and a pseudo-apostolate. With the disappearance of almost
every vestige of an interior life, there has disappeared also every
hope of a fruitful apostolate, since that is the heart and soul of
any genuine apostolate.
What a difference between this Mass and the Mass described
by St.John Fisher, when addressing himself to the Lutherans of
his day: “The Mass is the spiritual sun which rises every day
to spread its light and heat to all souls.”
A Mass offered in haste is a scandal, in so far as the Kyrie,
Gloria, Credo, and Sanctus are recited mechanically without
any spirit of faith : not even the words are pronounced correctly
owing to the excessive speed. The prayers of the Missal are
read as though they were of no importance, whereas they are
pregnant with such meaning as will only be fully grasped in the
light of the Beatific Vision.
The Mass becomes a mere formula of words, rendering con­
templation impossible. And yet, if there are any words which

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS PRIEST

SI
ought to be recited with the utmost care and contemplative
insight, they are the words of the Missal—the Kyrie, the
Gloria, and the Credo. But in the hasty Mass they are recited
mechanically in order to finish the Mass more quickly.
Genuflections are made with equal haste—empty gestures,
devoid of the spirit of worship. How much harm may be
inflicted on souls drawing near to the Catholic Church and
looking for the genuine priest with whom they can freely
discuss their conscience, in order to discover the truth. Baron
von Hiigel, who wrote a life of St. Catherine of Genoa, used to
say: “Some priests have as much religion as my shoe.”
After these hurried Masses thanksgiving is usually omitted or
else reduced to the barest minimum.
We next turn to the Mass which is outwardly correct but lacks the
spirit offaith. In this Mass the priest pays careful heed to the
external rite, to all the rubrics—perhaps he himself is a keen
rubrician—but he offers the Mass as though he were nothing
more than a mere ecclesiastical official, seemingly devoid of any
spirit of worship. He knows the rubrics and observes them,
but he pays little regard to the infinite worth of the Mass or
to the principal offerer whose minister he is. Such a priest is
another Christ in outward appearance only, in so far as he
possesses the priestly character enabling him to offer Mass
validly, but he displays no signs of the true spirit of a priest. It
would appear that since the day of his ordination sanctifying
grace and the sacramental grace of Orders have not increased
to any appreciable extent, although they were given as a
treasure to yield rich dividends.*
True, the priest who celebrates in this way will think he is
saying his Mass extremely well by reason of his scrupulous
regard for the rubrics, but that is the limit of his aspirations.
The Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, the words of Consecration,
and the Communion prayers, are said without any spirit of belief.
If these priests die in the state of grace, they must bitterly
regret in Purgatory their lack of care in offering sacrifice. How
eagerly must they look for a Mass offered with genuine devotion
as an act of reparation on their behalf.
In contrast, the Mass which is faithfully and worthily celebrated
is a Mass offered in a spirit of faith, of confidence in God, and
* See note at the end of this chapter.

52

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

of love for God and one’s neighbour. In such a sacrifice we
witness the impulse and guidance of the theological virtues
which inspire the virtue of religion. The Kyrie eleison is a
genuine prayer of petition; the Gloria in excelsis Deo is an
act of adoration of God on high ; the Gospel of the day is read
with keen belief in what it contains; the words of Consecration
are pronounced by a minister in actual union with Christ the
principal offerer, by one who realizes to some extent the wide
diffusion of the spiritual effects of his offering and sacramental
immolation to the souls in this world and to those in Purgatory.
The Agnus Dei is a sincere request for the forgiveness of sin ;
the priest’s Communion leaves nothing to be desired—it is
always more fervent and more fruitful than the day before,
because of the daily growth in charity produced by this sacra­
ment of the Eucharist. The distribution of Holy Communion
is not approached in any perfunctory spirit, but is treated as the
means of bestowing on the faithful superabundant life, of giving
them an even greater share in the divine life. The sacrifice
is then brought to its conclusion with a simple but effective
contemplation on the Prologue to St. John’s Gospel. After­
wards the priest will make his private thanksgiving which,
if time permits, will be prolonged on certain feast-days in the
form of mental prayer. There is no more suitable time for
intimate prayer than when Christ is sacramentally present
within us, and when our soul, if recollected, is under his actual
influence.
Finally, we must consider the Mass of the saints. The euchari­
stie sacrifice offered by St. John the Evangelist in the presence
of the Blessed Virgin Mary was, indeed, a sacramental continua­
tion of the sacrifice of the Cross, which remained indelibly
printed on the minds of Our Lady and her spiritual son. Then
again, the Mass offered by St. Augustine after the hours of
contemplation expressed in his works De Civitate Dei and De
Trinitate must have been celebrated in the closest union possible
with Christ the priest.
The same was true of the Masses celebrated by St. Dominic,
St. Thomas, St. Bonaventure, who composed the thanksgiving
prayers still in use to-day. St. Philip Neri was frequently rapt
in ecstasy after the consecration, so intense was his contempla­
tion and love of Jesus, the priest and victim.

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS PRIEST

53

Many of the faithful who witnessed St. Francis of Sales
celebrating Mass held him in the highest veneration.
St. John Baptist Vianney used to say: “We would certainly
die if we understood the real meaning of the Mass. ... In
order to celebrate worthily, the priest would have to be a saint.
When we are in Heaven, we will then appreciate to the full the
value of the Mass, and our own lack of reverence, adoration,
and recollection during the Mass.”
The author of the Imitation says that the disciple of Christ
should always unite the personal offering of his own sufferings to
the offering made by Christ himself, the priest and victim of the
Mass. Fr. Charles de Foucauld, when offering Mass in Africa
amongst the Mohammedans, used to offer himself to God on
their behalf in order to pave the way for their future conversion.
The Mass of the saints is, so to say, the prelude or beginning
of that unending worship in heaven, which already finds
expression in the words at the end of the Preface: “Holy,
holy, holy.”
Think of the influence of such Masses on the faithful. There
they learn to recognize the dignity of our priesthood which is
the continuation of Christ’s priesthood. They gradually come
to look on Christ not merely as a figure of history who once
walked the streets of Palestine, but as the God-man who lives
on still to make intercession on our behalf.
They begin to realize that they themselves are living members
of Christ’s mystical body. They give God heartfelt thanks for
all the benefits they have received since the day of their
Baptism, and earnestly desire a fervent and fruitful Communion.
They appreciate better the infinite value of the Mass. They
find it easier to understand how one Mass can provide as much
light and life for a thousand souls as for one, provided that they
are well disposed. In this the Mass resembles the sun, which
radiates its light and warmth to any number of people in the
open. The Mass is in its essentials the continuation of the
sacrifice of the Cross, which can be as profitable for all men as
it was for the repentant thief, since Christ died for the whole
world. Every Mass has an infinite value because of the
principal offerer and the victim offered. But the faithful should
be able to grasp this limitless worth of the Mass from the way
in which it is celebrated.

54

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

In practice, therefore, the Mass itself ought to be prepared;
for example, the priest should read over the prayers and the
Epistle and Gospel of the day slowly and in a spirit of faith, so
that he may say them better during the actual sacrifice. He
must also ask for the spirit of prayer. And after Mass his
thanksgiving should not be curtailed, but ought to last as long
as the needs of the day will permit—certainly for half an hour,
if he foresees that he is not likely to have any time later in the
day for a visit to the Blessed Sacrament or for mental prayer.
If priests would only celebrate Mass in this way, their whole
life—especially their recitation of the breviary—would become
an extension of the Mass, a daily accompaniment to the
sacrifice of the altar. Their life would be more in keeping
with the spirit of the Incarnation, the Redemption, and
the Eucharist, as the venerable Father Chevrier—a friend
of St. John Vianney—used to say to the priests whom he
trained.1
The friendship which Christ desires to enjoy with his priests
Bossuet, in his panegyric on St. John the Apostle, describes
how Christ’s affection for his beloved disciple portrays vividly
the friendship wrhich he desires to share with his priests. Christ,
he says, showed his love for St. John by drawing him close to
his heart at the Last Supper, by giving him his own mother on
Calvary, and by offering him his cross in order to make his
ministry fruitful.
At the Last Supper the Apostles were ordained priests, and
Christ rested the head of St. John close to his own heart. This
gesture produced what it signified; at that moment John
received the grace of understanding and love, enabling him to
appreciate better the love which Christ had shown for us by
instituting the Holy Eucharist. So it was that John the Evange­
list became the doctor of charity, writing in his Epistles that
charity includes all the other virtues.
But Christ favours the priest of to-day as much as he did St.
John. Doesn’t he give his heart to every priest in the Mass,
especially in Holy Communion which brings a daily increase in
charity in proportion to the generosity of our present disposi­
tions? And if our love increases day by day, then each of our
1 Cf. The Three Ages of the Interior Life, vol. I, p. 222.

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS PRIEST

55

Communions ought to be spiritually more fervent than the
one preceding.
On Calvary, Christ gave his own mother to St. John to
become his spiritual mother, and by her prayers, example, and
words she enlightened his understanding to an even greater
extent than St. Monica influenced the mind of her son.
Christ continues to make his mother the protectress and
spiritual mother of all priests. A confident and humble
approach to her is inevitably rewarded by a deeper insight into
the mysteries of the Incarnation, the Redemption, and the
Eucharist. The Mother of God has always lived in close contact
with these mysteries, and she is anxious to help us also to pene­
trate them more deeply.
His heart, his mother—finally, his cross. This was the third
gift from Christ to St. John, as is revealed in the question he
put to John and his brother: “Have you strength to drink of
the cup I am to drink of?” John and his brother replied:
“We have.” And he said to them: “You shall indeed drink of
my cup” (Matt, xx, 23). In fact, both of them were martyred.
Although John himself did not suffer physical martyrdom,
he was crucified in spirit by his extreme anguish of soul caused
by the denial of Christ’s divinity which he had so strenuously
defended in his Gospel, in his Epistles and in all his preaching.
He was also worried by the dissensions amongst his fellow
Christians, constantly exhorting them: “My little children,
love one another.”
Every priest has his cross to bear either in the form of physical
suffering or at least in the form of spiritual suffering. The cross
is given to make his ministry effective, in the same way as the
cross in the life of Christ was a source of unlimited grace
because of the immense love which he had for his Father and
for us. And thus Christ manifests a special love for his priests
by granting them the valuable grace of love for the cross.
* (The Council of Trent recommends great reverence and holiness to all who
approach Communion, but declares that even those who have not these disposi­
tions receive an increase, provided they are not in a state of sin. 11 seems, therefore,
that the priest Fr. Garrigou-Lagrangc has in mind would, during a lifetime, grow
considerably in grace, provided he kept free from grave sin. It is precisely this
last condition that would probably not be verified in one who, by definition, was
continually so tepid. Positive dispositions are necessary for the secondary effects
of the sacrament, such as spiritual refreshment and consolation. Also they increase
immeasurably the direct effects of the sacrament ; and finally, it would be tempting
providence to expect to remain continually without serious sin, if one were so
careless.—Tr. note.)

Chapter Three

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS VICTIM1
considering the priest’s union with Christ as priest
we saw that he was bound to strive for an intimate friend­
ship with Christ by reason of his priesthood—that is, by reason
of his ordination and his duties towards the sacramental body
and the mystical body of Christ.
Furthermore, the priest is ordained primarily to offer the
sacrifice of the Mass. If he humbles himself during the Mass in
order to exalt Christ, he is surrounded with the praise and
honour befitting a vicegerent of Christ. And the Saviour
invites the priest to the same intimate friendship with himself
as he offered to St. John the Evangelist to whom he gave his
heart, his mother, and his cross.
But something more is necessary; the priest must be in his
own way a victim. Why? Because Christ in offering himself
during the sacrifice of the Mass offers also his entire mystical
body, and especially his minister who is celebrating Mass.
Therefore every priest has his own individual vocation to be
a victim in order to become like to Christ.
The truth of this becomes even more evident if we consider
the opposite error. Take the case of a priest who shares in the
priesthood of Christ by virtue of his ordination and yet refuses
to share in his state of victim. Such a priest is refusing the
obligation laid on all the faithful of taking up the cross; and
this obligation presses all the more urgently upon a priest in
view of the fact that he is intended to be another Christ amongst
the faithful.
Every priest must be a victim to the degree determined for
him by Providence, and in the following pages we will develop
that truth by considering the following points: the doctrinal
basis of this teaching; examples taken from the lives of saints
who were priests; the effects consequent on the non-fulfilment
hen

W

1 Cf. Pope Pius Xi’s encyclical Mediator Dei el hominum; and the Roman
Pontifical De ordinatione sacerdotali. Also, Fr. Giraud, Prêtre et hostie, I, p. 270;
II, PP- 399, 405-407, 411-414; and Fr. E. de la Croix, Le saint sacrifice de la messe
pour le prêtre, Paris, 1936, p. 43 ss.
5θ

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS VICTIM

57

of this obligation; confirmation of this teaching from a com­
parison with the saintly priests of the Old Testament; how it
determines the sterility or fruitfulness of the priest’s ministry;
the different degrees of union with Christ as victim dependent
on the priest’s progress in the spiritual life; St. Paul’s teaching
on the fruitfulness of the cross in the priest’s life.
The doctrinal basis of this teaching
Christ is at the same time both priest and victim, and in
offering himself to his Father in the sacrifice of the Mass he
offers his mystical body also—every individual who belongs to
the Church on earth, in Heaven, or in Purgatory. Conse­
quently he also offers his minister.1 He offers with intense love
all his followers no matter what their state in life may be—the
children, the poor, the sick, the high and the low, those who
rule and those who belong to the lowest classes of society. He
offers too those specially consecrated to his service, the just
that they may progress further towards perfection, sinners that
they may turn aside from their evil ways. Not a soul is for­
gotten—no one who is in his own individual way a member of
Christ’s mystical body.
Λ11 these souls must carry the cross each according to his own
condition of life and thus share in the Saviour’s state of victim—
in the same way as all are called to the peak of charity in virtue
of the supreme commandment, each according to his own
condition. The Saviour’s invitation is urgent and insistent: “If
any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink ; yes, if a
man believes in me . . . fountains of living water shall flow
from his bosom” (John vii, 38). Everyone is offered to God,
but especially the minister of Christ when he says in the name of
Christ: “This is my body.” Therefore every priest has a
special and individual vocation to be a victim in order to be like
the figure of Christ. To this call there ought to be a practical
* Cf. i Peter ii, 5 sq., and Rom. xii, 1, where it is stated that Christ offers all
the faithful; a fortiori, he offers his priests. Moreover, Christ prayed for his priests
at the Last Supper: “Holy Father, keep them (my Apostles) true to thy name, thy
gift to me, that they may be one, as we are one. . . . Keep them holy, then,
through the truth. . . . And I dedicate myself for their sakes, that they too may
be dedicated through the truth” (John xvii, t1-19). This doctrine is well set forth
in the Imitation of Christ, bk. iv, c. 9: “That we must offer ourselves and all that
is ours to God and pray for all”; that is, we must offer to God “all our good
works”, “all the pious desires of devout persons”, “prayers and this Sacrifice of
Propitiation” for ourselves and for others.

58

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

response, so that Christ may be able to carry out his desires
in our regard. A priest is not merely an orator, an eloquent
exponent of doctrine or history, an exegete, or a canonist, but
first and foremost he is meant to be a genuine priest.
Examples given by saints who were priests
In the Collect of the Mass for the feast of St. Vincent de Paul
• we pray to God: “God, who gave to blessed Vincent while
daily celebrating the divine mysteries the grace of imitating
that which he handled, listen graciously to our prayers that we
also while offering the immaculate Victim may become a
holocaust wholly acceptable to you.” Father Liberman when
asked what was the best way of celebrating Mass replied: “In
the Mass Jesus immolates himself: let us make ourselves one
and the same victim with him. I do not know any better way
of celebrating Mass.” Similar examples are to be found in the
lives of St. John Vianney, St.John Bosco, St. Joseph Cottolengo,
Fr. Charles de Foucauld, and many others. The author of the
Imitation of Christ writes (Bk. iv, c. 10): “Blessed is he who
offers himself up as a holocaust to the Lord, as often as he
celebrates or communicates.” Blessed, indeed, is that priest
because he is a source of consolation to the Saviour and will be
more richly rewarded and strengthened in his priestly vocation.
The fruits of his ministry will never disappear. Pius XI wrote in
his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor'. “The immolation of
priests and of other followers of Christ must be united to the
august sacrifice of the Eucharist.”

Consequences of refusal
What would happen to a priest already sharing in the priest­
hood of Christ by reason of his ordination, if he refused to
share in Christ’s condition of victim ?x He would certainly be
falling away from the priestly ideal : his life would become dis­
ordered, disturbed, and confused. He would remain a minister
of Christ but without a sincere love for his affectionate Master.
No longer a man of God but a man of the world, a man whose
life has become vain, superficial, barren. This deplorable state
of sterility reveals in an even better light the fruitfulness of a
genuine apostolate, just as it is easier to appreciate the value of
1 Cf. Fr. Giraud, op. cit., I, p. 288.

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS VICTIM

59

justice when we see the suffering resulting from injustice.
Every priest should ask for the grace to be a victim in the way
God wants him to be, to suffer patiently whatever God has
willed for him from all eternity, so that he takes up his cross
each day not simply as a faithful follower of Christ but as a
priest standing in the place of Christ himself. He must undergo
a mystical death before his physical death.

Confirmation from the Old Testament
The doctrine outlined above is confirmed by comparing the
priests of the present dispensation with the saintly priests of the
Lcvitical priesthood. In the book of Numbers we read that
the Levites were offered to God as the chosen section of the
people of Israel: “Aaron will offer them (the Levites) to
the Lord on Israel’s behalf, to do him service” (Numbers
viii, 11).
This is also evident from their office, as they were called upon
to offer to God sheep and calves—irrational victims incapable
of divine worship. Hence their immolation was intended to be
an expression of the immolation of the humble and contrite
hearts of priest and people. When this interior sacrifice was
lacking, God rebuked them : “This people does me honour with
its lips, but its heart is far from me” (Isaias xxix, 13; Matt,
xv, 8).
Therefore the priests of the Old Testament were in virtue of
their consecration victims of prayer, praise, atonement, and
thanksgiving. William, bishop of Paris in the thirteenth
century, in his book De Legibus, c. 24, places the following
prayer on the lips of the good Levite: “It is to you, Lord, that
I offer sacrifice and I acknowledge you as the author of all
holiness. ... As it is within my power to kill or not to kill
this animal, so also are we in your power to be condemned
through your justice because of our sins, or to be spared through
your mercy. . . . May the death of this animal signify the
death in me of sin through this sacrifice, so that my soul may
devote its life to you.” Those priests of the Old Testament who
understood the meaning of their vocation and carried it out
with joy were richly rewarded for being true harbingers of the
sacrifice of Calvary.
This was especially true of the sacrifice of Abraham, who was

6o

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

fully prepared to offer his own son Isaac as the victim. Here,
in the commencement of this sacrifice, we can see a faint
resemblance to the lofty sacrifice of the future Redeemer.
If these upright priests of the-Old Testament were victims
each in his own way, what are we to think of the priests of
Christ who are ordained to be other Christs for the sanctification
of the people? The priest of the present dispensation is no
longer holding in his hands a mere lamb or dove, but a victim
of infinite worth, the victim of love to whom he should be
closely united. He himself must be both priest and victim:
otherwise he is not another Christ. The priest cannot refuse to
make this offering of himself.
If he limits his co-operation with the offering of Christ to
pronouncing the words of consecration and the prayers of the
Mass, he resembles a body without a soul, a corpse without life.
In fact, he can be likened to the executioners of Christ who lent
their physical assistance to his crucifixion, or to the nails fixed
in his hands.
Any priest, especially a priest of the New Law, ought to
recognize with joy and lasting gratitude that the state and
dispositions of a victim represent the perfect fulfilling of his
priestly vocation. Pope St. Gregory writes in his Dialogues,
bk. iv, c. 59: “We who celebrate the mysteries of the Lord’s
Passion should imitate what we are doing. If we look for benefit
from the victim which we offer, we must offer ourselves to God
as a victim.”
The same idea is expressed by St. Gregory of Nanzianzen,
Orat. ii, Apolog.: “No one can approach the infinite God, our
high priest and victim, if he himself is not a living and holy
victim, if he does not offer himself in spiritual sacrifice, seeing
that this is the sacrifice demanded by him who gave himself up
entirely on our behalf. Without it I would not dare to bear the
name or vestment of a priest.” St. John Baptist Vianney used
to say that a priest is most effective when he offers himself
daily in sacrifice. Peter of Blois writes in his 123rd letter:
“Only when a priest has the intention of offering himself in all
humility by imitating that which he does will the victim of
salvation be of benefit to him.” On the day of ordination the
Bishop warns the future priest: “Consider what you do:
imitate that which you handle.”

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS VICTIM

61

This victim is always imperfect but Christ will make up for
our deficiency.
The effect on a priest's ministry
The fruitfulness or sterility of our ministry depends on our
acceptance or rejection of this state of victim.1 A priest who
offers himself as a victim is capable of feeling for the faithful
in their humiliations (cf. Heb. iv, 15). And by carrying the
sorrows of others he becomes more intimately united with
Christ. But this likeness to Christ is not the result of a short
period of concentrated effort in the spiritual life : there is only
one way of acquiring it—through grace, after years of self­
denial.
The priest should offer himself as a victim together with
Christ at the moment of consecration and when he recites the
words: “Through him, with him and in him is all honour and
glory to you, God.”2 The priest who fails to grasp this teaching
in any practical form is wasting much of his time, he is being
deceived in numerous ways and understands nothing of the
profoundness of the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation. He
is building on sand and, in the words of St. Peter, “he is no
better than a blind man feeling his way about; his old sins have
been purged away, and he had forgotten it” (2 Pet. i, 9); that
is, he forgets it was only through the cross of Christ that he was
purified from his guilt. “The priest only reaches the summit of
his priesthood in the state of victim whereby he is conformed to
Christ. Without this spirit of immolation, if he does not carry
his cross, the priest fails to understand the full import of his
vocation.”3 He cannot say the offertory prayer with any depth
of meaning: “Receive holy Father this unblemished sacrificial
offering ... for my countless sins, offences and neglects.”
Neither can he say with sincerity the prayer at the end of the
Canon: “To us also thy sinful servants, who put our trust in
thy countless acts of mercy, deign to grant some share and
fellowship with thy holy Apostles and martyrs. . . . Into
their company we pray thee to admit us, not weighing our
deserts, but freely granting us forgiveness . . .”
1 Cf. Fr. Giraud, op. cit., II, pp. 405-407, 411-414.
* Cf. Fr. Giraud, op. cit., II, p. 414.
8 Ibid., II, 414·

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

In contrast, priests who have taken more than a mere
speculative interest in this teaching and have become both
priests and victims have met with enormous success in their
ministry.1 This truth cannot be repeated too often since the
modern world has little or no time for the cross, and our own
human nature encourages us to avoid it.
St. Gregory the Great (Homil. xxxii, 2) says: “Unless a man
ceases through humility to think of himself, he never approaches
the Being who is above himself; unless he knows how to sacrifice
what he is, he cannot grasp what is beyond himself.” Without
the sacrifice of self no man can possibly attain to a close union
with Christ. His love for the Saviour must become so intense
that its ardent strength destroys the main obstacle to union—
his inordinate love of self. The German mystic Tauler was most
insistent on that point. But the Old Testament had already
implied the same, when setting out the rite to be followed in the
sacrifice of a holocaust: “This is the rule which governs
burnt-sacrifice. It is to be burnt on the altar all night till
morning comes, with the altar’s own fire. . . . The fire on the
altar must burn continually; each morning the priest will feed
it with fresh logs”, in order that the victim should be altogether
destroyed by the fire, and the smell of its burning would rise
towards God.2 The outward sacrifice was intended to signify
the inward sacrifice of reparative worship, petition, and thanksgivihg. This was certainly true of Christ’s shedding of blood in
the sacrifice on Calvary and it is no less true of the bloodless
immolation in the Mass. Joined to this holocaust are all the
saintly priests whose lives are, so to speak, a perpetual sacrifice.
St. Augustine writes: “There is no need to look outside of
yourself for a sheep to offer to God : you have within yourself
that which you can kill.”3 The victim is always to be found
within yourself.
Different degrees of union with Christ the victim
The desired union between the priest and Christ the victim
varies according as the priest has reached the spiritual age of
1 Fr. Giraud givra ample proof of this in his book Pritre el hostie, I, pp. 573-593.
Refer also to the works of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists.
2 Leviticus vi, 8 and 12.
3 Enarr. in Ps. L, n. 21.

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS VICTIM

63

beginners, of proficients, or of the perfect. If he is a beginner,
his life should already exemplify the words of St. Paul: “Those
who belong to Christ have crucified nature, with all its passions,
all its impulses” (Gal. v, 24) ; and: “Ifyou mortify the ways of
nature through the power of the Spirit, you will have life”
(Rom. viii, 13). This should be true even of the perfect, because
in the present life, though avarice can completely destroy
charity which is lost· through any mortal sin, charity never
completely destroys avarice—our inordinate love of self—which
finds a willing accomplice both in the world and in the devil.
Therefore St. Thomas says (Summa Illa, q. 84, a. 8) : “The
internal spirit of penitence whereby we are sorry for sin com­
mitted must endure until the end of our life.” Only in this way
can we preserve ourselves against committing sin in the future.
“Internal penitence has its place even in the proficient and in
the perfect” (ibid., ad 2). St. Paul exhorts the Christians in
Rome (Rom. xii, 1): “And now brethren I appeal to you by
God’s mercies to offer up your bodies as a living sacrifice,
consecrated to God and worthy of his acceptance; this is the
worship due from you as rational creatures.”
More especially should the priest offer himself as a victim
when God gives him a special cross to bear, such as he laid on
the shoulders of Christ. An occasion in question would be a
time of persecution when God makes an extraordinary inter­
vention in order to consecrate his priest more fully, so that he
becomes at the same time a perfect victim. Also regarded as
crosses are the various trials of life—for example, aridity of
mind or heart, periods when the soul is incapable of prayer,
temptations against chastity or patience or faith or hope or
charity, mental desolations which can become a spiritual agony
in the night of the soul described by St. John of the Cross.
Very often these spiritual trials are accompanied by physical
trials—bodily infirmity and sickness—and also by the desertion
of friends, loss of good repute, opposition, persecution, contempt,
poverty. God either deliberately wills or at least permits these
trials for a greater good, as David well understood when he
was cursed by Semei : he said to his servants : “Let him (Semei)
curse as he will; the Lord has bidden him curse David, and
who shall call him to question for doing it?” (II Kings xvi, 10).
And thus the king made reparation for his sins.

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

A cross carried cheerfully is a great blessing from God; it is
a sign of our predestination, since it is the cross which makes us
like to Christ. “If we are his children, then we are his heirs too;
heirs of God, sharing the inheritance of Christ; only we must
share his sufferings, if we are to share his glory” (Rom. viii, 17).
The author of the Imitation of Christ writes (bk. ii, c. 12):
“In the cross is salvation; in the cross is life; in the cross is
protection from enemies ... in the cross is height of virtue;
in the cross is perfection of sanctity.” So the cross is far more
necessary for us than we normally think. St. Paul reiterates the
truth in his second Epistle to Timothy (iii, 12): “And indeed,
all those who are resolved to live a holy life in Christ Jesus will
meet with persecution.” St. Augustine in the course of his
commentary on the 55th Psalm says: “If therefore you do not
suffer any persecution for Christ’s sake, see whether you may
not yet have begun to live holily in Christ. When you begin to
live in this way, you have entered the winepress of suffer­
ing; prepare yourself for the pressings, but take care not
to be so spiritually dry that nothing comes forth from the
pressing.”
The saints lived up to this teaching—especially St. Paul of
the Cross, who at the age of thirty had already reached the
union of transformation into Christ, but he had still to found the
Order of Passionists, who were to dedicate themselves to a life
of reparation, and he did not die until he was eighty-one. So
for forty-five years he was carrying a cross so heavy that it
became a common saying in Rome: “Deliver us, Lord, from
the way of Paul.” But never for one moment did he lose his
charity and meekness towards everyone.
The teaching of St. Paul
The fruitfulness of the cross in the priestly ministry is
admirably described by St.Paul. During these times of affliction,
humiliation and death, not only is the sufferer made like to
Christ but he is suffering also for the whole Church. “I am
glad of my sufferings on your behalf, as, in this mortal frame of
mine, I help to pay off the debt which the afflictions of Christ
leave still to be paid, for the sake of his body, the Church”
(Coloss, i, 24). This is well explained by St. Thomas in his com­
mentary on that Epistle : “On thesurface, these words are capable

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS VICTIM

θ5
of a false interpretation. They could be taken to mean that the
Passion of Christ was insufficient for the redemption of the world
and that the sufferings of the saints have been added to make it
complete. This is heretical, because the blood of Christ is
sufficient for the redemption of many worlds. ‘He, in his own
person, is the atonement made for our sins, and not only for
ours, but for the sins of the whole world’ (I John ii, 2). But
it is essential to understand that Christ and the Church are one
mystical body of which Christ is the head and the just are the
body; everyone who has been justified is, so to say, a member
of this head. Now just as God has predestined the number of
the elect, so also he has foreordained the amount of merit there
must be throughout the whole Church, both in the head and in
the members. And amongst these merits are numbered the
sufferings of the saints. The merits of Christ as head are,
indeed, infinite but every saint contributes his own particular
amount of merit. And so St. Paul says: I help to pay off the
debt still to be paid . . . that is, I contribute my own share.
. . . Likewise do all the saints suffer for the Church, which is
strengthened by their example.” St. Augustine comments in a
similar vein on Psalm LXI, n. 4.
The individual’s cross is, as it were, the extension of Christ’s
Passion and the means of applying the merits of Christ and the
Blessed Virgin Mary: she herself merited {de congruo) with
Christ the redemption of the human race and not merely its
application.
St. Paul expresses this very vividly in his Epistle to the Gala­
tians (ii, 19): “With Christ I hang upon the cross, and yet I
am alive; or rather, not I ; it is Christ that lives in me.” And
St. Thomas comments: “The old habit of sin is taken away by
the cross of Christ and the new habit of the spiritual life is
conferred . . . together with the strength to perform good
actions.” Then it is that the words of Christ are amply fulfilled
in the priest: “It was not you that chose me, it was I that
chose you. The task I have appointed you is to go out and
bear fruit, fruit which will endure” (John xv, 16).
Conclusion. It should now be evident that the priest must be a
victim in order to be like Christ and in order to labour according
to his capacity for the salvation of souls with the same means as
Christ himself used. Therefore every priest from the day of his
i

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

ordination onwards must accept generously all the crosses
marked out for him from all eternity by the providence of
God, whether they be directly willed or merely permitted, so
that his work of saving souls may be fruitful and that he may
fully respond to his own individual vocation as determined by
God. Priests are the chosen section of Christ’s people, the section
which has a special duty of conforming to Christ as priest and
victim.

A practical application of this doctrine to the priest's life
The characteristic virtue of a victim is patience inspired by
love of God. As St. Thomas points out, it is far more difficult
to bear with suffering for some time than to attack an enemy
in a moment of daring. Now the priest has to be extremely
patient even with those who are most troublesome and with
those who are down and out, doing for them all that he can to
preserve them from despair and to save their souls. Even when
obstacles are put in the way of good results from his apostolate,
he must still be patient and pray much. Neither must his
patience diminish when his capabilities seem to be out of all
proportion with the work he has to do. The Apostles themselves
were not blind to their limitations, but with the help of God’s
grace they laboured for the conversion of the world, even to the
point of martyrdom.
The venerable Father Chevrier, a friend of St. John Vianney,
wrote out the following scheme for his followers to remember.
The priest, another Christ

Calvary

The Crib

Poverty

Death to himself

The priest must be—

The priest must—

poor
in his dwelling
in clothing
in food
in his household

humble
in spirit and heart
before God,
men,
and himself

The greater the poverty of a priest and
the more humble he is, the greater the
glory he receives from God, and the
more useful he is to his neighbour.
The priest is a man stripped of every­
thing.

die
to his body
to his own mind,
to his will, his re­
putation, his fam­
ily, and the world

immolate him­
self
through silence,
prayer,
work,
penance, suffer­
ing, death

The more a priest dies in this way, the
more life does he possess himself and
the more he gives to others.
The priest is a crucified man.

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67

The Tabernacle
Charity
The priest must—
give
give life to others
his body
by his faith
his mind
by his teaching
his time
by his words
his possessions, his health, his life by his prayer, his faculties, and
example
The priest should be like nourishing food to be eaten by everyone.
The priest is a man to whom others look for their food and sustenance.

Fr. Chevrier gathered together, in Lyons, large numbers of
children who had been abandoned by their parents, and made
excellent Christians of many of them. He laid down three
conditions for attendance at his catechism class: “to know
nothing, to possess nothing, to be worth nothing.” And,
through the grace of God, this priest succeeded on several
occasions in bringing about a complete reformation of their
character.1

Its practical application to-day
There arc at present in the world many people who wish to
suppress all forms of mortification, penance, and reparation;
they are anxious to destroy the cross and the spirit of sacrifice
as being opposed to the modern spirit of so-called liberty or
licence and uncontrolled pleasure.
Consequently their lives have become completely barren,
because no one has ever been known to scale great heights
without a spirit of sacrifice. The modern spirit of unbridled
pleasure leads inevitably to destruction, as is only too evident
from the past two wars. No genuine peace has resulted, pre­
cisely because men have refused to see the meaning of divine
chastisements and to return to a life which is both naturally
upright and Christian. And so the Holy Ghost has implanted
in many souls the seeds of genuine and fruitful reparation.
In view of this widespread sterility in human endeavour many
would-be reformers are asserting that what is needed is a new
approach to the priestly and religious life, in order to adapt
* A similar example is given in Vita R. mi D. Guiseppe Marello, of Turin, bishop of
Acqui, written by Fr. Angelo Rainero, 1937. Pius IX spoke of him as “an illus­
trious gem” in the Church. Read what is said of his inexhaustible patience,
p. 274 sq.

68

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

them to the needs of the modern era. So far as the religious
life is concerned, they are of the opinion that its austerity
ought to be mitigated since it is now out of date: time devoted
to prayer should be cut down to leave more time for external
activities. They would also adapt the priestly life to the spirit
of the times : to them it seems no longer suitable for priests to
wear a special dress or the tonsure or any outward sign of their
priesthood, or even to recite the breviary—perhaps even
celibacy has become outmoded—and so on.
Such has been the attitude adopted by many Protestants,
and it is of interest to remember that Luther in cutting himself
off from the Church immediately renounced the three religious
vows. But surely a more fitting approach would be the fol­
lowing: “The dearth of achievement in recent apostolic work
has been due to the fact that many priests and religious have
been wanting in a supernatural faith sufficiently strong, active,
deep, and infectious. Therefore they have not been able to
communicate it to a Christian people distracted by pernicious
errors. This modern sterility is due also to the fickle confidence
of many priests in divine help, and to their lack of ardent
charity—which must be the heart and soul of any apostolate.
And why has their enthusiasm for the glory of God and the
salvation of souls waned? For want of the spirit of sacrifice.
The priest has failed to recognize that he must be a victim in
union with Christ, and that he cannot save souls except through
the same means as Christ himself used. It is only this spirit of
sacrifice which can rectify disorder in the soul of a priest or
religious, and thus make way for a genuine charity bringing in
its train peace and joy, which spread themselves to other souls.
Take away mortification and you immediately take away joy,
because once the affections of man are allowed to settle on things
of sense they can no longer be raised to God and the super­
natural.”
There is certainly no need to remodel the priestly and
religious lives and thus imitate the modernist renovation of
dogma.
But what is required is a careful study of the actions and
ambitions of the saints, whether they were founders of Orders or
excellent secular priests; and this study must be undertaken
not in any mere historical or theoretical frame of mind but

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS VICTIM

69

from a practical point of view. Neither must we neglect the
perennial teaching of the Church and the Popes about the
religious life and the priestly life, which we find contained in the
Enchiridion for the training of clerics. We will then discover
the real changes that have to be made, in a spirit of faith, trust
in God, and self-diffusive charity. Piux X spoke about the spirit
of sacrifice in his Letter to Catholic Priests “We do not discharge
the priestly office in our own name but in the name of Jesus
Christ. St. Paul says: ‘That is how we ought to be regarded, as
Christ’s servants, and stewards of God’s mysteries’ (i Cor. iv, i) ;
‘We are Christ’s ambassadors, then’ (II Cor. v, 20). Because of
this, Christ has enrolled us not as servants but as friends: T
do not speak of you any more as my servants ; a servant is one
who does not understand what his master is about, whereas I
have made known to you all that my Father has told me;
and so I have called you my friends. ... It was I that chose
you, and the task I have appointed you is to go out and bear
fruit’ (John xv, 15, 16). We priests, as Christ’s representatives,
must bear him in ourselves, and, as his ambassadors, we must
go wherever he wills. As his friends, we must let that mind be
in us which was in Jesus Christ, ‘holy, innocent, and undefiled’,
since the sure and only sign of true friendship is to will and not
to will the same thing. As his ambassadors, we must win men
over to belief in his teaching and law, we ourselves setting the
example in observing them. Moreover, as sharing his power to
free the souls of men from the bonds of sin, we must strive with
all the means in our power to avoid being caught in the same
fetters. But above all, as his ministers possessing unending
power to renew the unparalleled sacrifice of the Mass for the
life of the world, we are bound to possess that spirit of Christ
which led him to offer himself on the altar of the cross as an
unblemished victim.”2
Likewise Pius XI in his encyclicals Ad Catholici sacerdotii
fastigium, 20th December, 1935, and Caritate Christi compulsi,
1932, pointed out that if the faithful were to possess the neces­
sary zeal for God’s glory and the salvation of souls, they must do
penance not only for themselves but for all sinners, in imitation
1 Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 1908, pp. 555-577·
2 Letter to Catholic priests written by His Holiness Pope Pius X on the occasion
of the golden jubilee of his priesthood: Haerent animo; Acta Ap. Sedis, 1908, pp.
557 558·

7o

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

of the saints who were following the example set by Christ,
“the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
If this is the advice given by Pius XI for the promotion of
zeal in the general body of the faithful, surely it holds with even
greater force for priestly zeal.
If anyone asks for dogmatic proof that Christ offers not only
himself but also his mystical body in the Mass, it is to be found
in the prayer which Christ offered previous to the sacrifice of
the Cross—which in its essential aspects continues in the Mass:
“Holy Father, keep them true to thy name, thy gift to me, that
they may be one, as we arc one. . . . Keep them holy, then,
through the truth . . . that they may all be one . . . and
so they may be perfectly made one.” (Cf. John xvii.) See also
i Peter ii, 5 sq ; Romans xii, 1-2; and the Imitation of Christ,
bk. iv, c. 8 and 9.
Margherita, the mother of Don Bosco, said to her son on the
day of his first Mass: “To become a priest is to commence a
life of suffering.”
The vow of victim
Although we have stated that in order to attain to perfection
the priest must offer himself daily in union with Christ as a
victim, willingly accepting all the afflictions permitted by
Providence, we have not been considering the vow of victim.
This highly meritorious vow has been made by many generous
souls specially inspired by the Holy Ghost to offer themselves
either to the Divine Justice or to the Merciful Love of God,
in order to accept all the sufferings which Almighty God will
deem suitable for making reparation for sinners and for obtain­
ing their conversion—to some extent like St. John of the Cross.
In consequence, these souls are often visited with grievous
sufferings, sicknesses, and persecution. Hence this vow must
never be made except under a special inspiration of the Holy
Ghost; otherwise there is the danger of undertaking an ex­
tremely painful way of life to which one has no vocation, and
so of being unable to bear all the subsequent afflictions. That
is the natural result of presumption in making the vow.
On the other hand, if God sees that a person will endure with
consummate patience sufferings that are to come his way—for
instance, as a result of a very painful illness—he will inspire

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST AS VICTIM

71

such a soul to make a special dedication of itself to God as a
victim of love. The soul’s patience will then be all the more
meritorious in virtue of this vow and all the more fruitful for
the conversion of sinners.1
But even without making a vow in the strict sense of the word
1 Cf. Fr. S. M. Giraud, Prêtre et hostie, where he discusses this vow of victim;
also his book on the religious life, De l’esprit et de la vie de sacrifice dans Vital religieux,
4e éd., Lyons, 1879, pp. 20-81, especially the following chapters—
Bk. 1, c. 8: “Various degrees of union with Jesus Victim”; c. 9: “Union with
Jesus in his act of offering”; c. 10: “. . . in his act of immolation” ; c. 12: “Mary’s
maternal help.”
The content of this vow of victim. The person making the vow promises God to
accept (or, not to refuse deliberately and voluntarily) any sacrifice great or small,
physical or spiritual—for example, loss of sense consolation in prayer, affecting
his property or his reputation, whenever God’s will is sufficiently clear in these
matters. The divine will is usually revealed through events or misfortunes
which are evidently part of the Providential plan—for instance, the death of one’s
father or mother or brother or sister or friend—and also, through the wishes of
superiors who rule in the place of God.
But it must not be imagined that the vow dispenses with the virtue of prudence.
Without going back on one’s word, one can still take reasonable and prudent
precautions to ward off possible evils.
The individual making the vow promises God that he will never deliberately
and willingly regret having taken this step, no matter what the consequences
may be. Herein lies the heroic nature of the vow. And if at any time he does give
way with full deliberation and consent to a feeling of regret, he commits grievous
sin—although if this momentary lapse occurs without his full consent he is excused
from mortal sin. Therefore the vow is of a serious and lofty nature and is not to be
made without a special inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
At the same time certain conditions may be attached to this solemn engagement
with Christ the victim; it can be restricted to a period of a few months or, since
it is a free act, its content may be limited, with permission from the spiritual
director—for instance, the vow can be made with the proviso that no suffering is
caused to one’s parents or fellow religious in consequence of the vow.
Thus the implications of the vow make it obvious that it must never be made
without the express permission of a prudent spiritual director. And if the person
desiring to make the vow is a member of some religious community, permission
must also be obtained from the superior—at least to this extent, that the superior
does not forbid the vow being made. That is the normal rule for vows made by
religious; cf. Billuart, De virtute religionis, de voto (quipossint vovere).
From what we have been saying it follows that once the vow is made and the
rules of prudence observed it would be a mortal sin to refuse voluntarily any
sacrifice which would have beneficial results or would be the means of avoiding
some great evil. If, however, the refusal were not fully deliberate or the content
of the vow of little importance, the sin would be venial.
What should be the nature of the perfection for which the person under the
vow must strive? He must try to perform all his actions—even the most common­
place—after the manner of Christ the victim. He must aim at being prompt in the
acceptance of every sacrifice. Consequently, he has to regard himself as conse­
crated to the glory of God in order to make satisfaction—so far as in him lies—for
offences committed against God. This entails the peak of charity, of all the
virtues and of all the gifts ; such perfection can only be found in the mystical life.
And so anyone entering upon this solemn engagement is bound to tend continually
towards that state of internal and external perfection befitting a genuine victim.
The motto of his life must be: “Bear the burden of one another’s failings; then
you will be fulfilling the law of Christ” (Gal. vi, 2).

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
72
it still remains possible to offer oneself to the Merciful Love of
God by adopting the formula composed by St. Thérèse of
Lisieux and approved by the Sacred Penitentiary, 31st July,
1923. A plenary indulgence may be gained each month by
those who recite it daily.
“To live in an act of perfect love, I offer myself as a burntoffering to Your Merciful Love, calling upon you to consume me
every instant, while You let the floods of infinite tenderness
pent up within You flow into my soul, so that I may become
Martyr to Your Love, O my God! . . .
“When that martyrdom has prepared me to appear before
You, may it cause me to die, and may my soul hurl itself in
that instant into the eternal embrace of Your Merciful Love....
“At every heartbeat, O my Beloved, I wish to renew this
offering an infinite number of times, till the shadows retire and
I can tell You my Love over again, looking upon You face to
face eternally.”1
We can also ask Our Lady to offer us each day to her Son, in
the sure hope that her motherly prudence will not allow us to
be visited by sufferings which we could not endure, even though
aided by grace. At the same time we will ask her not to restrain
her zeal in making this offering, so that we may give to God
whatever he expects from us while we are on earth. Such an
offering made through the intercession of God’s mother will
not be wanting in prudence or in generosity. Furthermore, it is
not a vow which binds under sin; it is a simple offering, some­
what equivalent in practice to the vow of doing what is more
perfect for us.
It is therefore undeniable that every priest has a duty of
becoming a victim in his own individual way in order to be
another Christ. On this depends the fruitfulness or failure of his
ministry—a fact abundantly proved as true during recent years
in concentration camps, where priests who generously accepted
for Christ and for souls all the opposition and punishment they
experienced during their confinement were rewarded by a most
fruitful ministry.
1 Reproduced by kind permission of the publishers from The Collected Letters
of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (English tr. by F. J. Shced, Sheed and Ward, London,
>949)·

Chapter Four

THE PRIEST’S COMMUNION

The dogmatic teaching of the Church
oly Communion must of necessity be received by all adults
in virtue of the divine command: “You can have no
life in yourselves, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and
drink his blood” (John vi, 54). There is also the precept of the
Church (Denz. 437, 1205 sq).
Furthermore, St. Thomas maintains (Summa, Illa, q. 73,
a. 3) that Holy Communion is necessary for salvation inde­
pendently of the divine command, for the Eucharist is in itself
an essential means of sanctification, “of completing the spiritual
life, and thus it is the end of all the other sacraments” in so far
as of its very nature it increases charity in our souls and unites
us to Christ the Saviour. “You can have no life in yourselves,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood”
(John vi, 54). Therefore, according to St. Thomas, all the
faithful without exception must receive the effect of Holy
Communion by an implicit desire at least. The grace of Bap­
tism is ordered to this effect in the same way as a child tends
towards manhood. But if this is true for all the faithful in general,
with even greater reason is it true for the priest.
Moreover, the celebrant’s Communion is required for the
completion of the sacrifice of the Mass; Christ is present under
the species of the eucharistie sacrifice after the manner of food
and drink, and so is meant to be consumed.
Finally, the priest must receive Communion under both
species: “So far as the sacrament itself is concerned it is most
fitting that both the body and the blood be received since the
perfection of the sacrament rests in both, and therefore,
because it is the priest’s duty both to consecrate and to complete
the sacrament, he should never receive the body of Christ
without the blood” (Summa, I Ha, q. 80, a. 12; cf. also ad 1).
The priest has a divine obligation in this respect.
St. Thomas continues in the article just quoted: “On the
part of the communicants extreme reverence and caution are

H

73

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
74
necessary to prevent anything happening which would not be
fitting for so great a sacrament. This is most likely to occur
in the drinking of the blood which might easily be spilt, if
there were any carelessness in receiving it. And because the
Christian community has increased ... it is a prudent
custom for the blood to be received by the priest alone and not
by the people.”
Ibid. ad. 3: “Nothing is lost by this (that is, by the body
being received by the people without the blood) : because the
priest both offers and receives the blood in the name of all, and
the whole Christ is present under either species.” Under the
species of bread there is also present, by concomitance, the
precious blood. Thus the faithful are not deprived of any
notable grace, and a fervent Communion under one species is
far more fruitful than a tepid Communion received under both
species.1

Holy Communion foreshadowed in the sacrifices of the Old Testament
In these sacrifices—with the exception of the burnt-offering—
the priest used to consume a part of the victim after it had been
offered and immolated, sacrifice being regarded as a divine
banquet at which God consented to dine with his creatures.
This Communion in the Old Testmant was instituted by God;
in Ezechiel xliv, 28-30, we read of the Levites: “And for the
priestly tribe, it must have no patrimony assigned to it; I am
their patrimony, nor needs he portion, whose portion is his
God. Bloodless offering they shall eat, and the victim that is
offered for a fault or a wrong done . . . theirs the first of all
first-fruits and the residue of all you offer.” See also Deut.
xviii, 1; Num. xvii, 20; Eccles, xlv, 26. The Levites and
priests were to live solely on the victims offered in sacrifice.
And since these victims were types of the Lamb who would take
away the sins of the world, they had to be eaten in a spirit of
faith and reverence and not as ordinary food.2
We are apt to think of the priests of the Old Testament as
men of moderate virtue, but, in practice, there were to be
1 I have already discussed this question at length in my work De Eucharistia,
■943> Turin, p. 239 sq.
2 Cf. Dictionnaire de la Bible, art. "Prêtre,” col. 646 sq., under the headings
“fonction”, “consecration”, “onction”, “fonctions dans le Temple.” Also J. M.
Vosté, Studia Paulina, II, p. 752, 3 °.

the priest’s communion

75

found amongst them individuals of outstanding virtue, piety,
and zeal for the glory of God—for instance, Phinees, Jeremias,
Ezcchicl (who belonged to the priestly race), Onias, and many
others. Read what is recorded of Simon and his fellow priests
in Eccles., c. 50. Jeremias said of himself (xi, 19): “Hitherto,
I had been unsuspecting as a cade lamb led olf to the slaughter­
house”, to sacrifice. These priests of the Old Testament were
called to a life of holiness, for it is written in Lev. xi, 4.4: “You
must be set apart, the servants of a God who is set apart. Do
not contaminate yourselves. ... I am set apart and you must
be set apart like me.” Also Lev. xix, 2, where are set down the
duties of a priest in matters of worship and justice ; he must also
be merciful towards the poor, and so forth.
If the priests of the Old Testament were set apart for holiness,
so also with even greater reason are the priests of Christ, who
are nourished each day not by figurative victims but by the
Lamb of God himself who takes away the sin of the world.
The priest's Communion as a means of sharing in the inner life of
Christ, priest and victim
In Holy Communion Christ is not assimilated to the priest,
but the priest is assimilated to Christ. So, if the priests of the
former dispensation had to receive a portion of the victim offered
to God in a spirit of faith and reverence, our reception of the
body of Christ ought to be marked by an even greater faith
and reverence. The Eucharistic mystery is thus completed by
Holy Communion in which we are united to Christ as victim
rather than as priest. Hence, by his Communion, the priest
should be conformed to Christ the victim offered and received
by both celebrant and faithful.
At that moment especially should the words of St. Paul be
verified (Rom. xii, 1) : “And now, brethren, I appeal to you by
God’s mercies to offer up your bodies as a living sacrifice,
consecrated to God and worthy of his acceptance; this is the
worship due from you as rational creatures.” This is sometimes
fulfilled by the priest offering the pain caused to him by
calumny.
In Holy Communion there is a meeting of intellects, Christ’s
lucid intellect and our own obscured and confused; a
meeting of wills, Christ’s will confirmed in goodness and our

76

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

own wavering and volatile ; a meeting of sense powers, Christ’s
faculties detached from all that is sinful and our own so often
disordered and earthy.
Spiritual fervour in Holy Communion
In normal circumstances the sacrament of the Eucharist not
only preserves but also increases our charity together with the
infused virtues and the seven gifts. For that reason each Com­
munion ought to be more fervent than the preceding one; if
sensible fervour does not increase, at least there should be
greater substantial fervour of the will. Each Communion should
also prepare us to receive the sacrament with even greater love
on the following day. As the speed of a moving body increases
the nearer it approaches its centre of attraction, so should our
progress towards God follow the same law of acceleration.
Holy Communion is an incentive to greater generosity. St.
Thomas in commenting on the words of St. Paul: “Let us
keep one another in mind, always ready with incitements to
charity ... all the more, as you see the great day drawing
nearer” (Heb. x, 25), says: “Any natural movement increases
in speed the nearer it approaches its completion. The contrary
is true of enforced movement. Now grace follows the behaviour
of natural movement. Therefore those who enjoy the super­
natural life ought to increase in grace the nearer they approach
their end.”
And where else should we expect to find verified the words
heard by St. Augustine, if not in the Communion of a priest:
“Grow and you will feed on me, for I am the food of grown
men. I shall not be changed into you like that which feeds your
body, but you will be changed into me.” Thus we find the
saints reaching the peak of their spiritual life in their later
years on the eve of their eternal youth.

The testimony of the Liturgy, as presented by Fr. Olier1
Fr. Olier, the founder of Saint Sulpice, has this to say about
the priest’s act of receiving Holy Communion: “In receiving
the Eucharist the priest should identify himself with the host by
sharing in the inner life of Christ the Victim, because nothing
is more closely united to ourselves than the food which we eat
1 Train des Saints Ordres, III Partie, c. 4.

the priest’s communion

77

(although in Holy Communion we do not assimilate the
eucharistie food into our own substance: we in some sense are
changed into it).” Fr. Olier then concludes: “Every priest
should be a victim or a genuine host, by accepting whatever
God has willed or permitted for his sanctification : in this way
he is assimilated to Christ and works with him, in him, and
through him, for the saving of souls.”
In the same chapter is also contained this advice: “Our
Saviour by making use of bread and wine in Holy Communion
wishes to show that the priest and the host must be one and the
same, that all priests should be real victims, and that just as
they are God’s priests only in and by Jesus Christ whose
spirit dwells within them, so also must they become victims in
union with him and always continue in that state, if they want
to be genuine priests like himself.”1
The priest’s Communion should be looked upon as the end
of the priestly life, a union with Christ priest and victim which
becomes more and more intimate every day. It must be his
centre of rest, so to speak, and the source of his priestly charity
towards God and souls.
Spiritual Communion
The priest ought to renew his spiritual communion fre­
quently during the course of the day, in order to renew the
effect of his sacramental Communion. It can be made, for
example, before every meal by recalling to mind the words of
Christ: “My meat is to do the will of him who sent me”
(John iv, 34); or the words of St. Paul: “For me, life means
Christ; death is a prize to be won” (Phil, i, 21). St. Thomas,
when commenting on this last passage, points out that while the
hunter lives for the chase, the soldier for his military duties, and
the student for his study, the Christian lives for Christ in so far
as he is the continual object of his faith which should be gaining
in vitality and perception day by day, and also the object of
his hope and love which should increase until the moment of
his death.
The priest could use for his spiritual communion the words
of the 72nd Psalm: “What else does heaven hold for me, but
thyself? What pleasure should I find in all thy gifts on earth?
1 Ibid., c. 4.

γΒ

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

This frame, this earthly being of mine must come to an encl;
still God will comfort my heart, God will be, eternally, my
inheritance. ... I know no other content but clinging to
God, putting my trust in the Lord, my Master; within the
gates of royal Sion I will be the herald of thy praise.” Nowhere
in the Old Testament is there a finer expression of the soul’s
longing for God. But now, in the present dispensation, a
spiritual communion with God could often be made by pro­
nouncing fervently the name of Jesus, in a spirit of faith, hope,
and charity which is always growing stronger.
Day and night, in time of temptation and in time of consola­
tion, the good priest should find it almost second nature to raise
his mind and heart to Christ the priest and victim, and in so
doing he would be frequently renewing his spiritual com­
munion. He would then be sharing in the contemplative
prayer of Christ, in his wisdom, his intelligence, his prudence,
his ardent love for God the Father and the souls which need
saving.1 Such a priest would certainly arrive at the stage of
contemplation and intimate union with God which is the
normal preparation for eternal life and the beginning, so to
say, of future happiness. Cf. St. Thomas, Summa, la I lac,
q. 69, a. 2.
Similarly, the priest would be living in almost uninterrupted
communion with the different virtues of Christ, according as
circumstances required their imitation : he would be sharing in
Christ’s humility, meekness, patience, poverty, self-denial,
devotion for his Father, and zeal for souls.
The genuine minister of Christ ardently desires to be a
victim offered by the high priest by immolating and ridding
himself of all his inordinate tendencies, judgments, and schemes.
Having nothing, yet possessing all things.
Happy the priest who keeps nothing for himself but sur­
renders himself entirely to the high priest; who allows his
thoughts to be inspired and guided by Christ the victim who
comes to take complete possession of his soul. The priest who
is thus set apart as a victim is the disciple and intimate friend
of Christ, the perfect apostle, like St. John the Evangelist or
St. Paul, although the comparison must not be pressed too far.
Likewise, his familiarity with Our Blessed Lady will grow:
1 Giraud, op. cil., I, 302.

THE priest’s COMMUNION

7g

her unique vocation of Mother of God and universal mediatrix
and co-redemptrix is vastly superior to that of the priest,
because it is a greater dignity to give Christ his human nature
and to offer his sacrificial shedding of blood than to make his
body present on the altar and to offer the bloodless immolation
in the Mass.
St. Alphonsus thinks it not improbable that more grace is
given in Holy Communion under both species, and all theo­
logians agree that if the ardour of charity is increased by
receiving the second species, then greater grace is conferred
accidentally by reason of the better disposition.1 Therefore a
layman who wants to become a priest in order to communicate
under both species so as to receive this greater grace is not
to be dissuaded.
1 Cf. Giraud, op. cit., I, 339, and St. Alphonsus, Theol. mor., lib. VI, tract. Ill,
n. 28.

Chapter Five

THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE AND
PRIESTLY PERFECTION1
chapter is based to a large extent on the teaching of
Blessed Peter Julian Eymard, founder of the Congregation
of the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament, who devoted much of
his writings to a discussion of this particular question. He was
specially inspired by God to establish for his own religious and
for the faithful in general an almost continual adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament. From the outset he was afflicted with trials.
He had but one companion who, as soon as he realized that no
other vocations were forthcoming, left his friend with no inten­
tion of returning. Blessed Peter Eymard remained on his knees
before the Blessed Sacrament and was inspired by God to say:
“Lord, I will not rise unless my friend returns.” Some hours
later his friend did return, to be followed later on by many
other fine vocations. To-day this Congregation has spread
throughout Europe and the two Americas, and is meeting with
striking success.2
Before studying the teaching of Blessed Peter Eymard we
must first remind ourselves of the general teaching concerning
eucharistie worship and the interior life of all the faithful.
his

T

Eucharistic worship and the interior life
It is true for all Christians that the Eucharist is the divine
sustenance of their interior life, for it nourishes their faith, hope,
charity, religion, and all the other virtues.
The Eucharist nourishes our faith since it is the crowning
mystery of faith, presupposing the mystery of the redemptive
Incarnation of the Son of God, the mystery of the Trinity, and
the mystery of man’s elevation to the life of grace; it is also the
1 This question has already been discussed in my earlier work De sanctificatione
sacerdotum secundum exigentias tem/ioris nostri, but I am here considering it from
the point of view of the priest’s union with Christ, priest and victim.
* I have based my summap' of the teaching of BÎessed Peter Julian Eymard on
his book Meditationes pro exercitiis spiritualibus, Turin, new edition, 1934—especially
on the third volume.
80

THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE AND PRIESTLY PERFECTION 81

pledge of eternal life. In consequence, a single eucharistie
miracle which sets its seal on the truth of this sacrament con­
firms at the same time both the truth of all the other mysteries
which it presupposes and also the validity of the other sacra­
ments which are ordered to the reception of the Eucharist.
This would apply in particular to the validity of all the priestly
ordinations and episcopal consecrations which have taken
place without interruption since Christ’s institution of the
Eucharist and the priesthood of the New Law.
Similarly, the virtue of hope is nourished by the Eucharist
since hope relies on the help of divine grace. Now the Eucharist
contains not only grace but also the author of grace—hence its
pre-eminence above all other sacraments.
The Eucharist nourishes also the virtue of charity, in so far
as Holy Communion joins us to Christ and increases our charity
towards God and our neighbour—a charity which is not mere
sentiment, but is active and effective. The Eucharist is the
bond of charity uniting together at the same divine banquet
the members of every Christian family, the poor and the rich,
the learned and the ignorant, all Christians throughout the
world. And so in Holy Communion are verified the two
principles: goodness is essentially diffusive, and, the loftier its
nature, so much the more completely and abundantly does it
give itself to others. Material goods cannot be completely
possessed by several individuals at the same time, but spiritual
goods can. In fact, they are then more completely possessed
by each of the individuals, so that if anyone wished to reserve
them exclusively for himself, he would thereby lose both charity
and the spiritual goods. For that reason, everyone can possess
at the same time the same truth, the same virtue, the same
Christ present in the Eucharist after the manner of a substance,
the same God hidden in our souls and clearly revealed in
heaven.
Finally, the Eucharist nourishes the virtue of religion,
because the supreme act of religion is the act of sacrifice, an act
which is both internal, external, and public. The eucharistie
sacrifice is the sacramental continuation of the sacrifice of the
Cross, which is infinite in its value. The principal priest—
Christ himself—could not be more closely united either to God
or to the people who form his mystical body or to the victim
7

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

which is himself. Therefore both victim and principal offerer
are of infinite value.
The Priest and the Eucharist1
Summary, (i) The priesthood and the spirit of sacrifice.
(2) The four ends of sacrifice; Christ’s interior life in the
Eucharist, a model of the principal virtues of charity, religion,
humility, poverty ; belief in the Eucharist; confidence; charity;
reparative charity in imitation of Christ the victim; Litany of
the Eucharistic Heart.
(3) Conclusion. The Eucharist and priestly perfection ; the
Eucharistic vocation.

The priesthood and the spirit of sacrifice
It is the office of a priest to offer the bloodless sacrifice of
infinite worth, to absolve sinners and thus regenerate in them
the life of grace, to lead them to eternal life, and—especially—
to preach the Gospel to the poor. For this he needs purity,
humility, meekness, effective charity—all of which he acquires
for the glory of God and the saving of souls. He should imitate
the example of the Apostles, who stated as their reason for
ordaining deacons to look after the works of mercy : “We devote
ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of preaching” (Acts vi,
4). Otherwise there will be plenty of outward activity but with
little to show for it; tremendous strides but not in the right
direction. Furthermore, the cry of St. John the Baptist should
find an echo in the life of every priest: “He must become more
and more, I must become less and less.”
To this end he should live according to the spirit of Christ:
“A man who unites himself to the Lord becomes one spirit
with him” (I Cor. vi, 17): “A man cannot belong to Christ
unless he has the Spirit of Christ” (Rom. viii, 9). This spirit is
one of truth and love and sacrifice: truth, for Christ has said:
“What I came into the world for is to bear witness of the truth”
(John xviii, 37)—“You are the light of the world” (Matt, v, 14)
—“You are to be my witnesses” (Acts i, 8) ; love, which mani­
fests itself in meekness: “Learn from me; I am gentle and
humble of heart” (Matt, xi, 29), and in zeal which perseveres
unto death—“Christ loved me, and gave himself for me”
1 Cf. Blessed Peter Eymard, loc. cit., vol. Ill, pp. 43,82-87,98-112,161, 230-232.

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83

(Gal. ii, 20) ; sacrifice, “He is not worthy of me, that loves
father or mother more. . . . He is not worthy of me, that does
not take up his cross and follow me” (Matt, x, 37, 38). This
sacrifice will be rewarded a hundredfold. “Who wins the
victory? I will feed him with the hidden manna” (Apoc. ii, 17).
The four ends of sacrifice
The duty of divine worship is fulfilled by the worthy celebra­
tion of the sacrifice of the Mass, which should be offered each
day with greater faith and hope and charity and fervour of the
will, even if sensible fervour is lacking. We also adore God by
Holy Communion, by visits to the Blessed Sacrament, by repara­
tive worship, petition, and thanksgiving. It is impossible to
find on earth a loftier or holier or more liturgical form of wor­
ship than this eucharistie worship, in which the priest is given
unrivalled opportunities for cultivating the virtue of belief in
Christ hidden under the species of bread and wine, and also the
virtues of hope, charity, religion, and humility, together with
the corresponding gifts of the Holy Ghost. And by the exercise
of these virtues and gifts the priest attains to his perfection.
All priests, no matter how weak or imperfect their spiritual
character, can and must desire this perfection so that they may
become true adorers of Christ in the Eucharist. We know only
too well the tremendous effort that is required to attain to a
position of standing in civil society, to become, for example,
an advocate, or a doctor, or a professor, or a jurist. But even
the most unassuming of priests or the faithful can join in this
eucharistie worship, and if they are sincerely humble and
devout, they will find themselves making much progress in
it: “Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened; I
will give you rest” (Matt, xi, 28) ; “I have come so that they
may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John x, 10).
Holy Communion gives the soul the strength it needs to avoid
sin and to resist the temptations of the flesh and the devil, and
also to increase in the love of God “with the love of thy whole
heart, and thy whole soul, and thy whole strength, and thy
whole mind.” This growth in love through Holy Communion
and adoration is accompanied by a corresponding growth in
the seven gifts and docility to the Holy Ghost.
But there are two aspects of this eucharistie adoration which

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

deserve special consideration—the four ends of sacrifice, and
the virtues which Christ exemplifies in the Eucharist.
The first end of sacrifice is adoration·, hence the holocaust
is the principal sacrifice, since the purpose of its offering is
adoration. Throughout the ages men have been quick to forget
their obligation to worship God, while readily paying homage to
the flesh, to wealth, to the progress of science, to reason, to
themselves. They have thus prepared a fruitful soil for the
deification of the state or of society, for rationalism which
idolizes man’s reason—and so on. This neglect of Christ the
Saviour is not confined to unbelievers or to the indifferent, but
extends to all ungrateful Christians—even, on occasions, to his
own ministers who love him not as his sons but as mercenaries,
interested only in rewards. They love him not for his own sake
but for their own selfish interests. And once deprived of its
ruling spirit of charity there can be little adoration.
It is not uncommon in certain parishes to find that the
faithful do not go to Mass except on Sunday, and never pay a
visit to the Blessed Sacrament. Christ is left alone in the
Eucharist for almost the entire week, whereas each day he could
be an abundant source of grace. Such parishes present a
picture not only of lack of charity but also of lack of hope and
faith, which are normally revealed through the virtue of religion
that they inspire.
For that reason, adoration of Christ our Saviour present in
the Eucharist is to be highly recommended ; this adoration will
of itself make reparation for much ingratitude, indifference, and
lack of care about salvation.
The second end of sacrifice is thanksgiving for all God’s gifts
to man, for the creation of the human race and its elevation
to the order of grace and glory, for the redeeming Incarnation,
for the institution of the Eucharist and the graces which flow
from it, for the innumerable Masses offered and Communions
received during the past twenty centuries for the strengthening
of souls.
Many people never spare a thought for these divine gifts,
and thus they sink to the lowest depths of ingratitude, since these
gifts have been so precious and so widespread. Whereas child­
ren normally show some sign of gratitude to their parents for
what they do, many people never so much as say “thank you”

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85

to their divine benefactor, who is the source of all the gifts in
the world.
Since this scourge of ingratitude is not confined to individuals
but has affected groups and societies, there must be collective
and public thanksgiving. This is the second reason for the
Eucharist and forms the basis of its name. In fact, the Eucharist
commemorates all the unparalleled gifts which it presupposes—
the Incarnation and the Redemption—and administers to us
the fruits of redemption. In the words of St. John Fisher, the
English martyr, the Mass is like a spiritual sun which radiates
its light and warmth to us each day—words which were directed
against the Lutherans who denied the Mass, and whose churches
were cold for want of warmth from this spiritual sun. These
additional gifts of the Mass and Holy Communion call for a
further and special act of thanksgiving, and devotion to the
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus exists for this very purpose of thank­
ing God for the institutiofi of the Eucharist. The “Eucharistic
Heart of Jesus” is to be understood as referring to the heart of
Jesus who gave us the gift of the Eucharist and continues to do
so daily.
The third end of sacrifice is reparation for the sins committed
against God, especially for the acts of sacrilege sometimes so
atrocious and clearly instigated by the devil. God alone
knows the enormity of some of these acts of sacrilege which
remind us of the treachery of Judas. In reparation for such
abominable behaviour the Mass should be celebrated with
reverence, and the Blessed Sacrament should be publicly
exposed for adoration.
This act of reparation restores to God the Father and to
Christ the accidental glory of which they are deprived by such
sins, and it is also a source of joy to them—a joy which many
have refused to give. It puts us in mind of the act of reverence
paid by Saint Veronica during the Passion, when she wiped the
face of Christ with a towel on which was left an impression of
his countenance.
Public reparation wards off those heavy, public chastise­
ments of God which the world has deserved by its sins; it also
pleads for mercy for sinners, that they may return to the way of
salvation and repent of their sins. All this is accomplished by the
act of sacrifice. And among the souls who have fully grasped

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

this purpose of sacrifice are some who offer themselves as
victims. In saving the world from the dread chastisements of
God they serve a purpose in the spiritual sphere similar to that
of a lightning-conductor in the material sphere. “He it is
that has scourged us for our sins; he it is that will deliver us in
his mercy” (Tobias xiii, 5). This mercy is won for us by the act
of reparation in eucharistie worship, which perpetuates the act
of reparation offered in the sacrifice of the Cross.
The fourth end of sacrifice is to request the divine help and all
the graces necessary for salvation, especially the grace of final
perseverance. True, this grace cannot be merited but it can be
obtained through the impctratory power of prayer, especially of
the highest form of prayer contained in the actual offering of
the sacrifice of the Mass, in which endures the intercession of
Christ “living on still to make intercession on our behalf.” We
should unite ourselves to his intercession, just as we unite
ourselves to his adoration and reparation and thanksgiving.
The value of our own acts are thus increased beyond all
measure.
Even after Mass Christ’s intercession continues in the Euchar­
ist. We should join in this prolonged act of prayer by making
our own prayer less individualistic and more concerned with the
Church, its bishops and priests, that God may give them the
necessary zeal and courage; with the peace and concord of
nations; with the freedom of the Church and the sanctification
of souls; with the conversion of sinners and unbelievers. Such
prayer is in harmony with the intentions of God, and, if it is
offered by several at the same time humbly, confidently, and
perseveringly, it is certain to bear abundant fruit.
We find amongst those who fully understand this particular
purpose of sacrifice souls of a more contemplative disposition,
like Mary Magdalen at the feet of Christ, or the angels adoring
the King of Heaven. There are others who are consumed by an
ardent love for the Church of Christ—living lamps, so to speak,
burning in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Or perhaps
they remind us of Our Lady in the upper room after the
Ascension, whose prayer of intercession for the Church they
are continuing. Other souls of a more active character take
part in the worship of the Eucharist, in order to perfect their
interior life which is the vital principle of a fruitful apostolate.

THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE AND PRIESTLY PERFECTION

87

These, then, are the four ends of sacrifice, and their con­
sideration is not without its practical value because it shows how
wc remember, in the first place, God’s unending life by the act
of adoration ; secondly, the past by our act of thanksgiving for
gifts received and by our act of reparation for sins committed ;
and, finally, the future by our request for divine help.
Eucharistic worship, when viewed in this light, unites us
closely to Christ the priest, to his reparative adoration, to his
intercession, and to his thanksgiving.
Christ's interior life in the Eucharist—a model of the principal virtues
In order to approach this question in a true theological spirit,
we should remember that the Christ present in the Eucharist
is the risen Christ reigning in glory in Heaven. He no longer
suffers nor merits, but exercises those virtues which continue
after death by his adoration, intercession, thanksgiving, and so
on. Moreover, Christ in Heaven knows quite clearly what is
happening on earth; he is fully aware of the eucharistie worship
of the present time which increases his non-essential happiness,
and also of the acts of profanation which deny him such
happiness.
St. Thomas reminds us (Summa, la Hae, q. 67) that in
Heaven the virtues of faith and hope cease to exist; the Beatific
Vision replaces faith, and the permanent possession of God
replaces hope. But charity remains; so also do the moral
virtues and the seven gifts. True, the material of the moral
virtues will be missing in Heaven, but not their formal element
—their ordering of man towards sanctity: “There is no place
in Heaven for inordinate desires and the pleasures of food and
sex, nor for fear and daring in dangers of death, nor for the
distribution and exchange of goods used in this life.”
In the light of these principles it is easy to understand the
distinction made by Blessed Peter Julian Eymard (Zoe cit.,
p. 88) between what can be said of the Eucharist with literal
truth, and what is only metaphorically true. It is literally true
to say that in the Eucharist Christ no longer leads an external
life, he no longer visits the sick or preaches. He is present in
the tabernacle as “a prisoner of love”, a prisoner of his own
choosing. He does not use any external sense-faculty to grasp
the surroundings of the Eucharist; these he knows through his

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

infused knowledge and the Beatific Vision. Therefore Christ’s
life in the Eucharist is entirely interior and yet most perfect,
thus teaching us the virtues of solitude, silence, and recollection.
He is most anxious to give us there an example of many of the
virtues—charity for his Father and for souls, religion (insofar
as he is adoring, thanking, and interceding with his Father
unceasingly), humility and obedience in being completely
subject to the divine will, meekness, since he never experienced
any unruly passion.
But above all, as Blessed Peter Eymard says (p. 90), “the life
of Christ in the Eucharist is a life of love for his Father, to whom
he is incessantly offering his actions, his sacramental presence,
his previous Passion now commemorated in the Mass. It is
also a life of love for men who have to be saved. His heart is
the centre of all hearts.”
An excellent example of this devotion for the Eucharist is
Our Blessed Lady: “her heart was drawn towards the Blessed
Sacrament as iron is towards a magnet” (p. 93). And she should
not be denied the miraculous privilege, granted to some of the
saints, of preserving the sacred species incorrupt within herself
from one Communion to the next.
Blessed Peter Julian Eymard is perfectly correct in speaking
of eucharistie humility, eucharistie poverty, eucharistie piety,
eucharistie charity. He says, for example, that in the Eucharist
the divinity, power, glory, and even humanity of Christ are
concealed; that he lives a life of poverty; that he labours
unceasingly for the saving of souls, but mysteriously and in
silence, so that the world hardly notices his activity. In con­
sequence, anyone living in close union with Christ in the
Eucharist is bound to lead an interior life of intense charity,
but his external life must be poor and humble. There will be
numerous occasions for inward joy, but he does not show it
outwardly: “His life is hidden with Christ in God.”
“The virtues of his soul should be lofty and perfect, but, in
appearance, simple and ordinary; in a word, they should
resemble a burning brazier hidden under ashes” (p. 95). The
heart of Christ is a blazing furnace of charity hidden under the
sacred species—the very antithesis to anything spectacular.
Christ’s life in the Eucharist is one of charity as well as of
humility—charity which is gracious, patient, beneficent. It is

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89

gracious towards the poor and afflicted, patient in waiting for
us to visit him, beneficent to all—even to his enemies, whom he
draws towards conversion. Christ is present in the Eucharist
as the victim of love, immolated without the shedding of blood
in the sacrifice of Mass, and attracting many souls to a life of
reparation.
An excellent summary of all that we have said about devotion
to the Eucharist is contained in the Litany of the Eucharistic
Heart of Jesus, which rises from the lowly state of Christ in the
Eucharist to the sublime union of intimacy which he extends to
generous souls.1

Conclusion: the Eucharist and priestly perfection
Devotion to the Eucharist, when regarded in this light, is
an effective means of attaining to priestly perfection. Cf.
Blessed Peter Julian Eymard, loc. cil., p. 161, 180, 230, 232.
This follows from the fact that Christ, really present in the
Eucharist, is the source of all the actual efficacious graces which
perfect our spiritual life. This influence of Christ in the Euchar­
ist is similar to that present in his meeting with Peter after the
1 The following prayer is particularly appropriate for adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament.
PRAYER TO THE EUCHARISTIC HEART OF JESUS
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, gracious companion of our exile, I adore you.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus—lonely Heart—humiliated Heart—abandoned
Heart—forgotten Heart—-despised Heart—outraged Heart—Heart ignored by
men—Heart which loves our own hearts—Heart pleading for our love—Heart so
patient in waiting for us—Heart so eager to listen to our prayers—Heart so
anxious for our requests—Heart, unending source of new graces—Heart so silent,
yet desiring to speak to souls—Heart, welcome refuge of the hidden life—Heart,
teacher of the secrets of union with God-—Heart of him who sleeps but watches
always—Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Jesus Victim, I desire to comfort you; I unite myself to you; I oifer myself in
union with you. I regard myself as nothing in your presence. I long to forget
myself in order to think only of you, to be despised and forgotten for love of you.
I have no desire to be understood or loved by anyone but you. I will keep silent
in order to listen to you, and I will abandon myself in order to lose myself in you.
Grant that I may thus satisfy your thirst for my salvation, your burning thirst
for my holiness, and that once purified I may give you a sincere and pure love.
I am anxious not to tire you further with waiting: take me, I hand myself over to
you. I give you all my actions, my mind to be enlightened, my heart to be directed,
my will to be stabilized, my wretchedness to be relieved, my soul and body to be
nourished by you.
Eucharistic Heart of my Saviour, whose blood is the life of my soul, may I
myself cease to live and you alone live in me. Amen.

Indulgence 500 days. Brief. February 6, 1899, Leo XIII; Sacred Penitentiary
Apostolic, November 8th, 1934.

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Resurrection. To enable him to make amends for his previous
denial Christ asked Peter: “Simon, son of John, dost thou love
me?” Peter replied: “Yes, Lord, thou knowest well that I
love thee” (John xxi, 16). Finally, Christ said to him: “Feed
my lambs and tend my shearlings”, and then foretold his
martyrdom. This prophecy was accompanied by grace, already
preparing him to be constant under the trial of martyrdom.
Christ’s influence in the Eucharist is of a similar nature—
although hidden—inspiring effective and persevering love.
For this reason our faith is often put to the test by a long
period of sense aridity—as in the case of Blessed Peter Eymard
when he was awaiting vocations, and none came. After his one
and only companion had deserted him, he remained on his
knees before the Blessed Sacrament: “Lord, I shall stay here
on my knees until my friend returns.” Three or four hours
later he did return. Eventually many other excellent vocations
arrived, so that the Congregation began to spread far and wide
reaping a rich harvest in France, Italy, and other parts of
Europe, as also in North and South America. This trial of
faith leads many souls to perfection.

The Eucharistic vocation
Every follower of Christ—especially his priests—are invited
to worship him in the Eucharist, but there are some who
receive a special vocation to this devotion—the Eucharistic
vocation. “Nobody can come to me without being attracted
towards me by the Father who sent me” (John vi, 44). And the
Father attracts everyone to salvation, but not necessarily along
the same path.
What is this Eucharistic vocation, in the opinion of Blessed
Peter Eymard? (p. 230). It is a special attraction of grace,
gentle but compelling—as if Christ were saying to the soul:
Come to my sanctuary. Provided no resistance is offered,
this attraction gradually becomes supreme.
The faithful soul responding to this invitation finds peace,
as though it had discovered at long last its natural home
and spiritual food: “I have found my resting-place.” Books
and conferences no longer give the help required; this can
only be found in more intense prayer before the Blessed
Sacrament.

THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE AND PRIESTLY PERFECTION 91

Ultimately this attraction of grace leads the soul to a com­
plete offering of itself to the service of the Eucharist, in order to
become a true adorer of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The
individual docs not devote himself to this worship merely to
save his own soul or to acquire virtue or even to save the souls
of others; but, realizing that his love for God and for Christ
should always have precedence over his love for his neighbour,
he is simply anxious to respond to Christ’s invitation: “True
worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth;
such men as these the Father claims for his worshippers”
(John iv, 23). That is the order to be observed in charity, and
the love of our neighbour will always grow in proportion to our
love of God. But he is to be loved above everyone.
In this act of adoration is also included what St. Thomas and
others used to call the contemplation of divine things, for this is
the natural result of a living faith enlightened by the gifts of
the Holy Ghost and it also commands the virtue of religion.
Now the highest act of this virtue is sacrifice, especially the
sacrifice of worship.
So it is clear that devotion to the Eucharist—as outlined
above—does lead to priestly perfection ; the priest is transformed
into another Christ in virtue of the continual influence of Christ
in the Eucharist.
In fact, many are the souls who have attained to holiness in
this way. Hence we must strive humbly and confidently each
day for this spirit of devotion to the Eucharist, asking God to
grant us the necessary efficacious grace, so that we may give
glory to God and save souls.

Chapter Six

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH MARY-WITH
SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE INFLUENCE
OF HER UNIVERSAL MEDIATION ON THE
SPIRITUAL FORMATION OF PRIESTS
chapter falls into two parts: the first considers what is
required for the spiritual formation of priests, and the
second discusses how Our Blessed Lady is admirably suited to
meet these needs, progressively shaping the priest’s soul both
by her prayer and by the mysterious influence of her universal
mediation.1
his

T

The priest's intellectual and spiritual formation
It is easy to discover what is required for the spiritual and
intellectual formation of a priest by studying the failings which
ought to be avoided—even though we are constantly falling
into them.
There are many novices and seminarists who neglect one or
other aspect of their priestly training. Some of them do not
put sufficient effort into their study, so that they may become
priests fully instructed in Christian doctrine for the good of
souls committed to their care later on. They excuse their
negligence on the plea of devoting more time to spiritual
exercises, and thus they become indolent and careless—faults
which may easily last for the whole of their priestly life, while
the souls committed to their care look to them for the help
which only a priest can give.
Other novices and seminary students go to the other extreme.
They concentrate so much on their studies that they neglect their
interior life and spiritual duties under the pretext of necessary
study. Gradually they may lose their spirit of piety completely,
and possess nothing more than an “official piety”, the exterior
piety of a church functionary. Problems of philosophy, of
theology, of history, of canon law—these are their constant
pre-occupation. Sometimes they become so entangled in the
1 Cf. Fr. Paul Philippe, O.P., La Très Sainte Vierge et le Sacerdoce, Paris, 1946.
92

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH MARY

93
complex network of these problems that they lose that higher
simplicity of mind which is essential for preserving a wise and
correct critical faculty—all the more necessary as the problems
become more complex.
In other words, their intellectual pursuits are no longer
sufficiently inspired by the spirit of faith and of love for God
and for souls. They are treated as purely natural activities
rather than as means of holiness, and are motivated by an
inordinate love of self, by egoism, or, perhaps, by a secret pride
and ambition. These novices and seminarists are certainly
not preparing themselves for a fruitful apostolate.
They are living a superficial life, more concerned with
external appearances than with their inner self. They find
themselves entangled in a maze of questions, possessing no
unity of mind. Why? Because they lack that supernatural
spirit which is essential if they are to order their study correctly
towards God and the saving of souls.
In a word, their outlook is almost exclusively directed
towards externals, it is too superficial, too complicated. Their
mind lacks unity, depth, and elevation—or, as the moderns
would say, the third dimension is missing. Extent and breadth
of knowledge they possess, but no depth. Hence they are
mentally immature and without that keen perception of
intellect which is required if a priest is to have the critical faculty
expected of him.
In addition to these intellectual difficulties, there are those
arising from the affections which are allowed to turn aside
from their true object and become too human, too sensual,
and therefore, dangerous. These can prove a serious obstacle
to that spirit of chastity and purity of heart which is necessary
for a truly spiritual and priestly life.
Therefore, what is required? A greater unity, depth, and
elevation of life, so that the priest may live under the continual
impulse of the theological virtues and under the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost by way of the seven gifts. “The Spirit breathes
where he will”, and the small barque of our soul will be driven
along the right course, provided that its sails are not secured by
too many ropes—venial sins of sensuality, curiosity, indiscretion,
hidden pride, ambition.
But how is the seminarist or novice or young priest to find

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
94
this greater unity, depth, and elevation of life which he requires
in order to rise above the complex nature of his studies and
above the dangers of sentimentality and sensuality?
In order to become a good priest, the seminarist or novice
needs the help of a spiritual mother, holy, vigilant, brave,
benevolent, loving, who will keep him on his course like the
star of the sea; who, as the invisible mistress of his soul, secretly
but none the less really and securely directs his intellect, will,
and sense-faculties.
I myself had personal experience of this need as a young
student. At that time I was so engrossed in the many and
varied questions of critica and metaphysics that I was in danger
of losing my simplicity and elevation of mind and balanced
judgment. It was then I realized that I needed a spiritual
mother with unlimited kindness and wisdom. This is easily
understood when we remember how any child receives its early
training.
While the seminarist or novice was young, there were many
things which he learnt from his earthly mother—his first
prayers, for example. At that age he was ready to believe
anything his mother told him, especially when she spoke to him
of God, our heavenly Father. He trusted her implicitly and
loved her with the love of his whole heart. And so, in his
younger days, he made spontaneous acts of faith, hope, and
charity towards God, whom he had come to know through his
mother, and these acts were made even before he had learnt
the formula set down for them in the catechism.
Each of us learned much from our mother even without the
aid of words. When we saw her return from the altar-rails
in deep recollection and gratitude, we understood—some more
than others—that this act of thanksgiving was something
mysterious and sacred.
The time comes when the novice or seminarist has to leave
his earthly mother, but it is then that he needs a spiritual mother
to watch over his priestly formation, so that his life may bear
almost spontaneous and continual witness in a practical form
to the workings of the three theological virtues. These virtues,
together with humility and perfect purity, must be constantly
growing, so that the future priest may live not for himself but for
God and the saving of souls.

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95
The study of philosophy, theology, history, and canon law is
insufficient; the concentration required could make the soul a
stranger to itself, if it did not remain united to God. Further­
more, it would find itself almost irretrievably lost in the maze
of such questions, and then what would we find in such a
soul, if it lacked a genuine spiritual life? Certainly not God,
but self-love, secret ambition, and a craving for personal
satisfaction.
To prevent this superficiality and entanglement of mind
during our study and to quicken our intellectual efforts with
spiritual life, we require a loftier spirit—a spirit of humility,
self-denial, purity, faith, confidence, love of God and souls.
But where arc we to look for this spirit on which depend
the unity and elevation of our life ?
In actual fact, Christ our Saviour has willed to communicate
this spirit to us through the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom he has
chosen to be the universal mediatrix of all graces—of all kinds
of graces, for she is the mother and queen of apostles, of martyrs,
of confessors, of virgins, and of all saints. This spiritual mother
of all men obtains for us every grace we receive—even those
particular graces for which we ask when we pray: “Holy
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now . .
this “now”
means that we arc asking for the individual grace of the present
moment—for example, for study, for chastity, for the preserva­
tion of charity.
Our spiritual mother teaches us without the aid of words, and
gives us something far more valuable than mere learning in
theology or philosophy ; she gives us the spirit of sacred wisdom,
which is first and foremost a powerful spirit of living faith in
God—a discerning faith in virtue of the gift of understanding, a
contemplative faith in virtue of the gift of wisdom.
The soul of the seminarist or novice is no longer a stranger
to itself in its studies, for these arc now inspired by a spirit of
faith. They are no longer born of curiosity or ambition, nor are
they treated as purely natural activities.
The student never again loses himself in the complex network
of problems which call for his attention, since he now possesses
a suitable approach to his study and a sufficiently supernatural
elevation of mind. In this way Our Blessed Lady can become
the priest’s guide not only for the preservation of chastity,

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
9θ
humility, and fraternal charity, but also for the study of sacred
science. This is her method of training her sons preparing for
the priesthood.

The influence of Mary
Why is Our Blessed Lady capable of exerting her influence
on the training of priests? Why is she so anxious to do so—
and in what way does she put her desire into effect ?
Our Blessed Lady has the power to exert this wonderful influ­
ence on our souls because she is the Mother of God, the Mother
of the Saviour, the Mother of the high priest of the New Law,
the universal mediatrix of all graces. But, in addition to this
power which she possesses, she also has the desire to exercise it
because she is supremely kind, benevolent, and loving. Further­
more, she puts this desire into effect, once we ask her to be our
mother and to prepare us each day for the worthy reception of
the priesthood and for the fruitful exercise of our office later on.
This is evident if we consider, first, the relation existing
between the divine motherhood and the priesthood ; secondly,
Our Lady as the spiritual mother of priests; and finally, Our
Lady as the outstanding example of devotion to the Eucharist.1
The divine motherhood and the priesthood
In considering this subject it is essential to adhere closely to
the literal sense of the words involved, avoiding the exaggerated
use of metaphor—a frequent fault in this matter—because in
such metaphors it is difficult to know what precisely is true.
Our Lady has sometimes been referred to as the “Virgin priest”,
without sufficient note being taken of the fact that she is not a
priest in the strict sense of the word. She has not received
the priestly character, and therefore, cannot consecrate the
Eucharist. However, she is in a most eminent way a priest in
the wide sense of the term—to a greater degree than any of the
saints who were not priests, such as St. Francis of Assisi, or
St. Benedict Joseph Labre. As Fr. Olier points out so rightly,
Our Lady possessed the spirit of the priesthood to a degree sur­
passing everyone else, but she was never a priest in the strict
sense of the word. And thus we find that the Holy Office has
1 Cf. the excellent work written by Fr. P. Philippe, O.P., La Très Sainte Vierge
et le Sacerdoce.

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH MARY

97
forbidden the use of that title “Virgin priest”, because it could
give rise to the Protestant confusion between the priesthood
in the strict sense of the word and the priesthood in the wide
sense.
But it must be said at once that the superlative dignity of
Our Lady’s divine motherhood far and away exceeds the
priesthood of Christ’s ministers. This is a point which deserves
our careful consideration. The pre-eminence of her dignity is
derived from two sources. In the first place, Our Lady as the
Mother of God has given us the principal priest and victim of
the sacrifice of the Cross, since it is in his humanity that Christ
is both priest and victim. Now, it is obviously a greater dignity
to give the incarnate Word his humanity than to make his body
really present in the Eucharist, which is what his ministers
do by their instrumental power. And secondly, Mary as
the co-redemptrix of the human race offered together with
Christ the blood-stained sacrifice of the Cross. This is a greater
honour than to offer the bloodless sacrifice of the Mass, which
is the means of applying to souls the merits of the Passion.
But we can go still further, and find the basis of Mary’s
superior dignity in the fact that her divine motherhood sur­
passes not only the order of nature but also the order of grace.
In virtue of the term of that relation of motherhood, it belongs
to the hypostatic order established by the mystery of the
Incarnation. Furthermore, as is stated in the Bull proclaiming
the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the decree of the
Incarnation of the Word from the Virgin Mary includes at the
same time both the predestination of Christ to natural divine
sonship and the predestination of Mary to divine motherhood.
From this follows her predestination to a degree of glory next
to that enjoyed by Christ, and to her fulness of grace which
fitted her to be the worthy Mother of God.
The Bull Ineffabilis Deus begins as follows: “From the
beginning and before all ages, the God of indescribable perfec­
tion chose and prepared for his only-begotten Son the mother
from whom he would receive his body and be born in the
blessed fulness of time. His love for her so exceeded his love for
all other creatures that in her alone did he take most friendly
delight.” And, further on: “ (God’s choice of her was made) in
one and the same decree as the Incarnation of the divine
8

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Wisdom.” In other words, this eternal decree did not relate to
the Incarnation in any abstract form, but as it was to take place
at a definite point in time and place. It referred to an individual
event occurring in definite circumstances—to the Incarnation
of the Son of God from the Virgin Mary, as we affirm in the
Nicene Creed.
Therefore, byone and the same decree, Christ was predestined
in his humanity to natural divine sonship and Mary to divine
motherhood. But this decree preceded the one which deter­
mined the salvation of the human race through the merits of
Christ. Hence Our Lady was first predestined to her divine
motherhood as being the most important of all her honours, and
then to her glory in heaven. In the same way, Christ was first
predestined to his natural divine sonship as the pre-eminent
source of all his dignity, before being predestined to his glory.
For, that to which one is first predestined is the end and purpose
of all future decisions, and is of higher worth than anything
else to which one may be predestined afterwards.
It is clear, therefore, that the divine motherhood is superior
to the fulness of grace and glory which flowed from it for the
purpose of making Our Lady the worthy Mother of God. This
superior dignity of the divine motherhood is due to the fact
that it belongs to the hypostatic order by reason of its term, and
thus surpasses the order of grace.
There are several important consequences resulting from
these principles.
In the first place, although Mary could merit like ourselves
everlasting life, she could not have merited the divine mother­
hood which is so intimately connected with the Incarnation.
This would be to merit the Incarnation itself, which has been
the original source of all the merits of the human race since
the time of the Fall—including those of Mary herself.
Divine motherhood, like the Incarnation, lies beyond the
realm of merit, because the principle of merit cannot itself be
merited.
Secondly, the divine motherhood is the explanation of all
the graces conferred on Mary, and thus it is their measure and
their purpose. Consequently it is something superior to all those
graces. This is the common teaching of theologians.
Thirdly, because of her divine motherhood, Mary is entitled

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH MARY

99
to receive from us not only the highest form of honour paid to
any saint, but also the special veneration which we call
“hyperdulia.”1
It cannot be denied, therefore, that the divine motherhood
surpasses in grandeur the priesthood of Christ’s ministers. Also,
she more than any other saint is a priest in the wide sense of the
term; she shares in the mystical priesthood in the highest degree
possible. The reason is abundantly clear. She has given us
the principal priest and victim of the sacrifice of Calvary, and
she co-operated with Christ in the offering of this sacrifice, so
that she has merited for us by congruous merit all that Christ
merited for us in strict justice.2 She merited the actual release
from sin and the restoration to divine favour of the entire
human race—redemption in its objective aspect—and not
merely the applying of the merits of the Passion to individual
souls—redemption in its subjective aspect. While she is not a
priest in the strict sense of the word she has received the fulness
of the spirit of the priesthood, the spirit of Christ the Redeemer.
This is well explained by Fr. Olier in his book, La vie intime de la
Sainte Vierge.

Mary, the spiritual mother of priests
When Christ was dying on the Cross, he turned to his Mother
and said: “Woman, this is thy son”; and to John: “This is
thy mother.”
These words of the dying Saviour, like the words used in the
sacraments, produced what they signified: in Mary’s soul they
produced an increase of maternal love for John and for all who
should be sanctified through the sacrifice of the Cross; in
John’s soul they produced a profound filial love for the Mother
of God.
1 It follows, therefore, that if the Mother of God were to receive the priestly
character she would be receiving something of less value than her original dignity,
since it is a greater honour to give the Word his humanity and to offer with him the
sacrificial shedding of blood on Calvary than to give him his real presence in the
Eucharist and to offer with him the bloodless sacrifice of the Mass. Similarly, as
St. Thomas rightly says, a bishop while able to be of service in the saving of souls
would be adopting a less perfect vocation in entering the religious state, because
the religious state is one in which a man is tending towards perfection, whereas a
bishop should be actually exercising perfection. Summa, Xia Ilae, q. 185, a. 4,
ad I.
2 This—the common teaching of theologians—was sanctioned by Pius X in his
encyclical Ad diem, 2nd February, 1904: ef. Denz. 1978a.

ΙΟΟ

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Since Mary is the spiritual mother of all priests, she is
interested especially in their sanctification and in their ministry.
She offers special prayers for her priests, and obtains for them
increasingly higher graces so that they may offer the sacrifice
of the Mass more worthily, and labour for the salvation of souls
more earnestly. But her choicest gift to priests is a better
understanding of the sacrifice of Calvary, which is continued
sacramentally in the Mass. She also obtains for them the
graces they need to appreciate better the value of Christ’s
blood, the supreme importance of the eternal happiness of
souls, and the deep wretchedness of eternal damnation.
In this way, priests who remain faithful to Mary are fired by
her with extraordinary zeal. This is particularly true of those
priests who consecrate themselves to Mary in the way suggested
by St. Louis Marie de Montfort in his book, Treatise on true
devotion to the Blessed Virgin. This work has now been translated
into almost every language, and is regarded as a precious jewel
amongst the many treasures of the Church.
By this act of consecration priests hand over to Mary all those
merits properly so-called (de condigno) which cannot be applied
to others, asking her to guard this spiritual treasure against the
enemies of their soul. Should they have the misfortune to lose
this treasure through mortal sin, they rely on her to obtain
for them the grace of fervent contrition, so that the store of
merit which they previously possessed may be restored in its
entirety. St. Thomas says (Illa, q. 89, a. 2): “The intensity
of a penitent’s sorrow for sin is sometimes proportionate to a
greater degree of grace than that which he possessed before
committing his sin; on other occasions, it corresponds to an
equal or even to a smaller degree of grace. And therefore,
the grace received after forgiveness is sometimes greater than
it was before (this was probably true of Peter when he repented
of his triple denial), sometimes equal, sometimes less. The same
is true of the virtues which flow from grace.”
Therefore those who consecrate themselves in this special
way to the Blessed Virgin Mary entrust to her their merits de
condigno, so that they may be well guarded, bear fruit, and be
fully restored through fervent contrition, if ever they should be
lost by mortal sin.
Moreover, these votaries of Mary place in her hands whatever

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH MARY

IOI

part of their good works may be given over to other souls—their
merits of congruity, the satisfactory value of their acts, their
prayers for others, the indulgences which they gain. Our Lady
certainly distributes these gifts to others with greater wisdom
and charity than we would. This docs not mean that we need
not pray for our relatives and friends; this is an obligation due
in gratitude, which Our Lady would not allow us to forget.
But amongst our relatives and friends there are some who stand
in urgent need of help without our knowing who they are.
Our Blessed Lady knows perfectly well who they are, and she
takes care to give them as much help as possible from our
good works. The conclusion to be drawn from what we have
said is obvious—Mary, as the spiritual mother of priests, gives
special help to those who consecrate themselves to her in the
way described, both in their interior life and in their ministry.
How docs Our Blessed Lady bring about the spiritual forma­
tion of those w'ho follow out this suggested path of consecration
to her? St. Louis Marie de Montfort gives the explanation:
“Mary is like a mould in which Jesus forms his saints.” She is
the model of sanctity, the prototype which Christ follows in
forming saints.
St. Louis says that there are two forms of spiritual direction,
just as there are two ways of making a statue. A statue can be
made by hammering and chiselling a piece of wood or marble—
a difficult and lengthy process, during which a single awkward
blow may ruin the entire work. But there is another way, a
much easier way—by putting clay into a mould. This is the
method which Christ adopts for the spiritual formation of souls
who have a great love for Our Blessed Lady, and who are
urged by that love to a humble imitation of her virtues.

Mary, an outstanding example of devotion to the Eucharist
Christ entrusted his Mother to St. John the Evangelist—a
model of contemplation—who celebrated the eucharistie sacri­
fice in virtue of his priestly power, and gave Our Lady Holy
Communion.1 For Our Blessed Lady the eucharistie sacrifice
was a perfect memorial of the sacrifice of the Cross, which
remained vividly imprinted on her memory. In consequence,
1 Fr. Olier draws attention to this point in his book: Vie intérieure de Marie
p. 250, and in his Panégyrique de S. Jean.

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the real presence of the sacred victim and the bloodless immola­
tion on the altar were for her of supreme value. She penetrated
into the meaning of this mystery even more deeply than did
St. John, and also realized more perfectly that Christ is the
principal priest actually offering the Masses celebrated each
day. Neither the faith of St. John nor our own faith will bear
comparison with Mary’s active faith, enlightened by the gifts,
in its grasp of the full meaning of these words: “He lives on
still to make intercession on our behalf.”
During Mary’s lifetime the liturgy of the Mass did not yet
exist in the form in which we find it, for example, in the third or
fourth century. There was the eucharistie sacrifice, the breaking
of bread, and the eucharistie Communion, which Our Lady
herself must certainly have received—although this has been
called into question. However we cannot think of Our Blessed
Lady as anything but an exemplary Christian. Moreover, she
saw in the eucharistie sacrifice or “breaking of bread” the
uniting together of worship offered in Heaven and of that
offered on earth, since it is the same principal priest present
sacramentally on the altar who is also in Heaven in his natural
and glorified state. Our Blessed Lady knew quite well that the
celebrant is only the minister of Christ, speaking and acting
in his name.
Her faith, enlightened by the gifts, enabled her to see clearly
the effect of consecration—the real presence of Christ on the
altar—and also the effects of the sacrifice on souls in Purgatory
and on earth. No other creature on earth has ever possessed
such faith, perfected by the gifts of understanding and of wis­
dom. For that reason she was able to appreciate far better than
we can how the Mass extends its influence over the whole earth
and into Purgatory and even into Heaven, in so far as it gives
glory to God.
In the same way as on Calvary she had joined her own
personal offering to that of her Son, so whenever she assisted
at the eucharistie sacrifice she offered herself as the universal
mediatrix and co-rcdemptrix on behalf of the Apostles and of
the entire Church. This she did in view of her profound
understanding of the four ends of the sacrifice.
Apart from the homage paid by Christ himself, God has
never received from any of his creatures more humble adoration,

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH MARY

IO3

more sincere and universal thanksgiving, more valuable and
efficacious reparation and intercession for the saving of souls of
every race and condition. This prayer of Mary was the main­
stay of the Apostles as they journeyed through the world
preaching the Gospel and at the supreme moment of their
martyrdom. Mary has always been and still is the queen and
mother of every apostle.
But, while thinking of Mary’s participation in the eucharistie
sacrifice, we must not lose sight of her devotion in receiving
Holy Communion.1
The more we hunger for Holy Communion, the greater our
fervour in receiving it and the profit we draw from it. But
we cannot experience this spiritual hunger unless we believe
in the value of the Eucharist and its fruits, unless we hope and
love. Now Mary possessed these three theological virtues in the
highest degree. (See my former book, The Mother of the Saviour,
pp. 134-140.)
Mary’s firm and ardent desire to receive her Son in Holy
Communion was not checked in any way by the consequences
of original sin, or by any actual sin—even the least grave—or
by any voluntary imperfection. For his part Jesus desired most
eagerly to consummate the holiness of his dearly beloved mother.
Therefore each of Mary’s Communions was spiritually more
fervent and more fruitful than the preceding one. The nearer
she approached to God, the more rapid was her progress
towards him—just as a body increases its rate of fall the nearer
it approaches the earth, although this is but a weak symbol of
Mary’s spiritual progress.
Holy Communion brought to her each day a great increase in
charity and in the infused virtues and the gifts, and prepared
her for an even better Communion on the following day. And
thus she never faltered in her increasingly rapid progress
towards God. This is the law of grace which all of us should
follow, but it remains pardy unfulfilled in us because of our
attachment to venial sin. For this reason our Holy Communion
may be spiritually less fervent one day than on the preceding
day. But in Mary there was no venial sin to check this law of
spiritual acceleration.
1 This is discussed by Fr. Justin of Miechow O.P. in his work: Discursus circa
itanias laurelanas B. Mariae Virginis; vas insigne devotionis.

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In this, Mary was the model of eucharistie devotion—the
glorious vessel of devotion.
The effects of her Holy Communion were remarkable. Christ
present in the Eucharist shed on her pure soul his supernatural
light and love, thus giving her greater understanding of this
sacrament and a greater desire for it. She was, as it were, a
spotless mirror reflecting back on Christ the light and love she
received from him, and directing towards us the graces of
faith, hope, and love.
In Mary the priest is provided with a perfect model of
eucharistie devotion. She teaches him to celebrate his Mass in
a spirit of sacrifice, in a spirit of reparative worship. If he fails
to possess this spirit of sacrifice, he will prove a hindrance to the
flow of grace from Calvary to individual souls. He should
think of what would have happened to us if Christ had refused
to accept the humiliations of the Passion, or if Our Blessed
Lady had refused to join her own personal offering to that
of Christ.
The priest, therefore, in union with Christ and Mary, should
pray most earnestly for the chief intentions of the Church and
for the salvation of souls who have to live in the world sur­
rounded by pernicious errors. He must also ask Our Lady to
obtain for him a hunger and thirst for the Eucharist, so that his
Holy Communion may become each day at least spiritually
more fervent. It is in this way that he will arrive at that zeal
for the glory of God and for the saving of souls without which
he cannot attain to priestly perfection, or to that spirit of Christ,
which is indispensable for a fruitful apostolate.

Chapter Seven

THE EXAMPLE OF THE SAINTS
would be possible to write this chapter on the way in which
the saints who were priests celebrated their Mass by quoting
what has been said of the following: St. Bernard, St. Dominic,
St. Thomas, St. Bonaventure, St. Charles Borromeo, St.
Francis of Sales, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Philip Neri, St. Paul
of the Cross, St. Alphonsus, St. John Vianney—together with
his friend Fr. Chevrier.
However, I intend to mention only those facts which I can
remember at the moment of writing. St. Dominic used to spend
practically the whole night in church, praying and doing
penance for the sinners to whom he would preach the Gospel
on the following day. That was his preparation for celebrating
Mass, during which he was often moved to tears. St. Thomas
also received this gift of tears. And he, too, would often remain
in church to pray for several hours during the night, either
before the Office or after Lauds before celebrating Mass.
St. Francis of Sales, as we read in his life written by Fr.
Hamon, vol. ii, p. 376, carried out the ceremonies of the Mass
with all possible recollection and devotion, remaining calm
and dignified throughout. Those who assisted at his Mass
could see that his mind and heart were totally absorbed in God.
We have it on the testimony of St. Frances of Chantal that he
was never distracted. He was the living image of Jesus Christ.
At the moment of consecration and communion his bearing as a
priest was so imposing, but as a victim so humble, that he
seemed to be completely transformed into God, so to speak—
as though he had reached the transforming union. His face
revealed such interior happiness and joy that his congregation
could not help but be impressed. Those who saw him receive
Holy Communion, when his head appeared to be crowned by
rays of glory and his brow encircled by a ring of light, treasured
the scene in their memory until the day of their death, and
testified to the fact in the court for his canonization.
It is also told of him that he took such care in preparing for
t

I

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his Mass that he was eager to go to confession every day before
approaching the altar.
For St. Philip Neri the Mass was a time of deep contemplation
and most ardent love, so much so that he was often rapt in
ecstasy during the sacrifice.
St. John Vianney used to say that if only we fully realized
the meaning of the Mass and its infinite value, we would
certainly die. “One would need to be a saint to celebrate
worthily. When we are in Heaven, we will appreciate the value
of the Mass, and how often we have said it without due
reverence, or worship, or recollection.” This we will know even
in Purgatory, when it will no longer be possible to celebrate
Mass either for ourselves or for others.
All these saints united the personal offering of their own
trials and sufferings to that of the sacred victim for the salvation
of souls. The author of the Imitation writes, bk. iv, c. 8 : “Christ
says: As I willingly offered Myself to God the Father for thy
sins, with My hands stretched out upon the Cross, and My
Body naked, so that nothing remained in Me which was not
completely turned into a Sacrifice to appease the divine wrath ;
even so oughtest thou willingly to offer thyself to Me daily in
the Mass, as intimately as thou canst, with thy whole energies
and affections, for a pure and holy oblation. . . . Offer thy­
self to Me, and give thy whole self for God, and thy offering shall
be accepted. . . . But if thou wilt stand upon self, and not
offer thyself freely to My will, thy offering is not complete, nor
will there be an entire union between us.”
This was realized to the full by Fr. Charles de Foucauld,
who, finding himself unable to convert the Mohammedans
owing to their lack of good will, offered himself on their behalf
during the sacrifice of the Mass. In the end he was put to death
out of hatred for religion, and he died as a victim of love
for souls.
The Mass celebrated by a saint is, so to speak, a prelude to the
homage of Heaven, expressed in the words of the Preface:
“Holy, holy, holy”, in praise of the Blessed Trinity.
Therefore we should ask for the grace to celebrate our Mass
with keener faith, more steadfast hope, more selfless and
stronger love for God and souls. Our spirit of worship must
become more enlightened, and the essential devotion of our will

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107

more powerful. In this way, each of our Communions will
become more fervent and more fruitful than the preceding one,
by producing in us a daily growth in charity and so preparing
us to receive Holy Communion on the morrow with an even
greater fervour of will.
This is true of all good priests, even though they may not
always realize it. St. Francis of Sales used to say of St. Frances
of Chantal, who still retained her peace of soul even when
deprived of all sensible devotion: “She is like a good singer
stricken with deafness, unable to hear the voice which gives
such pleasure to others.” Beethoven suffered from deafness in
the later years of his life, but he continued to be an outstanding
composer. Though unable to hear his symphonies, he enjoyed
an intellectual awareness of their beauty. This is symbolical
of the aridity of the saints, who are sometimes deprived of all
sense consolations and yet retain a most ardent spiritual love of
God in the higher faculties of their soul. In this they resemble
Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane where he began the
sacrifice of the Cross, where he began to be a victim sacrificed
by the shedding of his blood.
It would seem that Beethoven in his deafness had an even
greater love for his art and the beauty of his harmonies which
he could not hear. So also the saints. Sometimes while cele­
brating Mass they lose all their sensible devotion, but at those
times they have an even greater love for the sacrifice whose
value they do not then perceive, since they offer themselves in
union with Christ and thus acquire more merit. But, generally
speaking, there comes a time when their spiritual fervour over­
flows in some way into their sensible nature. That happened
in the life of St. Paul of the Cross after forty years of extreme
aridity and desolation. During that time he had given a perfect
example of a life of reparation. But, before he died, God com­
forted him and favoured him with perfect peace as the final
preparation for the happiness of Heaven.
So far we have spoken of Christ’s priesthood, of our priest­
hood, of the interior life which priests must lead in union with
Christ priest and victim, of eucharistie worship and its bearing
on priestly perfection, and finally, of the priest’s union with
Mary. Now, by way of summary, we must consider the excellence
of the priestly grace.

Chapter Eight

THE EXCELLENCE OF THE PRIESTLY GRACE:
A SUMMARY OF THE PRECEDING CHAPTERS
this chapter wc will consider the pre-eminent and super­
abundant cause of the priestly grace; its principal purpose
—the celebration of Mass; its secondary purpose—the sancti­
fication of souls; the foundation of priestly holiness; the
splendour of the sacramental grace of the priesthood.
n

I

The pre-eminent cause of this excellence
This is to be found in the holiness of Christ, a holiness which
is innate, substantial, and uncreated, in so far as its determining
principle is the grace of the hypostatic union, or the Word who
takes possession of Christ’s humanity. This is the source of the
infinite value of all his activity. Now, in his final prayer for the
Apostles Christ spoke as follows: “And for them do I sanctify
myself that they also may be sanctified in truth” (John xvii, 19).
That is to say: Father, I offer and sacrifice myself to you (cf.
Bossuet, Méditations sur l'évangile, H, 66e jour), for in this verse
“to sanctify” means “to sacrifice.” Therefore a priest must
sacrifice himself if he is to be another Christ. Cf. Rom. xv, 16:
“So much I owe to the grace which God has given me, in
making me a priest of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles, with God’s
gospel for my priestly charge, to make the Gentiles an offering
worthy of acceptance, consecrated by the Holy Spirit”: that
is to say, I must show the Gospel to be holy both in preaching
the truth and in working for the conversion of the Gentiles.
Sanctifying grace should be found in all the faithful, but in a
special way in the priest. The holiness of a Christian consists
in reproducing in oneself the life of Jesus Christ, our head :
“Wc have all received something out of his abundance” (John i,
16). Sanctifying grace effects what its name signifies—it makes
those who are justified holy. And so St. Paul refers to all the
faithful in the state of grace as “saints.” But there are varying
degrees of this grace, as St. Paul says: “Each of us has received
his own special grace, dealt out 10 him by Christ’s gift” (Ephes.
108

THE EXCELLENCE OF THE PRIESTLY GRACE

109

iv, 7); and besides, some people make better use of actual
grace in preparing themselves for sanctifying grace, which they
then use more effectively than others. Cf. St. Thomas, la Ilae,
q. 112, a. 4. This ought to be especially true of the priest, so
that we may find in him a fitting share in the holiness of Christ
—the pre-eminent cause of all our holiness.
The primary purpose of this grace
The primary purpose of the priestly grace is the worthy
celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass. “For the serving of
Christ in the sacrament of the altar a greater interior holiness
is required than that demanded for the religious state” (St.
Thomas, Ila Ilae, q. 184, a. 8). And that is why the solemn
promise of celibacy, which is contained in the vow of chastity
taken in the Western Church before receiving the diaconate, is
eminently suited to the priesthood. St. Augustine wrote in
his sixtieth letter to Aurelius (n.i) : “Amongst those who stay
in the monastery as monks, we will only accept for the clerical
state those who are more virtuous and more perfect.” The same
condition is expressed in the Decree of Gelasius, which is often
quoted by St. Thomas—for example, Ila Ilae, q. 184, a.8,
4a obj.
This teaching is of the highest importance, and secular priests
are deluding themselves if they think that only those in religion
need make a serious effort for perfection. Some are of the
opinion that so long as they remain in the state of grace, that is
sufficient, since they are not bound to strive for that degree of
interior perfection desired by a Carmelite nun or by other
religious orders. That view is certainly not shared by the
Fathers and Doctors of the Church. In fact, there have been
many saintly religious—such as St. Pacomius—who feared the
responsibility of the priesthood and refused priestly ordination.
We must never lose sight of the high degree of holiness required
for the worthy celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass. And
this is the primary purpose of the priesthood.

The secondary purpose of the priestly grace
The secondary purpose of the grace which the priest receives
at ordination is the sanctification of the faithful. If the priest
has the care of souls, he has a special obligation to strive for

I ΙΟ

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

holiness of life, because of his duty towards the mystical body
of Christ. In no other way will he be able to sanctify the souls
committed to his charge, or avoid the dangers of the world
which are not to be found in a monastery. (Cf. St. Thomas,
loc. cit.)
The priest must be a man of prayer, mortified, and humble.
His wisdom and prudence must be supernatural, and his inten­
tion must always be upright and pure. He must possess that
strength of will which is born of great charity and zeal for the
glory of God and the salvation of souls. He should never revolt
against adversity, and in all his work he should have Christ’s
interest at heart, not his own (Phil, ii, 21). “We are Christ’s
incense offered to God ... a life-giving perfume where it
finds life” (II Cor. ii, 15). “We carry about continually in our
bodies the dying state of Jesus, so that the living power of
Jesus may be manifested in our bodies too” (II Cor. iv, 10).
That is to say, the priest must share not only in the priesthood
of Christ but also in his state of victim to the degree determined
by the will of God for the saving of the souls committed to
his care.
This is the meaning of the following words of St. Thomas
(Ila Ilac, q. 184, a. 8): “By holy orders a man is appointed
to the loftiest ministry of serving Christ himself in the sacrament
of the altar. For this he requires a greater interior holiness than
that demanded of a person in the religious state.” It is also
required for his ministering to souls, for his priestly apostolate.
True, a simple religious who is not a priest—such as a lay
brother—is in virtue of his profession a victim, because he offers
himself to God by the practice of the three vows of poverty,
absolute chastity, and obedience. But a priest, even if he is not
a religious, when he offers the body and blood of Christ on the
altar, has a greater obligation than a lay brother or sister to
unite himself in spirit to the spotless Host which he holds in
his hands. Also, his incessant labour for the sanctification of
souls imposes on him a similar obligation.
This duty of perfection should be taken frequently as a subject
for the priest’s meditation and contemplation, and also as a
motive for praise: “quantum potes tantum aude, quia major
omni laude.”
If a religious has a spe cial and serious obligation of striving

THE EXCELLENCE OF THE PRIESTLY GRACE

111

for perfection in view of his religious profession, with even
greater reason does the same obligation hold for a priest in
view of his ordination and his duties towards the sacramental
body of Christ and towards the mystical body of Christ. St.
Jerome wrote in the 125th letter to Rusticus: “So act and live
in the monastery that you make yourself suited for the clerical
state.” This is quoted by St. Thomas, Ila Ilae, q. 184, a. 8,
obj. 4 and ad 4.
The author of the Imitation wrote as follows for a religious
who became a priest (bk. iv, c. 5) : “Behold, thou art made
a Priest, and art consecrated to celebrate; see now that faith­
fully and devoutly, in due time, thou offer up Sacrifice to God,
and that thou show thyself blameless. Thou hast not lightened
thy burden, but art now bound by a stricter bond of discipline,
and art obliged to greater perfection of sanctity. A priest ought to
be adorned with all virtues, and set the example of a good life
to others. His conversation should not be with the popular
and common ways of men, but with the angels in heaven, or
with perfect men upon earth . .
True, he must not turn his back on sinners, or even on those
who are spiritually blind, but his dealings with them must be
ruled by a friendly desire to recall them to the state of grace :
“I have come to call sinners, not the just” (Matt, ix, 15). He
must be priestly in his behaviour towards everyone.
The proximate source of priestly holiness
The holiness of the priest is based on the sacramental grace
which he receives at his ordination. This grace, as we said
earlier on, adds to sanctifying grace a modal reality which
confers a right to the graces necessary to fulfil the priestly
functions in a holy manner, whereas the character enables a
priest to perform those functions validly.1 This modal reality
added to sanctifying grace is like a feature of the spiritual
countenance of the priest, and it is meant to continue growing
until death—in the same way as sanctifying grace and charity.
On the other hand, the indelible character of the priesthood—
which gives a man the power to carry out his priestly tasks
validly—does not permit of growth, any more than does the
1 Cf. St. Thomas, Summa, III, q. 62, a. 2, and commentators; also Supple­
mentum, q. 35, a· >·

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

validity itself. Sacramental grace, therefore, gives the priest a
right to fresh and loftier actual graces for an increasingly holier
celebration of his Mass, and he will actually receive them if he
is generous and faithful to his vocation. “A special grace has
been entrusted to thee ... do not let it suffer from neglect.
Let this be thy study, these thy employments, so that all may
see how well thou doest. ... So wilt thou and those who
listen to thee achieve salvation” (I Tim. iv, 14-16). See also
St. Thomas’s Commentary on this passage.
The priest has been given five talents, which are meant to
yield a profit: “The man who had received five talents came
forward and brought him five talents more. . . . And his
master said to him, Well done, my good and faithful servant;
since thou hast been faithful over little things, I have great
things to commit to thy charge; come and share the joy of thy
Lord” (Matt, xxv, 20-21). But the servant who hid his talent
in the earth was punished for his waste of opportunity. That
is why St. Paul says: “A special grace has been entrusted to
thee ... do not let it suffer from neglect.”

The splendour of the priestly grace
This must be judged from the purpose for which it is con­
ferred—for the devout celebration of Mass and for the priest’s
ministry to souls. So, because of its purpose, this sacramental
grace possesses a sublime character from the very moment of its
conferment. Not even the angels themselves are called to this
service of the altar, which is only surpassed in its dignity by
the divine maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It might be
asked—how is it possible for a man who is in every way inferior
to the angels to receive such an extraordinary grace? Theolo­
gians reply that, just as the eagle is superior to man in possessing
wings and a keener vision—although man himself is of a higher
nature—so also the priest is superior to an angel in virtue of his
power to consecrate and absolve, and also in virtue of his
priestly grace, although angels certainly belong to a higher class
of beings. Even in a small degree this sacramental grace of
Orders is of outstanding excellence and as precious as a
diamond.
This grace is a permanent and intimate gift of the priest.
Being a modality of sanctifying grace, it is received into the

THE EXCELLENCE OF THE PRIESTLY GRACE

I 13
very essence of the soul, and thus exerts an influence on all its
powers, sanctifying both its internal and external actions. It
reveals itself in the charity of the priest, in his prudence, in his
piety, etc. St. John Chrysostom has said {De Sacerdotio, bk. iii,
c. i)1: “Since the priesthood is so divine in character . . .
who can doubt that the choicest of all graces have been allotted
to Ordination?” And St. Ambrose writes in his letter to the
church at Vercellae (Ep. 63, n. 64) : “The life of a priest should
manifest the same superior excellence as the grace of the
priesthood.” Generally speaking, therefore, the faithful priest
receives more guidance and help and strength than do the
ordinary faithful.
Denis states in his book de Hierarch, eccl., c. v, n. 8: “Priests
have been fully and finally prepared for sacred learning and the
power of contemplation by their priestly consecration.” By
their priestly grace they receive a special disposition for a
deeper understanding of the mysteries of faith, for the discern­
ment of spirits, and for prayer or the raising of their mind to God.
This is not surprising, seeing that priests are called to preach
the word of God and to apostolic action. Now, as St. Thomas
points out (Ila Ilae, q. 188, a. 6): “Sacred learning and
preaching have their origin in an abundance of contemplation.”
In the ordinary course of events their preaching of the mysteries
of salvation must spring from their life of contemplation,
otherwise they will not be speaking as they should ex
abundantia cordis. Their sermons will be nothing more than
historical or apologetic commentaries, and this will not suffice
for imparting the divine life to their hearers.
Fr. Olier, Traité des Saints Ordres, IIle Partie c. 6, expresses
a similar opinion when he says that for the comforting of the
poor and the sorrowing, the priest must possess inexhaustible
charity. (Cf. Fr. Giraud, II, 497.) If the priest attains to a
high state of prayer, this will be of immense benefit not only
to himself but also to many other souls. That is the opinion of
St. Teresa, when speaking of the soul which reaches the prayer
of union or the fifth mansion (c. 4). It is this grace of union
with Christ which is the culmination of our priesthood rather
than a host of external achievements, or the writing of books,
1 This reference would appear to be incorrect, and I have been unable to trace
the quoted statement. Tr.
9

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

or the learning which is expressed in them.1 And this will be
brought into effect if the priest is continually striving to imitate
in his life Christ our Lord—in his way of thinking and loving
and willing and acting. That was the aim of St. Paul: “For
me, life means Christ; death is a prize to be won” (Phil, i, 21).2
“Yours is to be the same mind which Christ Jesus shewed . . .
he dispossessed himself” (Phil, ii, 5). “Arm yourselves with the
Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. xiii, 14), “so that the living power of
Jesus may be manifested in our bodies too” (II Cor. iv, 10, 11)
—in other words, by a life of innocence, of chastity, of simplicity,
of charity, and of all the virtues. “Our mortal nature must be
swallowed up in life” (II Cor. v, 4).
This is the desire of every good priest, but even more so is
it the ardent desire of Christ himself. He is far more anxious
than we are to raise us up to himself: “who for us men came
down from heaven and was crucified for our salvation.” St.
Paul says (Gal. ii, 20) : “True, I am living, here and now, this
mortal life; but my real life is the faith I have in the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
St. Augustine writes in his Enchiridion, c. 53: “The events of
Christ’s life were so ordered that the life which the Christian
leads in this world might be modelled upon them, not in any
mere mystical sense, but in reality. For it is said of his cruci­
fixion: ‘Those w'ho belong to Christ have crucified nature,
with all its passions, all its impulses’ (Gal. v, 24)—of his burial,
‘in our baptism, we have been buried with him, died like him’
(Rom. vi, 4)—of his resurrection, ‘that so, just as Christ was
raised up by his Father’s power from the dead, we too might
live and move in a new kind of existence’ (Rom. iv, 4)—of his
ascension into heaven and of his sitting at the right hand of the
Father, ‘Risen, then, with Christ, you must lift your thoughts
above, where Christ now sits at the right hand of God. You
must be heavenly-minded, not earthly-minded; you have
undergone death, and your life is hidden away now with Christ
in God’ (Coloss, iii, 1-3).”3
1 Cf. St. Bernard, who is quoted by Fr. Giraud, op. cit., II, p. 518.
2 As already noted, St. Thomas states in his Commentary on this Epistle that
as the huntsman lives for the chase, the soldier for his military service, the student
for his study, so must the Christian live for Christ alone. He must be the continual
object of his thought and love.
s Cf. Fr. Giraud, II, p. 512; also Fr. Olier, l'imitation de Jésus Christ, Traité des
Saints Ordres, III, cc. 4-5.

THE EXCELLENCE OF THE PRIESTLY GRACE

I 15

St. Thomas comments as follows on I Tim. iv, 14: “A special
grace has been entrusted, to thee ... do not let it suffer from neglect :
because he who receives grace should not be careless about its
use, but make it productive of good. The servant who hides
his master’s money in the ground is punished because of his
sloth (Matt. xxv). Therefore, do not let the grace which is in
you suffer from neglect ...”
“Let this be thy study: so that you may always be mindful of
the duties attached to your office (either of the episcopate or of
the priesthood). . . . That is—think frequently of all that
relates to the care of your flock. These thy employments: all
your energy must be directed to that one end. And why?
So that all may see how well thou doest. ‘A lamp is not lighted to
be put away under a bushel measure’ (Matt. v). ‘Give proof to
all of your courtesy. . .’ (Phil. iv). Two things claim thy
attention, thyself and the teaching of the faith. Some there are who
devote so much care to the teaching of the faith that they pay
very little attention to themselves: but the Apostle says that
he should attend first of all to himself, and then to his teaching.
. . . Thus Jesus began to do and to teach. Spend thy care on
them: that is, keep working at them earnestly. . . And thus
your effort will yield abundant fruit. So wilt thou and those who
listen to thee achieve salvation . . . ‘Starry-bright for ever their
glory, who have taught many the right way. . .’ (Daniel xii, 3).
And the Apostle continues by saying: ‘Instead of finding fault,
appeal to an older man as if he were thy father, to younger men
as thy brothers, to the older women as mothers, to the younger
(but with all modesty) as sisters’.”
In the course of his commentary on 2 Tim. iv, 2 : “Preach the
word, dwelling upon it continually, welcome or unwelcome;
bring home wrong-doing, comfort the waverer, rebuke the
sinner”, St. Thomas says: “The preacher of the word must
always be preaching at the right moment, in actual fact, but,
according to the erroneous view of his audience, he has to
preach at the wrong moment, because the preacher of the truth
is always welcome to the virtuous and always unwelcome to
the evil . . . He is bound to preach from time to time to evilminded men in order to convert them. That is why St. Paul
says: ‘welcome or unwelcome.’ ‘Cry aloud, never ceasing’”
(Isaias Iviii).

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

The universal extent of this priestly grace
The extent or diffusion of this grace should correspond to
its splendour, or to its growth in intensity. It should spread
to all the virtues, to all souls, and to every part of the
Church.
In the first place, the priest is meant to possess all the virtues
connected with charity, together with the seven gifts of the
Holy Ghost, so that—in the words of the Roman Pontifical—
“every kind of righteousness may shine forth in him.” He
should set an example of charity towards God and his neighbour,
of supernatural wisdom, justice, steadfastness, mercy, fortitude.
He must be upright, learned, mature in his behaviour and in all
his undertakings. He should possess perfect faith and exemplary
chastity. In fine, his life should be one of complete integrity
so that the pleasing influence of his virtues may be a source
of joy to the Church, the bride of Christ. Therefore the
priest should be a man of discretion, not given to excessive
laughter or speaking. His speech should be thoughtful and wellchosen, which requires a spirit of habitual silence. He will
then be able to say a great deal—and something of enduring
importance—in a few words.
Secondly, the universal extent of the priestly grace should
reveal itself in its influence on the souls under the priest’s care.
The priest should give himself completely to others by devoting
to them his entire strength, mind, time, and health. This he
will do by means of his ministry, prayer, sacrifices, and example.
In spite of all their failings the souls under the priest’s care
should receive his diligent attention, so that he may bring them
safely through the perils of this life. He should give particular
attention to the distressed and the poor—the sorrowing mem­
bers of Christ’s mystical body.
Finally, not even the Church suffering in Purgatory nor
the Church triumphant in Heaven are excluded from the
far-reaching influence of the priestly grace. The author of
the Imitation of Christ writes in bk. iv, c. 5, n. 3: “When
a priest celebrateth, he honoureth God, he rejoiceth the
angels, he edifieth the Church, he helpeth the living, he
obtaineth rest for the departed, and maketh himself partaker
of all good things.” When he celebrates with reverence and
devotion he is raised up to Heaven among the unseen choirs

THE EXCELLENCE OF THE PRIESTLY GRACE

II7

of angels.1 In this way are verified the words of St. Paul:
“Risen, then, with Christ, you must lift your thoughts above,
where Christ now sits at the right hand of God. You must be
heavenly-minded, not earthly-minded” (Coloss, iii, 1-2). This
perfect priestly life becomes, so to speak, the beginning of eternal
life: “He, in giving life to Christ, gave life to us too . . . raised
us up too, enthroned us too above the heavens, in Christ Jesus”
(Ephes, ii, 5-6).
In a similar way the priest is also in union with the souls in
Purgatory, when he prays for them during the Mass and infal­
libly applies to them the fruits of the sacrifice, for he obtains for
them cool repose, comfort, and release from their sufferings.
The priest who celebrates his Mass devoutly spreads terror
amongst the ranks of the demons, because the eucharistie
sacrifice has limitless value in resisting evil—-just as much as it
has in causing good. The devils find themselves face to face
with an insuperable obstacle when they are opposed by the
hostile and fearsome victim offered in the Mass together with
his precious blood. So far as they are concerned, no better
description could be given of the church in which this sacrifice
is offered than that contained in the Mass of the Dedication of a
Church: “This is a fearsome place: it is the house of God, the
gate of heaven: it shall be named the palace of God.” The
devils look on the Mass as a sacrifice to be greatly feared, for
they recognize only too well from its effects the infinite value of
the Mass: “Thou believest that there is only one God . . .
but then, so do the devils, and the devils shrink from him in
terror” (James ii, 19). On many occasions souls have been
freed from the grip of an evil spirit as soon as Mass has been
offered for their release.
In his 17th Conference, Fr. Charles de Foucauld states that
one Mass gives more glory to God than do the deaths of all the
martyrs and the collective praise of the angels ; for, whereas the
martyrdom of men and the homage of angels have no more than
a finite value, the Mass possesses an infinite value. But at the
1 St. John Chrysostom writes in his treatise On the Priesthood, bk. vi, c. 4: “At
that moment (of consecration) the Angels are present round the priest, the entire
realm of heavenly powers raises its voice in praise, and choirs of Angels fill the
sanctuary to do honour to him who is sacrificed.” Also St. Gregory the Great,
Dialog., bk. iv, c. 58: “Choirs of angels are present, the low and the high consort
together, earth is joined to heaven, the seen and the unseen are united as one.”

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

same time that does not mean that one Mass would be sufficient.
Each one adds something to the other, just as in the life of
Christ not a single one of his theandric meritorious acts was
redundant, because each of them added something to the one
preceding. Every one of them had been offered by the Saviour
from the very first moment of his entry into the world.
Thus we witness the universal extent of the priestly grace
spreading to all the virtues, to souls in every walk of life, and to
the Church militant, triumphant, and suffering. It is by this
means that Christ continues to exert his influence on souls
through his priests whether they are baptizing, absolving from
sin, celebrating Mass, distributing Holy Communion, blessing
marriages, instructing children, or helping the dying. If the
ministry of priests ever ceased, the world would plunge into
paganism. Priests who are apostolic and offer their Mass
with purity of mind and heart are raising up “stones that live
and breathe, into a spiritual fabric” (i Peter ii, 5). They
give joy to the saints in Heaven and are glorifying God almost
unceasingly. They are spreading the kingdom of God and
gradually destroying the evil in the world.

Part Three

THE PRIEST’S MINISTRY
The third part of this work is to be divided into two sections,
the first being devoted to the ministry of preaching the divine
word, and the second to the ministry of confession and spiritual
direction.
We will discuss the ministry of preaching under the following
headings: the model of Christian preaching; the secular
approach; the purpose of Christian preaching; its efficacy;
essential subjects lor sermons and their presentation; different
forms of preaching.

Section One
THE MINISTRY OF PREACHING THE
DIVINE WORD
Chapter One

CHRIST’S PREACHING, THE MODEL FOR ALL
CHRISTIAN PREACHING

E ought to find in this ministry a practical illustration

W of the principle that goodness necessarily diffuses itself,
and the higher its nature, so much the more completely and

intimately does it diffuse itself. This was certainly true of the
mysteries of the Incarnation, Redemption, and Eucharist, and
it should also be true of any form of apostolic preaching, which
has continued without ceasing since the day of Pentecost. St.
Peter’s sermons from that day forward gave ample witness to the
truth of what St. Thomas wrote in his Summa, Ila Hae, q. 188,
a. 6, that preaching should proceed from an abundance of
contemplation on the mysteries which are to be explained—
the mysteries of the redemptive Incarnation, the Eucharist,
and eternal life.
This spirit of contemplation is born of vigorous faith en­
lightened by the gifts of the Holy Ghost- faith which is stead­
fast because of divine authority, faith inspired by charity, faith
which penetrates eternal truths through the gift of under­
standing, faith which shares the tastes of God himself through
the gift of wisdom, faith which is practical and directs what is
to be done under the influence of the gifts of knowledge and
counsel and under the influence of the soul’s devotedness to its
Father which comes through the gift of piety, so that, even the
gifts of fortitude and fear of God are perfecting its faith. These
gifts are possessed by every soul in the state of grace and are
increased by the daily reception of Holy Communion. They
should, therefore, be present in the priest, the preacher of the
faith.
121

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

The Apostles received their commission to preach from Christ
himself, and they were given the necessary grace for their work :
“Go out all over the world, and preach the gospel to the whole
of creation” (Mark xvi, 15). Now the Bishops are the suc­
cessors of the Apostles, and they—together with the Pope—
constitute the teaching Church. So to-day they themselves
appoint others to go out over the world and preach the faith.
Every priest with the care of souls must carry on this ministry
of preaching, and for this work he possesses the graces appro­
priate to his position, graces which are not to be found in a
layman, no matter how eloquent he may be.
Hence the priest must first convince himself that his com­
mission to preach the Gospel has come from God through the
Bishop, and that he cannot fulfil his task successfully without the
aid of grace. God alone can move men’s hearts and convert
sinners. For that reason the priest must pray to God for the
necessary grace, so that his preaching may be supernatural and
fruitful.1
With this end in view, St. Thomas lays down three conditions
(Ila Ilae, q. 177, a. 1). He who preaches the faith must speak
in such a way that the word of God enlightens the intellect,
gives spiritual delight to the affections, and effectively inspires
the will to be obedient to the divine commands with the aid
of grace.
We would do well to consider the splendid way in which all
these conditions were fulfilled in the preaching of Christ and the
Apostles.
In the first place, Christ’s preaching enlightened the mind
of his hearers. He revealed to them the sublime mysteries of
the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Redemption, the Eucharist,
eternal life, with the highest authority and yet with perfect
simplicity and humility. Notice the wonderful union of these
two extremes.
His authority was unrivalled and unique. “For he taught
them, not like their scribes and Pharisees, but like one who had
1 I know an excellent priest who has been preaching on the Rosary for many
years to the spiritual benefit of innumerable souls. The secret of his amazing
success lies in the fact that before he began he wrote to 150 convents of contempla­
tive nuns, asking for their prayers and sacrifices. In consequence, his preaching
has been strengthened by these prayers and sacrifices which obtain grace for his
hearers.

THE MODEL FOR ALL CHRISTIAN PREACHING

I23
authority” (Matt, vii, 29). He did not enter into useless
wrangling over the texts of Scripture, like the Pharisees. Neither
did he propose abstract proofs, such as the philosophers give.
Nor did he use the tricks of oratory to compel the admiration
of his audience. His statements were brief, clear, profound.
They proved a stumbling-block to evil tendencies, and made a
deep impression on the intellect, immediately piercing the soul
through and through. They struck home like arrows, even in
the most stubborn natures.
Moreover, he spoke as the supreme master: “You hail me
as the Master, and the Lord; and you are right, it is what I am”
(John xiii, 13): “You have one teacher, Christ” (Matt, xxiii,
11) : “I am the light of the world” (John viii, 12-14). And it is
in his name that we must preach. That is why he said to his
Apostles and their successors : “You are the light of the world.”
That is to say, you must preach the need of accepting the faith
because of the authority of God revealing, and for no other
motive. The Christian belief is not a collection of religious
opinions, which have a mere probable value and could be
false. On the contrary, it is infallibly certain, entirely free from
the possibility of error. It would be impossible to conceive any
greater authority.
But Christ confirmed his teaching by the authority of his
life, and the priest should follow his example. Very often the
life of a philosopher is not in harmony with his moral teaching,
whereas Christ fulfilled perfectly the precepts and counsels
which he put before his listeners: “Jesus set out to do and to
teach” (Acts i, 1).
Christ combined with his supreme authority perfect simplicity
and humility—a union in one person of two widely-separated
extremes which was wholly divine in its conception. Christ
was too noble to be proud. He was the peak of lowliness, and
thus, even in the midst of all his majesty, he was a model of
humility: “The learning which I impart is not my own, it
comes from him who sent me” (John vii, 16) : “Learn from me;
I am gentle and humble of heart” (Matt, xi, 29). He did not
look for the title or honours of Doctor. While the Pharisees sat
in the place from which Moses used to teach, Christ preferred
to preach the Gospel to the poor who were looked down
upon by those who deemed themselves wise. He preached

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everywhere and to all classes—on the mountain, on the shore of
the sea of Tiberias, in Solomon’s porch. There was no rhetorical
splendour in his speech, no straining after effect. He spoke
easily in parables about the highest mysteries, in a way suited
to his hearers but without pandering to popular taste.
It seemed that the loftier his subject, the simpler and more
sedate was his style of delivery. Divine truths were natural to
him. They formed the object of unbroken contemplation, and
were loved with an infinite love. But, though these treasures
were possessed by Christ completely and in an unlimited degree,
he proportioned them to our weakness so as not to overwhelm
us. It was in this way that Christ harmonized in his preaching
divine authority with simplicity and humility.
However, Christ did not merely enlighten the mind; there
was also a remarkable spiritual charm about his preaching
which delighted the affections of his hearers. Why ? Because
he spoke with overflowing emotion. The constant theme of his
preaching was the supreme love of God for men. He told the
crowds gathered around him: “I have come so that they may
have life, and have it more abundantly” (John x, io). The
pleasing attraction of his teaching was especially evident in the
eight beatitudes, in his conversation with the woman of
Samaria, in the final address to his disciples before the Passion.
This supernatural charm of Christ’s preaching has nothing
in common with the useless sentimentality of a John James
Rousseau, for example. Christ’s doctrine is at once opposed to
our inordinate inclinations, and yet profoundly attractive to
our heart. His charm is combined with strictness, self-denial,
and due severity: “If thy eye is an occasion of falling to thee,
pluck it out and cast it away from thee” (Matt, xviii, 9) ; “If
any man has a mind to come my way, let him renounce self,
and take up his cross” (Mark viii, 34).
“God’s word to us is something alive, full of energy; it can
penetrate deeper than any two-edged sword, reaching the very
division between soul and spirit . . . quick to distinguish every
thought and design in our hearts” (Heb. iv, 12).
And finally, Christ’s preaching was efficacious in moving
the wills of men to act correctly and holily: “The words I
have been speaking to you are spirit, and life” (John vi, 64).
Many, in spite of great difficulties and the threat of persecution,

THE MODEL FOR ALL CHRISTIAN PREACHING

I25
caine to believe in him. Even the officers of the Pharisees, not
daring to seize him, were forced to admit that “nobody has
ever spoken as this man speaks” (John vii, 46). His Apostles
defended his teaching with their blood. On innumerable
occasions the morals of a whole nation have been restored by his
teaching; times without number it has been the means of
inspiring an ardent love of God and one’s neighbour, culmi­
nating in evident sanctity and martyrdom. After twenty cen­
turies the words of Christ still retain their original extraordinary
effectiveness.
This is a very different picture from that presented by the
better philosophers of the past. Rarely did they succeed in
correcting the interior inclinations of men, and to-day their
works are only read by a few of the learned.
Therefore the preacher of the faith should follow in the
footsteps of Christ as closely as possible, so that he may be able
with the aid of divine grace to enlighten, attract, and move
effectively the souls of men. He must ask for this help at all
times—before he preaches, while he preaches, and after his
preaching. If he continues to pray, his preaching will become
a channel of living water flowing down from its divine source.

Chapter Two

THE SECULAR APPROACH TO CHRISTIAN
PREACHING1
the best way of grasping in a practical form the
correct approach to Christian preaching is to study care­
fully what it ought not to be. In a similar way we have a
clearer realization of the value of justice from observing the
suffering which follows on injustice.
First and foremost, the preacher must be a man of tre­
mendous faith, and it is precisely because of weakness in his
faith that so many failings appear in his preaching. If it is
true that belief in the word of God is expected of him who
listens to sermons and instructions on the faith, with even
greater reason is it true of the preacher himself.
A vigorous and discerning faith is absolutely essential for
apostolic preaching. Without it, one’s preaching may well be
academic, but it will certainly not be apostolic. Without it,
the priest is a mere orator, not a Christian preacher. Thus St.
Paul finds his motive for preaching in the words of Psalm 115:
“I have believed, therefore have I spoken.” Cf. 2 Cor. iv, 13.
It is as though St. Paul wants us to know that if he had not
believed, he would not have spoken.
The reason for this need of faith is simply that the priest is
not speaking as a mere man, but as the representative of
Christ—in the name of God in whom he believes. His audience
is composed of those who believe, or at least desire to believe.
Therefore his words to them must always be guided by faith.
St. Paul says (1 Cor. ii, 4): “My preaching, my message
depended on no persuasive language, devised by human wisdom,
but rather on the proof I gave you of spiritual power; God’s
robably

P

1 Even in the Old Testament, Ezechiel and Jeremias had spoken of this irreverent
attitude towards the divine word displayed by false prophets. So also did St.
Paul. Cf. St. Francis of Sales, Letter on the manner of preaching·, St. Alphonsus,
Letter Io a religious on the way ofpreaching. Advice to preachers', Ven. Joseph Frassinctti,
Gesii Cristo, regola del Sacerdote, c. iii; Dcsurmont, La Charité sacerdotale, 3e éd., 1906,
vol. II ; Monsabré, La prédication-, Litterae encyclicae S. Congreg. Episcoporum ac Regu­
larium super Sacra praedicatione, written at the command of Leo XIII, July, 1894;
St. M. Gillet, O.P., Littera ad Ordinem Praedicatorum, circa Praedicationem.
126

THE SECULAR APPROACH TO CHRISTIAN PREACHING

127

power, not man’s wisdom, was to be the foundation of your
faith. There is, to be sure, a wisdom which we make known
among those who are fully grounded; but it is not the wisdom
of this world. . . . What we make known is the wisdom of
God, his secret, kept hidden till now; so, before the ages, God
had decreed, reserving glory for us.” St. Thomas has an
excellent commentary on this passage: “St. Paul points out
that it was not his intention to rely on the persuasive force of
rhetoric, but on the proof he gave of spiritual power, since that
was clearly the source of his words. This he himself states
(2 Cor. iv, 13); ‘We too speak our minds with full confidence,
sharing that same faith.’ St. Paul gives as the motive of his
previous remarks ; God's power, not man's wisdom, was to be the
foundation ofyour faith. That is, he does not intend their faith
to be based on human wisdom, which so often leads men
astray. He then adds: there is, to be sure, a wisdom which we make
known among those who are fully grounded ... the wisdom of God,
his secret, so that the faithful receive later on a lucid under­
standing of everything which is now veiled in his preaching.”
In order to confirm what we have said, we would do well to
remember the disastrous effect of any preaching which is too
human in character. Far from promoting the glory of God and
the salvation of souls, it obstructs them.1 That is to be ex­
pected when preaching is devoid of sacred eloquence. What is
meant by this sacred eloquence? To say that a thing is sacred or
consecrated means that it has been set apart for divine worship,
and the more sacred the use to which it is put, the more perfect
is its consecration. Thus the sacred vessels are more sacred
than the chasuble or the cope; the chalice and ciborium are
consecrated in the strict sense of the word and not merely
blessed, because they are to contain the body and blood of
Christ. The priest’s fingers are also consecrated, since they
touch the sacred victim of the Mass.
But after the sacraments there is nothing more divine, more
sacred, than the word of God contained in Scripture and
Tradition and which has to be preached to the faithful.
Therefore this preaching is aptly termed sacred eloquence.
Moreover, as the priest’s words improve in their power of
expressing a vigorous belief—which itself is an expression of
1 Cf. Fr. Desurmont, La charité sacerdotale, II, 7.

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

divine wisdom and of God’s love for men—so much the more
perfect does that sacred eloquence become.
In the same way as the silver of a chalice is overlaid with
gold, so is the ordinary rhetoric used in sacred eloquence
perfected in a supernatural way. It loses many of its useless
ornaments and receives higher qualities.
Since it is an eloquence to be used for preaching the Gospel
to all men, it must obviously be adapted to human nature. At
the same time, however, it should not be so popular as to make
little or no appeal to the educated. It should also avoid being
too abstract or too artificial, so that it may be understood by all,
even by the uneducated. The presentation of the word of God
should provide nourishment for the soul, just as material food
nourishes the body. Christ desires to offer himself to us in
Holy Communion under the appearance of ordinary food;
similarly, he desires the word of God to be presented in a simple
but splendid style, because of its subject-matter and purpose.
It follows that sacred eloquence is the most perfect and yet the
most difficult of all the various forms of rhetoric, since it has to
propose supernatural truths in such a way that they penetrate
the souls of men in every walk and condition of life.
This is a difficult task, and well-nigh impossible without
divine assistance. These supernatural truths are admittedly
sublime mysteries, but they are obscure, and they are just as
repugnant to the pride of the human intellect as the commands
of the Gospel are to the fallen state of man’s desires.
It is no use merely proposing these supernatural truths and
divine commands in a theoretical way. They have to be
presented in such a form that they penetrate the inmost recesses
of the human soul. The soul must come to realize as clearly as
possible what is naturally beyond its powers, so that it will
firmly believe the truths proposed and steadfastly embrace
God’s precepts.
Finally, sacred eloquence must have this effect on all men
without exception, no matter what their condition of life may
be. It must enlighten the ignorant, convince the sceptic, and
induce the depraved to abandon their pleasures, their hatred,
and their envy in order to turn to God.
Therefore sacred eloquence possesses of its very nature—as
being something supernatural—unparalleled perfection and

THE SECULAR APPROACH TO CHRISTIAN PREACHING

Ι2θ

persuasiveness, and is, with God’s help, most fruitful with the
result that its effects endure for all eternity.1
For this reason the greatest orators of all time have been the
Apostles, since their preaching proceeded from an abundance of
contemplation on the mysteries of salvation; for example, St.
Peter on the day of Pentecost, when as the result of his preaching
three thousand Jews were converted and baptized. Similarly,
St. Paul, St.John the Evangelist; later on, St.John Chrysostom,
St. Augustine, St. Bernard, St. Dominic, St. Vincent Ferrer,
St. Francis Xavier.
But sacred eloquence has one perennial foe—the spirit of
secularism, which renders the word of God ineffectual and
fruitless.
In considering this secular spirit which may invade the
priest’s preaching, Fr. Desurmont points out how in those
functions of the priestly ministry which do not depend on the
skill or artistry of the priest himself and which do not enhance
his reputation the essential parts of the rite are always observed.
Thus it rarely happens that a priest does not baptize validly,
or that he does not consecrate when celebrating Mass. But it
does happen frequently that when he comes to preach he does
not preach as he should do—with apostolic zeal.
The reason for this is not difficult to find. A sermon is the
result of the combined effort of all the priest’s powers ; it reveals
his entire person; it is his struggle against the vices of the
surrounding world. Everything in the priest co-operates in his
preaching—study, reflection, his powers to compose and revise,
the activity of his intellect, his imagination, his memory, his
feelings, his voice. Therefore, when he preaches, the priest
stands exposed for all to study; some will be attracted, others
will not. Some will accept what he says, others will simply
criticize.
So if the priest approaches his task from the human angle,
he w'ill say to himself: “I cannot afford to lose my reputation;
people of weight in the parish who take offence easily must be
spared their feelings and not provoked ; I must proceed warily
so as not to incur criticism.” In that way Christian eloquence
is invaded by a profane eloquence in which the preacher looks
after his own interests, not the glory of God or the saving of souls.
1 This is well explained by Fr. Desurmont, op. cit.
io

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

This human or secular approach to Christian eloquence may
originate from any of the following three sources. Sometimes it
is due to a lack offaith ; the priest fails to meditate on the divine
word, to study it and make it part of himself, to penetrate its
meaning. He quotes the words of Scripture from memory,
but they are not for him “spirit and life.” He does not speak
with overflowing emotion, meaning every word which he
speaks; consequently his preaching is uninspiring and fruitless.
Sometimes, this profanation of Christian eloquence is due to
a want of humility in the priest. His vanity makes him seek to
please men rather than God. It is not God who directs his
speech, but himself. The pulpit is used as a platform for showing
off his intellect, his imagination, his voice, his skill. He does not
speak of the truths which are opposed to vice, but is solely
concerned with pleasing his audience and fitting in with the
mood of the times. Very often this form of preaching becomes
absolutely ridiculous, theatrical, and irritating.
The third source of this secular spirit in Christian eloquence is
to be found in a lack of prayer and charity. The priest is only
anxious to cut a good figure amongst his fellow men, and does
not worry about the glory of God and the saving of souls.
Consequently he neglects to pray earnestly for the conversion
of souls. On the contrary, if he were to pray often and sincerely
for this intention and if he were to ask for the prayers and
sacrifices of saintly souls, his preaching would be most fruitful.
That is why St. Dominic used to pray all night and do penance
in preparation for his preaching the following day. His first
foundation was an order of contemplative nuns, not the Order
of Preachers, so that they might offer up unceasing prayer
and sacrifice for the apostolate of his friars.
There are three forms of the apostolate—prayer, daily
sacrifice for the conversion of sinners, preaching. Without the
first two, the third will never be fruitful. From time to time
God has revealed that a priest’s success in his preaching has
been due to prayer offered in secret by someone else. There
was once a certain lay brother who was the constant companion
of a famous preacher, and while this priest was delivering his
sermon the lay brother would pray without ceasing. Many
souls were won over to the service of God as a result of these
sermons, and it was revealed to the priest that he owed his

THE SECULAR APPROACH TO CHRISTIAN PREACHING

ΙβΙ

amazing success to the sincere and humble prayer of that lay
brother.

Fr. Desurmont is perfectly correct in speaking of the human
approach to Christian preaching as a real scourge and disaster,
for these are the only words which can be used for a prevailing
and wide-spread evil which destroys life.
It is an evil which prevails frequently, since it can only be over­
come by genuine charity in the priest, a charity which exerts
its influence continually and makes itself felt in others. But,
unfortunately, this kind of charity is rare. Even in Christian
surroundings charity is more often than not lukewarm or
inspired by purely natural motives. No wonder, then, that the
preacher lapses into a careless or affected style of preaching.
Moreover, this evil of humanism in Christian preaching
spreads so easily by being imitated. People are deceived by the
veneer of success, and public opinion is by no means a safe
guide in this matter. In order to remain unaffected by the
usual judgment of the crowd or by the seeming success of
others, the priest requires a courageous zeal and a determined
character—a rare gift in the world.
Finally, the human approach to preaching takes all the life
and value out of Christian eloquence by altering completely the tone
and balance of its subject-matter—an action which is similar to
that of pouring into the chalice water and a drop of wine,
instead of wine and a drop of water. It is not the Gospel
which is preached, but a collection of social theories which
tend towards socialism. Gradually a new and false purpose is
introduced into preaching. The priest does not urge his people
to think seriously about their eternal salvation; his whole
concern is for their temporal welfare, for the building up of an
earthly paradise. One has only to think of Lamennais and his
writings. The simple form of the Gospel is abandoned for
the artificiality of modern elocution; the divine word gives way
to a worthless fluency in speech. And in this stream of words
the priest will fail to present God to his people, because he is
thinking of himself only. Christ and his Gospel are not to be
found in this form of preaching, just as the precious blood would
not be present in a chalice where one drop of wine had been
mixed with water.
In consequence, the priest will meet with very little genuine

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

success, since he has forgotten or does not understand these
words of Christ: “It was not you that chose me, it was I that
chose you. The task I have appointed you is to go out and bear
fruit, fruit which will endure” (John xv, 16).
Fr. Desurmont says rightly that profane eloquence in preach­
ing hinders the work of redemption, because Christ’s words are
not being observed : “You are the salt of the earth; if salt loses
its taste, what is there left to give taste to it? There is no more
to be done with it, but throw it out of doors for men to tread it
underfoot” (Matt, v, 13).
Therefore, in the words of this author, the life of souls is
destroyed by this secular spirit in preaching, because they are
being starved of their spiritual food of truths contained in the
Gospel. Their taste is perverted, for they now prefer adulterated
food—false opinions—and they cannot correct their taste, since
they never hear a forceful presentation of the truth. As a result,
wherever this secular approach to preaching prevails, zeal for
the saving of souls is lacking.
Not only is this type of preaching fatal to those who listen to
it, but it is also fatal to the spiritual life of the preacher himself.
It destroys his zeal and weighs heavy upon his conscience.
Such preaching is a sin which comes very near to sacrilege, since
it violates what is sacred—as though one were to substitute some
other liquid for the wine used in the sacrifice of the Mass.
This sacrilege could be a mortal sin, especially if it became
habitual. Cf. Fr. Desurmont, op cit.
To-day there are very few outstanding preachers who en­
lighten the minds of their hearers with the light of faith, or
who inspire them to carry out the divine precepts and to strive
for salvation. Sermons tend to be apologetic or social confer­
ences in which the speaker is more concerned with the rational
or even historical approach and makes no attempt to direct
Godwards all the faculties of the souls of his hearers. He simply
expounds truths after the manner of a lay philosopher, as
though the faithful had long since ceased to believe; he does
not preach as a genuine priest of Christ.
On the other hand, Christ and his Apostles put forward
their apologetic from a supernatural standpoint, for the
motives of credibility were never devised by men but by God,
who, so to speak, came down to our level in order to point out

THE SECULAR APPROACH TO CHRISTIAN PREACHING

133

the correct way to our end in life. These motives of credibility
—such as the prophecies of the Old Testament and of Christ
himself, miracles, the wonderful fulfilment of all our desires—
can be considered from two different angles; either from the
outside and from below by those who are looking for the faith,
or from above after the manner of Christ and the Apostles who
adjusted themselves to the minds of those who were searching
for belief. In a similar way, stained glass windows in a church
may be viewed either from the outside—when their meaning
will be grasped imperfectly—or from the inside of the church,
when they are seen with their complete beauty and meaning.
And thus, for example, rationalists study the prophecies of the
Old Testament from the outside, while those who are sincerely
searching for the way of belief have a better insight into their
meaning and value; but their full understanding—so far as
this is possible here on earth—is reserved for those who possess
already the virtue of faith, enlightened by the gifts.

Chapter Three

THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTIAN PREACHING
this chapter we will consider the end we must have in view
when preaching and the relation which should exist between
this end and the subject-matter of our sermons.
n

I

Christian preaching must always be directed towards the final end
of man; that is, towards the supreme love of God and the eternal
salvation of souls.
While the advocate uses all his eloquence for the temporal
welfare of his client and the politician uses his eloquence for the
common temporal welfare of the state, Christian eloquence must
of its very nature be ordered towards the glory of God and
eternal life. True, this purpose may not make such a strong
appeal to the senses, but it is far loftier and strongly attracts
those who are seeking God.
In an army everything—such as food, clothing, footwear,
military music, entertainment—is made subservient to the
final end of victory. So should the priest when preaching direct
even the smallest detail towards the glory of God and the saving
of souls. That was God’s purpose in creating the world, and
he sent his Son and the Holy Ghost for the very same purpose.
In Sacred Scripture everything is intended for the final end
of man.
We have already pointed out how this end is to be achieved.
The word of God must be preached in such a way that it
enlightens the understanding of those who believe, provides
spiritual pleasure for the heart of those who hope, and inspires
the will of the faithful to charity both in action and in feeling.
In this way it must prove an effective means of promoting acts
of the three theological virtues. It is then that a priest’s preach­
ing assumes the genuine character of Christian preaching.
Sacred eloquence resembles the sun shedding its light on
man, whereas human eloquence—which has merely a temporal
end in view—is like an artificial fire in comparison with the sun.
Genuine Christian preaching is, if we may use the phrase, the
>34

THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTIAN PREACHING

135

food and drink of the soul, whereas human eloquence is like
sugar given to sweeten the taste.
The priest should often make this general purpose of preach­
ing the chief topic of his sermon, frequently talking to his
people about the final end of man, eternal salvation, the serving
of God and his glory, death, prayer as an essential means of
salvation, final perseverance, the duty of loving God and Jesus
Christ, devotion to Mary as a sign of predestination and the
way which leads to eternal life.
The priest should never tire of putting these subjects before
his people. The soldier in battle is told that he must either
conquer or die ; the sailor in a storm at sea knows that he must
either make port or drown. So must we preach to the faithful—
either eternal happiness, or eternal punishment.
St. Philip Neri used to drive this lesson home whenever he
could. One day he said to a farmer: “Francis, why are you
working?”—“I want to have a good harvest.”—“Why?”—
“So that I may feed my family.”—“But in spite of all this food
for yourself and your family, death is bound to come sooner or
later.”—“Yes, I realize that.”—“But what comes after death?
Remember your catechism; you have only two alternatives
after death, either Purgatory and then Heaven, or Hell.
Therefore you ought to be working here and now not only for
your daily food, but more especially for your eternal life.”
On another occasion he was speaking to a priest, already a
dignitary in the church: “And now what do you desire?”—
“I would like to be an apostolic nuncio!”—“Very well, but
what then?”—“Perhaps a cardinal.”—“But then what?”—
“Perhaps the Pope.”—“And then?” The priest replied:
“That is a pointless question. There is nothing more after the
Papacy.” “I beg to differ”, was St. Philip’s reply, “there is
something more—death. And after death, there is either
Purgatory and then Heaven, or Hell. You would do far better
to desire eternal life rather than a nunciature.”
For this reason the final end of man and his eternal salvation
ought to form the subject-matter of the first conference in
almost every retreat. Christ himself opened his first sermon on
the mount with the beatitudes in order to show that eternal
happiness begins here on earth; although everybody looks for
happiness, not all of them realize that it is only to be found in

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

loving God above everything. St. Thomas begins his exposition
of moral theology in the Summa, la Ilae, with a treatise on the
final end of man and the happiness of Heaven, the final end
taking precedence in the order of intention. If we look for the
reason why people show such little generosity in keeping the
commandments and are not prepared to take the means—
sometimes painful means—of attaining their life’s purpose, it is
because their desire for their final end is not sufficiently powerful.
There is, therefore, an urgent need for the priest to preach
frequently on man’s final end, on loving God above all things
and on eternal salvation.
Preaching loses its Christian character when it does not con­
cern itself with eternal salvation, or when it fears to mention
eternal punishment. We find in the New Testament that Christ
often spoke about Hell, and the saints were never afraid to
preach about it. Otherwise a priest’s sermons will cease to be
priestly and become purely academic. He will avoid the
important truths, soften down the Gospel, and fail to lead souls
to salvation.
The priest should never fail to mention man’s final purpose—eternal
salvation—even when preaching on other topics, since everything is
meant to converge towards the final end. The mysteries of our
faith are usually referred to as the mysteries of salvation, parti­
cularly the Incarnation, the Redemption, the Eucharist, and
Penance. So also are grace and the virtues ordered towards
salvation. No matter what subjects are chosen for sermons,
they should all be treated from the view-point of their relation
to eternal life—the good use of time, forgiveness of injury,
restitution, the obligation of hearing Mass on Sunday, prayer
as an important means of salvation, duties towards one’s
parents or children, duties towards one’s equals or superiors or
inferiors, the necessity of avoiding even venial sin. It is difficult
to see how any sermon can be practical and apostolic without
this bias towards eternity. Attention would then be centred on
matters of secondary importance to the neglect of the one thing
necessary. Furthermore, individual truths would lose their
meaning and value once divorced from man’s final end, rather
like parts of a clock scattered over a table. After all, secondary
matters only acquire importance from their relation to the
primary object.

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137

That is the plan followed by God in Sacred Scripture where
the ordering of everything towards salvation is guided by
charity. Certainly one does not find the logical ordering
characteristic of a theological treatise, but there is a most
perfect one inspired by charity.
Christ himself followed the same plan in his preaching. For
example, blessed are the poor in spirit; why?—because the
kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for holiness; why?—because they will have their fill,
namely in heaven. Blessed are the clean of heart; why?—
because they will see God. Blessed are the peace-makers;
why?—because they will be called the children of God. . . .
“Be glad and light-hearted, for a rich reward awaits you in
heaven” (Matt. v). Notice that the justification in the practical
order for each of those statements is a reference to the final end
of man, which ought to have the first place in the order of inten­
tion even though it comes last in the order of execution. This
argument forms the basis of all others.
Just as the principal theme of military eloquence is the love of
one’s country, so also the principal theme of sacred eloquence is
God, the love of God, man’s final end. St. John, for instance,
speaks continually about the love of God and one’s neighbour,
almost overlooking all the other virtues: “We must love God;
he gave us his love first” (i John iv, 19). St. Paul in his turn
enumerates all other virtues as being particular determinations
of charity which directs them and makes them meritorious:
“Charity is patient, is kind, . . . sustains, believes, hopes,
endures to the last” (1 Cor. xiii, 4 and 7).
However it may be objected that people will grow tired of
hearing the same truths repeated over and over again. That
may well be true, but a good preacher will avoid this danger of
monotony if he begins his sermon with some practical question
which each of his hearers has to answer for himself. For in­
stance, how can we overcome the many inconveniences with
which we meet in our private life, in our family life, in our social
life—inconveniences which we find so annoying? There is only
one remedy—recourse to God, who must be loved above every­
thing else. In this way it is possible to give a practical illustration
of the relation which everything has to God—our final end—
without being monotonous. Once these truths are explained

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in the right way our people will not be bored but will find peace
of soul in God. Do we lose our taste for bread simply because
it is our daily food? Neither will the soul lose its “taste” for
God, if it truly desires its sovereign good. What does tire the
soul is a type of preaching which is not supernatural, is inspired
by human motives, strains after effect, and thus fails to give the
soul its essential food. It is useless trying to satisfy the soul with
a veneer of truth and goodness which eventually proves dis­
tasteful, just as a lion could not be fed on grass.

Chapter Four

THE EFFICACY OF CHRISTIAN PREACHING

must first consider the general nature of this efficacy,
then the results which come from ill-prepared and wellprepared sermons, and finally, the practical line of conduct
which ought to be followed by the zealous preacher.
The efficacy of preaching is shrouded in mystery. For, in the
first place, it depends not only on the effort put into it by the
priest himself but also on the hidden workings of God’s grace
which has to be obtained through prayer: “It was for me to
plant the seed, for Apollo to water it, but it was God who gave
the increase. . . . You are a field of God’s tilling, a structure
of God’s design” (i Cor. iii, 6 and 9). The Apostles were simply
God’s workers in the field of the apostolate. Secondly, it
depends on the interior dispositions of the congregation, as is
well portrayed in the parable of the sower (Matt, xiii, 4); the
word of God is like a seed of corn which sometimes falls on
rocky land, sometimes among briers, sometimes on good soil.
“The man who took in the seed in good soil is the man who
both hears and grasps the word; such men are fruitful”, but
not to the same extent: “one grain yielding a hundredfold,
one sixtyfold, one thirtyfold.” And thirdly, the effects of a
sermon are not always immediately evident; sometimes they
come to light later on when God sees fit, on other occasions
“the enemy comes and scatters tares among the wheat” (Matt,
xiii, 25).
So it may easily happen that “one man sows, and another
reaps” (John iv, 37). Furthermore, “he who sows sparingly
will reap sparingly” (2 Cor. ix, 6), and “the men who are
sowing in tears will reap, one day, with joy” (Psalm 125, 5).
Jeremias sowed in tears, so also did many other prophets and
apostles, and it seems at first sight that their preaching was all
in vain, but they will reap the reward of their effort with joy.
However it must be remembered that preaching can only
be fruitful if it is prepared. It is nearly always true that a sermon
which has not been preceded by careful study and prayer does
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not bring lasting profit to souls, even to those who are well
disposed. At first sight such sermons may appear to have been
most successful, but their success is superficial and is confined
to the imagination and the feelings. Neither the intellect and
its faith, nor the will and its charity have been affected, so the
seeming success is only a passing phase. Even should the priest
succeed in capturing the imagination and the senses of his
hearers, and his sermons hurry on with growing excitement to a
point where the people hardly dare to breathe, if they arc not
based on genuine faith and charity they cannot increase those
virtues and will do no more than rouse the feelings for the time
being. It is far better to speak slowly and thoughtfully with
sincere faith, confidence, and charity.
In contrast, zealous preaching which has been well prepared
by meditation, study, and prayer is always of great profit to
souls who arc well disposed, even though its efficacy may not
appear at once. Time and time again it succeeds in converting
the hardened sinner.
The success of this preaching is due to divine grace, since the
priest is now co-operating with God himself. Hence its efficacy
is immense, sometimes most remarkable; perhaps we might
even go so far as to compare it with the efficacy of the sacra­
ments, although its effects are not strictly speaking ex opere
operalo, but they do result from the divine word expounded in
the course of the sermon. So that even if the priest does not
possess outstanding intellectual gifts or natural eloquence,
provided his preaching is inspired by great faith, hope, and
charity, he will meet with amazing success—like St. Peter on
the day of Pentecost, or St. Vincent Ferrer, or St. Francis
Xavier, or St. John Vianney.
This zealous preaching makes use of all the good dispositions
of those who are listening, both their natural and supernatural
dispositions. The people come to trust and respect such a
priest. It is as though Christ himself were speaking through the
priest as his minister. He gives him the graces proper to his
state and sometimes apostolic graces {gratiae gratis datae} or
good inspirations to say what is best for the conversion of souls.
It is said of St. Vincent Ferrer in his Office: “He began to
preach with such power and success that he led large numbers to
belief in Christ and persuaded thousands of Christians to turn

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141

from their sins to repentance, from their vices to virtue. . . .
Once he succeeded in breaking the attachments of his hearers
to things of earth, he incited them to a love of God.”
What should be the priest’s practical attitude towards the
outcome of his apostolatc of preaching? (Cf. Fr. Desurmont,
op. cit.) In the first place, he must continue preaching the word
of God, since this is one of die most fundamental duties of the
priestly state. He was sent by Christ and the Church to preach.
And when he is firmly convinced that it is the Gospel which is
the word of God, he must be prepared to make the Gospel
the subject of all his preaching until the day of his death, no
matter what sacrifices that may entail. He must believe in
the mystery and efficacy of the divine word. If ever a day
should come when the priest refrains from preaching the word
of God, there will begin to grow among his congregation a
prevalent disregard for salvation and a lack of enthusiasm for
the glory of God and the saving of souls. His church will be
lifeless and inactive, like so many schismatic churches. There­
fore the priest must preach God’s word without interruption.
Secondly, the priest must beware of falling a victim to
delusion in his preaching, discovering success where it does not
really exist. This would be a serious temptation to vain glory;
he would swell with pride and become—as we say—drunk with
his own success. Even if his congregation were wonder-struck
and tearful, it would not follow that there had been a genuine
and lasting conversion. In fact, there are occasions when such
external signs are lacking, and yet there is serious reflection
leading ultimately to conversion. That is clearly the effect of
the word of God.
Thirdly, the priest must maintain his confidence in God and
in the efficacy of divine grace. There are certain times and
places when depression is liable to become a serious temptation
for a priest whose apostolate seems to be yielding little or no
result. He preaches but nobody listens, he sows but does not
reap. And so he is weighed down with sorrow.
In order to fight against and overcome this feeling of sorrow,
the priest should plead for the grace of an even more steadfast
belief in the efficacy of God’s word. He should say to himself:
when I preach the Gospel, it is not I who am preaching but
God who is preaching in me and through me, and how could

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this word of God be fruitless? God works in a hidden way;
although results may not always come to light immediately, his
actions are bound to be effective. What a privilege I have in
being able to preach the word of God which cannot be other­
wise than fruitful. God never speaks to no purpose, and
although my sermon this morning does not seem to have any
obvious effect, it sows a seed which, perhaps, will bear fruit
many months later. I must keep on hoping and never judge the
utility of my preaching from its apparent success or failure.
“One man sows, and another reaps”, as the Gospel says (John
iv, 37) ; and it is true even of Jeremias that “the men who are
sowing in tears will reap, one day, with joy” (Psalm 125, 5);
they will certainly receive the reward of their supernatural
labours.
All true success belongs to God ; my duty is to work and to
sow in his name. The efficacy of Christian preaching is certainly
mysterious, but it is never in vain. As St. John of the Cross says,
one interior act of pure love for God and for souls is of greater
profit to the Church than a number of sermons, which though
they might appear effective are inspired by less charity. St.
Thomas states that Jeremias prophesied the Passion of Christ,
clearly foreshadowed in his own sufferings (Illa, q. 27, a. 6);
and it was this that made his preaching so fruitful.

Chapter Five

SUBJECTS FOR SERMONS AND
THEIR TREATMENT
is stated in the Catechism of the Council of Trent that the
Creed, the two supreme precepts of love of God and one’s
neighbour, and the Decalogue form the ordinary subject-matter
of preaching. In other words, we should put before our people
the mysteries they have to believe and the precepts they have to
observe—although these precepts will be appreciated better if
we speak about the theological, cardinal and allied virtues. In
point of fact every catechism presents a complete scheme of
Christian preaching directed towards the eternal salvation of
mankind.
However, when preaching doctrinal sermons on the mysteries
of faith or on the virtues, it is important to avoid any discussion
which would prove too abstract or too difficult.
In preaching about Almighty God we should explain his
wisdom, his providence, his love, justice and mercy, but without
entering into discussions about the problem of evil; simply say
that God could never permit evil except for a greater good and
give some outstanding practical illustrations of this truth.
In preaching about the Trinity we should treat of the
intimate life of God, the fruitfulness of the Father through the
eternal act of begetting the Son, the close union between the
three divine Persons, their indwelling in the soul—but nothing
about subsistent relations !
When speaking on the Eucharist we should concentrate on
the Real Presence and Holy Communion, saying little about
transubstantiation and the accidents of the Eucharist.
When preaching about eternal salvation, we should speak
of final perseverance, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, but make little
reference to predestination as it is liable to give rise to
misunderstanding.
In brief, as stated earlier, the priest should treat of all the
subjects of his sermons from the standpoint of their relation to
man’s final end. For instance, he should view detraction in the
t

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light of God’s judgment; he should consider obedience in its
bearing on salvation, and the birth of Christ in relation to our
obligation to love and glorify him. He must speak frequently
about the three theological virtues, which have as their immedi­
ate purpose God himself who is our final end, and about the
double precept of love of God and one’s neighbour which
gives light and life to the Decalogue, just as charity is the form
of all the virtues giving them their meritorious value.
However, if the people are weak in their faith, it would be
more profitable to speak to them about the reality of the
future life rather than about eternal salvation as such, and about
the divinity of Christ rather than about his love for us. Apolo­
getic sermons are essential where faith is none too strong. But
this type of preaching can become superficial and ineffectual
if the priest does not realize clearly the purpose behind such
sermons. He will not be working for the salvation of souls even
indirectly, if his will is not sufficiently set on that ideal.

Subjects for retreat conferences
Although this list is intended primarily for retreats to
religious, it could be used for other retreats. The subjects
suggested have as their principal theme progress in the spiritual
life from the point of view of its four causes—
(1) The final end to be achieved.
(2) Sin which impedes progress towards this final end;
and confession.
(3) Christ’s redeeming love for us—the mystery of the
Redemption.
(4) Our love for God—the supreme precept and Holy
Communion.
(5) Love of our neighbour.
(6) Penance and self-denial, which are essential for progress
in charity.
(7) Humility as opposed to the pride of life, and its effects.
(8) Evangelical poverty as opposed to the concupiscence of
the eyes.
(9) Christian chastity as opposed to the concupiscence of
the flesh.
(10) Obedience in opposition to the spirit of insubordination.
(11) The carrying of the cross in imitation of Christ.

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(12) Prayer of petition, liturgical prayer, the Mass.
(13) Mental prayer and its fruitfulness.
(14) Docility to the Holy Ghost and his gifts.
(15) Devotion towards the Blessed Virgin Mary.
(16) Zeal for the glory of God and the saving of souls—
the apostolate.
Other suitable subjects for retreats—
The interior life as a ceaseless conversation with God.
The three theological virtues considered individually.
The cardinal virtues, and those which are related to them.
The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost.
The indwelling of the Trinity in the souls of the just.
The influence which Christ exercises as head of the mystical
body.
The influence of Our Lady.
The increasing of grace by merit, prayer, and the sacraments.
Fruitful confession.
The Mass as a source of holiness.
Holy Communion.
The different purifications of the soul and intimate union
with God.
The composition of sermons
The entire construction of a sermon must be ruled by the
purpose for which it is intended—the conversion of those who
will be listening. The eloquence of the preacher and the
effectiveness of his sermon are dependent on this ordering being
observed. Rhetoric is the art of persuasive speech, and sacred
rhetoric is intended to persuade people primarily of the need
for turning to God.
The beginning. Right from the very outset it is important to
capture the attention of one’s audience by putting before them
some vital and fundamental question which is going to be
considered throughout the entire sermon, so that the final
solution will not be given in its entirety until the end. In this
way the priest ensures the unity of his sermon by choosing a
leading idea. When presenting the question it is essential to
give in a clear and practical form the precise difficulty which
has to be solved, or the obscurity which has to be dispelled by
a gradual enlightenment of the mind during the sermon.

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For example, should we wish to preach on the duty of loving
God above everything else in the world, we could begin by
pointing to the large number of people to-day who love them­
selves first and foremost. They reveal their self-love in their
unwillingness to resist the concupiscence of the flesh, the con­
cupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, and it is this spirit
of self-gratification which causes strife between individuals and
families, and wars between nations. What is the remedy for all
this unhappiness? One thing is quite certain; no solution will
be found if men continue to love themselves rather than truth,
justice, and God himself who is the source of all truth and
goodness. By putting the opening question in this practical
form it should prove possible to claim the attention of those
who are present. One good preacher used to say that a priest
should begin his sermon by drawing a picture of men groping
in the dark, of widespread confusion, or of some great evil
which ought to be avoided. His people would thus appreciate
better the urgent need to receive the light of truth and to
embrace the real good. In other words, he begins by pointing
out that although all men desire happiness, many of them seek
it where it is not to be found. But what does the Gospel have
to say about true happiness? We are not surprised to find that
Christ himself began his preaching by talking about happiness.
Another example : if the priest wishes to exhort his people to
hope in God, he could begin by showing how the majority of
men alternate between presumption which takes its rise in
pride, and depression which comes from failure. The incon­
veniences which result from these moods are obvious. What then
is the remedy? The virtue of hope in God which prevents these
troublesome effects of presumption and despair by raising a
man above the passing events of this life.
In order to preach on justice it would be as well to begin
by giving a brief summary of the intolerable evils which follow
from injustice. The more a man knows about the suffering
caused by injustice, the more he appreciates the need and value
of justice. On the other hand, if the opening words of the
sermon are a plea for the observance ofjustice in one’s everyday
life, many of the congregation are liable to say to themselves:
that’s all very well, but we have heard that appeal thousands of
times before and there are very few who pay any heed to it. Now

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147

if everybody else acts unjustly, how can I be expected to do
otherwise ?
It is important, therefore, to present the question or difficulty
to be solved in a practical form, as St. Thomas does at the
beginning of all his articles. He points to the difficulty by
drawing up a list of objections. The preacher can then be sure
of capturing the attention of his audience, even if he is not
particularly eloquent. From that point onwards the whole
sermon should be so arranged that the final and complete
solution is reserved for the end. To give it earlier will be to
lose the attention of the people. No one will continue to listen
to the second part of the sermon if the climax has already been
reached in the first.
It is impossible to over-emphasize the importance of a good
beginning to a sermon. It used to be said that there were three
sources on which the priest could draw for the theme of this
opening; the subject itself by presenting the main difficulty
which has to be solved in the course of the sermon, the contrary
opinion which has to be refuted, or sometimes the prevailing
circumstances by considering some event which is taking place
at the time of the sermon and to which the sermon is related.
The method of St. Vincent de Paul could also be used when
preaching on one of the Christian virtues—
(1) The nature of this virtue—for example, humility—by
contrasting it with behaviour which masquerades under the
same name, and with the vices opposed to the virtue which are
themselves contrary to each other (such as pride and faint­
heartedness) .
(2) The motives which prompt us to possess this virtue—our
relations with God and with our neighbour, and the need of this
virtue for salvation.
(3) The means which enable us to practise this virtue fre­
quently—for example, in the ordinary circumstances of every­
day life, and when something unexpected happens. The
advantages of this virtue.
*

*

*

The principal argument. Once the prologue is prepared we can
proceed with the composition of the body of the sermon. But
here we must remember that it is the essential point of the

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sermon which has to exert the chief influence on the faculties of
those who will hear it, so that everything else is secondary and
must be made to support the main argument and not over­
shadow it.
The priest would do well to imitate the example of a good
Christian mother in her effort to reconcile her children after a
quarrel. She chooses her words carefully for the end she has in
view, and does not urge them to forget their quarrel before she
explains why they ought to forgive each other. So, too, the
priest; if, for instance, he wants to bring sinners to confession,
he should give his reasons first before exhorting them to
repentance.
As a general rule the body of the sermon ought to appear in
the form of a clear argument or syllogism, of which the major
is a truth well known by everyone and the minor a truth which
has to be developed or explained.
For example, everyone must pray if prayer is an important
means of salvation. But according to Sacred Scripture prayer
is such a means, since it is through prayer that the soul opens
itself to the influence of grace which God desires to give us, but
which he will not force on souls that prefer to obstruct its flow.
Therefore everyone must pray.
Another example, we must forgive injury if God has com­
manded us to do so. But God has commanded the forgiveness
of injury over and over again, promising his mercy to those who
themselves are merciful. Therefore, if we want to obtain God’s
mercy, we must forgive injury.
Another example, the chief petition of all our prayers should
be for the grace which is most essential for salvation. But the
grace which is most essential for salvation is the grace of a
happy death, for which the soul prepares itself by turning away
from creatures to God. Therefore we must ask with special
insistence for this grace and prepare ourselves for it.
Arguments such as these are easily understood by all and are
convincing, provided that the hearers do believe. But even
those who have little faith may find themselves convinced by
one or other of the points mentioned in the course of explaining
the argument. It is in this way that the word of God will be
made to penetrate not only the intelligence of the people but
also the inmost recesses of their souls; it will enlighten them,

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149

afford them spiritual pleasure, and move them to conversion.
The priest who preaches in this way and speaks with overflowing
sincerity possesses the gift of eloquence.
More often than not the priest can presume that the major
proposition of his argument is known and accepted by everyone,
since it reveals its own truth immediately. That being so, he
concentrates on the explanation and development of the minor.
Let us suppose that he wants to urge his people to go to con­
fession before the feast of Easter and not to keep putting it off
from one year to the next. He will build up his argument
as follows—
If to remain in sin for any length of time is rash and without
rhyme or reason, then the sinner should immediately turn to
God without delay. But it is extremely rash and unreasonable
to remain in sin for any length of time. Therefore he should
turn to God at once.
There is no need to delay over the major, since it is so evident.
All one’s attention and powers of persuasion must be given to
the development of the minor, in order to make quite clear the
recklessness and madness of delaying repentance from one year
to the next. What the priest must do is to wear down the stub­
born resistance of the sinner, who must be made to realize the
force of the argument for himself, so that he will say: “this is
perfectly true, I am a fool and my recklessness has brought me
to the brink of spiritual disaster.” And then we may hope that
with the grace of God the sinner will be won over from his evil
life.
The minor can be proved by two parts of the sermon, first,
by showing the risk involved in constantly delaying one’s
return to God, since death may come at any moment; and,
secondly, by pointing out that such behaviour is unreasonable
and the height of foolishness.
*

*

*

The conclusion, which makes itself known gradually in the
course of the sermon, is clearly stated in the peroration. In
this way the attention of one’s audience is held until the very
end by the principal idea or theme, which at the outset was
presented in the form of a difficulty that had to be solved;
for example, many people are extremely careful about their

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temporal affairs—their health, their business, their will—
and yet they are not in the least perturbed by the postponement
of their confession from one year to the next. Is that the right
way of living? The people will listen and wait for the final
answer which is reserved for the end of the sermon.
More often than not the priest is speaking to an audience of
men and women who are ignorant in matters of religion and
distracted by their life in the world. To help them understand
the main argument of the sermon the major must be absolutely
certain and the minor very carefully explained, otherwise they
will not grasp the force of the conclusion, and will come away
unmoved.
In order to make the conclusion convincing the priest should
give a brief summary of his argument, make it obvious that the
conclusion applies to each one of his hearers, and exhort them
to resist their passions and obstinate moods. Therefore the
peroration must be marked by charity and a zealous desire for
the conversion of those who are present, because the priest’s
eloquence cannot be sincere and fruitful without that zeal.

*

*

*

Should the sermon consist of two parts or more? Certainly
there must always be a short introduction, a body to the sermon,
and a conclusion. But sometimes it may be just as well to
divide the body of the sermon into two or three parts, although
this is not always necessary, especially if the sermon is short.
In this case the major will already be obvious and the minor will
not need several explanations but one which is clear and
convincing.
Thus, for instance, when preaching on the effects of Holy
Communion the priest will divide the body of his sermon to
correspond to the different effects of this sacrament; it is the
food of the soul, a remedy for the ravages of sin, strength against
future temptation, and it gives a spiritual delight in the service
of God.
Another example, the sacrament of Confession was instituted
by God, first, because no one but God could have thought of
such a sacrament or have had it accepted by men; secondly,
because if it had been instituted by some man or woman, it
would have provoked such violent discussions that history would

SUBJECTS FOR SERMONS AND THEIR TREATMENT

I51

have recorded the event; and thirdly, because we have the
testimony of Scripture and Tradition to show that Christ
himself instituted this sacrament and no one can refute that
testimony (cf. John xx, 23): “Receive the Holy Spirit; when
you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven, when you hold them
bound, they are held bound.”
Bossuet divides a sermon for religious on the observance of
silence as follows: the introduction refers to the dissensions
caused by sins of the tongue—the body of the sermon treats of
three kinds of silence, the silence laid dowm by the rule of the
Order, the silence dictated by prudence in conversations with
others, the silence of patience in times of suffering or contra­
diction—and the conclusion corresponds to the opening
question.

The type of argument to be used and the development of the principal
argument
While unity must be preserved at all costs, the sermon has to
be so arranged that it appeals to all the faculties of the listener
and not merely to his intellect, in order to obtain his conversion
to God. For this purpose the priest should use as a general rule
three types of arguments : an argument based on the authority
of God’s revealed word in order to appeal to the faith of his
hearers; a rational argument or one drawn from commonsense
in order to appeal to their reason; an “emotional” argument,
one which is directed to the affective part of their intellectual
and sense nature, so that the conclusion combined with God’s
grace may inspire their will to follow out some practical
resolution. It may also be useful to show the falsity of erroneous
opinions, if the priest knows that they are being propagated
amongst his people and are disturbing their minds.
*

*

*

The principal argument of the sermon has to be developed
and enlarged, but very often younger priests do not know how
this is done. When they repeat exactly the same argument over
and over again in synonymous terms, they multiply words
unnecessarily as the sermon hurries towards its emotional climax
in their anxiety to imitate the ardent charity of the saints. But
the people are given no time to think, hardly time to breathe,

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
Ï52
and they quickly tire. They go away with confused, undefined
emotions which do not have any noticeable results. True, such
preaching may sound like a melodious hymn of praise but it
fails to produce the all-important prayerful effect of hymns
already known, such as the “Spiritual Canticles” of St.
Alphonsus.
How should the argument be developed? (Cf. Fr. Desur­
mont, II, p. 53). Now although Logic is essential for the
purpose of proving a truth it is bound to be too theoretical by
itself, and so requires to be supported by examples. Aristotle
himself has pointed to the necessity of this form of development
in his books on rhetoric. Otherwise, sin remains in its logical
dress as evil but does not appear as a fearful monstrosity;
Hell is presented as a punishment but not as a hideous torment;
God as the Supreme Being but not as the supremely attractive
Good. Logic by itself is never sufficient to produce the salutary
effect which the argument is meant to have on the people
listening. For that purpose the argument has to be enlarged, so
that the truth may appear in all its reality and importance.
So, for example, it must be shown how a life of virtue means the
beginning of the happiness of Heaven and a life of sin brings
nothing but unhappiness, so that anyone listening will say to
himself: “This actually happens in real life far more so than
ever I thought.”
We have always to remember that there is no more con­
stricted truth in our mind than divine truth, the truth of the
Gospel, since this is infinite whereas the human mind is
extremely limited. While we find it easy to recognize that a
plague is a great evil it is not so easy to realize that mortal sin
is a great evil, far greater than a plague. It is a truth which
lies fallow in the mind, a truth which is abstract and not suffi­
ciently practical (cf. Fr. Desurmont, II, p. 54). And thus the
people are not effectively convinced by the conclusion of the
sermon, they never realize its truth. But if the priest were to
take these eternal truths as subjects for contemplative prayer,
he would find no difficulty in convincing his people that sin is
the greatest of all evils.
The development of the sermon must be adapted to the end
which the priest has in view. For instance, if he is trying to
urge sinners to great confidence in Our Blessed Lady he must

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153

explain what is meant by devotion to Our Lady and the general
motives for this devotion; but he must also lay special emphasis
on the motives which appeal to sinners, showing by the aid of
examples how Mary is the refuge of sinners, the gate of heaven,
the morning star, the health of the sick, the comfort of the
sorrowful, the help of Christians, the patroness of the dying, a
terror to Satan and his angels, especially at the hour of death.
This skill in developing and enlarging a theme is not easy to
come by. The mere use of synonymous words is clearly insuffi­
cient; the argument has to be enlarged by additional facts.
Thus, to show that impurity is a fearful plague of the soul, the
priest must explain its nature, its causes, its effects, and its
frequent attendant circumstances. First, its nature: it is an
excess of venereal pleasure which lowers man’s spiritual nature
to what is base and degrading. Secondly, its causes: these are
the inclinations of man’s fallen nature, the temptations of the
devil, and habit which may make the failing almost incurable.
Thirdly, its effects: it proves a continual burden to conscience,
it corrupts a man’s intellect, his will, his imagination, and all
his finer feelings, it gradually undermines his health and leads
to all kinds of unpleasant diseases, it results in a hatred of God
and finally in damnation since the man’s one desire is to
satisfy the desires of his flesh. Fourthly, its attendant circum­
stances: it frequently destroys the good repute of even public
figures, it incites men to sacrilege, and sometimes makes them
the wretched and ignominious slave of some prostitute. It is
obviously a most fearful plague and leads a man into the depths
of unhappiness. This is the correct way to develop the main
argument and it will also be convincing.
We will take another example, where the priest is urging his
people to fulfil their Easter duties, to go to confession and
receive Holy Communion. Now the development of his
arguments should always be in accord with the supernatural end
which he has in view. Thus, it would be wrong to insist on the
fulfilment of the Easter precept merely for the sake of pleasing
one’s devout wife or beloved daughter or of preserving one’s
good name and personal authority. The only result would be a
merely natural conversion. Such motives are secondary and
should only be used to prepare the people for something much
higher. It is the supernatural motive of love of God and of

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
154
eternal salvation which has to be put forward as the sovereign
reason for obeying the precept. This motive has then to be
explained in such a way as to excite acts of the three theological
virtues, living faith, hope of eternal happiness, sincere love
of God.
Just as a musician or a painter or a sculptor have to know the
secrets of their respective arts if they are to succeed, so also the
preacher of the Christian faith, otherwise he cannot produce
the desired effect. Each man has to know how to become skilled
in his own particular sphere and then put his skill into practice.
It would not be fitting for a jurist or a philosopher to want to
preach, but the priest himself is expected to know the secrets of
genuine apostolic preaching.

Style in preaching (cf. Fr. Dcsurmont, II, p. 58)
Style is defined as a special manner of speaking and writing.
There is the style proper to a lawyer, the style of the soldier,
the style of the historian, the style of the philosopher, an em­
phatic style, and so on. The style is the man, expressing what a
man is. Thus Christ had his own style, so had St. John the
Evangelist, St. Paul, and St. Peter.
W hat should be the style of the preacher? It ought to be a
style inspired by charity. Why? Because style must correspond
to the interior character of the speaker, and the dominant
trait of the priest’s character must be charity and zeal for the
glory of God and the salvation of souls. This is the genuine
style of the priest and the apostle, as distinct from that which is
characteristic of the philosopher or of the soldier. And the
supreme model of this style is to be found in the Gospel.
Charity demands that the style of preaching be expressive,
well-balanced, brief, precise, simple, suitably illustrated, and
accompanied by a fervent enthusiasm.
The style has to be expressive, because it is the vehicle of super­
natural truth and has to imprint this truth on the minds of a
varied audience. For this reason it must be logically arranged
in a way which everyone can follow and which is based on the
nature of the matter which forms the subject of the sermon.
After all, the priest should possess an overwhelming desire to
give the truth to his hearers, and to put his desire into effect
his style must express clearly what he wants to say. For instance,

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155

Jesus Christ has conferred on each one of you immense benefits.
But a benefactor ought to be thanked, and gratitude leads us to
love the person whom we thank. Then why is Jesus Christ so
little loved by men ?
Furthermore, the principal word or phrase of a sentence
ought to be made to stand out and given special emphasis;
for example, the greatest of all our benefactors is God himself.
In order to be expressive the style must be well-balanced,
brief, precise, and simple. It should be well-balanced by avoiding
all useless repetition and unnecessary words, which simply
make for a verbose style.
Secondly, it ought to be brief-—sentences should be short and
avoid the excessive complexity of oratorical periods, as in the
following examples taken from St. Augustine: “God who
created you without your co-operation will not save you without
your co-operation.” “God does not ask the impossible; his
commands are meant to exhort you to do what you can and
to intercede for what is beyond your power.”
Avoid circumlocution by using always the appropriate word
or phrase. On the other hand, there is the danger of becoming
too concise and thus making one’s meaning obscure and
enigmatical. The style should be precise·, that is, the priest
should reflect carefully on the exact word to use when expressing
the principal theme of the sermon. For this purpose it is
recommended that at least the main part of the sermon be
written down. If the language of the sermon is precise, the
truth will be made perfectly clear and obvious to all.
Finally, the style ought to be simple, within the reach of his
audience, and yet not excessively popular. It is by this means
that the word of God moves wills to action, because a simple
style does not detract the attention of the audience from what is
being said to the way in which it is said. In this it differs
from an artificial or affected style, one which is excessively
polished. A simple style is natural and forceful, and brings
elocution into the service of truth and charity.
The illustrations used in sermons should be as simple as
those in the parables. Mortal sin is likened to a fatal illness,
venial sin to a transitory sickness which can lead to something
more serious if it is not attended to. Another way of arresting
attention is the use of antithesis, pointing to the apparent

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opposition between God’s mercy and his justice, between
humility and magnanimity, between fortitude and meekness.
God reveals the power of his grace by effecting a supernatural
harmony between these qualities which are so widely diverse.
And then there is also required a fervent enthusiasm inspired by
the Holy Ghost through the gift of piety, which makes us look
to God as the kindest Father we have, to Jesus Christ as our
Saviour and friend, to Mary as our mother in Heaven, to
Heaven itself as our home country, to Hell as the worst horror
in the world. This earnest enthusiasm should not be forced
but prudent and sincere.
The preparation of notes beforehand is an invaluable help
to the memory. In the actual delivery of the sermon a frequent
use of question and answer will guard against monotony, and
the sermon then assumes the form of a conversation with the
people. Gestures should be simple and spontaneous, and in
harmony with the subject of the sermon. Everything must be
made subordinate to the spirit of apostolic charity.

Chapter Six

DIFFERENT TYPES OF SERMONS

principles of sacred eloquence never alter, but they have
to be adapted to the various types of Christian preaching
—to the sermon properly so-called, the panegyric, the ordi­
nary parochial instruction, the homily, and the catechism for
children.
In the usual type of sermon all the rules we have discussed
relating to composition and to style should be observed in their
entirety. In a. panegyric the principal rule to follow is to make
it useful for the ordinary life of the people by drawing their
attention to the saint’s virtues which they themselves can
imitate. Moreover, the priest will find it easier to talk about the
interior life of the saints if he first speaks about their faith, then
about their confidence in God, and finally, about their charity
for God and their neighbour. The reason for this order is that
generally speaking faith and hope are presupposed to charity,
and in the life of the saint there first appears the perfection of
faith, then the perfection of hope, and finally, the perfection
of charity. That is certainly true of the life of St. Thérèse, and
of the lives of the martyrs. Another method of approach is to
discover what the saint received from Christ. This was the
method adopted by Bossuet in his panegyric on St. John the
Evangelist and he divided his panegyric accordingly. Christ
gave him his heart at the Last Supper, his mother on Calvary,
and his cross for the fruitfulness of his ministry.
The parochial instruction should be delivered in the manner of
a friendly talk, at the same time making certain that the actual
instruction with its practical applications is not overshadowed
by any other part of the sermon. A homily on the Gospel of the
day cannot be divided up in the usual way, but the explanation
of the verses of the Gospel should be directed towards some
well-defined conclusion. In conferences, on the other hand,
certain points of history or of apologetics or of speculative
theology can be developed at much greater length than is
possible in the ordinary sermon to the people.
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The style of the catechetical instruction of children must always
be conversational and interesting. Questions should be asked
in order to retain their attention; instruction and encourage­
ment must be given. The priest must make use of stories and
illustrations not chosen at random but selected for their
appropriateness to the end which he has in view.
Retreats to the diocesan clergy and to religious must pay
particular attention to the special obligations of their respective
states.
For the normal type of mission preached in Christian countries
sermons are required which are adapted to the circumstances
and carefully arranged amongst themselves relating to man’s
final end, the fear of God, the theological virtues, confession,
Easter duties.1 There should also be special instructions for
young girls, for mothers, for men. A mission is, so to speak,
a battle which the apostle wages for the conversion of sinners
and then for their perseverance.
What is the plan recommended for a successful mission,
according to the laws of psychology and of grace?
There must first be an intense preparation of prayer offered
by the missioner himself, by souls consecrated to the service of
God, and by those to whom the mission is to be preached. The
opening of the mission is then devoted to disposing the people to
listen to the great truths of salvation. This must be done with
kindness in order to win their confidence and to move them to
pray to Christ our Saviour and Our Blessed Lady. Artificial
enthusiasm or excitement are to be carefully avoided; it
usually results in disillusionment later on. Special appeals
should be made to wives to bring their husbands along, and
children should be encouraged to come so as to bring their
parents with them. Sometimes it is useful to open with some
striking ceremony, such as the setting up of a special statue in
honour of Our Lady or of a large crucifix. Visits to the sick
are also recommended.
The second part of the mission should consist of sermons on
the eternal truths—eternal salvation, sin, death, the particular
judgment, Hell, God’s mercy—, on some of the chief vices such
as impurity and injustice, on the theological virtues, on the
sacrament of Penance—sincere confession, contrition, firm
1 Cf. Fr. Desurmont, II, 436.

different types of sermons

159

purpose of amendment, avoidance of the occasions of sin.
Prayer should be offered in public, in the family, and in private
for the conversion of every soul to God ; it should be pointed
out how dangerous it is to delay one’s conversion. Special
services could be held for the dead of the parish, and a public
act of reparation made to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The
people should be given every opportunity of going to confession.
The third part of the mission will concentrate on the prin­
cipal obligations of a Christian who is now resolved to dedicate
himself to the service of God : prayer—he who prays is saved,
he who does not pray is condemned—, keeping Sunday holy,
frequent reception of the sacraments, careful education of
children, respect for one’s parents, resisting temptation, good
intention, generous acceptance of the cross in daily life, con­
formity to the will of God, love of one’s neighbour. Other
sermons could be preached on the Christian family, on the need
of trust in God’s Providence for those who try to fulfil their
obligations, on devotion to the Mother of God as the mother
of mercy.
The fourth and final part of the mission will be devoted to
the gift of perseverance which is obtained through prayer and
to the daily fulfilment of our various duties. The mission should
conclude with a sermon on the erection of a mission cross and
the indulgences attached.
*

*

*

The first objective of missionary work in pagan countries must be
the conversion of unbelievers to the faith and to the initial
purification of their heart. Prayer must be offered daily for
this intention. From the outset the missionary should speak
fearlessly about Jesus Christ, his holy Mother, and the final
destiny of man. But under no circumstances should a pagan be
baptized until he is sufficiently well prepared. Then gradually
the missionary can lay down the foundations of a Christian
family, of a Christian parish, and of a Christian society.

*

*

*

In retreats given to lay people the main subjects of the conferences
ought to be the final end of man, the conversion of the sou! to
God, prayer, the obligation of one’s state, perseverance: cf. the

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Exercises of St. Ignatius and of St. Alphonsus, and the Retreats
of St. Vincent de Paul.
Priests on retreat should observe complete silence, cease from
all their usual occupations, and be alone with God. They
should pray together, renew their devotion to Jesus Christ by
adoring the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Blessed Lady by
renewing their act of consecration, and they should offer prayer
in public for all their fellow priests.
Subjects for prayer and meditation during these retreats
should include man’s final end, priestly perfection, sin, death,
judgment, Jesus Christ priest and victim, the theological
virtues, chastity, mental prayer, perseverance, apostolic zeal,
priests’ societies and conferences. These latter are extremely
useful for priests living in isolated districts; without them it
would be like trying to cross a rough sea in a skiff. The retreat
conferences should be doctrinal in character, based on Scrip­
ture, Tradition, and the accepted teaching of theologians. The
priest giving the retreat ought to speak like a person engaged
in serious conversation with his friends. At the very outset he
should state with all due respect and charity that priests can be
divided into three main categories—the virtuous, the lukewarm,
the unfaithful—and each one has to adapt the retreat to the
state in which he finds himself at that moment. Reference
should be made in the course of the talks to each one of those
groups. The unfaithful priest who is open to despair must be
encouraged to hope and confidence.
In retreats to seminary students special emphasis must be
laid on the priest’s vocation and its obligations.

Section Two

THE PRIEST’S MINISTRY AS CONFESSOR
AND SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
Chapter One

THE PRIEST’S MINISTRY IN THE CONFESSIONAL

will sometimes hear a distinction made between
preachers and confessors as if those who preach need not
give much attention to the priest’s ministry in the confessional,
a work which is often less satisfying, more difficult, and some­
times irksome. However, a priest who does reserve all his
energy for the pulpit and very little for the confessional is
bound to find his preaching abstract and theoretical; his
sermons will lack variety and he himself will not display that
sincere and profound zeal for the glory of God and the salvation
of souls which comes from practical labours for the conversion
of souls.
To hear confessions well requires patience, self-denial, great
love for souls. At the same time two extremes have to be
avoided : excessive kindness and undue severity.
Some of the faithful no longer go to confession because they
have found a confessor so tolerant of their failings that they have
gradually ceased to realize the gravity of mortal sin. They
look on confession as a mere formality with little value for their
moral life. They have lost their supernatural appreciation of
the value of confession; is that surprising, when the confessor
himself is without that same supernatural outlook? Others—
and these are in the majority—no longer go to confession
because they have found their confessor too severe. And yet
the faithful who confessed their sins to St. John Vianney were
not deterred by his firmness, since his charity was even greater.
He would sometimes readily inflict a severe penance on himself
in place of the penitent in order to help him.
It is generally true to say that a priest who is careful about his
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own confession makes a good confessor for other people. But
just as a person who has never learned how to obey never makes
a good ruler, so also a priest who is careless about his own
confession does not know how to hear the confessions of others.
St. Alphonsus {Praxis confessarii, c. i) explains that a good
confessor is a father, a doctor, a teacher, and a judge. These
are universally accepted as the four aspects of a priest’s work in
the confessional.1
As a father the confessor must be blameless in his priestly
life, wise, mature in his judgment; he must possess abundant
charity, showing himself equally kind to all—to the poor, to
the uneducated, to the greatest sinners. He must receive them
all with patience, gentleness, fatherly love, saying to them:
“Trust me completely and tell me of the state of your soul.
Do not fear. God is only too willing to forgive you all your sins
if you are sincerely sorry. That is why he has waited for you,
in order that he might spare you.” If that is the attitude
adopted by the priest, the penitent will realize that he is
kneeling before a genuine father.
As a doctor the confessor needs that priestly prudence which
will guide him correctly in asking questions about the source of
the penitent’s spiritual ills, so that he may suggest suitable
remedies, protect the “sick” person against future dangers,
warn him to avoid the occasions of sin and to make necessary
restitution, and so on.
As a teacher the confessor must have sufficient knowledge of
theology, so that he never loses sight of the great mysteries of
salvation—the redemptive Incarnation, eternal happiness,
eternal punishment—nor of the two supreme precepts of love
of God and one’s neighbour, which provide the supernatural
approach to the Decalogue and its applications. Therefore the
priest must never cease from his study of moral theology,
especially of the more frequent cases and censures.
As a judge the confessor will sometimes have to ask questions,
so far as is necessary for the integrity of the confession; he
must also decide whether to give or to refuse absolution. For
this purpose he must judge correctly the gravity of sins, their
nature, and the state of the penitent—whether he is sufficiently
1 The following five paragraphs appear in the original at the end of Chapter
Six, under the heading Recapitulatio, but they seem to be more appropriate here. Tr.

THE PRIEST’S MINISTRY IN THE CONFESSIONAL

163

attrite or not. He must also impose a penance proportionate
to the offence committed, but which is not beyond the power of
the penitent to fulfil.
These various duties of a confessor demand numerous virtues
—a spirit of faith, confidence in God, great charity, priestly
prudence, justice, courage, and also steadfast chastity in order
to help those who fall into frequent sins of impurity. Fruitful
perseverance in this ministry requires a fervent zeal for the
glory of God and the saving of souls; otherwise the priest is
overcome by weariness and may even reach a stage where he
acquires an aversion for souls. For this reason unlimited charity
and sincere apostolic zeal are indispensable virtues—as St.
Alphonsus repeats so often in his excellent work, Homo apostolicus,
tr. 16 and 21.
The duties of a confessor1
The confessor must help the penitent to make an integral
confession, a sincere act of contrition, and a firm purpose of
amendment; he should also give suitable advice.
Integrity. The priest is recommended to make a practice of
questioning any penitent who comes to him for the first time,
unless the penitent is clearly well instructed, precise, and has
already said on his own initiative everything that is necessary.
The questions should normally bear upon the penitent’s state
in life; for example, whether he is married or not, his age, his
occupation, the date of his last confession.
It is also useful to ask the penitent about the more common
types of sin and their causes, if he has not been sufficiently
explicit. In order to discover whether he may be hiding some
sin of a more serious nature of which he is ashamed, the priest
should put the following general question: “Is there anything
else weighing on your conscience, anything at all which you
would like to get off your mind ?” If there is no reply, that is a
sign that he still considers himself blamew’orthy in the sight of
God, and he must then be helped with care and discretion to
reveal what may be of a serious nature and altogether necessary
for the integrity of his confession. In such cases the priest should
ask explicitly about those sins which may probably have been
committed by the penitent in his or her state of life, and
1 Cf. Fr. Dcsurmont, op. cil., II, 130.

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implicitly about other more serious sins which could have
been committed.1
In dealing with the virtue of purity the priest must formulate
his questions in such a way as to be readily understood by the
guilty, and yet they must be sufficiently veiled and discreet as
not to offend the innocent. For instance, if the penitent con­
fesses an act which of its nature produces culpable pollution,
the priest must not ask whether pollution actually took place.
This question must never be put to women.
Contrition and amendment. In helping the penitent to make a
sincere act of contrition and a firm purpose of amendment the
confessor must be guided by his priestly charity, and avoid being
too lenient or too severe. He should remember that here he
will receive much assistance from the sacramental grace of
Orders, which is a modal determination of sanctifying grace
and therefore of charity, and entitles him to increasingly
higher actual graces in hearing confessions.
When a penitent is not sufficiently disposed to receive the
sacrament, priestly charity urges the confessor to do all that he
can to obtain sincere sorrow and a firm purpose of amendment.
It guides him in the use of all his powers of persuasion, and
while the priest is thus trying to help the penitent, so is Christ
helping his minister. In fact, without this profound confidence
in Christ’s help at that moment, the priest would never succeed
in his efforts to urge or make acceptable the necessary spirit of
contrition. The priest’s voice alone, without God’s help, could
never dispose a penitent. What is required in such circum­
stances is a supernatural eloquence, brief and to the point,
convincing and full of charity. He must say to the penitent:
“My child, try to appreciate the evil you have committed. What
evil has God done to you that you should despise his authority
in this way? If Jesus Christ had been your greatest enemy,
could you have treated him more abominably than you have
done? It was out of love for you that he sacrificed his life on
the cross to save you from eternal punishment—and see what
you have done and said against him in return. What will
happen to you if you persevere in your refusal to make a humble
1 Cf. St. Alphonsus, Praxis Confessorii·, and St. Charles Borromeo in the course
of his instructions: Quae in ministratione sacramenti Poenitentiae parochus et confessorius
observet.

THE PRIEST’S MINISTRY IN THE CONFESSIONAL

165

submission to God, if you do not ask for his grace of sincere
contrition and amendment? Then again, what good have you
obtained from all your sins? You are simply preparing your­
self for a life of unhappiness here on earth and the loss of eternal
life. Remember the words of Christ: ‘Come to me, all you
that labour and are burdened; I will give you rest’ (Matt, xi,
28). God has so far given you time for conversion—do not
delay any longer. Together with me you must intercede from
the bottom of your heart for the grace of conversion, so that
you may be genuinely sorry and receive through absolution the
grace of contrition and of firm resolve to co-operate with God’s
help in the avoidance of sin for the future.”
That is how saintly priests have always succeeded in moving
their penitents to sorrow for sin, thus avoiding laxity and
jansenistic severity.
The confessor who possesses genuine priestly charity readily
absolves all sinners who are well disposed for the sacrament or
in whom he cannot find any sign of insufficient dispositions.
And those who are not properly disposed he tries to move to
sincere contrition.
If there is any doubt about the penitent’s resolve to avoid
sin in the future, the priest should not refuse him absolution
unconditionally but promise to give it when the penitent is
better disposed. A case in point would be when the priest is
doubtful about the dispositions of those who have contracted
habits of sin, of those who frequently fall into the same sin
after repeated confession and without any effort at emendation,
and of those who are in the occasions of sin. Cf. St. Alphonsus,
Praxis confessarii, c. iv.
The habitual sinner may be absolved as often as he seriously
undertakes to employ the means necessary to overcome his
habit, but he cannot be absolved if he refuses this undertaking.
The recidivist is one who frequently falls into the same sin
after repeated confession, without making any effort to avoid
the sin. He differs from the habitual sinner who often falls into
the same sin but has not yet confessed his sinful habit. The
absolution of these recidivists presents difficulties, since they
cannot all be treated in the same way. There are those who
repeatedly commit sins due to a malicious will {recidiviformaliter),
and those who repeatedly commit sins due to frailty {recidivi

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materialiter'). These latter should be given advice and encourage­
ment, and then absolved. As regards the former, St. Alphonsus,
who steers a middle course between severity and excessive
leniency, states that as a general rule they are not to be absolved
unless they give special signs of their sorrow.
Then there are those penitents who are in occasions of sin—
either in a free proximate occasion, if it is one that could easily
be avoided, or in a necessary occasion, if it cannot be avoided.
A penitent unwilling to avoid a free proximate occasion of sin
cannot be absolved; but one who is in a necessary occasion of
grave sin may be absolved if he seriously intends to take the
necessary measures to make the occasion a remote one. The
priest’s charity will here be invaluable in pointing out the correct
path to follow, which will avoid laxity on the one hand and
rigorism on the other.

Chapter Two

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION IN GENERAL

N this chapter we intend to consider the general nature of

I spiritual direction and the qualities needed for a good direc­
tor. Other chapters will be devoted to the direction of beginners,
of the proficient, and of the perfect;1 special attention will be
given to the direction of contemplative souls (cf. St.John of the
Cross and St. Teresa). The final chapter will treat of the
discernment of spirits.

The moral necessity of spiritual direction
A confessor is not intended merely to rid the penitent of his
vices but also to conduct him along the way of perfection and to
help him grow in virtue. Such has been the constant teaching
of the saints; for instance, St. Alphonsus {Praxis confessarii,
c. 9) : “One perfect soul is more acceptable in God’s sight than
a thousand imperfect ones. So when a confessor finds a soul
whose life is free from serious faults he should take all possible
care to lead such a soul into the way of perfection and of divine
love. Let him bring home to that soul how deserving God is of
all our love, and the gratitude we owe to Jesus Christ who has
loved us to the extent of laying down his life on our behalf.
He should also point out the danger to which a soul exposes
itself by resisting a special call from God to a more perfect way
of life.”
Therefore spiritual direction is one of the normal means of
progress in virtue and of arriving at intimate union with God.
That has been the testimony of the saints; for example, St.
Basil, St. Jerome, St. Augustine. All of them say: “No one is
an impartial judge in his own case because each man judges
according to his own particular inclination”, and it is precisely
this inclination which we have to try to correct; we have to
avoid all the temptations and deceits of the devil.2 On the
other hand, a priest has the graces proper to his state for giving
1 Cf. Saudrcau, Degrees ofthe Spiritual Life, and St. Alphonsus, Praxis conjessarii,c. 9.
2 Cf. Cassian, Collationes, II, 14, 15, 24.
167

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

wise direction not to himself but to those who ask for it. This
is also proved from experience by the frequent occasions on
which temptations and deceptions have lost their force once
revealed to a director. For this reason St. Bernard says that
novices in the religious life need a spiritual guide to direct,
encourage, and help them. He says: “it is easier for me to
direct others than myself” (Sermo VIII, 7); “Self-love leads
us astray” (Epist. 87, n. 7).
St. Vincent Ferrer expresses a similar view in his work De vita
spirituali, Part II, c. 1 : “Our Lord Jesus Christ, without whom
we can do nothing, will never grant his grace to a person who
has the opportunity of going to an experienced director but
refuses this valuable means of sanctification on the grounds that
he is quite capable of deciding for himself what is useful for his
salvation. . . . He who has a director, whom he obeys unre­
servedly, will reach his goal in life far more easily and quickly
than he would if he relied on his own powers, no matter how
keen his intelligence or how good the books he chose for spiritual
reading. ... As a general rule it is those who have followed
the path of obedience who have attained perfection—except
those souls who have been unable to find a spiritual director,
to whom God has granted the special privilege of being directly
instructed by himself.”
St. Teresa, St.John of the Cross, St. Francis of Sales are all
of the same opinion. St. Francis writes, in his Introduction to the
Devout Life (Part III, c. 28), that no one can be an impartial
judge in his own case because of a certain self-complacency “so
secret and imperceptible that it remains hidden to those who
suffer from it.”
St. Alphonsus in his excellent book, Praxis confessarii (nn.
121-171), indicates the principal objects of spiritual direction:
mortification, the dispositions required for receiving the sacra­
ments, mental prayer, the practice of virtues, the sanctification
of ordinary actions.
All these testimonies emphasize the general need of direction.
As we will show later on, this necessity is all the more apparent
at a time of trial, especially during the passive purification of
the senses which leads to the illuminative way of the proficients,
and during the passive purification of the spirit which marks
the passage to the unitive way of the perfect.

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

169

The qualities of a good director
St. Francis of Sales says that a good director “must be full
of charity, of knowledge, and of prudence; if one of these three
qualities be wanting in him, there is danger.”1 Knowledge is
required of the spiritual life and of the means which lead to
union with God : prudence is essential for the practical applica­
tion of principles to the individual being directed: fervent
charity is required so that the director inclines his will towards
God and not towards himself, leading souls to God and not to
himself. This spirit of sincere and fervent charity is opposed to
sentimentality which is merely a pretence of love existing in the
emotions and hardly at all in the will.
St. Teresa expresses the same opinion in her Autobiography,
c. 13: “It is of great importance, then, that the director should
be a prudent man—of sound understanding, I mean—and
also an experienced one : if he is a learned man as well, that is
a very great advantage. But if all these three qualities cannot
be found in the same man, the first two are the more important,
for it is always possible to find learned men to consult when
necessary. I mean that learning is of little benefit to beginners
except in men of prayer. I do not mean that beginners should
have no communication with learned men, for I should prefer
spirituality to be unaccompanied by prayer than not to be
founded upon the truth. Learning is a great thing. . . .
From foolish devotions may God deliver us.”2
The spiritual director’s charity must be free of all desire for
personal advantage; he must not attract souls to himself but
to God. Tauler is most insistent on this; some directors, he
says, are like hunting dogs who eat the hare instead of bringing
it back to their master. They are then beaten with a whip or
a switch.
The director’s charitable kindness must not be allowed to
degenerate into weakness or slothful leniency. It must be
firm, courageous, fearless in speaking the truth, in order to be
effective in leading souls to perfection. He must not waste time
in useless conversation or letter-writing, but go straight to the
point in directing a soul towards holiness of life.
1 Introduction to the Devout Life, Part I, c. 4.
* Reproduced from Allison Peer’s translation, by kind permission of the
publishers—Sheed and Ward.

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
170
Therefore a director must be well acquainted with ascetical
doctrine, with the traditional teaching of the well-known
masters of the spiritual life on the right road to follow to union
with God. Moreover he ought to be a competent psychologist
—especially if he has to direct persons suffering from hysteria,
psychasthenia, or neurasthenia. He should be acquainted with
the type of mental troubles which result from such ailments as
hypertrophy of the thyroid gland or of the endocrine glands,
especially during the critical age. These disorders sometimes
cause chronic and progressive poisoning which gives rise to
mental confusion accompanied by fixed ideas.1
In order that the Holy Ghost may use the director as his
instrument in sanctifying a soul, he must prudently discover in
that soul the predominant fault which has to be destroyed and
the special supernatural attraction which has to be encouraged.
For this purpose he must pray for guidance—especially in
difficult cases—and if he is humble, he will receive the graces
proper to his state. He will learn to incite some souls to greater
effort and to restrain the enthusiasm of others who tend to
confuse sentimentality with genuine love of God, which can
only be proved by good works.
When a priest is directing generous souls there are two
opposing dangers which his prudence must avoid: that of
wishing to lead all pious souls swiftly and indiscriminately to
contemplative prayer, and that of thinking it a waste of time
to consider this question. Neither too much speed, nor too
little. The directed soul should be scrutinized to see whether it
shows the three signs of the passage from discursive meditation
to contemplation, as described by St. John of the Cross in the
Dark Night of the Soul (bk. I, c. 9) and by other spiritual
authors. Until those signs appear, the soul should be told to be
docile to those inspirations of the Holy Ghost which do not
conflict with its vocation in life.*
Duties of the person being directed
These duties follow naturally from what we have said about
the nature of spiritual direction and the obligations of the
director. The person being directed must show respect, sincerity,
and docility towards the director.

1 Cf. Robert de Sinéty, S.J., Psychopathologie et direction, Paris, 1934.
* See footnote at end of chapter.

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

17I

In order to have that respect the penitent ought to avoid
harsh criticism and over-familiarity. His respect should be
accompanied by a filial affection which is frank and spiritual,
which avoids even the slightest trace of jealousy towards any
other souls under the spiritual director’s care.
To be sincere and perfectly open the person being directed
must not try to conceal anything from his director, neither his
good qualities, nor his faults, nor his imperfections.
Finally, he must be extremely docile: otherwise, he is more
likely to be following his own will than the will of God. How­
ever he would be quite justified in pointing out the serious
difficulty involved in carrying out the advice given. If the
director does not change his opinion, his counsel must be
followed. Admittedly he may be wrong but the person being
directed cannot go wrong in obeying him, unless the advice is
contrary to faith or morals. He must then seek another director.
Only a grave reason justifies a change of directors. Incon­
stancy, pride, false shame, curiosity, impatience are not
sufficient motives. However a change is warranted if the
director’s views arc too natural, if he displays too much
emotional affection, or if he lacks the necessary knowledge,
prudence, or discretion.
Apart from such cases it is important to maintain a certain
continuity in direction so far as this is possible, in order to
persevere along the same road. Therefore it is the height of
folly to leave a good spiritual guide simply because he justly
reproves us for our own good. We should remember the advice
of St. Louis, King of France, to his son: “Choose a wise and
virtuous confessor who will tell you what to do and what to
avoid, and give him complete freedom to reprove and correct
you.” This is a form of affection which is good, holy, fearless,
and unspoilt by that sentimentality which is nothing more than
an affectation of true love.
Under these conditions the spiritual director will become the
instrument of the Holy Ghost in recognizing the promptings
of grace and in urging the directed soul to respond to those
inspirations with increasing promptitude. This is the way
whereby souls avoid “the wide road that leads on to perdition”
and make progress along “the narrow road that leads on to
life” (Matt, vii, 14). This narrow road is continually widening

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

to become eventually as broad as the infinite goodness of God
to which it leads, whereas the wide road of perdition gradually
narrows to become as restricted as Hell which is its terminus.
While neglect makes the soul endure the terrible confinement
of Hell, the narrow way of sanctity allows the soul to enjoy
the perfect freedom of the sons of God—freedom from all
disordered judgments and desires—and the fulness of eternal
happiness.
Spiritual direction, if conducted along the lines indicated,
reveals the wonderful effectiveness of the good priest’s charity,
knowledge, and prudence. He well exemplifies the words of
Christ: “It was not you that chose me, it was I that chose you.
The task I have appointed you is to go out and bear fruit, fruit
which will endure” (John xv, 16).
(* Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange clearly implies that such “inspirations” would not
be genuinely from the Holy Ghost if they were to conflict with one’s vocation.—
Tr. note.)

Chapter Three

THE DIRECTION OF BEGINNERS1
directors must make it their care to instruct
beginners on the necessity of mortification, the correct
approach to the sacraments, and the means to avoid negligence
or spiritual sloth in prayer.
piritual

S

Mortification
In mortifying inordinate desires—the breeding ground of
vice—there are two extremes to be avoided: continual lack of
mortification which makes the soul lukewarm and remiss in
its efforts for perfection, and excessive zeal in the practice of
exterior mortification.
As St. Alphonsus wisely remarks {Praxis confessarii, n. 146):
“Some spiritual directors would measure all spiritual progress
by the degree of exterior mortification. . . . Others look
askance at every form of this type of mortification seeing in it a
stumbling-block to spiritual progress, and they make the
attainment of perfection dependent on interior mortification.
But these are no less mistaken in their view than the first, since
corporeal austerities are a help to interior mortification and
when they can be practised they are in some degree essential
for the restraint of our sense-faculties. And so we find
them present in the lives of all the saints to a greater or less
extent.”
What, therefore, is the principle to be followed ? St. Alphon­
sus states it in these words: “Interior mortification is more
important, but exterior mortification is extremely useful.”
Hence, in practice, penitents are to be urged chiefly to
interior mortification of their ill-ordered passions; for example,
not to reply to insults and ill-treatment—unless there is a
higher and more excellent motive for so doing—, not to reveal
1 Cf. St. Alphonsus, Praxis confessarii, c. 9, Part iii, n. 145, 147; Part iv, nn.
148-155; Saudreau, The Degrees of the Spiritual Life, English tr., vol. 1, bks. 1-3;
and the author’s previous work, The Three Ages of the Interior Life, English tr., vol. 1,
pp. 258 ff.
>73

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
174
anything to others which would make them think well of them,
not to look for possible sources of praise from others, to give
way in argument so as to avoid pride, ill-feeling, hankering
after the things of this world, praise, and one’s own will.
It cannot be doubted but this is the more essential form of
mortification.
At the same time the utility of exterior mortification must
not be overlooked. St. John of the Cross used to say that
anyone who despised corporeal penances was not to be trusted,
even if he performed miracles.
St. Philip Neri shared the same view: “A man who never
restrains his appetite cannot attain perfection.” St. Alphonsus
gives the following advice to a nun desiring perfection: she
must scourge herself daily but not to the point of drawing
blood except once or twice a month, and her sleep ought
always to be limited to six hours, frequently to five. Nowadays,
however, seven hours would be allowed.
The better forms of mortification are those which are negative
in character : for instance, not to look at or listen to things which
excite our curiosity, to be reserved in conversation, to be con­
tent with food which is not very palatable or is badly prepared,
not to approach the fire during the winter, to choose for oneself
things of less value, to rejoice in the lack of even necessary
possessions—-this, incidentally, being the true meaning of
poverty. As St. Bernard says : “The virtue of poverty is not the
actual poverty, but the love of poverty for the sake of imitating
Christ.” Again, one should not complain of the daily incon­
veniences of life, of the annoyance caused by some bodily
infirmity, of being scorned or persecuted by other people: it
is suffering and contradiction which perfect the future citizens
of Heaven. St. Teresa used to say that it was folly to think that
God would admit anyone into his friendship who was in love
with his own ease.
Special attention must be given to the mortification of the
penitent’s predominant fault which is like a worm that gnaws
its way into the soul.

Reception of the sacraments
Those who are trying to lead a spiritual life should confess
frequently, at least once a week.

THE DIRECTION OF BEGINNERS

175

Frequent—if possible, daily—Communion is also recom­
mended.1 But their preparation for this sacrament must
gradually become more and more perfect, because as a general
rule each of our Communions increases our charity and thus
disposes us for a better Communion on the following day,
provided there is no culpable negligence.
St. Francis of Sales explains this need of frequent Com­
munion in his Introduction to the Devout Life (Part II, c. 21):
“There are two kinds of people who ought to communicate
often : the perfect ... (so as to remain perfect) ; and the
imperfect so that they may be able to attain to perfection ; the
strong lest they become weak, and the weak that they may
become strong.” And the pscudo-Ambrose states in his work
De Sacramentis (Part IV, c. 6, n. 28) : “Since I am always falling
into sin, I am in constant need of the divine remedy” ; because,
as St. Thomas explains (Illa, q. 79, a. 4), “venial sins are for­
given by the act of charity caused by Holy Communion.”
What is the fundamental condition for a fervent Communion ?
It is a sincere spiritual hunger for the Eucharist, a hunger which
proceeds from the soul’s living faith and firm confidence in
Christ and also from its love for him, even if sensible fervour is
lacking.
If a person approaches the sacred banquet with this fervent
desire for the bread of life, his Communion daily becomes more
fruitful, just as a stone increases its speed as it moves towards
the centre of the earth. The contrary is true of a person who
develops a growing affection for venial sin; his Communions
become less fruitful, in the same way as a stone which is thrown
up into the'air gradually loses its momentum.
Finally, the director must see that his penitents devote a
suitable amount of time to their thanksgiving after Holy
Communion. There are even many priests who make little or
no thanksgiving after their Mass.
St. Alphonsus (Zoc. «7., n. 155) lays down the following rule:
“Ordinarily speaking, one’s thanksgiving should be of an hour’s
duration; certainly it should never be less than half an hour,
during which time the soul will make frequent acts of love and
petition. St. Teresa says that after Holy Communion Jesus
1 This will always bear fruit provided it is received “with a pious and upright
intention,” Pius X.

176

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

exists in the soul as if he were sitting on the throne of mercy,
eager to enrich the soul with his graces, saying: ‘What would
you like me to do for you?’ ”
During the day the soul should adopt the practice recom­
mended by the Council of Trent of making a spiritual com­
munion. Its advantages were recognized by St. Teresa: “Do
not overlook the making of a spiritual communion which is of
such benefit to the soul. It shows the extent of one’s love for
God.” St. Alphonsus made it a rule for a nun to communicate
spiritually at least three times during the day (Zoe. cit., n. 156).
Prayer
The spiritual director must exercise special care to prevent
beginners from neglecting mental prayer. He must instruct
them on the way to meditate on the eternal truths and on the
goodness of God, for this is essential if the soul is to continue in
the grace of God. Mental prayer and sin cannot exist together.
“The soul”, says St. Alphonsus (n. 122), “must abandon either
prayer or sin. St. Teresa was quite certain that a person who
persevered in prayer, no matter how violently the devil tempted
him to sin, would assuredly be led by God to the harbour of
salvation. For this reason, the devil is never so anxious as he is
to obstruct this spiritual exercise, because he knows, as St.
Teresa says, that he has lost the soul which perseveres in prayer.”
The saints have often described prayer as the furnace in which
is enkindled the flame of divine love.
To quote St. Alphonsus again: “The director must, therefore,
introduce the soul into the way of prayer. At the beginning he
should not specify for the exercise any longer than half an hour,
and then as the soul develops, this period will be increased to a
greater or less degree.” He should recommend frequent medi­
tation on the four last things, especially on death, which is more
useful for beginners : “Remember at all times what thou must
come to at the last, and thou shalt never do amiss” (Eccles, vii,
40). But the most fruitful of all subjects for meditation is the
Passion of Christ.
Beginners should imitate the practice of St. Teresa and
always use some spiritual book for their meditation. They
should be advised by their director to choose those subjects
which incite them to greater devotion, and to pause and dwell

THE DIRECTION OF BEGINNERS

177

on those points which make a stronger appeal to their affections,
so that they may make penetrating acts of faith.
Meditation should not occupy the whole time of mental
prayer. The soul must turn aside from reflection to acts of the
will, making a complete offering of itself to God in acts of
humility, confidence, and love. Mental prayer proceeds from
the three theological virtues which unite us to God and
from the virtue of religion, aided by the gift of piety.
The exercise will then conclude with a request for per­
severance in conforming one’s will to the divine will. And to
ensure that this period of mental prayer has an effect on the
beginner’s daily life he must formulate some practical resolution :
as, for instance, to avoid one or other of his more frequent
failings and to practise some virtue in which he knows himself
to be weak.
Afterwards the director must ask whether his advice has been
followed or not.
When souls establish themselves in prayer they find it
extremely difficult to renounce their original conversion to
God. Hence even sinners ought to be encouraged to pray,
because it is often for want of reflection and of love for God that
“like a dog at his vomit, the fool goes back to his own folly”
(Prov. xxvi, u).

*

*

*

There is one period when the director will have to exercise
special vigilance over the mental prayer of beginners, and that
is during the time of aridity, of spiritual desolation, which is the
normal trial preparatory to progress.
When the soul first dedicates itself to the spiritual life, God
usually encourages the beginner by granting him special
favours and sense consolations. These are of great benefit to
the soul, but beginners are apt to develop a kind of spiritual
gluttony for them. And so at that point God usually brings to
an end this flow of sensible fervour in order to test the fidelity
of beginners and to bring them to a purer form of love for the
giver instead of for his gifts. The result is a period of sensible
aridity. During this time God often allows a series of tempta­
tions against those virtues connected with our sense nature,
against chastity and patience, so as to give beginners an
u

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

opportunity of offering generous resistance and of acquiring
new merits. According to St. John of the Cross this period of
aridity, when prolonged and accompanied by spiritual progress,
coincides with the passive purification of the senses, which
marks the passage of the soul to its “second conversion”, to the
illuminative way of proficients, in which begins infused con­
templation proceeding from the virtue of faith enlightened by
the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
What is the duty of the director during this period of trial?
He must do all in his power to encourage the soul to remain
faithful to its prayer and Holy Communions. Let him remind
beginners of the words of St. Francis of Sales: “A single prayer
in times of desolation is of far more value before God than a
hundred offered during periods of consolation.” He who loves
God because of his favours loves the favours rather than God
himself; on the other hand, a person who loves God and
remains faithful to him even when deprived of all consolation
is showing a true and sincere love.

*

*

*

Beginners must also be urged to sanctify their daily actions.1
In the morning they must offer the entire day to God, both its
actions and its sufferings. Throughout the day the soul must
be almost continuously recollected so as to avoid thoughtlessness,
idle curiosity, waste of time, excessive interest in the things of
this world. St. Francis of Sales praised St. Jane Chantal for
her practice of making an ejaculatory prayer at the beginning
of every hour of the day in order to consecrate it to God.
Useful to this exercise of sanctifying our daily actions is the
orderly arrangement of our various occupations so as to leave
sufficient time for Mass, mental prayer, spiritual reading, and
visits to the Blessed Sacrament.
Retarded souls2
Some beginners never mature in their spiritual life, never
reach the illuminative way of proficients, for one or other of the
following reasons.
1 Cf. Saudreau, op. cit., I, p. 76.
’ Cf. Saudreau, op. cit., I, pp. 38-41; and my earlier work, The Three Ages oj
the Interior Life, I, p. 461.

THE DIRECTION OF BEGINNERS

179

Sometimes they pay little attention to details in the service of
God and thus forget the words of Christ: “He who is trust­
worthy over a little sum is trustworthy over a greater” (Luke
xvi, io). So, for example, a religious who is most faithful in
observing his rule in all its details will receive the grace of
martyrdom, if an occasion should arise when he has to suffer
death for the sake of Christ. St. Augustine points out that
although a small thing is in itself of little value, yet to be con­
tinually faithful to God’s law even in its smallest details is of
the highest value. We gradually come to realize the wonderful
significance of our many small duties, which ought to be
ordered towards our final end in a spirit of faith and love of God.
Once beginners grow careless about details in the service of
God they will begin to grow careless about things of greater
moment. Remember that a year is made up of days, days of
hours, and hours of minutes.
Eventually this negligent soul no longer seeks God in
everything that it does but self; it loses all sense of the presence
of God. On the other hand, a soul which is faithful even in
small matters realizes gradually the full supernatural importance
of the least—and, a fortiori, of the greatest—of all its duties.
Another cause of the stunted growth of beginners in the
spiritual life is their unwillingness to offer to God the sacrifices
which he demands of them. “Would you but listen to his voice
to-day! Do not harden your hearts.” There are many people
perfectly willing to do all that they can in the world to make a
name for themselves, but they pay little attention to the sanctifi­
cation of their own soul: “How is a man the better for gaining
the whole world, if he loses himself, if he pays the forfeit of
himself?” (Luke ix, 25). But some beginners refuse to make the
effort; they lose their seriousness of purpose and become spiri­
tually slothful. Perhaps that which prevents the soul from
lifting itself up from earth to heaven is an attachment to some
useless frivolity for the sake of the pleasure we derive from it,
an attachment which though it may be no stronger than a
piece of thread is effective in keeping our heart fixed to the
earth; “such witchery evil has, to tarnish honour, such alchemy
do the roving passions exercise even on minds that are true
metal” (Wisdom iv, 12).
A third reason for the retardment of certain beginners is a

ΐ8θ

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

tendency to derision, when they begin to make fun of the man of
virtue as reflecting on their own inferiority. And thus their
outlook on the spiritual life becomes warped. Job replied to the
carping tongue of his friends : “The simplicity of the upright
was ever a laughing stock” (Job xii, 4). But this derision of
earth is answered by the chastizing irony of God: “He who
dwells in heaven is laughing at their threats ... his fierce
anger will hurl them into confusion” (Psalm ii, 4 and 6).
Unfortunately, there seem to be many beginners who do not
mature in their spiritual life; they are neither beginners nor
proficients nor perfect souls. They resemble abnormal children
who never grow; though they do not remain children, they
never develop to maturity and become dwarfs.

Chapter Four

THE DIRECTION OF PROFICIENTS1
will first consider the passage of the soul from discursive
meditation to contemplation, then the direction of souls
at that period, and finally, the faults of such advanced souls.
e

W

The soul's second conversion
According to St. John of the Cross (The Dark Night, I, c. 9)
the spiritual director should attend to three signs which indicate
the transition of the soul from discursive meditation to the
beginning of infused contemplation. This higher form of prayer
is not to be attributed to the soul’s own efforts aided by sancti­
fying grace but to the virtue of faith perfected by the gifts of
the Holy Ghost: that is to say, it results from a special inspira­
tion of the Holy Ghost, a special grace under the influence of
which the soul does not move itself but is moved by the third
Divine Person (cf. St. Thomas, la Ilae, q. in, a. 2).
The three signs are the following. In the first place, the soul
is experiencing sensible aridity and finds no consolation either
in divine things or in any thing created. Taken by itself this
sign would be insufficient, since it might proceed from a fit of
depression. But when considered in conjunction with other
signs it indicates to some extent the influence of the gift of
knowledge, which enables the soul to recognize the vanity of
all created things.
The second sign which marks the entrance of the soul into
the illuminative way is that in spite of this aridity it never
forgets God; it retains a keen desire for perfection and fears
that it is falling back in its service of God. Here is evident proof
that the present state of the soul is not caused by depression or
tepidity, and it reveals the influence of the gifts of fear and piety.
And the third sign of the soul’s readiness for the beginning
of infused contemplation is that it can no longer practise discur­
sive meditation but finds pleasure in a simple loving attention
1 Cf. my previous work, The Three Ages of the Interior Life, English tr., I, p. 260;
St. Alphonsus, Praxis confessorii, c. 9, par. Il, IV.
181

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

directed towards God. This is a sign that God is beginning to
enlighten the soul with a special inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
This simple regard, which is centred on God, proceeds from the
virtue of faith illumined by the gifts of knowledge and under­
standing and—at least in a hidden way—wisdom.
Souls which manifest these three signs are undergoing the
passive purification of the senses, a second conversion, during
which they are weaned from all attachment to sensible consola­
tions in order to come to a more spiritual and generous love of
God. This is the crisis of· the soul’s spiritual transformation.
There are some who show themselves most generous in
passing through this crisis and thus they enter the illuminative
way of proficients, which is called by St. John of the Cross “the
way of infused contemplation” {The Dark Night of the Soul,
bk. i, c. 14). Others are less generous and are never completely
successful in reaching the illuminative way, but remain to some
extent retarded souls. As a result they will sometimes return
to discursive meditation when they do not accept the gift of
initial infused contemplation: at other times they happily
accept this gift for a brief period.

Spiritual direction during the passive purification of the senses1
During this time of aridity spiritual persons are not to long
for the return of those sense consolations of which they are
being deprived. On the contrary, they must be freed from this
spiritual gluttony, from this excessive desire for consolation.
Neither must they devote themselves to methodical and dis­
cursive meditation when this has become a well-nigh impossible
task. This would be like running to the spring when the soul
has already arrived at that spring of water “that flows con­
tinually to bring him everlasting life” (John iv, 14). Or as if
when reading we were to behave like children who count the
letters in each word, when in fact we can take in several words
together at a single glance and read without difficulty.
The soul must continue to trust in God and not despair,
neither must it cease from prayer as though its effort were of
no avail. On the contrary, prayer is never more fruitful than
during this period of trial, so long as the soul perseveres in
1 Cf. St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, bk. I, c. to. Also, The
Three Ages of the Interior Ixfe, vol. II, p. 54.

THE DIRECTION OF PROFICIENTS

183

a spirit of humility, self-denial, and trust in God. True, this is
a “narrow road” but it leads to a higher form of life. The
soul is then in the fortunate position of having to make intense
acts of humility, faith, hope, and charity. It should never
forget that this passive purification of the senses has to be
endured either here on earth while there is the opportunity of
merit or after death in Purgatory, when merit is no longer
possible. Hence this trial of aridity in prayer is nothing unusual
in the development of the soul towards sanctity, and it must
simply place all its trust in God.
During this period the soul should rest content in a confused
and general knowledge of God and in affective love, making
acts of confidence and love of God. For it is now at the end of
discursive meditation and on the threshold of contemplation.
However, should this general and confused awareness of God
disappear, the soul should once again take up its former prac­
tice of meditation—especially on the life and Passion of Christ
—or else return to a slow affective meditation on the “Our
Father,” as outlined by St. Teresa.
Finally, proficients must be prepared to bear patiently all the
accompanying trials of this state, such as temptations against
purity, the loss of sensible comforts, ill-health, opposition from
one’s fellow men.

The faults of proficients
Spiritual directors must take note of certain faults which are
proper to the soul in the illuminative way : these may be either
habitual or actual.1
Habitual failings which affect the intellect are distractions,
a constant wandering of the mind away from God to creatures,
unwillingness to forgo one’s own opinion, an authoritative
attitude in ruling others, or the opposite failing of extreme
leniency towards those who oppress the weak.
Faults to be found in the will are an innate love of self and an
unbridled attachment to spiritual consolations.
Actual or occasional faults of the intellect are the mistakes
made in matters relating to the spiritual life; for example,
1 St. John of the Cross speaks of these failings and afflictions in The Dark Night
of the Soul, bk. II, c. 7 and 8. Cf. op. cit., The Three Ages of the Interior Life, English
tr., II, p. 356.

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

erroneous judgments about visions and revelations. Actual
faults affecting the will are presumption, ambition, pride or
arrogance.
These defects are all the more insidious as they may be mis­
taken for acts of virtue and not recognized for what they really
are.
Because of these faults and imperfections proficients must
undergo a second purification—the passive purification of the
spirit. The inner recesses of their soul have to be finally purified
by the light of the gift of understanding.1
1 St. John of the Cross discusses this need in the opening chapters of the second
book of The Dark Night of the Soul.

Chapter Five

THE DIRECTION OF PERFECT SOULS

W

must first discuss the passage of the soul from the illu­
minative to the unitive way, and secondly, the direction
of the soul during that period.1
e

The soul's third conversion
The soul passes from the illuminative to the unitive way
through the dark night of the spirit, which marks the soul’s
third conversion and is a new spiritual crisis. At this moment
the soul is enabled by the gift of understanding to recognize
the grandeur of God and its own wretchedness, as when God
said to St. Catherine: “I am he who is and you are that which
is not.” This new spiritual light reveals the splendour of God’s
holiness and at the same time all the hidden defects of the soul—
even the most insignificant. The soul thus suffers extreme
torment, since this spiritual light from the gift of understanding
is overpowering and more like darkness, just as the brilliant
light of the sun is blinding to the night-owl.
During this period the soul suffers violent temptations against
faith, hope, and charity, since the devil is anxious to make use
of this spiritual darkness to bring the soul to despair. The soul
is then in the happy position of having to make intense and
extremely meritorious acts of the three theological virtues.
The signs of this passive purification are the following.
The first is that the soul is unable to accuse itself of committing
fresh faults and yet it does not know whether it deserves God’s
love or his hatred. It is grievously afflicted by the fact that it
no longer experiences the divine help.
The second sign of this spiritual crisis is that the soul con­
tinues for longer periods without committing even the smallest
fully deliberate venial sin and has lost all desire for created
things, thus revealing its extraordinary habitual love of God.
And the third sign of this purification is that the soul now
1 Cf. St. John of the Cross, loc. cit.; St. Francis of Sales, Treatise on the Love of
God, bk. IX, cc. 3-16; St. Alphonsus, Praxis corfessarii, c. 9.
185

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

enjoys continuous contemplation and the highest love of God
in spite of its spiritual aridity. This brings to light its immense
actual love of God. And in this way the soul is prepared for a
most intimate union with God.
Spiritual direction during this spiritual purification1
Souls who have reached this stage in the spiritual life have
their will perfectly conformed to the divine will. They must
now pray to God in all humility and confidence for the grace
to persevere in this spiritual night of sorrow. For this purpose
they should also invoke the aid of the saints, especially of St.
Thomas as the Doctor of truth, asking him to bring them light
in this darkness. He is known to have listened frequently to
similar prayers.
They should not attack their temptations directly but, so to
speak, ride over them, turning to God for the actual grace to
overcome them. They must regard it a privilege to wage such
a glorious struggle in the divine cause and one which is so
highly profitable to the soul.
Their love of God must be a pure love of friendship, showing
themselves ready to accept his good pleasure in all respects,
following the example of Job: “through the hours of darkness,
I await the dawn” (Job xvii, 12). In this way the soul attains
to a courageous love of God even when deprived of all spiritual
consolations. They become sharers in the sorrowing life of
Christ.
*

*

*

How are souls to be helped after this period of purification,
especially if God calls them to a life of reparation for sinners ?
Certainly he will then ask them again to endure great suffering.
Although St. Paul of the Cross had reached the transforming
union when he was about thirty-one years of age, he had to
continue his life on earth until he was eighty-one and found the
Order of the Passionists, who devoted themselves to the voca­
tion of reparation. So for forty-five years their saintly founder
underwent unheard of sufferings not for his own purification
but in order that he might become a model for the life of
1 Cf. St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, bk. II; Fr. Anthony of the
Holy Spirit, O.D.C., Directorium, p. 5a.

THE DIRECTION OF PERFECT SOULS

187

reparation. The citizens of Rome used to say : “from the way
of Paul deliver us, Lord.” But throughout his afflictions he kept
his gentleness and loving kindness for everyone.
These reparative souls must be guided to a perfect conformity
with Christ the victim.1 They should often return to the con­
templation of Christ’s Passion, considering at the same time
the heinous sins which tear individual souls and entire nations
away from God and drag them down into paganism. In order
to make reparation they should often unite the personal offering
of all their daily crosses to the offering of Christ, which continues
as the living centre of the sacrifice of the Mass. In this way they
acquire an ever deepening and loftier conception of the sacrifice
of the Mass. They must also have frequent recourse to Our
Blessed Lady, our co-redemptrix, whose secret influence leads
souls to an intimate union with Christ.
Generally speaking, reparative souls enjoy infused contem­
plation which proceeds from their living faith enlightened by
the gifts ; otherwise they would not persevere in a way of life
which is so difficult and full of sorrow. But there are many
occasions when these souls find it difficult to realize that they
have this spiritual contemplation owing to long periods of both
sensible and spiritual aridity. Eventually they bear a perfect
resemblance to Christ crucified and are the means of saving
many souls. It is this apostolate of suffering and prayer which
is the hidden source of the fruitfulness of the apostolate of
preaching and instructing—a fact well known to God and the
angels.
*
*
*

The way to perfection
St. Alphonsus gives the following general advice to souls
striving for perfection.2
They must place all their trust in God and not in themselves;
that is to say, they must not depend on themselves and their
good resolutions but with complete confidence in God ask his
help to overcome self and then co-operate by doing all that
is within their power.
1 An excellent book on this subject has been written by Fr. L. de Bretagne,
La vie réparatrice, Paris, Libraire St. Paul, 3e éd., 1934.
2 Praxis confessorii, η. ιβο, p. 275.

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

They must try to avoid even the slightest deliberate fault,
since, in the words of St. Teresa, “the devil makes use of deeds
of small importance to provide an opening for greater faults.”
“A single thread is sufficient to hold the soul fast to earth.”
These souls must not be unduly upset after committing some
fault, but should humble themselves immediately and turn to
God by making a short act of contrition and renewing their
determination, and thus be at peace.
Close friendships with persons of either sex are to be avoided,
no matter how holy those persons may be.
Let them destroy in themselves all tendency to self-esteem
and rejoice in humiliations, taking a spiritual pleasure in being
despised and ridiculed.
They should always show prompt and willing obedience
towards their superiors.
They must constantly attend to the presence of God and
resolve to please God and love him courageously even in the
midst of trials and to do his will in all things. Without this
determination the soul cannot progress along the way of per­
fection, neither will it receive from God his special graces. As
St. Teresa says : “Progress does not consist in the soul obtaining
for itself a greater enjoyment of God but in doing his will.”
They must have a great love of prayer and an ardent desire
for the kingdom of Heaven which Christ merited for us by
shedding his blood.

*

*

*

So far as extraordinary graces are concerned—such as
visions and private revelations—one should follow the rule
laid down by St. Alphonsus, Praxis confessarii, n. 144., where he
refers to the teaching of St. Teresa: “As a normal rule it is
safer for the director to show that he sets no great store by
these extraordinary phenomena. For although some of them
are genuine many are not. In fact, the majority of them are
illusions. And the more eagerly they are sought after, the more
a person departs from the way of trust and humility which is
the surer way marked out by God Himself.” The spiritual
director should give his penitent this prudent advice: pray to
God for the type of “ecstasy” which is free from all deceit—
namely, the complete withdrawal of your sense faculties from

THE DIRECTION OF PERFECT SOULS

jgg

all attachment to created things—and for the grace of self­
denial, without which you will never become truly perfect.
He must not hesitate to humble those who are foolishly
stubborn and proud and continually worrying other people to
death. Such souls never receive special graces, whatever they
may say to the contrary. They must simply be recalled to a
salutary fear of God.

Chapter Six

THE DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS
is the meaning of this word “spirit” in the present
context? It signifies a special way of judging, loving,
willing, or acting, a mental attitude or inclination—for
instance, to prayer, to penance, or to contradiction. We speak
of a person having a spirit of contradiction or even of
insubordination.
In the spiritual life we have to distinguish between three
kinds of spirits : the spirit of God, the spirit of the devil, and the
spirit of human nature.
The spirit of God is an internal prompting or tendency of the
soul to judge, love, will and act in a supernatural way. It
incites the soul to avoid sin by mortifying the flesh and by
practising humility, and to tend towards God by obedience,
piety, faith, confidence, and charity both affective and effective.
This divine spirit is, therefore, particularly evident in the
promptings of the Holy Ghost which correspond to the seven
gifts.
This spirit of God is at first latent in beginners and becomes
more manifest in proficients and in the perfect, who are more
docile to the Holy Ghost. Under the inspiration of God there
results a wonderful harmony between the various virtues and
gifts, and between the different vocations—contemplative,
active, apostolic.
It is this variety of vocations which distinguishes the spirit of
one religious order from that of another, and the order flourishes
or declines in proportion to the fidelity or lack of fidelity to its
fundamental spirit.
Opposed to the spirit of God is the spirit of human nature,
which is characterized as an inclination to judge, will and act
in an excessively human manner, following the lead of fallen
nature which tends towards its own ease and advantage. It is
a spirit of egoism, a spirit of individualism. Prudence, for
example, is no longer treated as the virtue directing man’s acts
to moral perfection and rightly ordering all the other moral
hat

W

190

THE DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS

igi

virtues, but as the virtue needed for finding means of avoiding
every inconvenience. Similarly, mediocrity takes the place of
the happy medium of virtue.
This spirit of mediocrity steers a middle course between good
and evil but it does so not through any love of virtue but for
purely utilitarian reasons—in order to avoid the disadvantages
resulting from the practice of vice. On the other hand, the
happy medium of virtue represents the highest central point
between two extreme vices; thus the virtue of courage is the
golden mean between cowardice and rash daring. Furthermore,
the degree of perfection implied by this mean will vary accord­
ing to the growth of the virtues ; so, for instance, it is higher for
the infused virtue of temperance than for the corresponding
acquired virtue.
This spirit of mediocrity also invades the sphere of the
theological virtues by continually denying further possible
development to full perfection, as if they were bound by their
nature to be nothing more than average virtues, as though it
were possible for man to err by excess in his belief or hope in
God or in his love for God, just as a man might love his country
to excess by placing it before God.
The spirit of human nature will always be found to result in
tepidity and eventually in sloth, and the person who yields to
its promptings commits numerous venial sins, which gradually
become more and more deliberate until at last he falls into
mortal sin. Sometimes it has a peculiar affectionate character
revealing itself in sentimental attachments to creatures, in an
emotional love for them which takes the place of that genuine
love existing primarily in the will. And it is but a step from
romantic sentiment to carnal prudence and stupidity, which
give a man an earthbound vision of everything—even of divine
things—so that he only regards their capacity to satisfy his
senses or his pride. Cf. Summa, Ila Ilae, q. 55, q. 46.1
Finally, there is the spirit of the devil which is the tendency to
judge, will, and act under the perverse inspiration of Satan. It
is especially evident in those who lead a life of vice, in their
pride, impurity, and violent passions, but it also makes itself
felt in others at the moment of temptation.
1 Sec also the Imitation ofChrist, bk. Ill, c. 54: “The Different Motions of Nature
and of Grace."

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

In every soul one or other of these three spirits is predominant :
the spirit of the devil in the wicked, the spirit of human nature
in the lukewarm, the spirit of God in those who are beginning
to dedicate themselves generously to the way of perfection,
even though they may yet experience the influence of the spirit
of nature from time to time and also of the devil.
Having explained the meaning of the word “spirit” we now
turn to the word “discernment.” The discernment of spirits
signifies the power of judging correctly the spirit which is
ordinarily predominant in some individual. This power may be
either acquired or infused. If acquired, it consists in the correct
application of the principles of moral theology under the
guidance of acquired and infused prudence, and it is perfected
to a greater or less degree by the inspiration of the gift of
counsel.
If the power is infused, then it is the apostolic grace conferred
primarily for the sanctification of others, which is mentioned by
St. Paul: “another can test the spirit of the prophets” (i Cor.
xii, io). This is a rare gift. But at the same time the good
director who is devout, virtuous, and prudent is continually
receiving special graces proper to his state which, since they
are intended for helping those under the priest’s care, are to
some extent on a par with the apostolic grace; they perfect
both his prudence and the inspirations of the gift of counsel.

*

*

*

What is the fundamental principle to be observed in the dis­
cerning of spirits? It is the one laid down by Christ himself:
“it is by their fruit that you will know them”, because “any
sound tree will bear good fruit, while any tree that is withered
will bear fruit that is worthless ; that worthless fruit should come
from a sound tree, or good fruit from a withered tree, is
impossible” (Matt, vii, 17, 18, 20).
The good fruit which should result from the spiritual life are
the virtues, the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and actions correspon­
ding to the virtues and gifts. Therefore the discernment of
spirits must be based on the principal virtues—which are, in
ascending order of perfection: chastity and mortification;
humble obedience; faith, hope, and charity. We will now apply
this principle to the three kinds of spirits.

THE DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS

I93

Signs of the spirit of human nature
It would be comparatively easy to describe the signs of this
spirit by opposing it to the spirit of God, noting at the same time
certain differences from the spirit of the devil. As we have said
already, this spirit of human nature is the inclination to judge,
will, and act in a merely natural way. But notice the meaning
of the word “natural.” It is not intended to refer to human
nature in its essential condition as capable of elevation to the
supernatural order, but either to fallen nature not yet revivified
by grace or to regenerate human nature, which still bears the
four wounds left by original sin and now further aggravated by
personal sin. These wounds, although scarring, will never be
completely healed in this life.1
They are wounds inherited by the entire human race from
the sin of its first parents and only imperfectly healed by the
water of Baptism, since this sacrament does not destroy con­
cupiscence. This is very beneficial to our spiritual training, for
we can thus acquire merit in overcoming our inordinate desires
with the aid of God’s grace. There is also another advantage to
be gained from this imperfect healing; men might otherwise
receive Baptism merely to avoid the penalties of this life and not
because of the glory of eternal life. We are Christ’s heirs, “only
we must share his sufferings, if we are to share his glory”
(Rom. viii, 17). Cf. St. Thomas, Illa, q. 69, a. 3. But these
four wounds are further aggravated by our own personal sins
which diminish our natural inclination to virtue by putting a
strong obstacle in its way—a tendency to evil. “By sin (even
by venial sin in those baptized) man’s reason becomes obscured
—especially in directing what is to be done—and the will is
hardened against good ; the difficulty of acting well is increased,
and more fuel is added to the fire of concupiscence” (la Ilae,
q. 85, a. 3).
Therefore the spirit of fallen or wounded nature is a bias
1 Cf. la Ilae, q. 85, a. 3.
in the intellect deprived of its ordering to truth, the wound of ignorance
in the place of prudence.
in the will deprived of its ordering to good, the wound of malice in
The wounds J the place of justice.
of nature
in the irascible appetite deprived of its correct attitude towards diffi­
culty, the wound of weakness in the place of fortitude.
in the concupiscible appetite deprived of its ordering to pleasure moder­
ated by reason, the wound ofconcupiscence in the place of temperance.
14

194

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

towards the concupiscence still present within us, inclining us
to sin and thus to sloth and cowardice in our irascible appetite,
malice in our will, negligence, imprudence or deceit in the
intellect. In a word, it is a spirit of self-satisfaction, inordinate
love of self, egoism. And this spirit of self-love, as St. Thomas
has shown, dedicates a man to the concupiscence of the flesh,
the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life.1
This triple concupiscence is in its turn a dangerous slope
towards the seven capital sins—vain glory, envy, anger, avarice,
sloth, gluttony, lust—which are able to call even more grievous
sins into being (la Ilae, q. 84, a. 4). According to St. John
of the Cross (Dark Night of the Soul, bk. I, cc. 2-7) these capital
sins may also appear in the spiritual order; for instance,
spiritual gluttony which is an excessive desire for spiritual
consolation loved for its own sake and not for the sake of God,
and also spiritual pride. But these sins are not the most evil
fruit of the spirit of nature ; they prepare the way for even more
serious sins, such as unbelief, despair, hatred of God.
When considered in this way the wounded nature described
by St. Thomas does not differ from the nature portrayed in the
Imitation of Christ (bk. Ill, c. 54).
But now let us study the spirit of human nature in its relation
to the principal virtues of mortification, humility, faith, hope,
and charity. As soon as we apply the first rule for the dis­
cernment of spirits—“it is by their fruit that you will know
them”—we find that this natural spirit is never inclined to
exterior or interior mortification, neither is it prepared to
accept humiliations. As the masters of the spiritual life have
always pointed out, nature is not anxious to be put to death and
even in the life of prayer she is a spiritual glutton for consolation,
which is totally opposed to the spirit of faith and true love of God.
A soul which is influenced by this spirit will cease to make
further progress and abandon the spiritual life, once it has
encountered its first difficulties or period of aridity. It hides
its inattention to the interior life under the cloak of an ener­
getic apostolate, devoting all its energy to external activity
which has ceased to be supernatural and become entirely
superficial. Such a person is confusing charity with philan­
thropy, humanism, and liberalism. Gradually this natural
’ la Ilae, q. 77, a. 4 and 5; cf. Bossuet, Tiaitê de la Concupiscence.

THE DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS

!95
activity loses its initial drive; it begins as a burst of energy,
changes into a general hurry, and finally, slows down to a
leisurely pace.
Human nature begins to groan as soon as it has to face con­
tradiction or trial, since it is far from willing to shoulder the
cross. And thus by degrees it sinks into despair. Its initial
fervour was no stronger than the flame which leaps from a
bundle of straw only to die away again as quickly as it appeared.
This spirit of nature reveals itself as completely egoistic with
no regard for the glory of God or the saving of souls. No
longer the love of God and one’s neighbour but a disordered
love of self occupies pride of place in the soul.
But this spirit is quick in trying to justify itself by appealing
to a theory which takes as its fundamental principle: modera­
tion in all things. We must avoid excess in our self-denial and
spiritual exercises. We are not obliged to strive for mystical
perfection, that would be the error of Mysticism. In fact, if
a person makes it his daily practice to read a chapter from the
Imitation of Christ for his spiritual profit, he is already a
mystic. We must do nothing more than follow the ordinary
way : virtus stat in medio.
See how such people misinterpret that principle for their own
ends. Its true meaning is that a moral virtue is the happy
medium between two vices, the one erring by excess, the other
by defect, just as fortitude is the mean between cowardice and
rash daring. Now this mean is obviously the highest possible
point between and above the two opposing vices. On the other
hand, the mean advocated by the spirit of nature is that of
mediocrity, not the mean which lies between and soars above
two vices but the unsettled mean between vice and virtue,
between good and evil, having more in common with evil than
with good, and which lies below the half-way mark—as in the
following scale of examination marks: excellent, good, satis­
factory, moderate, bad, very bad. The theory used by the spirit
of nature in an attempt to justify its outlook is the theory of
mediocrity under a veneer of virtue, since it avoids opposing
vices not through any great love for moral good but because of
the inconveniences which would ensue to its comfort and
advantage. That was the underlying principle of the utilitarian
outlook adopted by Epicurus and Horace. Hence we speak of

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
• 96
a mediocre wine which is neither good nor bad, mediocre work,
a spirit of mediocrity.
Furthermore, this theory invoked by human nature does not
admit—at least in practice—that the theological virtues arc of
their very nature without measure, that there is no excess or
defect in faith, hope, and charity. It rejects the teaching of St.
Thomas: “we cannot love God as much as he deserves to be
loved, neither can we believe or hope in him as much as we
should” (la Ilae, q. 64, a. 4).
It goes without saying that this theory will also deny in
practice the need of docility to the inspirations of the Holy
Ghost for which a man is disposed by the seven gifts.

*

*

♦

In the letter of Fr. de Paredes, General of the Order of
Preachers in the year 1926, which is to be found at the begin­
ning of the new edition of the Constitutions, the following descrip­
tion is given of the spirit of human nature (p. 20) : “Although a
man’s holiness is the result of God’s grace working in his soul, it
presupposes on our part a long and difficult process of purifica­
tion and transformation of everything within us, until we have
destroyed completely the old self which is corrupted by the
desires of the flesh and put on the new self ‘which is created in
God’s image, justified and sanctified through the truth.’
Hence the need for the spirit of obedience, self-denial, and
sacrifice with which we must all observe these rules perseveringly
and to the letter . . .”
In contrast: “Any human relaxation, any spirit of faint­
heartedness, any concession made on these matters to human
considerations, any unlawful dispensation which is not based
on the Constitutions, may all be considered as a deviation from
duty on the part of superiors . . . and, on the part of his
subjects, as a disowning of their obligation to sanctify themselves
and make themselves fit instruments for carrying out their
sacred ministry. Such surrender to slothfulness would make
it clear that our motive in entering the religious state was not to
pursue the ideal set before us by God and the Church but
simply to solve the problem of life here on earth with the mini­
mum of trouble, so that in the religious state we might be more
certain of receiving all the necessities of life and the more easily

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197

provide for ourselves comforts which we might not have enjoyed
in the world.
“In order that all our regular duties should be the means of
making us holy, as the Constitutions intend, it is not sufficient
to observe merely the visible part of those duties as though one
were only anxious to avoid the punishment contained in the
law itself or imposed by the Superior, or as though one’s sole
object was to appear before Superiors as being beyond reproach.
If our rules are to prove suitable means of sanctification . . .
(and of preparation for the sacred ministry) they must proceed
from a supernatural origin; in other words, they must have
their source in the grace of God which will give them a
supernatural character.
“Without this interior spirit, which is the centre and source
of that supernatural life . . ., everything in us becomes
completely material and mechanical and lacks the driving
force of life, ‘no better than echoing bronze or the clash of
cymbals’ ; our private devotion is weakened and deprived of all
merit, and our community life is robbed of its true purpose and
efficacy. We work, we may even take a great deal of trouble
over our various tasks, but this activity is not a sign of the
genuine interior life of faith, hope, and charity. ... It is little
more than an effort called forth by some external need of
activity or in obedience to merely human motives which,
since they accord with our natural inclinations, attract us
consciously or unconsciously. As a result of this lack of an
interior spirit which would give us victory over ourselves and—
in our ministry—victory over the enemies opposed to our
salvation of souls, how much time is frittered away to no
purpose! Look at the futility of so much effort and sacrifice!
How much activity is simply wasted!”
On the other hand, when this interior spirit is allowed to
grow and develop it produces fruits of real sanctity. We become
all the more clearly aware of the value and excellence of our
religious vocation.
“This interior spirit is formed in us by the practice of the
means of perfection suggested by ascetical theology, but it is
firmly established and perfected by spiritual growth in the
different stages of the mystical life, as is well explained by St.
Thomas. The mystical life is the completion of the ascetical life.

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST
i98
the peak of the soul’s ascent through the various stages of
Christian perfection. There have been periods when this
teaching was regarded with suspicion, when practical errors in
this respect stunted the growth of the spirit of genuine piety;
but now we can be grateful for the return to traditional teaching,
which has re-opened the way for souls athirst for the super­
natural life to come to a knowledge of mystical realities
And in this life of perfection the spirit of God is most certainly
present revivifying the soul.”
Obvious examples of the influence of the spirit of nature are
tepidity in the celebration of Holy Mass, haste in the saying of
one’s Office—almost like a machine—. curiosity and eventually
sloth in the pursuit of one’s studies, carelessness in observing
the rule of silence and other practical rules, restrictions attached
to the extent of one’s obedience, cringing obedience out of love
for the human superior and not for God or with a view to the
obtaining of new honours and dignities.
We have already noted in common with other authors the
different ways in which a priest may celebrate Mass. Some­
times it is celebrated worthily in a spirit of faith and with true
devotion, obvious signs of the influence of the spirit of God.
On other occasions it is read rather than celebrated with the
greatest care after the manner of an official carrying out his
regular duties, just as civil authorities perform their duties
according to strict rule. Or else it is hurried over in twenty
minutes or even less, with no devotion and sometimes to the
scandal of the faithful. These latter ways of offering the
sacrifice of the Mass bear evident witness to the presence of the
spirit of nature. It is important that this be pointed out to
priests during their retreat.
In order to guard against this natural spirit in the Mass all
priests are urged to celebrate Mass daily: in the first place,
because of the sacrifice itself which is offered to God as an act of
worship, supplication, reparation, and thanksgiving for the
many graces received each day; secondly, because of the
sacramental Communion in which we receive our daily nourish­
ment ; thirdly, because of the rich benefits which accrue to the
whole Church, to all the faithful both living and dead.1

1 Cf. The Imitation oj Christ, bk. IV, c. 5: “Of the D gnity of the Sacrament and of
the Priestly Slate.”

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199

Moreover, if the priest offers Mass only infrequently, he is
failing in his duty and is burying his talent in the ground.
Nevertheless, the priest who celebrates daily must be careful to
make a suitable preparation.
When there is any doubt whether an individual is under the
general influence of a good or evil spirit the spiritual director
should examine carefully the soul’s humility, its spirit of morti­
fication, and its obedience to the director; and he himself
must pray to God for guidance.
Signs of the evil spirit
In contrast to the spirit of God the spirit of the devil at first
lifts the soul to the heights of pride and then plunges it down
into turmoil and despair, just as the devil himself sinned through
pride and is now condemned to an eternity of despair and
hatred of God.
In order to recognize this evil spirit we must first observe its
effect on mortification, humility, and obedience, and then its
effect on the theological virtues.
The spirit of the devil does not always deter a soul from
mortification ; in this respect it differs from the spirit of nature.
On the contrary, it often urges the soul to go to extremes in the
practice of exterior mortification which everyone can see, which
results in spiritual pride and injury to the individual’s health.
Such a spirit has no time for the interior mortification of the
imagination, heart, and one’s own will and judgment, although
it pretends to be concerned about it by making the soul
scrupulous over details but careless in matters of greater
importance; for example, in the principal duties of one’s state
of life. It prompts the soul to hypocrisy: “I fast twice in the
week” (Luke xviii, 12).
Humility is never encouraged by this spirit, for it gradually
distorts the soul’s vision to see itself as greater than it really is,
greater than anyone else. Almost unconsciously it makes the
prayer of the Pharisee its own: “I thank thee, God, that I am
not like the rest of men ... or like this publican here” (Luke
xviii, 11). This spiritual pride goes hand in hand with a false
humility, which accuses itself of some evil so as to avoid being
accused by others of even greater faults and in order to make
them think that we are truly humble. Sometimes the evil spirit

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

leads us to confuse humility with faint-heartedness, which is the
daughter of pride and fears to run the risk of contempt. The
evil spirit is also an enemy of obedience, prompting us either to
open disobedience or to servility according to circumstances.
As regards the virtue of faith the spirit of the devil distracts
our attention from the truths of the Gospel which are simpler
and yet more profound—such as those contained in the Our
Father which we ought always to say with special care and
devotion, or those portrayed in the mysteries of the Rosary—
and encourages us to focus our mind on what is extraordinary.
Remember his tempting of Christ : “If thou art the Son of God,
cast thyself down to earth ; for it is written, He has given charge
to his angels concerning thee, and they will hold thee up with
their hands, lest thou shouldst chance to trip on a stone. Jesus
said to him, But it is further written, Thou shalt not put the
Lord Thy God to the proof” (Matt, iv, 6-7).
With a similar intent the devil frequently suggests desires
contrary to our vocation: so, for instance, he urges the Car­
thusian to set out to convert the pagan world, and the missionary
to adopt the solitary life of the Carthusian. In our prayer he
prompts us to ignore the spirit of the Liturgy, to pray on Good
Friday as though it were Christmas Day, or vice versa. He is
also a past master in the art of giving men an attraction for
doctrinal novelties—one has only to think of the period of
modernism—or for reading books written by Liberal Protestants
on the pretext of aligning our faith to the needs of the times.
But should our natural bent be in the opposite direction he will
then encourage us to be so tenacious of archaic traditions that
we become a centre of fierce disagreement, even in our own
Catholic circles. It is easy to detect his influence behind the
desire of the Jews recently converted to Christianity to return
to the observance of the Mosaic law, and St. Paul wrote his
Epistle to the Hebrews in an endeavour to warn them against
such a temptation: “Strengthen your own resolution, to make
sure that none of you grows hardened; sin has such power to
cheat us” (iii, 13). Corruption of dogma is also the work of the
devil—for instance, the Calvinist interpretation of the doctrine
of predestination. The devil is only too well acquainted with
the principle—corruptio optimi pessima—and so he strives un­
ceasingly to pervert a man’s faith. He realizes that there is

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201

nothing worse, nothing more dangerous, nothing more worthy
of condemnation than a false brand of Christianity which
nevertheless retains a faint resemblance to the truth. That is
why he sometimes disguises himself as Christ before revealing
himself in his true character as the arch-enemy of Christ.
And there we have the reason for the greater danger inherent
in the Protestantism of Luther and Calvin—but not of those
Protestants who are in good faith—than in any spirit of
naturalism, since it is far more deceptive, and while admitting
the truth of Scripture makes use of it for its own evil purpose.
Naturalism, whether in its original practical form or in its
later theoretical form, may often be attributed to the spirit of
fallen nature. The same cannot be said of the malicious travesty
of supernatural truth such as we find in Calvinism. No one
but the devil is responsible for this. Such falsification of divine
faith must be likened to the act of picking up the sword to slay
oneself and one’s own brothers—an act of suicide and fratricide.
This would seem to be the explanation of the spirit underlying
the history of the so-called Reformation, although we must not
forget that many Protestants are in perfectly good faith since
they are unaware of the true spirit of Protestantism.
As regards the virtue of hope the evil spirit strives with all the
forces at his command to turn our hope into presumption. It is
easy to find an example of this in the desire of some people to
find a quicker route to holiness than that provided by the
normal development of the spiritual life through the various
stages, and who wish to avoid the way of humility and self­
conquest in their effort for perfection. He is also quick to
make us annoyed with ourselves when we realize clearly our
many imperfections, and then sorrow gives way to anger
—the off-spring of pride and an effective barrier to sorrow.
Presumption in its turn leads to despair, when a man recognizes
the inadequacy of his own efforts for attaining the end he
desires. He looks upon difficult good as something quite
beyond his reach and thus he despairs.
As regards the virtue of charity the evil spirit tries to foster
other qualities which bear a misleading resemblance to that
virtue. Adapting his tactics to our varied and conflicting
natural inclinations he encourages in some a false charity of
sentimentality, humanitarianism, liberalism, which cloaks its
IS

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

excessive leniency under a guise of mercy and generosity; in
others he nourishes a zeal for souls which is forever discovering
faults in other people but never in themselves, always seeing the
speck of dust in their brother’s eye but never the beam in their
own (cf. Matt, vii, 3).
And what results from all this ? Discord and the destruction
of peace. The man who is influenced by this spirit chafes at
every contradiction. So absorbed has he become with his own
self that he practically denies the existence of anybody else and
unconsciously exalts himself above all his neighbours, like a
statue on a pedestal.
If such a man commits a serious sin which he finds it impos­
sible to hide from others, he is upset, angry, desperate. Even­
tually his mind is darkened and his heart hardened. But notice
the cunning of Satan. Before the sin he carefully hides its
dangerous consequences and urges his “victim” to be broad­
minded; after the sin he troubles the man’s conscience with
thoughts of God’s relentless justice, so as to drag him down
into the depths of despair. And thus he forms souls after his
own likeness—despair following on pride.
Consequently, if anyone is granted sense consolations in
prayer but comes away with increased self-love, higher in his
own estimation than those around him, with less obedience
towards his superiors and less simplicity in accepting the advice
of his spiritual guide, that is a certain indication of the presence
of the evil spirit in his sense devotion. The absence of humility,
obedience, and brotherly love is always a sign of the absence of
the spirit of God.

Signs of the spirit of God
These signs are in direct contrast to those of the spirits of
nature and of the devil. The spirit of God certainly prompts us
to exterior mortification—and in this respect it differs from the
spirit of nature—but this mortification is always controlled by
Christian prudence and obedience; never does it draw atten­
tion to oneself nor is it allowed to endanger health. Further­
more, the spirit of God teaches us that this form of mortification
is of little value unless accompanied by a corresponding
mortification of the imagination, memory—forgetting injuries
we have suffered—, heart, will, and judgment. We can see at

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203

once the vast difference between the spirit of God and that of
the devil. In addition, the spirit of God fosters in us true humility
which paves the way for perfect obedience, prevents us from pre­
ferring ourselves to others, does not shrink from being despised,
does not parade our talents while not denying their existence
but using them as means of giving glory to God.
The spirit of God nourishes our faith on the simpler and more
profound truths of the Gospel, such as those contained in the
Our Father. It keeps us faithful to tradition and strangers to
novelty. This genuine supernatural faith helps us to sec God in
our superiors, and thus our spirit of faith is perfected since we
come to judge everything in the light of this virtue.
The spirit of God strengthens our hope by preserving it from
presumption ; for instance, it prompts us to yearn for the life­
giving well of prayer but to draw near to it along the road of
humility, self-denial and the cross. Hence this spirit gives us
a holy indifference towards earthly success.
The spirit of God increases the fervour of our charity. It confers
on us a zeal for the glory of God and the saving of souls, and a
complete forgetfulness of self, so that we always think of God
in the first place and only secondarily of our own convenience.
It teaches us an effective love for our neighbour, making us
realize that this is the principal sign of our love of God. It
prevents rash judgment and the taking of scandal without just
cause. While prompting us to zeal it ensures that it is a zeal
moderated by patience, meekness, and prudence, which edifies
by prayer and good example and does not cause annoyance by
inopportune correction. The spirit of God provides the soul
with unlimited patience in the midst of adversity, a love of the
cross, and a love of one’s enemies. But its crowning glory is
peace—peace with God, with others, with ourselves—and this
is often accompanied by a deep interior joy.
On occasions when there is an accidental lapse in our service
of God, the divine spirit reminds us of his mercy.
“The spirit yields a harvest of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, forbearance, gentleness, faith, courtesy,
temperateness, purity” (Gal. v, 23), together with humility
and obedience.
Those are the general signs of God’s spirit, but it is not
always easy to recognize its presence or its absence in any

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

individual act. However, if a person oppressed by sorrow
prays and is deeply consoled, this is a sign that God is visiting
that soul—provided that the consolation results in humble
obedience and brotherly love.
But it is most important to distinguish carefully between the
first moment of the soul’s comforting and the period which
follows, when the soul may rely on its own judgment about the
nature of this consolation and thus be blinded by self-love.
It would be presumptuous on our part to crave for extra­
ordinary graces, such as revelations or interior conversations.
But a soul which lives and perseveres in humility, self-denial,
and almost continual recollection often receives in accordance
with the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost special inspirations which
result in a wonderful blending of simplicity and prudence,
humility and zeal, firmness and gentleness. This harmony and
blending of the virtues is a sure sign of the presence of God’s
spirit.
Those who do receive extraordinary graces from God must
be prepared to carry the cross, to maintain complete silence
and secrecy, and to speak about their favours to no one other
than their spiritual director. Otherwise they stand in grave
peril of spiritual pride.
There is a special danger in revelations which seem to.refer
to future events or to questions of doctrine, since they so easily
give rise to deception. Even if the original inspiration were from
God, the individual could later on superimpose his own inter­
pretation which may be to a greater or less extent erroneous
and is usually too material. In conclusion, it cannot be stressed
too often that ecstasies and revelations which do not result in a
more perfect way of life and do not make the subject less sure of
himself cannot be attributed to the spirit of God—especially
if they promote discord, and interfere with the fulfilment of the
duties attached to one’s state of life.
Therefore the signs of God’s spirit are humble obedience,
brotherly love, peace, spiritual joy which radiates itself to all
around.
Secondary principles for the discernment of spirits
Generally speaking, acts which a man is suddenly called upon to
perform are a good guide to the nature of the spirit in that

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205

individual, whereas we must be careful in drawing conclusions
from acts that are the result of mature deliberation. But we
should exclude from this rule all indeliberate movements of
the will and all sins of frailty; it is intended to refer only
to acts which are sufficiently deliberate and grave, which even a
hypocrite would find it impossible to disguise. Remember how
the spirit of the Pharisees was revealed after the unexpected
healing of the man blind from birth.
Suffering is also a trustworthy guide to the secrets of a man’s
heart. That is why false friends never stand the test of adversity
(cf. Eccles, vi, 8). Suffering is the furnace, so to speak, in which
God puts his chosen ones to the test: “Pottery is tested in the
furnace, man in the crucible of suffering” (Eccles, xxvii, 6).
“God, all the while, did but test them, and testing them found
them worthy of him. His gold, tried in the crucible, his burntsacrifice, graciously accepted, they do but wait for the time of
deliverance; then they will shine out, these just souls, uncon­
querable as the sparks that break out, now here, now there,
among the stubble. Theirs to sit in judgment on nations, to
subdue whole peoples, under a Lord whose reign shall last for
ever” (Wisdom iii, 5-8). But for this suffering was necessary—
“a hundred trials beset the innocent” (Psalm xxxiii, 21)—in
order to prove their forbearance, humility, gentleness, and
perseverance to the end.
Finally, authority reveals a man for what he is, because in
receiving any honour or authority he is called upon to direct and
govern other people—a task which is far more difficult, exten­
sive, and public than anything which he did before in his private
life. Now he has to show wisdom and prudence without the
mediocrity of the opportunist or utilitarian, charity for all,
justice, fearless courage in correcting evil-doers, kindness in
helping his faithful subjects. Cf. the Dialogue of St. Catherine
of Sienna where she speaks of the difference between good and
bad rulers.
Rules for various occasions
During periods when the soul finds no consolation in the
things of God our rule of life should not be altered in any way ;
we must remain firm and constant in observing the resolutions
already made in the presence of God. This is more than ever

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

necessary when the trial proves so oppressive that the devil is
able to tempt us to become depressed.
At the same time even more attention must be given to
prayer, penance, and our examination of conscience. Why?
Because spiritual desolation is apt to make us slothful in those
three spiritual duties, and this can only be avoided by using a
suitable antidote. Aridity—no matter what its cause may be—
should be treated as an opportunity of a virtuous reaction, a
renewal of our readiness to serve God. Cf. The Imitation of
Christ, bk. I, c. 12: of the advantage of adversity; “It is good
for us now and then to have some troubles and adversities;
for oftentimes they make a man enter into himself, that he
may know that he is an exile, and place not his hopes in any­
thing of the world.” And thus our sadness will gradually
lose its evil character and become—through prayer—a joyful
sorrow.
The evil spirit is adept in deceiving us by hiding his evil
intent under the guise of good; once he has won us over he
leads us into sin. This is seduction in its worst form. Sometimes
the devil goes so far as to disguise himself as an angel of light;
he lets us think that we are acting for the good of someone
committed to our care when, in fact, he is leading us away from
the path to God by making us more desirous of our own con­
venience than of holiness. Thus he promotes strife and dis­
unity, and disrupts peace.
Then again, if anyone finds himself upset when despised by
others, this is a sign of at least an imperfect spirit—if not of an
evil spirit—especially in those who are reputed to have been
singularly favoured by God, because such people rejoice not
only in their gifts and favours but also in their trials and humili­
ations: “I will not boast about myself, except to tell you of
my humiliations ... so that the strength of Christ may
enshrine itself in me. I am well content with those humiliations
of mine, with the insults, the hardships, the persecutions, the
times of difficulty I undergo for Christ” (2 Cor. xii, 4, 9-10).
St. Augustine says that whereas the philosopher looks on con­
tempt as a disgrace the Apostle regards it as his greatest
treasure (Sermo 160).
Therefore the spirit which chafes under humiliation is not a
perfect spirit: neither is the spirit which neglects to deny itself

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207

a spirit of solid virtue, since all the virtues ought to develop in
unison as they are so closely related to each other.
It follows, therefore, that a spirit which prompts a man to
numerous acts of mortification but not to ready obedience is
imperfect, and must be regarded—at least to some extent—
as having an evil intention, since it is so insistent on following its
own will. True it is that such a spirit is often the cause of many
good works but these are not inspired by any love of God, as is
evident from the lack of growth in humble obedience—the
sure sign of loving conformity to the will of God.
Neither is that spirit to be trusted which is always urging man
to paradoxical action, which is continually forming judgments
that conflict with the common opinion of prudent men. Such
a spirit is, so to speak, exotic and artificial; it is impulsive
rather than virtuous.
Similarly, there cannot be any doubt about the evil nature
of a spirit w'hich fosters in man a desire for what is extraordinary
and willingly speaks of this to all and sundry. God would never
lead a soul to the higher planes of the spiritual life without
making it at the same time extremely humble, since all the
virtues arc inter-related and so are perfected together. That is
why it is so easy to distinguish the truly high-minded person
from one who is presumptuous. It is part of the devil’s plan to
incite in man a desire for what is new, curious, abnormal,
amazing, unusual, and so to excite the wonder and admiration
of others that they will think of him as a saint.
The same holds true of a person not yet firmly grounded in
the virtues of humility and obedience, who while professing a
desire to imitate the saints, concentrates on details of their
lives which were never intended to be imitated but simply
admired, and dedicates himself to a life of extraordinary forms
of prayer and penance.
How foolish to commence erecting a spiritual mansion from
the top, like a bird trying to fly without wings! We should
never be misled by the apparent success of a soul which makes
such an attempt; its flight into the realms of mysticism is
deceptive, dangerous, and to no purpose.
Conclusion. It follows, therefore, from the principles outlined
in this chapter that the two principal signs of the divine spirit
arc humble obedience and brotherly love, which redirects our

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THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

affection away from self to our neighbour and through him to
God. Humble obedience is never a characteristic either of the
spirit of nature, which has no inclination for such a virtue, or of
the evil spirit—the spirit of pride and disobedience. On the
other hand, humble obedience even in small matters bears
witness to an increasing conformity to the will of God.
Brotherly love, however, is an even greater proof of progress
in the love of God : “The mark by which all men will know you
for my disciples will be the love which you bear one another”
(John xiii, 35). We might call it the “thermometer” of our
union with God, since even our senses are bound to recognize
the love that inspires the help we give our neighbour, especially
when he is difficult and exacting. But if in spite of that difficulty
we persevere in our love for him, this surely is a sign that the
motive of our help is none other than God himself and that our
love for God is increasing, since charity is an undivided infused
virtue with God as its primary object and our neighbour as its
secondary object. Consequently, this visible love of our
neighbour is proof of our invisible love of God—provided it is
not mere sentimentality.
And thus, if humble obedience and brotherly love are being
preserved and developed in any individual or community, that
is proof overwhelming of growth in genuine love of God. He
himself will remedy in such souls any deficiency in natural
intelligence or physical strength by inspirations, for which they
are prepared by the gifts of counsel and of fortitude.
*

*

*

Final conclusion
The truths we have discussed in considering the discernment
of spirits serve only to stress still further the central theme of
this book: every priest has an obligation in virtue of his
ordination and the purpose of that ordination—namely, an
increasingly holy celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass and
the sanctification of souls—to strive daily for an intimate union
with Christ the priest and victim, in imitation of those priests
who have been canonized.
Futhermore, every priest must labour as another Christ, in
union with Christ, in his ministry of preaching the word of
God, hearing confessions and directing souls at every stage of

THE DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS

20Q

their spiritual life. Only in this way will he reveal in his own
person the sublime dignity of the priesthood and its power for
unlimited good. And thus the priest will be sincere and effective
in his effort to save souls, and in a world which is returning to
the natural outlook of paganism and utilitarianism he will reap
a rich harvest in preaching the Gospel, so that souls who have
to be saved “may have life, and have it more abundantly.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.

Sacred Scripture
St. Paul. The Epistle to the Hebrews: Christ the Priest, v, i-io;
vii, 1-28. Christ the Victim, viii-x, 18.
St. Thomas. In Epist. ad Hebraeos, in cap. v, lect. 1 et 2; in cap.
vii, lect. 1-4; in cap. viii, lect. 1-3; in cap. ix, lect. 1-5;
in cap. x, lect. 1.
Vosté,J. M. Studia Paulina, Rome, 1928: c. vi: Christus sacerdos,
р. 110-141; c. vii: Christus victima, p. 142-187.

2. Papal Documents
Pius X. Letter to Catholic Priests {Exhortatio ad Clerum catholicum),
1908. Acta Apostolicae Sedis, t. 41, p. 555-577.
Pius XI. Encyclical, The Catholic Priesthood {Ad catholici Sacerdotii
fastigium), 1935. Acta Apostolicae Sedis, t. 28, p. 5-53.

3. Patristic Writings
St. Ambrose. De officiis Ministrorum, bk. 1, c. 48. P.L. 16.
St. Augustine. Epistolae. P.L. 33: ep. 21, c. 88-90; ep. 22,
с. 9°~94; eP· 29, c. 114-120; ep. 142, c. 583-585; ep.
208, c. 989-991; ep. 228, c. 1013-1019; ep. 266, c. 10891091. See also the General Index, P.L. 46: Sacerdos,
Sacerdotium, c. 571; Sacrificium, c. 579-581.
St. Bernard. De moribus et officio episcoporum, P.L. 182, 809-834.
De Conversione ad Clericos, P.L. ibid., 833-856.
Amongst his supplementary works Instructio Sacerdotis, P.L.
184, 771-792.
St. Cyprian. Ep. yj, P.L. 4, 414-419.
St. Ephraem. De sacerdotio (ed. Lamy, 5. Ephraem Syri hymni et
sermones, Malines, 1882-1902, III, 1-6).
St. Gregory the Great. Liber regulae pastoralis, P.L. 77, 13-128.
(Cf. Bishop Hedley. Lex Levitarum). Dialogorum libri quatuor,
P.L. 77, 149-436·
St. Gregory of Nanzianzus. Oratio II, P.G. 35, 407-514.
St. John Chrysostom. On the Priesthood (tr. by P. Boyle, C.M.,
Newman, 1943), P.G. 48, 623-692.
210

BIBLIOGRAPHY

211

St. Paulinus of Nola. Ep. XI, P.L. 61, 188-199.
St. Peter Damian. Op. XVIII, P.L. 145, 398-424.

4. Doctors

of the

Church

St. Albert the Great. De sacrificio Missae, ed. Borgnet, t. 38,
pp. 1-189.
St. Thomas Aquinas. In Ep. ad Hebraeos, loc. cit. De Sacerdotio
Christi in the Summa Theologica, Illa, q. 22. De Sacrificio
Missae, ibid., Illa, q. 83. De Ordine, ibid., Suppl. q. 34-40.
St. Robert Bellarmine. De Sacrificio Missae : De Controversiis, bk.
V and VI. De Eucharistia, Coloniae Agrippinae, 1619, vol.
iii, p. 779-9θ4·
St. Francis of Sales. Treatise on the Love of God, Library of St.
Francis of Sales, vol. ii, London: Burns, Oates and Wash­
bourne.
St. Alphonsus Liguori. Selva, Opere, Turin, 1887, vol. iii, p.
5-297. Homo apostolicus, ibid., vol. vii, 1-753. Praxis
Confessarii, 753-803. Life of St. Alphonsus of Liguori, by A.
Berthe, 2 vols., Paris, 1900. (English translation by H.
Castle. Dublin: James Duffy, 1905.)

5. Spiritual Writers of the French School
Bossuet. Explication de la doctrine de l'Eglise sur la Messe.
Charles de Condren. L'Idée du Sacerdoce de N. Seigneur Jésus Christ,
Paris, 1901.
J. J. Olier, founder of the Society of St. Sulpice. Traité de Saints
Ordres, Paris, 1928.
H. S. Icard, Superior of St. Sulpice. Doctrine de Monsieur Olier
expliquée par sa vie et par ses écrits, Paris, 2e éd., 1891.

6. Various Works
The Imitation of Christ, bk. iv.
Suarez. De statu perfectionis—De Religione, Pars II, Lyons, 1632,
vol. 3 and 4.
Cardinal Bona. De sacrificio Missae, tractatus ascelicus. Rome,
1659. (New edition, Marietti, Turin.)
Giraud, Missionary Priest of Notre Dame de la Salette. Prêtre el
Hostie, 5e éd., Paris, 1924. (English tr. by W. H. Mitchell:
Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim. London: Burns, Oates and
Washbourne, 1914.)

212

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Achille Desurmont, G. SS. R. La Charité sacerdotale, 2 vol., Paris,
1906.
Blessed P. J. Eymard. Le Très Saint Sacrament, 4 vol., Paris, 1872.
Ven. Joseph Frassinetti. Gesù Cristo regola del Sacerdote, Marietti,
1947. Manuale delparroco novello, 1 ia ed. (English tr. by W.
Hutch: New Parish Priest's Practical Manual. Burns, Oates
and Washbourne, London, 1898.)
J. Grimai, S. M. Le Sacerdoce et le sacrifice de N. Seigneur Jésus
Christ, 4e éd. Paris, 1926, p. 90, 168, 255, 348. Avec Jésus
formant en nous son prêtre, 2 vol., Lyons, 1925.
Cardinal Mercier. La Vie intérieure, appel aux âmes sacerdotales,
Paris, 1919.
Perinelle, O. P. Le Sacerdoce, Paris, 1936.
Dom E. Vandcur, O.S.B. La Sainte Messe, notes sur la liturgie,
Maredsous, 1912. (English tr. by Dom K. Gilbertson, O.S.B.
The Holy Mass Popularly Explained. Burns, Oates and Wash­
bourne, London, 1928.)
7. More Recent Works
A complete bibliography is to be found in the periodical Ami du
Clergé, 23rd October, 1947, p. 733 ss. Especially noteworthy are the
following—
Anonymous. Vivere in Cristo, Milan, 2nd ed., 1941. Ut vitam
habeant, l’Apostolato dell'Azione cattolica perché gli uomini vivano
in grazia di Dio, Rome, 1935.
Mgr. Ancel. La pauvreté du prêtre d'après la vie et les écrits du V. Père
Chevrier, Lyon-Paris, 1945.
Mgr. A. Bernareggi. Responsabilità dei sacerdote nell’ora attuale,
Rome, 1945.
Carpentier, S. J. La spiritualité du clergé diocésain: Nouvelle Revue
Théologique, vol. 68, 1946, p. 192-277.
Abbé Grimand. La vie spirituelle du prêtre séculier, Paris, 1946.
Mgr. Guerry. Le clergé diocésain en face de sa mission actuelle d'
évangélisation, Rapport présenté à la Réunion des Cardinaux et
Archevêques de France, 1944.
J. de Guibert, S.J. Séminaire ou Noviciat? Paris, 1938.
P. Philippe, O.P. La Très Sainte Vierge et le Sacerdoce, Paris, 1947.
M. J. Nicolas, O.P. Sacerdoce diocésain et vie religieuse: Revue
Thomiste, March, 1946.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

2 13

Mgr. Richaud. Z a-t-il une spiritualité du Clergé diocésain? Paris,
1945·
Canon F. X. Maquart. Allons-nous vers une spiritualité nouvelle?
Preface written by Μ. B. Lavaud, O.P. Rheims, 1948.

This last-named work is a commentary on those famous words of
His Holiness Pius XII: “to the Missionaries of the great return”:
“It would be a serious mistake to rely primarily on so-called modern
methods and ingenuity, and then to avail oneself of the spiritual
strength of grace through prayer and penance only as a subsidiary

INDEX
(References to the works of St. Thomas have been omitted owing to their
frequent occurrence)
Acts, intense: of theological virtues, 183, 185
Adoration: in the Mass, 81 ; purpose of sacrifice, 84
Ages of the spiritual life, see Direction, spiritual
Aim of this work, vii If.; 208
Alphonsus, St.: on celebration of Mass, 50; on direction of perfect souls, 187;
on extraordinary graces, 188; on meditation, 176; on mortification, 173;
on spiritual communion, 176; on spiritual direction in general, 167; on
thanksgiving after Holy Communion, 175
Ambrose, St.: on excellence of the priestly grace, 113
Apologetics of Christ and the Apostles, 132
Apostolate: its threefold character, 130, 187
Aridity (sensible): a means of purification, 40: in prayer of beginners, 177;
rules during, 205 f.; sign of transition from discursive meditation, 181
Attraction, law of universal, 76
Augustine, St.: on carrying the cross, 64; his celebration of Mass, 52; on con­
tempt, 206; on destruction of self-love, 43; on fidelity in details, 42, 179;
on Holy Communion, 76; on imitation of Christ, 114; on opposition between
love of God and self-love, 38; on sacrifice of self, 62
Avarice: see Self-love

Beginners: aridity in, 177; mental prayer of, 176 f.; mortification of, 173 f.;
reception of sacraments by, 174 ff. ; recollection in, 178; spiritual direction
of, 173 ff.
Benedict, St. : on purity of intention, 42
Bernard, St.: on spiritual direction, 168
Blessed Virgin: .see Mary
Calvary: a true sacrifice, 6; continued in the Mass, 14, 53
Cassian: on spiritual direction, 167
Catherine of Sienna, St. : on the sacrilegious Mass, 50
Character of Holy Orders : differs from that of other sacraments, 17 ; indelible,
17; reason for its indelibility, 23 f.; its purpose, 16, 46
Charity: acceleration of, 76; of Christ in the Eucharist, 88 f.; of confessor, 163,
164; and the evil spirit, 201 f.; growth through Holy Communion, 76, 107;
in members of Christ’s mystical body, 34; nourished by Eucharist, 81;
opposed to self-love, 37; order of, 91 ; of the perfect, 186: of the preacher,
154; required for fruitfulness of priest’s ministry, 68; required for comfort
of the poor, 1:3; outstanding sign of divine spirit, 207 f. ; and spirit of God,
203; in spiritual director, 169; unlimited by reason of the supreme precept,
44 f.
Charles de Foucauld, Fr.: and the celebration of Mass, 53, 106; on the worship
given in the Mass, 117
Chevrier, Fr. : on the priest as another Christ, 66 f.
Christ:
his death a true sacrifice, 6, 9
his habitual grace could be increased, 8
holiness of, 8
humanity of: instrument of all supernatural effects, t2
influence on his mystical body, 9
instrumental cause of grace, 30
intercession of, 30, 86
interior life in Eucharist, 87 ff.
214

INDEX

2’5

Christ—(contd.)
merits of, 30
preaching of: its authority, 122 f.; ordered to final end, 137; persuasive
power of, 124 f.; simplicity and humility of, i23f. ; spiritual attraction of,
124
priesthood of: according to St. Paul, 3; according to St. Thomas, 3; eternity
of, 4; and his humanity, 3; and the hypostatic union, 4 f., 8; and offering
of the Mass, to ff.; most perfect of all priesthoods, 6 ff. ; principal priest of
sacrifice of Mass, 11,14; wills each act of consecration, 13
spirit of truth, love, and sacrifice, 82 f.
united to his mystical body, 9
victim, 4, 5 f., 13, 57; union with him in Holy Communion, 75 f.; a victim
in soul and body, 9
Communion: St. Augustine on, 76; belongs to completion of sacrifice, 73;
daily reception of, 175; dispositions required for, 175; each Communion
should be substantially more fervent, 55, 76, 107, 175; its foreshadowing
in the Old Testament, 74 f.; fruits of, 150; Mary and, 103 f.; necessary
for salvation, 73 f.; Fr. Olicr on, 76 f.; received by Mary, 102; spiritual,
77 f., 176; thanksgiving after, 175; under both species, 73, 79; union with
Christ as victim in, 75 f.
Concupiscence, 193 f. ; and self-love, 38, and note
Confession: frequent reception of, 174: instituted by God, 150 f.
Confessor: co-operates in integrity of confession, 163 f.; co-operates in sincerity
of contrition, 164 f. ; as doctor, 162; duties in granting or refusing absolution,
165 f.: as father, 162; as judge, 162 f.; qualities in, 161, 163; as teacher, 162
Confidence: in members of Christ’s mystical body, 34; in preacher, 141; in
proficients, 182: required for perfection, 187
Consecration, act of: produced by Christ and priest together, 23
Consolations in prayer: in beginners, 177; detachment from, 182; and evil
spirit, 202; in mental prayer, 39; their significance, 204; and spiritual
gluttony, 177
Contemplation, infused: and illuminative way, 182, 183; signs of beginning of,
170, 181 f.; in victim souls, 187
Contemplation of divine mysteries: and Eucharistic worship, 91; required for
preaching, 113, 121
Cross, carrying of: fruitful in priest’s ministry, 55, 64 f.; in members of Christ’s
mystical body, 35; opposed to modern spirit, 67; varied forms of, 63
Denis: on excellence of priestly grace, 113
Derision in beginners, 180
Devil: and humility, 199; and mortification, 199; and natural love of God, 38;
seduces souls, 206; signs of spirit of, 191 ; and the theological virtues, 200 ff.
Direction, spiritual: of beginners, 173 ff.; duties of person directed, t7off.;
necessity of, 167 f.; during passive purification of senses, 182 f.; of the perfect,
iBjff.; of proficients, 181 ff.; during spiritual aridity, 177!'.
Director, spiritual: prudence in, 170; qualities of, 169 f.
Discernment of spirits, tgo ff.; acquired and infused, 192; nature of the spirits
of God, of human nature and of the devil, 190 f.; principle of, 192; signs
of the divine spirit, 202 ff.; signs of the evil spirit, 199 ff.; signs of the spirit
of nature, 193 ff. ; subsidiary principles of, 204 f.
Dominic, St. : his Mass, 105; preparation for preaching, 130

Egoism : see Self-love
Eloquence, sacred: 127 if.: centred in the love of God, 137; characteristics of,
128; corruption and destruction of, I2gf.; purpose of, 134
Ephraem, St. : on the superiority of the priesthood to the angelic ministry, 48
Episcopate: not a distinct sacrament from priesthood, 16; sanctity becoming to,
45
Eucharist : Christ’s interior life in, 87 ff. ; and the theological virtues 80 f. ·
see also Communion

2l6

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Eucharistic Heart of Jesus: devotion towards, 85; prayer to, 89 note.
Eucharistic vocation according to Blessed Peter Julian Eymard, 90 f.
Eucharistic worship: Blessed Peter Julian Eymard on, 80 ff. ; and the four ends
of sacrifice, 83 ff. ; the nourishment of faith, hope, charity, and religion, 80 f. ;
and Mary, 88, 101 ff. ; and priestly perfection, 89 f.
Extraordinary graces: St. Alphonsus on attitude towards, 188; and the evil
spirit, 207; not to be desired, 204
Eymard, Blessed Peter Julian: on Eucharistic worship, 80 ff.

Faith: essential for fruitfulness of priestly ministry, 68; evident in the spirit of
sacred learning, 95; foundation of preacher’s contemplation of divine
mysteries, 121; in Mary, 102; in members of the mystical body, 34; nour­
ished by the Eucharist, 80 f. ; in preacher, 126 f. ; and the spirit of the devil,
200; and the spirit of God, 203
Fault, predominant: definition and description of, 40 f.; recognition and des­
truction of, 41 ff.
Faults of proficients, 183 f.
von Fliie, Blessed Nicolaus; on self-surrender, 35
Formation, spiritual and intellectual, of priests, 92 ff.; faults liable to occur
during, 92 f. ; Mary’s help during, 95 ff.
Frances of Chantal, St.: aridity of, 107; ejaculatory prayer of, 178
Francis of Sales, St. : on aridity, 178; on ejaculatory prayer, 178; Mass of, 105;
on need of spiritual direction, 168; on qualities in spiritual director, 169;
on the reception of Holy Communion, 175
Fruitfulness of cross in priestly ministry, 55, 64 f.
Fruitfulness of priestly ministry and his union with Christ as victim, 61 f.
Gifts of the Holy Ghost: and the spirit of God, 190; increased by Holy Com­
munion, 121 ; and infused contemplation, 181
Gluttony, spiritual: in beginners, 177; St. John of the Cross on, 194; sign of
self-love, 39
God, spirit of: description of, 190; evident in celebration of Mass, 198; signs
of, 202 ff. ; and theological virtues, 203
Grace of priesthood : elevates priest above angels, 48, 112 ; eminent cause of its
excellence, to8f.; splendour of, ti2ff.; extends to all virtues, n6ff.;
extends to Heaven and Purgatory, 116 f. ; fruitfulness of, 23; increase of,
22 ; influence on all souls and on the devils, 117; loss of, 17 ; in ministry of
confession, 164; nature of, 18 ff., 46, nt; proximate source of priestly
holiness, tit f.; general purpose of, 16, 18, 46; primary purpose of, 109;
secondary purpose of, 109 ff.
Grace, sacramental : nature and purpose of, 18 ff.
Grace, sanctifying: in all the faithful, 108; nature and purpose of, 18
Gregory of Nanzianzen, St. ; priest must offer himself in Mass, 60
Gregory the Great, St.; priest must offer himself in Mass, 60
Happiness and the beatitudes, ix, 147
Holiness of Christ, 8
Hope: nourished by the Eucharist, 81; and the evil spirit, 201; and the divine
spirit, 203
Humility: means of Christ living in us, 33; and the evil spirit, 199 f.; and the
divine spirit, 203

Illuminative way, entrance into, 181
Incarnation: cannot be merited, 98; decree of, 97 f.
Intellect: directed by Mary, 95?.; enlightened by Christ’s preaching, 122 ff.;
its possible defects in priestly training, 92 f.
Intention, purity of: required to overcome predominant fault, 42
John Chrysostom, St.: on excellence of priestly grace, 113
John of the Cross, St.: on aridity, 178; on mortification, 174; on preaching, 142 ;
on spiritual gluttony, 194; on transition from meditation to contemplation, 181

INDEX

SI?

Learning, sacred, 95
Liberman, Fr.: and the celebration 0Γ Mass, 58
Life of Christ in his members: nature of, 308'.; opposed by self-love, 36 ff.;
practical consequences of, 32 ff.; testimony of Christ and St. Paul, 29 f.
Litany of Eucharistic Heart, 89
Love of God: and Christ’s life in his members, 34 f. ; opposed by self-love, 36 ff. ;
unlimited, 44, 196

Manzella, John Baptist: on confidence, 34
Mary, Blessed Virgin: consecration to, toof.; could not merit her motherhood,
98; her Communion, 103; and the Incarnation, 97 f.; model of devotion
to the Eucharist, 88, 101 ft; her motherhood superior to priestly vocation,
79, 97 ; and offering of self to God, 72 ; a priest in the wide sense, 96, 99 ;
spiritual mother of priests, 55, 95 ff., 99 f.; universal mediatrix of all graces,
95>
Mass: St. Alphonsus on hurried Mass, 50; St. Catherine of Sienna on sacrilegious
Mass, 50; Fr. Charles de Foucauld on, 106, 117; celebrated with greater
substantial fervour each day, 83; daily celebration of, 198 f. ; different ways
of celebrating, 49 ff. ; St. Dominic’s celebration of, 105 ; effects of worthy
celebration of, 53 £; St. Ephraem on, 48; extends to Heaven and Purgatory,
116 f.; of St. Francis of Sales, 105; holiness required for celebration of, 47;
St. John Fisher on, 50; St. John Mary Vianney on, 53, 106; Fr. Liberman
on, 58; obstacle to devil, it7; offered by Christ, 10 ft, 14; of St. Philip,
52, 106; preparation for, 54; primary purpose of priestly ordination, 47;
sacrilege in, 498; of the saints, 105 ff.; same sacrifice as Calvary, 14; of
St. Thomas, 105; value of, 14, 53, 82
Mean, happy: in the virtues, 191 ; and mediocrity, 195
Mediation of Mary, 95, 102
Mediocrity, and the spirit of human nature, 191, 195
Meditation: during aridity, 177; in beginners, 176 f.; in proficients, 181, 182
Merits: of Christ, 30; and consecration to Mary, 100 f. ; of Mary, 99
Missions: in Christian countries, 158 f.; in pagan countries, 159
de Montfort, St. Louis Marie: on consecration to Mary, too
Mortification: and destruction of predominant fault, 42 f., 174; exterior and
interior in beginners, 173 f. ; St. Gregory the Great on, 62; in modern times,
67 f. ; St. Philip on, 174; Pius X on, 69; in priests, 66; shunned by human
nature, 194; and the spirit of the devil, 199; and the spirit of God, 202
Motherhood of Mary: belongs to hypostatic order, 97; could not be merited, 98;
foundation of all her graces, 98; foundation of devotion to Mary, 99; in
same decree as the Incarnation, 97 f. ; superior to priestly vocation, 97
Mystical body: influence of Christ on, 9; life of Christ in, 30 ff. ; life of members
in, 30 f.; offered in the Mass, 13, 57, 70; the sufferings of Christ and, 65;
testimony of Christ and St. Paul, 29 f.
Nature, spirit of: description of, 190 f.; evil influence of, 198; and humility, 194;
and mortification, 194; signs of, 193 ff.; and theological virtues, 196
Obedience: not encouraged by spirits of devil and human nature, 200, 208;
required in perfect souls, 188; sign of divine spirit, 203, 207
Occasions of sin, t66
Offering of Mass by Christ, 11, 14
Offering to Merciful Love of God, 72
Olier, Fr. : on the priest’s Communion, 76 f.
Orders, Holy: confers grace and a character, 16; demands greater sanctity than
the religious life, 45; denied by Protestants, 17; effects of, 46; foundation
of priestly perfection, 45 f.; sacramental grace of, see Grace, sacramental;
sanctity becoming to, 45

Panegyric, 157
Parables, Christ’s use of, 124

218

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Patience of the priest, 66
Paul of the Cross, St.: his life of suffering and reparation, 64, 107, 186 f.
Peace, the result of the divine spirit, 303
Penance, spirit of, 63
Perfection: demanded by the supreme precept, 44 f. ; and Eucharistic worship,
89 f. ; necessary for devout celebration of Mass, 109; necessary for sanc­
tification of the faithful, 109 f.; priestly obligation to tend to, 45 if.; of
priests in the Old Testament, 75; and the sacramental grace of Holy
Orders, 111 f.
Perseverance, final: cannot be merited, 86
Personality of saints lost in Christ, 31
Peter of Blois : on priest’s offering in the Mass, 60
Petition : purpose of Eucharistic worship, 86
Philip, St. : celebration of Mass by, 52, 106; on confidence, 34; on mortification,
174; and preaching, 135
Pius X: on the spirit of sacrifice in priests, 69
Pius XI : on Christ’s offering of the Mass, 11
Poverty: in the priest, 66: its true character, 174
Prayer: contemplative, see Contemplation; of Christ in the Eucharist, 86;
ejaculatory, 178; in the name of Christ, 32 f.; mental prayer in beginners,
176 f. ; mental prayer in proficients, 181,182; in perfect souls, 188 ; required
for fruitful preaching, 139
Preaching: actual graces for, 122
commission of priests for, 122
·
composition of sermons, 145 ff.
contemplation required for, 113, 121
corrupted by secular approach, 131
development of principal argument in, 151 ff.
directed to man’s final end, 134 ff.
efficacy of, 139 fl'.
example of Christ, sec Christ.
expression of whole person,. 129
faith required for, 126 f.
monotony avoided in, 137 f.
must enlighten the mind, delight the affections, and inspire the will, 122
obstructed by self-love, 40
prayer and study required for, 130, 139
• purpose of, 134 ff.
sacred eloquence in, 127 ff.
" secular approach to : its causes, 130; destroys sacred eloquence, 131 ; disastrous
to preacher, 132 ; impedes redemption, 132 ; starves souls, : 32
style in, 154 ff.
subjects for, 143 ff.
types of, 157 ff.
Precept, supreme: binds all to unlimited love, vii, 44 f.
Pride in devil, 199
Priest: obliged to tend to perfection, 45 ff.; power to forgive sin, 15; power of
consecrating unsurpassed by episcopal power, 16; sanctity becoming to, 45,
109; union with Christ in celebrating Mass, 13
Priesthood: dignity unsurpassed by Episcopate, 22 f.; dignity evident in con­
fessional, 23; instituted at Last Supper, 15; perpetuated by Apostles and
successors, 15; primary purpose of, 47; superior to angelic ministry, 112
Priesthood of Christ, see Christ.
Principle, formal ; of Christ’s priesthood, 4, 8, 9
Proficients: characteristics of, 181 f. ; faults of, 183 f.; spiritual direction of, t8i ff.
Protestantism: inspired by evil spirit, 201; rejects priesthood, 17
Purgatory: Mass extends to, 116 f.
Purifications, passive:
of the senses, 40, 181 ; spiritual direction during, 182 f.
of the spirit, 185 f.; spiritual direction during, 186

INDEX

UK)

Recidivists, 165 f.
Recollection: in beginners, 1 78; required f(ir■ ,|,. ........... ,,1 (,,,.mt 1.111I1. | j
Religious life: compared with priesthood, j
........... m ΙΊ...... ρ,ιΐ, ίί. .......
Reparation: in perfect souls, 1861.; anti s.u 1 ifi< <·, H ·, I. ; 1(Ύ
S.mb, victim
Retreats, subjects for, 144, I59f.

Sacraments: frequent reception of, 174 f. ; instruments of grace, 30
Sacrifice: four ends of, 83 ff.; supreme act of religion, 81
Saints and their celebration of Mass, 105 if.
Sanctification of daily actions in beginners, 178
Self-denial: see Mortification
Self-love: cause of, 36; deceitful character of, 36, 39 f. ; destroys love of God, 38;
destruction of, 40 ff.; manifest in predominant fault, 40; obstacle to interior
life, 36; opposed to love of God, 37; source of triple concupiscence, 38, note,
194; and spirit of nature, 195
Sentimentality: and self-love, 39; and spirit of nature, 191
Sermons: arguments used in, 151 ; conclusion of, 149 f. ; development of principal
argument of, 151 ff.; division of, i,5of.; principal argument of, 147 ff.;
style of, 154 fl’.; subject-material for, 143 ff.; see also Preaching
Silence, 151
Sin, original: its effect, 36; wounds resulting from, 193
Sinners, habitual, 165
Sins, capital: consequences of, 194; roots of, 37; in spiritual order, 194
Sloth, spiritual : due to lack of generosity, 40
Souls, perfect: counsels to be given to, 187 f.; direction of, 185 ff.; and vocation
to reparation, 186 f.
Souls, retarded, 40; reasons for, 179 f.
Souls, victim: St. Augustine on, 62; everyone called to be, 56 f.; examples in
Old Testament, 59 f. ; fulfil priestly vocation, 60; St. Gregory of Nanzianzen
on, 60; St. Gregory Pope on, 60; and members of mystical body, 35;
patience of, 66; perfection of, 71, note; and perfect souls, 1861'.; Peter of
Blois on, 60; all priests called to be, 56 ff., no; and reparation, 85 f.;
and vow of victim, 70 f.

Tauler: on spiritual direction, 169
Tepidity: see Souls, retarded
Teresa, St. : on avoiding deliberate faults, 188; on the benefits of contemplation,
113; on conformity to the divine will, 188; on meditation, 176; on morti­
fication, 174; on the Pater Noster, 183; on qualities of spiritual director,
169; on spiritual communion, 176; on thanksgiving after Holy Communion,
’75 f·
Thanksgiving: after Mass, 54; after hurried Mass, 51 ; alter worthy celebration
of Mass, 52; purpose of sacrifice, 84 f.; see also Communion.
Thérèse, St.: offering to Merciful Love, 72

Union, hypostatic: formal principle of Christ's priesthood, 4, 8, 9
Union of priest with Christ: degrees of, 62 f.; exemplified in Christ’s love for
St. John, 54 f. ; founded on his duties towards the mystical body and sacra­
mental body of Christ, 46 ff.; founded on his ordination, 45, 208; and
fruitfulness of priestly ministry, 68: fulfilment of priesthood, 113; St. Gregory
of Nanzianzen on, 60; St. Gregory Pope on, 60; Fr. Liberman on, 58; at
Mass, 13; at moment of consecration, 23, 48; Peter of Blois on, 60; Pius X
on, 69; as victim, 56 ff., 1 to; and his virtues, 78
Union of priest with Mary, 92 ff.
Unitive way: entrance into, 185
Vanity in preacher, 130
Vianney, St.John Baptist, on celebration of Mass, 53, 106
Vincent de Paul, St.: and method of preaching, 147; and self-love, 39

220

THE PRIEST IN UNION WITH CHRIST

Vincent Ferrer, St. : and preaching, 140C; on spiritual direction, 168
Virtues, theological: and the Eucharist, 80 f.; lack of, 68; in Mary, 103: and
the spirit of the devil, 200 ff. ; and the spirit of God, 203 ; and the spirit of
nature, 196; without limit, 196
Wounds of the soul: caused by original sin, 193 f.
Zeal : its lack in many priests, 68 ; reasons for this, 68