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TIje Spiritual Irife
H Treatise

on Hsretical îinij ffîiistkaï Tljeolojjn
The Very Reverend Adolphe TANQUEREY, S.S., D.D.
TRANSLATED BY

The Reverend Herman BRANDERIS, S.S., A. M.

SECOND AND REVISED EDITION

BIBLIOTHECA

FRATERNITAS SACERDOTALIS SANCTI PETRI
SOCIETY OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
DESCLÉE & Co. Publishers
TOURNAI (Belgium).

Nihil obstat :

A. Vieban, S.S.
Censor deputatus.

Imprimatur :

+ Michael J. Curley
Archbishop of Baltimore
Baltimore, May 24, 1930.

A!I rights reserved.
PRINTED

IN THE

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UNITED

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AMERICA

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FOREWORD
BY HIS EXCELLENCY

THE MOST REVEREND MICHAEL J. CURLEY, D. D.
ARCHBISHOP OF BALTIMORE.

The many American priests who studied under Father
Tanquerey at St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, will welcome
this English translation of his treatise on Ascetical and
Mystical Theology. After the lapse of more than a quarter
of a century they take pride in recalling that Father
Tanquerey published the first volumes of his Dogmatic
Theology while he was their teacher. Always perfectly
clear, and eminently practical, he had in a marked degree
the gift of arousing interest and obtaining the co-operation
of his students. These qualities have made his text-books
of Dogma and Moral popular in seminaries and among the
clergy all over the world. In this field Father Tanquerey
had many models; the general outline, the questions treated
and the method of procedure had been determined long
before. Among our many excellent text-books there can
be now but accidental differences.
It is quite otherwise with Asceticism, the science of the
spiritual life. There are indeed innumerable books, ancient
and modern, on spirituality, but most of them were written
less for instruction than for edification. Very few of them
can be looked upon as text-books covering the whole field
and in a methodical way. As a theological science, Asce­
ticism is far behind either Dogma or Moral. Father Tan­
querey then appears as one of the pioneers. In his treatise
of 8oo pages he has a complete and orderly summary of
all the questions of the spiritual life. Nearly one fourth of
the work is devoted to the fundamental doctrines of the
elevation and the fall of man and his redemption through
the grace merited by Christ. These first pages constitute
a brief review of Dogma from a pratical, devotional point
of view, and lay a solid foundation for the study of Chri­
stian perfection.
Father Tanquerey’s book can be used and is indeed being
used as a text-book; but it can be made to serve as well as
a devotional treatise for spiritual reading, since it avoids in
great measure the stiffness and dryness of the text-book
style. In this work as in his other writings Father Tan-

Vi.

FOREWORD.

querey is what he was in his class-room at St. Mary’s
Seminary : clear, lively, and practical, careful to avoid
extreme views and to reduce controversies to their proper
place.
A mere glance at the table of contents and the alphabe­
tical index will convince priests that they can find in this
book an outline for sermons on many important subjects as
well as material for their own meditations or for conferences
or even a complete retreat to Religious.
Although the treatise was composed chiefly for priests
and seminarians, it has also obtained wide circulation in
religious communities and among the faithful who are
striving to live a devout life in the world and are looking
for a guide to point the way to an enlightened and wellbalanced piety.
ψ Michael J. Curley
Archbishop of Baltimore

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

This is not an exhaustive treatise on the spiritual life,
but rather an outline which may serve as the basis for
deeper study. However, in order to avoid the dryness of
a mere outline it was deemed necessary to develop the most
important points of the spiritual life, such as, the indwelling
of the Holy Ghost in the soul, our incorporation into Christ,
the rôle of the Blessed Virgin in our sanctification, the
nature of Christian perfection and the duty of striving after
it. For the same reason the essential characteristics of the
Three Ways are stressed in the Second Part of this
treatise.
It is the writer’s conviction that Dogma is the foundation
of Ascetical Theology and that an exposition of what God
has done and still does for us is the most efficacious motive
of true devotion. Hence, care has been taken to recall
briefly the truths of faith on which the spiritual life rests.
This treatise then is first of all doctrinal in character and
aims at bringing out the fact that Christian perfection is the
logical outcome of dogma, especially of the central dogma
of the Incarnation. The work however is also practical, for
a vivid realization of the truths of faith is the strongest
incentive to earnest and steady efforts towards the correc­
tion of faults and the practice of virtues. Consequently in
the first part of this treatise the practical conclusions that
naturally flow from revealed truths and the general means
of perfection are developed. The second part contains a
more detailed exposition of the special means of advancing
along the Three Ways towards the heights of perfection.
This book has been written chiefly for seminarians and
priests. It is the writer’s hope however that it may also
prove useful to Religious and even to such of the laity as
are seeking to live a thoroughly Christian life and thus fit
themselves for the lay-apostolate.
The author has developed first and foremost the teachings
commonly received in the Church and has given but little
space to disputed questions. There are of course various
Schools of spirituality, but the more discriminating writers
in all of them are of one mind on all that is of real impor­
tance for the direction of souls. It is such teachings as these
that the author has tried to expose in logical and psycholo­
gical order.
If at times the writer shows a certain preference for the
spirituality of the French School of the seventeenth cen-

viii.

author’s preface.

tury, a spirituality based on the writings of St. Paul and
St. John and in complete accord with the doctrines of
St. Thomas, he professes nevertheless a sincere esteem for
all the other Schools, borrows largely from them and strives
to stress the points of agreement rather than the points of
difference.
The author humbly dedicates this book to the Word
Incarnate and to His Blessed Mother, Seat of Wisdom,
happy indeed to contribute in some way to the glory of the
Most Holy and Adorable Trinity.
Ut in omnibus honorificetur Deus
per Jcsum Christum

Ad. Tanquerey
Issy, France, the Feast of the Annunciation, 1923.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Bibliography.

Introduction.
The Nature of AsceticalTheology......................................................... 2
Its Sources.............................................................................................. 7
Its Method............................................................................................ 12
Its Excellence andNecessity................................................................. 18
Division of Mystical and Ascetical Theology .
.
.
.24

PART FIRST : Principles.
CHAPTER I. Origin of the Spiritual Life............................................29
Art.
Art.
Art.
Art.

I. The natural life of man......................................................29
II. The elevation of man to the supernatural state 32
III. The fall and its consequences ...
.35
IV. The redemption and its effects .
.
.
.39

CHAPTER II. Nature of the Spiritual Life

.

.

.

·

44

Art. I. The rôle of God in the spiritual life
46
46
§ I. The rôle of the Blessed Trinity..................................
How the Three Divine Persons dwell within us
.
.
. 47
Our duties towards the Blessed Trinity....................................... 52
How the Three Divine Persons give us a supernatural life :
Sanctifying Grace, Virtues and Gifts, Actual Grace .
55
70
§ II. The rôle of Christ
.
.
.
.
70
Christ, the Meritorious Cause .
Christ, the Exemplary Cause .
72
Christ, The Head of the Mystical Body .
75
Devotion to Christ, the Incarnate Word .
78
§ III. The Part of the Blessed Virgin, the Angels, and the
Saints . .....................................................................
80
The Part of the Blessed Virgin
80
Mary, Mother of God, and Our Mother
81
Mary, a Meritorious Cause of Grace .
82
Mary, Universal Mediatrix of Grace .
84
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin .
86
The Part of the Saints
....
93
The Part of the Angels ....
96

Art. II. The part of man in the spiritual life
.
. 99
§ I. The fight against spiritual enemies.......................................... 101
Against Concupiscence....................................................................... 101
Against the World.................................................................................109
Against the Devil................................................................................ 114

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

X.

§ II. The growth of Ihe spiritual life by good works .
.
. 119
Nature of Merit
......... 120
Conditions for increasing Merit
...... 123
Sanctification of all our actions
...... 129
§ III. Growth of the spiritual life through the Sacraments.
. 130
Sacramental Grace................................................................................131
Necessary dispositions for fruitful reception of the Sacraments. 133
Dispositions for the Sacrament of Penance .
. .
. 134
Dispositions to profit well by the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 138
CHAPTER III. The Perfection of the Christian Life

.

.

. 153

Art. I. False notions concerning perfectio.n
. .
.153
Art. II. True notion of perfection......................................... 156
§ I. The Essence of Perfection consists in Charity
. .
.158
Proofs of the Thesis.
.
.
................................................ 159
§ II. Love on Earth Requires Sacrifice
.
.
.
.
.163
§ III. The Part of Love and the Part of Sacrifice in the
Christian Life
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.166
§ IV. Does Perfection consist in the Commandments or in the
Counsels ?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.169
§ V. The different Degrees of Perfection .
.
.
.
.171
Degrees of Perfection
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.171
The Limits of Perfection here on Earth......................................... 172
CHAPTER IV. The Duty of Tending to Perfection

.

.176

Art. I. The

Christians in
. .
.
.176
§ I. The Obligation Itself .
.......................................................... 176
The Argument from Authority.
.
.
.
.
.
.177
The Argument from Reason .
.
.
.
.
.
.179
§ \\. Motives that Make This Duty Easier
.
.
.
.181

duty incumbent upon all
GENERAL TO TEND TOWARD PERFECTION

Art. II. The

obligation incumbent upon religious of
TENDING TOWARD PERFECTION....................................................... 183

§ I. The Obligation Eased on the Vows
.
.
.
.
.184
§ II. The Obligation Rased on the Constitutions and the Rules . 186
Art. HI. The obligation

incumbent upon Priests of
TENDING TO PERFECTION.............................................................................. 188

§ I. The Teaching of Our Lord and of St Paul .
.
.
.189
§ II. The Teaching of the Pontifical................................................... 192
§ III. The Nature of the Priestly functions demands Holiness
of Life.......................................................................................... 196

CHAPTER V. General Means of Perfection......................................... 203

Art. I. Interior Means of Perfection
.... 205
§ I. The Desire for Perfection.............................................................. 205
The Nature of this Desire.....................................................205
The Necessity and Efficacy of the Desire for Perfection 206
The Qualities Which the Desire for Perfection should
possess...........................................
208

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

xi.

Means to Stimulate this Desire for Perfection .
.
.211
§ II. The Knowledge of God and the Knowledge of Self .
.213
The Knowledge of God
.
.
.
.
.
,
.213
i° What we must know of God .
.
.
.
.
.213
20 Means of knowing God
···... 217
Conclusion. Exercise of the Presence of God
.
.
.219
The knowledge of Self...................................................................... 221
i° Necessity and Object of Self-knowledge
.
.
. 222
2° Means of knowing ourselves................................................... 222
30 General and Particular Examination of Conscience
. 225
§ III. Conformity to God's Will............................................................. 232
Obedience to God’s Will............................................................. 233
Submission to God’s Will............................................................. 236
Degrees of Conformity to God’s Will......................................... 239
Sanctifying power of Conformity to God’s Will.
.
. 240
§ IV. Prayer.......................................................................................... 243
Nature of Prayer................................................................................ 243
Various forms of Prayer.............................................................244
The most excellent Prayer, The Lord’s Prayer.
.
. 249
Efficacy of Prayer for Sanctification......................................... 251
How we can transform our actions into prayer .
.
.253
Art. II. Exterior means of perfection
.
.
.
.257
§ I. Spiritual Direction...................................................................... 257
Necessity.......................................................................................... 257
Object .
262
Duties of the Spiritual Director................................................... 264
Duties of the Penitent...................................................................... 267
§ II. A Rule of Life................................................................................ 270
Usefulness .......... 270
Qualities..........................................................................................272
Observance .......... 274
§ III. Spiritual Readings and Conferences......................................... 276
Usefulness of reading Holy Scripture and Spiritual Writers,
— of Spiritual Conferences
*
.
...
276
Requisite dispositions for Spiritual Readings and Con­
ferences
...................................................................................... 278
§ IV. Sanctification of Social Relations......................................... 280
General Principles
...................................................................... 280
Family relations...................................................................... 282
Friendships................................................................................ 285
Social and Business relations................................................... 291
Works of Zeal................................................................................ 293
General Summary of Part First................................................... 295

PART SECOND : The three ways
Preliminary

remarks

The Distinction of the three ways .
.... 297
The Right Use of this Distinction................................................... 3O1
The Study of the three ways ...
... 303

xii.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

BOOK ONE. The purification, of the soul, or,
the purgative way.
Introduction
Those in the Purgative Way, or, Beginners
Work to be done in the Purgative Way .
Division of this First Book

.

• 305
• 308
• 309

CHAPTER I. The prayer of beginners.
Art. I. Necessity and conditions of prayer
§ I. Necessity ofprayer................................................
§ II. Conditions ofprayer................................................
Art. II. Spiritual exercises for beginners
Art. III. The mental prayer of beginners.
§ I. Notion of Mental Prayer and Meditation .
§ II. Advantages and necessity.......................................
§ III. General Characteristics
.....
§ IV. Chief Methods ....
Points common to all Methods.
Method of St. Ignatius.......................................
Method of St. Sulpice.......................................
CHAPTER II. Penànce..........................................................

Art. I. Motives for hating and avoiding sin .
§ I. Mortal sin....................................................................
§ II. Venial Sin....................................................................
Art. II. Motives and means of atoning for sin
Motives for doing Penance
.....
Sentiments of penance
...
.
.
Works of penance.......................................

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
’
•
•

310
310
312
317
319
319
321
326
329
330
331
335

• 340
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

341
342
349
354
354
358
359

CHAPTER III. Mortification.
Art. I. Nature of mortification .
Art. II. Need for mortification .
Art. III. Practice of mortification
§ I. Mortification of the body
....
§ II. Mortification of the memory and imagination
§ III. Mortification of the Passions
The psychology of the passions .
Effects of the passions .....
The good use of passions
....
§ IV. Mortification of our spiritual faculties
The discipline of the mind ....
The training of the will.......................................

• 362
• 364
• 37l

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
‘

373
376
377
378
379
382
387
387
389

TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV. The struggle against capital sins and vices .

xiii.
. 392

Art. I. Pride and kindred vices.....................................................
§ I. Pride itself...................................................................
393
Various forms................................................................... ·
· 394
Faults born of pride : Presumption, Ambition, Vanity.
. 39£
Malice and evil effects of Pride ...··· 39θ
Remedies......................................................................................... 4O1
§
Envy and jealousy...................................................................... 4°4
§ III. Anger..........................................................................................4°7
Art. II. Sensuality................................................................................4”
§ I. Gluttony.......................................................................................... 411
§ II. Lust................................................................................................... 414
§ III. Sloth................................................................................................... 420
Art. III. Avarice......................................................................................... 423
CHAPTER V. Temptations...................................................................... 427

Art. I. Temptations in general................................................... 427
Providential purposes of temptations......................................... 427
The Psychology of temptations................................................... 429
The Right attitude towards temptations......................................... 432
Art. II. Chief temptations of beginners .
.
· 436
Illusions about consolations and dryness......................................... 436
Inconstancy....................................................................................... 441
Over-eagerness..........................................................................................442
Scruples................................................................................................... 443
Appendix : The Discernment of spirits................................................... 45°
Summary of the first book...................................................................... 452

BOOK TWO : Progress in Christian virtues, or,
the illuminative way.

Introduction.
Those in the illuminative way............................................................ 454
Work to be done : to form Christ in us......................................... 456
Two classes of souls, the devout and the Fervent, in the
illuminative way..............................................................
. 459
Division of this second Book .
.
.
.
.
.
. 460

CHAPTER I. Affective pràyer.
Art.
Art.
Art.
Art.

.

...................................461

I. Nature of affective prayer......................................... 461
II. Advantages of affective prayer .... 464
III. The dangers of affective prayer
.
.
. 465
IV. Methods of affective prayer
.... 467

CHAPTER II. The moral virtues...................................................... 472
Preliminary Notions
,....................................................... 472
Infused Virtues in general............................................................ 472
Moral Virtues in particular .
.
.
.
.
. 477

xiv.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Art. I. Prudence............................................................................
§ I. Nature...............................................................................................
§ II. Necessity......................................................................................
§ III. Practice .........................................................
.
.
.
Art. II. Justice......................................................................................
§ I. Justice properly so-called.........................................................
§ II. Religion......................................................................................
§ III. Obedience......................................................................................
Art. III. Fortitude........................................................
.
.
§ I. Nature and Degrees..................................................................
§ II. Virtues allied to Fortitude : Magnanimity, Munificence.
Patience, Constancy...............................................
.
.
$ III. Means to perfect this virtue................................................
Art. IV. Temperance............................................................................
§ I. Chastity.
......................................................................................
Chastity in the married state................................................
Celibacy
......................................................................................
$ II. Humility ..........
Nature of humility.........................................................
Degrees.
.........
Excellence .........
Practice......................................................................................
§ III. Meekness............................................................................

479
479
483
485
488
488
492
497
506
506

509
5’5
5’7
5’8
5’9
52’
53θ
530
532
536
538
545

CHAPTER III. The theological virtues......................................

549

Art. I. Faith.............................................................................
§ I. Nature......................................................................................
§ II. Sanctifying power.........................................................
§ III. Practice .........
Art. II. Hopf..............................................................................
I. Nature ..........
$ II. Sanctifying power
........
111. Practice.............................................................................
Art. III. Charity...................................................................
Charity in general...................................................................
§ I. The love of God.........................................................·
.
Precept and motive.........................................................
Sanctifying power...................................................................
Growth in the love of God .
§ \\. Charity towards the neighbor
.
...
.
Nature......................................................................................
Sanctifying power...................................................................
Practice......................................................................................
§ III. The Sacred Heart, model and source of charity
The Sacred Heart and the spiritual life

55°
55°
• 552
• 556
• 559
• 559
. 561
• 563
• 567
• 567
• 569
• 569
• 57’
• 574
• 578
• 578
• 579
. 580
• 584
. 586

CHAPTER IV. Counter-attacks of the enemy

• 59°

Ari. I. The re-awakening

• 59°

of the capital sins,

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

XV.

Art. II. Lukewarmness.......................................................................592
Appendix : The discernment of spirits in the illuminative way . 597
Summary of the second Book ........ 598

BOOK THREE : The unltlve way.

Introduction
The end to be attained...................................................................... 601
Characteristics of the unitive way................................................... 602
General notion of contemplation................................................... 604
Division of the third Book.............................................................606

CHAPTER I. The simple or active unitive way. .... 607
Art. 1. The gifts of the Holy Ghost......................................... 609
§ I. In general .......... 609
Nature and excellence....................................... . .
·
· 609
Cultivation and classification................................................... 612
§ II. In particular
...
..... 616
The gift of counsel
.
616
The gift of piety ......... 618
The g ift of fortitude...................................................................... 621
The gift of fear................................................................................623
The gift of knowledge...................................................................... 624
The gift of understanding............................................................ 627
The gift of wisdom...................................................................... 629
§ III. The gifts of the Holy Ghost in prayer and contemplation. 631
§ IV. The fruits of the Holy Ghost and the beatitudes.
.
.635
Art. 11. The prayer of simplicity................................................... 637
§ I. Nature of this prayer ........ 637
§11. Its advantages ......... 640
§ III. How to make it................................................................................ 642
§ W. Is this prayer acquired or infused contemplation? .
. 646

CHAPTER II. Infused contemplation. ...... 649

Art. I. Infused contemplation in general.
.
.
. 649
§ I. Nature of this contemplation................................................... 649
Definition..........................................................................................649
The action of God in contemplation......................................... 650
The share of the soul...................................................................... 653
§ II. Advantages of contemplation
.
.
.
.
.
.658
§ III. The call to contemplation............................................................ 661
To whom does God grant the gift of contemplation? .
. 661
The signs of a call...................................................................... 663
Art. II. The different phases of contemplation .
. 666
§ I. The Prayer of Quiet ........ 667
I. '•'•Arid" quietude, or, the Night of the senses .
.
. 667
Constituent elements.
....... 668
Trials................................................................................................... 670

xvi.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Advantages................................................................................671
What the soul should do............................................................ 673
II. “ Sweet ” quietude...................................................................... 674
Passive recollection...................................................................... 675
Quietude properly so-called...................................................677
The sleep of the faculties............................................................ 681
§ II. Prayer offull union.................................................................... 682
§ III. Ecstatic union (Spiritual espousals)........................................684
I. “Sweet" ecstatic union; nature; degrees; effects .
. 684
II. “Arid" union or the Night of the spirit.
.
.
.688
§ IV. The transforming union or spiritual marriage.
.
.691
Appendix : False Mysticism or quietism......................................... 696
§ I. Quiestism of Molinos...................................................................... 696
§ II. The mitigated Quietism of Fénelon......................................... 697
§ III. Semi-quietistic tendencies............................................................ 698
CHAPTER III. Extraordinary mystical phenomena

.

.

. 700

700
Art. I. Divine phenomena.......................................
700
Private revelations..........................................................
700
Nature.............................................................................
Rules for discerning them.......................................
703
Various psycho-physiological phenomena, especiallyy stigma711
tization..........................................................................
Supernatural and morbid phenomena
715
718
Art. II. Diabolical phenomena
.
.
.
.
Obsession.............................................................................
718
720
Possession....................................................................

CHAPTER IV. Controverted questions

• 727

Sources of these controversies.......................................
Controversy regarding the nature of contemplation.
Controversy regarding the call to contemplation
Where does contemplation begin? ....
Conclusion : The spiritual Direction of contemplatives
EPILOGUE : The three ways and the liturgical cycle
The prayer, 0 fesu vivens in Maria

■
.
•
•
•
•

727
728
731
736
738
741

APPENDICES
I. The spirituality of the New Testament ..... 1*
The spirituality of the Synoptics ..................................................... I*
The spirituality of St. Paul.............................................................. 3*
The spirituality of St. John
....... 6
*
II. The study of characters........................................................................ 8*
Characters in relation to feeling..................................................... 9*
Characters in relation to spiritual activities .
.
.
.12*
Characters in relation to external activities .
.
.
.13*

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The authors consulted are listed in their chronological instead of alphabetical
order. They are further arranged methodically and, beginning with the
Middle Ages, grouped according to schools of mysticism. This was thought of
greater service for the reader. Only the most important authors are mentioned.
For a complete survey of the field see Rev. P. Pourrat : Christian Spiritua­
lity, E. tr. Mitchell and Jacques, 4 vols. New York, 1922-1930. Works of
non-Catholics should only be read with required permission and due caution.

I. — THE PATRISTIC AGE
During the age of the Fathers the elements of a theory of spiritual life come
progressively to light and mature into a valuable body of teaching with the
work of Cassian in the West and that of St.John Climacus in the East.
i. The first three

centuries.

St. Clement of Rome, Epistle to the Corintians, written c. 95 to restore
peace in the church of Corinth. Gr.-Lat. : P. G. i1; Gebhardt and Harnack :
Patr. Apost. i, Leipzig, 1876, edit. min. 1877; Funk : Patr. Ap. i. Tübingen,
1890. Gr.-Eng : J. B. Lightfoot : St. Clement of Rome, 2 vols. 2d edit. London,
1890, the best text and discussion; K. Lake : Apostolic Fathers, i (in Loeb
Clas. Lib.) New York : Putnam. Eng. tr. A. C. Coxe in ANF. i; A. Menzies
in ANF. ix1
23; H. E. Hall in Christian Classics, Lond. R. T. S. ; J. A. F.
Gregg in Early Church Classics, Lond. S. P. C. K. ; W. Burton in Ancient and
Modem Library of Theological Literature, London : Griffith.
Hermas, The Shepherd (140-155), in which are described at length the
conditions for true penance. Gr.-Lat. PG. ii. 891-1012; Gebhardt, Harnack
and Zahn : Patr. Apost., iii. 1-272; Funk : Patr. Apost., i. 334-563; a more
recent edition of the Greek text according to the Cod. Petropolit. was given
out by K. Lake, Oxford, 1911. Gr.-Eng. K. Lake : Apostolic Fathers ii, in
Loeb Clas. Lib. Eng. tr. F. Crombie in ANF., ii; W. Burton : Apost. Fathers,
pt. I, in Anc. and Mod. Lib. of Theo, lit., London : Griffith; C. Taylor : The
Shepherd of Hernias, 2. vols, in Early Church Classics, London : S. P. C. K.
Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Pœdagogus), written after 195,
describes the spiritual progress of a true gnostic. The best Greek text is that
of O. Stahlin : Clemens Alexandrinus, i. 89-292, Leipzig, 1903. Gr.-Lat. PG.
ix. 247-794, reproduces with additions the Oxford edition of 1715. Eng. tr.
W. Wilson in A NF. ii. 209-298; P. M. Barnard in Early Church Classics,
London : S. P. C. K., 1901 ; R. Ornsby (selections) in The Month, xix 1873;
cf. E. G. Sihler : From Augustus to Augustine, Cambridge, 1923.
St. Cyprian, (200-258), De habitu virginum, De dominica oratione, De
opere et eleemosynis, De bono patientia, De zelo et livore, De lapsis. PL. iv 3 ;

1 Migne, edr., Patrologice Cursus Completus, Series Graea, 161 quarto volumes,
Paris, 1857-1866. The Series greeea prior contains the works of the Fathers and
Ecclesiastical writers down to Photius (c. 867). The Series posterior, down to
Cardinal Bessarion (d. 1472. )
2 Ante-Nicene Fathers, the Edinburgh Edition text edited by Drs. Roberts and
Donaldson, Chronologically arranged with Notes and Historical Prefaces, by Rt.
Rev. A. Cleveland Coxe, D. D., Supplemented with General Index and Bibliogra­
phical Synopsis, and a new volume containing manuscripts discovered since the
completion of the Ante Nicene Library. Edited by A. Menzies. 10 vols., New York ·.
Scribners, 1926.
3 Migne, edr., Patrologice Cursus Completus, Series Latina, 221 quarto vols.,
Paris, 1844-55, and 1865-66 for the last four volumes containing the index tables.
The Series prior goes as far as St. Gregory the Great fd. 604). The Seriesposterior,
as far as Pope Innocent III (d. 1216).

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xviii.

Hurter : SS. Pat, Opusc. select., i; the best text is that of W. Hartel : A. Thasci
Ccecilii Cypriani opera omnia, 3 vols., Vienna, 1868-71. Eng. tr. J. H. New­
man, Oxford, 1839 in ZÆ. ’ ; E. Wallis in ANF., v; T. N. Bindley : St. Cyprian
011 the Lord's Prayer, London : S. P. C. K.
2. — The

fourth to the seventh century

A) In the I Pest :

St. Ambrose, (333-397), De officiis ministrorum, De virginibus, De viduis.
De virginitate. PL. xvi. 25-302, reprints the editions of J. du Frische and
N. Le Nourry, first issued, Paris, 1686-go; J. G. Krabinger has edited separa­
tely the De officiis ministrorum, Tubingen, 1857. Eng. tr. Rev. H. De
Romestin : Some of the principal works of St. Ambrose, in NPNF. 2d series
vol. x, New York, 1896 3.
St. Augustine, (354-430), Confessiones, Soliloquia, De doctrina Christiana,
De civitate Dei, Epistola ccxi, etc. St. Augustine’s works contain the elements
of a complete theology of asceticism and mysticism. His teaching supplements
and corrects that of Cassian. For an exposition of it see Pourrat, op. cit. I,
c. viii. The Latin text of the works listed above is found in PI., xxxii, xxiv, xli,
reprinting the edition of the Maurists Blampin and Constant. A better text is
given by the Corpus Script. Eccles. Latin., Vienna : Confessionum libri xiiieà.
P. Knoll, 1896; Epistolce xxxi-cxxiii, ed. A. Goldbacher, 1898 ; De civitate Dei,
ed. E. Hoffmann, 1900. Also, The Confessions of St. Augustine ed. J. Gibb
and W. Montgomery, (Cambridge Patristic Texts) 1908, 2d edit. 1927; De
civitate Dei, ed. J. E. C. Welldon, 2 vols., London : Macmillan, 1924; De
doctrina Christiana, St. Louis : Concordia Publish. House; Soliloquiorum libri
ii, ed. P. E. Tourscher, Phila : Reilly, 1922. Confessions ed. and tr. by
W. Watts (Loeb Clas. Lib.) New York : Putnam, 1912; Eng. tr. in NPNF.
1st Series : Confessions by J. G. Pilkington and Letters by J. G. Cunningham,
vol. i, City of God and Christian Doctrine by M. Dods and J. F. Shaw, vol. ii,
Soliloquies by C. C. Starbuck, vol. vii, 219-593. Also, Confessions tr. W. Hut­
chings, London : Longmans, 1883; C. Bigg (Library of Devotion) London :
Methuen; J. Healy ( Temple Classics) New York : Dutton, 1903; E. B. Pusey
(in LF. i, and Everyman's Lib.) New York : Dutton, 1907; Tobie Matthew
revised by Dom R. Huddleston, New York : Benziger; City of God, tr. Healy
(Temple Classics) 1903; F. R. M. Hitchcock (Early Church Classics)
London : S. P. C. K.; M. Dods, New York, Benziger; Letters, tr. W. J. Sparrow
Simpson (Handbooks of Christian Lit.) London : Macmillan, 1920; sei. and
tr. Mary H. Allies, London : Burns and Oates, 1890. cf. also, Mary H. Allies :
Leaves from St. Augustine, London : Washbourne, 1900; E. L. Cutts :
St. Augustine ( Fathers for English Readers) London : S. P. C. K. cf. Hewitt :
Studies in St. Augustine, New York, 1868; E. C. Butler : Western Mysticism,
New York; Dutton, 1923; A. Platzfeld : St. Augustine (tr.) 3d ed. London :
Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1924.
Cassian, (360-435), Collationes xxiii recens. M. Petschenig, Vienna,
1886; De institutis coenobiorum et de octo principalium vitiorum remediis libri
xii. — De Incarnatione Domini contra Nestorium libri vii recens. M. Petsche­
nig, Vienna, 1888. The older and less critical edition by Gazet is found in PL.
xhx-1. The works of John Cassian tr. by E. S. S. Gibson in NPNF. 2d Series
vol. xi. Cassian’s Conferences sum up the spiritual doctrine of the first four
centuries as practiced in monasteries, and they became a storehouse from which
all subsequent writers on spiritual life have drawn.

1 Pusey, Keble, Newman et al., A Library of the Fathers of the Holy Catholic
Church, 47 vols., Oxford : Parker, 1838-1880.
- Niccne and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, 28 vols. New York :
Scribners 1886-1898. First Series edited by the late Philip Schaff. Second Series
edited by the late Philip Schaff. and Henry Wave.
Dominican Contemplatives, by a Dominican of Carisbrooke, with Preface by
V. Rev. Bede Jarrett, O. P., London : Burns Oates and Washbourne.

xix.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

St. Leo I, the Great, Pope 440-461, Sermones. The discourses of St. Leo
for the principal feasts of the year are full of piety. The Church has borrowed
from them for her liturgy; 96 of the sermones current under his name are
genuine. Quesnel’s edition, Paris, 1675, improved by P. and G. Ballerini,
Venice, 1753-57, is reprinted in PL. liv. 158-458. Hurter : ■$<$’. Pat. opusc. set.
xiv, xxv, xxvi. Eng. tr. by Charles L. Feltoe in NPNF. 2d Ser. xii. cf.
C. Gore ; Leo the Great ( Fathersfor English Readers) London : S. P. C. K.
St. Benedict of Nursia, (480-543). His rule, brought from 66 to 73
chapters in its 2d edition, has become that of almost all the monks in the West
from the 8th to the 13th century. It can be easily adapted to the conditions
of any country and time and this is the key to its great success. The text of
the Regula is available in L. Ixvi, 215-932; better editions are those of
E. Wolfflin : Benedicti regit la monachorum, Leipzig, 1895; Dom O. blunter
Blair (with tr. and notes) London : Sands, 1906, 2d ed. St. Louis : Herder,
1907; Abbot C. Butler, London : Herder, 1912. Eng. tr. London, 1886 and
1896 in Thatcher and McNeal, Source Book, pp. 432-485; in Henderson,
Documents, pp. 274-313; by D. Ο. H. Blair, cf. above; Rt. Rev. Paul
Delatte, The Rule of St. Benedict : A Commentary, London : Burns Oates and
Washbourne. New York : Benziger, 1921; The Rule of St. Benedict translated
with an introduction by Cardinal Gasquet, Oxford, 1925. Rt. Rev. Ildephonsus
Herwegen, O. S. B. : St. Benedict, A character study, translated by Dom Peter
Nugent, O. S. B. London : Sands and Co., 1924.
St. Gregory I, the Great, Pope, (540-604), Expositio in Librum fob, sive
Moralium libri xxxv, Liber regula pastoralis cura, Dialogorum libri IV. The
edition of the Maurist Sainte-Marthe, Paris 1705, reprinted with additions by
J. B. Gallicioli, Venice, 1768-76 is reprinted in TV.. Ixxv-lxxvii. The Dialogues
have been often separately edited, particularly the 2nd Book on the Life and
Miracles of St. Benedict. The Pastoral Rule also, cf. ed. Westhoff, Munster,
i860; Plurter S. J. in 5S. Pat. opusc. sel. xx; A. M. Michelletti, Tournai,
1904; B. Sauter, Freiburg, 1904; Rt, Rev. J. C. Hedley : Lex Levitarum,
New York : Benziger, 1905, St. Louis : Herder, with the Regula pastoralis of
St. Gregory the Great. Bishop Hedley’s work is a set of lectures adapting the
work of St. Gregory to the needs of our time. Eng. tr. The Morals of the
Books of fob in three volumes in LF. Oxford, 1844-50. King Alfred’s West
Saxon version of Gregory’s Pastoral Care ed. H. Sweet, London, 1871; The
Book of Pastoral Care tr. J. Barmby in NPNF. 2d Series xii. An old English
tr. of the Dialogues by J. W., Paris, 1608, was reprinted by H. Coleridge,
S. J., London, 1874, and more recently reedited by E. G. Gardner with annota­
tions by G. F. Hill, London : Macmillan, 1911. cf. Rt. Rev. Abbot Snow,
O. S. B., St. Gregory the Great : His Work and His Spirit, 2d edition,
London : Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1926.

B) In the East :

'·

St. Athanasius, (297-373), Life of St. Anthony gives an account of the
spiritual doctrine of the great organizer of Egyptian monasticism. PG. xxvii.
838-976 reprints the edition of N. A. Giustiniani, Padua, 1777, based on that
of the Maurists J. Lepin and B. de Montfaucon, Paris, 1627. Handy edition
of the Greek by Maunoury, Paris, 1887 and 1890. The credibility of the work
attacked by Weingarten : Der Ursprung des Monachtums im nachconstantinischen Zeitalter, Gotha, 1877 was defended by A. Eichhorn : Athanasii de vita
ascetica testimonia collecta (ina.ug.-diss.) Halle, 1886; Mayer in Der Katholik,
1886, I. 495-516, 619-636, II. 72-86; Dom C. Butler : The Lausiac History of
Palladius I, Text and Studies, Cambridge, 1898. Eng. tr. T. W. Allies in
Monastic Life (vol. vii of Formation of Christendom) London, 1869-96;
H. Ellershaw in NPNF. 2d Series iv. 188-221 ; J. B. McLaughlin : 07. Anthony
the Hermit, London : Burns, Oates and Washbourne, New York, Benziger, 1924.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, (315-386), in his Catechetical Lectures portrays the
life of a true Christian. PG. xxxiii reprints the ed. of the Maurist A. A. Touttée, Paris, 1720. A better edition is that of W. K. Reischl and J. Rupp
2 vols., Munich, 1848 and i860. Eng. tr. J. H. Newman in LF. ii, Oxford,

XX.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

1838; H. de Romestin : Mysteries and other Sacramental Lectures (the five
catecheses on the Sacraments); E. H. Gifford in NPNF. 2d Series vii. 1-157.
St. Basil the Great, (330-379), describes in his book On the Holy Ghost the
workings of the Holy Spirit in a regenerated soul, and in his two works on the
rules of monastic life, the fundamentals of asceticism. The 55 longer rules,
Rules at length (Horoi kata platos) set forth the principles. The 313 shorter
rules, Rules in abridgement (Horoi kat’ epitomen), their application to the daily
life of a monk. These rules were universally received in the East and have
survived to this day in the Greek Church. The best ed. of the works of
St. Basil is still that of the Maurist J. Garnier, Paris, 1721 and 1730 in three vols.,
the last of them issued after the editor’s death by his colleague P. Maran. An
excellent critical ed. of the treatise On the Holy Ghost is that of C. F. H.
Johnston, Oxford : Parker, 1892. A Latin version of the work is found in
Hurter : 55. Pat. opusc. sei. xxxi. Eng. tr. G. Lewis : Treatise on the Holy
Spirit, London, 1888; B. Jackson : The Book on the Holy Spirit in NPNF.
2d Series viii. 1-50; E. F. Morison : St. Basil and his Rule, Oxford, 1913;
W. K. L. Clarke : St. Basil's Ascetical Works, London : Macmillan, 1925.
St. John Chrysostom, (344-407), has left in his Homilies a vast storehouse
of materials on both ethics and ascetics, and in his tract On the Priesthood,
a stirring praise of the sacerdotal dignity. PG. xlviii-lxiv reproduces B. de
Montfaucon’s edition, Paris, 1718-38, except for the Homilies on St. Matthew
for which the text edited by Field, Cambridge, 1839, is given. J. A. Nairn,
(Cambridge Patristic Texts) 1906, has brought out a separate edition of the
tract On the Priesthood. Eng. tr. of the Homilies in LF. iv-vii, ix, xi-xii, xivxv, xxvii-xxviii, Oxford, 1842-52; in NPNF. 1st Series ix-xiv, New York,
1903-1906. On the Priesthood tr. B. H. Cowpers, Lond. 1866; W. R. W.
Stephens in NPNF. New-York, 1903; P. Boyle, C. M., New York : Benziger,
1903; T. A. Moxon (Early Church Classics) London : S. P. C. K. 1907.
Selections by Mary A. Allies : Leaves from Chrysostom, London : Bums and
Oates, 1889. cf. A. Puech, St. John Chrysostom (tr.) 2d. edn. London : Wash­
bourne, 1917.
St. Cyril of Alexandria, (+ 444), Book of Treasures on the Holy and
Consubstantial Trinity, his chief work on the subject, studies the relations of
the soul to the Trinity. PG. Ixxv reprints Canon J. Aubert’s ed. Paris, 1638,
with Latin version by B. Vulcain, Basle, 1676. Cardinal Pitra has edited
fragments of the work in Analecta Sacra and Classica, Paris, 1888. While
St. Cyril’s works have received a great deal of attention on the part of modern
scholars (cf. Bardenhewer-Shahan : Patrology, p. 367-368) this book has not
been the object of recent study, nor has it been translated into English.
Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita, (c. 500), On the Divine Names, Ecclesias­
tical Hierarchy, Mystical Theology, has influenced considerably later writers on
the subject. The best complete edition of his works is that of B. Cordier,
S. J., Antwerp, 1634, often reprinted. It is reproduced from the Venice edition
of 1755-56 in PG. iii-iv. It is based on only some of the numerous Greek
mss. and makes no account of the Syriac, Armenian, and Arabic versions.
A great deal remains to do for the criticism of the text. A separate edition of
the Greek of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy was issued by J. Parker, London,
1899. J. Parker’s translation of the works of Dionysius, London, 1897, is
trustworthy, cf. A. B. Sharpe : Mysticism, its true Nature and Values, London :
Sands and Co., St. Louis : Herder, 1910.
St. John Climacus, (f 649), Ladder to Paradise. PG. Ixxxviii. 632-1164,
reprints the editio princeps of the famous work by M. Rader, Paris, 1633.
A more recent edition of the Greek is that of Sophronios Eremites, Constanti­
nople, 1883. John the Scholastic or the Sinaite owes his surname Climacus
to his book (Klimax) which contains a summary of ascetical and mystical
theology. This work gained as much popularity in the East as Cassian’s
Institutes in the West, and remained for centuries a classic on the subject of
spiritual life.
St. Maximus Confessor, (580-662), also known as the Theologian, or
Maximus of Constantinople, developed the teaching of Pseudo-Dionysius on

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xxi.

contemplation, but threw greater light on the part played in spiritual life by the
sacred humanity of the Savior, our leader and model. His Scholia on Dionysius
are reprinted in PG., iv, from the Venice edition of the works of the PseudoAreopagite. His Treatise on Asceticism, PG. xc. 912-956, in the form of a
dialogue between an abbot and a young monk, and his Mystagogia, PG. xci.
657-717, a series of considerations on the symbolism of the Church and her
liturgy, are reprinted from the edition of Fr. Combefis, Ο. P., Paris, 1675.
The doctrine of St. Maximus is discussed by H. Weser : 5. Maximi Confes­
soris pracepta de Incarnatione Dei et deificatione hominis, Berlin, 1869;
A. Preuss : Ad Maximi Conf, de Deo hominisque deificatione adnotationes,
Schneeberg, 1894; E. Michaud : St. Maxime le Confesseur et Vapocatastase, in
Revue internationale de Théologie, 1902, pp. 257-272.
The writers of the 8th and 9th centuries need not be mentioned. They
contribute no element of importance to our subject.

II — THE MIDDLE AGES.
We shall indicate only the most noted writers of the principal schools of
mysticism.

i. The Benedictine School : —
In the Abbey of Bee, in Normandy : St. Anselm, (b. 1033, Archbishop of
Canterbury 1089, d. 1109), one of the most attractive writers of the Middle
Ages. His Meditations and Prayers are full of unction and doctrine, Libet
Meditationum et Orationum, PL. clviii. 709-820, a reprint of the Venice, 1744,
edition of St. Anselm’s works by the Maurist G. Gerberon, first issued Paris,
1675, ^e best as yet. Orationes, PL. clviii. 855-1016. Cur Deus homo., an
important treatise replete with solid considerations on Christ’s atonement, PL.
clviii. 359-432, or the separate edition by A. F. Fritzsche, Zürich : Schultes,
1894. Eng. tr. Meditations and Prayers with pref, by Card. Manning, London,
1872. Cur Deus Homo? tr. by Prout, London, 1887; S. N. Deane, with
introd, and bibliography, Chicago, 1903.
In the Abbey of Citeaux : St. Bernard of Clairvaux, (1090-1153), whose
lofty piety and practical knowledge have deeply influenced the Middle Ages :
Sermones de tempore, de sanctis, de diversis, in Cantica Canticorum ; De consi­
deratione; Tr. de gradibus et humilitatis et superbia; Lib. de diligendo Deo,
ed. J. Mabillon, Paris, 1667, 1690, 1719. The 3d ed. is reprinted in PL.
clxxxii-iv, and for the Sermones de tempore, de sanctis, de diversis in P. L.
Janauchek : Xenia Bernardina, vol. i-ii, with variants from additional mss.,
and a bibliography of St. Bernard to the year 1890, vol. iii-iv, Vienna : Holder,
1892. Selections from the Sermones in Cantica Canticorum ed. with notes by
B. Blaxland; New York : Gorham. De diligendo Deo ed. with tr. and notes
by E. G. Gardner; New York : Dutton, 1916; the same ed. W. W. Williams
and De gradibus et humilitatis et superbice ed. B. E. W. Mills (Cambridge
Patristic Texts) 1926. Eng. tr. S. J. Eales : Life and Worhs of St. Bernard,
from the ed. of Mabillon, 4 vols. London, 1888-97 (contains letters and
sermons only) ; Sermons on the Canticle of Canticles, tr. by a priest of Mount
Melleray, 2 vols., Dublin : Browne and Nolan, 1920; Sermons for Seasons and
Principal Festivals of the Year, id., 3 vols., ib. 1921-23-25. De consideratione
tr, introd, and notes by G. Lewis, Oxford, 1908 ; by a Priest of Mount
Melleray, Dublin: Browne and Nolan, 1921, St. Louis : Herder; De dili­
gendo Deo tr. M. C. and M. Patmore, London : Paul, 1881 ; W. H. Van Allen,
New York : Young, 1910. Vitis Mystica : the True Vine (tr.), London :
Washbourne, 1884. 7'he Virgin Mother (tr.), London, 1886. Cf. E. C. Butler :
Western Mysticism, New York : Dutton, 1923; A. J. Luddy : Life and
Teaching of St. Bernard, Dublin : Μ. H. Gill and Son, 1927. Sermons on
Advent and Christmas, New York : Benziger; Some Letters selected by
F. A. Gasquet, St. Louis : Herder, 1904.
In the Monastery of Rupertsberg, near Bingen : St. Hildegarde, Abbess,
(1098-11.79), whose voluminous works are in need of further criticism. Her

xxii.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

revelations entitled Scivias (scire vias Domini vel lucis) first ed. by Lefèvre
d’Etaples, Paris, 1513 are reprinted in PL. cxcvii. 383-738 from the edition
of Cologne, 1628. Her Liber divinorum operum simplicis hominis first edited
by J. Mansi (in Baluze : Miscell. ii. 337) Lucca, 1761 reprinted in PL. cxcvii.
739-1058, is a contemplation of all nature in the light of faith. Her I.iber vita
meritorum, first edited by Card. Pitra in Analecta Sacra, viii, Monte Cassino,
1882, is a picturesque description of Christian life. cf. F. M. Steele : Life
and Visions of St. Hildegarde, St. Louis, 1915.
In the Monastery of Hefta (or Helpede) near Eisleben, Saxony : St. Ger­
trude the Great, (1250-1302-1311), a simple nun, not to be confused with the
Abbess Gertrude von Hackebom, The Herald of Divine Love. The German
original of the work is lost. There remains its Latin version first printed by
the Carthusian Johann von Lansperg, Cologne, 1536. The best edition of the
Legatus divina pietatis is that of the Benedictines of Solesmes in Revelationes
Gertrudiana et Mechtildiana, Paris, 1875-77. Eng. tr. Life and Revelations
of St. Gertrude, London : Burns and Oates, 1892, New York : Benziger; The
characteristic of St. Gertrude’s mysticism is devotion to the Sacred Heart,
cf. Dom Gilbert Dolan : St. Gertrude, London : Sands and Co., St. Louis :
Herder, 1913; Love of the Sacred Heart illustrated by St. Gertrude, New York :
Benziger, 1921 ; Exercises of St. Gertrude, same publisher; L. J. M. Cros, S. J. ;
The Heart of St. Gertrude, same publisher.
St. Mechtilde (Matilda von Heckeborn-Wippra), a sister of the Abbess
Gertrude von Hackeborn, and the teacher of St. Gertrude the Great, (t 1298),
Book of Spiritual Grace, shows the same concept of spiritual life and the same
devotion to the Sacred Heart as her disciple, who took down, unknown to her
at first, the revelations consigned in this book. The original German, Das
Buch geistlicher Gnade, was first printed at Leipzig, 1503, and a Latin version
of it at Wilrtzburg, 1510 with the title Speculum spiritualis gratia. A critical
edition of this version is found in the Revelationes Gertrudiana et Mechtildiana,
already mentioned, cf. Life of St. Mechtilde, St. Louis : Herder, 1900.
St. Mechtilde (Matilda von Magdeburg) at first a Beguine in her native
town, later a nun at Hefta, where she died in 1280, wrote down her revelations
in Low German. They were translated into High German, then into Latin as
Sororis Mechtildis lux divinitatisfluens in corda veritatis, and are found in the
Revelationes Gertrudiana et Mechtildiana. The Divine Light flowing into
hearts without guile is marked by the same characteristics as the revelations of
the preceding saints, cf. Love of the Sacred Heart illustrated by St. Mechtilde
with a foreword by the Lord Bishop of Salford, London : Burns and Oates,
New York : Benziger, 1912; A. Kemp-Welch : Six Mediaval Women,
London : Macmillan, 1913.
In the Monastery of Vadstena, Sweden, the mother house of the Order of
Saint Savior or Brigittines founded by her, St. Bridget, (1302-1373), whose
Revelations describe with great realism the life and particularly the passion of
Christ. These revelations translated freely from the Swedish into Latin were
first printed at Lübeck, 1492, from the official mss. preserved at Vadstena.
The Roman edition of 1628 is considered the best. Heuser has published an
abridged edition, Revelationes selecta, Cologne, 1851. cf. F. G. Partridge :
Life of St. Bridget of Sweden, London : Burnsand Oates, 1888; F. M. Steele :
St. Bridget of Sweden, New York : Benziger, 1910.
In the Monastery of Cassel, Palatinate, Germany : John of Cassel, 1410,
De adharendo Deo, De lumine increato. cf. Dom J. Huyben in Vie Spirituelle,
Nov. 1922, p. 22 ss. Jan. 1923, p. 80 ss.
2. The School of St. Victor. This school of mysticism which developed
among the Augustinian Canons of the Abbey of St. X^ictor near Paris made
most correct use of Platonism. Its main representatives are :
Hugh of St. Victor, (1097-1141), the most influential theologian of the 12th
century, who describes the progressive steps of the soul in the way to contem­
plation in his chief work De sacramentis Christiana fidei, on the mysteries of
the Christian faith. Among his other spiritual treatises must be mentioned. :

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xxiii.

De vanitate mundi, Soliloquium de arrha animer, De laude caritatis, De amore
sponsi ad sponsam, De meditando, etc. The Rouen, 1648, edition of his works
is considerably better than the editio princeps, Paris, 1518, but is hardly satis­
factory. cf. Haureau : Hugues de St. Victor : nouvel examen de l'édition de
ses œuvres, Paris, 1859. The Praise of Love has been tr. by J. Mc Sorley,
New York : Paulist Press; the Explanation of the Rule of St. Augustine, by
A. Smith, St. Louis : Herder, 1911.
Richard of St. Victor, (t H73)> Benjamin minor, seu de animi prccparatione ad contemplationem, Benjamin major, seu de gratia contemplationis,
Expositio in Cantica Canticorum, PL. cxcvi, are print of the best edition of his
works by J. Bertelin, Rouen, 1650. cf. Von Hügel : The Mystical element
in Religion, London, 1909.
Adam of St. Victor, the most important liturgical poet of the Middle Ages,
(+ 1177), Sequential, PL. cxcvi. 1421-1534, a reprint of L. Gauthier’s ed.,
Paris, 1858. Eng. tr. D. S. Wrangham : The Liturgical Poetry of Adam oj
St. Victor, 3 vols., London, 1881. Julian : Diet, of Hymnology, New York,
1892.
3.—The Dominican School unites liturgical prayer and contemplation
with the ministry of preaching, according to the maxim of its founder, “ Con­
templari et contemplata aliis tradere” .*
St. Dominic, (1170-1221), the founder of the Dominican Order patterned
his Constitutions after those of the Premonstratensian Canons. L.ife of
St. Dominic by T. Alemany, New York : O’Shea, n. d. ; A. T. Drane,
New York : Longmans, 1892 : B. Jarret London : Burns and Oates, New
York : Benziger, 1924. J. Guiraud (Eng. tr.) London-New York, 1901 and
1925; Jordan of Saxony (his first biographer, new translation) Columbus,
O., Aquinas College, 1926.
Albertus Magnus (Blessed Albert the Great, 1206-1280), for a time bishop
of Ratisbon, no less zealous for piety than for scientific and theological studies,
has left many writings touching upon spiritual life, Commentarii in Dionysium
Areopagitam, Ln quatuor libros sententiarum, Summa theologia, De sacrificio
missa. His works were edited by P. Jammy, O. P., Lyons 1651, and A. Borgnet,
Paris, 1890-99. Cf. P. de Loë, Ο. P., De vita et scriptis B. Alberti Magni in
Analecta Bollandiana xix (1900) 257-316 xxi (1902) 301-371; J. Sighart (Eng.
Ir. by T. A. Dixon) : Albert the Great, his life and scholastic labors, London,
1876”; Dougherty : Albertus Magnus in Cath. World xxxvii (1883) p. 197 ff;
Hewit : Albertus Magnus vindicated in Cath. World xiii (1871) p. 712 ff. The
Paradise of the Soul : a Treatise on Virtues Suitable for Mental Prayer, by
Blessed Albert the Great, edited by Raymond Devas, Ο. P., London : Burns
Oates and Washbourne a.
St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, (1225-1274), has treated excel­
lently all the important questions of asceticism and mysticism in various parts
of his works, but more especially in his Summa theologica, Expositio omnium
epistolarum D. Pauli, Ln Canticum Canticorum, In Evangelia, De perfectione
vita spiritualis opusc. etc. and Officium de Corpore Christi, which he prepared
in 1254 for Pope Urban IV. Among the many editions of his works the Leonine
edition, begun in Rome under the patronage of Pope Leo XIII in 1882 and

1 See Vie spirituelle for Aug. 1921 ; the whole number is devoted, to the ascetical
and mystical teaching of the Dominican order. P. Mandonnet : St. Dominique,
l'idée, l'homme et l'œuvre, 1921. Also, Analecta Sacri Ordinis Pradicatorum,
Rome, 3 volumes in-folio, a review published by wish of the Master General of the
Order.
2 The little treatises, On. union with God (De adhærendo Deo), and The Paradise
of the Soul (Paradisus animæ), published under his name, (St. Louis : Herder), are
not his, but works of the 14th or 15th centuries.

xxiv.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

continued under the Master General of the Dominicans is no doubt the best,
although somewhat unwieldy on account of its size. The texts relating to
ascetical and mystical theology have been excerpted from St. Thomas’ works
and arranged in a logical order by Th. de Valgornera : Mystica theologia
D. Thomæ, Barcelona, 1665, Turin, 1889 and 1911. For an account of
St. Thomas see D. J. Kennedy in Cath. Encycl. xiv (select bibliography
pp. 675-676); R. B. Vaughan, O. S. B., Life and Labors of St. Thomas of
Aquin, London, 1872; Cavanaugh : Life of St. Thomas Aquinas, London,
1890; Conway : St. Thomas Aquinas, London-New York, 1911; A. Whitacre :
St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Louis, 1925. Eng. tr. The Summa theologica by the
Dominicans of the English Province in 21 vols, and Index, London-New York,
1911-25. Under the title “ Aquinas Ethicus” Jos. Rickaby, S. J., transi,
the 2nd part of it in 3 vols. London-New York, 1892. A Compendium de
Summa theologica was published in English by B. Bonjoannes, revised by
W. Lescher, New York : Benziger, 1908. Of the minor works of the great
Doctor the following are translated : Apology for Religious Orders, New York :
Benziger, 1902; On the Lords's Prayer, On the Commandments (both by
H. A. Rawes) New York : Benziger; Religious State, Episcopate and Priestly
Office (by J. Proctor) St. Louis : Herder, 1902; On Prayer and Contemplative
Life (by H. Pope) New York : Benziger, 1914. Selections translated and
adapted : Devout Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians, drawn chiefly
from the works of St. Thomas Aquinas by B. A. H. Wilberforce, St. Louis :
Herder, 1902; The Bread of Life, or St. Thomas Aquinas on the adorable
Sacrament of the Altar arranged as meditations by H. A. Rawes, New York :
Benziger; fesus Christ, the Word Incarnate, gathered from St. Thomas
Aquinas by R. Fredt, transi, from the I tai. by F. J. Sullivan, St. Louis :
Herder, 1904; New Things and Old in Thomas Aquinas transi, with introd,
by H. C. Neill, New York : Dutton, 1909.
St. Vincent Ferrer, (1346-1419), De vita spirituali, a true masterpiece,
a great favorite with St. Vincent de Paul. This little treatise was first printed
at Magdeburg in 1493; *t *s found in the edition of the complete works of our
Saint, Valencia, 1591, and in appendix to his Sermons, Augsburg, 1729. Sepa­
rate editions, Mechlin, 1888; Paris, 1899 with French tr. by Rousset, O. P. ;
A. Pradel : St. Vincent Ferrer, his Life, Spiritual Teaching, and Practical
Devotion (tr. from the French) London, 1875; Mary H. Allies, Three
Catholic Reformers of the /5th Century, London, 1879; S. M. Hogan,
St. Vincent Ferrer, London-New York : Longmans, 1911.
St. Catherine of Siena, (1347-1380), The Dialogue, exalts particularly the
goodness of God who has created us, sanctifies us, and shows us his mercy
even in the punishments He sends. Best edition of Complete Works G. Gigli,
Siena, 1707-26, of the Letters N. Tomasso, Florence, 1880. Eng. tr. The
Dialogue by A. Thorold, London : Paul, 1898 and 1907; the Letters with a
brief introduction to each in V. D. Scudder, St. Catherine of Siena as seen in
her Letters, London : Dent, New York : Dutton, 1905. Lifeksy Bl. Raymond
of Capua, her confessor, tr. from the French, St. Louis : Herder, New York :
Kenedy; A. T. Diane, London-New York : Longmans, 1880, 4th ed. 1914;
A. T. Pierson, New York : Funk and Wagnalls, 1898; M. Roberts, NewYork : Putnam; E. L. Aymé, New York : Benziger; F. A. Forbes, St. Louis :
Herder 1914; C. M. Anthony ed. by B. Jarrett, Ο. P., St. Louis : Herder;
Edmund G. Gardner, London : Dent, 1907, New York : Dutton, 1908 (the
most elaborate and critical Bibliography).
4.—The Franciscan School, faithful to the spirit of its founder, is
marked by a preference for affective spirituality, love of the Cross, and absolute
poverty. For a more detailed bibliography of the Franciscan School see
V. Mills, O. F. M., Bibliography of Franciscan Ascetical Writers in Fran­
ciscan Educational Conference, Washington, 1926, pp. 248-332.
St. Francis of Assisi, (1181-1226), Opuscula, ed. crib, Quarracchi (near
Florence) 1904. Eng. tr. P. Robinson, O. F. M., The Writings of St. Francis
of Assisi newly translated, Philadelphia : Dolphin Press, 1906, St. Louis :
Herder. Oldest and weightiest sources for the Life of St. Francis ; the two

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

XXV.

Vitœ of Thomas of Celano (written 1228-9 and 1246-7) ed. Rosendale Lond. :
Dent, New-York : Dutton, 1904, E. d’Alençon, Rome, 1906, tr. A. C. Ferrer
Howell, London : Methuen, New-York : Dutton, J 908; The Speculum perfec­
tionis of Leo of Assisi (written 1227), ed. Sabatier; Paris, 1898, tr. S. Evans,
London, 1890, Countess de la Warr, ib. 1902, R. Steele (in Temple Classics'}
ib. 1903, New-York : Dutton: the Chronicon of Jordan of Giano (written about
1262) ed. Bohmer, Paris, 1908; the Legenda trium sociorum (Leo, Rufinus,
and Angelus, written not later than 1270) ed. Faloci, Foligno, 1898, tr. Salter,
London, 1902; the Sacrum commercium (anonymous of the year 1227) ed.
E. d’Alençon, Rome, 1900, tr. M. Carmichael, Lond. 1901; the Legendœ duœ
by St. Bonaventure (written after 1260) ed. Quarracchi, 1898 tr. Salter (Temple
Classics) London : Dent, New-York : Dutton, 1904. The autobiography of
Salimbene (1221-1388) throws much light on St. Francis’ times and indirectly
on his life and the first developments of his work. It was translated under the
title, From Francis to Dante, London : Nutt, 1906, 2d ed. 1907. Modern
lives by Catholic writers : L. Le Monnier (tr. from the French) London : Paul;
New-York : Benziger, 1894; J. Jorgensen (tr. from the Danish) London and
New-York : Longmans, 1912; Fr. Cuthbert, O. S. F. C., New edition,
London and New-York : Longmans 1921 ; Gilbert K. Chesterton, New-York :
Dutton, 1924. Cf. also J. Herkless : Francis and Dominic and the Mendicant
Orders, New-York : Scribners, 1901; Fr. Cuthbert : St. Francis and Poverty,
New-York : Benziger, 1910; id. The Romanticism of St. Francis, LondonNew-York : Longmans, 1915; 2d edition 1924; D. H. S. Nicholson : The
Mysticism of St. Francis, Boston : Small Maynard and Co. 1923. A. Linneweber, O. F. M., Asceticism and Mysticism of St. Francis of Assisi {Fran­
ciscan Educational Conference, Washington, 1926, pp. 37-96); H. Felder :
The Ideals of St. Francis of Assisi (tr.), New-York : Benziger, 1926. Fora
short bibliography of St. Francis cf. P. Robinson : A Short Introduction to
Franciscan Literature, New-York, 1907 and id. Art. Francis of Assisi in
Cath. Encycl. The spirit of St. Francis is well illustrated by the exquisite
compilation known as the Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi, Lat. original
ed. Sabatier; Paris, 1902, Italian version considered the best by Cesare, Verona,
1822, often reprinted and translated into other languages; there are several
Eng. tr. of the same v. g., T. A. Arnold, New-York : Stokes, 1926, T. Okey,
New-York : Dutton, 1919, the first English translation (by Lady Georgina
Fullerton, published 1864) rev. with introduction by D. Devas, New-York :
Benziger, 1927 etc.
St. Bonaventure, (1221-1274), has devoted a comparatively small part of
his writings to mystical or ascetical theology. The many editions of his com­
plete works are superseded by the critical edition of the Friars Minor,
Quarracchi, 1881-1902. His ascetical treatises are gathered in vol. viii. Among
them must be mentioned Soliloquium, Lignum vitœ, Vitis mystica, a work on
the Passion, De perfectione vitœ, a treatise on religious perfection, but espe­
cially De triplici via, the shortest and most complete summary of his mysti­
cism, and doubtless the first systematic exposition of the famous distinction
between the three ways of the spiritual life : the purgative way, the illuminative
way, and the unitive way. This excellent work in also known as Stimulus
amoris, or Incendium amoris. His Breviloquium, one of the best expositions
of dogmatics, and his Itinerarium mentis ad Deum, a tract on theodicy, contain
also suggestive references to mystical theology. They are found, the former in
vol. v, and the latter in vol. vii of the Quarracchi edition. The Soul's
Progress to God is available in English in Journal of Speculative Philosophy
xxxi (1887). Other works in Eng. trns. Stimulus divini amoris tr. B. Lewis,
edited by Phillipson, New-York : Benziger, 1927 ; De perfectione vitœ, tr.
L. Costelloe edit, by Fr. Wilfrid, St. Louis : Herder, 1923 ; Franciscan view
of the Spiritual and Religious Life, being three treatises of BI. Bonaventure tr.
by P. D. Devas, New-York: Benziger, 1920. On the Life and Writings of
St. Bonaventure see Ignatius Jeiler in vol. x of the Quarracchi edition. Also,
L. C. Skey, Life of St. Bonaventure, London, 1889, New-York : Benziger;
L. Costelloe, St. Bonaventure, London-New-York: Longmans, 1911, and
St. Louis : Herder ; D. Dobbins, Ο. M. Cap. : Franciscan Mysticism;

xxvi.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

A Critical Examination of the Mystical Theology of the Seraphic Doctor,
New-York : Joseph F. Wagner, 1927.
The Meditationes vitee Christi, for a long time attributed to St. Bonaventure,
is a mystical biography of Christ, introducing many pious reflections in the
narrative drawn from the Gospels and also from personal revelations. Its
author was certainly a Franciscan of the 13th century and probably an Italian.
It was done into English by N. Love in the 15th century. This translation
has been edited by L. F. Powell, Mirrour of the blessed lyfe offesus Christ,
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908; Life of Our Lord fesus Christ, by St. Bona­
venture, New-York : Benziger.
Bl. Angela of Foligno, (1248-1309), the Umbrian penitent and mystical
writer sets forth specially God’s transcendence and Christ’s sufferings in the
Book of Visions and Instructions, which she dictated to her Franciscan
confessor Fr. Arnold. The editio princeps of this work, known as The Theo­
logy of the Cross, Paris, 1598, remains the chief source for her life and teaching.
It was reprinted at Cologne, 1601, B. Angela: de Fulgineo Visionum et
instructionum liber, and was reedited by Bollandus in Acta SS. I. Jan. 186234. The work is available in English as Book of Visions and Instruction tr.
Cruikshank, Derby, 1872 and New-York: Benziger, 1903, ox Book of Divine
Consolation tr. Steegmann, London, Duffield, 1909, and Oxford : Clarendon
Press. 1922.
St. Catherine of Bologna, (1413-1463), Abbess of the Poor Clares of
Bologna, an experienced master of the spiritual combat, has left in her Treatise
on the Seven Spiritual Weapons, written in Italian in 1438, and translated into
Latin by her first biographer Dionysius Paleotti, profound considerations on the
ways of overcoming temptations. Her Life written by Paleotti appeared in
X502 and a fuller Life by Christopher Mansuetti was published in 1595.
A Latin translation of both is included in the Acta SS. March II, 35-89.
Leo : Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the Three Orders of St. Francis,
Taunton, 1885, I, 394-437.

5. — The German School of Mystics is indebted for its theology to the
theories of pseudo-Dionysius and to Neoplatonism. Cf. J. B. Dalgairns : The
German Mystics of the Fourteenth Century, London, 1850.
John Eckhart, Ο. P., (t 1327), generally known as Meister Eckhart, may
be considered as its founder. His last years were clouded by the accusation of
heresy brought against him by the Archbishop of Cologne. Two years after
his death 28 propositions drawn from his writings were condemned by Pope
John XXII, March 27, 1329 (cf. Denziger’s Enchir., nos. 501-529). This has
interfered with the preservation of his works, and renders it difficult now to
form a correct estimate of his teaching. His Sermons in German were edited
by Kachelouen at Leipzig in 1498, and at Basel in 1521 and 1522 by A. Petri.
A more complete edition is that of Franz Pfeiffer in Deutche Mystiker der
14 fahrhunderts, Stuttgart, 1857, but it is far from exhaustive. Additional
material has been brought to light by Franz Jostes (Collectanea Friburgensis,
ix, Freiburg, 1895), Sievers (Z.f. d. A. xv. 73sqcj. I56sqq. I72sqq.), Berlinger
(Alemannia, iii. I5sqq.), and Bech (Germania, viii. 223sqq. x. 39isqq.). His
Latin works bore the title Opus tripartitum. Portions of them have been
recovered at Erfurt and edited by H. Denifte, Meister Eckharts lateinische
Schriften in A. f L. u. K. G. d. M., ii (1886) 417-615 and Supplement 616640. Cf. R. A. Vaughan: Hours with the Mystics, 8th ed., London, n. d.
Eckhart’s best known disciples were John Tauler and Bl. Henry Suso.
John Tauler, O. P., (+ 1361), one of the greatest preachers and mystics of
the Middle Ages, often called Doctor sublimis or Doctor illuminatus has left
Sermons which rank among the finest monuments in the German language.
Of the three early editions, Leipzig, 1498, Bazel, 1521, Cologne, 1543, the 2d
and the 3d contain much that is spurious. The 3rd edition was translated or
rather paraphrased into Latin by L. Suri us, Cologne, 1548, whose work was
translated into various modern languages, including a German retranslation,
Cologne, 1660. The best edition of the original German is that of F. Vetter,

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xxvii.

Berlin, 1910, largely based upon the Engelbert manuscript, which represents
substancially the collection as revised by Tauler himself. There are available
in English: A. W. Hutton : The Inner Way, 36 Sermonsfor Festivals by John
Tauler, London, 1911 ; History and Life ofJohn Tauler, with 23 Sermons tr.
by S. Winkworth, New-York, 1907; Conferences and Sermons ofJohn Tauler,
first complete trn. by V. Rev. W. Elliott, Washington, 1911. Tauler’s Opera
Omnia edited by L. Surius, Cologne, 1603, contain additional works which are
doubtfully genuine, or certainly spurious. The Medulla anima and the
Institutiones divina were compiled in part from his genuine writings.
Though not his work, they fairly represent his doctrine. The Exercitia super
vita et passione Christi, in English, Meditations on the Life and Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, tr. from the French by A. P. G. Cruicshank, with
preface by B. Wilberforce, new edition, New-York: Benziger, 1925, though
current under his name are almost certainly not his work.
Blessed Henry Suso (Sus, Suse, or Seuse), also called Amandus,
a name adopted in his writings, (t 1366). His works were edited by F. Fabri,
Ausburg, 1482, and A. Sorge, in 1512; L. Surius edited them in a Latin
translation at Cologne in 1555. Modern editions of the original German are
those of H. Denifle, Munich, 1880 and H. E. Bihlmeyer, Stuttgart, J907.
His chief work is Das Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit, composed probably in
1328, and translated into Latin, with some additions, by Suso himself under
the title Horologium Sapientia. It is accessible in English in the translation
made by C. H. McKenna, Ο. P., The Little Book of Eternal Wisdom, NewYork: Benziger, 1889. Denifle calls this Book the most beautiful fruit of
German mysticism, and places it next to the Homilies of St. Bernard and the
Following of Christ. It was one of the favorite books of meditation in the
Middle Ages. Cf. also The Life of Bl. Henry Suso written by himself, tr. from
the German by T. F. Know, London, 1865.
Blessed John Ruysbroeck (Jan van Ruusbroec) ’, one of the greatest
mystics, surnamed Doctor Extaticus, (1293-1381). Despite the precision with
which he was able to express the profoundest thoughts, his language is
frequently obscure, through digressions, repetitions, and subtle divisions1
2.
His works were translated into Latin by his disciples, and published by the
Carthusian L. Surius at Cologne in 1552. The best Latin edition is that of
Cologne 1609. The best edition of the original Flemish is that of J. B. David:
Werken van fan van Ruusbroec, 6 vols., Ghent: Annoot and Braekman, 185869. He was a prolific writer. Twelve of his treatises have come down to us.
The most important are : The Mirror of Eternal Salvation or The Blessed
Sacrament, The Book of the Enclosures, The Seven degrees of the Ladder of
Spiritual Love, The Kingdom of the Lovers of God, The Adornment of the
Spiritual Marriage. Are available in English : Refections from the Mirror of
a Mystic: being gleanings from the works of Ruysbroeck, tr. E. Baillie,
London, 1905, New-York: Benziger, 1906; The Adornment of the Spiritual
Marriage, The Sparkling Stone, The Book of Supreme Truth, tr. from the
Flemish by Dom A. C. Wynschenk, ed. with an introduction and notes by
Evelyn Underhill, New-York: Dutton, 1916; Love's Gradatory tr. with
preface by Mother St. Jerome, New-York: Benziger, 1915; The Kingdom oj
the Lovers of God, now tr. for the first time from the Lat. of L. Surius, with an
introd, by T. A. Hyde, New-York : Dutton, 1919. Ruysbroek’s life written
by Henry Pomerius is edited in Anal. Boll, iv (1885) pp. 263 sqq. Cf. also
V. Scully : Short Account of the Life and Writings of the BlessedJohn Ruys-

1 Though belonging to the Low Countries, Ruysbroeck must be added to the
list of German mystics. His writings show markedly the influence of Meister
Eckhart. He was strongly encouraged in his work by Tauler and Suso, who were
his friends, and his writings have contributed not a little to further the teaching of
the German School.
2 His doctrine is explained by G. J. Waftelaert, S. T. D., Bishop of Bruges, in
The Union of the Loving Soul with God, or Guide to Perfection, according to the
teaching of Blessed Ruysbroeck, Tr. from the Flemish by R. Hornaert, Paris,
Lille, Bruges, 1916.

xxviii.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

broeck, London, 1910; id. Mediœval Mystic, New-York : Benziger, 1911;
E. Underhill: Ruysbroeck, London-New-York : Macmillan, 1915: Wautier
d’Aygalliers: Ruysbroeck the Admirable, authorized trn.New-York: Dutton,1925.
6. — The Flemish School is closely connected with the German School,
but leaves aside pure speculation to concentrate on practical mysticism.
Mysticism in the Low Countries is chiefly represented by the Brethren of
the Common Life and the Canons Regular of Windesheim. Among them we
may mention :
Gerard Groot (Geert de Groote), (1340-1384), called Gerardus Magnus, the
founder of the Brethren of the Common Life. His activity was predominantly
pastoral. The complete list of his writings, some still unpublished, is given by
Bonet-Maury: Gerard de Groote, Paris, 1878, p. 91 sqq., and A. Anger in
Mémoires... publiés par VAcadémie Royale de Belgique, xlvi (Brussels, 1892)
pp. 266 sqq. His life written by Thomas a Kempis, in Founders of the New
devotion, tr. J. C. Arthur, London and St. Louis, Herder, 1905.
Florentius Radewyns (Florens Radewijns, (1350-1400), the head of the
community of the Brethren of the Common Life after the death of Groote, left
but few writings, which were collected by his disciples, Gerard de Ziitphen and
Thomas à Kempis. His principal work is Tractatulus devotus de extirpatione
vitiorum et de acquisitione verarum virtutum, ed. H. Nolte, Freiburg, 1862.
His life by A Kempis in Founders of the new devotion, London and St. Louis:
Herder, 1905.
Gerard of Zutphen (G. Zerbolt van Ziitphen), (1367-1398), also a member
of the community of the Brethren of the Common Life, left among other
writings, some of disputed authorship, two works which established his fame,
De reformatione animœ vaA..De spiritualibus ascensionibus. His earliest life
is by T. à Kempis : Founders of the new devotion, as above. A translation of the
De Ascensionibus under the title, Spiritual Ascent, was issued by Benziger,
New-York, 1908.
Gerlach Petersen (or Peters), (1378-1411), a scholar of Radewyns and
a canon regular at Windesheim, presents great similarity to the doctrine of the
Imitation of Christ in his various writings, the principal of which is the Igni­
tum cum Deo soliloquium, first edited Cologne 1616, and by Strange ib. 1849.
Eng. trn. The Fiery Soliloquy with God, New-York : Benziger. The text of
his Breviloquium de accident, exterior., has been edited by W. Moll in
Kerkhistorisch Archief, ii (Amsterdam, 1859) 179 sqq. An account of his acti­
vity is found in J. Busch : Chronicon Wendeshemense, ed. Grube, Halle, 1886,
ex 157 sqq. See also R. A. Vaughan: Hours with the Mystics, i, 356 sqq.,
ondon, 1879. The Diery Soliloquy with God, by Rev. Master Gerlach
Petersen of Deventer, London, Burns, Oates and Washbourne.
Thomas (Hemerken) a Kempis, (1379-1471) owes the surname à Kempis
to his birthplace, Kempen, in the Rhine Province. After studying under the
Brethren of the Common Life at Deventer, he became an Augustinian at Mount
St. Agnes, Zwolle, near Amsterdam. His writings are all of a devotional
character, and include tracts, meditations, sermons, letters, the Life of
St. Lydewine, and biographies of Groot, Radewyns and nine other Brethren of
the Common Life. The first edition of his works, Utrecht, 1475, included
15 different titles, but not the Imitation of Christ. The last and best edition
of the Opera omnia is by M. J. Pohl, in 7 volumes, with an 8th volume
containing a dissertation on the Life and Writings of the author, Freiburg:
Herder, 1903-1922. Are accessible in English: Alphabet of a scholar in the
School of Christ; Garden of Roses and Valley of Lillies, Baltimore: Murphy;
Golden Words, New-York: Benziger; The Little Follower of Jesus, N.-Y. :
Kenedy ; Lesser Imitation, New-York : Benziger ; Meditations on the Incar­
nation of Christ, tr. V. Scully, St. Louis: Herder, 1907; Meditations on the
Life of Christ, tr. Wright and Kettlewell, New-York: Dutton; Meditations on
the Passion and Resurrection of Our Lord, New-York: Benziger; Prayers and
Meditations on the Life of Christ, tr. W. Duthoit, St. Louis: Herder, 1904;
Sermons to the Novices Regular, tr. V. Scully, St. Louis : Herder, 1907 ; True

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xxix.

Wisdom, tr. F. Byrne, New-York: Benziger ; Acceptable Time, Daily Readings
for Lent, Babe of Bethlehem, Daily Readings for Advent, Thoughts on Holy
Week, New-York: Paulist Press; St. Lydwine of Schiedam, New-York :
Benziger, 1912; Founders of the New Devotion: Lives of G. Groote, F. Rade·
wein, and their Followers, tr. J. P. Arthur, St. Louis : Herder, 1905 ;
Chronicle of the Canons Regular, of Mt. St. Agnes, tr. J. P. Arthur,
St. Louis: Herder, 1906.
On the author see: S. Kettlewell: Thomas
à Kempis and the Brethren of the Common Life, London, 1882, 2 vols.,
abridged edition 1885 ; Dom V. Scully : Life of 'Thomas à Kempis, London
and New-York : Benziger, 1901 ; J. E. De Montmorency : Thomas à Kempis,
New-York : Putnam, 1906.
The Imitation of Christ, first issued anonymously about 1418, is ascribed to
Thomas à Kempis by a great number of critics, although it would appear that
this authorship is not fully settled. For a sketch of the history of the fascinat­
ing controversy on the question see L. A. Wheatley : Story of the Imitation
of Christ, London, 1891, and Pourrat, op. cit., ii. 202sqq. and Kettle well: The
Authorship of the Imitation of Christ, London : Rivington, 1877.
John Mauburne (or Mombaer), Abbot of the Augustinian monastery of
Livry, treats of the principal questions of ascetical theology, and in particular of
the various methods of meditation, in his Rosetum spirituale, Spiritual Rosebush,
first printed at Basel in 1491. Cf. L. E. Du Pin, Bibliothèque des Auteurs
ecclésiastiques du 15e siècle, Paris, 1698, p. 581.
7. — The Carthusian School counts four main writers :

Ludolf of Saxony, or the Carthusian, (+ Apr. 13, 1378), is commended
to posterity by his two principal works, while many of his other writings
whether tracts or sermons are either lost or doubtful. His Commentary on the
Psalms, first edited in 1491 and more recently by the Carthusians of Montreuil
in 1891, develops particularly the spiritual sense. His Life of Christ, repea­
tedly edited since it was first printed at Strasburg and Cologne in 1474, and
translated into various languages, is less a history than a series of meditations
on the Gospel narrative, together with instructions on dogmatic or ascetical
subjects related to it. It has been sometimes called Summa Evangelica and
has been very popular in the past. Ludolph the Saxon : Hours of the Passion
(tr.), London: Burns and Oates, 1887. On Ludolf cf. Dorean : Ephemerides
of the Carthusian Order, iv. 384-393, Montreuil, 1900.
Dionysius (van Leeuwen) the Carthusian, the Ecstatic Doctor, (1402-1471),
one of the most learned theologians of his time, is chiefly esteemed as an asce­
tical writer. His works include 187 titles in the catalogue issued by his first
biographer, the Carthusian D. von Loher : D. Dionysii Carthusiani, doctoris
ecstatici, vita simul et operum ejus fidissimus catalogus, Cologne, 1532. The
same is responsible for the first edition of Dionysius’ works, Cologne, 1530 and
Paris, 1531. A more complete edition to be in 45 volumes, when finished, has
been undertaken by the Carthusians of Montreuil in 1896, and is being conti­
nued at Tournai. Among Dionysius’ ascetical works may be mentioned : De
arcta via salutis et de contemptu mundi, De gravitate et enormitate peccati, De
conversione peccatoris, De remediis tentationum, De fonte lucis et semitis vitee,
the most complete and solid treatise of spiritual life, often reprinted separately,
and translated into various languages. This treatise deals also at the same
time with the mystical conceptions of the author. The same must be said of
the De discretione spirituum, a much neglected work, which was only printed
in 1620 at Aschaffenburg. The principal treatises of Dionysius on mystical
theology have been separately edited under the title, Opuscula aliquot qua ad
theoriam mysticam egregie instituunt, Cologne, 1534, reprinted at Montreuil in
1894. The most remarkable of these treatises is the De contemplatione, in
which the author seems to have been the first to make a formal distinction
between active or ordinary and passive or extraordinary contemplation. His
Commentaries on Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita has two separate editions at
Cologne in 1536. They appeared also in one volume with his simplification of
Boethius and his explanation of the Ladder of St. John Climacus, Cologne.

XXX.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

1540. His tract De quatuor hominis novissimis with its appendix De particu­
larijudicio has been reedited more than 40 times, and particularly commended
by the Directorium on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, approved by the
general assembly of the Jesuits in 1549. The chief source for the biography of
Dionysius is his Life by Dietrich von Loher, reprinted with annotations by the
Bollandists in Act. SS., March, ii. 245-255.
John Lansperg (Johann Gerecht von Landsberg), a Carthusian famous for
his devotion to the Sacred Heart, (t 1539). His teaching paved the way for
St. Margaret Mary and her mission. To him is due the first Latin edition of
the Revelations of St. Gertrude, Cologne, 1536. A new revised edition of his
works in Latin has been issued in 5 quarto volumes by the Carthusians of
Notre Dame des Prés, Tournai, 1890. His chief work, Alloquium /esu
Christi ad animam fidelem, Louvain, 1572, was translated into English by
Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel, who died in the Tower under Elisabeth.
This translation reached its 4th edition, London, 1867. Cf. Dom Boutrain :
Lansperge le Chartreux et la dévotion au Sacré-Cœur, Grenoble, 1878.
Laurentius Surius, (1522-1578), the hagiographer of the Carthusian school,
translated into Latin many of the works of the German mystics. He is known
chiefly by his Vita Sanctorum, 6 vols., Cologne, 1570-75, continued after his
death by a Cologne Carthusian, and republished under the title De probatis
Sanctorum historiis, Cologne, 1618. It was reprinted in 12 volumes at Turin
in 1875. Surius followed in the footsteps of his older contemporary A. Lippomani, Bishop of Verona (1560), but greatly improved upon him. Although his
historical sense is not unimpeacheable, the Bollandists have recognized Surius
as the best predecessor of their work.
8. — Independent from the preceding

schools

are :

Peter d’Ailly, (1350-1420), Chancellor of the University of Paris and
later Archbishop of Cambrai and Cardinal. His numerous works are as yet
partly unpublished. His two tracts De falsis prophetis have been edited by
Ellies Du Pin in the 1st volume of Gerson’s Opera omnia (pp. 499-603)
Antwerp, 1706. His mystical writings, Tractatus and Sermones, printed at
Strassburg in 1490, at Mainz in 1574, and at Douai in 1634, are of great merit
despite some blemishes coming from his leanings to Nominalism. His Com­
mentary on the Canticle of Canticles gives further proof that he deserves an
honorable mention in the history of mysticism. Cf. Hurter : Nomenclator lit.,
iv. 6oisqq., Innsbruck, 1899; L. Salembier : Petrus de Alliaco, Lille, 1886
(Bibliography).
John Gerson, (1363-1429), whose patronymic was Le Charlier, has adopted
the name of his birthplace as his surname. A disciple of Peter d’Ailly at the
College of Navarre, he became his successor in the chancellorship of the Uni­
versity of Paris. His works, first printed at Cologne in 1483 in four volumes,
have been more completely edited by Ellies Du Pin in five volumes at Antwerp
in 1706, thus far the best edition. In vol. iii are gathered most of his mystical
or ascetical writings. The most important of his mystical treatises are : De
monte contemplationis, De theologia mystica speculativa et practica, De elucidatione scholastica mystica theologia, and several smaller tracts as De meditatione,
De perfectione cordis, De simplicitate cordis, De directione cordis, Alphabetum
divini amoris etc. In vol. i are found treatises on : De probatione spirituum,
De examinatione doctrinarum, and De distinctione verarum visionum a falsis,
which also belong with mystical theology. Gerson reacted against the exagge­
rations of some mystical writers and emphasised the fact that the mystical
process culminated not in an actual, but in a close moral union of the soul
with God. His ascetical writings are full of unction as well as doctrine.
Among them may be mentioned: De vita spirituali anima, De passionibus,
anima, De oratione et suo valore, De tentationibus diaboli diversis, De
conscienda scrupulosa, De oratione, De Sacramento Altaris, De exercitiis
diversis devotorum simplicium, etc. and written in French : Dialogue spirituel,
Discours sur la virginité, Considérations sur St. Joseph and Conférences
spirituelles. Gerson was one of the first promoters of the devotion to

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xxx i.

St. Joseph, and one of the great leaders in the field of catechetics. His little
tract De parvulis ad Christum trahendis, Eng. trn. A Treatise on Bringing
Children to Jesus Christ, St. Louis: Herder, is justly famous. His Ad Deum
vadit has been edited by D. H. Carnahan, University of Illinois Studies in
Lang, and Lit. vol. 3, n. 1, 1917. Cf. also, Jourdain : Doctrina Joannis Gersonii de theologia mystica, Paris, 1838; Reynolds: Early reprints for English
readers: John Gerson, London, 1S80; L. Salembier: The Great Schism of the
West (tr.) New-York: Benziger, 1907; id. Gerson in Diction, de Théo. Cath.
vol. vi, Paris, 1920; J. L. Connolly: John Gerson, Rejormer and Mystic,
Louvain: Uystpruyst, London and St. Louis: Herder, 1928.
Walter Hilton, (j· 1396), an Augustinian monk at Thurgarton (Nottingshire), who exercised great influence in England in the 15th century. His
mystical system is in the main a simplification of that of Richard of St. Victor.
The most famous of his works is the Scala perjectionis printed in London in
1494, 1517, 1659, Eng. trn. by Fr. Guy, O. S. B., London, 1869, reprinted
by Fr. Dalgairn, London, 1870, The Scale or Ladder of Perfection, New-York:
Benziger. The Scale of Perfection modernized from the First Printed Edition
with an Introduction by Dom M. Noetinger, London: Burns, Oates and
Wash bourne, 1927. His Letter to a devout man in temporal estate first printed
in London in 1506 is generally appended to the Scala in later edition’s. His
Song °f Angels, first printed London, 1521, is properly mystical and deals with
spiritual consolations. It is included in Gardner: The Cell of Self-Knowledge,
London and New-York, 1909. A number of other works, most of them unpu­
blished, are ascribed to Hilton, cf. list given by S. Autore in Diet, de Théo.
Cath., vi. 2480-81, Paris, 1920.
On Hilton consult Horstman: Richard Rolle
of Hampole and his Followers, London, 1895 and W. R. Inge : Studies in
English Mystics, New-York: Dutton, 1906.
Juliana of Norwich, (+ 1442), probably a Benedictine nun, whose doctrine
is clearly influenced by the teaching of W. Hilton recorded in her book,
Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love, written about 1393, the mystical manifes­
tations she had experienced some twenty years before on May the 8th or the
14th, 1373. Her book was first edited by S. Cressy, O. S. B., London, 1670.
This was reprinted ib. 1845 and 1907. Other editions are by Collins, ib.,
1877 ; G. Warrack, ib. 1901. 4th edn. New-York: Gorham, 1911 ; Tyrrell,
London, 1902, new edn. New-York: Dutton, 1920. On the author see W. R.
Inge, op. cit. Extracts from her writings in Meditations on the Litany of the
Sacred Heart ofJesus culledfrom the Writings ofJtiliana of Norwich by F. A.
Forbes, New-York : Benziger, 1921.
St. Lawrence Justinian, (1380-1456), Bishop and first Patriarch of Venice,
noted as a zealous reformer of religious orders and distinguished by his practical
piety. His ascetical writings include : De compunctione et complanctu Chris­
tiana perfectionis, De vita solitaria, De contemptu mundi, De obedientia, De
humilitate, De perfectionis gradibus, De incendio divini amoris, De regimine
pralatorum (a treatise on pastoral theology). They were first published in
1506 at Brescia. Their best edition is in the 2nd volume of his Opera omnia,
2. vols., Venice, 1751. His biography was written by his nephew, Bernardino
Giustiniani, Venice, 1574. It is reprinted in Act. SS., January, i. 501 sqq.
St. Catherine of Genoa (Caterina Fieschi Adorno), (1447-1510), whose
mystical experiences are described in her life written by her confessor, Miratolli, first edited by Genuti at Florence in 1551. This life is as much a treatise
on mysticism as a biography, and its editions usually include the works of the
Saint, which are: A Dialogue between the Soul and the Body; Self Love, The
Mind and Humanity of Our Lord, and A Treatise on Purgatory. They are
translated from the original Italian in Life and Doctrine of St. Catherine of
Genoa, London, 1858, New-York, 1874; Life of St. Catherine of Genoa,
New-York : Christian Press, n. d. The Treatise on Purgatory, new edition,
with preface by Cardinal Manning, London : Burns and Oates, New-York :
Benziger, n. d. Consult further F. von Huegel : The Mystical Element of
Religion as Studied in St. Catherine of Genoa and her Friends, London : Dent,
New-York : Dutton, 1909, 2nd edn., 1923.

xxxii.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

III. MODERN TIMES
The ancient schools continue to refine their doctrine, while under the
influence of the Council of Trent and of the Counter-Reformation new-schools
come into being and bring about a renewed spirituality. Hence one sometimes
finds conflict in points of detail, but the doctrinal basis remains constant and
rounds out through discussion.
Three ancient schools keep on developing : the Benedictine, the Dominican
and the Franciscan.
I. The Benedictine School holds to its tradition of affective and liturgical
piety, adding to these certain refinements in doctrine.
Blosius (Louis de Blois) (1506-1566), Abbot of Liesse, published a great
many spiritual tracts the chief of which is his Institutio spiritualis, a synthesis
of asceticism and of mysticism containing the substance of his other works.
Besides the edition of his complete works published at Antwerp (1632), there
is also Manuale vitee spiritualis, Freiburg : Herder, 1907; this ed. unfortuna­
tely lacks the Institutio spiritualis. Eng. tr. Spiritual Works, 6 vols.,
New-York : Benziger, 1926, include the following : Book of Spiritual
Instruction, Comfortfor the Fainthearted, Mirrorfor Monks, Sanctification of
the Faithful Soul, Paradise ofthe Faithful Soul. Cfr. Opera, ed. A. de Winghe,
2 fol., Cologne, 1633.
Baker, D. A. (1575-1641) wrote several treatises which were condensed by
S. Cressy in Sancta Sophia; Holy Wisdom, Cressy-Sweeney ed., London :
Burns Oates and Washbourne, New-York : Benziger, n. d. ; Contemplative
Prayer, abgd. ed. of Sancta Sophia, Weld-Blundell, London : Washbourne,
New-York : Benziger, c. 190S.
Bona, Giovanni Cardinal (1609-1674), general of the Feuillants. Manuductio
ad ccelum, Eng. tr. A Guide to Eternity, L’Estrange, London, 1900; Principia
et documenta vitee christiance ; De sacrificio misses, Eng. tr. Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass, Cummins, St. Louis : Herder, 1903; De discretione spirituum;
Horologium asceticum, etc. Many eds. have been published, particularly at
Venice, 1752-1764; cfr. extracts in Opuscula ascetica selecta, Freiburg : Herder,
1911.
Castaniza, John of, (t 1598) : De la perfecciin de la vida Christiana;
Institutionum divince pietatis libri quinque.
Schram, Dominicus (1722-1797) : Institutiones theologice mysticce, a didactic
treatise of asceticism and of mysticism with excellent advice for spiritual
directors; 2 vols., ed. Paris, 1868; Little Manual of Direction for Priests,
Eng. tr. H. Collins, London, 1882.
Ullathorne, W. B., Bishop (1806-1889) : The Endowments of Man,
London, 1880; Groundwork of the Christian Virtues, 1882; Christian
Patience, 1886.
Guéranger, Dom P. (1805-1875) : restorer of the Benedictines in France,
he rendered an inestimable service to souls by his Année liturgique; The
Liturgical Year, Eng. tr. Shepherd, Dublin, 1870 sqq., Worcester, Eng.,
1895-1903, in 15 vols.
Lehodey, Dom Vital, Abbot of Notre-Dame de Grâce : Les Voies de
Voraison mentale, 1908; Eng. tr. Ways of Mental Prayer, Dublin : Gill, 19243;
Le saint abandon, 1919; Directoire spirituel à l'usage des Cisterciens réformés,
1910. These works are characterized by clarity, precision and sureness of
doctrine.
Abbess of Ste Cécile (C. J. Bruyère, Màdame Cecilia) : Spiritual Life
and Prayer (tr. ), London, 1905.
Marmion, Dom Columba, late Abbot of Maredsous, Belgium (1858-1923) :
Christ the Life of the Soul (tr.), London : Sands, St. Louis : Herder, 1925’;

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xxxiii.

Christ in His Mysteries, London and St. Louis, 19242; Our Way and Our
Life (abgd. ed. of previous), St. Louis : Herder, 1927; Christ the Ideal of the
Monk., London and St. Louis, 1926.
Hedley, J. C., Bishop (t 1915) : The Holy Eucharist, London, 1923;
A Retreat, 33 Discourses, ib., 1S9410; Spiritual Retreat for Priests, ib., Burns
Oates and Washbourne, 19273; Spiritual Retreat for Religious, ib., Lex Levitarum or Preparation for the Cure of Souls, New-York : Benziger, 1928“;
Christian Inheritance setforth in Sermons, London, 1896; Our Divine Saviour,
London, n. d., 7th ed. : Light of Life, London, 1899; Spirit of Faith,
New-York, 1896.
Gasquet, F. Aidan Cardinal (1846-1929) : Religio Religiosi, New-York,
1923, on the purpose and end of the religious life; Monastic Life in the Middle
Ages, ib., 1922.
Chautard, Dom J. B. : L'Ame de tout apostolat, 1915s; The True
Apostolate, tr. Girardey, St. Louis; Herder, 1918; also another tr., The Soul of
the Apostolate, tr. Moran, S. M., London and New-York, 1926.
Morin, Dom G. : The Ideal of the Monastic Life found in the Apostolic
Ages, tr. Gunning, London.
Butler, Dom E. C. : Western Mysticism, New-York : Dutton, 19272 ;
Benedictine Monachisin, London : Longmans, 19242.
Cabrol, Dom F. : Liturgical Prayer, tr. Benedictine nuns of Stanbrock,
London : Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1922.
Louismet, Dom L. : Mystical Knowledge of God, London and New-York,
1917; Mystical Life, ib., 1916; Mysticism True and False, ib., 1919; Divine
Contemplation for All, ib., 1920; Mystical Initiation, ib., 1923; The Burning
Bush, a treatise on Ecstatic Contemplation, London, 1924.
Doyle, Dom F. C. : The Teaching of St. Benedict, 1887; Principles of
Religious Life, London : Washbourne, 18902.
2. The Dominican School, deeply rooted in the teachings of St. Thomas,
clearly and methodically explains and clarifies his doctrine on asceticism and
contemplation.
Cajetan, Thomas (1469-1534), in his profound commentary on the Summa.
Louis of Granada (1504-1588), without attempting to write ascetical
theology, treats with solidity and unction all the elements of Christian
perfection. The Sinner's Guide (tr.), New-York, 1889.
Bartholomew of the Martyrs, Abp. of Braga (1514-1590) : Compendium
doctrina spiritualis, first published at Lisbon, 1582; other eds. at Madrid,
Paris, etc., the last appearing in Venice (1711) under the title Compendium
mystica doctrina with additions made by Ildephonso Manrique; cfr. Compen­
dium spiritualis doctrina, ed. Fessler, New-York : Benziger, 1864; Lady
Herbert, Dom Bartholomew of the Martyrs, London, 1880.
John of St. Thomas (1589-1644) in his course of theology, which is partly
a commentary on St. Thomas, treats in quite remarkable a manner of the gifts
of the Holy Ghost.
Thomas of Vallg-ornera (f 1665) : Mystica theologia D. Thoma, latest ed.
Turin, 1911. Here the complete teaching of St. Thomas on the three ways is
gathered and classified.
Contenson, V. (1641-1674) : Theologia mentis et cordis, 1 vols., Cologne,
1722; at the end of each section the author draws certain ascetic conclusions or
corollaries.
Massoulié, A. (1632-1706) : Traité de I'Amour de Dieu; Traité de la
véritable oraison; Méditations sur les trois voies. The writer explains the
doctrine of St. Thomas in refutation of the errors of the Quietists.
Piny, A. (1640-1709) : L'Abandon à la volonté de Dieu; L'oraison du cœur ;
La clef du pur amour ; La présence de Dieu; Le plus parfait, and so on. The
leading idea in these volumes is that perfection consists of conformity to God’s
will and of holy abandonment.

xxxiv

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Rousseau, R. P. : Avis sur les divers états d'oraison, 1710; ed. Paris :
Lethielleux, 1913.
Billuart, C. R. (1685-1757) : Summa S. Thoma hodiernis academiarum
moribus accommodata, 1746-1751.
Lacordaire, H. D. (1802-1861) : Letters to Young Men, London and
New-York, 19032; Conferences, London, ι8ζΐ; Jesus Christ, 1869; God, 1870;
God and Man, 1872 (3 last in 1 vol. Manchester : Robinson, London :
Chapman, 1902 9) ; see especially Chocarne, Inner Life of Père Lacordaire (tr.),
London : Burns and Oates, 192311 ; also, Thoughts and Teachinos, New-York,
19042.
Meynard, A. M. : Traité de la vie intérieure, Clermont-Ferrand and Paris,
1884, 1899; an adaptation of the work of Thomas of Vallgornera.
Froget, B. : The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Souls of the Just,
Eng. tr. and adap. Raemers, New-York : Paulist Press, 1921; a very solid
theological study.
Rousset, M. J., Doctrine spirituelle, Paris : Lethielleux, 1902; a treatise
on the spiritual life and union with God according to Catholic tradition and the
spirit of the saints.
Cormier, P., Instructions des novices, 1905; Retraite ecclésiastique d'après
l'Evangile et la vie des saints, Rome, 1903.
Gardeil, P., Les dons du S. Esprit dans les saints dominicains, Paris :
Lecoffre, 1903; in course of translation by Dominicans t>f Washington, D. C. ;
cfr. author’s article on the same subject in Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique ; also La structure de l'âme et l'expérience mystique, 2 vols., Paris, 1927.
Hugueny, P. Et., Psaumes et cantiques du bréviaire romain, Brussels,
1921-1922.
Janvier, M. A., Exposition de la morale catholique, Paris, Lethielleux; the
conferences given at Notre Dame of Paris in which Christian morality and
asceticism are eloquently expounded.
Joret, R. P., La contemplation mystique, d'après St. Thomas d'Aquin,
Lille, 1923.
Jarrett, Bede, The Abiding Presence of the Holy Ghost in the Soul,
New-York : Catholic Library, 1918.
Raymond, V., Spiritual Director and Physician, Eng. tr. Smith, London :
R. and T. Washbourne, 19172.
Naval, Theologice asceticce et mystica cursus, Turin, Marietti, 19252.
Garrigou-Lagrange, R., Perfection chrétienne et Contemplation selon
St. Thomas d'Aquin et St. fean de la Croix, 2 vols., Paris, 19233*
.
Ridolfi, N., A Short Method of Mental Prayer, Eng. tr. Devas, London :
Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1920.
Arintero, J., Cuestion.es misticas, Salamanca, 19202.
Francis Raphael, Mother, Spirit of the Dominican Order, London and
Leamington : Art and Book C0., 1896.
Ollivier, M. J., The Friendships of Jesus, Eng. tr. Keogh, St. Louis :
Herder, c. 1903.
Capes, F. M., St. Catherine de Ricci, 0. P., with treatise on the Mystical
Life by Wilberforce, London, c. 1907.
See also two Dominican reviews, La vie spirituelle (1919 sqq.) and La Vida
sobrenatural (1921 sqq.).
3. The Franciscan School maintains its characteristics : evangelical sim­
plicity, poverty joyfully endured, devotion to the Child Jesus and to the
suffering Christ.
Francis of Osuna (c. 1497-1540) : Abecedario espiritual, 1528 sqq., the
third volume of which was for a long time St. Teresa’s guide.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

XXXV.

St. Peter of Alcantara, (t 1562), a director of St. Teresa, wrote a tract on
prayer which has been translated into many tongues. Eng. tr. Treatise on
Prayer and Meditation, New-York : Benziger, 1926.
Alphonsus of Madrid, (t c. 1529) : Arte para servir a Dios, Alcala, 1578.
John of Bonilla, (f c. 1580) : Tradado de la pay de Palma, Eng. tr. Collins,
London, 1876; also included in St. Peter of Alcantara’s Treatise on Prayer
and Meditation (1926).
Matthias Bellintani of Salo, (1534-1611) : Pratica delP Orazione Mentale,
Brescia, 1573.
John of the Angels, (fl. 16th Cent.) : Obras misticas, new ed. Madrid,
1912-1917.
John Evangelist of Bois-le-Duc, (Balduke) (c. 1588-1635) : The Kingdom
of God in the Soul, Eng. tr. Salvin (1657), ed. Nuns of Stanbrook, introd.
Cuthbert, London : Sheed and Ward, 1930.
Joseph du Tremblay, (1577-1638), “ l’Eminence grise”; Introduction à la
vie spirituelle par tine facile méthode d'oraison, ed. Le Mans, 1897, entitled
Méthode d'oraison.
Mary of Agreda, (1602-1665) : Divine Life of Blessed Virgin Mary,
abridgment of Mystical City of God (tr.), Philadelphia, 1872.
Yves of Paris, (t 1685) : Progrès de l’amour divin, 1644; Miséricordes de
Dieu, Paris, 1645.
Bernardine of Paris, (f 1672) : L'esprit de St. François, ed. Paris, 1880.
Peter of Poitiers, (t 1680) ; Le jour mystique ou Eclaircissement de
l'oraison et théologie mystique, Paris, 1671.
Louis Francis Yves d’Argentan, (1615-1680) : Conférences théologiques et
spirituelles, (three series), Paris, 1670-1674; Les exercices du chrétien intérieur,
Paris, 1664.
Brancati de Laurea Laurentius, (1612-1693) : T)e oratione Christiana,
Rome, 1675, a treatise on prayer and contemplation often cited by
Benedict XIV. cfr. ed. by Carthusians of Montreuil-sur-mer, 1896.
Maes, Bonifacius, (1627-1706) : Theologia mystica, Ghent, 1668 (12 eds.
since) ; Franciscan Mysticism, Eng. tr. Whelan, London : Sheed and Ward,
c. 1929.
Thomas of Bergano, (1563-1631) : Fuoco d'amore, Augsburg, 1682.
Ambrose of Lombez, (1708-1778) : Peace of the Soul, (tr.), London,
a classic for dealing with the scrupulous; also, Traité de la joie de l'âme, 1779;
Lettres spirituelles, 1766.
Didacus a Matre Dei, (t c. 1713) : Ars mystica, Salamanca, 1713.
Louis Chaix de Besse, (1831-1910) : The Science of Prayer (tr.), London :
Burns Oates and Washbourne, New-York : Benziger, 1925; La science du
Pater, 1904; Eclaircissements sur les œuvres mystiques de St. Jean de la Croix,
Paris, 1893.
Adolphus Kestens, (1863-1925), of Denderwindeke : Compendium theologice
asceticce ad vitam sacerdotalem et religiosam rite instituendam, 1 vols. HongKong, China, 1921. A very well documented work in the second volume of
which one may find a rich bibliography on each question treated.
Devas, D., A Franciscan View of the Spiritual Life, New-York : Benziger,
1923; Franciscan Essays, 1924.
Cuthbert. Fr., The Romanticism ofSt. Francis, London : Longmans, 1924’.
Vives y Tuto, Joseph Galas, Cardinal (1854-1913) ; Compendium theologice
ascetico-mysticce, Barcelona, 1886, Rome, 1908’; quite serviceable as a text-book.
Dobbins, D., Franciscan Mysticism, New-York ; Wagner, 1927,
Mills, V., A Bibliography of Franciscan Ascetical Writers in Franciscan
Educational Conference Report, vol. viii, n° 8, 1926, pp. 248-332 : very detailed,

XXXVI.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

thoroughly scholarly, covering the complete field of Franciscan ascetical and
mystical writing from the beginning to our own day.
Five of the new schools are especially noteworthy.
I.—The School of St. Ignatius makes a specialty of active, energetic
and practical spiritual life aiming at forming the will for personal sanctification
and apostolic work.
St. Ignatius (1491, 1495-1556) : founder of the Society of Jesus; Exercitia
spiritualia, new ed. Madrid, 1919. There are many English versions, for
example those of Morris and of Joseph Rickaby. The Exercises comprise a
method of procedure for reformings soul and for transforming it to conformity
with the divine model, Jesus Christ. “ The work, ” says Father Watrigant
{Etudes religieuses, vol. cix, p. 134), “condenses a vast movement of spirit
and of thought which had slowly been developed during the preceding centuries.
It is the starting point of a flood of spiritual life that has since the sixteenth
century been constantly rising, wave on wave, and it is likewise the point of
convergence for diverse currents coursing through the Middle Ages and finding
their beginnings in the earliest days of Christianity. ”
Fully to understand the spirit of St. Ignatius, one should read the Consti­
tutions and Leiters (Epistolce, 12 vols., M. H. S. J., 1904-1918). Cfr. also
Thompson, F., St. Ignatius Loyola, New-York, 1909; Rose, S., St. Ignatius
Loyola and the Early Jesuits. New-York, 18962; Pise, C. C., St. Ignatius,
S.J., New-York, 1845; Mariani, F., Life of St. Ignatius Loyola. Founder of
the Jesuits, Eng. tr. Faber, 2 vols., London, 1848; Joly, IL, St. Ignatius,
(tr.), London; Washbourne, 1899; Bartoli, D., History of St. Ignatius of
Loyola, 2 vols., New-York, 1855; also, life by Pollen, 1922; Sedgwick, H. D.,
Ignatius Loyola, London and New-York : Macmillan, 1923; Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius, Eng. tr. fr. Spanish, ed. Lattey, St. Louis : Herder,
1928; Spiritual Exercises tr. from the Autograph, Eng. tr. Mullan, Nëw-York,
1814; Trans, and Commentary on Spiritual Exercises, Rickaby, J., London :
Burns and Oates, 1915; Bernhardt, W., Die vier Zentralsideen des Exerzitiensbuches de hl. Ignatius, Ratisbon : Habbel, c. 1928; Codina, A.,
Los origenes de los Ejercicios de S. Ignacio de Loyola, Barcelona, 1926;
Watrigant, H., La genèse des exercices de S. Ignace, Amiens, 1897, and La
méditation fondamentale avant S. Ignace, Enghien, 1907; Brou, A., La spiri­
tualité de S. Ignace, Paris : Beauchesne, 1914, and À. Ignace, Maître d'oraison,
Paris : Ed. Spes, 1925; Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Eng. tr.
with Directorium and Commentary, Longride (Anglican), London : R. Scott,
1919; Redman, J., Soldier's Companion to the Spiritual Exercises, London :
Burns and Oates, c. 1882®; Curtis, J., Way of Perfection in the Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Dublin : Gill, c. 1882; Meditations on Life
and Virtues of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Eng. tr. M. A. W., London : Burns
and Oates, New-York : Catholic Pub. Soc., c. 1888.
Lefevre, B. P. : Memorial, a detailed account of one year of his life (June,
1542-July, 1543). It has been called “ one of the jewels of ascetical literature.”
Alvarez de Paz (1560-1620) : Devita spirituali ejusque perfectione, 3 folio
vols., Lyon, 1602-1612; a complete treatment of the spiritual life especially for
religious; also, Opera spiritualia, ed. Vivès, 6 vols., Paris, 1875.
Suarez, F., (1548-1617) : De religione, in which one finds practically a
complete treatise on spirituality, including such topics as prayer, mental prayer,
vows and obedience to rules. Cfr. Humphrey, The Religious State : Digest
of the Doctrine of Suarez, London : Burns and Oates, c. 1884.
Lessius, Ven. L., (1554—1623) : De summo bono, Eng. tr. Semple, Virtues
Awakened, St. Louis : Herder, 1924; De perfectionibus moribusque divinis ;
De divinis nominibus, Eng. tr. Names of God, New-York : America Press,
1912.
Bellarmine, Bl. R. (1542-1621) : De ascensione mentis in Deum per scalas
creaturarum, Eng. tr. The Mind's Ascent to God, Milwaukee : Morehouse,
1925; also, Eng. tr. and ed. Broderick, New-York : Benziger, 1929; De ceterna
felicitate sanctorum; De gemitu columbœ sive de bono lacrymarum ; De septem

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xxx vi i.

verbis a Christo in cruce prolatis ; De arte bene moriendi. Cfr. recent ed.
Opuscula ascetica, New-York : Pustet, 1925; also, Broderick, J., Life and
Work of Bl. Robert Cardinal Bellarmine, 2 vols., London, 1928.
Lancicius, N. : Select Works, Burns London : and Oates, 1884.
Caraffa, V.-Bouix, School of Divine Love·, or Elevation of the Soul to Goa
(tr.), Dublin : Gill, 1887.
Le Gaudier, (t 1622) : De perfectione vitee spiritualis, a complete treatise
of the spiritual life, 3 vols., new ed. 1857.
Drexelius, J., (1581-1638) : The Heliotropium : turning to Him, ed.
Bogner, New-York : Devin-Adair, 1924.
Alphonsus Rodriguez, (t 1616) : Exercicio de perfeciôn and virtudes
religiosas, 3 vols., Barcelona, 1613; Practice of Christian Perfection, Eng. tr.
Jos. Rickaby, Chicago : Loyola Univ. Press. 1929. This is an excellent work
which, leaving aside all theorizing, deals only with the actual practice of
virtues ; many eds. in various languages.
St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, (+ 1617) ; a Jesuit brother who was raised to
very high contemplation. Two of his tracts have been recently published in
French (Desclée, de Brouwer, Lille).
De la Puente, (De Ponte) (t 1624) : many works, of which in English
there is available Meditations on the Mysteries of our Holy Faith, New-York :
Benziger, 1916. He was a spiritual director of St. Teresa of Avila, being
himself a contemplative.
Binct, Stephen, (1569· ^39) : Les attraits tout-puissants de l'amour de
fésus-Christ ; Le grand chef-d'œuvre de Dieu et les souveraines perfections de
la Ste Vierge.
Saint-Juré, J. B. de (1588-1657) : Le livre des élus ou fésus crucifié;
L'homme spirituel; Treatise on the Knowledge and Love of Our Lordfesus
Christ, Eng. tr. Sister of Mercy, 3 vols., New-York; Union with Our Lord
fesus Christ in His Principal Mysteries (tr. ), New-York : Sadlier, 18763. In
some of his works Saint-Jure approaches the teachings of the French School of
the seventeenth century.
Godinez, M. (Wading) (1591-1644) : Praxis theologice mystica·, tr. de la
Reguera into Latin, Paris : Lethielleux, 1920.
Nouet, J., (1605-1680) : Conduite de l'homme d'oraison dans les voies de
Dieu, 1674; Meditations on the Life of Our Lordfor Every Day in the Year
(tr.), 2 vols., Dublin : Browne and Nolan, 1892; Baltimore; Lucas, 1855.
De la Colombière, Bl. C., (1641-1682); fournal de ses retraites, ed.
Desclée, 1897; in this, see especially his Grande retraite in which there are
indicated the graces and lights that God granted him during the retreat of 1674.
In Eng., Sufferings of Our Lordfesus Christ (tr. ), London, 1876.
Bourdaloue, L., (1632-1704); Sermons, in which Christian morality and
asceticism are developed with fullness and solidity; see also his Retraite. Cfr.
Œuvres complètes, 4 vols., Paris, 18805; also, Spiritual Retreatfor Pastors of
Souls (tr.), London, 1873; A Spiritual Retreat, Baltimore, n. d. ; Sermons and
Moral Discourses on the important Duties of Christianity, Eng. tr. Carroll,
Dublin : Duffy, 18553.
Guilloré, F., (1615-1684) : Maximes spirituelles ; Les secrets de la vie
spirituelle (ed. 1922).
Cfr. Eng. tr. Self-Renunciation, introd. Carter,
New-York : Longmans, 19021.
Gallifet, J. '.Adorable Heart offesus, mod. Eng. tr.. New-York : 1S99;
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin (tr. ), London : Burns and Oates, c. 1880.
Petit-Didier, (f 1756) : Exercitia spiritualia, tertio probationis anno a
Patribus Societatis obeunda, ed. Clermont, 1821; one of the best commentators
on the Spiritual Exercises.
Bellecius, A., (1704-1752) : in Eng., Solid Virtue (tr.), New-York :
Benziger, 1923; Spiritual Exercises, ibid., 1925.

xxxviii.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Lallemant, L., (+ 1635) : his La doctrina spirituelle was published by
Rigoleuc ; it is a short, substantial work wherein the author shows how we may
come to contemplation by frequent and affective recollection of God living in
us, by purity of heart and by docility to the Holy Ghost. Eng. tr. Spiritual
Doctrine of Father Louis Lallemant, ed. Faber, New-York : Sadlier, 1885.
Cfr. especially Pottier, A., Fssai de théologie mystique comparée : Le P, L.
Lallemant et les grands spirituels de son temps, 3 vols. : I. La vie et la doctrine
etc., II. L'école du P. Lallemant comparée avec les premiers représentants de
l'école ignatienne française et avec St. François de Sales, III. La spiritualité
bérullienne et les grands spirituels de la Compagnie de fésus à l'âge d'or de
l'ascéticismefrançais, 1500-1650 : Paris; Téqui, 1924-1929.
Surin, J., (f 1665) : Catéchisme spirituel; Les fondements de la vie
spirituelle ; La guide spirituelle, and so on. In these Father Lallemant’s
teaching is developed.
Crasset, J. : Meditations, Eng. tr. Snow, 2 vols., London : R. Washbourne,
1888; also, A Key to Meditation (tr.), London : R. and T. Washbourne, NewYork : Benziger, 1907; Christian Considerations (tr.), New-York, 1858; Devout
Meditations, Eng. tr. Dorsey, New-York : O’Shea, 1906.
Huby, V. '.Retraite, 1690, Eng. tr. Spiritual Retreat, Philadelphia, 1795»
Motifs d'aimer Dietc ; Motifs d'aimer fésus-Christ. A critical ed. of his work
is being prepared by Bainvel.
De Caussade, (1693-1751) : Abandonment to Divine Providence (tr.),
St. Louis : Herder, 1921; Progress in Prayer (tr.), ibid., 1904; Workings of
Divine Well (tr.), London : Burnsand Oates, New-York : Sadlier, 1881.
Segneri, Paolo : Manna of the Soul, Meditations for a Year (tr.), 4 vols.,
London : Burns and Oates, 1879; Practice of Interior Recollection with God
(tr.), Dublin : Gill, c. 1880; cfr. Moris, Lights in Prayer of Ven. Fathers
della Puente, Colombiire and Segneri, London : Burns and Oates, 1893.
Nepveu, (1639-1708): Méthodefacile d'oraison, 3 vols, Paris, 1826; in Eng.,
Like unto Him, tr. Fairbanks, New-A7ork: Wagner, 19233; Hidden Life,
London: Masters, c. 1869; Higher Paths in Spiritual Life, London: Richard­
son, 1851; Spirit of Christianity, New-York : Dunigan, 1859.
Pinamonti, J. P. (1632-1703): Opere, Venice, 1762; in Eng., Art of Know­
ing Ourselves (tr.), London: Burns and Oates, 1877; Immaculate Heart of
Mary, Philadelphia: Messenger, 1890; Mirror of Humility, Manresa Press,
1923.
Scaramelli, G. B. (1687-1752): Direttorio ascetico; Diretlorio mistico, the
latter being among the most complete treatises on mysticism, though presenting
the different forms of the same degree as distinct degrees of contemplation.
Directorium asceticum, Eng. tr. and ed. Dublin: Kelly, 1869; London and
New-York, 4 vols., 1902s; abgd. ed,, Manual of Christian Perfection,
Msgr. Stockman ed., Los Angeles, 1921 ; cfr. also Directorium mysticum in
compendium, ed. Voss, Louvain, 1881.
Grou, J. N. (1731-1803): Spiritual Maxims (tr.), London: Th. Baker,
1902; Meditations on the love of God, Eng. tr. Butler, St. Louis : Herder, 1929;
Manualfor Interior Souls (tr.), New-York: Benziger, 1927; How to Pray (tr.),
London : Baker, New-York : Benziger, 1909 ; Characters of Real Devotion,
Eng. tr. Clinton, Dublin, 1895; Portraiture of True Devotion (tr.), Baltimore,
1832. His teaching in analogous to that of Lallemant
De Clorivière, P. : Considérations sur l'exercice de la prière, 1862, a brief
explanation of ordinary and extraordinary prayer by the restorer of the Society
of Jesus in France.
Ramière, H. (1821-1884): his work, La divinisation du chrétien, marks a
return to the traditional doctrines supplying the basis of the spiritual life.
Cfr. Apostleship of Prayer, (tr.), New-York: Apostleship of Prayer Press.
Boudreau, Happiness of Heaven, Baltimore: Murphy, 1871; God, Our
Father, ibid., 1873.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

XXXIX.

Coleridge, H. J. (1822-1893) : a series of about 48 volumes on the Life of
Our Lord, pub. London, Burns and Oates.
Humphrey, The Divine Teacher, London: Burns and Oates, 1882; One
Mediator, ibid.; Mary, Magnifying God.
Morris, J., Aledilation: Instruction, Roehampton : Manresa Press, 1889;
Journals of Retreat, ed. Pollen, London: Burnsand Oates, 1894.
Von Lehen, Way of Interior Peace (tr.), New-York: Benziger, c. 1889.
Rossetti, J. C., De Spiritu SocietatisJesu, Freiburg: Herder, 1888.
Clare, The Science of the Spiritual Life, New-York and London : Art and
Book, 1898.
Vercruysse, B., New Practical Meditations, 2 vols., New-York, Benziger.
Chaignon, The Mass Worthily Celebrated (tr.), New-York : Benziger, 1897;
Sacerdotal Meditations (tr.), New-York: Benziger, 1916.
Médaillé, Meditations on the Gospels, London: Burns and Oates, 1891.
Olivaint, P., (1816-1871): Journal de ses retraites annuelles, 19118.
Valuy, B. : Directorium spirituale, Guide for Priests in their Public and
Private Life (tr.), Dublin : Gill, 1907s.
Terrien, J. B., La grfice et la gloire; La Mère de Dieu et la Mère des
hommes.
Gallwey, The Watches of the Sacred Passion, 2. vols., London: Herder,
1908.
Lucas, In the Morning of Life, London: Sands, 1904; Al Parting of
Ways, Herder, 1906.
De Maumigny, R., Practice of Mental Prayer (tr.), New-York: Kenedy,
1915Poulain, A., Les grâces d'oraison, a treatise of mystical theology (ed.
Bainvel, 1922 l0), Eng. tr. Graces of Interior Prayer, St. Louis: Herder, 1918.
De Smedt, Ch., Notre vie surnaturelle: son principe, ses facultés, les condi­
tions de sa pleine activité, Brussels, 1913.
Eymieu, A., Le gouvernement de soi-même, Paris, 1911-1921.
Bainvel, J. V., Devotion to the Sacred Heart (tr.), New-York : Benziger,
1924; also Le saint coeur de Alarie, 1918; La vie intime du catholique, 1916.
Meschler, M., Three Fundamental Principles of the Spiritual Life,
St. Louis: Plerder, 1912s; Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in
Meditations, Eng. tr. Sr. Margaret Mary, 2 vols., London and St. Louis:
Herder, 1924s; Garden of Roses of Our Lady, London: Burns Oates and
Washbourne, c. 1907.
Donnelly, F. P., Heart of the Gospel, New-York : Apost, of Prayer, 1911 ;
Watching an Hour, New-York: Kenedy, 1914; Holy Our, ibid., 1917; Heart
of Revelation ; etc.
Garesché, Your Neighbor and You, St. Louis: Queen’s Work Press, 1912;
Your Soul's Salvation, New-York: Benziger, 1918; etc.
Hull, E. R., God, Alan, Religion, Bombay: Examiner, 1914; Formation cf
Character, London, Sands.
O’Rourke, Under Sanctuary Lamp ; Fountains of the Saviour; On Israel's
Hills ; Journeys with Our Lord, and so on : New-York, Apost. of Prayer
Press.
Russel, At Home with God, Longmans Green, 1912; He is Calling Ale,
London : Burns and Oates, 1912.
Semple, Heaven open to Souls, New-York: Benziger, 1916.
Longhaye, An Eight Day Retreat, Eng. tr. Wolfèrstan, London : Sands,
1928.
Plus, R., adapts the fundamental teachings of the French School of the
seventeenth century. Of his works, the following are in Eng. tr. : Christ in

xl.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

His Brethren, 1925; How to Pray Always, tr. Hernaman, 1926; In Christ
Jesus, 19242; Living with God; Ideal of Perfection ; How to Pray Well, 1929;
God within Us; Folly of the Cross. Cfr. also La sainteté catholique, in series
Bibliothèque Catholique de Sciences Religieuses, Paris: Bloud and Gay, 1929;
a series being published in English by Herder, St. Louis.
O’Rahilly A., Father William Doyle, S. J., Spiritual Study, New-York
and London : Longmans Green, 19252.
Pesch, T., Christian Philosophy of Life, Eng. tr. McLaren, London: Sands,
St. Louis: Herder, 1922.
Renouvier, F., Conquest of Heaven: Perfect Charity and Contrition (tr.),
Baltimore, 1924.
Hill, O. A., Charity and Our Three Vows, St. Louis: Herder, 1925.
Charles, P., Prayerfor All Times, Eng. tr. Monahan, 2 vols., New-York :
Kenedy, London : Sands, 1925 : 3 vols, in French.
Meyer, R. J., The Science of the Saints, 2. vols., St. Louis: Herder, I.
19237, II. 1924“.
Moffatt, J. E., Thy Kingdom Come, New-York: Benziger, 1927; The
Sanity of Sanctity, ib., 1929.
Maréchal, J., Studies in the Psychology of Misticism, Eng. tr. Thorold,
New-York : Benziger, 1928.
Noldin, H., Devotion to the Sacred Heart (tr.), ed. Kent, New-York :
Benziger, 1905.
>
Walsh, N., Vetera et Nova, Dublin : Gill, 1902.
De Heredia, C. M., True Spiritualism, New-York: Kenedy, 1924.
Pardow, Life of Father Pardow, New-York.
De Grandmaison, L., Personal Religion, Eng. tr. Thorold, London: Sheed
and Ward, St. Louis : Herder, 1929.
Blount, Leading Meditations of the Spiritual Exercises, New-York : Benzi­
ger, London : Burns Oates and Washboume, 1928.
Conroy, Early Friends of Christ, New-York : Benziger, 1925.
D’Arcy, M., The Mass and Redemption, London : Burns Oates and Wash­
bourne, 1926.
Goodier, A., Abp., Crown of Sorrow ; Meaning of Life; Some Hints on
Prayer; Charily of Christ ; Roehampton, Manresa Press. Public Life of Our
LordJesus Christ, 2 vols., London : Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1930.
Le Buffe, F. P. My Changeless Friend (14 Series), New-York, Apost. of
Prayer Press.
Husslein, J., The Reign of Christ, New-York : Kenedy, 1928; The Mass of
the Apostles, ibid., 1930.
Scott, M. J., God and Myself; Divine Counsellor, New-York : Kenedy,
1922; Holy Sacrifice of Mass, ibid., 1928.
The America Press, New-York, prints many ascetical pamphlets for the
various ecclesiastical seasons.
Since 1920 this school has under the editorship of J. de Guibert been
publishing a quarterly magazine, Revue d'ascétique et de mystique, at Toulouse,
France. Its purpose is to study the more important questions of asceticism
and mysticism from the threefold point of view of history, doctrine and
psychology.
2.—The Carmelite School, or the School of St. Teresa, insists that God
is everything and man nothing. It urges complete detachment in order to
come, God willing, to a state of contemplation and inculcates the practice
of the apostolate by prayer, example and sacrifice.
St. Teresa (1515-1582) of Avila is model and teacher of the highest sanc­
tity. The Church in the Missal invites us to study and to put into practice her
spiritual doctrine “ so we way be fed with the food of her heavenly teaching

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xli.

and grow in loving devotion towards Thee. ” Her works furnish us with the
richest source on mystical states as well as the most orderly and lifelike classi­
fication. Critical ed., Obras de Sta Teresa, editadas y anotadas par el
P. Silverio de St. Teresa, 6 vols., Burgos, 1915; also, selections, 1 vol., 1922.
Cfr. also Letters of St. Teresa, Eng. tr. Benedictines of Stanbrook, London :
Th. Baker, 1919 sqq.; Autobiography and Book of Foundations, ed. BurkeElliott, New-York : Columbus Press, 19IX; Spirit of St. Teresa,· tr. anon.,
London: Burns and Oates, 1885; Frassinetti, St. Teresa's Paler Noster:
Treatise on Prayer, Eng. tr. Hutch, London: Burns and Oates, c. 1887;
Hoornaert, R., St. Teresa in Her Writings, Eng. tr. Leonard, London : Sheed
and Ward, 1930. See Maréchal, Studies in the Psychology of Mysticism, Eng.
tr. Thorold, etc., ut supra.
St. John of the Cross ( 1543-1591) : a disciple of St. Teresa. His four works
make up a complete treatise on mysticism. Critical ed. Gerard, Toledo, Spain;
Eng. tr. Lewis, ed. Zimmerman, London : Th. Baker, 1906 sqq : The Ascent
of Mount Carmel, showing the steps to be taken to arrive at contemplation;
The Dark Night of the Soul, describing the trials that go along with contem­
plation; The Living Flame, explaining its marvelous effects; The Spiritual
Canticle in lyric style summarizing the teaching of the previous works. Cfr.
Heriz, V,St. John of the Cross, Washington, 1919; other works in English are
Precautions, Counsels and Maxims, Spiritual Letters, Poems.
John of Jesus and Mary (1564-1615) : Disciplina claustralis, 4 folio vols,
in which one may find various ascetical tracts, among them the Via vita; cfr.
also Theologia mystica, ed. Freiburg : Herder, 1911; De virorum ecclesiastico­
rum perfectione; Instruction of Novices, Eng. tr. fr. Latin, New-York :
Benziger, 1925,
Joseph of Jesus and Mary (1562-1626) : Subida del alma a Dios, Madrid,
1656, a treatise dealing with the soul’s ascent towards God.
Bl. Mary of the Incarnation (Madame Acarie) (1599-1672), though she
left no written work, may be understood from A. Duval’s : La vie admirable de
Mlle Acarie, 1621, ed. 1893.
Ven. Anne of St Bartholomew : Autobiography, Eng. tr. Carmelite of
St Louis : Herder, 1916.
Thomas of Jesus (1568-1627) : De contemplatione divina libri VI, ed.
Cologne, 1684; The Sufferings of fesus (tr.), 2 vols., London, 1869; also eds.
Dublin and Philadelphia.
Nicholas of Jesus and Mary : called by Bossuet the most learned inter­
preter of St John of the Cross; Phrasium mystica theologia Ven. P. foannis
a Cruce... elucidatio.
Philip of the Trinity (f 1671) : Summa theologiae mystica·, 3 vols., ed.
Brussels and Paris, 1874; a classic, clearly and methodically describing the
three ways of perfection.
Anthony of the Holy Spirit (f 1677) : Directorium mysticum, ed Paris,
1904. A manual like the preceding, but shorter and in one volume.
Honorius of St. Mary (1651-1729) : Tradition des Pères et des auteurs
ecclésiastiques sur la contemplation, a work important in the history of this
subject.
Joseph of the Holy Spirit : Cursus theologia: mystico-scholastica:, Seville,
1710-1740; med. ed. Bruges : Beyaert, c. 1923.
St. Teresa of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) : Sœur Ste Thérèse of L isieux :
Autobiography, Eng. tr. Taylor, New-York : Kenedy; London : Burns and
Oates; also, Martin, G., Little Way of Spiritual Childhood according to
Bl. Thérèse, New-York : Kenedy, 1923; Clarke, J. P., Her Little Way :
Bl. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, New-York : Little Flower Book Shop, 1923;
I^aveille, Msgr., St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, Eng. tr. Fitzsimmons, London :
Burns, Oates and Washbourne, 1928; Petitot, H., St. Teresa of Lisieux, Eng.
tr., New-York : Benziger, 1927. A study by Trochu is soon to appear.

xlii.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Aurelianus a Ssmo. Sacramento; Cursus asceticus, 3 vols., Ernakulam,
India, 1917-1919.
Jerome of the Mother of God, La tradition mystique du Carmel, Bruges :
Desclée, de Brouwer, 1929.
Fr. Alphonsus, Practice of Mental Prayer and of Perfection, 4 vols.,
Bruges, 1910.
Etudes carmélitaines, a quarterly founded in 1911, present editor Father
Mary Joseph, publishes interesting articles on ascetical and mystical questions
with a view to spread a right understanding of the teachings of St. Teresa and
of St. John of the Cross.
3.—The School of St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is chiefly con­
cerned with the teachings of the founder himself. His great service was l<>
show that devotion and even high sanctity are practicable in every state of life.
A perfect gentleman and a devout humanist, an apostolic man and director,
he knew how to make piety lovable without taking from it the spirit of sacrifice.
The Introduction to a Devout Life is fundamentally a treatise on asceticism
introducing souls to the purgative and illuminative ways; the Treatise on the
Love of God raises them to the unitive way. In the latter work, contemplation is
explained with the exact knowledge of a theologian and the psychology of a man
who has gone through the experience. His Conferences directly address his own
Visitandines, but do good to all. His many Letters apply the general principles
explained in his books to each individual soul ; one finds in them a delicately
refined psychology, a quite exceptioual tact, a good deal of frankness and of
simplicity. Best French ed., Œuvres, Annecy.
In English, Introduction to a Devout Life, many eds., among them esp.
Ross, New-York : Benziger, London : Bums Oates and Washbourne (Orchard
Books), 1925; see also Library of St. Francis de Sales, q vols., 1908-1925. —
Treatise on the Love of God, Letters to Persons in Religion, Letters to Persons
in the World, Catholic Controversy, Mystical Explanation of the Canticle of
Canticles, Conferences. Cfr. Saudreau, A., Mystical Prayer according to
St. Francis de Sales, Eng. tr. Swinstead, London : Sheed and Ward; New-York :
Benziger, 1930; Hamon, Life of St Francis de Sales, adapted by Burton, Eng.
tr., New-York : Kenedy, 1926-1929; Sanders, E. K., St Francis de Sales,
New-York : Macmillan, 1928; Bordeaux, H., St. Francis de Sales, (tr.) NewYork Longmans, 1929 ; Stackpoole-Kenny, L. M., St. Francis de Sales, London,
1924; de Margerie, A., St. Francis of Sales, 6th imp., London, 1923; Sidney
Lear, H. L., St. Francis de Sales, London, 1898; Marsollier, Life of
St. Francis of Sales, Bp. and Prince of Geneva, (tr.), London, 1812; cfr. also
Bremond, H., Histoire littéraire, etc., (vols. I and 2), now in course of
translation.
Camus, J. P., a friend of St Francis de Sales and a prolific writer : Spirit of
St Francis de Sales, Eng. tr. J. S., London, 1925 (in Library of St. Francis de
Sales, VII), New-York, Longmans.
St Jane Frances de Chantal (1472-1641) : Sa vie et ses œuvres, 7 vols.,
Paris, Plon, 1877-1893. In Eng., Selected Letters of St. fane Frances Fremiot
de Chantal, New-York : Kenedy, 1918; Spirit of St. fane Frances de Chanta I,'
New-York : Longmans, 1922; Sanders, E. K., St. Chantal, New-York : Mac­
millan, 1918; The Spiritual Life, compiled from writings of St. Jane F. F. de
Chantal, St. Louis : Herder, 1928; St. fane F. de Chantal : Her Exhortations
Conferences and Instructions, rev. ed., Chicago : Loyola Univ. Press, 1929;
Bougaud, Msgr. St. Chantal and Foundation of the Visitation, Eng. tr. Visitandine, 2 vols., 1895; Saudreau, A., Mystical Prayer according to St Jane
Chantal, Eng. tr. Swinstead, London: Sheed and Ward; New-York:
Benziger, 1930.
De Chaugy, Mère : Mémoires sur la vie et les vertus de Ste Jeanne de
Chantal, Paris : Plon, 1893.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1693) : Œuvres, ed. Msgr. Gauthey,
3 vols., Paris : Poussielgue, 1914; Languet, J. J., Life, Eng. tr. Faber, 2 vols.,
London, 1850; Tickell, G., Life, New-York and London, 1869; Bougaud,

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xliii.

Msgr., Life of St. Margaret Mary (tr.) New-York : Benziger, 1920; Sr. Mary
Philip, Life, St. Louis, 1919.
Tissot, The Art of Profiting by our Faults, Eng, tr. McMahon, New-York :
Benziger, 1S91 ; The Interior Life, Eng. tr. Mitchell, London : R. and T.
Washbourne, New-York : Benziger, 1813.
Million, Manrèze salésien : meditations drawn from works of St. Francis.
Chaumont, II. (1838-1896) : a founder of three Salesian societies, this priest
published or had published several tracts filled with the teaching of St Francis
de Sales.
Giraud, S. M., The Spirit of Sacrifice, Eng. tr. Thurston, New-York :
Benziger, 1905.
4.—The French School of the seventeenth century : its spiritual teaching
flows from doctrines of faith, above all from the dogma of the Incarnation.
Since we have been incorporated into Christ through baptism and have received
the Holy Ghost who dwells in us, we must glorify God in union with the
Incarnate Word living in us, reproduce His virtues, and vigorously fight against
the contrary tendencies of the flesh, of the old Adam : “ Let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ Jesus... putting off the old man and putting on the
new. ”
The founder of the School was Cardinal de Bérulle. To it belong : the
Fathers of the Oratory, St. Vincent de Paul, Father Olier and the Sulpicians,
St.John Eudes and the Eudists, Bl. Grignion de Montfort, St. John Baptist de
la Salle, Ven. F. M. Libermann and the Holy Ghost Fathers; de Renty, de
Bernières, Boudon and Bishop Gay.
Cardinàl de Bérulle (1575-1629) : founder of the Oratory in France.
Œuvres complètes, ed. Bourgoing, Paris, 16572; also, Migne, Paris, 1856.
His chief work is Discours de ΓEstât et des grandeurs de fésus, but for a full
understanding of his teaching this must be supplemented by reading his smaller
works. De Bérulle is the apostle of the Word Incarnate. For him to be a true
Christian means to cling to Christ, to make Christ live in us by His virtues, to cut
oneself off from creatures and from oneself. Cfr. Bremond, H., Histoire litté­
raire, etc., Literary History of Religious Thought in France, Eng. tr. Mont­
gomery, London : S. P. C. K., (now in course of pub. and trans.); also,
Pottier, ut supra, III. La spiritualité bérullienne et les grands spirituels de la
Compagnie de Jésus à l’âge d’or de l'ascéticisme français, jpoo-sôyo, Paiis:
Téqui, 1929; also, Sidney Lear, H. L., Priestly Life in France, London :
Longmans, 1894.
De Condren, C. (1588-1641) : Œuvres complètes published after his death,
first in 1668, later by Pin in 1857 ; see esp. his L'idée du sacerdoce et du sacri­
fice (Eng. tr. Priesthood and Sacrifice} and his letters. He completes de
Bérulle’s doctrine by his teaching on the priesthood and sacrifice : Jesus
Christ, having become the unique adorer of the Father, by His self-abasement
offers a sacrifice worthy of the Father; we share in this by abasing ourselves
with Christ. Cfr. Sidney Lear, H. L., Charles de Condren in Priestly Life
in France.
Bourgoing·, F. (1585-1662) : Vérités et excellences de Jésus-Christ... disposées
en méditations, ed. Ingold, Paris: Téqui, 18923’.
St. Vincent de Paul (1576-1660): founder of the Congregation of the
Mission (Lazarists, \7incentians) and of the Sisters of Charity. Cfr. his
Correspondance, Entretiens, Documents, ed. Coste, 1920 sqq. A disciple, but
an original disciple, of de Bérulle, he in turn became a master whose prudence
and sagacity really amount to genius. See Bougaud, Msgr., History oj
St. Vincent de Paul, Eng. tr. Brady, New-York, 1908; Boyle, P., St. Vincent
de Paul and the Vincentians, London: R. and T. Washbourne, 1909;
I^avedan, II., Heroic Life of St. Vincent de Paul, (tr. ), New-York : Longmans,
1929; Leonard, J., St. Vincent and Mental Prayer, New-York : Benziger,
1925; Sanders, E. K., Some Counsels of St. Vincent de Paul, London and
St. Louis: Herder, 1914; de Broglie, I., St. Vincent de Paul, Eng. tr.

xliv.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Partridge, London: Burns and Oates, 1901; d’Agnel, A., St. Vincent de Paul,
maître d'oraison, Paris: Téqui, 1929; St. Vincent de Paul, directeur de con­
science, ibid., 1929.
J. J. Olier (1608-1657): founder of the Society of St. Sulpice.
Abbé
Bremond says that he alone gives us the teaching of the French School in the
full extent of its principles and applications {op. cit., vol. 3). Besides many
manuscripts, Father Olier has left the following : Catéchisme chrétien pour la
vie intérieure, in which he shows how by practicing the crucifying virtues we
may arrive at intimate and habitual union with Jesus; Introduction à la vie et
aux vertus chrétiennes, explaining in detail the virtues that perfect this union
all through the acts and circumstances of our life; Traité des SS. Ordres,
written to make the young cleric ready to become a religious man by his
transformation in Jesus Christ, high priest, sacrificer and victim; his Lettres
complete this teaching, applying it to spiritual direction. The Pietas Semi­
narii S.-Sulpilii gives a summary of all Sulpician devotions. In Eng., Cate­
chism for an Interior Life, Baltimore (out of print).
Blanlo, J. (1617-1657) : The Childlike Spirit (tr.), Baltimore, 1892, a
participation in the spirit and grace of the Infant Jesus, Word Incarnate;
another ed., Sicut Parvuli, tr. and ed. St. Louis: Herder, 1910.
Tronson, L. (1622-1700): Forma cleri, 1727, 1770; Particular Examens,
Eng. tr. by an Anglican, is a work sketched by Fathers Olier and de Poussé,
and completed by Father Tronson; the latest ed. in French is by Branchereau.
See also the treatises on obedience and humility: Manuel du séminariste ; also,
for complete works, Migne, 2 vols., 1857; Conferences for Ecclesiastical
Students and Religious, Eng. tr. Clare, London : Burns and Oates, Dublin :
Gill, 1878.
David, J. B. M. -(1761-1841) : The True Piety ; A Spiritual Retreat of
Eight Days; ed. Spalding, Louisville, Kentucky, 1864.
Hamon, A. J. M. (1795-1874): Meditations (tr.), 5 vols., New-York:
Benziger, 189433.
Renaudet, G. (1794-1880): Month of Mary for use of Ecclesiastics (tr.),
Tournai: Desclée, 1911.
Bacuez, N. L. (1820-1892): Divine Office, Eng. tr. Taunton, London:
Burns and Oates, New-York : Cath. Pub. Soc., 1888; Priestly Vocation and
Tonsure, (tr.), New-York : Cath. Lib. Associa., 1908; Major Orders, Minor
Orders, Eng. tr. Nevins, London and St. Louis : Herder, 1913, 1912.
Ribet, M. J. : La mystique divine distinguée des contrefaçons diaboliques et
des analogies humaines, 1879; L'ascétique chrétienne, 19023; Les vertus et les
dons dans la vie chrétienne, 1901.
Guibert, J. : On Kindness (tr.); On Character; On Piety; all in Angelus
Series, London : Burns Oates and Wasbourne.
St. John Eudes, (1601-1680), a disciple of de Bérulle and de Condren,
founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (the Eudists) and of the
Order of Notre Dame de Charité (Sisters of the Good Shepherd). He
perfectly assimilated the spiritual teaching of de Bérulle, clearly, popularly and
practically expounded it, and wove the practice of the spiritual life into the
devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, so much so that in the bull of
beatification he is called the “father, ” the “teacher”, and the “apostle” of
the devotion to these sacred Hearts. His work, reedited in 12 vols., Paris,
1905; among them the chief are : La vie et le royaume de fésus dans les âmes
chrétiennes : here he explains that the Christian life is the life of Jesus in us
and how we may do all our acts in Jesus and for Jesus; Le contrat de l'homme
avec Dieu par le saint baptême ; Le Cœur admirable de la Mère de Dieu, the
12th book of which deals with devotion to the Heart of Jesus — really the
most important work of the Saint. Also, Le mémorial de la vie ecclésiastique;
Règles et constitutions de la Congrégation de fésus et de Marie : these rules are
made up of Scriptural texts logically grouped together, while the Constitutions
consist of a practical commentary on the rules. In Eng., Reign ofJesus, tr.
and ed. Granger-Harding, London : R. and T. Washbourne, New-York :

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xlv

Benziger, 1911 ; Man's Contract with God in Baptism, Eng. tr. Cullin,
Philadelphia, 1859; O'Reilly, J., Bl. Jean Eudes, Halifax, 1909.
Lamballe, P. E., La contemplation ou principes de théologie mystique,
1912.
Bl. L. Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) : founder of the Missionaries of
the Company of Mary and the Daughters of Wisdom. Initiated into the spiri­
tual doctrine of de Bérulle at the Seminary of St. Sulpice, he later wrote clear,
popular and forceful treatises. Cfr. Lettre circulaire aux amis tie la croix,
Tours, Marne, many eds. ; and in Eng., True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin,
tr. Faber, London: Burns and Oates, New-York: Benziger, 190411; Secret of
Mary, (tr.), London: Burns Oates and Washbourne; Secular Priest, Life of
Blessed Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, 2 vols., London : Art and Book
Co., 1892; Life and Select Writings (tr.), London: Richardson, 1870;
Denis, G., Reign of Jesus through Mary, Eng. tr. Somers, London : Burns
Oates and Washbourne.
St. John Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719) : founder of the Brothers of the
Christian Schools (Christian Brothers). Being trained at St. Sulpice (Paris),
he adapted the spiritual teachings of de Bérulle to his new institution. Cfr.
in Eng., Thompson, F., Lije and Labours of St. John Baptist de la Salle,
Ixmdon : Burns and Oates, St. Louis: Herder, 1911 ; F. C. N., Life and
Work of Ven. J. B. de la Salle, New-York : Sadlier, 1878; Bro. Leo, Story of
St. fohn Baptist de la Salle, New-York : Kenedy, 1921; Mrs Wilson,
Christian Brothers, their Origin and their Work, London, 1883; Burke, P.,
Thoughts of St. John Baptist de la Salle, etc., New-York : Sadlier, 1868; Bro.
Agathon, Virtues of a Good Master, etc., New-York : O’Shea, 1907 ; Anon.,
Bl. de la Salle and his Educational Methods, Chicago, Flanagan; Bro.
Philip, Meditation on the Bassion of Our Lord fesus Christ, New-York :
O’Shea, 1872; also, Considerations for Christian Teachers, Baltimore:
Murphy, 1922.
Libermann, Ven. F. M., (1803-1852), founder of the Congregation of the
Sacred Heart of Mary which was later joined to the Society of the Holy
Ghost. He was trained at St. Sulpice and became an exponent of de
Bérulle’s spirituality in his treatises on prayer, especially on affective prayer,
on the interior life and humility; cfr. his letters. Goepfert, P., Life of Ven.
Francis Mary Paul Libermann, Dublin : Gill, 1880; Lee, G., Life of Ven. '
E. Libermann, St. Louis : Herder, 1911; Spiritual Letters, Eng. tr., Grunnenwald, vol. 1, Detroit: Bornmann, 1901 ; Constitution of the Society of the
Heart of Mary, Winchester, 1890.
De Renty, (j· 1649) : his doctrine is given in the Life, by Saint-Jure, 1652;
in Eng., Life of Baron de Renty or Perfection in the World Exemplified (tr. ),
London, 1873.
Gay, Bp. (1816-1892): he received his training at St. Sulpice and wrote
several works imbued with the teachings of Father Olier and those of
St. Francis de Sales. In Eng., Christian Life and Virtues considered in the
Religious State, tr. Burder, 3 vols., London ; Burns and Oates, 1878; Religious
Life and Vows (tr.), London, 1900 3.
Hogan, J. B. Daily Thoughts, Boston, 1899.
Grimai, J., S. M., Priesthood and Sacrifice of Our Lordfesus Christ, Eng.
tr. Keyes Philadelphia ; McVey, 1915; Avec Jésusformant en nous son prét/e,
2 vols., Paris and Lyon : Vitte, 1924.
Bruneau, J., Our Priesthood, St. Louis : Herder, 193ο3; Our Priestly Life,
Baltimore : Murphy, 1929.
F. P. H., Meditation on the Passion and Eastertide, Washington : Sulpician
Seminary Press, 1928.
Farges, A., Msgr. Mystical Phenomena (tr.), London : Burns Oates and
Washbourne, 1926; Ordinary Ways ofthe Spiritual Life (tr.), New-York : 1927.
I.es écoles de spiritualité chrétienne, Liège : Pensée Catholique, 1928.
5.—The School oe St. Alphonsus Liquori is notable for its practical

xlvi.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

and intense piety. Being based on the love of God and of Our Redeemer,
it stresses prayer and mortification as the means for arriving at this love.
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1691-1787) : a most prolific writer. Besides his
works on dogmatic and moral subject, he wrote on nearly every phase of the
spiritual life; for Christian perfection in general see his Complete Ascetical
Works, Eng. tr. Grimm, Cent. ed., 22 vols., New-York : Benziger, 1886-1892.
St. Alphonsus’ works are translated into French, German and English from
the original Italian, the latest edition of which is that at Naples, 1840. Cfr.
des Rotours, Angot, St. Alphonsus Liguori (tr.), New-York, 1916; Berthe, Life
of St. Alphonsus Liguoii, Eng. tr. Castle, 2 vols., St. Louis : Herder, 1906.
Désarment, P. : La charité sacerdotale, 2. vols., Paris, 1899, 1901 ; Le Credo et
la Providence ; La vie vraiment chrétienne, and so on, Paris, U, rue Servandoni.
Saint-Omer, P. : Pratique de la Perfection d'après St. Alphonse, Tournai,
1S96 ; .S’/. Alphonsud Prayer-Book : Selections, Eng. tr. Ward, New-York :
Benziger, 1890.
Dosda, J. : L'union avec Dieu, ses commencements, ses progrès, sa perfection,
1912.
Schrijvers, Jos. : Les principes de la vie spirituelle, Brussels, 1922 ; Le don de
soi; Le divin ami, Tournai et Paris : Casterman, 1927, Thoughtsfor a Retreat.
Bouchage, F. : Pratique des vertus; Introduction à la vie sacerdotale ;
Catéchisme ascétique et pastoral des jeunes clercs, Paris : Beauchesne, 1916.
Bridgett, T. E. (1829-1899) : History of the Holy Eucharist in Great
Britain, London : Burns and Oates, 1908.
Bronchain, Meditationsfor Every Day, Eng. tr. Girardey, 2 vols., St Louis :
Herder, 1910.
Geiermann, Private Retreatfor Religious, New-York : Benziger, 1909; and
other works.
Girardey, F. : Helps to a Spiritual Life, trans, from German of J. Schnei­
der, S. J., New-York : Benziger, 1903; Meditations on Mysteries of Faith and
Epistles and Gospels, 2 vols., St Louis : Herder, 1906; Conference Matter for
Religious, 2 vols., St Louis : Herder, 1914; Prayer : Its Necessity, its Powe)·,
its Conditions, St Louis : Herder, 1920.
Mueller, Blessed Eucharist, our Greatest Treasure, Baltimore : Kelly and
Piet, 1868; Prayer, Key of Salvation, New-York : Pustet, 1909; Catholic
Priesthood, 2 vols., New-York : Herder, Pustet, Benziger, 1885 ; and other books.
Coyle, J. B.; Meditations and Readings frotn St. Alphonsus, 6 vols.,
New-York : Herder, Dublin : Talbot, 1923-1929.
Miller, J. P., Retreat Discourses and Meditations for Religious, (J. P.
Toussaint, author), St. Louis and London : Herder, 1929.
Stebbing, The Redemptorists, New-York : Benziger, 1924.
Warren, Spirit of St. Alphonsus, Boston : Mission Ch. Press, 1910; Spirit
of St. Francis de Sales, ibid., 1910; School of Christian Perfection, ibid., 1912 ;
Characteristics from Works cf St Alphonsus, ibid., 1912.
6.—Outside the pale of these Schools, there ought also to be mentioned :
Scupoli, L. (1530-1610) : Spiritual Combat, Eng. tr. fr. Italian, a work justly
esteemed as one of the best treatises on the spiritual life by no less an authority
than St Francis de Sales. Many eds., among them Baltimore : Murphy;
London : Burns, Oates and Washbourne.
Marie de l’incarnation, Ven. Mother (1599-1672) : Autobiographie, to be
found in Dom Claude’s La vie de la F. M. Marie de I'Incarnation, ii>TJ, a
work based on her letters and other writings; Lettres de la F. M. Alarie, etc.,
1681 ; Méditations et retraites.
Bossuet, J. B. (1627-1704) : in addition to his polemical works against
Quietism and his Sermons from which a treatise of ascetical theology might be
drawn, he also published several tracts or opuscula of considerable worth : cfr.
his Instruction sur les états d'oraison, containing the Christian principles on

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

xlviï.

prayer, first ed. E. Levesque, Paris : Didot, 1897 ; also, Les Elévations sur les
mystères ; Méditations sur l'évangile; Tr. de la concupiscence ; other small works
on abandonment, prayer of simplicity, and so on, have recently been gathered
in Doctrine spirituelle de Bossuet, Paris : Téqui, 1908.
Fisher, Bl. J. (1459-1535): Treatise of Prayer, ed. O’Connor, London :
Burns and Oates, 1887; and his other works. Cfr. Wilby, Story of Bl. fohtt
Fisher, 1929.
Fénelon, F., Abp. (1651-1715) : besides his Maximes des Saints and other
writings in the Quietist controversy, he wrote numerous letters of direction.
His works, on account of Quietist tendencies, should be read with caution.
Cfr. summary of his spiritual teaching in Druon’s Doctrine spirituelle de Fénelon,
Paris: Lethielleux. In Eng., Treatise on the Education of Daughters, tr.
Dibdin, Boston: Ewer, 1821; Christian Counsels on Divers Matters pertaining
to the Inner Life, and Spiritual Letters, New-York : Dodd Mead, 1870; Spiri­
tual Progress, etc. ed. Metcalf, ibid., 1853.
Courbon, Familiar Instructions on Mental Prayer, Eng. tr. E. F. B.,
New-York, 1871.
Benedict XIV (Prosper Lambertini) (1675-1758) : De servorum Dei beatificatione et beatorum canonizatione, Venice, 1788; Heroic Virtue, Eng. tr.
F. W. Faber, 3 vols., London, 1850, 1852; See also Canonisation of Saints
by Mackin, Dublin : Gill, New-York : Benziger, 1909.
Newman, J. H. Cardinal (1801-1890): Meditations and Devotions, 1908;
see also his Sermons, and his answer to Pusey regarding the cultus of the
cultus of the Blessed Virgin. Cfr. Works, with Index by Rickaby, 40 vols.,
London and New-York : Longmans, 1874-1921.
Manning·, H. E. Cardinal (1808-1892) : Internal Mission of the Holy Ghost,
London : Burns Oates and Washbourne, 10th ed.; Glories of the Sacred Heart,
London : Burns and Oates, 1876; Eternal Priesthood, Baltimore : Murphy; also,
Sin and Its Consequences ; Love offesus for Penitent Sinners.
Faber, F. W. (1814-1863) wrote very many ascetical works noteworthy for
their unction and accurate psychology : All for fesus; The Blessed Sacrament ;
The Precious Blood; At the Foot of the Cross; Creature and Creator; Growth
in Holiness, Baltimore : Murphy, various eds.
Rosmini, Ant., Maxims of Christian Perfection (tr.), London : Burnsand
Oates, 1887.
Devine, A., C. P. : Alanual of Ascetical Theology, London : R. and T.
Washbourne, New-York: Benziger, 1902; Manual of Mystical Theology, ibid.,
1903·
Gibbons, J. Cardinal (1834-1921): Ambassador of Christ, Baltimore:
Murphy, freq. repr.
Beaudenom, L. (1840-1916) : Spiritual Progress (tr.), London : Burns Oates
and Washbourne; Path of Humility (tr.), ibid., 1920.
Saudreau, A., Degrees of the Spritual Life (tr.), 2 vols., New-York, 1907;
The Way that Leads to God, Eng. tr. and ed. Smith-Camm, London : R. and
T. Washbourne, New-York : Benziger, 1911 ; Life of Union with God, Eng.
tr. Strickland, New-York : Benziger, 1927; Mystical State, Eng. tr. D. C. M.,
London, New-York : Benziger, 1925.
Lejeune, Msgr. Introduction to Mystical Life., Eng. tr. Levett, London :
Burns Oates and Washbourne, 19242; Counsels of Perfection for Christian
Mothers, Eng. tr. Ryan, St Louis : Herder, 1913; also, Holy Communion.
Waffelaert, Méditations théologiques, Bruges and Paris: Lethielleux, 1919;
L'union de l'âme aimante avec Dieu; La colombe spirituelle, ou les trois voies
du chemin de la perfection, Desclée, 1919.
Gouraud, Msgr., Directoire de vie sacerdotale.
Challoner, Bp. R. (1691-1781) : many religious books, esp. meditations
Think Well On't, Garden of the Soul, Meditations for Every Day in the Year;

xlviii.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

cfr. work Chailoner's Meditations, ed. Msgr. Virtue, London : Burns and
Oates, New-York : Catholic 1’ub. Soc. 1879.
Hay, Bp. G. (1729-1811): Works, ed. Strain, 5 vols., Edinburgh and
London: Wm. Blackwood, Dublin: McGlasban and Gill, 1872; Boston:
Noonan ; comprising Sincere Christian, Devout Christian, Pious Christian.
Wiseman, N. Cardinal (1802-1865) : Daily Meditations, Dublin : Duffy,
c. 1869; Meditations on the Incarnation, Meditations on the Passion, 2 vols.,
London : Burns and Oates, New-York : Benziger, 1900.
Dalgairns, J. B. (1818-1876) : Devotion to the Heart ofJesus, London and
Leamington: Art and Book Co., 1896; On the Spiritual Life of First Six
Centzcries, London: Richardson, c. 1867; The Holy Communion: Ils Philo­
sophy, Theology, and Practice, Dublin and London : Duffy, 18662; Essay on
Spiritual Life of Mediaval England (pref, to Hilton’s Scale of Perfection).
London : Philip, 1871.
Lelong, Msgr., Le saint prêtre, being conferences on priestly virtues, 1901 ;
Le bon pasteur, on the obligations of the pastoral cure, Paris : Téqui, 1893.
Landrieux, Msgr., Sur les pas de S. Jean de la Croix dans le désert et dans
la nuit; Le divin Méconnu, ou les dons du Saint-Esprit.
Mary Loyola, Mother : Child of God, First Confession, Forgive Us Our
Trespasses, First Confession Book for Little Ones, Simple Confession Book,
First Communion, Soldier of Christ : Burns Oates and Washbourne, London.
Chevrier, Ven. A., Le prêtre selon l'évangile, Lyon and Paris : Vitte, 1922.
Maturin, B. W. Some Principles and Practices of the Spiritual Life, NewYork, Longmans; Self-Knowledge and Self-Discipline, ibid., 1922; Laws of
the Spiritual Life, ibid., 1924.
Stanton, A. J. F., Catholic Mysticism, London and Edinburgh : Sands,
New-York : Benziger, 1929.
Tonna-Barthet, A., O. S. A., The Christian Life, Compiled from the
Works of St. Augustine, Eng. tr. McGowan, New-York : Pustet, 1929.
Miriam Teresa, Sister, Greatei Perfection, ed. Demjanovich, New-York :
Kenedy, 1928.
Bellord, Bp. J., Meditations on Christian Dogma, 1 vols., London : C. T. S.,
1906.

INTRODUCTION 1
It is the perfection of the Christian life that constitutes
the proper object of ascetical and mystical Theology.
1. A God of all goodness vouchsafed to give us not only
the natural life of the soul, but also a supernatural life, —
the life of grace. This latter is a .sharing of God’s very life,
as we have shown in our treatise De gratia. 2 Because
this life was given us through the merits of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, and because He is its most perfect exemplary cause,
we call it rightly the Christian life.
All life must needs be perfected, and it is perfected by
pursuing its end. Absolute perfection means the actual
attainment of that end. This we shall attain only in Heaven.
There, through the Beatific Vision and pure love, we shall
possess God, and our life will have its complete develop­
ment. Then we shall be like unto God, because we shall see
him as he is. ' ’ 3
Here on earth, however, the perfection we can reach is
only relative. This we attain by ever striving after that
intimate union with God that fits us for the Beatific Vision.
The present treatise deals with this relative perfection.
After an exposition of general principles on the nature of
the Christian life, its perfection, the obligation of striving
after it, and the general means of arriving thereat, we shall
describe the three ways, purgative, illuminative and unitive,
along which must go all generous souls thirsting for spi­
ritual advancement.
2. First, however, some preliminary questions must be
made clear in a short introduction.
In it we shall treat five questions :
I.
The Nature of Ascetical Theology ;
II.
Its Sources;
III. Its Method;
IV. Its Excellence and Necessity ;
V. Its Division.
« Th. DE VALLGORNERA, Ο. P., Mystica Theologia D. Thoma, L 1, q. I;
E. Dublanchy, Ascitique in Diet, de Thiol., t. I, col. 2038-2046; Hogan, Cle­
rical Studies, ch. VI, art. 1 ; Scannell, The Priest’s Studies, ch. VI.
a This treatise is found in our Synopsis Theologia Dogmatica, t. III.
3 I John, III, 2 : “ Similes ei erimus quoniam videbimus eum sicuti est".

2

INTRODUCTION.

§ I. The Nature of Ascetical Theology

In order to show exactly what Ascetical Theology is, we
shall explain : i° The chief names given to it; 2° Its relation
to the other theological sciences; 30 Its relation, both with
Dogma and Moral; 40 The distinction between Ascetical
and Mystical Theology.

I. Its Different’names
3. Ascetical Theology goes by different names.
a) It is called the science of the Saints, and rightly so,
because it comes to us from the Saints, who have taught it
more by their life than by word of mouth. Moreover, ascet­
ical theology is calculated to make saints, for it explains to us
what sanctity is, and what the means are of arriving at it.
b) Some have called it spiritual science, because it forms
spiritual men, that is to say, men of interior life, animated
by God’s own spirit.
c) Others have called it the art of perfection, for it is
really a practical science, having for its goal to lead souls
to Christian perfection. Again, they have called it The
Art of Arts. And indeed, the highest art is that of per­
fecting the soul’s noblest life, its supernatural life.
d) However, the name most commonly given to it to-day
is that of Ascetical and Mystical Theology.
1) The word “ ascetical" comes from the Greek άσχησις
(exercise, effort) and means any arduous task connected
with man’s education, physical or moral. Christian per­
fection, then, implies those efforts that St. Paul himself com­
pares to the training undergone by athletes with the pur­
pose of obtaining the victory.1 It was, therefore, natural to
designate by the name of asceticism the efforts of the
Christian soul struggling to acquire perfection. This is
what Clement of Alexandria and Origen did, and, after them,
a great number of the Fathers. It is not surprising, then,
that this name of asceticism is given to the science that deals
with the efforts necessary to the acquisition of Christian
perfection.
2) Yet, during many centuries the name that prevailed in
designating this science was that of Mystical Theology
(μύστης, mysterious, secret, and especially a religious secret)
1 / Cor., IX, 24-27; Ephes., VI, 11-16; I Tim., IV, 7-8.

INTRODUCTION.

3

because it laid open the secrets of perfection. Later a time
arrived when these two words were used in one and the
same sense, but the usage that finally obtained was that of
restricting the name asceticism to that part of the spiritual
science that treats of the first degrees of perfection up to
the threshold of contemplation, and the name of mysticism
to that other part which deals with infused or passive con­
templation.
Be that as it may, it follows from all these notions that
the science we are dealing with, is indeed the science of
Christian perfection. This fact allows us to give it a place
in the general scheme of Theology.
II. Its Place in Theology
4. No one has made more clear the organic unity that
holds all through the science of Theology than did St. Tho­
mas. He divides his Summa into three parts. In the first,
he treats of God as the First principle. He studies Him in
Himself, in the Oneness of His nature, in the Trinity of
His Persons, in the works of His creation preserved and
governed by His Providence. In the second part, He deals
with God as the Last End. Towards Him men must go by
performing their actions for Him under the guidance of the
law and the impulse of grace, by practising the theological
and the moral virtues, and by fulfilling the duties peculiar
to their state of life. The third part shows us the Incarnate
Word making Himself our way whereby we may go to God,
and instituting the Sacraments to communicate to us His
grace unto life everlasting.
In this plan, ascetical and mystical theology belongs to
the second part of the Summa, with dependence however
on the other two parts.
5. Later theologians, without setting aside this organic
unity of Theology, have divided it into three parts,
Dogmatic, Moral and Ascetical.
a) Dogma teaches us what we must believe of God : His
divine life, the share in it which He has willed to commu­
nicate to intelligent creatures, specially to man, the forfeit­
ing of this divine life by original sin, its restoration by the
Word-made-flesh, the action of that life on the regenerated
soul, its diffusion through the Sacraments, and its comple­
tion in Heaven.
b) Moral theology shows us how we must respond to this
love of God by cultivating the divine life He made us

4

INTRODUCTION.

share. It shows us how we must shun sin, practise the
virtues, and fulfil those duties of state to which we are
stricly bound.
c) Yet, if we wish to perfect that life, desiring to go
beyond what is of strict obligation, and wish to advance
systematically in the practice of virtue, it is to Ascetical
theology that we must turn.
with

III. Its relations
Moral and Dogmatic Theology

6.Ascetical theology is a part of the Christian Life.
In truth, it is its most noble part, for its purpose is to make
us perfect Christians. Although it has become a special,
distinct part of Theology, it holds the closest relations both
with Dogma and Moral.
i° Its foundation in Dogma. When describing the nature
of the Christian life, it is from Dogma that we seek light.
This life being actually a participation in God’s life, we
must soar up to the Blessed Trinity itself. There we must
find its principle and source, see how it was bestowed on
our first parents, lost through their fall, and given back by
the Redeeming Christ.
There we must see its organism, its action in our soul,
the mysterious channels through which it comes and grows,
and how it is finally transformed into the Beatific Vision in
Heaven.
All these questions are indeed treated in Dogmatic
Theology. But if these truths are not set down once more
in a short and clear synthesis, Asceticism will seem to be
devoid of all foundation. We shall be demanding of souls
costly sacrifices without being able to justify these demands
by a description of what Almighty God has done for us.
In truth, Dogma is fully what Cardinal Manning called it,
the foutain-head of devotion.
7.2° Ascetic Theology also depends on Moral Theology
and completes it. The latter explains the precepts we must
observe in order to possess and preserve the divine life.
Ascetical Theology gives us in turn the means of perfecting
it, and plainly presupposes the knowledge and the practice
of those precepts. It would be indeed a vain and danger­
ous illusion to neglect the precepts and, under the pretext
of observing the counsels, to undertake the practice of the
highest virtues without having learned to resist temptation
and avoid sin.

INTRODUCTION.

5

8. 3° Withal, Ascetical Theology is truly a branch of
Theology distinct from Dogma and Moral. It has its own
proper object. It chooses from among the teachings of Our
Lord, of the Church, and of the Saints, all that has reference
to the perfection of the Christian life, and so coordinates all
these elements as to constitute a real science, i) Ascetical
Theology differs from Dogma in this that, though grounded
upon dogmatic truths, it actually directs these truths
towards practice, making us understand, acquire a taste for,
and live the life of Christian perfection. 2) It differs from
Moral Theology, because, while it presents to our consider­
ation the commandments of God and of the Church, which
are the bases of all spiritual life, it insists also on the evan­
gelical counsels, and on a higher degree of virtue than is
strictly obligatory. Ascetical Theology, then, is truly the
science of Christian perfection.
9. Hence its twofold character, at once speculative and
practical. Without doubt, it contains a speculative doctrine,
since it goes to Dogma when it explains the nature of the
Christian life. Yet, it is above all practical, because it
seeks out the means that must be taken to develop that
life.
In the hands of a wise spiritual counsellor it becomes a
real aft. Here the art consists in applying the general prin­
ciples with devotedness and tact to each individual soul.
It is the noblest and the most difficult of all arts — ars
artium regimen animarum. The principles and rules which
we shall give will help to form good spiritual advisers.

IV. Difference between
Ascetical and Mystical Theology
10. What we have heretofore said of Ascetical Theo­
logy holds good also of Mystical Theology.
A) In order to make a distinction between them, we may
thus define Ascetical Theology : that part of spiritual doctrine
whose proper object is both the theory and the practice of
Christian perfection, from its very beginnings up to the
threshold of infused contemplation. We place the begin­
ning of perfection in a sincere desire of advancing in the
spiritual life ; Ascetic Theology guides the soul from this
beginning, through the purgative and illuminative ways, as
far as active contemplation or the simple unitive way.
IL B) Mystical Theology is that part of spiritual doc­
trine whose proper object is both the theory and the prac­

6

INTRODUCTION.

tice of the contemplative life, which begins with what is
called the first night of the senses, described by St John
of the Cross, and the prayer of quiet, described by
St. Theresa.
a) We thus avoid defining Ascetical Theology as the
science of the ordinary ways of perfection, and Mystical
Theology as the science of the extraordinary ways. Now­
adays the word extraordinary is rather reserved to designate
a special class of mystical phenomena such as ectasies and
revelations which are special gifts (charismata) superadded
to contemplation.
b) We do not distinguish here between acquired and
infused contemplation so as not to become involved in
controversy. Acquired contemplation being as a rule a
preparation for infused contemplation, we shall treat it
when speaking of the unitive way.
We purposely unite in this one treatise both Ascetical
and Mystical Theology. i) Surely there are profound dif­
ferences between them. These we shall take care to point
out later. There is, all the same, a certain continuity
running through these two states, ascetic and mystic, which
makes the one a sort of preparation for the other. When
He sees fit, Almighty God makes use of the generous, dispo­
sitions of the ascetic soul and raises it to the mystic states.
2) One thing is certain, the study of Mystical Theology
throws no little light upon Ascetic Theology and vice
versa. This, because there is harmony in God’s ways; the
powerful action which He exercises over mystic souls being
so striking, it renders more intelligible the milder influence
He exerts over beginners. Thus the passive trials, descri­
bed by St. John of the Cross, make us understand better
the ordinary aridity that· is experienced in lower stages.
Again, we understand better the mystic ways, when we see
to what degree of docility and adaptability a soul can
arrive that has for long years given itself up to the laborious
practices of asceticism.
These two parts of one and the same science naturally
throw light on one another and their union is profitable
to both.
§ II. The Sources
of Ascetical and Mystical Theology

12. Since this spiritual science is one of the branches of
Theology, it has the same sources as the others. We must

INTRODUCTION.

7

give the first place to those that contain or interpret the
data of revelation, that is, Holy Scripture and Tradition.
Next in turn come the secondary sources, that is, all the
knowledge that we acquire through reason enlightened by
faith and experience. Our task is simply to point out the use
we can make of them in Ascetic Theology.
I. Holy Scripture
We do not find in Holy Scripture a scientific exposition
of spiritual doctrine, yet, scattered here and there both in
the Old and the New Testaments, we do find the richest
data, in the form of teachings, precepts, counsels, prayers and
examples.
13. i° We find there the speculative doctrines concerning
God, His nature and attributes, His immensity that per­
vades all things, His infinite wisdom, His goodness and
justice, His mercy, His Providence exercised over all crea­
tures and above all on behalf of men, in order to effect their
salvation. We find likewise the doctrine concerning God’s
own life, the mysterious generation of the Word, the
procession of the Holy Spirit — mutual bond of union
between Father and Son. Lastly, we find God’s works, in
particular, those wrought for the welfare of man : man’s
share in the divine life, his restoration after the fall through
the Incarnation and the Redemption, his sanctification
through the Sacraments and the promise of everlasting
joys.
It is obvious that such sublime teaching is a .powerful
incentive to an increased love for God and to a greater
desire for perfection.
14. 2° As to the moral teaching, made up of precepts and
counsels, we find : The Decalogue, which is summed up in the
love of God and the neighbour. Next, comes the high
moral teaching of the Prophets, who ever proclaiming the
goodness, the justice, and the love of God for His people,
turn Israel away from sin, and especially from idolatrous
practices, whilst at the same time they inculcate into the
nation respect and love for God, justice, equity and goodness
towards all, chiefly towards the weak and the oppressed.
We have further the Sapiential Books, whose counsels, so
full of wisdom, contain an anticipated exposition of the
Christian virtues.
Towering above all else, however, stands the wonderful
teaching ofJesus. His Sermon on the Mount is a condensed

INTRODUCTION.

8

isynthesis of asceticism. We find still higher doctrines in
His discourses as recorded by St. John and commented
upon by the same apostle in his Epistles. Finally, there is
the spiritual theology of St. Paul, so rich in doctrinal ideas
and in practical application. Even the bare summary
which we shall give in an Appendix to this volume will
show that the New Testament is already a code of
perfection.
15. 3° We find also in Holy Writ prayers to nourish our
love and our interior life. Are there any prayers more
beautiful than those of the Psalter? The Church has deemed
them so fit to proclaim God’s praises and so apt to sanctify
us, that She has incorporated them into her Liturgy, the
Missal and the Breviary. Other prayers we also find here
and there in the historical and sapiential books. But the
prayer of prayers is the Lord’s Prayer, the most beautiful,
the most simple, and in spite of its brevity, the most
complete that can be found. Added to this we have Our
Lord’s Sacerdotal Prayer, not to mention the doxologies
contained in the Epistles of St. Paul and in the Apocalypse.
16. 4° Finally there are in Scripture examples that incite
us to the practice of virtue : a) The Old Testament musters
before us a whole series of patriarchs, prophets and other
remarkable personages who were not indeed free from
weaknesses, yet, whose virtues merited the praise of St. Paul,
and are recounted at length by the Fathers, who propose
them to us for imitation. Who would not admire the
piety of Abel and Henoch, the steadfastness of Noe, who
wrought good in the midst of a corrupt generation? Who
would not pay homage to the faith and trust of Abraham,
the chastity and prudence of Joseph, the courage, the
wisdom and constancy of Moses, the fearless zeal, devotion
and wisdom of David? Who would not admire the aus­
terity of life in the Prophets, the heroic conduct of
the Maccabees and countless other examples?
b) In the New Testament, it is of course Jesus Christ
who appears as the ideal type of sanctity. Next, Mary and
Joseph, His faithful imitators. Then, the Apostles, who
imperfect as they were at first, gave themselves up so
completely in body and soul to the preaching of the Gospel
and to the practice of the Christian and Apostolic virtues,
that their lives cry out to us, even louder than their words,
“ Be ye followers of me as I also am of Christ. ” 1
/ Cor., IV, 16.

INTRODUCTION.

9

If some of these holy ones had their faults, the manner
in which they redeemed them adds greater worth to their
example, for it shows us how we can, by penance, atone for
our faults.1

II. Tradition

17. Tradition completes Holy Writ. It hands down to
us truths which are not contained in the latter. More, it
interprets Scripture with authority. It is known to us by
the solemn and ordinary teaching of the Church.
i° The Solemn Teaching consists chiefly in the definitions
of Councils and Sovereign Pontiffs. It has but rarely con­
cerned itself, it is true, with questions ascetical or mystical
properly so-called; yet, it has often had to come to the fore
in order to clear up and define those truths that form the
bases of the science of perfection, to wit : God’s life con­
sidered at its source; the elevation of man to a supernatural
state ; original sin and its consequences ; the Redemption ;
grace communicated to regenerated man; merit, which
increases in our souls the divine life ; the sacraments, that
impart grace; the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in which the
fruits of Redemption are applied. In the course of our
study we shall have to make use of all these definitions.
18. 2° The ordinary teaching is exercised in two ways,
theoretically and practically.
A) The theoretical teaching is given us first in a negative
way, by the condemnation of the propositions of false mys­
tics; secondly, in a positive manner, in the common doc­
trine of the Fathers and theologians or in the conclusions
that follow from the lives of the Saints.
a) False mystics have at different times altered the true
notion of Christian perfection. Such were the Encratists
and the Montanists in the first centuries, the Fraticelli and
the Beguines or Beghards 2 of the Middle-Ages, Molinos
and the Quietists 3 in modern times. By condemning
them, the Church has pointed out to us the rocks we must
avoid and marked the course to which we must hold.
’ In order to give an idea of the ascetical treasure contained in Holy Writ, we
shall give, in the from of an Appendix, a synthetic summary of the spirituality of
the Synoptics, St. Paul and St. John.
2 Denzinger, Enchiridion, 471-478; Cath. Encycl., Beguines.
3 Denzinger, Enchiridion, 1221-1288, 1327-1349; Cath. Encycl.,Molinos and
Quiesiism.

10

INTRODUCTION.

19. b) On the other hand, a common doctrine has gra­
dually evolved from all those major questions that make up
the living commentary of biblical teaching. This doctrine
is found in the Fathers, the theologians and spiritual
writers. In reading them we are impressed with their
agreement on all vital points that have reference to the
nature of perfection, the necessary means of arriving thereat,
and the principal stages to be followed. Doubtless, there
remain a few controverted points, but these concern secon­
dary questions. Their very discussion simply brings into
relief the moral unanimity that exists with regard to the
rest. The tacit approval which the Church gives to this
common teaching is for us a safe guarantee of truth

20. B) The practical teaching is to be found chiefly in
the processes of the canonization of Saints, who have taught
and practised the whole of these spiritual doctrines. We
are all acquainted with the meticulous care exercised both
in the revision of their writings and in the scrutiny of their
virtues. It is easy to find out from the study of these
documents just what principles of spirituality are the
expression of the Church’s mind with regard to the nature
and the means of perfection. This can be clearly seen
by perusing the learned work of Benedict XIV entitled : De
Servorum Dei Beatificatione et Canonizatione, or some of the
processes of Canonization, or even by reading biographies
of the Saints, written according to the rules of sound
criticism.
III. Reason enlightened by faith
AND EXPERIENCE

21. Human reason is a gift of God absolutely indispen­
sable to man for the attainment of truth, whether natural or
supernatural. It plays a very important rôle in the study
of spirituality, just as it does in the study of the other
ecclesiastical sciences. When it is question, however, of
revealed truth, it needs to be guided and complemented
by the light of faith; and in the application of general
principles to souls, it must look for help to psychological
experience.

22. i° Its first task is that of gathering, interpreting
and setting in order the teachings of Scripture and Tra­
dition. These are scattered through many books and need
be put together if they are to form one consistent whole.

INTRODUCTION.

11

Besides, the sacred utterances were pronounced under
diverse circumstances, elicited by particular questions, spo­
ken to different hearers. In the same way, circumstances
of time and place are often responsible for the texts of
Tradition.
a) Therefore in order to grasp their meaning, we must
needs place them in their proper setting, harmonize them
with analogous teachings, and lastly, arrange them and
interpret them in the light of the sum-total of Christian
truths.
b) Once this first work is done, we may draw conclusions
from these principles, show their legitimacy and their
manifold applications to the thousand and one details of
human life in its most varied situations.
e) Lastly, these principles and conclusions will be coordi­
nated into one vast synthesis and thus will constitute a real
science.
d) It is likewise the work of reason to defend ascetical
doctrine against its detractors. Many attack it in the name
of reason and science, seeing nothing but illusion in what
embodies sublime reality. It is in the province of reason
to make answer to such criticisms with the aid of phi­
losophy and science.

23. 2° Spirituality is a science that is lived. It is
important therefore to show historically how it has been car­
ried out in practice. This requires the reading of the biog­
raphies of the Saints both ancient and modern, who lived in
diverse countries and under different conditions. Thus we
make sure of the way in which ascetical rules were inter­
preted when adapted to different epochs and peoples and to
peculiar duties of state. More, since the members of the
Church are not all holy, we must be thoroughly acquainted
with the obstacles encountered in the practice of perfection
and with the means employed to surmount them.
Psychological studies then are paramount, and to reading
must be joined observation.

24. 3° It is further the task of reason enlightened by
faith to apply principles and general rules to each person in
particular. In this, account must be taken of the indi­
vidual’s temperament, character, sex and age,social standing,
duties of state, as well as of the supernatural attractions of
grace. One must also be mindful of the rules governing
the discernment of spirits.

12

INTRODUCTION.

In order to fulfil this threefold rôle, it is not only neces­
sary to possess a keen mind, but also a sound judgment
and great tact and discernment. One must add to this
the study of practical psychology, the study of tempera­
ments, of nervous ailments and morbid conditions, which
exert such a great influence over mind and will. Then,
since it is question of a supernatural science, one must not
forget that.the light of faith plays a predominant part,
and that it is the gifts of the Holy Ghost that bring this
science to its supreme perfection. This is true in particular
of the gift of knowledge which makes us rise even up to
God ; of the gift of understanding which gives us a deeper
insight into the truths of faith ; of the gift of wisdom
which enables us to discern and relish these truths ; of the
gift of counsel that gives us skill to apply them to each
individual case.
Thus it is that the Saints, who allowed themselves to be
led by the Spirit of God, are the best fitted to understand
and the best to apply the principles of the spiritual life.
They have a sort of instinct for divine things, a kind of
second nature, that enables them to grasp them more
readily and to relish them more. “ Thou hast hid these
things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them
to little ones. ” *1
§ III. The Method to be followed2

What method must be followed in order to make the best
possible use of the sources \ve have just described? Ought
we to employ the experimental, also called the descriptive
method? the deductive one? or the combination of both?
What attitude should we adopt in the employment of these
methods? What aim should control their use?
25. i° The experimental method, also called descriptive
and psychological, consists in the observation of ascetical or
mystical phenomena in oneself or in others, and in clas­
sifying these, in order to glean from them the characte­
ristic marks peculiar to each state, as well as the virtues and
dispositions proper to them. This, without taking into
account the nature or cause of these facts, without any
further inquiry as to whether they have their origin in vir­
tues, or proceed from the gifts of the Holy Ghost or from
1 Matth'., XI. 25.
1 R. Gakrigou-Lagrange, Ο. P., La Vie spirituelle, io Oct. 1919, p. 11.

INTRODUCTION

13

miraculous graces. This method, on its positive side, has
many advantages, since facts must be well ascertained
before we proceed to explain their nature and their cause.
26. a) But if this method were employed to the exclu­
sion of the others, Ascetical Theology could not be made
into a real science. This method does furnish the bases for
a science, that is, facts and conclusions from these facts; it
can even establish which are the practical means that ordi­
narily succeed the best. Yet, as long as one does not go on
to the intimate nature and to the cause itself of these facts,
one is dealing with psychology rather than with theology.
Again, if one simply describes in detail the means of
practising such or such a virtue, one does not sufficiently
disclose the principle that motivates that virtue.
b) One would thus be exposed to form ill-founded opi­
nions. For instance, if in studying comtemplation, one does
not make a distinction between what is miraculous, like
ecstasy or levitation, and that which constitutes the essential
element of contemplation, to wit, a prolonged and loving
regard of God under the influence of a special grace, then
one can easily reach the conclusion that all contemplation
is miraculous. This, however, is opposed to the common
doctrine.
C) Many a controversy over the mystic states would
amount to little, if to the descriptions of these states were
joined the distinctions and accuracy, which the study of
theology supplies. Thus a distinction between acquired
and infused contemplation enables us to understand better
some very real states of soul and to harmonize some opi­
nions which at first sight appear to contradict one another.
Again, there are numerous degrees in passive contemplation :
some may be accounted for by the habitual use of the gifts
of the Holy Ghost; in other cases, God intervenes in order
to provoke ideas and to aid us in drawing to the most strik­
ing conclusions. Finally there are some that can be hardly
explained by anything save infused knowledge. All these
distinctions are the result of long and patient research in
the fields of speculation and practice. In abiding by them
we shall reduce to a minimum the differences that divide
the various schools.
27.2° The doctrinal or deductive method consists in
studying the teaching of Holy Scripture, Tradition, and
theology (especially the Sumina of St. Thomas) concerning

14

INTRODUCTION

thé spiritual life, and in drawing conclusions about its
nature and perfection, about the obligation we have of
making it the aim of our efforts, and about the means to be
employed. In this method not enough stress is placed
on psychological phenomena, on the temperament and
character of individuals, on their special attractions, on
the effects produced on individuals by certain particular
means; nor is there a detailed study made of the mystic
phenomena experienced and described by such persons as
St.Theresa, St John of the Cross, St. Francis de Sales, etc.
As we are liable to err in drawing conclusions, especially
if we multiply them, it is simply wisdom to control our
conclusions by facts. If, for instance, we discover that
infused contemplation is rather rare, we shall then lay a
few restrictions round the thesis sustained by some schools,
namely, that all souls are called to the highest degrees of
contemplation.1

28. 3° Combination of both methods.
k) Evidently, one must know how to harmonize both
methods. This is in fact what most authors do, with this
difference, that some lay more stress on facts, others on
principles. *
We shall try to keep the golden mean without, however,
making bold of success, a) The principles of mystical
theology, drawn by the great masters from revealed truths,
will help us to a better observation of the facts, to analyze
the facts more thoroughly, to arrange them more systemat­
ically, and to interpret them more wisely. We must
not forget the fact that, at least very often, the mystics
describe their impressions without meaning to explain
their nature. The principles spoken of will aid us also
in seeking the cause of the facts, by taking into account
truths already known, and to coordinate them into a real
science.
b) The study of the facts, ascetical and mystical, will in
turn correct whatever is too rigid and too absolute in
purely dialectic conclusions. The truth is that there can be12
1 We rejoice therefore that two Reviews of different tendencies, La Vie Spiri­
tuelle and la Revue d'Ascétique et de Mystique have entered upon the course of
making most careful and precise distinctions with regard to the call to contempla­
tion : the general and individual call, One proximate and remote, the efficacious and
sufficient. By narrowing down the sense of these words and studying the facts, the
different schools come to understand one another better.
2 Thus Th. de Vallçornera gives more prominence to the deductive method while
P. Poulain, in the Grâces d'oraison, emphasizes the descriptive method.

INTRODUCTION

15

no absolute opposition between the principles and the facts.
Hence, if experience shows us that the number of mystics
is quite limited, we cannot hasten to the conclusion that
this is due solely to resistance to grace.1 It is also well to
keep in mind that in the process of canonization the Church
ascertains genuine sanctity rather from the practice of
heroic virtue than from the kind of contemplation. This
goes to show that the degree of sanctity is not always and
necessarily in proportion to the kind and degree of mental
prayer.

29.B) How can these two methods be combined? a) It
is necessary first of all to study the deposit of revelation as
presented to us by Scripture and Tradition, including, of
course, in the latter the ordinary teaching of the Church.
From this deposit of truth we must determine by the
deductive method what is Christian perfection and Christian
life, what are its different degrees, what are the stages
usually followed in order to reach contemplation, passing
through mortification and the practice of the moral and
theological virtues. Finally, from it we must also determine
in what this contemplation consists, considering it either in
its essential elements or in the extraordinary phenomena
that at times accompany it.
30. b) This doctrinal study must be accompanied by
methodical observation: i) Souls must be examined with
care; their qualities and their faults, their peculiar traits,
their likes and dislikes, the movements of nature and of
grace that take place within them. This phychological data
will allow us to know better the means of perfection that are
best suited to them ; the virtues they stand in greatest need
of and towards which they are drawn by grace ; their cor­
respondence with grace; the obstacles they encounter and
the means most apt to insure success. 2) To widen the
field of experience we must read attentively the lives of the
Saints, especially those that, without hiding their defects,
describe their tactics in combatting them, the means they
availed themselves of to practise virtue, and lastly, how they
rose from the ascetical to the mystical life, and under what
influences. 3) It is also in the life of the contemplatives that
we must study the different phenomena of contemplation,
from its first faint glimmers to its full splendour. In them
1 The full meaning of these remarks will be better understood when we come to
the study of the contemporary discussions on contemplation.

16

INTRODUCTION

we must study the effects of sanctity these graces work, the
trials they had to undergo, the virtues they practised. All
this will complete and, at times, correct the theoretical
knowledge we may already possess.

31.c) With clear theological principles, with well-stud­
ied and well-classified mystic phenomena we can rise
more easily to the nature of contemplation, its causes, its
species, and distinguish what is normal from what is extra­
ordinary in it. i) We shall investigate how far the gifts of
the Holy Ghost are formal principles of contemplation,
and in what manner they must be cultivated so as to
enter into the interior dispositions favorable to mystic life.
2) We shall examine whether the duly verified phenomena
can all be accounted for by the gifts of the Holy Ghost,
whether some of them postulate infused species, and how
these work in the soul. Again we may have to inquire
further and see whether love alone produces these states of
soul without any added knowledge. 3) Then we shall be
able to see better the nature of the passive state, in what it
consists, to what extent the soul remains active, and what
part is of God and what of the soul in infused contempla­
tion. We shall be able to determine what is ordinary in
this state and what is extraordinary and preternatural.
Thus we shall be in a better position to study the problem
of vocation to the mystical state and of the number of real
comtemplatives.
Proceeding in this manner, we shall have a better hope
of arriving at the truth, and at real practical conclusions for
the direction of souls. Such a study will prove as attrac­
tive as it is sanctifying.
32. 40 What must be our attitude in following this
method? Whatever the method employed, it is essential
that we study these difficult problems with calmness,aiming
at knowing the truth, not at making capital at all costs in
behalf of a pet system.

a) Hence it is fundamental to seek out and place to the
fore whatever is certain or commonly admitted, and to rele­
gate to a second place whatever is disputed. The direction
souls must be given does not depend on controverted questions,
but on commonly accepted doctrine. All schools are unan­
imous in recognizing that charity and renouncement, love
and sacrifice are indispensable to all souls and in all the
ways of perfection, and that the harmonious combination of

INTRODUCTION

17

this twofold element depends largely upon the character of
the. person directed. It is admitted on all hands that no
one can afford at any time to put out of his life the spirit of
penance, even though it may take different forms according
to the different degrees of perfection. In the same manner,
it is agreed that, in order to arrive at the unitive way, one
must exercise oneself more and more perfectly in the prac­
tice of both the moral and the theological virtues ; that the
gifts of the Holy Ghost, cultivated with care, endow the
soul with: a certain docility ..iat renders it more submissive
to the inspirations of grace, and, should God call it thither,
prepares it for contemplation.
No one questions the
important fact that infused contemplation is essentially a
free gift of God; that God bestows it upon whom He wills,
and when He wills; that consequently it is not in anyone’s
power to place himself within the passive state, and that thé
indications of a proximate call to such a state are the ones
described by St. John of the Cross. Likewise, all agree that
once souls have reached contemplation, they must advance
in perfect conformity with God’s will, in a holy abandon
and above all in humility.
33. b) It is our opinion that if we approach these prob­
lems in a conciliatory manner, looking for what tends to
harmonise rather than for what would emphasize differences,
we shall eventually not indeed eliminate these controversies,
but shall certainly mitigate them and come to recognize
the soul of truth contained in every system. This is
the most we can do here and now. For the solution
of certain difficult problems we must patiently await the
light of the Beatific Vision.
§ IV. Excellence and Necessity
of Ascetic Theology

The little we have said on the nature, sources, and
method of Ascetical Theology will enable us now to survey
briefly its excellence and its necessity.

I. Excellence of Ascetical Theology
34. Its excellence comes from its object, which is one
of the most exalted man can possibly study. It is in fact

18

INTRODUCTION

the divine life present and constantly fostered in the soul of
man. If we analyse this notion we shall readily note how
worthy of our attention this branch of theology is.1
i° First of all, we make a study of God in His most
intimate relations with the soul. That is, we consider the
Most Blessed Trinity dwelling and living in us, giving us a
share in the divine life, collaborating in our good works and
thus ever aiding us to develop that life; we see the same
Triune God helping us to purify and beautify our soul by
the practice of virtue, transforming it till it be ripe for the
beatific vision. Can we imagine a like grandeur? We
cannot think of anything more sublime than this trans­
formation God works in souls in order to unite them to
Himself and assimilate them perfectly.
2° We next study the soul itself cooperating with God.
We see it weaning itself little by little from its faults and
imperfections, nursing Christian virtues, making efforts to
imitate the virtues of its Divine Model in spite of the ob­
stacles it finds both within and without, fostering the gifts
of the Holy Ghost, developing a marvellous responsiveness
to the least touch of grace, and becoming each day more
and more like its Father in Heaven. To-day, when life
and the questions related thereto are considered the ones
most worthy of our attention, we cannot overestimate the
import of a science that treats of a supernatural life, of a
participation in God’s own life, that tells us its origin, its
growth and its full development in eternity. Is it not the
most noble object of study?
II. Necessity of Ascetical Theology

To be the more precise in such a delicate matter, we shall
explain : i° Its necessity for the priest ; 2° its usefulness for
the faithful ; 30 the practical way of studying it.

i° Its necessity for the Priest.

35. The priest is bound to sanctify himself and his
brethren, and from this twofold point of view, he is obliged
to study the science of the Saints.
1 « The value of lhe science of Ascetic Theology is so obvious from its very defini­
tion that it need not be dwelt upon at any great length. The higher Christian life
is the noblest and greatest thing in the world. Its principles and its laws are of
more importance to the Christian than all other philosophies and legislations, its
■methods more important to know than those by which fame is won and wealth
.accumulated. » Hogan, Clerical Studies, p. 265.

INTRODUCTION

19

A) We shall demonstrate with St. Thomas, later on, that
the priest is not only obliged to strive after perfection, but
that he must possess perfection in a higher degree even than
the simple religious. Now, a knowledge of what the Chris­
tian. life is and of the means of perfecting it is normally
necessary to reach perfection, for nil volitum quin praeco­
gnitum.

a) Knowledge fires and stimulates desire. To know what
sanctity is, its sublimity, its moral obligation, its wonderful
effects on the soul, its fruitfulness, to know all this, we say,
is to desire sanctity.
One cannot for any length of time behold a luscious fruit
without conceiving the thought of tasting it. Desire, espe­
cially when vivid and sustained already constitutes an inci­
pient act. It sets the will into motion and urges it on to
the possession of the good the mind has apprehended. It
gives it impulse and energy to obtain it; it sustains the
effort required to seize upon it. This is all the more
necessary when one considers how many are the obstacles
that work counter to our spiritual advance.
b) To know in detail the various steps in the way to
perfection, and to see the sustained efforts made by the
Saints to triumph over difficulties and to advance steadily
towards the desired goal, will stir up our courage, sustain
our enthusiasm in the midst of the struggle and prevent us
from becoming lax or tepid, especially if we recall the helps
and consolations which God has prepared for souls of
goodwill.

C) This study is of capital importance and all the more in
our day : we actually live in an atmosphere of dissipation,
of rationalism, of naturalism and sensualism. It envelopes
even unawares a multitude of Christian souls, and finds
its way into the sanctuary itself. It is idle to repeat, that
the very best way to react against these fatal tendencies
of our time is to live in close contact with Our Lord by
a systematic study of the principles of the spiritual life —
principles that are in direct opposition to the threefold
concupiscence.
36. B) For the sanctification of the souls entrusted to their
care, a) Even in the case of sinners, the priest must know
Ascetical Theology to teach them how to avoid the occa­
sions of sin, how to struggle against their passions, resist

20

INTRODUCTION

temptations and practise the virtues opposed to the vices
they must avoid. No doubt Moral Theology suggests these
things, but Ascetical Theology coordinates and develops
them.
b) Besides, in almost every parish one finds chosen souls
whom God calls to perfection. If they are well directed,
they will by their prayers, their example, and the thousand
means at their disposal, be a real help to the priest in his
ministry. At all events a priest can train up such by
choosing carefully from among the children attending
Sunday school or sodalities. In order to succeed in this
important task, the priest must of necessity be a good guide
of souls. He must know thoroughly the rules given by the
saints, which are contained in spiritual books. Without
this, he will have neither the taste nor the ability required
for this difficult art of guiding souls.
37. C) One more reason for the study of the ways of per­
fection lies in the guidance to be given fervent souls. These
one meets with, at times, even in the most secluded country
districts. In order to lead these souls to the prayer of sim­
plicity and to ordinary contemplation one must, not to
blunder and actually place obstacles in their way, know not
only Ascetical but also Mystical Theology. On this point
St. Theresa remarks : “ For this, a spiritual director is very
much needed — but he must be experienced... My opinion
is, and will always be, that as long as it is possible, every
Christian must consult learned men — the more learned the
better. Those that walk in the ways of prayer have more
need of such than the rest; and the more so, the more
spiritual they are... I am thoroughly persuaded of this,
that the devil will not seduce with his wiles the man of
prayer who takes counsel with theologians, unless he wishes
to deceive himself. According to my opinion, the devil is
in mortal fear of a science that is both humble and virtuous;
he knows full well that it will tear his mask and rout him.” 1
S/. John of the Cross speaks in the same way : “ Such masters
of the spiritual life (who know not the mystic ways) fail to
understand the souls engaged in this quiet and solitary
contemplation... they make them take up again the ordi­
nary ways of meditation, to exercise the memory, to perform
interior acts in which such souls meet with nothing but
dryness and distraction... Let this be well understood :i
i Life by HerselJ, ch. 13. The whole passage to be read with others scattered
through the works of the Saint.

INTRODUCTION

21

Whoever errs through ignorance, when his ministry imposes
on him the duty of acquiring knowledge that is indispen­
sable, shall not escape punishment in proportion to the
resultant evil. ” 1
Let no one say to himself: If I encounter such souls, I
will abandon them to the guidance of the Holy Ghost. —
The Holy Ghost will make answer that He has entrusted
them to your care, and that you must cooperate with Him
in guiding them. Without doubt, He can Himself guide
them, but to preclude any fear of illusion, He wills that
such inspirations be submitted to the approbation of a
human counsellor.
2° lis usefulness for the Laity.
38. We say usefulness and not necessity, since lay folk
can well entrust themselves to the guidance of a learned and
experienced director and are not therefore absolutely bound
to the study of Ascetical Theology.
Nevertheless the study of Ascetical Theology will be
most useful to them for three good reasons: — a) In order
to stimulate and sustain the desire of perfection as well as
to give a definitive knowledge of the Christian life and of
the means which enable us to perfect it. No one desires
what one does not know, ignoti nulla cupido, whereas
reading spiritual books creates or increases the sincere
desire to put into practice what has been read. Many
souls, as is well known, are ardently carried on to perfection
by reading The Following of Christ, the Spiritual Combat,
The Introduction to a Devout Life or the Treatise on the
I^ove of God.

b.) Even when one has a spiritual guide, the reading of a
good Ascetical Theology facilitates and completes spiritual
direction. One knows better what must be told in confes­
sion, what in direction. It makes one understand and
retain better the
* advice of one’s spiritual adviser because it
may be found again in a work to which one can return and
reread. It, in turn, relieves the spiritual director from
entering into endless details. After giving some solid
advice he can have the penitent himself read some treatise
where he will find supplementary information. Thus he
can shorten his direction without causing any loss to his
penitent.
1 La vive flamme d'amour, strophe III, v. 3, § ir, p. 308-311.

22

INTRODUCTION

C) Finally, if a spiritual guide cannot be had or if spiri­
tual advice can be had but at rare intervals, a treatise on
the spiritual life will, in a way, take the place of spiritual
direction. There is no doubt, as we shall repeat later on,
that spiritual direction constitutes the normal means in the
training to perfection. But if for some reason or other one
is unable to find a good adviser, God provides for the lack ;
and one of the means He uses is precisely some such book
as points out in a definite and systematic manner the way
to perfection.
3° The Way to study this Science.

39. Three things are needed to acquire the knowledge
necessary for the direction of souls : a Manual, reading the
great masters, and practice.
(A) The Study of a Manual. The seminarian is indeed
helped in acquainting himself with this difficult art by the
spiritual conferences he listens to, the practice of spiritual
direction, and above all by the gradual acquisition of virtue.
To this, however, the study of a good Manual must be
added.
i) The spiritual conferences are chiefly an exercise of
piety, a series of instructions, of advice and exhortation
concerning the spiritual life. Rarely, however, do they
treat all the questions concerning the spiritual life in a
methodical and complete fashion. 2) At all events, sem­
inarians will soon forget what they heard and will lack
competent knowledge, unless they have a Manual to which
they can relate the varied advice given them and which
they can reread from time to time. Rightly did Pius X
say that one of the sciences young clerics should acquire at
the Seminary is: “ The science of Christian piety and practice,
called ascetical theology. ” 1
40. (B) A deep study of the Spiritual Masters, par1 Motu proprio, 9 Sept. 1910, A. A. S., II, p. 668 — Pope Benedict XV has
ordered that a chair of Ascetical Theology be established at the two great theolog­
ical Schools of Rome.
In the meeting of the Seminary Department of the Educational Association at
Cincinnati in 1908 the late Bishop Maes of Covington complained that our young
men do not seem to be acquainted with the spiritual life and added : *' If I were to
put my finger on the great defect in the training of many Seminaries, I would point
to the absence of a course of Ascetic Theology. ”
In the meeting of the same Seminary Department at Milwaukee in 1924, the
following resolution was passed :
' ' That ascetical theology should be systematically studied with a suitable text,
and that the curriculum should be so ordered as to provide for such courses. *’

INTRODUCTION

23

ticularly those who have been canonized or those, who
although not canonized, have lived saintly lives.
a) As a matter of fact, it is by·coming into contact with
these that the heart glows, that the inind, enlightened by
faith, sees more clearly and relishes better the great prin­
ciples of the spiritual life. It is at their touch that the will,
sustained by grace, is drawn to the practice of the virtues
so vividly described by those who have lived them in the
highest degree. By the perusal of the lives of the Saints
one will understand even better why and how one must
imitate them. The irresistible influence of their examples
will add new strengh to their teaching : “ Verba movent,
exempla trahunt. ”
(b) This study, begun at the Seminary, ought to be
continued and perfected in the ministry. The direction of
souls will render it more practical. Just as a good phy­
sician is never through advancing in knowledge by prac­
tice and study, just so a good spiritual adviser will com­
plement theory by actual contact with souls and by further
studies, according to the needs of the souls entrusted to
his care.
41. C) The practice of Christian and Priestly virtues,
under the care of a wise director : To understand well the
various stages of perfection, the best means is to go through
them oneself, just as the best mountain-guide is the one
that is familiar on first-hand information with the trails.
Once one has been wisely guided, one is more competent
to direct others for the simple reason that it is experience
itself that shows us how to apply the rules to particular
cases.
If these three elements are combined the study of Asce­
tical Theology will prove most fruitful both to self and to
others.
42. Solution of some difficulties. A) A reproach often directed
against Asceticism is that it produces a false conscience, by going so
far beyond Moral Theology in its exactions, and by demanding of
souls a perfection that is well-nigh beyond realization. This reproach
would be indeed well grounded if Asceticism would not make a distinc­
tion between commandment and counsel, between souls called to high
perfection and those not so called. This is not so, for while it does
urge chosen souls toward heights that are out of the reach of ordinary
Christians, it does not lose sight of the difference between command­
ment and counsel, between the conditions that are essential for salva­
tion and those that are necessary to perfection. It keeps in view on
the other hand, that the observance of certain counsels is indispen­
sable to the keeping of the commandments.

24

INTRODUCTION

43. B) Asceticism in also attacked on the ground that it fosters
egotism since it puts personal sanctification above all else. But Our
Lord Himself teaches us that our chief concern must be the salvation
our souls : “ For what 'doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world
and suffer the loss of his own soul?”1 In this there is not the least
egotism, for one of the essentials for salvation is love of the neighbor.
This love is manifested by works both corporal and spiritual, and
perfection precisely demands that we love our neighbor to the point of
sacrifice as Christ loved us. Should this be egotism, we must acknowlegde that we have little to fear from it. We have only to read the
lives of the Saints to see that they were the most unselfish and the
most charitable of men.

C) The further objection is made that Asceticism, by impelling souls
towards contemplation, turns them from a life of action. To state that
contemplation is detrimental to an active life is to pass over historical
facts. “ Real. mystics, ” says M. de Montmorand,3 an unbeliever,
“ are practical men of action not given to mere thought and theory.
They possess the gift and the knack of organization as well as talent for
administration showing themselves well equipped for the handling of
affairs. The works instituted by them are both feasible and lasting.
In the conception and conduct of their undertakings they have given
proof of prudence and enterprise and full evidence of that exact appre­
ciation of possibilities which characterizes common sense. In fact,
good sense seemed to be their outstanding quality, — good sense
undisturbed either by an unwholesome exaltation, or a disordered
imagination, but rather, possessed of an uncommon and powerful
keenness of judgment.”
Have we not seen in Church History that most of those Saints who
have written on the spiritual life were at the same time men both of
learning and action? Consider Clement of Alexandria, St. Basilj
St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, St. Gregory,
St. Anselm, St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure, Gerson, St. Theresa;
St. Francis de Sales, St. Vincent de Paul, Cardinal de Bérulle, M. Acarie, and numberless others. Contemplation far from hampering
action, enlightens and directs it.

There is therefore nothing worthier, or more important,
or more useful than Ascetical Theology rightly understood.
§ V. Division of Mystical and. Ascetical
Theology

I. The various plans followed by Authors
We shall first enumerate the various plans generally fol­
lowed and then present the one which seems best suited to
our purpose. Different points of view may be taken when
making a logical division of the science of spirituality.
44. Ie Some look at it chiefly as a practical science.
They leave aside all the speculative truths that form its
1 Matth., XVI, 26.
- M. de Montmorand, Psychologie des Mystiques, 1920, p. 20-21.

INTRODUCTION

25

basis and limit themselves to coordinate as methodically as
possible the rules of Christian perfection. So did Cassian,
in his Conferences, and St. John Climacus, in the Mystic
Ladder. Rodriguez in modern times did the same in his
Practice of Christian Perfection. The advantage this plan
offers is it takes up at once the study of the practical means
that lead to perfection. Its drawback is to leave out the
incentives given by the consideration of what God and Jesus
Christ have done and still do for us, and not to base the
practice of virtue upon those deep and all-embracing
convictions that are formed by reflecting on the truths of
dogma.
45. 2° Likewise the most illustrious among the Fathers
both Greek and Latin, to wit, St. Athanasius and St. Cyril,
St. Augustine and St. Hilary have taken care to base their
teachings regarding the spiritual life upon the truths of faith
and to build on them the virtues, the nature and degrees
of which they explained. The same is true of the great
theologians of the Middle Ages, Richard of St. Victor,
Blessed Albert the Great, St. Thomas and St. Bonaven­
ture. This is exactly what was done by the French School
of the XVII century, through such men as Bérulle,
Condren, Olier, St. J. Eudes.1 Its great merit lies in the
fact that it makes for the enlightenment of the mind and
the strengthening of convictions so as to render more easy
to men the practice of those austere virtues it proposes.
It is accused at times of being given too much to specu­
lation while touching little on practice. To unite these
two plans would be the ideal. Several have attempted it
and with success. 2

46. 3° Of those who strive to combine these two
essential elements,'some adopt the ontological order treating
successively of the various virtues; others follow the
psychological order of development of the said virtues
throughout the course of the purgative, illuminative and
unitive ways.
A) Among the former we find St. Thomas. In the
Summa he treats successively of the theological and moral
virtues, and of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which correspond
to each virtue. He has been followed by the principal
1 H. Bremond, Hist. hit. du sentiment religieux. III, L'Ecole française, 1921.
a This has been very well done, among others, by St. Jean Eudes in his writings;
by L. Tronson in particular Examens, in which making use of the works of
J. J. Olier, he has aptly condensed the asceticism of the latter.

26

INTRODUCTION

authors belonging to French School of the XVII century
and by other writers. 1
B) Among the latter are all those whose principal aim
was to form directors of souls. They describe the progress
of the soul through the three ways ; at the head of their
treatises they simply give a short introduction on the nature
of the spiritual life. Such are Thomas of Vallgornera,
Ο. P., Mystica Theologia Divi Thomae, Philip of the Blessed
Trinity, O. C. D., Summa theologiae mysticae, Schram,
O. S. B., Institutiones theologiae mysticae, Scaramelli, S. J.,
Direttorio Ascetico, and today, A. Saudreau, The Degrees of
the Spiritual Life, Fr. Aurelianus a SS. Sacramento, O. C. D.,
Cursus Asceticus.
47. 4° Others, like Alvarez de Paz, S. J. and P. Le Gau­
dier, S. J., have combined both methods : they treat at
length, from the point of view of dogma, whatever apper­
tains to the nature of the spiritual life and the chief
means of perfection ; then they make application of these
general principles to the three ways. It seems to us that
to attain the end we have in view, that is, to form spiri­
tual directors, the last is the best plan to follow. No
doubt, with such a scheme, one is bound to repeat and
to parcel out, yet any division of the subject would
necessarily offer like inconveniences. For these one can
make up by proper references to subjects already dealt
with or to be unfolded later on.
II. OUR PLAN.

48. We divide our Treatise of Ascetic Theology into
two parts. The first is above all doctrinal. We entitle it
Principles. In it we explain the origin and nature of the
Christian life and its perfection, the obligation of striving
after it and the general means of attaining it.
We designate the second part as the Application ofprin­
ciples to the different categories of souls. In it we follow
the gradual rise of the soul that, desirous of perfection, goes
successively through three ways, purgative, illuminative,
and unitive. Although resting on dogma this latter part is
chiefly psychological.
The first part is designed to throw light on our path by
showing us the divine plan of sanctification. It should
1 In our day by Mgr.Gay, De la vie et des vertus chrétiennes ; Ch. de Smet.S. J.,
Notre vie surnaturelle.

INTRODUCTION

27

inspire us with courage in our efforts, for it reminds us of
God’s generosity toward us. It traces for us as in a fore­
ground the great lines we are to follow in order to corres­
pond to this bounty of God Almighty by the complete
giving of self. The second part is meant to guide us in the
detailed exposition of these successive stages, which, God
helping, must be traversed to reach the goal. This plan,
we hope, will unite the advantages of the various other
divisions.

r^,

sfc A

& A

FIRST PART

Principles
PURPOSE AND DIVISION OF THE FIRST PART.

49. The aim of this first part is to call briefly to mind
the principal dogmas upon which our spiritual life rests, to
show the nature and perfection of this life, and the general
means by which perfection is reached. Here we follow the
ontological order, assigning to the second part the task of
describing the psychological order normally followed by souls
in the use they make of the various means of perfection.

C. I. Origin of the supernatural life : the raising
of man to the supernatural state, his fall, and
redemption.
C. II. Nature of the Christian life : God’s part and
the soul’s part.
C. III. Perfection of this life : the love of God and
of the neighbor carried to the point of sacrifice.
C. IV. Obligation for laymen, religious and priests to
strive after this perfection.
C. V. General means, interior and exterior, of attain­
ing perfection.

50. The reason for such a division is easily perceived.
The first chapter, by taking us back to the source itself
of the supernatural life, helps us to a better grasp of its
nature and its excellence.
The second chapter .reveals the nature of the Christian life
in regenerated man ; the part God takes therein by giving
Himself to us through His Son; and by assisting us
through the agency of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints.
It likewise explains the rôle man plays in giving himself to
God by a constant and generous cooperation with grace.
The third chapter shows that perfection in this life essen­
tially consists in the love of God and of the neighbor for
God’s sake. It shows further, however, that this love here
on earth cannot be exercised without generous sacrifices.

CHAPTER I. — ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

29

In the fourth, the obligation of tending to perfection is
determined and the extent to which the faithful, religious,
and priests are respectively bound.
A fifth chapter is devoted to specifying the general
means that help us to advance in perfection, means com­
mon indeed to all, yet susceptible of degrees. These degrees
will be treated in the second part when speaking of the
three ways.

CHAPTER I.
Origin of the spiritual life
51. This chapter is intended to give us a better know­
ledge of the excellence of the supernatural life in as much
as it is a free gift; and of the nobility as well as the
weakness of man, upon whom it has been bestowed. To
help us understand it better we shall see :
I. What the natural life of man is.
II. Man’s elevation to the supernatural state.
III. His fall.
IV. His restoration by a Divine Redeemer.

Art. I.

the natural life of man

52.Here we must describe man’s condition as it would
have been in the purely natural state, such as it is described
by Philosophers. It is important to recall to mind, though
briefly, what right reason teaches us on this point, because
our spiritual life, while preserving and perfecting our natural
life, is grafted on it. 1
53. i° Man is a mysterious compound of body and soul.
In him spirit and matter closely unite to form but one
nature and one person. Man is, so to speak, the nexus, the
point of contact between spiritual and bodily substances —
an abstract of all the marvels of creation. He is a little
world gathering in itself all other worlds, a microcosm, show­
ing forth the wisdom of God who united in this fashion two
things so far apart.
This little world is full of life : according to St Gregory,
one finds there three sorts of life, vegetative, animal and
1 Besides Philosophical Treatises, cf. Ch. de Smedt, Notre Vie surnaturelle,
T912, Introduction p. 1-37; J. Schryveks, Les Principes de la Vie spirituelle,
1922, p. 31.

30

CHAPTER I.

intellectual. 1 Like plants man takes food, grows, and
reproduces himself. Like animals, he is aware of sensible
objects, towards which he is drawn by sensitive appetite,
emotions and passions, and like animals he moves sponta­
neously from within. Like angels, though in a different
manner and in a lesser degree, he knows intellectually
suprasensible being and truth, while his will is freely drawn
towards rational good.

54. 2° These three kinds of life are not superimposed
one on the other, but they blend and arrange themselves in
due relation in order to converge towards the same end —
the perfection of the whole man. It is both a rational
and a biological law that in a composite being life cannot
subsist and develop save on condition of harmonizing and
bringing its various elements under the control of the highest
of them. The former must be mastered before they can
be made to minister. In man, then, the lower faculties,
vegetative and sensitive, must needs be subject to reason
and will. This condition is essential. Whenever it fails,
life languishes or vanishes. Whenever this subordination
ceases altogether, disintegration of the elements sets in ; this
means decay of the system and, finally, death. 2
55. 3° Life is, therefore, a struggle. Our lower faculties
tend lustily toward pleasure, whilst the higher ones are drawn
towards moral good. Often conflict goes on between these ;
what pleases us, is not always morally good, and, to establish
order, reason must fight hostile tendencies and actually con­
quer. This is the fight of the spirit against the flesh, of the
will against passion. This struggle is at times hard and
painful. Just as in the springtime of the year the sap rises
up within plants, so at times violent impulses towards plea­
sure rise in the sensitive part of our soul.

56. These impulses, nevertheless, are not irresistible.
The will helped by the intellect exercises over these move­
ments of passion a fourfold control. i) The power of
foresight which consists in foreseeing and forestalling a great
many dangerous fancies, impressions and emotions, by a
constant and intelligent vigilance. 2) The power of inhibi­
tion and moderation, by means of which we either check or
at least allay the violent passions which arise in the soul.
1 He says (Homil. 29 in Evangelia ) : « Homo habet vivere cum plantis, sentire
cum animantibus, intelligere cum angelis >.
’ A. Eymieu, Le Gouvernement de soi-même, t. Ill, La Loi de la Vie, book III,
p. 128.

ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

31

Thus we are able to prevent our eyes from lighting upon
dangerous objects, our imagination from dwelling upon
unwholesome pictures; should a fit of anger stir, we are able
to stem it. 3) The power of stimulation, which through the
will stirs and gives impetus to the movements of the passions.
4) The power of direction, which allows us to direct those
movements towards good and thereby to divert them
from evil.
57. Besides this inward strife, there may be other con­
flicts between the soul and its Maker. Although it is evident
that our plain duty is that of entire submission to Our
Sovereign Master, yet for this subjection we must pay the
price. A lust for freedom and independence ever inclines
us to swerve from Divine Authority. The cause lurks in
our pride, which cannot be trampled upon, except by the
humble admission of our unworthiness and our littleness in
the face of those absolute rights the Creator has upon a
creature. Thus it is that even in this purely natural state
we would still have a fight to wage against the threefold
concupiscence.
5S. 40 If far from yielding to these evil inclinations we
would have done our duty, we could have justly expect a
reward. For our immortal soul, this reward would have
consisted, first, in a deeper and a greater knowledge of God
and of truth — a knowledge, of course, analytical and
discursive; then, in a love, also purer and more enduring.
If, on the contrary we would have voluntarily violated the
law in grave matter and remained unrepentant, we should
have failed of our end, meriting as punishment the privation
of God and such torments as would fit the gravity of our
faults.
This would have been our condition had we been consti­
tuted in a merely natural state. This state has not, as a
matter of fact, ever existed, for according to St. Thomas,
man was raised to the supernatural state at the very
moment of creation, or immediately after, as St. Bonaven­
ture says.
God in His infinite goodness, was not satisfied with con­
ferring upon man natural gifts. He willed to elevate him
to a higher state by granting him still others of a preter­
natural and supernatural character.

32

CHAPTER I.

Art. II. the elevation

of man

TO THE SUPERNATURAL STATE 1

I. Notion of the Supernatural
59. Let us call to mind that Theology distinguishes
between what is absolutely and what is relatively super­
natural.
i° An absolutely supernatural gift is one which in its very
essence fquoad substantiam) transcends nature altogether,
so that it cannot be due to nor be merited by any creature
whatsoever. It surpasses therefore not only all the active
powers of nature, but even all its rights, all its exigencies.
Because it is given to a creature it is something finite;
but since only what is divine can surpass the exigencies of
all creation, it is also something divine. It is the commu­
nication of a divine thing, yet, it is shared in a finite way.
We therefore keep clear of pantheism. Actually, there are
only two instances of the «^/«/^-supernatural : the Incar­
nation and Sanctifying Grace.
A) In the first instance, God, in the person of the Word,
united Himself to man in such wise that the human nature of
Jesus belonged absolutely to the Second Person of the
Most Blessed Trinity. Thus Jesus is, on account of His
human nature, true man, whilst as regards His person He is
very God. This is a substantial union. It does not blend
the two natures in one, but whilst preserving their integrity,
unites them in one and the same person — that of the
Eternal Word. It constitutes, then, a personal or hypostatic
union. This is the absolute supernatural at its highest.
B) The other absolute supernatural — a lesser degree — is
exemplified in sanctifying grace.
Grace does not change the person of man. It does not
make him God. It does indeed modify his nature : and
powers, but only accidentally. He becomes similar to God
— God-like, divinae consors naturae, — capable of possess­
ing God directly through the Beatific Vision, and of con­
templating Him face to face even as He beholds Himself
when grace will finally be transformed into glory. Evid­
ently this privilege of knowing and loving God as the
'St. Thomas, I, q. 93-102; J. Bainvel, S. J., Nature et surnaturel; Nanè. de
Broglie, Confit, sur la vie surnaturelle, t. II, p. 3-80; L. Labauche, Godana
Man. vol. II, P. II, c. I-II ; R. Garrigoü-Lagrange. O. P., ch. II, art. II.

ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

33

Father, Son and Holy Ghost know and love one another
surpasses all the exigencies of even the most perfect
creature, since it actually makes us share in God’s intellec­
tual life and in His nature.
60. 2° What is called the relative supernatural, is in
itself something that would not be beyond the capacity or
the exigencies of all creatures, but simply beyond the
powers and actual needs of a certain particular nature, for
example, infused knowledge, which is beyond the capacity
of man but not of angels. If then it is granted to man, it
is supernatural relatively, that is with regard to man, but
not in itself, in its very substance, since it is natural to
angels ; hence it is called also preternatural.
God gave man the supernatural in these two forms. In
fact, He bestowed upon our first parents the gift of preter­
natural integrity, which, whilst completing their nature,
fitted it for grace itself. The sum total of these two
endowments constitutes what is called originaljustice.
II. Preternatural gifts conferred on Adam

61. The gift of integrity perfect nature without raising
it to the level of the divine. This is, indeed, a gratuitous
gift, preternatural, above the wants and capacity of man,
yet not absolutely supernatural. This gift comprises three
great privileges, which without altering human nature in its
essence, gave man a perfection to which he had no title.
These are infused knowledge, control of the passions or the
absence of concupiscence, and immortality of the body.
62. A) Infused science. Our nature does not require
it, since it is the privilege of angels. Man left to his own
resources can acquire knowledge only gradually and pain­
fully and in subjection to certain psychological laws. In
order to fit Adam for his rôle of first educator of the human
race God granted him infused knowledge of all the truths
he needed to know, and a facility for the acquisition of
experimental knowledge. In this sense man approached
the likeness of angels.
63. B) The control of the passions, that is, exemption
from the sway of concupiscence which renders so difficult
the practice of virtue. We have already remarked that,
owing to his very constitution, there takes place in man a
terrible struggle between the sincere desire for what is good,
on one side, and a reckless lust for pleasure and sensible

34

CHAPTER I.

goods on the other, to say nothing of a marked proneness
to pride. This is really what we call the threefold concu­
piscence. To counteract this natural drawback God endo­
wed our first parents with a certain control of the passions
which, without rendering them impeccable, made easy for
them the practise of virtue. That tyranny of concupiscence
that so vigorously pushes on to evil did not exist in Adam ;
there was simply a certain tendency toward pleasure but
in due subordination to reason. Because his will was sub­
ject to God, his lower faculties were in turn subservient to
reason and his body to his soul. This was order — perfect
rectitude.
64. C) The immortality of the body. By nature
man is subject to sickness and to death. In order that his
soul could attend unencumbered to higher duties, a special
disposition of Providence preserved him from this double
infirmity. These three privileges were designed to fit man
better for the reception and the use of a gift still more pre­
cious, a gift absolutely supernatural — sanctifying grace.
III. The supernatural privileges conferred on Adam

65. A) By nature man is the servant of God, His pro­
perty. — In His infinite goodness God willed to incorpo­
rate us into His family. He made man His heir-apparent
when He reserved for him a place in His kingdom. For
this bounty man will never be able to thank God ade­
quately.
In order that this adoption might not remain a mere for­
mality, He gave him a share in His divine life. This
communication of God’s life to man is, indeed, a created
quality but none the less real. It enables man here on
earth to enjoy the light of faith (a light greater by far than
that of reason), and in heaven, to possess God by the Bea­
tific Vision and with a love corresponding to the clearness
of that vision.
66. B) This was habitual grace. It perfected and
deified, so to speak, the very substance of Adam’s soul.
To it were added the infused virtues and the gifts of the
Holy Ghost, which in turn deified his faculties. Lastly,
actual grace came to set in motion all this supernatural
organism enabling man to elicit supernatural acts, —God­
like acts, meriting eternal life.
This grace is in substance the same as is granted to
us by justification. We shall not explain it in detail now,

ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

35

but later when in the second chapter we speak of regenera­
ted man.
All these prerogatives, with the exception of infused
knowledge, were given to Adam, not as a personal gift, but
as a family possession — a patrimony to be handed down
to his heirs should he abide faithful to God.

Art. III.

the fall and its consequences1

I. The fall
67. In spite of these privileges man remained free, and
in order to merit heaven he was put to a test. This test
consisted in the fulfilment of the divine law. It consisted
in particular in the carrying out of a positive command
added to the natural law. Genesis expresses it in the form
of a prohibition which forbade eating the fruit of the tree
of knowledge of good and evil. Holy Writ narrates how the
devil in the guise of a serpent came to tempt our first
parents by raising a doubt in their minds as to the legit­
imacy of this ban. He tried to persuade them that if they
ate the forbidden fruit, far from dying, they would become
like gods, since they would know for themselves what was
good and what evil, without need of recourse to the law of
God : “ You shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. ” 2
This was a temptation to pride, to revolt against God. Man
fell and committed a formal act of disobedience, as St. Paul
remarks, 3 but an act inspired by pride and soon followed
by further delinquencies. It was a refusal to submit to
God’s authority, therefore, a grievous fault. The prohibi­
tion being an instrument to test the fidelity of the first man,
this refusal amounted to a negation of God’s wisdom and
of His sovereign dominion. The violation was all the
more grave since our first parents had full knowledge of
God’s liberality towards them, of His inalienable rights, of
the importance of a precept carrying such a sanction, and
since they were in no wise swept away by passion, having
had ample time to weigh the frightful consequences of
their act.
68. The question even suggests itself : how could they
sin at all, since they were not under the sway of concupis­
cence. This we understand if we recall that no creature
x St.Thom., IIa II
* q. 163-165; de Malo, q. 4; Bainvel, Nature et Surnaturel,
ch. Vf-VII; A. de Broglie, op. cit., p. 133-134; L. Labauche, op. cit., Part II,
ch. I-V; Ad. Tanquerey, Syn. tkeol. dogm. t. II, n. 882-886 ed. 1926.
» Gen., Ill, 5.
3 Rom., V.

36

CHAPTER L

having a will of its own is impeccable. Free-will gives it
the power of turning away from real good towards what is
but apparent good. It implies the power of holding to the
latter, preferring it to the former. This very choice is what
constitutes sin. As St. Thomas says, impeccability can only
be found where free will identifies itself with the moral law.
This is God’s privilege.

II. The consequences of the fall
69. Punishment followed quickly for our first parents
and for their posterity.
A) The personal sanction visited upon them is described
in Genesis. Here again God’s goodness is to the fore. He
could have on the spot punished them with death. His
mercy halted Him. He merely left them shorn of those
special privileges with which He had vested them, that is,
stripped of the gifts of integrity and of habitual grace.
He did not touch their nature or the prerogatives flowing
therefrom. Doubtless, man’s will is weakened compared
with the strength it possessed when integrity was his.
However, there is no conclusive evidence that it is actually
feebler than it would have been in a purely natural state, at
any rate it remains free in choosing good or evil. God
even condescended to leave our first parents in possession
of faith and hope and gave their forlorn souls the hopeful
assurance of a redeemer, — their own offspring, who would
one day vanquish the devil and reinstate fallen humanity.
By His actual grace, at the same time, He invited them to
repentance, and as soon as they repented, He granted them
pardon of their sin.
70. B) But what will be the condition of their descen­
dants? The answer is that mankind will be likewise
deprived of original justice, that is to say, of sanctifying
grace and the gift of integrity. Those endowments, free
gifts in every sense, a patrimony, so to speak, were to be
handed to his heirs should Adam prove faithful. This
condition unfulfilled, man comes into the world deprived of
original justice. When through penance our first parents
regained grace, it was no longer as a heritage for their
posterity, but solely as a personal possession, a grant to a
private individual. To the new Adam, Christ Jesus, who
would in time become the head of mankind, was reserved
the expiation of our faults and the institution of a sacra­
ment of regeneration to transmit to each of the baptized the
grace forfeited in Paradise.

ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

37

71. Thus it is that the children of Adam are born into
this world without originaljustice, that is, without sanctifying
grace and the gift of integrity. The lack of this grace is
called original sin, sin only in the broad sense of the term,
for it implies no guilty act on our part, but simply a fallen
condition. It constitutes, considering the supernatural des­
tiny to which we are called, a privation of a quality that
should be ours, — a blemish, a moral taint that places us
out of the pale of God’s kingdom.
72.Moreover, on account of the forfeited gift of integ­
rity, concupiscence rages in us and unless courageously
withstood, it drags us into actual sin. With regard, then,
to our primeval state we are as it were withered and
wounded, subject to ignorance, prone to evil, weak against
temptation.
Experience indeed shows that the force of concupiscence
is not equally strong in all men. Each differs in tempera­
ment and character and therefore passions also vary in
ardor and violence. Once the controlling check of orig­
inal justice was lifted, explains St. Thomas, the passions
regained full sway and prove more unruly in some, more
subdued in others.

73. Must we go further and admit, with the Augusti­
nian school, a positive, intrinsic, impairment of our natural
energies and faculties? It is quite unnecessary. There is
nothing to prove it. Should we admit, though, with some
of the Thomists an extrinsic impairment of our powers? It
consists, they say, in the fact that we have more obstacles to
surmount, specially, the tyranny the devil wields over the
vanquished, and the withdrawal of certain natural helps God
would have granted us in a purely natural state. This is
possible, nay, rather probable. But, in justice, we must add,
that such hindrances find compensation in actual grace
given us by God in virtue of the merits of His Son, and also
in the protection accorded to us by His angels, particularly,
our guardian angels.
74. Conclusion. This much we can safely say : owing
to the Fall, man has lost the right balance he had as he
came from the hands of God ; in comparison with his prime­
val state, he is now injured, unbalanced, as the actual plight
of his faculties plainly shows.
A) This unbalanced condition becomes evident first of
all with regard to our sensitive faculties, a) Our exterior

38

CHAPTER I.

senses, our eyes, for instance, eagerly light on what our
curiosity craves, our ears are ever ready to catch every
novelty, our flesh is alive to every sensation of pleasure,
heedless the while of the moral law. b) The same is true of
our interior senses. With each flight of fancy our imagina­
tion represents to us all sorts of images more or less sen­
sual. Our passions run headlong, oft times madly so, toward
sensible or sensuous good, and utterly ignoring all moral
good, endeavor to wrest compliance from the will. True
indeed, such tendencies are not irresistible, for our lower
faculties remain, in a measure, under the control of the will,
yet, their submission, once they revolt, demands much
strategy and effort.

75. B) The intellectual faculties, intellect and will, also
have been injured by original sin.
There is no doubt that our intellect remains capable of
knowing truth, and that with patient labor, even without the
aid of revelation, it can obtain knowledge of certain funda­
mental truths in the natural order. The failures, however,
in this regard, are most humiliating. The preoccupations
of the present blind the mind to the realities of eternity,
a) Instead of seeking God and the things that are God’s,
instead of rising spontaneously from the creature to the
Creator, as it would have done in the primeval state, man’s
intellect gravitates earthward. The study of creatures
frequently absorbs it and prevents its ascent to their Maker,
i) Its power of attention, drawn by curiosity, centres round
its own whims to the neglect of the realities that lead
man to his end. 2) It falls most readily into error. Innu­
merable prejudices to which we are victims and the passions
that, agitate our spirit drop a thick veil between our souls
and the truth. Alas! only too often we lose our bearings
upon the most vital questions, on which the course and
direction of our moral life depend.
b) Our will, instead of paying homage to God, has, on the
contrary, the most daring and pretentious aspirations to
independence. It finds it bitter and painful to submit to
God or to yield to His representatives on earth. When the
issue is to conquer those difficulties that oppose themselves
to the realization of good, its efforts are weak and incon­
stant. How frequently does it not allow sentiment and
passion to carry it away! Saint Paul describes such
weakness in striking terms : “ For the good which I will,
I do not : but the evil which I will not, that I do. For

ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

39

I am delighted with the law of God, according to the
inward man : but I see another law in my members, fighting
against the law of my mind and captivating me in the law
of sin that is in my members. Unhappy man that I am,
who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The
grace of God, by Jesus Christ Our Lord. ” 1 On the
testimony of the Apostle the remedy for this wretched
condition is the grace of redemption.

Art. IV. Redemption and its effects 2
76. Redemption is a wondrous work — God’s master­
piece. By it, man disfigured by sin is remade. He is, in
a sense, placed above his primordial state before the fall,
so much so, that the Church in her liturgy does not hesitate
to bless the fault that secured for us such a Redeemer
as the God-man : “ O happy fault, that merited such and
so great a Redeemer ! ”

I. The natzire of Redemption
77. God who from all eternity had foreseen man’s fall,
willed likewise from all eternity to provide a Redeemer
for men, in the person of His Son. He determined to
become man so that becoming the head of mankind He
could in full measure expiate our sin and give us back, to­
gether with grace, all our rights to heaven. Thus He
drew good out of evil and harmonized the rights of justice
with those of His goodness.
He was not indeed bound to demand full justice. He
could have pardoned man and contented Himself with the
meagre and imperfect reparation that the latter could have
proffered. But He regarded it more worthy of His glory
and more salutary for man to enable him to offer full repa­
ration for his fault.

78. A) Full justice required an adequate reparation, in
proportion to the offense, and offered by a lawful representa­
tive of mankind. God brought this about by the Incarna­
tion and the Redemption.
a) The Son of God takes flesh and thus becomes the chief
of humanity, the head of a mystical body whose members
1 Rom., VII, 19-25.
3 St. Thom. , III, q. 46-49; Hugon, Ο. P., Le Mystère de la. Rédemption ; Bainvel, op. cit., cb. VIII; J. Rivière, The Atonement; Ad. Tanquerey, Synopsis
theol. dogmat., t. II, n. 1124-1216; L. Labauche, God and Man, vol. I. P. III.

40

CHAPTER I.

we are. By this very fact, the Son can of right act and
make atonement in our name.
b) This atonement is a satisfaction not only equal to the
offense, but above it by far. If the moral value of any
action proceeds first and foremost from the worth, the
dignity of the person performing it, this reparation made
by the God-Man has a moral worth that is infinite.
A single act of the Son of God wbuld have sufficed to
make adequate reparation for all the sins of the human
race. Now, as a matter of fact, Jesus, moved by the purest
love, did make such acts of reparation without number. He
filled the measure and crowned it with the greatest, the
most sublime and heroic of actions, — the total immolation
of self on Calvary. He has, indeed, made abundant and
superabundant satisfactions : “ Where sin abounded, grace
did more abound. ” 1
C) The atonement is the same in kind as the offense.
Adam’s sin was disobedience and pride. Jesus makes repa­
ration by humble obedience, inspired by love, — an obedience
unto death, even the death of the cross. “ becoming obedient
unto death, even to the death of the cross. ” 123 Again, just as
a woman was instrumental in Adam’s fall, so a woman
intervenes in man’s redemption with her power of interces­
sion and her merits. Although in a secondary rôle Mary,
the Immaculate Virgin Mother of the Saviour, cooperates
with Him in the work of reparation. ” 3
Thus God’s justice is fully satisfied, and His goodness
even more.
79. B) Holy Scripture, in fact, attributes the work of
our redemption to the infinite mercy of God and His
exceeding great k>ve for us. In the words of St. Paul :
“ God, who is rich in mercy for his exceeding charity where­
with He loved us,... hath quickened us together in Christ. " 4
The three divine persons vie one with the other in this
work, each moved by a love which, in truth, would seem
to be excessive.
a) The Father has an only-begotten Son, equal to Him,
whom He loves like another self, and by whom He is loved
with the same infinite love. It is this very Son whom He
gives and sacrifices for us that we may rise again to life
1 Rom., V, 5.
3 Philip., II, I.
3 Here it is question of the merit called de congruo, which we shall explain
later on.
« Ephes., II, 4.

ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

41

from the death of sin : “ For God so loved the world, as to
give His Only-Begotten Son : that whosever believeth in Him
may not perish, but may have life everlasting. ” 1 Could His
generous love give more? In giving us His Son, has He
not given us all other things? “ He that spared not even
His own Son, but delivered Him for us all, how hath He not
also, with Him given us all things. ” 3
80. b) The Son joyously and generously accepted the
mission entrusted to Him. From the first instant of His
Incarnation, He offered Himself to the Father as the victim
that replaced all the sacrifices of the Old Law. His entire
life was a long sacrifice completed by His immolation on
Calvary — a sacrifice born of the love He bore us : “ Christ
also hath loved us and hath delivered Himselffor us, an obla­
tion and a sacrifice to Godfor an odour of sweetness. ” 3

81.c) In order to finish His work He sent us the Holy
Ghost. This Divine Spirit, who is none other than the
substantial love of the Father and the Son, was not satis­
fied with instilling grace into our souls together with the
infused virtues, especially divine charity, but gave Himself
to us in order that we might not only enjoy His presence
and possess His gifts, but even His very person : “ The
charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy
Ghost who is given to us. ” 4
Redemption is therefore, the masterpiece of divine love :
this fact enables us to forecast its effects.
II. The Effects of Redemption
82. Jesus did not stop short once He had offered repa­
ration to God for our offense and reconciled us to Him.
He merited for us all the graces lost to us by sin, and
many more.
First of all, He gave us back all the supernatural goods
we had lost by sin :
a) Habitual grace with all the infused virtues and the
gifts of the Holy Ghost; then, to adapt Himself better to
our human nature He instituted the Sacraments, sensible
signs that confer grace upon us in every important circum­
stance of our life and thus furnish us with greater security
and greater confidence, b) He secured for us actual graces
in a full measure, and according to the word of St. Paul,
1 John, III, i6. — 2 Rom., VIII, 32. — 3 Ej>hes., V, 2. — * Rom., V, 5.

42

CHAPTER I.

we are justified in judging them even more abundant than
those we should have received in the state of innocence :
“ Where sin abounded, grace did more abound. ” 1
83. c) It is true that the gift of integrity was not given
back to us immediately, but it is given us gradually. The
grace of regeneration leaves us still exposed to the attacks
of the threefold concupiscence and subject to the burden of
life’s sufferings, but it gives us the needed strength to sur­
mount them, rendering us more humble, more vigilant, more
active in warding off and conquering temptation. Thus it
grounds us in virtue and gives us the opportunity of increas­
ing our merit. The example of Jesus, who so coura­
geously carried His cross and ours, gives us new energy
and sustains our efforts in the fight. The actual graces,
which He has merited for us, and which He bestows with a
lavishness truly divine make effort and victory easier. In
proportion as we struggle under the leadership and pro­
tection of the Master, concupiscence weakens, our power of
resistance grows, and a time comes when privileged souls
are so grounded in virtue, that ever free as they remain
to do evil, they never commit any fully deliberate x^enial
sin. The final victory will come only with our entrance
into heaven, but it will be all the more glorious having
been bought at a greater price. Can we not also repeat :
O happy fault!
84. d) To such interior helps our Lord has joined
external ones, particularly that of the Visible Church,
founded and designed by Him to enlighten our minds by
her teaching, to stay our wills by the warrant of her laws
and judgments, to sanctify our souls by sacraments, sacramentals and indulgences. In her we have an immense
treasure-house of help for which we must thank God :
O felix culpa! 0 happy fault!

85. e) Lastly, it is not certain that the Word of God
would have taken flesh had the fall of our first parents not
occurred. Now the Incarnation is such a priceless boon
that it alone would suffice to explain and justify the cry of
the Church : O happy fault!
Instead of having for the head of the race a man richly
endowed, indeed, but liable to error and to sin, we have one
who is none other than the Eternal Son of God. The head
of mankind is the Word, clothed in our nature, true man as
* Rom., V, 20.

ORIGIN OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

43

well as true God. He is the ideal mediator, a mediator for
worship as well as for redemption, who adores His Father
not merely in His own name but in the name of the entire
human race, nay more, in the name of the angels, for it is
through Him that the heavenly hosts praise and glorify
their" Creator : “ through Whom the angels praise. ” 1 He
is the perfect priest who, while having free access to God on
account of His divine nature, stoops down to His fellow­
men, His brethren, to deal them kindness and indulgence
the while He knows their weakness : “ Who can have com­
passion on them that are ignorant and that err : because He
Himself also is encompassed with infirmity. ” 2
With Him and through Him we can render to God the
infinite homage to which He is entitled. With Him and
through Him we can obtain all the graces we need both for
ourselves and for others. When we adore, it is He that
adores in us and through us; when we ask for help, it is He
that supports our requests; and for this reason, whatsoever
we shall ask of the Father in His name shall be graciously
given us.
We must, therefore, rejoice in the possession of such a
Redeemer, such a Mediator, and have a trust in Him that
knows no limits.

Conclusion

86. This brief historical survey brings out most strik­
ingly the supreme worth of the supernatural life and the
grandeur and weakness of man on whom it is bestowed.
1° This life is, indeed, excellent since:
a) It is born of a loving thought of God, who has loved us
from all eternity and has willed to unite us to Himself in
the sweetest and closest intimacy : “ I have loved thee with
an everlasting love, and therefore I have drawn thee to
myself. ” 3
b) It is a real participation, even if finite, in the nature and
in the life of God, enabling us to know and to love God even
as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost know and love one
another : “ partakers of the divine nature. ” (See n. io6)
C) It has such worth in God’s eyes that, to give it to us,
the Father sacrifices His Only-Begotten Son, the Son makes
a complete immolation of self, and the Holy Ghost comes
to impart this life to our souls.
Indeed, it is the pearl of great price : “ By whom he hath
1 Preface of the Mass. — 2 Het»·., V, 2. — 3 Jer., XXXI, 3.

44

CHAPTER II.

given us most great and precious promises,” 1 which we
must hold dearer than all else and keep and cherish with
jealous care : its worth is that of God Himself!
87. 2° Still, we carry this treasure in earthen vessels.
If our first parents, endowed with the gift of integrity
and enriched with all sorts of privileges, had the mis­
fortune of forfeiting it both for themselves and their
posterity, should we entertain no fear? We, who in spite
of our spiritual regeneration, carry within us the threefold
concupiscence?
No doubt, there are within us generous and noble impulses
born of what is good in our nature. There are, besides,
the supernatural forces which come to us through Christ’s
merits and through our incorporation into Him. However,
we remain weak and inconstant, unless we lean upon Him
who is our strength as well as our head. The secret of our
power does not rest with us, but with God and Christ Jesus
our Lord. The history of our First Parents and their
lamentable fall shows us that the great evil in the world,
the only evil, is sin. It shows us that we must be ever on
our guard to repel at once and with all our might every
attack that the enemy may make against us, be it from
without or from within. We are nevertheless well pro­
tected and fully armed against his onslaughts, as our
second chapter, dealing with the nature of the Christian
life, will prove.

CHAPTER Π
The Nature of the Christian Life
88. The supernatural life which, by virtue of the merits
of Jesus Christ, is a participation in God’s life, is often
called the life of God in us or the life offesus in us. Such
expressions are correct provided one takes care to explain
them, so as to avoid anything savoring of pantheism. We
have not a life identical with that of God or our Lord; we
only have a life similar to theirs, a finite participation, yet
most real.
We may define it thus : a share in the divine life given
us by the Holy Ghost who dwells in us, because of the
merits offesus Christ; a life which we must protect against
all destructive tendencies.
1II Petr., I, φ

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

45

89. We see, then, that as regards our supernatural life
God plays the principal rôle, we a secondary one. It is the
Triune God that comes Himself to confer it upon us, for
He alone can make us share in His own life. He commu­
nicates it to us in virtue of the merits of Christ (n. 78), who
is the meritorious, exemplary and vital cause of our sancti­
fication. It is perfectly true that God lives in us, that Jesus
lives in us; yet, our spiritual life is not identical with that of
God or of our Lord. It is distinct from but similar to the
one and the other. Our rôle consists in making use of the
divine gifts in order to live with God and for God, in order
to live in union with Jesus and to imitate Him. But we
cannot live this supernatural life without a continual struggle
against the threefold concupiscence which still remains in
us (n. 83). And moreover, since God has endowed us with
a supernatural organism, it is our duty to make that life
increase in us by meritorious acts and the fervent reception
of the sacraments.
This is the meaning of the definition we have given, and
this whole chapter is but its explanation and development.
From it we shall draw practical conclusions concerning
devotion to the Most Holy Trinity, devotion to and union
with the Incarnate Word, and even concerning devotion to
the Blessed Virgin and the Saints, since all these devotions
flow from their relations with the Word of God-madeFlesh.
Although the action of God and that of the soul have
parallel developments in the Christian life, we shall for the
sake of clearness treat of them in two successive articles,
one on the rôle of God and the other on the rôle of man.

CHAPTER II.

46

I.

By Himself

' He dwells in us : hence devo­
tion to the Blessed Trinity.
He endows us with a super­
natural organism.

Meritorious cause
2. Through His Exemplary cause -of our life.
Word
Vital cause
Incarnate,
Hence devotion to the Incarwho is primarily
nate Word.
God acts
in us
Meritorious cause 1 r
3.
Through
i1
Exemplary
cause J1 of our lite.
Mary who
Distributive cause of grace.
is secondarily Hence devotion to Mary.
4.

Through
the Saints
and Angels

'Living images of God : hence
venerate them.
Intercessors : Invoke them.
kModels: Imitate them.

r ,
i concupiscence.
>· By fighting
the w£r]d
aga,nst(the devil.

We live
and act
for God

Their threefold value.
2. By sanctifying] Conditions for merit.
our actions | Way of rendering our acts
more meritorious.

3. By receiving i Sacramental grace.
the Sacraments] Special Ί of Penance.
worthily
( grace J of the Eucharist.

Art. I. The Rôle of God

in the

Christian Life

God acts in us either directly, by Himself, or through the
Incarnate Word, or through the mediation of the Blessed
Virgin, the Angels and the Saints.
§ I, The Rôle of the Blessed Trinity

90. The first cause, the primary, efficient cause and
the exemplary cause of the supernatural life in us is no
other than the Blessed Trinity, or by appropriation, the

47

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

Holy Ghost. True, the life of grace is a work common to
the Three Divine Persons, for it is a work ad extra, yet,
because it is a work of love, it is attributed especially to the
Holy Ghost.
Now the Most Adorable Trinity contributes to our sanc­
tification in two ways : the Three Divine Persons come to
dwell in our souls; there they create a supernatural organ­
ism which transforms and elevates them, thus enabling
them to perform Godlike acts.
I. The Indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the Soul1

91. Since the Christian life is a participation in God’s
own life, it is evident that none but God Himself can confer
it upon us. This He does by coming to dwell in our souls
and by giving Himself wholly to us in order that we may
first of all render Him our homage, enjoy His presence and
allow ourselves to be led with docility to the practice of
Christ’s virtues and into the dispositions of His holy
soul. *2 Theologians call this uncreated grace. Let us then
examine first how the Three Divine Persons live in us, and
next, what our attitude must be toward Them.
i° How

the

Three Divine Persons Dwell

within

Us

92. God, says St. Thomas, 3 is in all creatures in a
threefold manner : by His power, inasmuch as all creatures
are subject to His dominion; by His presence, because He
sees all, even the most secret thoughts of the soul, “ All
things are naked and open to his eyes ; ” 4 by His essence,
since He acts everywhere and since everywhere He is the
plenitude of being itself and the first cause of whatever is
real in creation, giving continually to creatures not only
life and movement, but their very being : “ In Him we live
and move and are. ” 5
Yet, His presence within us by grace is of a much higher
and intimate nature. It is no longer the presence of the
Creator and Preserver who sustains the beings He created;
« St. Thom., I, q. 43, a. 3; Froget, Indwelling of the H. Ghost; R. Plus,
God within Us; Manning, Int. Mission, I; Devine, Ascet. Theol., p. 80;
Tanquerey, Syn. Theol. Dog., Ill, 180-185.
a It is upon this truth that Father Olier bases his spiritual system. See Cate­
chism for an Interior Life, P. I, C. Ill : “ Who deserves the name of Christian?
He who is possessed by the Spirit of Jesus Christ... that makes us live both inte­
riorly and exteriorly like Jesus Christ ". — “ He (the Holy Ghost) is there with the
Father and the Son, and there infuses, as we have said, the same dispositions, the
same sentiments and the same virtues of Jesus Christ ".
3Sum. theol., I, q. 8, a. 3.
* Heb., IV, 13. — 5 Acts, XVII, 28.

48

CHAPTER II.

it is the presence of the Most Holy Trinity revealed to us
by faith. The Father comes to us and continues to beget
His Word within us. With the Father we receive the Son
equal in all things to the Father, His loving and substantial
image, who never ceases to love His Father with the same
infinite love wherewith the Father loves Him. Out of this
mutual love proceeds the Holy Spirit, a person equal to the
Father and the Son and a mutual bond between Father and
Son. The Three are withal distinct one from the other.
These wonders go on continually within the soul in the
state of grace. The presence of the Three Divine Persons,
at once physical and moral, establishes the most intimate
and most sanctifying relations between God and the soul.
Gathering all that is found here and there in the Scriptures,
we can say that God through grace is present within us as
a father, as a friend, as a helper, as a sanctifier, and that in
this way He is truly the very source of our interior life, its
efficient and exemplary cause.

93. A) By nature He is simply in us to give us natural
endowments; by grace He gives Himself to us that we may
enjoy His friendship and thus have a foretaste of the
happiness of heaven. In the order of nature God is in us
as the Creator and the sovereign Master ; we are but His
servants, His property. In the order of grace it is different ;
here He gives Himself to us as our Father; we are now His
adopted children ; an unspeakable privilege and the basis of
our supernatural life. St. Paul and St. John repeat it again
and again : “ For you have not received the spirit of bondage
again in fear : but you have received the spirit- of adoption of
sons, whereby we cry Abba (Father). For the Spirit himself
giveth testimony to our spirit that we are the sons of God. ” 1
God, therefore, adopts us as His children and in a way
more thorough and more complete than men are adopted
in law. By legal adoption men are, indeed, able to transmit
to others their name and their possessions, but they cannot
transmit to them their blood and their life. “ Legal
adoption, ” says Cardinal Mercier, 2 “ is a fiction. ” The
adopted child is considered by its foster parents just as if
it were their child and receives from them the heritage to
which their offspring would have had a right. Society
recognizes this fiction and sanctions its effects. Withal,
the object of such fiction is in no wise changed. But the
grace of divine adoption is by no means a fiction... it is a
1 Horn., VIII, 15-16. — 2 La Vie Intérieure, ed. 1909, p. 405.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

49

reality. God gives divine sonship to those who have faith
in His Word, as St. John says : “ He gave them power to be
made the sons of God, to them that believed in his name. ” 1
This sonship is not such merely in name, but in very truth :
“ that we should be called and should be the sons of God. ” *
By it we come into the possession of the divine nature,.
“ partakers of the divine nature. ” 3

94. No doubt, this divine life in us is only a participa­
tion, a sharing, “ consortes, ” a similitude, an assimilation
which does not make us gods, but only Godlike. None
the less, it constitutes no fiction, but a reality, a new life,.
a life not, indeed, equal but similar to God’s and which, on
the testimony of Holy Writ, presupposes a new birth,
a regeneration : “ Unless a man be born again of water and the
Holy Ghost... by the laver of regeneration and renovation of
the Holy Ghost... he hath regenerated us unto a lively hope...
of his own will hath he begotten us by the word of truth. ” 4
All these expressions show us that our adoption is not
merely nominal, but true and real, although distinct and
different from the sonship of the Word-made-Flesh. By it
we become heirs, by full right, to the kingdom of heaven
and coheirs of Him who is the eldest-born among our
brethren : “ heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ...
that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. ” s
Is it not, therefore, most fitting to repeat the touching
words of St John : “ Behold what manner of charity the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called and
should be the sons of God! ” 6
God has for us then the tenderness and devotedness of a
father. Does He not compare Himself to a mother that
can never forget the child of her womb? “ Can a woman
forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her
womb? And if she shouldforget, yet will not Iforget thee." 7
He has most assuredly given proof of this, since in order to
save His fallen children He hesitated not to give and sacri­
fice His only-begotten Son : “ For God so loved the world,
as to give his only Begotten Son : that whosoever believeth in
him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. ” 8 The
same love prompts Him likewise to give Himself wholly,
and from now on, in a permanent manner to His children
by dwelling in their hearts : “ If any one love me, he will
keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will
1 John, I, i2. — « I John, III, x. — II Peter, I, 4.
* John, III, 5; Tit., Ill, 5; I Peter, I, -y, James, I, ·ι8.
5 Rom., VIII, 17, 29. — 6 I John, III, 1. — 7 Isa., XLIX, 15. —* John, III, 16.

50

CHAPTER IL

come to him, and will make our abode with him. ” 1 He lives
in us as a most loving and most devoted Father.
95. B) He gives Himself also as a friend. Friendship
adds to the relations between father and son a sort of
equality : “ amicitia œquales accipit aut facit. ” It adds
a kind of familiarity, a reciprocity whence flows the
sweetest intercourse. It is precisely such relations that
grace establishes between us and God. Of course, when
it is question of God on one side and man on the
other, there can be no real equality, but rather a certain
similarity sufficient to engender true intimacy. In fact,
God confides to us His secrets. He speaks to us not
only through His Church, but also interiorly through His
Spirit : “ He will teach you all things and bring all things to
your mind whatsoever I shall have said to you. ” 2 At the
Last Supper Jesus declared to His Apostles that from that
time on they would not be His servants, but His friends,
because He would no longer keep any secrets from them :
“ I will not now call you servants : for the servant knoweth
not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends : because
all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have
made known to you. ”3 A sweet familiarity will from now
on pervade their intercourse, the same that exists between
friends when they meet and speak heart to heart : “ Behold
that I stand at the gate and knock ; if any man shall hear my
voice and open to me the door, I will come into him and I will
sup with him; and he with me." 4 What an unspeakable
familiarity is this! Never would man have dared dream of
it or aspire to it had not the Friend Divine taken the
initiative! This very intimacy has been and is an every­
day fact not only between Almighty God and His Saints,
but between Him and every man who by leading an interior
life consents to throw open the gates of his soul to the
Divine Guest. To this the author of the" Imitation ” bears
witness when he describes the oft-repeated visits of the
Holy Spirit to interior souls, the sweet converse He holds
with them, the consolations and the caresses He imparts to
them, the peace He infuses, the astounding familiarity of
His dealings with them : " Many are His visits to the man
of interior life, and sweet the conversation that He holdeth
with him; plenteous His consolation, His peace and Ifis
familiarity. ” 5
The life of contemporary mystics, of
St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, of Elizabeth of the Blessed
1 John, XIV, 23. — 2 John, XIV, 26. — 3 John, XV, 15.
4 A foe., Ill, 20. — 5 Imitation, II, c. I, v. 1.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

51

Trinity, of Gemma Galgani and of so many others, gives
proof that the words of the Imitation are daily realized.
There is no doubt that God does live in us as the most
intimate of friends.
96. C) Nor is He idle there. He acts as our most
powerful ally, our most efficient helper. Knowing but too
well that of ourselves we can not foster the life He has
engendered in us, He supplies for our deficiencies by work­
ing with us through actual grace. Are we in need of light
to perceive the truths of faith which shall from now on
guide our steps? The Father of Lights will be the one to
enlighten our intellect pointing out clearly our last end and
the means to reach it. He will suggest to us the godly
thoughts that inspire godly actions. Again, do we want
strength to give our life its orientation, to direct it towards
its last end, the one great object of all our strivings, of all
our efforts? The same God and Father will bring to us
the supernatural help that gives the power to will and to
do : “ for it is God who worketh in you both to zvill and to
accomplish. ” τ When it comes to combatting and con­
trolling our passions or overcoming the temptations that at
times assail us, once more it is none other than God who
gives us the power to resist them and even to draw profit
from them : “ God is faithful who will not suffer you
to be tempted above that which you are able, but will make
also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it. ” 2
If weary of well-doing and if discouraged we begin to
falter, He draws close to sustain us and to secure our per­
severance : “ He who hath begun a good work in you will
perfect it unto the day of Christ fesus. ”3 No, we are never
alone. Even when devoid of all consolations we think
ourselves abandoned, God’s grace is ever close at hand as
long as we are willing to cooperate with it : “ And his grace
in me hath not been void : but I have labored more abundantly
than all they : yet not I, but the grace of God with me. ” 4
Leaning on this all-powerful Helper we become invincible :
“ I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me. ” 5

97. D) This divine Helper is at the same time our Sanc­
tifier. Coming to live in our soul He transforms it into a
sacred temple enriched with all manner of virtues : “ the temple
1 Philipp., II. 13.
2 / Cor., X, 13.
3 Philipp. ,1,6.
■» I Cor., XV, 10.
5 Philipp., IV, 13.

52

CHAPTER IL

of God is holy, which you are. ” 1 The God that lives in us
is not merely the God of nature, but the Living God, the
Blessed Trinity, the infinite source of divine life, whose only
longing is to make us share in His holiness. Often this
indwelling of God in the soul is attributed or assigned to
the Holy Ghost by appropriation, since it is a work of love ;
but being a work ad extra it is common to the Three Divine
Persons. This is why St. Paul calls us alike the temples of
God and the temples of the Holy Ghost : “ Know you not
that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you? ” 2
Our soul, therefore, is made the temple of the Living God,
a sanctuary reserved to the Most High, a Holy of Holies,
a throne of mercy where He is pleased to be lavish with
His heavenly favors and which He enriches with every
virtue. It follows that the presence within us of a Thrice
Holy God, as just described, cannot but sanctify us. The
Most Adorable Trinity living and acting within us must,
indeed, be the principle of our sanctification, the source of
our interior life. This holy presence constitutes likewise
its exemplary cause, for being sons of God by adoption we
are bound to imitate our Father. This we shall understand
better when we examine what our attitude should be
towards these Three Divine Guests.
2° Our Duties

towards the Most Holy Trinity
Living within Us 34

9 8. Possessing such a treasure as the Most Holy Trinity,
we ought to make it the object of frequent meditation —
“ to walk inwardly with God. ” Such a thought awakes in
us chiefly three sentiments : adoration, love and imitation.
99. A) The very first impulse of the heart is that of
adoration : “ Glorify and bear God in your body. ” 4 How
could we do otherwise than glorify, bless and thank that
Divine Guest who transforms our soul into a sanctuary?
From the time Mary received the Incarnate Word in her
virginal womb her life was but one perpetual act of adora­
tion and thanksgiving : “ My soul doth magnify the Lord...
He who is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is
his name. ” 5 Such are, even if lesser in degree and intensity,
the sentiments that lay hold of the Christian on becoming
’ 1 Cor., Ill, 17. — ® I Cor., Ill, 16.
3 All these sentiments are wonderfully expressed in the beautiful morning prayer
composed by Father Olier, cf. Manual of Piety.
4 I Cor., VI, 10. — s Luke, I, 46, 49.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

53

aware of the Holy Ghost’s presence within him. He under­
stands that being God’s dwelling he ought to offer himself
constantly as a sacrifice of praise unto the glory of the Triune
God. a) He begins his actions by making the Sign of the
Cross, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost, and thus consecrates them all to the Three Divine Per­
sons; he ends them by acknowledging that whatever good
he has done must be attributed to Them : Glory be to the
Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, b) He loves to
repeat the liturgical prayers that proclaim Their praises :
the Glbria in excelsis Deo, which so well expresses all the
religious sentiments towards the Most Holy Trinity, espe­
cially towards the Incarnate Word; the Sanctus, proclaiming
the awful holiness of the Godhead ; the Te Deum, the song
of thanksgiving, c) This Divine Guest the Christian
recognizes as his first beginning and last end. He realizes
his inability to praise Him adequately and unites Himself
to the Spirit of Jesus who alone can render to God that
glory which by right is His : “ The Spirit also helpeth our
infirmity : for, we know not what we should pray for as we
ought; but the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable
groanings. ” 1
100. B) After having adored God and proclaimed his
own nothingness, the Christian gives vent to sentiments of
the most confiding love. Infinite as He is, God never­
theless stoops down to us like a loving father toward
his child, asking us to love Him and to give Him our
heart : “ My son, give me thy heart. ” 2 He has a strict
right to demand this love, yet He prefers to entreat us with
the sweetness of affection so that our return may be, so to
speak, more spontaneous, and our recourse to Him more
confident and childlike. Could we refuse our trustful
love to such thoughtful advances, to a solicitude so truly
maternal?
Our love should be a repentant love, a love that expiates
infidelities past and present; a grateful love that renders
thanks to our great Benefactor, the devoted Co-worker who
labors without stint and without rest. Above all, it should
be the love of friendforfriend holding sweet converse with
the most faithful, the most generous of friends, whose part
we should take, whose glory we should make known, whose
name we should forever bless. This love then should not
be a mere feeling, but a generous, daring love, forgetful of
' Rom., VIII, 26. —2 Prov., XXIII, 26.

54

CHAPTER Π.

self to the point of sacrifice and the renunciation of our
own wills, by a willing submission to the precepts and
counsels of God.
101. C) Such love will lead us to imitate the Most Ador­
able Trinity in the measure in which this is compatible
with human weakness. Adopted children of an all-holy
Father, living temples of the Holy Ghost, we can better
appreciate the reason why we must be holy in body and
soul. This was the lesson learned by the Apostle and
repeated by him to his followers : “ Know you not that you
are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you? But if any man violate the temple of God, him
shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which
you are. ”1 Experience is witness to the fact that with
generous souls this is the most powerful motive to turn them
away from sin and incite them to the practice of virtue.
Temples wherein the thrice Holy One resides can never be
too rich in beauty, too glorious in sanctity. It is remarkable
that when our Lord wished to propose to us an ideal, a
model of perfection, He pointed to God Himself : “ Be ye
perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. ” 2 At first sight
this ideal does seem too high. But when we recall that we
are the adopted children of God and that He lives in us in
order to impress upon us His image and to collaborate in
our salvation, then we realize that a high rank imposes
obligations, noblesse oblige, and that it is no more than our
plain duty to approach ever nearer the divine perfections.
It is chiefly in view of the fulfilment of the precept of fra­
ternal charity, the love of our fellows, that Jesus Christ
demands of us to keep before our eyes this perfect model,
the indivisible oneness of the Three Divine Persons : “ That
they all may be one, as thou, Father in me and I in thee;
that they also be one in us. " 3 What a tender prayer!
St. Paul echoes it later on begging his dear disciples not to
forget that since they are but one body and but one spirit,
and since they have but one Father who lives in all just
souls, they should preserve the unity of spirit in the bond
of peace. 4
To sum up, we may say that the Christian life consists
above all in an intimate, affectionate and sanctifying union
with the Three Divine Persons who sustain us in the spirit
of religion, love and sacrifice.
11 Cor., Ill, 16-17. — 2 Maith., V, 48. —zjohn, XVII, 21. — < Eph., IV, 3-6.

the

NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

55

II. The Organism of the Christian Lifer

102.The three Divine Persons inhabit the sanctuary of
our soul, taking their delight in enriching it with supernatural
gifts and in communicating to us a Godlike life, similar to
theirs, called the life of grace.
All life, however, implies a threefold element : a vitalprin­
ciple that is, so to speak, the source of life itself; faculties
which give the power to elicit vital acts; and lastly, the acts
themselves which are but its development and which minister
to its growth. In the supernatural order, God living within
us produces the same elements, a) He first communicates
to us habitual grace which plays the part of a vital super­
natural principle.2 This principle deifies, as it were, the
very substance of the soul and makes it capable, though in
a remote way, of enjoying the Beatific Vision and of per­
forming the acts that lead to it.
103.b) Out of this grace spring the infused virtues 3
and the gifts of the Holy Ghost which perfect our faculties
and endow us with the immediate power of performing
Godlike, supernatural, meritorious acts.
C) In order to stir these faculties into action, He gives us
actual graces which enlighten our mind, strengthen our will,
and aid us both to act supernaturally and to increase the
measure of habitual grace that has been granted to us.
104. Although this life of grace is entirely distinct from
our natural life it is not merely superimposed on the latter;
it penetrates it through and through, transforms it and makes
it divine. It assimilates whatever is good in our nature, our
education and our habits. It perfects and supernaturalizes
all these various elements, directing them toward the last
end, that is toward the possession of God through the Bea­
tific Vision and its resultant love.
In virtue of the general principle explained above, n. 54,
that inferior beings are subordinated to their superiors, 4 it
is the part of the supernatural life to direct and control our
’St. Thom., I» Hæ, q. no; Alvarez de Paz, De vita spirituali ejusque perfe­
ctione, 1602, t. I, II, c. 1; Terrien, La Grâce et la Gloire, t. I, p. 75 sq.; Bellamy,
La vie surnaturelle.
x “ Gratia præsupponitur virtutibus infusis, sicut earum principium et finis. "
(Sum. theol., Ia Ilæ, q. no, a. 3).
3 “ Sicut ab essentia animæ effluunt ejus potentiae, quæ sunt operutn principia,
ita etiam ab ipsa gratia effluunt virtutes in potentias animæ, per quas potentiae
moventur ad actum ". (Ibid., a. 4.)
4 Eymieu, op. cit., p. 150-151.

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CHAPTER II.

natural life. The former cannot develop nor endure unless
it reigns supreme and keeps under its sway the acts of the
mind, of the will and of the other faculties. This dominion
in no way dwarfs or destroys our nature, but rather it
elevates and completes it. We shall show this in the
subsequent study of these three elements.
i° Habitual Grace1

105. God out of His infinite goodness wills to lift us up
to Himself in the measure that our weak nature allows, and
for this purpose gives us a principle of supernatural life;
a Godlike, vital principle, which is habitual grace. It is
also called created grace 123in contradistinction to uncreated
grace, which is the indwelling itself of the Holy Ghost
within us. Created grace makes us like unto God and
unites us to Him in the closest manner : “ This deification
consists, in so far as is possible, in a certain resemblance to
God and union with Him. ” 3 These two points of view we
shall explain presently by giving the traditional definition
and by determining precisely the nature of the union that
grace produces between God and the soul.

A) Definition
106. Sanctifying or habitual grace is commonly de­
fined as a supernatural quality inherent in the soul, which
makes us partakers of the divine nature and of the divine
life in a real and formal, but accidental manner.
a) Grace is a reality of the supernatural order, but not a
substance, for no created substance could be supernatural.
It is but a -mode of being, a state of soul, a quality inherent
in the soul’s substance that transforms it and raises it above
all natural beings, even the most perfect. It is a permanent
quality remaining in the soul as long as we do not forfeit it
by mortal sin. “ It is, ” as Cardinal Mercier says, 4 on the
authority of Bossuet, “ a spiritual quality infused into our
1 See St. Thom., la Ilæ, q. no; Syn. Theol. Dog., Ill, n. 186-191 ; Froget, op.
cit., IVe P. ; Terrien, La Grâce et la Gloire, p. 75 ss. ; Bellamy, La vie surna­
turelle, 1895 ; Scheeben, The Glories of Divine Grace ;'Μ.αϊγϋ, La vraie vie, 1922,
P· I"79
. .
□ This expression is not altogether exact, since grace within us is not a substance,
but an accident, an accidental modification of the soul. But because it is some­
thing finite and can originate only in God, not being merited by us, this name of
created or con-created is given to it, to show that it is derived from the power the
soul as a created thing has of becoming whatever the Creator wills it to become.
3 “ Est autem hæc deificatio, Deo quædam, quoad fieri potest, assimilatio unioque ”. Ps.-Dionys, De eccl. hicrarchia, c. I, n. 3, P.G., III, 373.
* La Vie intérieure, p. 401.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

57

souls by Jesus Christ, which penetrates our inmost being,
instils itself into the very marrow of the soul and goes forth
(through the virtues) to all its faculties. The soul that
possesses it is made pure and pleasing in the eyes of God.
He makes such a soul His sanctuary, His temple, His
tabernacle, His paradise. ”

107. b) This quality, according to the forceful expres­
sion of St. Peter, makes us ''partakers of the divine nature. ”1
According to St. Paul, it causes us to enter into communion
with the Holy Ghost, " the communication of the Holy
Ghostf * and St.John adds that it establishes a sort of
fellowship between us and the Father and the Son : " our
fellowship... with the Father and with his Son Jesus
Christ." 3 It does not make us the equals of God, but it
changes us into Godlike beings, makes us like unto God.
Nor does it give us the life of the Godhead itself which is
incommunicable, but it imparts to us a life similar to God’s.
Our task is to explain this, so far as the human mind is
able to comprehend it.

108. i) God’s own life consists in direct self-contemplation
and love of Himself. No creature whatever, no matter how
perfect, could of itself contemplate the essence of the God­
head, " who dwells in light inaccessible; ” 4 but God, by a
privilege, gratuitous in every sense of the word, calls man to
contemplate this divine essence in heaven. As man is
utterly incapable of this, God lifts him up, makes his intelli­
gence transcend its natural capacities, and confers on him
this power through the light of glory. Then, says St. John,
we shall be like unto God because we shall see Him as He
sees Himself, that is to say, exactly as He is in Himself :
“ We shall be like him : because we shall see him as he is. ” 5
We shall see, adds St. Paul, no longer through the mirror
of creatures, but face to face with luminous clearness : " We
see now through a glass in a dark manner : but then face to
face. ” 6 Since we shall know and love God as He knows
and loves Himself, we shall also share in God’s own life,
even if it be in a finite way. Theologians explain this by
saying that the divine essence will come and unite itself
with the soul’s inmost being, so as to allow us to contem­
plate the Divinity directly, with the aid of no image or of
any created intermediary.
’ II Peter, I, 4. — 2 U Cor., XIII, 13. — 3 I John, I, 3.
♦ I Tim., VI, 16. — S I John, III, 2. - 6 / Cor., XIII, 12-13.

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CHAPTER II.

109.2) Habitual grace is already a preparation for the
Beatific Vision and a foretaste, as it were, of that unspeak­
able boon; it is the bud that needs but to open to show
forth the flower. Habitual grace and the Beatific Vision
are, then, one in kind and one in nature.
A comparison, no matter how inadequate, will not be out of place.
We can know an artist in three different ways : by studying his works,
through friends, or by personal intercourse with him. The first is the
kind of knowledge we get of God through His works, by the contem­
plation of His creatures. This is an inductive, imperfect knowledge ;
for though creation reveals His wisdom and His power, it tells us
nothing of His personal, interior life. The knowledge we derive from
faith illustrates the second manner in which we come to know God.
On the authority of the sacred writers and, above all, on the testimony
of the Son of God we believe what it has pleased Him to disclose to
us, not only concerning His works and His attributes, but concerning
His personal, interior life. Thus, we believe that from all eternity He
begets the Word, His Son, that there exists a mutual love between
Them, and that out of this reciprocal love proceeds the Holy Ghost.
We do not, indeed, understand, nor do we in any way see, but we
believe with invincible certainty. This faith makes us share in the
knowledge that God has of Himself. But this is a veiled knowledge,
rather obscure, though none the less real. Only eventually through
the Beatific Vision shall we acquire direct knowledge of Him. Still,
this second mode of knowledge, as can be readily seen, is at bottom of
the same nature as the first, and assuredly far superior to mere rational
or reasoned knowledge.

110. e) This participation in the divine life is formal;
it is not simply virtual. Virtual participation means that
we share a quality in a different way from that in which it
is possessed by the principal where it is found. Thus, reason
is simply a virtual participation in the divine intellect,
because reason gives us a knowledge of truth, but vastly
different from that knowledge of truth which God possesses.
Mindful then of disparity and distinction, we can say that
such is not the case between the Beatific Vision and faith.
Both cause us to know God as. He is, not in the same
degree, it is true, but the knowledge acquired through either
of them is the same in kind.
111. d) The participation we have in God’s life is acci­
dental, not substantial. It is thus distinct from the generation
of the Word, who receives the whole substance of the Father.
It is likewise distinct from the hypostatic union, which is a
substantial union of the divine and human natures in the
person of the Word. In our union with God we keep our
personality, and therefore, this union is not substantial.
This is the doctrine of St. Thomas : “ Grace, being alto­
gether above human nature, can neither be a substance nor
the soul’s substantial form. It can only be its accidental

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

59

form. ” 1 Explaining his thought he adds that what exists
in God substantially is given us accidentally, and makes us
partake of the divine goodness.
With such restrictions we steer clear of pantheism and
still conceive a very exalted idea of the nature of grace.
It reveals itself to us as a likeness of God stamped by Him
on our souls : “ Let us make man according to our image and
likeness. ” 23
*5

112. In order to help us to understand this divine resem­
blance the Fathers have employed various comparisons,
i) Our soul, they say, is like to a living image of the Most
Blessed Trinity, for the Holy Ghost Himself impresses His
features on us as a seal does on molten wax, stamping
and leaving there the divine likeness. 3 They conclude that
the soul in the state of grace possesses an entrancing beauty
since the author of that image is none other than God Him­
self who is infinitely perfect : “ Behold thy likeness, O man;
see thy likeness beautiful, made by thy God, the Great
Artist, the Master-Painter. ” 4 They rightly reason that, far
from disfiguring or destroying such resemblance, we must
perfect it more' and more. At times they compare the soul
to those transparent bodies that receiving the sun’s rays
become all aglow and reflect in turn a marvellous light all
around. 5
113. 2) To show further that this divine resemblance is
not merely on the surface, they have recourse to the analogy
of iron in the fire. As a bar of iron, they say, plunged into a
glowing fire soon acquires the brightness, the heat and the
pliancy of fire, so the soul in the fire of divine love is
rid of impurities, burns, glows and becomes docile to God’s
inspirations.

114. 3) To express the idea that grace is a new life, the
Fathers and spiritual writers liken it to a divine branch
ingrafted into the wild stock of our nature, there combining
with it to form a new, vital principle and, therefore, a life
far superior in kind. Yet, in the same way that the branch
does not give its life to the stock in all its essence and partic­
ulars but only such or such of its vital properties, so sancti­
fying grace does not give to us God’s entire essence but
simply something of His life, which is for us a new life.
1 Sum. Theol., Ia Ilæ, q. no, a. 2. — ’ Gen. I, 26.
3 Homil. Paschal., X, 2, P. G., LXXVII, 617.
* St. Ambrose,
Hexatn., 1. VI, c. 8, P. L., XIV, 260.
5 St. Basil, De S/ir. S., IX, 23, P. G., XXXII, 1J9.

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CHAPTER IL

We share then in the life of the Godhead, but by no means
possess It in Its fulness. This resemblance of the soul to
the Divinity evidently prepares it for a most intimate union
with the Most Holy Trinity that dwells in it.
B) Union of God and the Soul

115. From what we have said concerning the indwelling
of the Most Blessed Trinity in the'soul (n. 92) it follows
that there is the closest and most sanctifying union between
our souls and the Divine Guest. But is this all? Is there
not something physical besides this moral union?

116. a) The comparisons the Fathers employ would
seem to imply so.
1) A great many of them tell us that the union of God
with the soul is like that of the soul and the body. There
are in us two lives, says St. Augustine, the life of the body
and the life of the soul ; the life of the body is the soul, the
life of the soul is God.1 Evidently, these are only analogies ;
let us try to bring out the truth they contain.
The union of body and soul is a substantial union, so
much so, that they form but one nature and only one person.
The union between God and the soul is different. We retain
always our own nature and our own personality and thus
remain essentially distinct from the Godhead. However,
just, as the soul gives the body its life, so God (without
becoming the form of the soul, as the soul is of the body)
gives the soul supernatural life, a life not equal to His, but
truly and formally like unto His, producing a union that is
most real between the soul and God. This implies a con­
crete reality which God communicates to us and which
constitutes the bond of union between Him and us. Assur­
edly this new relation adds nothing to God, but it perfects
the soul and makes it Godlike. Thus the Holy Ghost is
not the formal cause, but the efficient and exemplary cause
of our sanctification.
117.2) The very same truth flows from the other com­
parison made by other authors. 2 They liken the union of
the soul with God to the hypostatic union. Again, there is
an essential difference. The hypostatic union is substantial
and personal^ for though the human and the divine natures
’ *' Sicut vita corporis anima, sic vita animce Deus. ” (Enarrat, in psal. 70,
sermo 2, n. 3. P. L. XXXVI, 893.
3 Bellamy, La Vie surnaturelle, p. 184-191.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

61

are absolutely different, yet, they constitute but one and the
same person in Jesus Christ. The union of God with the
soul through grace, on the contrary, leaves us our own per­
sonality, essentially distinct from that of God, and unites us
to God in a merely accidental manner. “ It is brought about
in fact through the medium of sanctifying grace, an accident
superadded to the soul’s substance. Accidental union is the
name given by the Scholastics to the union of an accident
with a substance. ” 1
None the less it is true that the union of the soul and God
is a union of substance with substance,123that man and God
are in contact as closely as the incandescent iron is with the
fire which permeates it, as closely as the glowing crystal is
with the light that penetrates it. We can sum it up briefly
in these few words : the hypostatic union makes a God-man,
the union of grace makes deified men. In the same way as
the actions of Christ are both divine and human, theandric
actions, so those of the just man are Godlike, performed at
once by God and by man. They are thus meritorious,
worthy of eternal life, which is nothing else but direct union
with Divinity. We can say with Father de Smedt 3 that
“ the hypostatic union is the type, the model, of our union
with God by grace and that the latter is the most perfect
imitation of the former that can be found among creatures. ”
We conclude with this same writer that the union of God
and the soul by grace is not a mere moral union, but rather
one which contains a physical element and which justifies
the name of physico-moral union : “ The divine nature
is truly and properly united to the substance of the
soul by a special bond and in such a way that the soul really
possesses the divine nature as if it were personally its own.
As a consequence, the soul possesses a divine character, a
divine perfection and a divine beauty which is infinitely
superior to all possible natural perfection wherever found
and in whatsoever creature, whether actually existing or
capable of existing. 4
1 Cardinal Mercier, La Vie intérieure, ed. 1919, p. 392.
a This is perhaps the thought of Cardinal Mercier when he adds (Z. c.) : "In a
sense, however, this union is a substantial one. On the one hand, it takes place
between substance and substance without the interference of any natural accident
On the other, it places the soul in direct contact with the divine substance ; it places
the latter within the immediate reach of the former after the manner of a gift which
the soul has the power both to possess and enjoy. ”
In this way are explained the expressions of the Mystics who with St. John of the
Cross speak of the divine contact “ that takes place between the substance of the soul
and the Divine substance in the course of intimate and loving friendship. ”
Father Poulain in “Graces of Interior Prayer," C. VI, has gathered a great
many texts from the Contemplatives on this point.
3 Notre Vie ■'■■•■nr-turelle n er — * Op. cit., p. 49.

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CHAPTER IL

118. b) If we leave comparisons aside and look for the
exact theological doctrine on the question, we arrive at
precisely the same conclusion, i) In heaven the Elect see
God face to face without the aid of any intermediary. It is
the divine essence itself that acts as the principle of knowl­
edge or species impressa as it is called.1 This means that
there exists between God and the Elect a true and real
union that can be called physical, since God can not be seen
and possessed unless He be present to them by His essence,
nor can He be loved unless He be actually united to their
wills as the object of their love. But grace is nothing less
than the beginning, the inception, the seed of glory. 1234 Hence
the union between the soul and God begun here on earth
by grace is in fact of the same kind as that in heaven; it is
real and, in a certain sense, physical, like the latter. The
following is the conclusion of P'ather Froget in his beautiful
work, “ The Indwelling of the Holy Ghost. ” Supported by
numerous texts from St. Thomas he says : “ God is then
truly, physically and substantially present in the Christian
in the state of grace; this is no mere presence, but a real
possession with the initial enjoyment thereto attached. ”
2) We draw the same conclusion from the analysis of
grace itself. According to the teaching of the Angelic
Doctor, based on the very texts of Holy Scripture we have
quoted, habitual grace is given us in order that we may
enjoy the possession not only of divine gifts but also of the
Divine Persons. 3 But to enjoy anything whatever, adds a
disciple of St. Bonaventure, the presence of the said thing
or object is absolutely necessary, and therefore, in order to
enjoy the Holy Spirit, His presence is necessary as well as
the presence of the created gift which unites us to Him. 4
If the presence of the created gift is real and physical, should
not that of the Holy Ghost be likewise real and physical?
Therefore, our deductions from Dogma as well as the
comparisons employed by the Fathers authorize us to say that
the union of the soul with God is not merely moral, nor on
the other hand substantial, in the strict sense of the term,
1 In visione qua Deus per essentiam videbitur, ipsa divina essentia erit quasi
forma intellectus quo intelliget. St.Thomas, Sum. Theol., Suppl., q. 92, a. 1.
2 “Gratia nihil est quam inchoatio gloriæ in nobis ". Sum. theol., IIa Ilæ, q. 24,
a. 3. — This is likewise the thought of Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical, Divinum
illud munus : “ Hæc autem mira conjunctio, quæ suo nomine inhabitatio dicitur,
conditione tantum seu statu ab ea discrepat qua caelites Deus beando complecti­
tur ”. Cavallera, Thesaurus doctrinœ cathol., n. 546.
3 “ Per donum gratiae gratum facientis perficitur creatura rationalis ad hoc quod
libere non solum ipso dono creato utatur, sed ut ipsa divina persona fruatur. "
St. Thomas, Sum. Theol., I, q. 43, a. 3.
4 Ps. Bonaventure, Compend. Theol. veritatis, L I, c, 9.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

63

but that it is so real that it may be justly called a physico­
moral union. However, it remains veiled and obscure; its
growth is gradual, its effects are perceived more and more
clearly in proportion as we make efforts to cultivate faith
and the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Fervent souls who
long for this divine union are ever possessed of an urgent
desire to advance further each day in the practice of virtue
and the use of these gifts.
2° The Virtues

and the

Gifts

A) Existence and Nature
119.In order to act and develop, the supernatural life
ingrafted into our souls by habitual grace demands faculties
likewise of a supernatural character. These the bounty
and liberality of God have given us in the form of infused
virtues and gifts of the Holy Ghost. As Leo XIII tells us:
“ The just man living the life of grace and acting through
the virtues that fulfil the function of faculties, stands also
in need of the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. ” 1 In fact, it
is only meet that our natural faculties , which of themselves
can produce but natural acts, should be perfected and deified
by infused habits to place them on a supernatural plane and
enable them to act supernaturally. Because God’s liberality
knows no bounds, He has granted us a twofold boon : first,
the virtues which, directed by prudence, enable us to act
supernaturally with the help of actual grace; then, the gifts
making us so docile to the influence of the Holy Ghost that
we are, so to speak, moved and directed by that divine Spirit,
guided by a sort of divine instinct. Here it must be noted
that these gifts, conferred as they are together with the vir­
tues and habitual grace, do not exert a frequent or an
intensive action except in mortified souls who have by a
prolonged practice of the moral and theological virtues ac­
quired that supernatural docility and ease that render them
completely obedient to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.
120. The essential difference between the virtues and
the gifts consists in their different mode of action within us.
In the practice of virtue grace lets us act under the influence
of prudence. In the use of the gifts> once they have reached
their full development, grace demands docility rather than
activity. We shall go deeper into this question when treat­
1 “ Homini justo vitam scilicet viventi divinæ gratiæ et per congruas virtutes
tamquam facultates agenti, opus plane est septenis illis quæ proprie dicuntur Spiri­
tus Sancti donis. ” Leo XIII, Encyc., Divinum illud munus. See the English
translation in The Great Encyclicals of Leo XIII, p. 422-440.

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CHAPTER Π.

ing of the unitive way. In the meantime, a comparison will
help us to understand it : when a mother teaches her child
to walk, she at times simply leads him supporting him at
the same time so that he may not fall; at other times
she takes him in her arms to help him over some hindrance
in the way or to let him rest a while. The first instance
illustrates the influence of the virtues, the latter that of
the gifts.
From this it follows that normally the acts performed
under the influence of the gifts are more perfect than those
accomplished under the sole influence of the virtues precisely
because in the former case the operation of the Holy Ghost
is more active and also more fruitful.
B) The Infused Virtues

121. It is certain from the Council of Trent that at the
very moment of justification we receive the infused virtues
of faith, hope and charity.1 The common doctrine, confirm­
ed by the Catechism of the Council of Trent,2 is that the
moral virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance
are likewise communicated to us at that same moment.
We must remember that these virtues endow us, not with
facility, but with a supernatural,proximate power of eliciting
supernatural acts. In order to acquire that facility of
action which acquired habits give, we need to perform
repeated acts of such virtues.
Let us now see how these virtues supernaturalize our
faculties.
a) Some of these virtues are theological, because their
material object is God, their formal object some divine
attribute. Faith, for instance, unites us to God, the Supreme
Truth, and aids us to see all, to view all things by His divine
light. Hope unites us to God, the source of our happiness,
who is ever ready to pour forth upon us all His favors so
that our transformation may be perfected, and to tender us
His all-powerful help to enable us to elicit acts of absolute
trust in Him. Charity takes us up to God, infinitely good
in Himself. Under the influence of this love, we delight in
the perfections of God even more than if they were our
own; we desire to make them known and have them
praised; we form with Him a holy friendship and a sweet
intimacy. Thus we become more and more like unto Him.
1 “ In ipsa justificatione... hæc omnia simul infusa accipit homo, fidem, spem et
caritatem. {Trid., sess. VI, c. 7). — 3 P. 11, de Baptismo, n. 42.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

65

122. b) These three theological virtues unite us directly
to God ; the moral virtues remove the obstacles to that union
and thus prepare for and perpetuate it. The object proper
of these moral virtues is a moral good distinct from God.
Our actions are so regulated by them that, in spite of obsta­
cles from within or without, they are kept in steady course
towards God. Thus, prudence makes us choose those means
best adapted to the pursuance of our supernatural end.
Justice, by having us render to others what is due them,
sanctifies our relations with them, so as to bring us close to
God and to make us more like Him. Fortitude equips our
soul for trials and struggles. It makes us endure suffering
with patience and causes us to undertake with holy ardor
and daring the most painful and laborious tasks for the glory
of God. Lastly, since guilty pleasure would lead us astray,
temperance controls our thirst for pleasure and brings it
under subjection to the law of duty. All these virtues have
their part to play either in removing obstacles or in supply­
ing positive means to press onward towards God.1
C) The Gifts of the Holy Ghost
123. Here we shall not describe the gifts in detail, but
simply show how they correspond to the virtues.
First, the gifts are in no way superior to the theological
virtues. This becomes evident if we but think of divine
charity. Their function, however, is that of perfecting the
exercise of the virtues. By the gift of understanding we can
penetrate farther into the truths of faith to discover the
hidden treasures and discern the mysterious harmony therein
contained. The gift of knowledge makes us look upon
creatures from the point of view of their relation to their
Maker. The gift of fear, by weaning us from the false
goods of earth that might allure us into sin, fortifies the
virtue of hope and intensifies the desire for the happiness
of heaven. Wisdom makes us relish divine things thus
increasing our love of God. The gift of counsel crowns the
virtue of prudence by showing us in exceptional or difficult
cases what it behooves us to do or not to do. Piety perfects
the virtue of religion, making us recognize in God a Father
whom we delight in glorifying by love. The gift of fortitude
completes the virtue which bears the same name by urging
us on to what is more heroic in endurance and in daring.
In the second part of this work where we shall treat of the illuminative way, we
shall explain these virtues in detail. The explanation of the gifts of the Holy Ghost
we shall join to the treatment of the unitive way.

66

CHAPTER II.

The gift of fear., besides rendering easy the practice of hope,
perfects temperance by begetting in us a dread of the
penalty and of the ills issuing from the illicit love of pleasure.
In this fashion the virtues and the gifts receive their har­
monious development in our souls under the influence of
actual grace, of which we must now briefly speak.

3° Actual Grace 1
In the order of nature we can do nothing to bring power
into action without the concurrence of God. The same is
true in the supernatural order; without actual grace we
cannot set our faculties into operation.
124. We shall explain : i° the notion of actual grace,
2° its mode of action, 3° its necessity.
A) Notion. Actual grace is a supernatural, transient help
given us by our Lord to enlighten our mind and strengthen
our will in the performance of supernatural acts.
a) Its action on our spiritual faculties is direct. Now,
grace acts on the mind and the will not simply to raise them
to the supernatural order, but to set them in motion and
cause them to elicit supernatural acts. For instance, before
justification, that is, before the infusion into the soul of
habitual grace, actual grace makes us see the malice and
frightful consequences of sin in order to have us loathe it.
After justification actual grace shows us by the light of faith
God’s infinite beauty and His loving kindness, in order to
have us love Him with all our heart.
b) Besides these interior helps, there are others called
exterior graces. These latter act directly on our senses and
our sensitive faculties. They, therefore, indirectly reach the
spiritual faculties, especially since they are often attended
by real, interior helps. To this category of exterior graces
belong, for instance, the reading of Holy Scripture or the
perusal of some spiritual work, the hearing of a sermon or
a piece of religious music, a pious conversation, etc. These
do not of themselves strengthen the will, but they produce
in us favorable impressions which by quickening the mind
and rousing the will predispose them towards the supernat­
ural good. Besides, God often gives in addition inward
promptings which by enlightening the mind and giving
strength to the will, move us on to amendment, conversion
1 Cf. S. Thomas, I* Ilæ, q. 109-113; Tanquerey, Syn. Theol. Dog., Ill, n. 122123. Besides Latin works see Waffelaert, Méditations théol., I, p. 606-650;
De Broglie, Confér. sur la vie surnaturelle, I, p. 249; Labauche, God and Man,
III· P., C. 1; Van der Meersch, in the Diet, de théol: "Grâce".

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

67

or advancement in the way of perfection. This is what
we draw from the Book of the Acts where the Holy Ghost
is spoken of as opening the heart of a woman named Lydia
“ to attend to those things which were said by Paul. ” 1 As
for the rest, God who knows that it is through things sen­
sible that we rise to things spiritual, adapts Himself to our
weakness and makes use of the visible things of this world
to bring us to the practice of virtue.

125. B) Its mode Of action, a) Actual grace exerts its
influence upon us both in a moral and a physical manner. In
a moral way, by means of persuasion and attraction, just
as a mother might in teaching her child to walk, call him
to herself with a promise of something good. It influences
us physically2 by adding new forces to our faculties, too
weak to act of themselves, as a mother not only coaxes her
child to try to walk, but actually takes him by the arms and
helps him to take a few steps. All schools admit that oper­
ating grace acts physically by producing in our souls inde­
liberate impulses. As to co-operating grace various schools of
theology hold different opinions; these differences, however,
have but little importance in practice. We shall not discuss
them here since we do not wish to base the doctrine of the
spiritual life upon questions that are matter for controversy.
b) From another point of view, grace either goes before the
free assent of the will or accompanies it in the performance
of an act. Thus, for example, the thought of making an
act of love of God suggests itself to us without any effort
on our part. This is a preventing grace, a good thought
that God gives us. If we acquiesce in it and make an effort
to perform the act of love, we then accomplish this through
the help of a grace called concomitant. Another distinction
analogous to this is the one between operating
co-operating
grace : through the former God acts in us without us;
through the latter God acts in and together with us, that is
with the free co-operation of our will.
126. C) Its necessity. 3 The general principle is that
actual grace is necessary for the performance of every super­
natural act, since there must be a proportion between an
effect and its cause.
« Ads, XVI, 14.
3 This is at least the Thomist teaching thus summarized by Father Hugon, Trad.
Dog., II, p. 297: “ Gratia actualis... est etiam realitas supernatiyalis nobis intrin■.<;ca, non quidem per modum qualitatis, sed per modum motionis transeuntis ”,
a Cf. Syn. Theol. Dog., III, n. 34-91. There we also examine how far grace is
needed for the performance of natural acts.

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CHAPTER II.

a) Thus, when it is question of conversion, that is, of the
passing from mortal sin to the' state of grace, supernatural
grace is needed to perform the preliminary acts of faith,
hope, sorrow and love ; nay, such a grace is needed even for
that devout desire of believing which is the first step, the
very starting point of faith, b) Our steadfastness in good,
our perseverance unto the hour of death, is likewise the work
of actual grace. In fact, in order to persevere one must resist
temptations which assail even the justified soul so persistently
and tenaciously at times, that without God’s help one could
not withstand their onslaught. This is why the Savior warns
His Apostles immediately after the Last Supper to watch
and pray, that is to say, to rely upon grace rather upon their
efforts and good will, lest they fall victims to temptation.1
Beside the resisting of temptations, perseverance also implies
the accomplishment of one’s duty. The constant and stren­
uous efforts we must put forth in order to fulfil it will not be
made without the power of grace. He alone who has begun
in us the good work of perfection can bring it to a happy
close. 2 Only He who has called us unto His eternal glory
can perfect and confirm and establish us. 3

127. This holds true especially of final perseverance, a
singular and priceless gift. 4 We cannot merit it strictly
speaking. To die in the state of grace in spite of all the
temptations that assail us at the last hour, to escape these
by a sudden or tranquil death — falling asleep in the Lord
— this is truly in the language of Councils the grace of
graces. We cannot ask for it insistently enough. Prayer
and faithful co-operation with grace can obtain it for us. 5
C) We truly have to rely upon the divine favor. Think
what this means, if one wishes not merely to persevere in
grace, but to grow in holiness each day, to avoid deliberate
venial faults and reduce as much as in our power lies even
our faults of frailty. To pretend that we could for long
escape all the faults that hinder our spiritual progress is to
contradict the experience of the choicest souls, souls that
sorrowed bitterly over their lapses; it would be to contra­
dict St. John who declares that whoever imagines himself
free from sin labors under a delusion ;*
56 in fine, it is to
contradict the Council of Trent which condemns those who
maintain that justified man can, without a special privi­
* Matth., XXVI, 41. — » Philip., I, 6. — 3 / Peter, V, io.
* Trid., sess. VI, Can. 16, 22, 23.
5 S. August., De dono persev., VI, 10, P. L. XLV, 999.
6 I Joan., I, 8.

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69

lege from God, avoid all venial sin during the whole course
of his life.1
128. Actual grace is, therefore, needed even after justi­
fication. We obtain it of the divine mercy by prayer;
hence, the stress laid in Holy Writ upon the necessity of
prayer. We can also obtain it through our meritorious acts,
in other words, by our co-operation with grace; for the more
faithful we are in availing ourselves of the actual graces
received, the more will the Almighty be moved to grant us
new and greater ones.

Conclusions
129. i° We must hold in greatest esteem the life of
grace, for it is a new life which unites and assimilates us to
God. It is a life much higher and richer than our own
natural life. As the life of the mind, our intellectual life, is
superior to vegetative or sensitive life, so the supernatural
life infinitely surpasses mere rational life. This latter in
fact is due to man the moment God determines to create
him., whilst the former is above the activities and the merit
of even the most perfect creature. What created being could
ever claim the right of becoming the adopted child of God?
Of being made the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost? Of
seeing, contemplating God face to face as He sees and con­
templates Himself? The Christian life is, therefore, the
hidden treasure which we must hold dearer than all created
things.

130. 2° Once this treasure is ours, we must be ready to
sacrifice all things rather than run the risk of losing it.
This is the conclusion arrived at by Pope St. Leo :
“ Understand, O Christian, what dignity is yours! Made a
partaker of the divine nature, do not by an unworthy life
return to your former wretchedness. ” 2 No one should be
possessed of a greater reverence for self than the Christian,
not indeed on account of any merits of his own, but because
of that divine life in which he shares, because of the Holy
Ghost whose living temple he is. The holiness of this
temple must not be violated nor its beauty tarnished :
“ Holiness becomes Thy house, O Lord, unto length of
days. ” 3

131. 3° Our plain duty is to make use of, to develop
this supernatural organism which constitutes our greatest
1 Sess. VI, Cap. 23. — a Sermones, XXI, 3, P. L., LIV. 195. — 3 Ps. XCII, 5.

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CHAPTER II.

possession. If on the one hand it has pleased the divine
goodness to raise us to a superior rank, to endow us with
virtues and gifts that perfect our natural powers; if at every
moment God gives us His aid that we may live and act
through those powers, it would be the blackest ingratitude
to scorn and despise such gifts and to live a merely natural
life without looking for fruits worthy of eternal glory. The
more generous the giver, the more active and fruitful the
co-operation expected. We shall understand this better still
after we have studied the place of Christ in the life of the
Christian.
§ II. Rôle of Jesus in the Christian Life 1

132. The Three Divine Persons of the Most Blessed
Trinity confer upon us that participation in the life of God
described above. It is granted, however, because of the
merits and satisfactions of Jesus Christ. On this account
He plays a signal part in our supernatural life which is,
therefore, called the Christian life.
According to the teaching of St. Paul, Jesus Christ is the
head of regenerated humanity, just as Adam was the head
of the human race; but, in a far more perfect manner. By
His merits Christ regained for us our rights to grace
and glory, and by His example He shows us how we are to
live in order to sanctify ourselves and merit heaven. More
than this, He is the head of a mystical body of which we
are the members. Thus, He is the meritorious, exemplary,
and vital cause of our sanctification.

1. Jesus, the Meritorious Cause of our Spiritual Life
133.When we say that Jesus Christ is the meritorious
cause of our sanctification, we take the term in its broader
sense as implying both satisfaction and merit. “ Because of
the exceeding great charity wherewith He loved us, by His
holy passion on the cross, He merited for us justification
and made satisfaction for us ” 2 Logically, satisfaction pre­
cedes merit. The offense done to God must first of all be
atoned for to obtain the pardon of sin, before grace can be
merited. In reality, however, all the free acts of our Savior
‘ St. Thom., Ill, qq. 8, 25, 26. 40, 46-49, 57 aud elsewhere; BÉRULLE, Œuvres.
éd. 1657, p. 522-530; 665-669; 68α; Olier, Pensées choisies; Prat, Theology of
St. Paul, I, 1. III, c. i ; 1. IV, c. 3; II, 1. Ill, IV; MarmioN, Christ, Life of the
Soul; Duperray, Le Christ dans la vie chrétienne; Plus, In Christ Jesus.
3 Co. of Trent, sess. VI, c. 7.

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71

were at once satisfactory and meritorious; all had an infi­
nite moral value, as we said above, n. 78. From this truth
a few conclusions follow.
A) No sin is unpardonable provided that contrite and
humbled we meekly ask for forgiveness. This is what we
do in the tribunal of penance where the power of the Blood
of Christ is applied to us by His minister. The same
is effected in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There Jesus
offers Himself incessantly for us by the hands of His
priests as a sacrifice of propitiation, which repairing the
injury done to God by sin, inclines Him to forgive us and
at the same time obtains for us graces which excite in our
souls sentiments of sincere contrition. Christ thus obtains
for us the full pardon of our sins and remission of the
temporal punishment due to them. We may add that all
the acts of our Christian life, when united to those of Jesus
Christ, have a satisfactory value both for ourselves and
for those for Avhom we offer them.

134. B) Christ likewise merited for us all the grace
we need to attain our supernatural end and to develop in us
the supernatural life : “ Who hath blessed us with spiritual
blessings in heavenly places, in Christ. ” 1 He merited
for us the grace of conversion, the grace of steadfastness in
good, the helps to resist temptation, the aids to profit by
trial, the grace of comfort in the midst of tribulations, the
grace of renewal of spirit and of final perseverance. He
merited all things for us. We have the solemn word
that anything we ask the Father in His name, that is,
through His own merits, will be granted to us. 2 Then
in order to inspire us with greater confidence, He instituted
the sacraments, visible signs, which confer His grace in all
the important events of life and which give us a right to
actual graces in time of need.

135.C) He has gone further still. In His desire to
associate us with Himself in the work of our own sanctifi­
cation, He has given us the power of satisfying and
meriting, thus making us the secondary causes, the agents
of our own sanctification. He has, as a matter of fact, made
this co-operation a law and an essential condition of our
spiritual life. If He has carried His cross, it is that we
may follow Him bearing ours : “ If any many will come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and
1 Eph., I, 3. — ’ John, XVÏ, 23.

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CHAPTER II

follow me. ” 1 It was thus understood by the Apostles.
If we would share in His glory, says St. Paul, we must share
in His sufferings : “ Yet so, if we suffer with him, that we
may be also glorified with him. ” 2 St. Peter adds that if
Christ suffered for us it is that we may follow in His foot­
steps. 3 Moreover, self-sacrificing souls are urged, after the
manner of the Apostle of the Gentiles, to undergo suffering
joyfully in union with Christ for the sake of the Church, His
mystical body : “ Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you
and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings
of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church. ” 4
In this wise these souls share in the redeeming power of
Christ’s passion and become secondary agents of the salva­
tion of their brethren. How true, how sublime, how con­
soling is this doctrine! Compare it with the incredible
affirmation of certain Protestants who assert, that since
Christ suffered to the full for us, there remains for us only
to enjoy the fruits of His plentiful redemption without
drinking of His chalice. They thus pretend to pay homage
to the fulness of Christ’s merits. Does not our Christ-given
power to merit show forth better the fulness of the redemp­
tion by Christ? Does it not do more honor to Christ to
manifest the power of His satisfaction by enabling us to
join in His work of atonement and co-operate with Him
even though in a secondary manner?
Jesus, the Exemplary Cause of our Spiritual Life

136. Jesus was not content to merit for us; He willed
to be the exemplary cause, the model of our supernatural life.
In order to develop a life that is no less than a partic­
ipation in the life of God, we must strive as far as it
possible, to live a divine life. Hence, the need we had of a
divine model. As St. Augustine remarks, men whom we
see were too imperfect to serve us as a pattern and God, who
is holiness itself, was too far beyond our gaze. Then, the
eternal Son of God, His living image, became man and
showed us by His example how man could here on earth
approach the perfection of God. Son of God and son of
man, He lived a Godlike life and could say : “ Who seeth
me seeth the Father. ” 5 Having revealed the holiness of
God in His actions, He can present to us as practical the
imitation of the divine perfections : “ Be you therefore
’ Matlh., XVI, 24. — 2 Rom., VIII, 17. — 3 I Peler, II, 21.
4 Coloss., I, 24. — 5 John, XIV, g.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

73

perfect as also your heavenly Father is perfect. ” 1 There­
fore, the Eternal Father proposes Him to us as our model.
At His haptism and His transfiguration He said : “ This
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ” 2 Because
He is well pleased in Him, the Eternal Father wills that
we imitate His only-begotten Son. Thus with perfect
assurance our Lord tells us: “I am the way... no man
cometh to the Father but by me... learn of me because
I am meek and humble of heart... I have given you an
example that as I have done to you so you do also.” 3
At bottom the Gospel is no more than a relation of the
deeds and traits of our Lord’s sacred person proposed
to us as a model for our imitation : “Jesus began to do
and to teach. ” 4 Christianity in turn is nothing more than
the imitation of Christ. St. Paul gave this as the sum­
total of all our duties : “ Be ye followers of me as I also
am of Christ. ” 5

137. a) The following are the qualities of the model
given us. Jesus is a perfect model. On the admitted
testimony of even those who do not believe in His divinity,
He is the highest type of virtue ever seen among men. He
practised all virtues to the degree of heroism. His motives
were the most perfect : religion towards God, love of His
fellow-men, utter self-effacement and horror of sin and its
approaches.*6* And yet, this model is withal capable of
imitation; it is universal, magnetic, powerful.
138. b) All men can imitate Him. Indeed, He willed
to bear all our weaknesses and miseries and even our temp­
tations; He willed to be like us in all things, sin excepted.
“ For we have not a high-priest who can not have compassion
on our infirmities : but one tempted in all things like we are,
without sin. ” 7 During thirty years He lived an ordinary
life, hidden and obscure; He was Subject to Mary and
Joseph, working as an apprentice, a wage-earner, a toiler,
“ the carpenter’s son. ” 8 This has made Him the perfect
model for the great mass of men who have but lowly duties
to perform and who must work out their sanctification amid
humble occupations. His public life was one of zeal. This
He exercised, now by training His Apostles,His chosen ones,
now by evangelizing the multitudes. He underwent hunger
• Matth., V, 48. — a Matth., Ill, 17; XVII, 5.
3 John, XIV, 6; Matth., XI, 29; John, XIII, 15.— 1 Acts, I, 1.
s / Cor., IV, 16; XI, 1; Ejh., V, 1.
6 This is very well explained by Father Olier, " Catechism for an Interior Life’,
Part I, C. I. — 7 Heb. IV, 15. — 8 Matth., XIII, 55.

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CHAPTER II.

and fatigue, enjoyed the friendship of a few, and had to bear
the ingratitude and even the enmity of others. He had
His successes and reverses, His joys and His sorrows. In a
word, He passed through the vicissitudes of the man who
lives close to his friends and in daily contact with the people.
The sufferings of His passion have given us the example of
heroic patience in the midst of physical and moral torture,
endured not only without complaint but with a prayer for
His persecutors. And we must not reason that because He
was God He suffered less. He was also man, a man pos­
sessed of the most perfect, and therefore the most delicate
sensibility. So, He felt and felt more keenly, more vividly
than we ever could, the ingratitude of men, the defection of
His friends, the treason of Judas. He tasted weariness and
grief and terror to the full, so that He could not stay the
groaning of His heart, He could not halt the prayer that
if possible the bitter chalice might pass from Him. Lastly,
on the cross He let escape that woeful cry of utter dereliction,
torn from the recesses of His soul, and revealing abysmal
depths of interior sorrow : “ My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me! ” 1
139. c) A universal model is also a magnetic one. Speak­
ing of the manner of His death, He foretold that once He
be lifted up from the earth He would draw all things to
Himself : “ And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will
draw all things to myself. ” 1
23 The prophecy has come
true. Gazing upon what Jesus has done and suffered for
them, generous souls are smitten with love for Him and for
His Cross. 3 In spite of the abhorrence of nature they
bravely carry their interior or exterior crosses to become
more like their Lord and Master, to give Him a proof of their
love by suffering with Him and for Him, to share more
richly in the fruits of His redemption, to join Him in work­
ing for the sanctification of men. This is revealed in the
lives of the Saints who seek after crosses more eagerly than
worldlings do after pleasure.
140. d) This attraction is all the stronger since He adds
thereto all the power of His grace. All the actions of Christ
before His death were meritorious; they merited for us the
grace of performing actions similar to His own. When we
observe His humility, His poverty, His mortification and
1 Aiatth., XXVII, 46; Aik., XV, 34.
3 John, XII, 32.
3 This is the meaning of the prayer of the Apostle St. Andrew who, crucified for
Ris Master, lovingly greeted the Cross, saying: “ O bona crux".

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

75

all His other virtues, we are drawn to imitate Him, not
merely by the persuasive force of His example, but by the
impelling power, the efficaciousness of the graces which He
merited for us by practising such virtues.
141. There are especially certain actions of our divine
Savior that transcend all others. To these we must unite
ourselves since they are the source of greater grace ; they
are His mysteries. At His incarnation our Lord offered us
all with Himself to the Eternal Father to consecrate us to
Him. This mystery then merited for us the grace of selfrenunciation and of union with God. The mystery of His
crucifixion gained for us the grace of crucifying our flesh
and its concupiscences. The mystery of His death obtained
for us the grace of dying to sin and to the causes of sin.1
The truth of this will be better realized by considering how
Jesus is the head of a mystical body of which we are the
members.

III. Jesus the Head of a Mystical Body or the Source
of our Spiritual Life 2

142.The doctrine of the mystical body is contained in
substance in the words of our Lord : 3 “ I am the vine and
you the branches. ” Here He asserts that we draw our life
from Him as the branches do from the stalk. This compar­
ison brings out the notion of our participation in the life
of Christ. It is easy to pass thence to the conception of
the mystical body in which Jesus, the Head, communicates
His life to the members. St. Paul is most insistent on this
teaching so fruitful in its consequences. A body must
have a head, a soul and members. These three elements
we shall now describe, following the doctrine of the Apostle.

143. i° The head plays a threefold rôle in the human
body : it is first of all its most prominent and preeminent
part, its center of unity, holding together, controlling and di­
recting all the members; it is the source of a vital influx, for
life and movement proceed from it. This threefold function
is exercised by Christ in the Church and in the souls of men.
a) He is without question the most prominent and préémi­
nent among men. As God-man He is the first-born of all
creatures, the object of the divine complacency, the exemplar
’ Olier, Catechism for an Interior Life, P. I, C. XX-XXV.
3 Sum. Theol., Ill, q. 8; Prat, op. cit., I, ed. 1920, p. 358-369; Duperray, op.
cit., C. I-II; Marmion, Christ the Life of the Soul, p. 79-92; PLUS, op. cit.
3 John, XV, 5.

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CHAPTER IL

of all virtues, the meritorious cause, the source of our sancti­
fication, who on account of His merits was exalted above His
brethren and before whom every knee must bend in heaven
and on earth.
b) He is the center of unity in the Church. Two things
are essential to any complete organism : variety of organs
and the functions they fulfil, and a single, common principle.
Without these we should have a mass or a motley gathering
of living beings with no tie to bind them together. After
having given diversity of members to the Church by the
establishment of a hierarchy, Jesus Christ still remains its
center of unity; for it is He who as the invisible but real
Head of the Church gives impetus and direction to its rulers.
C) He is likewise the vital influx, the principle of life that
quickens all the members. Even as man He received grace
in all its fulness to communicate it to us : “ We saw him
full of grace and truth... from whose fulness we have all
received and grace for grace. ” 1 He is in fact the merito­
rious cause of all the graces bestowed upon us by the Holy
Ghost. The Council of Trent does not hesitate to affirm
the reality of this influxj this vital action of Jesus upon the
just : “ For the same Christ... does infuse virtue into those
that are justified... as the head unto the members. ”a

144. 2° A living body must have not only a head but
also a soul. The Holy Ghost is the soul of that mystical
body whose head is Christ. This Holy Spirit infuses charity
into the souls of men and also the graces Christ merited for
us : “ The charity of God is poured forth into our hearts by
the Holy Ghost who is given to us. ” 3 This is why He is
called the Vivifier; “ I believe in the Holy Ghost... the Vi­
vifier”. This is what St. Augustine had in mind when he
said that the Holy Ghost is to the body of the Church what
the soul is to the human body : “ What our soul is to the
body, the Holy Ghost is to the body of Christ, which is the
Church. ”4 These words have been adopted by Leo XIII
in his encyclical on the Holy Ghost. This same Spirit dis­
penses the sundry spiritual gifts, the diversity of graces —
charisms — “ To one the word of wisdom, to another the
word of knowledge, to another the working of miracles, to
another prophecy, to another divers kinds of tongues... but
all these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing
to every one according as he will. ” 5
1 John, I, 14, 16. — 2 Sess. VI, C. 8. — 3 Rom., V, 5.
* Sermo 187, De Tempore. — s Cor., XII, 6-n.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

77

145. Nor can this twofold action of the Holy Ghost and
of Christ work at variance. On the contrary, one completes
the other. The Holy Ghost comes to us through Christ.
When Jesus was on earth His holy soul possessed the Spirit
in all its fulness, and by His actions and above all by His
sufferings and death He merited for us the communication
of this same Spirit. It is, therefore, because of Him that
the Holy Ghost comes now to impart to us Christ’s life and
virtues and to make us like unto Him. Thus we see how
on the one hand Jesus being man could alone be the head of
a mystical body composed of men, since the head and the
members must be one in nature ; and we see on the other
hand how as man He could not of Himself bestow the grace
required for the life of His members. This the Holy Ghost
does, but He does it in virtue of Christ’s merits. Hence,
we can say that this vital influx takes its origin in Christ
in order to reach His members.
146. 3° Who are the members of this mystical body?
All those who have been baptized. It is baptism that incor­
porates us into Christ. St. Paul says : “ For in one Spirit
were we all baptized unto one body. ” 1 For this reason he
adds that we have been baptized in Christ, that in baptism
we put on Christ, 2 that is to say, we participate in the inte­
rior dispositions of Christ. This the Decree to the Arme­
nians explains, saying that by baptism we become members
of Christ and of the body of the Church. 3 From this it
follows that all the baptized are Christ’s members, but in
various degrees. The just are united to Him by habitual
grace and the privileges that come with it; sinners, by faith
and hope; the blessed, by the beatific vision. As regards
infidels, they are not actually members of Christ’s mystical
body, although as long as they live upon earth they are
called to become such. Only the damned are irrevocably
excluded from this wonderful privilege.

147. 4° The Consequences of this Doctrine. A) This
incorporation forms the basis of the doctrine of the commu­
nion of Saints. The just upon earth, the souls in purgatory
and the blessed in heaven are all integral parts of Christ’s
mystical body. As such they all share in His life, come
under His influence, and are obliged to love and help one
another. St. Paul tells us : “ If one member suffer anything,
« / Cor., XII, 13.
'Rom., VI, 3; Gal., Ill, 25; Rom.. XIII, 17.
3 Denzinger-Bann., n. 696.

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CHAPTER II.

all the members suffer with it; or if one member glory, all
the members rejoice with it. ” 1

148.B) This is what makes all Christians brothers.
From now on there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither free­
man nor slave; we are all one in Christ Jesus. 2 We are all
in closest fellowship so that what is profitable unto one is
profitable unto all others. No matter how great the variety
of gifts, or how great the diversity of offices, the whole body
derives gain from whatever good there is in each member,1 I
and each member in turn shares in the common good of the
body. This doctrine reveals to us the reasons why our Lord
could say that whatever we do to the least of His little ones
we do unto Him ; 3 for the head is one with the members.
149.C) From St. Paul’s teaching it follows that Chris­
tians are Christ’s complement. God has in fact “ made him
head over all the Church, which is his body and the fulness
of him who is filled all in all. ”4 The fact is that Jesus,
Himself perfect, needs an increment in order to form His
mystical body. From this point of view He is not sufficient
unto Himself; in order to exercise all His vital functions
He requires members. Father Olier concludes : “ Let us
yield our souls to the Spirit of Jesus Christ so that Jesus
may have an increase in us. Whenever He finds apt follow­
ers, He expands, grows and diffuses Himself within their
hearts, filling them with the same spiritual fragrance wherein
He abounds. ” 5 This is how we are able and are called to
fulfil those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ,
our Savior, for His body, which is the Church, *46 suffering
even as He did, that His passion, so full in itself, be likewise
fulfilled in His members through time and space. There is
no doctrine more rich, more fruitful, than this doctrine of
Christ’s mystical body.

Conclusion : Devotion to the Incarnate Word

ί

150. From all that has been said concerning the rôle
Jesus Christ plays in our spiritual life, it follows that in
order to foster this life an intimate, affectionate and habitual
union with Him is demanded of us, that is, devotion to
the Incarnate Word. “ He who abideth in me and I in him,
the same beareth much fruit. ” 8 The Church brings this
1 I Cor., XII, 26. — 2£om., X, 12; I Cor. XII, 13. — 3 Matth., XXV, 34-40.
4 Eph., I, 23. — s Pensées, p. 15-16. — 6 Coloss. I, 24.
Ί Bérulle (called the Apostle of the Incarnate Word), Discours de l'Estai ei
des Grandeurs de Jésus. — 8 John, XV, 5.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

79

home to us when at the end of the Canon of the Mass she
reminds us that through Him we receive all spiritual bless­
ings, that through Him we are sanctified, quickened, blessed ;
that through Him, with Him and in Him is given to the
Father Almighty in union with the Holy Ghost all honor
and glory. A whole system of spiritual doctrine is here
contained : having received from God all things through
Christ, through the same Christ we must give God glory,
through the same Christ we must ask further graces, with
Christ and in Christ we must perform all our acts.

151. i° Jesus is the only perfect adorer of His Father.
In the words of Father Olier, He is the perfect worshipper
of God, the only one that can offer Him infinite homage.
It is clear, therefore, that in order to pay our debts to the
Most Blessed Trinity, we can do nothing better than unite
our every act of religion with the perfect worship of Jesus
Christ. Nor is this difficult. Jesus being the head of a
mystical body whose members we are, adores His Father
not merely in His own name, but in the name of all those
that are incorporated into Him. He puts into our hands,
He places at our disposal the homages He pays to God
Almighty ; He allows us to make them our own and to offer
them to the Blessed Trinity.
152.2° With Him and in Him can we best make our
petitions for new graces efficacious. He is the High-priest,
“ always living to make intercession for us. ” 1 Even when
we have had the misfortune of offending God, He pleads for
us and takes our part all the more eloquently as with His
prayers He offers also the Blood He shed for our redemption.
“ If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the just.”2 More, He endows our prayers with
such worth that if we pray in His name, that is, trusting to
His infinite merits and uniting our poor prayers with His
perfect prayers, we are certain of having our petitions
granted. “ Amen, amen, I say to you; if you ask the Father
anything in my name, he will give it you. ”3 The fact is
that the value of His merits is imparted to His members,
and God can not refuse anything to His Son. “ He was
heard for his reverence. ” 4

153. 3° Lastly, it is in union with Jesus Christ that we
must perform all our acts, by keeping, as Father Olier so
aptly puts it, Jesus before our eyes, in our heart and in our
« Heb., VII, 25. — ’ I John, II, I. — 3 John, XVI, 23. — 4 Heb., V, 7.

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CHAPTER Π.

hands.1 Now, we keep Jesus before our eyes when we
think of Him as the ideal, the model, we are to imitate;
when like St. Vincent de Paul we ask ourselves : “ What
would Jesus Christ do were He in my place?” We keep
Jesus in our heart by drawing into our soul the dispositions
of His own heart, His purity of intention, His fervor, in
order to perform our actions in the spirit in which He per­
formed His. We have Jesus in our hands when we carry
into action with generosity, determination and constancy
the inspirations which He suggests to us. Then, our life is,
indeed, transformed and we live Christ’s own life. “ I live,
now not I, but Christ liveth in me. ” 234
§ III. The Part of the Blessed Virgin, the Saints
and the Angels in the Christian Life

154. Assuredly there is but one God and one principal
mediator, Jesus Christ: “For there is one God: and one
mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus. ” 3 How­
ever, it has pleased the Divine Wisdom as well as the Divine
Goodness to grant us protectors, intercessors and models
that are, or at least appear to be, closer still to us. Such
are the Saints, members of Christ’s mystical body, who
having reproduced in their own lives the divine perfections
and the virtues of Christ, are concerned in the welfare of
their fellow-members, their brethren. By honoring them
we honor none other than God Himself, since they reflect
the divine perfections. In asking them to intercede for us
before the Almighty, it is none other than God whom we
really invoke. Lastly, since their own sanctity depends
solely upon their imitation of the divine Model, upon the
measure in which they themselves have reproduced His
virtues, when we imitate them we do nothing else but imi­
tate Jesus Christ Himself. Far from detracting, then, from
the worship due to God and to the Incarnate Word, devotion
to the Saints confirms it and carries it out in all its fulness.
And since the Blessed Mother of Jesus occupies a unique
place among the Saints, we shall first explain the place she
holds in the Christian Life.
I. The Part Mary Holds in the Christian Life. 4
155. i° Its foundation. This rests upon the fact of
Mary’s intimate union with Jesus, in other words, upon the
1 Introd, à la vie et aux vertus chrit., c. IV, p. 47.
3 Gal., II, 2Λ — 3 I Tim., II, 5.
4 St. Thomas, In Salut. Angel. Expositio; Suarez, De Mysteriis Christi, disp.

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81

dogma of her divine Motherhood. Corollaries deduced
from this doctrine are her dignity and her office as the
mother of men.
A) At the moment of the Incarnation Mary became the
mother of Jesus, mother of the God-man, mother of God.
If we consider the dialogue between Mary and the Angel,
we discover that the Blessed Virgin is the mother of Jesus
not simply inasmuch as He is a private individual, but inas­
much as He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world.
“ The Angel does not speak merely of the personal grandeur
of Jesus. He tenders Mary a call to become the Mother of
the Savior, of the expected Messiah, the Eternal King of
regenerated mankind. The whole work of redemption
hinges on Mary’s “ fiat ”, She is aware of what God proffers
her; she accedes without restriction or condition to what
God asks of her. Her “fiat ” embraces the whole import of
that divine invitation, it extends to the entire work of redemp­
tion.”1 The Fathers, following St. Irenaeus, remark that
Mary is, therefore, the Mother of the Redeemer and that,
being associated as such with His work of Redemption, she
has in our spiritual restoration a part similar to that of Eve
in our spiritual ruin.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, has the most intimate relations
with the Three Divine Persons. She is the well-beloved
Daughter of the Father and His collaborator in the work of
the Incarnation. She is the Mother of the Son with a real
title to respect from Him, to His love and, upon earth, even
to His obedience. By giving Him His body and blood,
the instruments of our redemption, and by sharing in
His mysteries, she was the secondary but true agent, the
co-worker with her Son in effecting the sanctification and
salvation of men. She is the living temple, the privileged
sanctuary of the Holy Ghost, and, in an analogical sense, His
Spouse; for with Him and under Him she has an active part
in bringing forth souls to God.
156. B) At the Incarnation Mary became likewise the
Mother of men. As we have already stated, n. 142, Jesus is
Ι-ΧΧΙΠ; Bossuet, Sermons sur la Ste Vierge; Terrien, La Mère de Dieu et la
Mère des hommes, 111; Garriguet, La Vierge Marie; Diet, dApol. (dAlès),
“Marie"; HuGON, Marie, pleine de grâce; Bainvel, Marie, mère de grâce;
Syn. Theol. dog., II, n. 1226-1263.
« Bainvel, op. cit., p. 73, 75. — The thesis can well be based on the words of
the Angel : “ Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son :
and thou shalt call his name Jesus (i. e. Savior); He shall be great and shall be
called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give unto him the
throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. ”
Luke, I, 31, 32.

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CHAPTER II.

the head of regenerated mankind, the head of a mystical
body whose members we are. As such did Mary conceive
Him. She likewise conceived His members, all those
who form part of Him, those who have been born again
and those who are called to incorporation with Him. When
she became the Mother of Jesus according to the flesh she
became the mother of men according to the spirit. The
scene on Calvary only confirms this truth. At the very
moment that our redemption is to be completed by the
death of the Savior, Jesus says to Mary : “ Behold thy
son ! ” Then to St. John himself He says : “ Behold
thy mother!” This, according to a tradition that goes
back as far as Origen, was a declaration that all
Christians are the spiritual children of Mary. This double
title of Mother of God and Mother of men is the
foundation of the office which Mary fills in our spiritual
life.

157. 2° Mary, a meritorious cause of grace. We
have seen, n. 133, that Jesus is in the strictest sense the
chief meritorious cause of all the graces we receive. Mary,
however, associated with Him in the work of our sanctifi­
cation, merited these graces, not in the same manner as
Christ, but secondarily and “ de congruo, ”1 that is, under
Christ and because of Him, in other words, because He
conferred upon her the power of meriting for us.
She merited these graces first of all at the moment of
the Incarnation when she uttered her “ fiat for the Incar­
nation is already the beginning of Redemption. To co-ope­
rate then in the Incarnation is to co-operate in the
Redemption and in all the graces resulting therefrom, and
hence in our sanctification and salvation.
158.Besides, Mary whose will was ever in accord with
God’s will and with the will of her divine Son, associated
herself during her whole life in the work of redemption.
She brought up Jesus, she nourished and made ready the
Victim of Calvary. Associated with Him in His joys as
well as in His trials, in His lowly labors at the house of
Nazareth as well as in His virtues, she also united herself to
her Son with tender and generous compassion in His suf­
ferings and death. At the foot of the Cross she again
uttered her “ fiat ”, acquiescing in the death of Him whom
1 This expression has been ratified by Pope Pius X in his encyclical, " Ad diem
ilium", Feb. 2, 1904, wherein he declares that Mary has merited for us “ de con­
gruo ” all the graces that Jesus had merited for us “ de condigno ",

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

83

her soul loved even more than herself while the cruel
iron pierced her heart, fulfilling the prophecy of Simeon :
“ Thine own soul a sword shall pierce. ” 1 For many of the
Jews present on Calvary the death of Jesus was the execu­
tion of a criminal; for a few it was the murder of an
innocent man; but for His Mother it was a sacrifice for the
salvation of the world. She saw in the Cross an altar, in
Her Son a priest, and in His blood the price of our
redemption. She suffered in her soul what Jesus suffered
in His body, and in union with Him she offered herself as
a victim for our sins. What merits did not her perfect
immolation gain!
Even after the ascension of Her Son into heaven she
continued to acquire merits. The privation of the joy of
His presence was a slow martyrdom. Though she ardently
longed for the moment when she would be forever united
to Him, yet, because it was God’s will and for the sake
of the infant Church, she lovingly accepted this ordeal
and thus secured for us merits without number. Further­
more, her acts possessed the greater merit because born
of a perfect purity of intention, “ My soul doth magnify
the Lord, ” 2 because they were elicited with such fervor
that they fully realized God’will : “ Behold the handmaid
of the Lord : be it done unto me according to thy word ; ” 3
and lastly, because they were performed in a most intimate
union with Jesus Christ, the very source of all merit.
No doubt, all these merits were first and foremost for
herself, increasing her own treasure of grace and her titles
to glory; but because of the part she took in the work of
our redemption, she was also found worthy of meriting in
our behalf ; as St. Bernard says, she who was full of grace
poured forth her overflow of grace upon us. 4
159. 3° Mary, an exemplary cause. Next to Jesus,
Mary is the most beautiful model offered for our imitation.
1'he Holy Ghost who in virtue of her Son’s merits lived in
her, made her a living image of Christ. Never was she
guilty of the least fault, never did she offer the least resis­
tance to grace; on the contrary, she carried out her words
to the letter : “ Be it done to me according to thy word. ”
The Fathers, therefore, particularly St. Ambrose and Pope
St. Liberius, represent her as the finished model of all
virtues ; “ charitable and full of consideration for all who
surrounded her, ever ready to serve them, never uttering a
1 Luke, II, 35. — 2 Luke, I, 46. — 3 Luke, I, 48. — * In Assumpt., sermo II, 2.

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CHAPTER II.

word or doing the least that could give pain, she was all­
loving and beloved of all. ” 1
It will suffice to note the virtues mentioned in the
Gospel : i) Her deep faith. She unhesitatingly believed
the marvels the Angel announced to her from God. For
this faith she was praised by St. Elizabeth under the inspi­
ration of the Holy Ghost : “ Blessed art thou because thou
hast believed. ” 2 2) Her virginity is revealed in her
answer to the Angel : “ How shall this be done for I know
not man? ” 3 3) Her humility is evidenced by the confusion
she experienced at hearing her praises on the lips of the
Angel, and by her expressed determination of ever remain­
ing the handmaid of the Lord at that very moment when
she was proclaimed Mother of God. It further betrays
itself in that ecstatic prayer, the Magnificat, as well as in
her love of a hidden life, while as Mother of God she had a
right to be honored above all creatures. 4) Her interior
recollection whereby she pondered in silence all that con­
cerned her divine Son : “ But Mary kept all these words in her
heart. ” 4 5) Her love for God and men which caused her to
accept willingly all the trials of a long life, especially the
immolation of her Son on Calvary and the painful sepa­
ration from Him from the time of His ascension to the
moment of her death.
160. This perfect model is also wonderfully attractive.
First, Mary is a mere creature as we are, a sister, a mother
whom we are drawn to imitate that we may show her our
gratitude, our veneration and our love. Then, she is a
model easy of imitation in this way that she sanctified
herself in the ordinary, everyday life common to most of
us, by fulfilling those lowly household duties of a young
woman and a mother, leading a hidden, retired life both in
joy and in sorrow, in the heights of exaltation and in the
deepest humiliations. We are on firm ground when we
imitate the Blessed Virgin. It is the best way of imitating
Jesus and of obtaining Mary’s all-powerful intercession.
161. 40 Mary, universal mediatrix of grace. Long
ago St. Bernard formulated this doctrine in the well-known
text : “ It is God’s will that we should receive all graces
through Mary. ” 5 It is important to determine the precise
meaning of these words. It is certain that when Mary
gave us Jesus, the Author and Meritorious Cause of grace,
1 B.AINVEL, Le Saint Cœur de Marie, p. 313. — 2 Luke, I, 45.
3 Luke, I, 34. — 4 Luke, II, 19. — 5 Sermo.de aquceductu, n. 7.

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85

she thereby gave us all graces. But we can go further.
According to a teaching which, as time goes on, is becoming
unanimous,1 men do not receive a single grace which does
not come to them immediately through Mary, that is,
through her intercession. It is question, therefore, of an
immediate and universal mediation, subordinated, however,
to that of Jesus.
162. In order to explain more exactly this doctrine we
shall quote Father de la Broise :12*4 “ The actual dispo­
sition of the divine decrees ordains that any supernatural
favor accorded to men be granted them by the common
concord of three wills and in no other way. First of all, by
the will of God, the Giver of all graces ; then, by the will of
Christ, the Mediator who by right of justice has merited
and obtained grace; and lastly, by the will of Mary, a
secondary mediator who through Jesus Christ has in all
equity (de congruo) merited and acquired graces. ” This
mediation is immediate in the sense that for each grace
granted to men Mary interposes the good offices of her
past merits and of her actual intercession. This by no
means implies that the recipient of a grace must of neces­
sity demand it of Mary. She can intervene unasked
in our behalf. Her mediation is also universal, that is, it
covers all the graces given to men since the fall of Adam.
However, it remains always subordinated to the mediation
of Jesus; for if Mary can merit and obtain graces, it is
solely through the mediation of her divine Son. Thus,
Mary’s mediation simply emphasizes the import and
richness of Christ’s own mediation.
This doctrine has been confirmed by an Office and Mass
in honor of Mary Mediatrix, which Pope Benedict XV grant­
ed to the dioceses of Belgium and to all the dioceses of the
Christian world that should request it. 3 The teaching is
therefore safe and we can make practical use of it. It can
not but inspire us with an immense confidence in Mary. 4
1 The proofs for this assertion will be found in Terrien, op. ait., III.
a Marie, mère de grâce, p. 23-24.
i Cardinal Mercier by letter of January 23, 1921 makes the fact known to his
flock in the following terms : " For years past the Belgian episcopate, the Faculty
of Theology of the University of Louvain, all the Religious Orders of the nation,
have been addressing their requests to the Sovereign Pontiff to have the title of the
Blessed Virgin, “ Mediatrix of All Graces”, authentically recognized. His
Holiness, Benedict XV, has just granted to the churches of Belgium and to all
those of the Christian world that will so request, a proper Office and Mass for the
thirty-first day of May in honor of Mary Mediatrix. ”
4 On this subject see: Bittremieux, De Mediatione Mariœ; O’Connor, Our
lady Mediatrix of Graces; Husslein, All Graces through Mary; and many
u nicies in Catholic Reviews of recent years.

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CHAPTER II.

Conclusion : Devotion

to the

Blessed Virgin

163. Since Mary plays such an important part in our
spiritual life, we must entertain a great devotion to her.
Devotion means devotedness, and devotedness means the *
gift of self. We shall be devoted to Mary, then, if we give
ourselves entirely to her and through her to God. In so
doing we simply imitate God who gives Himself and His
Son to us through Mary. We shall give her our intellect
by holding her in most profound reverence, our will by an
absolute confidence in her, our heart by the gift of a tender
and childlike love; in fine, our whole being by copying as
far as possible all her virtues.
164. A) Profound veneration. Veneration for Mary has
its foundation in her dignity as Mother of God and in the
consequences of this dignity. We can never adequately
honor and esteem the one whom the Word-made-Flesh
reveres as His Mother, the well-beloved daughter whom the
Eternal Father contemplates with loving eye, and whom
the Holy Ghost regards as His chosen sanctuary. The
Father wishing to associate her so intimately in the work
of the Incarnation shows her the utmost respect; He sends
her an Angel who hails her full of grace and who awaits
her “ Fiat ”. The Son reveres, loves and obeys her as His
Mother. The Holy Ghost comes and takes His delight in
her. When, therefore, we venerate the Blessed Virgin we
join with the Three Divine Persons in esteeming what
They Themselves esteem.
No doubt, we must not exaggerate or indulge in any
excess as regards this devotion to Mary. We must espe­
cially avoid anything that might suggest equality of Mary
with Almighty God such as making her the source of grace.
As long, however, as we see in her but a creature possessed
of no grandeur, no holiness, no power save such as her
Creator bestowed upon her, there can be no danger of
sinning by excess. It is then God Himself whom we honor
and venerate in her.
Our veneration for Mary must, moreover, surpass that
which we give to the Angels and the Saints, for her dignity
as Mother of God, her office of Mediatrix and her exalted
holiness place her above all other creatures. Thus the
devotion we accord her, although ever remaining what is
technically called “ cultus duliæ ” (veneration), that is, the
cult that we pay to created beings as distinct from the
worship (adoration) which we pay to God alone (cultus

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

87

latriæ), is nevertheless called by theologians “ cultus hyperduliæ ” -to show that it transcends the homage we pay to
the Angels and the Saints.

165. B) Absolute confidence. This confidence is foun­
ded on two facts : the power and the goodness of Mary,
a) Her power consists in an efficacious intercession with
God, who will not turn a deaf ear to her whom He honors
and loves above all creatures. And there is nothing more
fitting than this. Mary gave to Jesus His very flesh, that
human nature which made it possible for Him to acquire
merit; she co-operated with Him by her acts and sufferings
in the work of redemption. Is it not, therefore, most
fitting that she should have a share in the distribution of
the fruits of redemption? Jesus will, indeed, never refuse
her requests, and we can say in all truth that Mary is allpowerful in her supplication, omnipotentia supplex, b) Her
goodness is that of a mother who has for us, the members of
Christ, the same affection she bears her own Son ; that of a
mother who having brought us forth in pain and labor
during the anguish of Calvary will measure her love for us
only by the price of her sacrifice. Hence our trust, our
confidence in her must be firm and universal.
1) It must be firm in spite of our miseries and our sins,
for Mary is the Mother of mercy, whose business is not
justice, but compassion, kindliness, condescension. Know­
ing as she does that we are ever exposed to the attacks
of the world, the flesh and the devil, she takes pity on us
who remain her children even when we have sinned. Thus,
no sooner do we give the least intimation of good-will, of
desire of returning to God, than she accords us a tender
welcome; nay, often her thougtfulness anticipates our
prayer and obtains for us those very graces which produce
in our souls the first desire of conversion. The Church,
well aware of this, has instituted a feast for some dioceses
under the title of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of
Sinners, a title at first strange to our ears, but fully justified
in fact, for it is precisely because she is without blemish,
because she has never been tainted with the least sin, that
she overflows with compassion for her unfortunate children
who, unlike her, have not been exempted from the bane of
concupiscence.
2) Our confidence in Mary must also be universal; it
must extend to all the graces we need for conversion, for
spiritual growth, for final perseverance^ for preseveration
amidst dangers, trials and difficulties. St. Bernard is never

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CHAPTER II.

weary of recommending this trust in the Mother of God : 1
“ When the storm of temptation arises, when you are midst
the reefs and shoals of tribulation, fix thy gaze upon the
Star of the Sea, call upon Mary. If tossed by the rising
tide of pride and ambition, if lost upon the troubled waters
of scandal and contention, look then at the Star, invoke her
name. Do the billows of anger, of avarice, of lust batter
against thy soul, cast thine eyes upon Mary. Does the
greatness of thy crime fill thy soul with terror, does thy
wretched conscience beat thee down in shame and the fear
of judgment paralyze thy heart, then, when about to sink
to the depths of despondency, to plunge headlong into
despair, then think of Mary. In perils and in sorrows and
in fears think of her, call upon her name. Let her name be
ever on thy lips and the thought of her be ever in thy heart.
Follow her that the power of her intercession may attend
thee; imitate her, for in her footsteps thou canst not go
astray; call upon her and thou canst not despair; think of
her and thou canst not fail. If she holds thee by the hand
how canst thou fall! Under her protection thou shalst
know no fear; under her guidance thou shalt not falter;
under her patronage thou shalt surely reach the goal. ”
Because we ever stand in need of grace to make progress
and to conquer our enemies we must time and again have
recourse to her who is so fittingly called Our Lady of Per­
petual Help and Mother of Divine Grace.

166. C) Our confidence in Mary must be accompanied
by filial love, a love like the child’s, true, frank and tender.
Destined by the Almighty to be the Mother of His Son,
and therefore favored with whatever is lovable and endear­
ing, she is the most loving of mothers, thoughtful, kind
and devoted. Was not her heart created expressly for the
one purpose of loving the God-man, her Son, and for loving
Him in the most perfect way? Now, this very love she
had for her Son she bears also towards us who are His
living members, parts of His mystical body. She reveals
this love in the mystery of the Visitation where she hastens
to bring to her cousin, Elizabeth, Him whom she holds in
her womb and whose very presence sanctifies the home of
Zachary. Again, she shows her tender love for men at the
marriage-feast of Cana, where her delicate thoughtfulness
pleads with her Son to spare her hosts the shame of humi­
liation. On Calvary she consents to sacrifice her dearest
1 Homil. II, de Laudibus Virg. Matris, 17.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

89

Possession for our Salvation. In the Upper Room where
the disciples prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit, she
intercedes in behalf of the Apostles to draw down upon
them , in a larger measure the precious gifts of the Holy
Ghost.
167. The most lovable as well as the most loving of
mothers, she should be also the best loved mother. This is
one of her most glorious prerogatives. Wherever Jesus is
known and loved, there Mary is also known and loved.
Although aware of the vast difference between them, we
love them both, but in different degrees. Jesus we love
with the love that is due the Godhead; Mary we love
under God as His Mother, with a tender, generous and
devoted love.
We love her with a love of complacency, delighting in her
greatness, her virtues and her privileges; meditating fre­
quently on them, admiring them, rejoicing in them, and
congratulating her on her exalted perfections. We love
her with a love of benevolence ; we sincerely long that she
be better known and better loved ; we pray that her
influence over souls be widespread, and to our prayer we
join the force of word and action. We love her with a
filial love, with tenderness and without reserve, with all the
abandon, with all the unreasoned, whole-hearted devo­
tedness, with that sweet familiarity and respectful intimacy
of a child with its mother. We strive to conform our wills
in all things to the will of Mary and thereby to the will of
God. In fact, this union of wills is the genuine mark of
friendship.
,

168. D) Imitation of Mary is the most pleasing homage
we can render her. In this way we proclaim by our deeds,
by our life, and not merely by our words that we actually
regard her as a perfect model for imitation. We have
noted above (n. 159) how Mary, a living picture of her Son,
is for us an example of all virtues. If to resemble her is
to resemble Jesus, could we do better than to study her
virtues, to ponder them and strive to imitate them in our
own lives? There is no better way to accomplish this than
to perform each of our actions through Mary, with Mary
and in Mary.1 Through Mary, asking through her interces­
sion the graces we need in order to imitate her, going
through her to Jesus. With Mary, that is to say, consid­
1 This was the practice of Father Olier, popularized by Blessed Grignion de
Montfort in “ True devotion to the Blessed Virgin ".

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ering her as a model and helper, asking ourselves often
what Mary would do were she in our place, and humbly
begging her to help us to perform our actions according to .
her will. In Mary, in entire dependence upon our good
Mother, taking her point of view, entering into her plans,
doing all things as she did them, for God’s honor and
glory : “ My soul doth magnify the Lord. ”
169. These are the dispositions we must entertain in
offering up our prayers in honor of Mary : in reciting the
Hail Mary and the Angelus which bring back to mind the
scene of the Annunciation and recall her august title of
Mother of God; in saying the Sub tuum præsidium, an act
of confidence in her who shields us from harm, and the
O Domina mea, a full surrender into Mary’s hands by which
we give her our entire being; in the recitation of the Rosary,
whereby we unite ourselves to her in her joyful, sorrowful
and glorious mysteries which render so easy the sanctification
of our joys and sorrows in union with her and with Jesus;
and lastly, in the recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed
Virgin, which will often remind those who are privileged to
say it of the grandeur, the holiness and the sanctifying
mission of this good Mother.

The

act of entire consecration to

Mary 1

170. Nature and extent of this act. This is an act
of devotion which in itself embodies all the others. As
explained by Blessed Grignion de Montfort it consists in the
entire gift of self to Jesus through Mary. It comprises two
elements : first, an act of consecration which is to be renewed
from time to time, and then an habitual attitude by which
we live and act in entire dependence on Mary. “The act
of consecration, ” says Blessed Grignion de Montfort, “ con­
sists in giving oneself wholly to Mary and through her to
Jesus as her slave. ” Let no one be shocked at the word,
“ slave, ” which today seems so repugnant to us, but which
has no such evil meaning as explained by this servant of
God. A mere servant, says he, receives his wages, is ever
free to quit his master’s service. He gives his labor only,
not his person, not his rights, not his goods. A slave,
however, freely agrees to work without wages and, trust­
ing to the master that gives him food and shelter, hands
himself over to him forever, with all that he is and has, in*
' Grignion de Montfort, op. cit.; A. Lhoumf.au, La Vie spirituelle à l'école
du B. Grig, de Montfort, 1920, p. 240-427.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

91

order to live in entire dependence on the master in the
spirit of love.

171. Carrying the application of the simile to things
spiritual, the perfect servant of Mary gives himself over to
her, and through her to Jesus :
a) His body with all its senses, keeping only the use
thereof and pledging himself not to employ them except in
accordance with the good pleasure of the Blessed Virgin or
her Son. Moreover, he accepts beforehand the dispositions
of Divine Providence as regards sickness and health, life
and death.
b) All wordly possessions, using them solely in dependence
on Mary, for her honor and the glory of God.
c) His soul with all its faculties, dedicating them under
Mary’s guidance to the service of God and the good of souls,
and renouncing at the same time whatever might compro­
mise his sanctification or imperil his salvation.
d) All his interior and spiritual treasures, his merits, the
value of his satisfactory acts as well as the impetratory power
his good actions may possess. All these are placed in the
hands of Mary to the extent in which they can be given over
to another. Let us explain this last point :
1) Our merits properly so called (i. e., de condigno) by
which we procure for ourselves an increase of grace and glory
cannot be given away. When, then, we make a gift of them
to Mary it is not in order to apply them to others, but that
she might hold them in trust for us and give them increase.
It is quite otherwise with the merits called de congruo, which
can be offered for others, and these we leave entirely to
Mary’s free disposition.
2) In the same manner we allow her 1 to dispose of and
to apply freely the satisfactory value of our acts and the
indulgences we may gain, since these can be given to others.
3) In virtue of our consecration to Mary we cede to her
even the impetratory value of our acts, that is to say, of our
prayers and our good actions, in so far as they are endowed
with such efficacy.
172. Once we have made this act of consecration, we
can no longer without her permission dispose of the goods
we have made over to her. However, we may and at times
we should beg her to favor according to her good pleasure
1 St. Thomas, Supplement, q. 13, a. 2.

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those to whom we are bound by special ties and to whom
we are under special obligation. The best way, therefore,
of harmonizing our gift of self to Mary and our duties to
others is to offer up to her all those who are near and dear
to us : “I am all Thine, all mine are Thine. ” Thus the
Blessed Virgin will draw on what we have given her, but
more still on the treasury of her own merits and those of
her Son in order to help those we have committed to her
care. Our friends, therefore, will lose nothing.

173.Excellence of this act of consecration. It is an
act of holy abandonment, of self-surrender, excellent in
itself and containing, moreover, acts of the highest virtues :
religion, humility and confiding love.
1) It is an act of religion toward God, the Word-mad eFlesh, and Mary, the Mother of God. By it we acknowledge
God’s sovereign dominion and our own nothingness, and
proclaim with heart and soul those rights over us which God
has given Mary.
2) It is an act of humility, for by it we acknowledge our
nothingness and our helplessness. We divest ourselves of
everything that we have received from God and restore all
to the Giver through the hands of her from whom, under
Him and through Him, we have obtained every good gift.
3) It is an act of confiding love, for love consists in the
gift of self; and to give oneself entirely and unreservedly
presupposes absolute trust and living faith.
It may be said that this consecration if rightly made, and
frequently and earnestly renewed, is even of greater worth
than the heroic act by which we give up but the satisfactory
value of our acts and the indulgences we may gain.
174. Fruits of this act of consecration. They come
from its very nature. 1) By this act we glorify God and
Mary in an unparalleled manner : we give ourselves to God
forever, with all that we are and all that we have, without
measure or stint, and we do so after the manner of Divine
Wisdom, that is, returning to God in the very way He chose
to come to us, and hence, in the way that is most pleasing
to Him.

175. 2) We thereby also insure our individual sanctifica­
tion. Mary cannot but minister unto the sanctification of
those who, having disposed of their persons and goods in
her behalf, are, so to say, her own property. She will most
assuredly secure for us choice graces to safeguard our little

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93

spiritual treasure, to make it grow and have it bring forth
fruit in season until the hour of death. She will help us
through her superabundant merits and satisfactions and
through her powerful intercession with God.
3) A third fruit of this consecration to Mary is the sancti­
fication of our neighbor.' This is true especially of the souls
entrusted to us. They are certain to gain by our gift. We
can be sure that when we leave the apportioning of our
merits to Mary’s good-pleasure, everything will be done with
greater wisdom. She is by far more prudent than we are,
more thoughtful and more devoted. Consequently our
friends and relatives can only be the gainers.
176.It may be objected that by such an act we alienate
all our spiritual goods, above all, our satisfactions and the
indulgences and prayers that would be offered up for us,
thus rendering our purgatory all the longer. In itself this
is true; however, it resolves itself into a question of trust.
Do we rely more on Mary than on ourselves or our
friends? If we do, let us have no misgivings, for she
will care for our souls and further our interests far better
than we could ever do ourselves. If we do not, then
let us refrain from making this act of complete conse­
cration for we might regret it before long. In any event
one should not make this act of consecration without re­
flection and advice.

II. The Share of the Saints in the Christian Life

177.By their powerful intercession and by their noble
example, the Saints in their blessed possession of God minis­
ter to our sanctification and help us to progress in the
practice of the Christian virtues. Hence, we should vene­
rate, invoke and imitate them.
178. i° We should venerate them. All the good they
possess is the work of God and His Divine Son. As mere
natural beings they are so many reflections of the divine
perfections. Their supernatural qualities are the work of
that divine grace which Jesus merited for them. Even their
meritorious acts, while being their own in the sense that
their free will co-operated with Almighty God, are none the
less the precious gift of the Divine Goodness who is ever
their first and efficacious cause : “ Thou dost but crown
Thy gifts when Thou crownest our merits. ” 1 When, there­
1 “ Coronando merita coronas et dona tua”. St. Augustine.

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CHAPTER II.

fore, we pay the Saints the homage of our veneration
it is God and His Son, Jesus, whom we really honor and
revere in them.
We venerate these Blessed Ones as: a) the living sanc­
tuaries of the Triune God who has deigned to dwell in
them, to adorn their souls with virtues and with gifts, to
prompt their faculties to action and cause them to elicit
meritorious acts, and to grant them at last the crowning
grace of perseverance to the end. b) We honor them as
the adopted and well-beloved children of the Father, who
surrounded by His paternal care knew how to respond to
His love and to grow more like Him in holiness and perfec­
tion. C) We hail them as the brethren of Christ, the faith­
ful members of His mystical body, who drew from Him
their spiritual life and cultivated it in abiding love, d) We
revere them as temples of the Holy Ghost, as His docile
servants, who allowed His inspirations to be their guide
rather than blindly follow the bent of a corrupted nature.
Father Olier aptly expresses these thoughts : “ You will be
able to adore with the most profound veneration this life of
God communicated to His Saints; you will honor Jesus
Christ who animates them all and who through His divine
Spirit makes them all one in Himself. It is Jesus Christ
Himself who proclaims in them the glory of God; it is He
who puts upon their lips their canticles of praise; it is He
through whom the sainted glorify God now and through all
eternity. ”1

179. 2° We sould invoke the Saints in order to obtain
through their powerful intercession the graces we need.
True, the mediation of Jesus Christ alone is necessary and
all-sufficient in itself ; however, because of the very fact that
the Saints are members of the risen Christ, their prayers are
united to His. Thus, the whole mystical body of the Savior
prays, and with its entreaties it does sweet violence to the
heart of God. When, therefore, we pray in union with the
Saints we join our petitions to those of Christ’s mystical
body and thereby insure their efficacy. Moreover, the
Saints are glad to intercede in our behalf : “ They love us
as brothers born of the same Father and they have compas­
sion for us. Seeing our plight and remembering that it
once was theirs, they behold in us souls who like themselves
ought to contribute to Christ’s glory. What joy must they
not experience in finding souls to join them in glorifying*
« Pensées choisies, by G. Letourneau, p. 181-182.

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95

God!”1 Their goodness and their power must inspire us
with full confidence in them.
We are to invoke them especially on their feast-days.
Thus we shall enter into the spirit of the liturgy of the
Church, and share in the particular virtues practised by the
different Saints.

180.3° Lastly and above all, we should imitate the
virtues of the Saints. Each one of them strove to reproduce
the divine model and each one can address us in the words
of St. Paul : “ Be ye followers of me, as I also am of
Christ. ” *23 In most cases, however, the Saints have cultiva­
ted a special virtue which is, so to speak, their characteristic
trait. Some have directed their efforts chiefly toward the
cultivation of the spirit of faith, hope or charity; others
have centered them round the spirit of sacrifice, humility or
poverty; others, again, have excelled in the exercise of
prudence, fortitude or chastity. We can beg of them their
distinctive virtues with the assurance that they have a
special power to obtain them for us.
181. This is the reason why we should be specially
devoted to those Saints who lived in conditions similar to
our own, who discharged the same duties that we must
perform and who practised the virtues that we need most.
We should also have a special devotion to our patron
Saints, seeing in the choice made of them on our behalf a
providential arrangement. Still, if for special reasons the
movements of grace draw us to some other Saints whose
virtues correspond better to the needs of our souls, there can
be no objection to our cultivating devotion to them.

182. Thus understood, devotion to the Saints is most
useful to us. The example of men with the same passions
as we have, who, tried by the same temptations, have won
the victory with the help of the same graces that are
accorded us, is a powerful incentive to make us ashamed of
our faintheartedness and to strengthen in us the determina­
tion to put forth the efforts constantly required for the
accomplishment of our resolutions. We thus naturally apply
to ourselves the words of St. Augustine : “ Canst thou not
do what these have done? ” 3
’ Father Olier, Pensées choisies, p. 176.
2 I Cor., IV, 16.
3 “ Tu non poteris quod isti, quod istæ?" Confessions, VIII, c. it.

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CHAPTER II.

III. The Share of the Angels in the Christian Life

The part of the Angels in the Christian life has its origin
in the relations they have with God and with Jesus Christ.
183. i° First of all, the Angels show forth God’s great­
ness and perfection. “ Each symbolizes individually some
attribute or other of that infinite Being. In some we see
His power, in others His love, in others His strength. Each
is a reproduction of some beauty of the divine Original;
each adores Him and glorifies Him in the perfection it
portrays. ” 1 It is God, then, whom we honor in the Angels.
They are like mirrors reflecting the perfections of their
infinite Creator. 2 Raised to the supernatural order, they
share in the life of God; and victorious in trial, they enjoy
the Beatific Vision : “ Their angels in heaven always see
the face of my Father who is in heaven. ”3
184.2° If we consider their relations with Jesus Christ,
it may not appear absolutely certain that they hold their
grace from Him; but this much does appear with certainty,
that in heaven they unite themselves with Him, the Mediator
of all religion, in order to adore, praise and glorify the
Majesty of the Most High. It is their bliss to add in this
wise a greater worth to their worship : “ Through whom the
Angels praise, the Dominations adore and the Powers hold
in awe Thy Majesty. ” 4 Hence, when we unite ourselves to
Jesus Christ to adore God we join at the same time with
the Angels and Saints in a heavenly harmony which renders
the praise of the Godhead still more perfect. We can well
make our owm the words of Father Olier: “May all the
Angelic Host, the mighty Powers that move the spheres of
heaven, forever pour forth in Jesus Christ whatever be
wanting to our song of praise. May they forever thank
Thee, Lord, for all those gifts both of nature and of grace
which from the goodness of Thy hand we all receive. ” s

185. 3° From this twofold consideration it follows that
they have at heart our sanctification. Since we share with
them in the divine life, and since we are like them the relig­
ious of God in Christ Jesus, they long for our salvation
that we may join them in glorifying God and in enjoying
the Beatific Vision, a) Thus it is with joy that they accept
those God-given missions to minister to our sanctification.
’ Olier, Pensées choisies, p. 158. —2 Ibid., p. 164. —3 Maith., XVIII, 10.
4 Preface, Roman Missal. — 5 Pensées choisies, p. 169.

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97

The Psalmist says that God has entrusted the just man to
their care that they may guard him in his way : “ For he
hath given his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy
ways. ” 1 St. Paul adds that the Angels are in God’s service
as servants to minister unto the welfare of the heirs of sal­
vation : “ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister
for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation ? ” a
In fact, they burn with the desire of rallying elect souls to
fill the vacant thrones of fallen angels, and to glorify and
adore the Almighty in their stead. Victors over demons,
they ask but to shield us from the perfidious enemies of our
souls. It is our part to ask their timely assistance in order
to repel the assaults of Satan, b) They present our prayers
to the Most High 3 by joining their own supplications to
our requests. It is, therefore, to our advantage to call upon
them, especially in the hour of trial, and above all, at the
hour of death, that they may defend us from the attacks of
our enemies and conduct our souls to Paradise. 4

186. The Guardian Angels. Some among the Angels
are commissioned with the care of individual souls :
these are the Guardian Angels. This is the traditional
doctrine of the Fathers, based upon scriptural texts and
supported by solid reasons. It has been confirmed by the
Church in the institution of a feast in honor of the Guardian
Angels. The reasons that support this doctrine flow from
our relationship to God, for we are His children, members
of Jesus Christ and temples of the Holy Ghost. “Because
we are His children, ” says Father Olier, 5 “ He appoints to
us as tutors the princes of His realm, who hold it an honor
to have us in their charge. Because we are His members,
He wills that those very spirits that minister unto Him be
also at our side to render us their services. Because we are
His temples in which He Himself dwells, He wills that
Angels hover about us as they do about our churches, so
that bowed down in worship before Him they may offer a
perpetual homage to His glory, supplying for our neglect
and making reparation for our irreverence. ” Father Olier
goes on to say that God wishes to unite intimately through
the agency of His Angels the Church Triumphant and the
Church Militant : “ He sends this mysterious host of Angels
in order that they may by uniting themselves to us and bind­
er. XC, II-I2. — · Heb., I, 14. — 3 Tob., XII, 12.
4 That the Angels conduct our souls to heaven is a traditional doctrine, as is
shown by DOM Leclercq, Diet. d'Archéol., Les Anges fsychagogues, I, col. 2121.
5 Pensées, p. 171-172.

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CHAPTER II.

ing us to themselves form one body of the Church of heaven
and the Church of earth. ”
187. Our Guardian Angel keeps us in constant touch
with heaven. To derive full profit from his guardianship
we can do no better than direct our thoughts frequently to
our Guardian Angel, making him the object of our venera­
tion, our confidence and our love, a) We venerate him by
hailing him as one of those privileged beings who ever see
the face of God and who are to us the representatives of
our Heavenly Father. Therefore, we should do nothing that
could displease or sadden our Angel; on the contrary, we
must strive to give him proof of our respect by emulating
his fidelity and loyalty in God’s service. This is, indeed,
the most touching way in which can attest our esteem for
him. b) We show him our confidence, by bearing in mind
the mighty protection he furnishes us and his unfailing
goodness towards us, his God-given charges. Since he is a
master in foiling the wiles of the devil, we should invoke
him especially when we are assailed by this treacherous foe
and in all dangerous occasions in which his foresight and
his adroitness will be of great help. We should likewise
call for his assistance when determining our vocation, for he
better than any other will know the providential designs of
God in our regard. Finally, in all important affairs with
others it is well to address ourselves to their Guardian Angels
that these persons may be well-disposed towards the mission
we are about to discharge in their behalf, c) We manifest
to our Guardian Angel our love by reflecting that he has
ever been and is still our devoted friend, ever ready to render
us services the extent and import of which we shall realize
only in heaven. By faith, however, we can even now
understand, though only imperfectly, something of his
good offices toward us, and this suffices to call forth our
gratitude and our love. When loneliness weighs heavily
upon us, let us remember that we are not alone, that near
us hovers a friend, devoted and generous, upon whom we
can lean and with whom we can hold familiar converse.
Let us bear in mind that honoring our Guardian Angel we
honor God Himself whom our Angel represents here below,
and let us often unite ourselves to him in order to give
greater glory to God.

Summary
188. God, then, has a vast share in the work of our
sanctification. He comes to dwell in our souls in order to

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99

give Himself to us and to sanctify us. To impart to us the
power to rise up to Him, He endows us with a supernatural
organism composed of habitual grace, the virtues and the
gifts. Habitual grace penetrates the very substance of the
soul, thus transforming it and making it Godlike. The
virtues and the gifts perfect our faculties and enable them
with the help of actual grace to elicit supernatural acts that
merit eternal life.
189. God’s love does not stop here. He also sends His
Only-Begotten Son, who, becoming one of us, becomes
likewise the perfect exemplar, our guide in the practice of
those virtues that lead to perfection and ultimately to
heaven. The Son of God merits for us the grace necessary
to follow in His footsteps in spite of the difficulties that we
find within ourselves and all about us. In order to win us
over to Himself He incorporates us into Himself, imparting
to us through His Divine Spirit that life which is His in all
its fulness. Through this incorporation He gives to the
least of our actions an immeasurable value, for, we being
made one with Him, our actions share in the value of His
own actions. With Him, then, and through Him we can
give adequate glory to God Almighty, obtain new graces,
and become more and more like our Heavenly Father by
reproducing in ourselves His divine perfections.
Mary, being the Mother of Jesus and His co-worker,
though in a secondary manner, in the work of the Redemp­
tion, co-operates in the distribution of the graces Christ
merited for us. Through her we go to Him and through
her we ask for grace. We venerate and love her as a
Mother and strive to imitate her virtues.
Lastly, Jesus, being the Head not only of mankind, but
also of the Angels and the Saints, places at our service their
powerful assistance as a protection against the attacks of
the Evil One and as a safeguard against the weaknesses of
our own nature. Their example and their intercession are
for us a tower of strength.
What more could God actually do for us? If He has
given Himself to us so prodigally, to what lengths should
we not go to return His love? to what extent should we not
be ready to spend ourselves to promote the growth of that
divine life which He has so generously shared with us?

Art. II. The

share of man in the

Christian

life

190. It is clear that, if God has done so much to have
us share in His own life, we must in turn respond to His

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advances, gratefully accept His gift, cherish and foster it in
our souls and thus prepare ourselves for that eternal bliss
which will crown the efforts we shall have made on earth.
This is for us a duty of gratitude. Indeed, the most telling
way in which we can show our appreciation of a gift is to
use it for the purpose for which it was given. Our spiritual
welfare itself demands that we make such a return, for
Almighty God will reward us according to our merits, and
our glory in heaven will correspond to the degree of grace
we shall have acquired by good works : “ Every man shall
receive his own reward, according to his labor. ” 1 On the
other hand, God owes it to Himself to punish with due
severity those who wilfully scorn His divine gifts and abuse
His grace. The Apostle tells us : “ For the earth, that
drinketh in the rain which cometh often upon it, and
bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is tilled,
receiveth blessing from God. But that which bringeth
forth thorns and briers, is reprobate, and very near unto
a curse, whose end is to be burnt. ” 2 God made us free
beings and He respects our freedom ; He will not sanctify
us in spite of ourselves. But He never wearies of urging
us to make the right use of the graces He has so liberally
dispensed to us : “ And we helping do exhort you that you
receive not the grace of God in vain. ” 3
191. In order to correspond with this grace we must
first of all practise the great devotions of which we have
spoken in the preceding article : devotion to the Most
Blessed Trinity, to the Incarnate Word, to the Blessed
Virgin, the Saints and the Angels. Herein we shall find
the most powerful motives for giving ourselves entirely to
God, doing so in union with Jesus and under the protection
of our mighty intercessors. In these devotions we shall
also find models of sanctity to point out the way for us; nay
more, we shall find supernaturalforces that will enable us to
realize more fully day by day the ideal of perfection pro­
posed for our imitation.
In explaining these devotions we have followed the
ontological order, arranging them according to their intrinsic
excellence. In practice, however, it is seldom that we begin
with devotion to the Most Blessed Trinity, but rather
we generally begin with devotion to our Blessed Lord and
our Blessed Lady and then gradually rise to the Holy
Trinity itself.
• I Cor,, III, 8. - ’ Hebr., VI, 7-8. — ï II Cor., VI, 1.

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192. But we must do more than this. We must make
use of the supernatural organism wherewith we are endowed,
and develop it notwithstanding the obstacles to its growth
encountered within our own selves and all about us. i° First
of all, since the threefold concupiscence is an ever-abiding
foe, which spurred on by the world and the devil, inclines
us perpetually towards evil, we must relentlessly combat it
and its lusty allies. 2° We are to multiply our merits, since
the supernatural organism of which we have spoken is
given us for the purpose of producing Godlike acts, acts
worthy of eternal life. 30 Because it has pleased Divine
Goodness to institute sacraments productive of grace in
proportion to our co-operation, we should approach them
with the most perfect dispositions. In this manner we shall
preserve in us the life of grace; nay, we shall make it grow
more and more.
§ I. The Fight against Our Spiritual Enemies

These enemies are concupiscence, the world and the devil.
Concupiscence is the foe we carry within us. The wprld
and the devil are the foes from without that feed the fires
of concupiscence and fan its flames.
I. The Fight against Concupiscence 1

Saint John describes concupiscence in his well-known
text : “ For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of
flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes and the pride of life.”2
1° THE CONCUPISCENCE OF THE FLESH

193. The concupiscence of the flesh is the inordinate love
of sensual pleasures.
A) The evil of concupiscence. Pleasure in itself is not
evil. God allows it when directed toward a higher end,
that is, toward moral good. If He has attached pleasure
to certain good acts, it is in order to facilitate their accom­
plishment and to draw us on to the fulfilment of duty.
The moderate enjoyment of pleasure, if referred to its end
— moral and supernatural good — is not an evil. In fact,
it is a good act, for it tends towards a good end which is
ultimately God Himself. But to will pleasure without any
reference to the end that makes it lawful, that is, to will
1 Read the short, but admirable treatise of Bossuet on Concupiscenct.
’ I John., II, 16.

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CHAPTER II.

pleasure as an end in itself and as an ultimate end, is a
moral disorder, for it is going counter to the wisdom of a
God-established order. Such disorder leads to further evil,
because when one’s sole motive of action is pleasure, one
is exposed to love pleasure to excess; one is no longer
guided by an end which raises its barriers against that
immoderate thirst for enjoyment which exists in all of us.
194,Thus, God in His wisdom willed to attach a certain
enjoyment to the act of eating, to offer us an incentive
towards sustaining our bodily forces. But, as Bossuet
remarks, “ Ungrateful and sensual men use this enjoyment
rather to serve their own bodies than to serve Almighty
God... The pleasure of eating enslaves them, and instead
of eating in order to live they live rather in order to eat.
Even those who know how to curb their desires and who
are guided in taking their meals by the needs of the body,
are often deceived by pleasure and taken in by its allure­
ment ; they soon go beyond due measure; they gradually
come to indulge their appetite and do not consider their
needs satisfied, so long as food and drink gratify their
palate. ” 1 Hence, excesses in eating and drinking. What
shall we say of the still more dangerous pleasures of lust,
“ of that deep-rooted and unsightly sore of human nature, of
that concupiscence that binds the soul to the body with ties
at once so tender, so strong, so difficult to break ; of that
lust which brings down upon the human race such frightful
disorders? ” 2
195. Sensual pleasure is all the more dangerous as the
entire body is inclined to it. Our sight is infected by it,
for is it not through the eyes that one begins to drink in
the poison of sensual love? Oui' ears are a prey to the
contagion ; a suggestive word, a lascivious song enkindles
the fire, fans the flames of an impure love and excites our
hidden tendencies to sensual joys. The same is true of
the other senses. And what heightens the danger is that
these sensual pleasures act as stimulants one to the other.
Even those enjoyments which we fancy the most innocent,
will, unless we are ever on the alert, lead on to guilty
pleasures. The body itself labors under a softening
languor, a delicate and responsive sensitiveness that craves
relaxation through the senses, quickens them and whets the
keenness of their ardor. Man so cherishes his body that he
forgets his soul. Over-solicitous for his health, he is led to
1 Tr. de la Concupiscence, C. IV. — 2 Ibid., C. V.

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pamper the body at every turn. All these sensual cravings
are but the branches of the same tree, the concupiscence of
the flesh.1

196. B) The remedy for this great evil is found in the
mortification of the senses. As St. Paul tells us, “ They
that are Christ’s have crucified their flesh, with the vices
and concupiscences. ” *2* But to crucify the flesh, according
to Father Olier, “ is to fetter, to smother all the impure and
inordinate desires we feel in our flesh. ” 3 To crucify the
flesh is likewise to mortify our exterior senses, those channels
that put us in contact with things about us and stir within
us dangerous desires. The motive, at bottom, giving rise
to the obligation of practising this mortification, is none
other than our baptismal vow.
197. Baptism, by which we die to sin and are made one
body with Christ, obliges us to mortify in ourselves all
sensual pleasure. “ According to St. Paul, we are no longer
debtors to the flesh that we should live according to the
flesh, but we are bound to live according to the spirit. If
we live by the spirit let us walk according to the spirit
which has written in our hearts the law of the Cross and
has given us the strength to carry it. ” 4
The symbolism of baptism by immersion (the more
common way of administering baptism in Apostolic times
and in the early centuries) teaches us the truth of this
doctrine. The catechumen is plunged into the water and
there he dies to sin and the causes of sin. Coming out he
shares in a new life, the life of the Risen Christ. This is
St. Paul’s teaching : “ We that are dead to sin, how shall we
live any longer therein? Know you not that all we who
are baptized in Christ Jesus are baptized in His death?
For we are buried together with Him by baptism into
death : that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of
the Father, so we also may walk in the newness of life. ” 5
Thus, the baptismal immersion represents death to sin and
to the concupiscence which leads to sin. The coming out
of the baptismal waters typifies that newness of life through
which we are made sharers in the risen life of the Savior.6
» In this paragraph we merely give a summary of the fifth chapter of Bossuet's
Treatise on Concupiscence.
a Gal., V, 24.
3 Cat. for an Inf. Life, Part. I, lesson 5. — < Ibid., lesson 5.
s Rom., VI, 2-4.
6 “ It does not alter the thought of the Apostle to express it in the following
theological language : The Sacraments are efficacious signs which produce ex ofere
operato the effects wich they signify. Now, baptism represents sacramentally the

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Hence, our baptism obliges us to mortify the concupiscence
that remains in us and to imitate our Lord who by the
crucifixion of His flesh merited for us the grace of crucify­
ing our own. The nails wherewith we crucify it are the
various acts of mortification we perform.
This obligation of mortifying our love for pleasure so
imposes itself upon us that our spiritual life and our salva­
tion depend upon it. “ For if you live according to the
flesh, you shall die : but if by the spirit you mortify the
deeds of the flesh, you shall live. ” *1
198. In order to obtain a complete victory, it does not
suffice to renounce evil pleasures (this we are strictly bound
to do), but we must, in order to be on the safe side, sacrifice
all dangerous ones, for these almost invariably lead us to
sin : “ He who loves danger shall perish in it. ” 2 Besides,
we must deprive ourselves of some lawful pleasures in
order to strengthen our wills against the lure of forbidden
ones. In fact, whoever indulges without restraint in all
lawful pleasures, is in proximate danger of falling into those
that are sinful.
2° THE CONCUPISCENCE OF THE EYES
(CURIOSITY AND AVARICE)

199. A) The evil. The concupiscence of the eyes com­
prises two things : all unwholesome curiosity and inordinate
love of the goods of this world.
a) The curiosity of which we speak consists in an exces­
sive desire to see, to hear, to know what goes on in the
world, the secret intrigues that are woven there ; not in
order to derive any spiritual profit therefrom, but to indulge
our craving for frivolous knowledge. Nor is this curiosity
confined to present-day happenings; it may cover the events
of past centuries, as when we delve into the history of by­
gone days to seek not what will be a wholesome inspiration
but what may please our fancy. A special object of this
curiosity is the pseudo-science of divination whereby men
make bold to peer into things hidden and into events to
come, the knowledge of which God has reserved to Himself.
This phase of curiosity “ constitutes an aggression upon the
rights of God «Almighty and an attempt to wreck the con­
fidence and trust wherewith man should abandon himself
death and the life of Christ. It follows that it causes in us a death, mystical in its
essence, but real in its effects; a death to sin, to the flesh, to the old Adam; and
a life in agreement with that of the Risen Christ ”. (Cf. PRAT, The Theology of
St. Paul, II, Book 5, C. 2).
1 Rom., VIII, 13. — 2 Eccli., Ill, 27.

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105

to his Providence. ” 1 Furthermore, this curiosity extends
to true and useful science when men give themselves over
to its pursuit without moderation or to the detriment of
higher duties. Such is the case of those who read indiscrim­
inately every kind of novel, play or poetry, “ for all this
is nothing less than an excess, a morbid disposition of the
soul, the shrivelling up of the heart, a miserable bondage
allowing us no leisure to turn our thoughts upon ourselves,
and a source of error. ” 2
200. b) The second form of the concupiscence of the
eyes is the inordinate love of money, regarded either as a
means for the acquisition of other goods such as honors or
pleasure, or considered as an object of attachment in itself,
an object which we delight to see and finger and in which
we find a certain sense of security for the future. The
latter is avarice properly so-called. Both expose us to the
commission of numberless sins, for cupidity is the prolific
source of all kinds of fraud and injustice.

201. B) The remedy. a) To combat vain curiosity we
must recall to mind that whatever is not eternal is not
worthy of winning and captivating the thought of immortal
beings such as we are. “ The fashion of this world passeth
away ” ; 3 but one thing abideth, God and the possession of
God, which is heaven. We must, therefore, heed only what
is eternal, “ for whatever is not eternal is as nothing. ” No
doubt, present-day events as well as those of the past may
and ought to engage our interest, yet only in so far as they
contribute to the. glory of God and the salvation of men.
When God created this world and all that exists He had
but one end in view, to communicate His divine life to those
creatures He had endowed with intelligence — angels and
men — and to recruit His Elect. All else is secondary and
should not be made the subject of our study, save as a
means of leading us to God.
202. b) As regards inordinate love of the goods of this
world, we must bear in mind that wealth is not an end in
itself, but the means given by Providence to minister to our
needs. God ever retains the supreme dominion over all
things, and we are but stewards who shall have to render
an account of the use we have made of our temporal pos­
sessions : “ Give an account of thy stewardship. ” 4 It is
’ Bossuet, I. c., C. 8. —2 Bossuet, I. c.
3 I Cor.,N\\, 31. — 4 Luke, XVI, a.

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CHAPTER II.

wise, then, to give a large portion of Avhat is over and above
our needs in almsgiving and other good works. This is in
truth to enter into the designs of God who wills that the
rich be, so to speak, the treasurers of the poor ; it is to make
in the bank of heaven a deposit which will be returned to
us with a hundredfold interest upon our entrance into eter­
nity. “ Lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither the rust nor the moth doth consume, and where
thieves do not break through or steal. ” 1 This is the way
to detach our hearts from earthly goods so as to raise them
to God; for as our Lord adds : “ Where thy treasure is,
there is thy heart also. ” 2 Let us then seek first the
kingdom of God, holiness, and all other things shall be
added unto us.
If we would be perfect we must go further and practise
evangelical poverty. “ Blessed are the poor in spirit. ” 3
This may be achieved in three ways according to our
attractions and opportunities : i) by selling all our goods
and giving the proceeds to the poor. “ Sell what you
possess and give alms. ” 4 2) By having all things in
common, as- is done in religious communities.
3) By
renouncing the right of using the capital which we retain,
refraining, for instance, from making any outlay not sanction­
ed by a prudent spiritual director. 5

203. Whichever way is adopted, the heart must be
freed from its attachment to riches if it would take
its flight towards God. This is what Bossuet urges :
“ Happy they who in the lowly seclusion of God’s house
delight in the bareness of their narrow cells, in the beggarly
appointments that satisfy their wants in this earthly exis­
tence — a shadow of death — there to gaze solely upon
their weakness and the heavy, oppressing yoke of sin.
Happy those consecrated Virgins who no longer seek to
appear before the world and who would fain hide themselves
from their own eyes beneath the sacred veil that shrouds
their form! Blessed that sweet restraint wherewith we
guard our eyes lest they light upon vain things, the while
we say with David : “ Turn away mine eyes, that they may
not behold vanity. ” 6 Happy those who, living in the world
according to their state of life, remain undefiled and unfet­
tered,... those who can say with Queen Esther : “Thou
1 Matth., VI, 20. — 3 4Matth.,
5
VI, 21. — 3 Matth., V, 3.
4 Luke, XII, 23, XVIII, 22, Matth., XIX, 21.
5 Ulier, Introd., C. XI ; Chevrier, Le véritable disciple, p. 248-267.
6 Ps. CXIU, 37.

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107

knowest, O Lord, how I scorn this emblem of pride (her
crown); how I abhor the glory of the wicked and ungodly;
how thy handmaid hath never rejoiced save in thee, O Lord
God of Israel. ” 1
3°

The pride of

life

204. A) The evil. “Pride,” says Bossuet, “is a pro­
found depravity; it is the worship of self; man becomes his
own god through excessive self-love. ” 2 Forgetful that
God is his first beginning and his last end, he overrates
himself; he considers himself the sovereign lord and master
of those qualities, real or imaginary, which he possesses,
without referring them to God. From this arises that spirit
of independence, of self-sufficiency, that finally brings man to
renounce allegiance to God and His representatives on
earth. Hence, also, that egotism which prompts him
to do everything for self as though he were himself his
last end; that vain complacency in his own excellence
as though God were not its source; that conceit in his
good works as though they were not above all the result of
God’s action on the soul. Hence, again, the tendency to
exaggerate the good qualities he possesses, and to attribute
to himself others that he lacks. Hence, too, the disposition
to prefer self to others and at times, like the Pharisee, to
despise others.
205. This pride is accompanied by vanity, which seeks
inordinately the esteem, the approbation, the praise
of men. It is called vainglory, for, as Bossuet points out,
“ if it be but an empty or undeserved applause, what an
absurdity to delight in it! If it be genuine, why the further
folly of rejoicing less at truth itself than at the tribute paid
to it? ” 3 A paradox, indeed, that one should be more solici­
tous for the esteem of men than for virtue itself, that man
should find cause for greater humiliation in a blunder com­
mitted in the sight of all than in a real fault committed in
secret! This failing once yielded to is not slow in bringing
others in its wake. It gives rise to boasting, to speaking of
self and one’s achievements; to ostentation which courts the
public eye with finery and display; to hypocrisy which makes
a show of virtue while careless about its practice.
206. The effects of pride are deplorable. This vice is
the arch-enemy of perfection, i) It robs God of the glory
' Esth., XIV, 15-18.—’ L. c.,,C. X, XXIII.
3 Tr. de la Concupiscence, C. XVII.

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due Him and thereby deprives us of many graces and merits,
since God can not allow Himself to be made an accomplice
in our pride : “ God resisteth the proud. ” 1 2) It is the
source of many sins, such as sins of presumption which are
punished by lamentable falls and enslavement to shameful
vices; sins of discouragement at seeing oneself fallen so low;
sins of dissimulation because of the hardship of confessing
certain sins; sins of resistance to superiors, of envy and
jealousy towards the neighbor, etc.

207. B) The remedy consists : a) in referring all to
God, recognizing that He is the author of all good and that,
being the first principle of all our actions, He must be
likewise their last end. This is what St. Paul means when
he asks: “What hast thou that thou hast not received?
And if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory, as if thou
hadst not received it? ” 2 From this he concludes that all
our actions must tend to the glory of God : “ Therefore,
whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all
to the glory of God. ” 3 In order to give these actions
greater value, let us be mindful of doing them in the name
and through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ : “ All
Whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the
Father by him. ” 4
208. b) Since, however, our nature inclines us to selfseeking, we must, in order to react against this tendency,
remember that of ourselves we are but nothingness and sin.
No doubt, there are in us good qualities, natural and super­
natural, which we are to hold in high regard and which we
must cultivate; but coming as they do from God, is it not
to Him that the glory is due? When an artist creates a
masterpiece, it is he and not the canvass that is to be praised.
Of ourselves we are mere nothingness. “ This is, ” says Father
Olier, “ what we have been from all eternity; the being
wherewith God has clothed us is of His creation and not of
ours; and whatsoever He has given us remains His own
property by which He wills to be honored. ” 5
Again, of ourselves we are but sin in the sense that by
concupiscence we tend to sin; so much so that, according to
St. Augustine, if we do not fall into certain sins we owe it
to the grace of God. “ To Thy grace it is due that some
evil I left undone. For what might I not have done, seeing
x James, IV, 6. — » I. Cor., IV, 7. — 3 I. Cor., X. 31. — < Colos., Ill, 17.
s Cat. for an Int. Life, Part I., lesson 15.

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109

that I loved even fruitless misdoing. ” 1 Father Olier thus
explains this doctrine : “ This I can say about it : there is
no conceivable sin, no imperfection or disorder, no blight of
error, no confusion with which our flesh is not teeming.
Likewise, there is no fickleness, no folly, no stupidity of
which mortal flesh is not capable at any moment. ” 1
2*4 Assur­
edly, our nature is not totally corrupt, as Luther affirmed.
With God’s concurrence, natural and supernatural, 3 it is
capable of some good, even of a great deal of good, as is
evident in the case of the Saints. But since God is ever
the first and principal cause of this good, it is to Him that
thanks must be given.
209. We conclude with Bossuet : “ Trust not overmuch
in thyself, for this is the beginning of sin. Covet not
the glory of men, for having received thy reward only tor­
ments shall await thee. Glory not in thine own self, for
whatsoever of thy good works thou dost attribute to thyself,
thou takest away from God, its author, and thou placest
thyself in His stead. Shake not off the yoke of God’s law;
say not to thyself with the haughtiness of the proud : I shall
not serve; for if thou servest not unto justice, thou shalt be
the slave of sin and the child of death. Say not : I am not
unclean, and reckon not that God has forgotten thy sins
because thou thyself rememberest them no more, for the
Lord shall rouse thee saying : See, look at thy paths in that
vale obscure. I have followed thee along thy ways. I have
counted thy steps. Resist not the counsel of the wise and
be not angry at correction ; for this is the consummation of
pride, to rebel against the truth itself when it reproves thee,
to kick against the goad. ”4 If we follow this advice we
shall be stronger in our fight against the world, the second
of our spiritual enemies.

II. The Fight against the Worlds

210. The world we speak of here is not the total aggre­
gate of men upon the earth, among whom are found both
choice souls and irreligious men ; but the sum-total of those
who oppose Jesus Christ and are the slaves of the threefold
concupiscence. These are : i) unbelievers, hostile to religion,
1 Confessions, II, C. 7. — 2 Catechism, P. I, lesson 17.
3 Theology teaches (Syn. theol. dog., III. n. 72-91) that fallen man can do some
good in the natural order with the mere natural concurrence of God; but that in
order to observe the -whole of the natural law and repulse all grievous temptations,
a preternatural or supernatural help is needed.
4 Tr. de la Concup., C. XXXI.
s Meyer, The World in Which We Live.

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precisely because it condemns their pride, their love of
pleasure, their lust for riches ; 2) the indifferent, who do not
want a religion that would stir them out of their apathy ;
3) hardened sinners, who love sin because they love pleasure
and are loath to part with it; 4) worldlings, who believe and
even practise their religion, yet, combine with it the love of
pleasure, of luxury and of ease, and who not unfrequently
scandalize their neighbor by giving them occasion to say
that religion has but little influence on morals. This is the
world which Jesus cursed because of its scandals : “ Woe to
the world because of scandals! ”r Of this world St. John
says : “ The whole world is seated in wickedness. ” 2

211. i° The dangers of the world. The world which
through visits, letters and worldly literature worms its way
into the heart of Christian families, even into religious
communities, constitutes a great obstacle to the attainment
of salvation and perfection. It stirs up and feeds the fire
of concupiscence; it seduces and terrorizes us.
212. A) It seduces us with its maxims, with the show
of its vanities and with its perverse examples.
a) It holds up maxims directly opposed to those of the
Gospel. It actually extols the happiness of the wealthy, of
the powerful, of the ruthless, of the upstart, of the ambitious,
of all those who know how to enjoy life. On the lips of
worldlings is ever the cry : “ Let us crown ourselves with
roses before they wither. ” 3 Must not youth have its day,
must not each live his life to the full? Many others do this
and Almighty God can not damn all mankind. One has to
make a living, and were one to be scrupulous in business
one could never become wealthy.
b) The world seduces us with the show of its vanities and
pleasures. Most worldly gatherings cater to curiosity, to
sensuality, and even to lust. Vice is made attractive by
being concealed beneath the guise of what are called “ inno­
cent fashions and amusements, ” but which are none the
less fraught with danger. Such are, for instance, immodest
dress and immodest dances, especially such as seem to have
no other purpose than to occasion wanton looks and
gestures. What must be said of most theatrical perform­
ances, of public entertainments, of the lewd literature that
one encounters at every turn?
1 Matlh., XVIII, 7. — 2 I John, V, 19. — 3 Wisdom, II, 8.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

Ill

C) The world seduces us with its evil examples. At the
sight of so many youths living solely for pleasure, of so
many men and women who make light of their marriage­
vows, of so many business-men who do not scruple to
enrich themselves by questionable means, the temptation to
follow suit is, indeed, very strong. Moreover, the world is
so tolerant of human weaknesses that it actually seems to
encourage them. A home-breaker is considered a sports­
man; the financier, the business-man who amasses his
wealth dishonestly is called a clever fellow ; the free-thinker
is considered a broad-minded man who follows the light of
his conscience. How many men are thus encouraged to
lead a life of sin!

213. B) When the world fails to seduce us it attempts
to terrorize us.
a) At times this takes the form of an actual, organized
persecution against the faithful. Those that make public
profession of their faith or send their children to the
Catholic school are denied promotion in certain departments
of business or of civic life.
b) At other times, the world turns timid souls from the
discharge of their religious duties by mockery and jest. It
refers to them as hypocrites and dupes believing still in
antiquated dogmas. It holds up to ridicule parents whose
daughters are modestly dressed, asking them if it is thus
that they hope to make a match for them. Many souls are
in this manner, in spite of the protests of conscience, driven
to conform through human respect to fashions and customs
that offend against Christian modesty.
C) Sometimes the world resorts to threats. Individuals
are served notice that their religious affiliations disqualify
them for certain positions, or they are made to understand
that their prudishness will make them unwelcome guests at
entertainments; or again, they are told that if their con­
science stands in the way of business they must either do as
every one else does — deceive the public and make more
money — or be ready to lose their positions.
It is but too easy to let ourselves be won over or terror­
ized, for the world has its accomplice within our own hearts,in
our natural desire for high places, for dignity and for wealth.
214. 2° The remedy. 1 To resist successfully this
dangerous trend one must have the courage to look upon
1 Tronson. Examens partie., XCIV-XCVI.

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CHAPTER II.

life from the point of view of eternity, and regard the world
in the light of faith. Then the world will appear to us in
its true colors, as the enemy of Jesus Christ, to be fought
against with all our might in order that we may save our
souls; it will appear to us as the scene of action for our zeal
whither we must carry the maxims of the Gospel.
215. A) Since the world is the enemy of Jesus Christ,
we must accept as our standard of life that which is opposed
to the maxims and examples of the world. We must repeat
to ourselves the dilemma proposed by St. Bernard : “ Either
Christ blunders, or the world is astray ; but it is impossible for
Divine Wisdom to blunder. ” 1 Since there exists a manifest
opposition between Christ and the world, a choice on our part
is absolutely necessary, for no one can serve two masters. But
Jesus is infallible Wisdom itself. Hence, He has the words
of eternal life, and it is the world that blunders. Our choice,
therefore, will be quickly made, for as St. Paul says, “We
have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit
that is of God. ” 2 To wish to please the world, he adds, is
to displease Jesus Christ : “ If I yet pleased men, I should
not be the servant of Jesus Christ. ” 3 St. James says :
“ Whosoever, therefore, will be the friend of this world,
becometh an enemy of God. ” 4 Hence, the following
practical resolutions.
a) Let us read and reread the Gospel, reflecting that it is
the Eternal Truth that speaks to us, and praying its Divine
Author to make us understand, relish and live its maxims.
It is thus that we become true Christians and such is the
price we must pay if we would become real disciples of
Christ. Whenever we hear or read maxims that go counter
to those of the Gospel let us courageously say to ourselves :
This is false, since it is opposed to infallible Truth itself.
b) Let us likewise avoid dangerous occasions so numerous
in this world. No doubt, those that live outside the cloister
must of necessity mingle more or less in the world ; yet,
they must keep themselves free from its spirit by living in
the world as those that were not of it; for Jesus asked His
Father not to take His disciples out of the world, but to
keep them from evil : “ I pray not that thou shouldst take
them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them
from evil. ” 5 And St. Paul wants us to make use of this
world as though we did not use it.6
1 Sermo III, de Nativitate, n. i. — 2 I Cor., II, 12. — 3 Gal., I, 10.
* James, IV, 4. — 3 John, XVII, 15. — 6 / Cor., VII, 31.

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113

C) This attitude towards the world is incumbent above
all upon ecclesiastics. They should be able to say with
St. Paul : “ The world is crucified to me, and I to the
world. ” 1 The world, ruled as it is by concupiscence, can
have no charms for us. Just as we are to it an object of
repulsion, for by our character and even by our garb we
stand as a condemnation of its vices; so the world in turn
can not but inspire us with a like antipathy. Hence, we
must dispense with social visits purely worldly in character,
in which we should be out of place. No doubt, we shall
have to make and receive such visits as courtesy, business,
and above all, zeal for souls impose ; but they shall be brief.
We shall not forget what is said of our Lord after His
resurrection, that He came among His disciples but rarely,
and only in order to complete their training and to speak
to them of the kingdom of God.2

216. B) We shall not, then, venture into the world
except to exercise there our zeal either directly or indirect­
ly, that is to say, to carry there the maxims and examples
of the Gospel, a) We must not forget that we are “ the light
of the world. ”3 Without turning our conversation into a
sort of sermon (which would be out of place) we shall judge
everything, persons and things, by the light of the Gospel.
Thus, instead of proclaiming the rich and the powerful the
happy ones of this world, we shall note in all sincerity that
there are sources of happiness other than those of wealth
and success ; that virtue does not go without its reward even
in this world; that the pure joys of home and hearth are
the sweetest; that the consciousness of duty done is a
source of satisfaction and comfort to many unfortunate
souls; that the peace of a good conscience is worth infinitely
more than the intoxication of pleasure. A few examples
will bring home these remarks. But it is chiefly by his
own example that a priest is a source of edification in
conversation. A profound impression is created upon
those who listen to him if he is in every sense of the word
a man among men, a Christian gentleman utterly devoted
to the service of souls ; if his whole bearing, as well as his
words, reflects candor, good-fellowship, cheerfulness, charity,
in a word, true sanctity. No one can help admiring those
who live according to their convictions; and a religion
which knows how to promote solid virtue is held in high
regard. Let us, therefore, carry into practice the saying of
1 Gal., VI, 14. — » Acti, I, 3. — 3 Maith., V, 14.

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our Lord : “ So let your light shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is
in heaven. ”1 The exercise of this apostolate is not limited
to priests. Men of conviction among the laity can practise
it with real success, as persons are less on their guard
against their influence.

217. b) It is for such select souls and for priests to
infuse into the more timid Christians the courage to fight
the tyranny of human respect, of fashion and of legalized
persecution. The best means of effecting this is to band
together into societies those influential laymen who have
the courage of their convictions, and who fear neither to
speak nor to act accordingly. It is in this manner that the
Saints brought about in their times the reformation of
morals. It is also in this manner that in our great centers
of learning, the universities, solid groups have been formed
that know how to make their religious practices respected
and how to steady the weaker brethren. On the day when
such groups shall have been considerably multiplied not in
cities alone but in the country-districts as well, the death­
knell of human respect shall not be long in sounding, and
true piety, if not universally practised, shall at least be held
in real esteem.
218. We must make no compromise with the world.
We must make no concessions either to please it or to seek
its esteem. As St. Francis de Sales rightly says, “No
matter what we do, the world shall ever war against us...
Let us turn a deaf ear to this blind world ; let it cry as long
as it pleases, like an owl to disturb the birds of the day.
Let us be constant in our designs and invariable in our
resolutions. Our perseverance will demonstrate whether
we have in good earnest sacrificed ourselves to God and
dedicated ourselves to a devout life. ” 2

HL The Fight against the Devils
219. i° The existence of and reasons for diabolical
temptation. We have seen, n. 67, how the devil, jealous of
the blessedness of our first parents, incited them to sin, and
how well he succeeded. Therefore, the Book of Wisdom
declares that it was “ by the envy of the devil that death
« Matth., V, i6. — 3 Introd, to a Dev. Life. P. IV, C. i.
3 St. Thom., 1, q. 114; St. Theresa, Life by Herself, C. XXX-XXXI; Ribet,
L'Ascétique chrét., C. XVI.

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came into the world. ” 1 Ever since, he has not ceased
to attack the children of Adam or to lay snares for them.
And even though, since our Lord’s advent into the world
and His triumph over Satan, the latter’s power has been
greatly curbed, it is none the less true that we have to
battle not only against flesh and blood, but also against
the powers of darkness, against the spirits of evil. This
is exactly what St. Paul teaches : “ For our wrestling is
not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the
world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness. ” 2
St. Peter compares the devil to a roaring lion prowling
about, seeking to destroy us: “Your adversary, the devil,
as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may
devour. ” 3
i
220. If divine Providence allows these attacks, it is in
virtue of the general principle that God governs men not
only directly, but also through the agency of secondary
causes, leaving to creatures a certain freedom of action.
On the other hand, He warns us to be on our guard, and
sends His Angels, particularly our Guardian Angels, to help
and protect us (n. i86 sq), to say nothing of the assistance
that He gives us directy, or through His Son. By availing
ourselves of such helps we triumph over the enemy of our
salvation, grow in virtue and lay up to ourselves treasures
of merit in heaven. These wonderful ways of Providence
show us all the more clearly the great importance we must
attach to the affair of our salvation and sanctification, an
affair in which both heaven and hell so concern themselves
that around the soul, at times within the soul itself, fierce
combats rage between the powers of heaven and those of
hell, — and it is the eternal life of the soul that is at stake.
In order to obtain the victory, let us see how the devil
proceeds.
221. 2° The devil’s strategy. A) The Evil One can
not act directly on our higher faculties, the intellect and the
will. God has kept these as a sanctuary for Himself, and
He alone can enter there and touch the mainspring of the
will without doing violence to it. The devil, however, can
act directly on the body, on our exterior and interior
senses, and particularly on the imagination and the memory
as well as on the passions which reside in the sensitive
appetite. Thus, the devil acts indirectly on the will, solicit­
ing its consent through the various movements of the sen‘ Wisdom, II, 24. — 2 Eph., VI, 12. — 31 Peter, V, 8-9.

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sitive appetite. The will, however, as St. Thomas remarks,
remains ever free to give or refuse consent.1
B) No matter how extensive the power of the devil over
our faculties, there are nevertheless limits set to it by God
Himself, who will not allow him to tempt us beyond our
strength. “ God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that which you are able; but will make also
with temptation issue. ” 23
*Whoever leans upon the Almighty
in humble trust can be sure of victory.
222. C) We must not believe, says S7. Thomas, 3 that
all the temptations we experience are the works of the
demon. Concupiscence stirred up by habits formed in the
past and by imprudences committed in the present, is suffi­
cient to account for a great number of them. “ Every one
is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and
allured. ” 4 On the other hand, it would be rash to assert,
and contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture and Tra­
dition, that there is no diabolical influence in any of our
temptations. The envy the devil bears mankind and his
desire to bring men into subjection adequately explain his
intervention. 5
How then will diabolical temptation be recognized?
This is no easy matter, for our concupiscence itself may
sufficiently account for the violence of temptation. It may
be said, however, that when a temptation is sudden, violent,
and protracted beyond measure, the devil is largely respon­
sible for it. One can especially suspect his influence if the
temptation casts the soul into deep and prolonged turmoil ;
if it excites a desire for the spectacular, for strange and
conspicuous mortifications, and particularly if it induces a
strong inclination to be silent about the whole affair with
our spiritual director and to distrust our superiors. 6

223. 3° The remedies against diabolical temptation.
The Saints, and particularly St. Theresa, 7 point out the
following remedies.
A) The first is humble and confident prayer to secure the
help of God and His holy Angels. If God is for us who
will be against us?8 For, “who is like unto God?” Our
prayer must be humble, for there is nothing that so quickly
2 Sum. theol., I, q. Ill, a. 2. —21 Cor., X, 13.
3 Sum. theol., I, q. 114, a. 3. — * James, I, 14. — 5 Sum. theol., 1, q. 114, a. 1.
6 See the rules for the discernment of spirits in the first and second weeks of the
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
? Life by Herself, C. XXX-XXXI. — 8 Rom., VIII, 31.

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117

puts to flight this rebellious spirit, who, having revolted
through pride, never knew the virtue of humility. To
humble ourselves before God, to acknowledge our inability
to conquer without His help, defeats the schemes of the
prince of pride. Our prayer must also be full of confidence.
God’s own glory is bound up with our triumph and we
may, therefore, fully trust in the power of His grace. It is
likewise a good practice to invoke the intercession of
St. Michael, who, having once obtained a signal victory
over Satan, will gladly complete his triumph in us and
through us in the day of our struggle. He will have a
powerful ally in our Guardian Angel provided we place our
trust in him. But above all, we must not forget to have
recourse to the Blessed Virgin. Her foot did crush the
serpent’s head and she is more terrible to the demon than
a whole army in battle array.
224. B) The second means consists in making use in
all confidence of the sacraments and the sacramentals. Con­
fession being an act of humility routs the devil ; the abso­
lution which follows applies to us the merits of Jesus Christ
and renders us invulnerable to the thrusts of the enemy.
Holy Communion brings info our hearts Christ who tri­
umphed over Satan and who now fills him with terror.
Even the sacramentals, the sign of the Cross, or the prayers
of the Liturgy, said in the spirit of faith in union with the
Church, are a precious help. St. Theresa recommends in a
special way the use of holy water,1 perhaps because of the
humiliation Satan must suffer at seeing himself baffled by
such a simple device.
225. C) The last means against diabolical temptation
is an utter contempt of the devil. It is once more St. Theresa
who assures us of this. “ These cursed spirits torment
me quite frequently, but they do not frighten me in
the least, for I am convinced that they cannot stir except
by God’s leave. Let this be known well, that every time
we make them the object of our contempt, they lose
their strength, and the soul acquires over them greater
ascendancy. They have no power except against cowardly
souls who surrender their weapons. Against such they do
show their power. ” 2 It must be, indeed, a bitter humi­
liation to those proud spirits to be contemned by weaker
beings such as men are. As we have said, if we humbly
lean on the strong arm of God, it is our right as well as
■ Life by Herself, C. XXXI. — 3 Ibid.

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CHAPTER II.

our duty to despise them. “ If God is for us who will be
against us? ” The evil spirits can bark; they cannot harm
us unless through lack of prudence or through pride we put
ourselves into their power. Thus it is that the fight that
we must wage against the devil, the world and the flesh
strengthens us in the supernatural life and enables us to
make spiritual progress.

Conclusion
226. i° We have just seen that the Christian life is
a warfare, a harassing warfare that entails a lifelong and
intricate manœuvering ending only with death, a warfare
of supreme importance since it is our eternal life that is at
stake. As St. Paul teaches, there are within us two men :
a) the regenerated man, the new man, with tendencies which
are noble, supernatural, divine. These the Holy Ghost
produces in us through the merits of Christ and the inter­
cession of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints. We strive to
correspond to the higher tendencies by making use, under
the influence of actual grace, of the supernatural organism
wherewith God has endowed us. t>) But there is also in us
the natural or carnal man, the Old Adam, with all the evil
inclinations which remain even after Baptism, with the
threefold concupiscence inherited from our first parents.
This concupiscence is stirred up and intensified by the
world and the devil ; it is an abiding tendency inclining us
toward an inordinate love of sensual pleasure, of our own
excellence, and of the goods of this world. These two
men necessarily engage in conflict. The Old Adam, the
flesh, seeks pleasure without regard to the moral law. The
spirit in turn reminds the flesh that there are forbidden
pleasures and dangerous pleasures which must be sacrificed
to duty, that is to say, to the will of God. The flesh,
however, is persistent in its desires ; it must, therefore, with
the help of grace be mortified and, if need be, crucified.
The Christian, then, is a soldier, an athlete, who fights unto
death for an immortal crown.1
227.2° This warfare is constant, for in spite of all our
efforts we can never fully divest ourselves of the Old Adam.
We can but weaken him, bind him, while at the same time
we fortify the New Man against his attacks. At the outset
the fight is keener, more obstinate, and the counter-attacks
of the enemy more numerous and more violent; but as we
lII. Tim., II, 1-7. St. Paul describes the Christian's armor in Eph. VI, i>i8.

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by earnest and persevering efforts gain one victory and then
another, our enemy weakens, passions subside and, except
for certain moments of trial willed by God to lead us to
a higher degree of perfection, we enjoy a relative calm,
a pledge and a foretaste of final victory. All success we
owe to the grace of God. We must not forget that the
grace given us is the grace for struggle and not the grace
for peace ; that we are warriors, athletes, ascetics ; that like
St. Paul we must fight on to the end if we would merit the
crown. “ I have fought the good fight : I have finished my
course : I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid
up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord the just judge
will render to me in that day. ” 1 This is the means of
perfecting in us the Christian life and of acquiring many
merits.
§ II. The growth of the spiritual life by merit123

228. We progress, indeed, by the fight we wage against
our enemies, but more still by the meritorious acts which
we perform day by day. Every good act freely done by a
soul in the state of grace and with a supernatural intention,
possesses a threefold value for our spiritual growth, inas­
much as it is meritorious, satisfactory and impetratory.
a) The meritorious value means an increase of sanctifying
grace and a corresponding right to a higher degree of glory
in heaven.
b) The satisfactory value contains a threefold element :
i) propitiation, by which with a contrite and humble heart
we turn God auspiciously towards us and incline Him to
forgive our trespasses; 2) expiation, that is to say, the
effacement of guilt by the infusion of grace; 3) satisfaction,
which in view of the element of suffering accompanying
our good works, cancels wholly or in part the punishment
due to sin. This happy result is not merely the outcome
of good works properly so-called, but also, as the Council
of Trent teaches, of the willing acceptance of the ills and
sufferings of this life. 3 What is more consoling than to be
able to turn all manner of adversity into gain for the purifi­
cation of the soul and closer union with God ?
1 // Tim., IV, 7-8.
2 St. Thom., I-II q. 114; Terrien, La Grâce et la Gloire, II, p. 15 foil; Labau< he, Man, P. Ill, C. Ill; Hugon in La vie spirituelle, II (1920), p. 28, 273, 353;
'I anquerey, Syn. theol. dog., III, n. 210-235; Remler, Supernatural Merit·,
Wirth, Divine Grace, C. VIII; Scheeben, Glories of Divine Grace.
3 Sess. XIV, De Sacramento pœnit., Cap. 9.

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c) Lastly, these same acts, when they embody a request
to the Divine Mercy for new graces, possess also an impetratory value. As St. Thomas justly remarks, we pray not
only when we explicitly make a request to Almighty God,
but whenever we turn our hearts to Him or direct any act
of ours towards Him ; so much so, indeed, that our life
becomes a continual prayer when our activities are con­
stantly directed towards God. “ Man prays whenever he so
acts in thought, word and deed as to tend towards God ;
lienee, life is a constant prayer if wholly directed towards
God.” 1 Is not this elevation of the heart to God a prayer?
Is not this an effectual means of obtaining from Him for
ourselves and for others whatever we desire?
For the end we have in view it will suffice to explain :
i) the nature of merit; 2) the conditions that increase the
merit of our good works.
I. Nature of Merit
Two points must be made clear : i° What we mean by
merit; 2° What makes our actions meritorious.
i° What

is

Meant by Merit

229. A) Merit in general is a right to a reward. Hence,
supernatural merit of which we speak here is a right to a
supernatural reward, a right to a share in God’s life, a right
to grace and glory. Since, however, God is in no way
obliged to make us share in His life, there must exist a
promise on His part that confers upon us an actual title to
such supernatural reward. Merit, then, may be defined :
a right to a supernatural reward arising both from a super­
natural work done freely for God's sake, and from a divine
promise to give such a reward.

230.B) There are two kinds of merit : a) merit prop­
erly so called (de condigno) to which a recompense is due
in justice, because there exists a sort of equality, a real
proportion between the work and the reward, b) The
other kind of merit, called de congruo, is not based upon
strict justice ; its claims are simply those of a certain fitness,
since the reward outweighs by far the work done. The
following example gives an approximate notion of this
distinction. A soldier acquitting himself bravely on the
battlefield has a strict right to his pay, but he can lay only
a claim of fitness to a citation or a decoration.
’ In Rom., C. I, 9-10.

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C) The Council of Trent teaches that the works of the
justified man truly merit an increase of grace, eternal life,
and, should he die in this state, the attainment of glory.
231. D) Let us recall briefly the general conditions for
merit, a) A work to be meritorious must be free. If man
acts through constraint or necessity, he is not actually
responsible, b) The work must be supernaturally good in
order to be in proportion with the reward. C) When it is
question of merit properly so-called, the work must be
performed in the state of grace, for it is this grace that
causes Christ to dwell in our souls and makes us share in
His merits, d) The work must be performed during our
life on earth, for God has wisely decreed that after a period
of trial wherein we can merit or demerit, we should reach
the end where we shall forever remain fixed in the state in
which we die. These are the conditions on the part of
man. To them is added on the part of God the promise
which gives us a real right to eternal life. As St. James
says : “ The just receive the crown of life which God hath
promised to them that love Him. ” 1
2° What

makes our acts meritorious

232. At first sight it seems difficult to understand
how very simple, ordinary and transitory acts can merit
eternal life. This would be an insuperable difficulty if
these acts were produced by us alone. But as a matter of
fact they are the result of the co-operation of God and the
human will. This explains their efficacy. God whilst crown­
ing our merits, crowns His own gifts, for our merits are
largely His work. To enable us to understand better the
efficacy of our meritorious acts let us explain the share of
God and the share of man.
A) God is the first and principal cause of our merits :
“ Not I, but the grace of God with me. ” 2 In fact, it is God
who has created our faculties; God who has perfected them,
raised them to a supernatural state by the virtues and by the
gifts of the Holy Ghost ; God who by His actual grace calls
us to perform good works and assists us in doing them.
He is, therefore, the first cause exciting the will to action and
giving it new energies that enable it to act supernaturally.
233. B) Our free will, responding to God’s solicitations,
acts under the influence of grace and the virtues and thus
'James, I, 12. — 3 I Cor., XV, 10.

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becomes a secondary, but real and efficacious cause of our
meritorious acts, since it truly co-operates with God.
Without this free consent there can be no merit. In
heaven we can no longer merit, for there we cannot help
loving that God whom we clearly see to be Infinite Good­
ness and the Source of our beatitude. Besides, our co­
operation itself is supernatural. By habitual grace the very
substance of our being is deified ; by the virtues and the
gifts of the Holy Ghost our faculties are likewise deified,
and by actual grace even our acts are made Godlike. Once
our actions are deified there exists a real proportion between
our works and grace, which latter is itself a Godlike life, as
well as between our acts and glory, which is the full devel­
opment of that life. No doubt, the acts themselves are
transitory, while glory is eternal ; yet, as in our natural
existence transient acts produce states of soul that endure,
it is but just that the same should hold good in the super­
natural order, and that virtuous acts producing an abiding
disposition to love God be rewarded by a lasting recom­
pense. Lastly, since our soul is immortal it is fitting that
such recompense should endure forever.
234. C) It might be objected that in spite of this
proportion between act and reward, God is in no manner
constrained to bestow a recompense so great and so
enduring as grace and glory. We fully grant this, and we
acknowledge that God in His infinite goodness rewards us
above our deserts. Hence, He would not be bound to have
us enjoy the Beatific Vision through all eternity had He not
promised it. But He has promised it by the very fact that
He has destined us for a supernatural end. His promise
recurs repeatedly in Holy Writ wherein eternal life is
represented as the reward promised to the just, and as a
crown of justice : “ The crown which God hath promised to
them that love Him... a crown of justice which the just
judge shall render unto me. ” 1 Therefore, the Council of
Trent declares that eternal life is at once a grace mercifully
promised by Jesus Christ, and a recompense which in virtue
of this promise is faithfully awarded to good works and to
merit. 2
235. From the fact that merit is based on this promise
of God, we can infer that merit is something personal. It
is for ourselves and not for others that we merit grace and
life everlasting, for the divine promise goes no further. It
'Janus, I, 12; II Tim., IV, 8. — 3 Sess. VI, Cap. 16.

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123

is different with our Lord Jesus Christ, who having been
made the moral head of the human race, has merited for
each of His members, and this in the strict sense of the
word. We can, indeed, merit for others, but by no title of
justice, simply de congruo, that is, by a title of mere fitness.
This fact is in itself most consoling, because this merit is
joined to the one we gain for ourselves and thus it enables
us to co-operate in the sanctification of our brethren whilst
working at our own.
II. Conditions for Increasing Merit
236. These conditions evidently proceed from the
different causes that concur in the production of meritorious
acts, hence, from God and from ourselves. We can always
count upon God’s liberality, for He is always munificent in
His gifts, and therefore, we must center our attention prin­
cipally upon our dispositions. Let us see what can improve
these dispositions either on the part of the one who merits
or on the part of the meritorious act itself.
i° Conditions

on the part of the one who merits

237.There are four principal conditions : the degree of
habitual grace or charity, our union λνΐίΐι our Lord, our
purity of intention, our fervor.
a) The degree of sanctifying grace. To merit in the
proper sense of the word, the state of grace is required.
Hence, all things being equal, the more habitual grace we
possess, the greater is our power for meriting. This, no
doubt, is denied by some theologians on the ground that
the amount of habitual grace does not always influence our
acts so as to render them better, and that at times holy
souls act negligently and imperfectly. But the doctrine we
maintain is the common teaching, based on the following
reasons.
i) The value of an act even in human affairs depends
largely upon the dignity of the person that performs it, and
upon the degree of esteem in which he is held by the
rewarder. Now, what constitutes the dignity of the Chris­
tian and what makes him dear to the heart of God is the
degree of grace, that is, of divine life to which he has been
raised. This is why the Saints in heaven or the saints on
earth have such great power of intercession. Hence, if we
possess a higher degree of grace we are worth more in the
eyes of God than those who have less ; we please Him more,

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and on this account our actions are nobler, more agreeable
to God, and therefore, more meritorious.
2) Besides, this degree of grace will ordinarily exercise
a happy influence on our acts. Living more fully a super­
natural life, loving God more perfectly, we are led to
improve the quality of our acts, to put into them more
charity, to be more generous in our sacrifices. Now, every
one grants that such dispositions increase our merits. Let
no one say that at times the contrary happens. This is the
exception, not the rule. We had that in mind when we
said : all other things being equal.
How consoling is this doctrine! By multiplying our
meritorious acts we daily increase our stock of grace. This
store of grace enables us to put more love into our works
and thus further the growth of our supernatural life : “ He
that is just, let him be justified still. ” 1

238. b) Our degree of union with our Lord. The source
of our merit is Jesus Christ, the Author of our sanctification,
the chief meritoriouls cause of all supernatural good, the
Head of the mystical body whose members we are. The
closer we are to the source, the more we receive of its
fulness; the closer we approach to the Author of all
Holiness, the more grace we receive ; the closer we are to
the Head, the more life and activity it imparts to us.
Does not our Lord Himself tell us this in the beautiful
allegory of the vine? “ I am the vine and you the branch­
es... he who abideth in me and I in him, the same beareth
much fruit.”2 We are united to Jesus as the branch is to
the stem and, therefore, the closer our union, habitual and
actual, with Him, the more we receive of His vital influence.
This is why all fervent souls, all that wish to become
fervent, have ever sought a more and more intimate union
with our Lord. This is why the Church herself asks us to
perform our actions through Him, with Him and in Him.
Through Him, for : “ No one cometh to the Father but
by me;”3 with Him,\yy acting in union with Him, since
He consents to be our co-worker; in Him, in the virtue,
in the power that is His very own, and above all, with His
intentions. In the words of Father Faber: “To do our
actions by Christ is to do them in dependence upon Him,
as He did everything in dependence upon His Father and
by the movements of His Spirit. To do our actions with
Christ is to practise the same virtues as our Lord, to clothe
* Apoc., XVII, ii. — 3 John, XV, 1-6. — * John, XIV, 6.

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125

ourselves with the same dispositions, and to act from
the same intentions, all according to the measure of the
lowliness of our possibilities. To do our actions in Christ
is to unite ours with His, and to offer them to God along
with His, so that for the sake of His they may be accepted
on high. ” 1
If we thus perform our actions in union with our Lord,
He lives in us, inspires our thoughts, our desires and all
our acts in such a way that we can say with St. Paul : “ 1
live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me. ” 2 It is evident
that acts performed under the influence of Christ’s life­
giving action and with the aid of His all-powerful coopera­
tion, have a far greater value than those done by ourselves
even with the help of ordinary grace and with only habitual
union with Christ by sanctifying grace. In practice, then,
we should unite ourselves frequently with our Lord, espe­
cially at the beginning of our actions ; we should make our
own His perfect intentions, fully conscious of our inability
to do anything good of ourselves and confident that He is
able to overcome our weakness. Thus we strive to carry
out the advice of St. Paul : “ All whatsoever you do in word
or in work, all things do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. ” 3

239. C) Purity of intention or perfection of the motive
under which we act. For our actions to be meritorious it is *
enough, according to many theologians, that they be inspired
by any supernatural motive : fear, hope or love. It is
true that St. Thomas requires that our actions be at least
virtually under the influence of charity through a preceding
act *of
love
the influence of which still endures. He adds,
however, that this condition is fulfilled in all those that
perform any lawful action whilst in the state of grace :
“ For those in the state of grace every act is meritorious or
demeritorious. ” 4 In fact, every good act springs from
some virtue; but all virtues converge into charity which is
the Queen of virtues just as the will is the Queen of facul­
ties. And charity ever active directs all our good acts
towards God and gives life to all our virtues. If, however,
we want our acts to be as meritorious as possible, we need
a more perfect, a more actual intention. The intention is
the principal element in our actions ; it is the eye that sheds
its light upon them and directs them towards their end ; it
1 Growth in Holiness, p. 467. — 3 Gal., II, 20. — 3 Colos., Ill, 17.
« Quœs. disp., de Malo. q. 2, a. 5, ad 7. Hence, it appears that what St. Tho­
mas calls virtual intention, modern theologians call habitual.

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CHAPTER II.

is the soul that animates them and gives them their worth
in God’s sight : “ If thy eye be single, thy whole body shall
be lightsome. ” 1 Now, there are three elements that bestow
special value upon our intentions.
240. i) Since charity is the Queen and the soul of all
virtues, every act inspired by it will have by far more merit
than acts inspired by fear or by hope. It is important,
then, that all our actions be done out of love of God and
the neighbor. In this way even the most ordinary actions,
like meals and recreations, become acts of charity and share
in the merits of that virtue. To eat in order to restore our
strength is lawful and, in a Christian, it is meritorious ; but
to do this in order to work for God and for souls is to act
from a motive of love which ennobles our action and
bestows on it greater meritorious value.
241. 2) Since acts of virtue animated by charity lose
none of their own value, it follows that an act done from
more than one motive will thereby be more meritorious.
Thus, an act of obedience to Superiors prompted both by
respect for their authority and by the love of God whom
we see in their persons, will possess the twofold merit of
obedience and of charity. In this way one and the same
act may have a threefold or a fourfold value; for instance,
when I detest my sins because they offend God, I can also
have the intention of practising penance and humility.
Thus, I make this one act thrice meritorious. It is, there­
fore, useful in performing our actions to propose to ourselves
several supernatural motives. We must, however, avoid all
excess and preoccupation in seeking to multiply intentions,
for this would disturb the soul. The prudent way is to
make use of the intentions that suggest themselves more or
less spontaneously and to subordinate them to that of
divine charity. In this manner we shall increase our merits
without losing our peace of soul.

242. 3) Since our will is fickle, we must form and
renew frequently our supernatural intention. Otherwise, it
might come to pass that an action begun for God would be
continued from curiosity, sensuality or self-love, and thus
lose in part its worth. We say : in part, for since these
secondary motives do not utterly destroy the first, the act
does not cease to be supernatural and meritorious. When
a steamer leaves Cherbourg for New York, it is not enough
* Matth., VI, 22.

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to direct it once and for all towards her destination. The
tides, gales and ocean-currents tend now and again to change
her course, and it is necessary that the pilot be constantly
at the helm to keep her in her path. It is the same with
the will. It is not enough to direct it towards God once
for all or even once a day. Human passions and external
influences will soon throw it out of course; we must, there­
fore, by explicit acts bring it back frequently in the direction
of God and of charity. We should be careful to realize and
to mean what we say when we recite the morning-offering :
“ I offer up to Thee, O my God, my thoughts, words, acts
and sufferings of this day; grant that they may all tend to
Thy glory and my salvation. ” We should renew this
offering before every important action of the day. If we
are faithful to this practice, God will gradually give us the
facility to renew the offering even in the course of our
actions, without depriving us of the requisite attention to
do our work well.
243. d) Fervor or intensity of our actions. Even in the
accomplishment of good works, it is possible for us to be
careless and remiss ; or, on the other hand, we may act with
vigor, with all the energy at our command, making use of
all the actual graces placed at our disposal. Evidently, the
result in either case will be very different. If we act half­
heartedly we acquire but little merit and at times become
guilty of venial sins, which do not, however, entirely destroy
our merit. If, on the contrary, we pray and labor and
sacrifice ourselves whole-heartedly, each of our actions
merits a goodly share of sanctifying grace. Without enter­
ing here into debatable questions, we can say with certainty
that, since God renders a hundredfold for what is done for
Him, a fervent soul acquires daily a great increase of grace
and becomes perfect in a short time, according to the words
of Wisdom : “ Being made perfect in a short space, he
fulfilled a long time. ” 1 \Vhat a mighty incentive to
fervor! In truth, it is well worth the while to renew our
efforts unceasingly and resolutely.
2° Conditions

on the part of the act itself

244. Subjective dispositions are not the only conditions
that increase merit ; there are also objective circumstances
that contribute to render our actions more perfect. These
are chiefly four :
1 Wisdom, IV, 13.

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CHAPTER II.

a) The excellence of the object or of the act itself. There
is a hierarchy among the virtues; the theological excel the
moral. Hence, the acts of faith, hope and charity have
greater worth than those of prudence, justice, temperance,
etc. But, as we have said, the latter can, through the inten­
tion of the subject, become also acts of charity and thus
share in the special worth that attaches to this virtue. In
like manner acts of religion which of themselves have God’s
glory directly in view, are more perfect than those that look
directly to our sanctification.
b) As regards certain actions, quantity may have some
influence on merit. All other things being the same, a gift
of a thousand dollars will be more meritorious than a gift of
a hundred. But in this matter quantity is often a relative
thing. The mite of the widow who deprives herself of much
of her substance has a greater moral value than the princely
gift of the rich man who simply gives a portion of his
superfluous goods.
C) The duration of an act likewise may render it more
meritorious. To pray or to suffer for an hour is worth more
than to pray or to suffer for five minutes; for protracted
prayer or suffering call forth more effort and more love.
245. d) The difficulty inherent to the performance of
the act also increases merit, not precisely inasmuch as it is
a difficulty, but inasmuch as it demands greater love and a
more strenuous and sustained effort. For instance, to resist
a violent temptation is more meritorious than to resist a
light one; to practise meekness with a choleric temperament
and in spite of frequent provocations from others is more
difficult and more meritorious than to do so with a nature
that is gentle and mild or when others are kind and consid­
erate. We must not conclude, however, that the ease
acquired by the repetition of virtuous acts necessarily dimin­
ishes our merit. Such facility, when used to sustain and
to strengthen the supernatural effort, contributes to the
intensity or fervor of the act, and in this way it rather
increases our merit, as we have already explained above.
as
*Just
an efficient worker in the measure that he becomes
proficient in his work avoids all waste of time, material and
energy, and thus realizes larger gains with less labor, so the
Christian who has learned to make better use of the means
of sanctification saves time and effort, and thus with less
trouble to himself gains greater merit. Because the Saints
through the practice of virtue make acts of humility, obe­
dience, religion, with greater facility, they are not therefore

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entitled to less merit; just the contrary, since they make
acts of love of God with greater ease and frequency.
Moreover, they continue their efforts to make sacrifices
whenever necessary. In short, difficulty increases merit,
not inasmuch it is an obstacle to be overcome but inasmuch
as it calls for more energy and more love. 1
We must add that these objective conditions have a real
influence on merit only inasmuch as they are freely accepted
by us, and thus react on our interior dispositions.

Conclusion
246. The logical conclusion of all this is the necessity
of sanctifying all our actions, even the most ordinary. We
have already said it : all our actions can become a source of
merit if done with a supernatural end in view and in union
with our Lord, who even in the workshop at Nazareth never
ceased to merit for us. What progress can we not thus
make in a single day! From the moment we awake until
we retire at night the meritorious acts which we can per­
form, if we are recollected and generous, may be numbered
by the hundreds. Indeed, there is a growth of the Godlike
life of grace in our souls not only through every act of the
day, but through every effort to make each action more
perfect; through every effort to dispel distractions at
prayer, to apply our minds to our tasks, to keep back an
unkind word, to render a service to others. Likewise, every
word inspired by charity, every good thought turned to
good account, in short, all the movements of the soul
directed by our free-will towards good are so many means
of increasing merit.

247. It may be said in all truth that there is no means
of sanctification more efficacious, more practical, than the
supernaturalizing of our ordinary actions, — and this means
is within the reach of every one. It is of itself sufficient
to raise a soul within a short time to a high degree of
holiness. Every act becomes a seed of grace and glory,
since it gives us an increase of sanctifying grace and a right
to a higher degree of heavenly bliss.

248.The practical way of thus converting our acts into
merits is to recollect ourselves for a moment before we
begin them, to renounce positively all evil or inordinate
intentions, to unite ourselves to our Lord, our model and
■ Eymieu, Le Gouvernement de soi-mime, I, Introd., p. 7-9.

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our Mediator, with a keen sense of our own weakness, and
to offer through Him every act for God’s glory and the good
of souls. Thus understood the oft-renewed offering of our
actions to God is an act of self-renunciation, of humility,
of love of our Lord, of love of God, of love of the neighbor.
It is, indeed, a short-cut to perfection.1
§ III. Growth of the Christian Life through
the Sacraments 2

249. We grow in grace and perfection not only by
means of meritorious acts, but also by the reception of the
Sacraments. Sensible signs instituted by our Lord Jesus
Christ, they symbolize and confer grace. God, knowing how
easily man is drawn to external things, willed in His
infinite goodness to attach His grace to material objects
and visible actions. It is a matter of faith that our sacra­
ments contain the grace they symbolize and that they
confer it on all those who place no obstacle in the way; 3
and this not solely in virtue of the recipient’s dispositions,
but
opere operato, that is, in virtue of the sacramental
rite itself. The sacraments are instrumental causes of grace, 1
God ever being the principal cause, and our Lord the meri­
torious cause.
250. Besides habitual grace, each sacrament produces
a special grace which is called sacramental grace. This does
not differ specifically from sanctifying grace, but, according
to St. Thomas and his school, it adds to it a special energy
calculated to produce effects in harmony with the purpose
of each sacrament. Be this as it may, all agree that it
gives a right to special graces at the opportune moment for
the more easy performance of those obligations which
the reception of the various sacraments imposes. The
Sacrament of Confirmation, for example, gives us the
right to special actual graces of strength for combat­
ing human respect and for confessing our faith in the
face of all.
There are four things we should dwell on : i°sacramental |
grace, proper to each sacrament ; 2° the dispositions necessary |
« All spiritual writers recommend this practice in some form or other. See
Rodriguez, Practice of Christian Perfection, P. I, tr. 2, 3; OLIER, Introd., C. XV;
Tronson, Examens, XXVI-XXIX ; Faber, All for Jesus ; “ Minting Money";
Growth in Holiness, p. 463-468.
aSt. Thom., Ill, q. 60-62; Suarez, disp. VIII; De broglie, Conf, sur la vie
surnat., Ill; BELLEVUE, De la grâce sacramentelle;
Syn., Ill, n. 298·
323; Marmion, Christ the Life of the Soul, p. 65 and foil
3 Council of Trent, Scss. VII, Can. 6.

I
I
I
fl

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for the fruitful reception of the sacraments; 30 the special
dispositions required for the sacrament of Penance·, 40 those
required for the reception of Holy Communion.
I. Sacramental Grace
The Sacraments confer special graces which correspond
to the different stages of life.

251. a) In Baptism a grace of spiritual regeneration is
given by which we are purified from the stain of original
sin, are born to the life of grace. A nezv man is thus
created within us, the regenerated man that lives the life of
Christ. According to the beautiful teaching of St. Paul,
“ We are buried together with Him (Christ) by baptism into
death; that as Christ is risen from the dead, so we also may
walk in newness of life, ” 1 Hence, the special or sacra­
mental grace given us is: 1) a grace of death to sin, of
spiritual crucifixion which enables us to oppose and to curb
the evil tendencies of the Old Adam; 2) a grace of regener­
ation that makes us one with Christ, causes us to share
in His life, renders us capable of living in harmony with
His sentiments and examples and thus makes us perfect
Christians. Hence, the duty for us of combatting sin and
its causes, of adhering to Jesus Christ and imitating His
virtues.
252. b) Confirmation makes of us soldiers of Christ.
To the grace of Baptism it adds a special grace of strength
that we may with generosity profess our faith in face of all
enemies, in spite of human respect that keeps so many
from the practice of their religious duties. This is why the
gifts of the Holy Ghost already given us in Baptism are
< onferred again in Confirmation, for the special purpose of
enlightening our faith, of rendering it more vivid, more
discerning, and of strengthening our will against sin.
I Icnce, the duty of cultivating the gifts of the Holy Ghost,
especially those that make for militant Christianity.
253. c) The Eucharist nourishes our souls, which like
our bodies need food for sustenance and strength. None
but a Divine Food can nourish a Divine Life. The Body
.md Blood of Christ, His Soul and His Divinity transform
us into other Christs, infusing into us His spirit, His senti­
ments and His virtues. This will be developed further,
(η. 283).
'Homans, VI, 3-6.

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254. d) Should we have the misfortune of losing the
life of grace by mortal sin, the Sacrament of Penance
washes away our sins in the Blood of Jesus Christ poured
upon us by absolution (cf. n. 262).
255.e) As death approaches we need to be fortified in
the midst of the anxiety and the fear inspired by the
memory of past sins, by our present failings, and by the
thought of God’s judgment. By the anointing of our senses
with the Holy Oils the Sacrament of Extreme Unction
infuses into our souls a grace of confort and spiritual solace
that frees us from the remains of sin, revives our trust,
and arms us against the last assaults of the enemy, making
us share the sentiments of St. Paul who, after having
fought the good fight, rejoiced at the thought of the crown
prepared for him. It is important, then, to ask in good
time for this Sacrament, that is, as soon as we become
seriously ill, in order that we may receive all its effects, in
particular, restoration to health should this be God’s will.
It amounts to cruelty on the part of those attending the
sick to hide from them the seriousness of their condi­
tion and to put off to the last moment the reception of a
sacrament from which flow such abundant consolations.
These five sacraments suffice to sanctify the individual.
There are two others instituted to sanctify man in his
relations to society. Holy Orders and Matrimony. The for­
mer gives the Church worthy ministers, the latter sanc­
tifies the family.

256. f) Holy Orders bestow upon the ministers of the
Church not only the marvellous powers of consecrating the
Body and Blood of Christ, administering the Sacraments
and preaching the word of God, but also the grace of
exercising these powers in a holy manner. This Sacrament
gives them in particular an ardent love for the Blessed
Eucharist and for the souls of men, together with a firm
determination of spending and sacrificing themselves
entirely. We shall speak later on of the high degree of
sanctity at which God’s ministers should aim.
257. g) In order to sanctify the family, the cradle of
society, the Sacrament of Matrimony gives to husbands and
wives the graces they so urgently need : the grace of an
absolute and abiding fidelity so difficult to the human heart ;
the grace of reverence for the sanctity of the marriage-bed ;
the grace of devoted and steadfast consecration to the
Christian education of their children.

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258. At all the important stages of life, for every duty,
individual or social, we receive through some Sacrament
a wonderful grant of sanctifying grace. That such a grace
may be turned to account, we receive likewise through
each Sacrament a right to actual graces that urge us and
help us to practice the virtues to which we are bound. It
is our task then to correspond to these graces by bringing
to the Sacraments the best possible dispositions.

II. Necessary Dispositions for the Fruitful Reception
of the Sacraments
The amount of grace produced by the Sacraments
depends both on God and on us.1 Let us see how this
grace can be increased.
259. A) No doubt, God is free in the distribution of
His gifts. He may, therefore, grant more or less grace
through the Sacraments, according to the designs of His
Wisdom and His Goodness. But there are laws which God
Himself has laid down and by which He wills to abide.
Thus, He declares again and again that He cannot turn a
deaf ear to prayer well said : “ Ask and it shall be given
you : seek and you shall find : knock, and it shall be opened
to you. ” *
23 This holds good especially if our prayer is
supported by the merits of Christ : “ Amen, amen, I say to
you : if you ask the Father anything in my name, He will
give it to you. ” 3 If, therefore, when we receive a Sacra­
ment, we pray with humility and fervor and in union with
our Lord for a greater measure of grace, we shall obtain it.
260. B) On our part two dispositions contribute to the
reception of an increase of sacramental grace, namely, holy
desires before approaching the Sacraments, and fervor in
receiving them.
a) The ardent desire of receiving a Sacrament with all
its fruits opens and dilates the soul. This is an application
of the principle laid down by our Lord : “ Blessed are they
that hunger and thirst after justice : for they shall have their
fill. ” 4 Now, to hunger and thirst for the Holy Eucharist
or for Absolution is to open wide our hearts to the divine
communications. Then will God replenish our famished
souls : “ He hath filled the hungry with good things.” 5
‘Thus the Council of Trent, Sess. VI, Ch. 7: "The Holy Spirit distributes
to each according as He wills, and according to each one’s disposition and
cooperation. "
3 Matth., VII, 7. — 3 John, XVI, 23. — 4 Matth., V, 6. — 5 Luke, I, 53.

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CHAPTER II.

Let us then be like Daniel, men of desire, and let us long
after the fountains of living water, the Sacraments.
b) Fervor in the actual reception of the Sacraments will
make the soul still more receptive ; for fervor is that gener­
ous attitude of refusing Almighty God nothing, of allowing
Him to act in all the fulness of His power and of co-oper­
ating with Him with all our energies. Such a disposition
expands the soul, renders it more apt for the effusions of
grace, more responsive to the action of the Holy Spirit.
From this co-operation of God and the soul spring forth
abundant fruits of sanctification.

261. We may add here that all the conditions rendering
our actions more meritorious (cf. n. 237), perfect at the
same time the dispositions we must bring to the reception
of the Sacraments, and consequently increase the measure
of grace conferred upon us. We shall understand this
better when we apply this principle to the Sacraments of
Penance and Eucharist.

III. The Dispositions Required to Profit Well by the
Sacrament of Penance 1

The Sacrament of Penance purifies our souls in the Blood
of Jesus Christ, provided that we are well disposed, that our
confession is sincere, and that our contrition is true and
genuine.
i°

Confession

262. A) A word concerning grave sins. We speak
but incidentally of the accusation of grave faults. This we
have treated at length in our Moral Theology. *2 Should
one that is tending toward perfection have the misfortune,
in a moment of weakness, of committing any mortal sins,
he should confess them clearly and sincerely, mentioning
them at the very beginning of his confession and not half­
concealing them midst a multitude of venial sins. He should
state in all sincerity and humility the number and species of
these sins, and the causes that brought them about, and ask
« Besides consulting treatises of Theology, see : Beaudenom, Spiritual Progress;
St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to a Devout Life, P. 1, C. 19; P. II. C. 19;
Faber, Growth in Holiness, C. XIX, XX; Manning, Sin and its Consequences,
The Love of Jesus for Penitent Sinners,’TlSSOT, Profiting by Our Faults; Mother
Mary Loyola, First Confession; Marmion, Christ the Life of the Soul, P. II,
C. IV.
2 Syn. theol. inoral., De Pcenitentia, n. 242 and foil.

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135

his confessor most earnestly for the remedies that will work
a cure. He must, above all, have a deep sorrow for sin
together with a firm purpose of avoiding in the future, not
only these sins themselves, but also their occasions and
causes.
Once these sins have been forgiven, he must keep within
his soul an abiding and a lively sense of sorrow, and a sincere
desire to repair the evil done, by an austere and mortified
life, by an ardent and self-sacrificing love. An isolated
fault immediately repaired, even though grave, is not for
long an obstacle to our spiritual progress.
263. B) Deliberate Venial Faults.1 Venial faults
are of two kinds : those that are deliberate, that is, committed
with full knowledge that one is about to displease God and
with a deliberate selfish preference for a created good to
the divine will. The others are such as are committed
through surprise, ficklenessfrailty, lack of vigilance or courage,
and regretted on the spot, with the firm purpose of commit­
ting them no more.
Sins of the first category are a very serious obstacle to
perfection, specially if the sins recur frequently and the
heart is attached to them, for example, wilfully keeping
petty grudges, habitually forming rash judgments, speaking
ill of others, yielding to the attraction of inordinate, natural
affections, stubbornly holding to one’s own judgment, to
one’s own will. These are cords that bind us to earth and
prevent us from taking our flight toward God. When one
wilfully refuses Almighty God the sacrifice of one’s tastes,
of one’s way, one can hardly expect of Him those choice
graces which alone can lead to perfection. Such faults
should be corrected at any cost. The better to achieve this
task, we must take up successively the different species or
categories of faults, for example, faults against charity,
then those against humility, against the virtue of religion, etc.
We must make a full avowal of them in confession, chiefly
of those more humiliating to us, as well as of the causes
that make us fall into such sins. Lastly, we must make
firm resolutions to avoid these causes entirely. In this
manner, each confession will be a step forward in the way
of perfection.
264. C) Sins of Frailty. Having once overcome delib­
erate faults, we set upon those proceeding from frailty,
not indeed to avoid them altogether — this is impossible —
' Meyer, S. J., The Science of the Saints, Vol. I, C. XIII.

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CHAPTER II.

but gradually to diminish their number. Here again, we
must have recourse to the same expedient of dividing the
task. We may, no doubt, accuse all the venial sins we
remember; but this we do rapidly aijd then we stress some
particular faults; for instance, distractions in prayer, failings
against purity of intention, lack of charity.
In the examination of conscience and in confession we
shall not content ourselves with saying : “ I have been dis­
tracted in my prayers ” — which tells the confessor absolute­
ly nothing — but we shall rather put things thus : “ I have
been distracted or careless during such or such a spiritual
exercise, the reason being, that I failed to recollect myself
properly before beginning it, ” or “ because I had not the
courage to repel at once and with determination the first
vagaries of my mind, ” or again “ because after having
repelled distractions for a while I did not persevere and
remain steadfast in the effort. ”
At other times we shall accuse ourselves of having been
long distracted on account of an attachment to study or to
a friend, or owing to some petty grievance.
The accusation of the causes of our sins will suggest the
remedy and the resolution to be taken.
265. In order to insure the effectiveness of the confession,
whether it be question of deliberate faults or not, we shall
end the accusation by formulating the resolution for the
coming week or fortnight of “ combatting in earnest this
sourcè of distraction, that attachment, such preoccupation. ”
In the next confession we shall be careful to render an
account of our efforts, for instance : “ I had taken such reso­
lution, I kept it so many days, or kept it only in this regard,
but I failed in this or that point. ”
Evidently, confession practiced in this manner, will not
be a matter of routine but will on the contrary, mark a step
forward. The grace of absolution will confirm the resolu­
tion taken and not only will it increase habitual grace
within us, but it will also multiply our energies, causing us
to avoid in the future a certain number of venial faults and
to grow in virtue with a greater measure of success.
2° Contrition
266. In frequent confessions stress must be laid on
contrition and on the purpose of amendment which necessa­
rily goes with it. We must ask for it with earnestness and
excite it in ourselves by the consideration of supernatural
motives. These are always substantially the same, even if

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they vary with different souls and with the different faults
accused. The general motives for contrition have their
source in God and in the soul. We shall briefly indicate
them.

267. A) As regards God, sin, no matter how trivial, is
an offense against Him; it is resistance to His will; it consti­
tutes an act of ingratitude toward the most loving and most
lovable of fathers and benefactors — ingratitude that is all
the more hurtful because we are His privileged friends.
Hence God says to us : “ For if my enemy had reviled me,
I would have borne with it..., but thou a man of one mind,
my guide, and my familiar, who didst take sweet meats
together with me, in the house of God we walked with
consent. ” 1 Let us lend a willing ear to His well-merited
reproaches, and hide our face in shame and humiliation.
Let us hearken also to the voice of Jesus, telling us that
because of our transgressions His Chalice on the Mount of
Olives was made more bitter and His agony more terrible.
Then out of the depths of our misery let us humbly ask for
pardon : “ Have mercy on me, 0 God, according to Thy
great mercy... Wash me yet more from my iniquity... ”1
23
268. B) As regards the soul, venial sin does not indeed
of itself lessen sanctifying grace, but it does affect the
existing intimacy of the soul with God. What a loss
this is ! It brings to a standstill or, at least, it hampers our
spiritual activity, clogging, as it were, the fine mechanism
of the spiritual life. It weakens the soul's power for good
by intensifying the love of pleasure. Above all, if it be
deliberate, it predisposes to mortal sin, for in many matters,
especially in what concerns purity, the line of demarcation
between venial and mortal sin is so narrow, and the charm
of forbidden pleasure so alluring, that the borders of mortal
sin are easily crossed. Every sin committed means a yield­
ing to and therefore a strengthening of some impulse of
our lower nature; it means likewise a weakening of our
wills and a lesser grant of grace. When this is repeated,
it is easy to understand how the way is prepared for
mortal sin.
When we ponder over these consequences of venial sin,
it is not difficult to conceive a sincere regret for our negli­
gences and a desire to avoid them in the future. 3 In order
1 Ps. LIV, 13-15.
2 Ps. L. Meditation on this psalm is a splendid preparation for confession.
3 Beaudenom, op. cit., t. II, ch. II,

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to have this good purpose take an actual, definite form, it is
well to make it bear upon the means that should be taken
to reduce the chances of subsequent falls, according to the
method we have indicated above (N. 265).

269. In order to insure still further the presence of
contrition, it is a good practice to accuse one of the more
serious faults of the past for which we are surely sorry,
especially a fault that is of the same species as the venial
sins we deplore. Here we must be on our guard against
two defects : routine and negligence. The first would make
of this accusation a mere empty formula devoid of any real
sentiment of sorrow; the other would render us unmindful
of any actual regret for the venial sins presently accused.
The practice of confession carried out in this manner, the
advice of the confessor, and above all, the cleansing power
of absolution will be effectual means of disentangling our­
selves from the meshes of sin and of advancing in virtue.
IV. Dispositions Required to Profit Well by the Sacrament
of the Eucharist 1
270. The Holy Eucharist is both a sacrament and a
sacrifice. These two elements are most closely united ; for
the Sacrifice of the Mass makes present the Victim which
we receive in Holy Communion. Communion is not,
according to the common teaching, an essential part of the
sacrifice; it is, however, an integral part since it is by virtue
of communion that we partake in the sentiments of the
victim and share in the fruits of the sacrifice.
The essential difference between the one and the other is
that the sacrifice refers directly to the glory of God whilst
the sacrament’s immediate end is the sanctification of our
souls. These two objects are but one in reality, for to know
and love God is to glorify Him. Each, therefore, contri­
butes to our spiritual progress.
i°

The

sacrifice of the mass as a means
OF SANCTIFICATION 2

271. A) Its Effects, a) The Sacrifice of the Mass first
of all glorifies God and glorifies Him in a perfect manner,
*St. Thom., Ill, q. LXXIX; Suarez, disp. LX1I1; Dalgairns, Holy Commu­
nion; Hugon, O. P., La Sainte Eucharistie; Hedley, The Holy Eucharist.
= Besides the works already cited, cf. Benedict XIV’ De ss. Missæ Sacrijicio;
Bona, De Sacrificio Missæ; Le Gaudier, op. cit. P. 1, sect, io3; Gihr, The Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass; Olier, La Journée chrétienne, Occupations intérieures pen­
dant le saint sacrifice, p. 49-65; CiiAiGN'ON, S. J., The Holy Sacrifice; Bacuez,

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

139

for here Jesus Christ, through the ministry of the priest
offers again to His Father all the acts of adoration, gratitude
and love which He once offered on Calvary, — acts
which have an infinite moral value. In offering Himself
as victim, He .proclaims in a manner most significant
God’s sovereign domain over all things — this is adoration;
in giving Himself to God in acknowledgement of His bene­
fices, Christ offers to Him a praise equal to His gifts —
this is thanksgiving, and it constitutes the eucharistie wor­
ship. Nothing can prevent this effect from taking place,
not even the unworthiness of the minister, 1 for the worth
of the sacrifice does not depend essentially upon the one
through whose ministry it is offered, but on the worth of
the victim and on the dignity of the chief priest — no other
than Jesus Christ Himself.
This is what the Council of Trent teaches in declaring
that this unspotted offering cannot be stained by the un­
worthiness or malice of those who offer it; that in this divine
sacrifice is contained and immolated, in an unbloody man­
ner, the same Christ that offered Himself in a bloody man­
ner upon the altar of the Cross. Hence, adds the Council,
it is the same victim, the same sacrificing-priest who offers
Himself now through the ministry of priests and who once
offered Himself upon the Cross. There is no difference,
save in the manner of offering. 2 Thus when we assist at
Mass, and all the more when we celebrate Mass, we render
unto God Almighty all the homage due to Him and that
in a manner most perfect, since we make our own the
homage of Jesus, Priest and Victim.
Let no one say that this has nothing to do with our san­
ctification. The truth is, that when we glorify God, He is
moved with love toward us, and the more we attend to lÿis
glory the more He attends to our spiritual concerns. By
fulfilling our duties to Him in union with the Victim on
the altar, we do a signal work for our own sanctification.
272. b) The Divine Sacrifice has besides a propitiatory
effect by the very virtue of its celebration (ex opere operato,
as theologians say). It means that this Sacrifice, by offering
to the Almighty the homage due to Him together with an
S. S., Du divin sacrifice; E. Vandeur, O. S. B., The Holy Mass Explained ;
Card. Vaughan, The Mass ; Hedley, Retreat, C. 24; Retreatfor Priests, C. 13;
A Bishop and his Flock, C. 10; Dunney, The Mass; MarmION, Christ the Life of
the Soul, P. II, C. VII.
* In other words, this effect is produced, ex opere operato, by the very virtue of
the sacrifice.
3 Sess. XXII, cap. I-II.

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CHAPTER II

adequate atonement for sin, inclines Him to bestow upon
us, not sanctifying grace directly (this is the effect proper
to the sacrament), but actual grace, which produces in us
true repentance and contrition, thus securing for us the
remission of even the greatest sins.1
At the same time the Sacrifice of the Mass is satisfactory
in the sense that it remits without fail to repentant sinners
at least part of the temporal punishment due to sin. This is
why the Holy Synod adds that Mass can be offered not
only for the sins and satisfactions and needs of the living,
but also for the relief of those that have died in the Lord
without having sufficiently expiated their faults.*
2
We can easily see how this twofold effect of the Sacrifice,
propitiatory and satisfactory, contributes to our progress in
the Christian life. The great obstacle to union with God
is sin. By obtaining pardon for it and by causing its last
vestiges to vanish, a closer and more intimate union with
God is prepared : “ Blessed are the clean of heart : for they
shall see God. ” 3
How comforting to poor sinners thus to see the wall of
separation crumble down! —a wall that had kept them from
the enjoyment of divine life!

273. c) Holy Mass produces also ex opere operato an
impetratory effect and thus obtains for us all the graces we
need for our sanctification.
Sacrifice is prayer in action and He Who with unspeak­
able groanings makes supplication for us at the altar is the
same whose prayers are always heard : “ He was heard
because of His reverence. ” 4 Thus the Church, the author­
itative interpreter of the divine mind, prays there unceas­
ingly, in union with Jesus, Priest and Victim, “ through fesus
Christ Our Lord, ” for all the graces which her members
need, for health of body and soul, “ for their longed-for
salvation and well-being,” 5 for their spiritual growth, asking
for her faithful children, specially in the Collect, the parti­
cular grace proper to each feast. Whoever enters into this
stream of liturgical prayer with the required dispositions is
sure to obtain for himself and others the most abundant
graces.
It is clear, then, that all the effects of the Holy Sacrifice
concur to our sanctification — this all the more effectively,
* This is the teaching of the Council of Trent, sess. XXII, c. II.
2 Loc. cit. — 3 Matth., V, 8. — 4 Hebr., V, 7. — 5 Canon of Mass.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

141

since we do not pray alone therein, but in union with the
whole Church and above all in union with its invisible
Head, Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim, Who, renewing the
offering of Calvary, demands in virtue of His Blood and
His supplications that His merits and His satisfactions be
applied to us.
274. B) Dispositions required to profit by the Holy
Sacrifice.1 What dispositions should we have in order to
profit by such a powerful means of sanctification? The
fundamental and all-inclusive disposition is that of humble
and trusting union whith the dispositions manifested by
Christ on the Cross and renewed now on the Altar. We
must strive to share His sentiments of religion and make
them our own. In this way we can all carry out what the
Pontifical demands of priests : “ Realize what you do, and
imitate the Victim you offer.” And this is precisely what
the Church through her Liturgy urges us to do.2
275. a) In the Mass of the Catechumens (as far as the
Offertory, exclusive) she would have us form sentiments of
penitence and contrition (the Confiteor, Aufer a nobis,
Oramus te, Kyrie eleison} ; of adoration and gratitude (the
Gloria in excelsis} ; of supplication (the Collect} ; and of
sincere faith (the Epistle, Gospel and Creed}.
b) The grand drama follows : i) The offering of the victim
at the Offertory for the salvation of the whole human race,
“ For our salvation and that of the entire world"; the offering
of the Christian people together with the principal victim,
“ We beg of Thee, O Lord, in humble spirit and with contrite
hearts," followed by a prayer to the Most Holy Trinity to
deign to bless and receive the offering of the entire mystical
body of Christ. 2) The Preface heralds the great action
itself. At the Canon wherein the mystic immolation of the
victim is to be renewed, the Church summons us to join
with the Angels and Saints, but chiefly the Incarnate Word,
in thanking God Almighty, in proclaiming His Holiness, in
imploring His help for the Church, for its visible head, its
bishops and faithful children, and particularly those assist­
ing at the Sacrifice and those to whom we are bound by
closer ties of love.
’ The fruits of the Mass, described above, are obtained in various degrees accord­
ing to the inscrutable decrees of God, first by the celebrant, then by those for
whom the Holy Sacrifice is offered, by those whom the priest remembers at the
altar, and finally by all those who assist at Mass. We speak here only of these
last.
3 Cf. E. Vandeur, O. S. B., The Holy Mass; The Following of Christ, Bk. IV,
C. 8-9.

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·

Then the priest, uniting in fellowship with the Blessed
Virgin, with the Holy Apostles, Martyrs, and all the Saints,
moves in spirit to the Last Supper, becomes one with the
Sovereign Priest, and with Him utters once more the words
Jesus spoke in the Cenacle. Obedient to His voice, the
Word-made-flesh descends upon the altar with His Body
and Blood, silently adoring and praying in His own name
and in ours. The Christian people bow in adoration of the
Divine Victim ; they unite with our Lord’s own sentiments.
His acts of adoration, His requests, and they strive to im­
molate themselves with Him by offering their own small
sacrifices “ through Him, and. with Him and in Him. "
C) The Our Father begins the preparation for Com­
munion. Members of Christ’s mystical body, we repeat the
prayer He Himself taught us. We thus offer with Him our
acts of religious homage and our entreaties, asking most of
all, for that eucharistie bread that will deliver us from all
evil, and will give us, together with the pardon of our sins,
peace of soul and abiding union with Christ : “ And never
permit that 1 be ever separated from Thee. ” Then, like the
Centurion, protesting their unworthiness and begging
humble pardon, the priest and the faithful eat the Body and
drink the Blood of Christ. Priest and people are thus united
most intimately to Jesus, to His inmost soul and through
Him to the very Godhead, to the Most Blessed Trinity.
The mystery of union is completed. We are but one
with Jesus, and since He is but one with the Father, the
sacerdotal prayer of the Saviour at the Last Supper is
realized : “ I in them, and thou in me : that they may be made
perfect in one. ” 1
276. d) But one thing remains — to thank the Almighty
for such a stupendous gift. This is done at the Post­
communion and the prayers that follow. The blessing of
the priest bestows on us the affluent riches of the Triune
God. The last Gospel recalls to us the glory of the Incar­
nate Word, who has come once more to dwell among us,
whom we carry within us full of grace and truth, that we
may throughout the day draw life from life’s Source, and
live a life like unto His.
It is evident that to assist at Mass or to celebrate it with
dispositions such as these is to sanctify ourselves and to
nurture in the best possible manner that spiritual life that is
within us.
«/ζ>Λ»χνπ, 23.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

2’ Holy Communion

as a means of sanctification

143

*

277.A) Its Effects. The Holy Eucharist, as a sacra­
ment, produces in us an increase of habitual grace, ex opere
operato, by its own virtue. In fact, it has been instituted to
be the food of our souls : “ My flesh is meat indeed, and my
blood is drink indeed. ” 2 Its effects are, therefore, analogous
to those of material food ; it maintains, increases, and repairs
our spiritual forces, causing at the same time a joy that,
if not always sensible, is nevertheless real. Jesus Himself,
whole and entire, is our food ; His Body, His Blood, His
Soul, His Divinity. He is united to us to transform us into
Himself; this union is at once real and moral, a transform­
ing union, and by nature permanent.
Such is Christ’s doctrine as found in St. John’s Gospel
and summarized by Father Lebreton : 3 “ The union of
Christ and the Christian as well as the life-giving transfor­
mation resulting therefrom are consummated in the Euchar­
ist. Here there is no longer a question of adhering to
Christ merely by faith, nor of being incorporated into Him
through Baptism. This is a new union that is at once most
real and most spiritual by which, it may be said, we are
made not only one spirit but in a sense one flesh with
Christ. “ He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood,
abideth in me and I in him. ” 4
“ This union is so intimate that Our Lord does not hesitate
to say : “ As I live by the Father, so he that eatheth me the
same also shall live by me. ” 5 No doubt, this is only an
analogy ; yet if the analogy is to hold, we must see here not
merely a moral union based on a community of sentiments,
but a real physical union which implies the mingling of two
lives or rather the sharing by the Christian in the very life
of Christ. ” This we shall try to explain.

278.a) This union is real. It is a matter of faith,
according to the Council of Trent, that the Holy Eucharist
contains truly, really, and substantially the Body and Blood
of Jesus Christ, with His Soul and His Divinity — hence
‘St. Thom., q. 79; TANQUEREY, Syn. Theol. Dognt., t. Ill, p. 619-628; DalHoly Communion, p. 154 and foil.; H. Moureau, Did. de Thiol, fMangenotj, under the word, Communion ; P. Hugon, La Sainte Eucharistie, p. 240 and
loll.; Makmion, Christ the Life of the Soul, P. II. C. VIII.; Lejeune, Holy
i ommunion; Hedley, The Holy Eucharist; Mother Loyola. Welcome; Spiri­
tual Combat, c. 53-57; Iiitrod. to a Devout Life, P. Il, C. XXI; The Following
<>!■' Christ, E. IV ; Approved Prayer-Eooks.
3 John. VI, 55.
1 Les Origines du dogme de la Trinité, 1910, p. 403.
■* John, VI, 57. — 5 John, VI, 58.
gairns,

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CHAPTER Π.

Christ whole and entire. 1 Therefore, when we receive Holy
Communion we receive veiled under the sacred species the
real and physical Body and Blood of Christ, together with
His Soul and His Divinity. We are, then, not only the
tabernacles but the ciboriums wherein Christ lives, where
the angels come and adore Him, and where we should join
the heavenly Spirits in adoration. More, there exists
between Jesus and ourselves a union similar to that existing
between food and him who eats it — with this difference,
however, that it is Jesus that transforms us into Himself,
and not we who transform Him into our substance. The
superior being is the one to assimilate the inferior. 1
23 It is
a union that tends to subject our flesh more and more to the
spirit and to make it more chaste — a union that sows in
the flesh the seed of immortality : “ He that eateth my flesh
and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life, and I will
raise him up in the last day. ” 3
279.
b) To this real union is added another union,
spiritual in its nature, most intimate in its character, most
transforming in its effects, i) It is most intimate, most
sanctifying. The soul of Christ, in fact, unites with ours
to make us but one heart and one mind with Him — “ cor
unum et anima una. ” His imagination and His memory, so
righteous and so holy, unite themselves to our own imagina­
tion and our own memory to discipline them and turn them
toward God and the things of God, by bringing their activi­
ties to bear on the remembrance of His benefactions, on
His rapturous beauty, on His inexhaustible goodness. His
intelligence, true light of the soul, enlightens our minds with
the radiance of faith ; it causes us to see and value all things
as God sees and values them. It is then that we realize the
vanity of worldly goods and the folly of worldly standards ;
it is then that we relish the Gospel truths, so obscure before
because opposed to our natural instincts. His will so
strong, so constant, so generous, comes to correct our weak­
ness, our inconstancy, our egotism, by communicating to our
wills its own Divine energy, so that we can say with
St. Paul : “ I can do all things in Him who strengthened
me. ” 4 We feel now that effort will become easy, that

1 Sess. XIII, can. i.
2 This is the remark made by St. Augustine {Confessions, lib. VII, c. io, n. 16,
P. L·, XXXII, 742). He puts these words on the lips of the Lord : “ I am the
food of great souls, grow and you shall be able to eat of me ; but you shall not
change me into yourself like you do material food, it will be you that shall be
changed into me. "
3 John, VI, 35. — * Philip., IV, 13.

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145

temptation will find us immovable, that steadfastness will
no longer be above our strength, since we are not alone, but
cling to Christ like the ivy to the oak, and thus share in His
power. His heart, aglow with love for God and for souls,
comes to enkindle our own, so cold toward God, so tender
toward creatures. Like the disciples of Emmaus we say to
ourselves : “ Was not our heart burning within us, whilst He
spoke to us in the way? ” 1 It is then that under the action
of this divine fire we become conscious at times of a wellnigh irresistible impulse toward good, at others, of a sober
yet firm determination to do all things, to undergo all suffer­
ings for God and to refuse Him nothing.
280.
i) It is evident that a union such as this is truly
transforming. Little by little our thoughts, our ideas, our
convictions, and our judgments undergo a change. Instead
of weighing the worth of things with the world’s standards,
we make the thoughts and the views of Jesus Christ our
own; we lovingly accept the maxims of the Gospel; we
continually ask ourselves the question : What would Jesus
do if He were in my place? 2
2) The same is true of our desires, of our choices. Realiz­
ing that both self and the world are in the wrong, that the
truth abides only in Jesus, the Eternal Wisdom, we no
longer desire anything but what He desires, that is, God’s
glory, our own salvation and that of our brethren ; we will
only what He wills, “ not my will, but thine be done; ” and
even when this holy will nails us to the Cross, we accept it
with all our heart, certain that it bids fair for our spiritual
welfare and that of our fellows.
3) Our heart in like manner gradually frees itself from its
more or less conscious egotism, from its lower natural
affections and attachments, that it may love God and souls
in God, more ardently, more generously, more passionately.
Now we love no longer divine consolations, be they ever so
sweet, but God Himself ; no longer the comfort of finding
ourselves midst those we love, hut rather the good we can
do them. We live now, but we live a more intense life,

* Luke, XXIV, 32.
9 " We become one with Jesus. That is, we have the same " will ” as He has.
What He loves, we love; what He desires, we desire; what He says ought to be
done, we long to do and do; His judgments are ours; His behaviour under every
kind of condition, under all circumstances of persons and occurrences, is the be­
haviour we are always striving to reproduce in our own life and action. Thus, it is
no exaggeration to say that in the Holy Communion, Jesus Christ gives us His
own Heart, taking our heart away. His Heart is the Heart of chartiy, of purity,
of sacrifice. ” Bishop Hedley, Retreat, p. 279.

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CHAPTER IL

a life more supernatural, more divine than we did
past. It is no longer self, the old Adam, that lives,
and acts, but Jesus Himself, His spirit, that lives
us and vivifies our own : “ I live, now not I, but
liveth in vie. ” 1

in the
thinks
within
Christ

281. c) This spiritual union can be as lasting as we wish,
as Our Lord Himself testifies : “ He that eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him. ” 2 He desires
to tarry with us eternally. It rests with us, His grace
helping, ever to remain united to Him.
How is this union maintained? Some authors have thought with
Schram 3 that Christ’s soul folds itself, as it were, in the center of our
own soul there to remain constantly. — This would be a miracle most
extraordinary, for Christ’s soul is ever united to His body and this
latter disappears with the sacramental species. We cannot, therefore,
accept this opinion, since God does not multiply miracles without
necessity.

If, however, His soul does depart from us together with
His body, His divinity remains with us as long as we are in
the state of grace. More, His sacred humanity united to
His divinity maintains with the soul a special union. This
can be explained theologically as follows : The Spirit of
Jesus, in other words, the Holy Ghost, dwelling within the
human soul of Christ, remains in us in virtue of the special
relationship we have entered into with Jesus Christ by
sacramental Communion, and produces therein interior
dispositions similar to those of the Holy Soul of Christ.
At the request of Jesus, Whose prayers for us are unceasing,
the Holy Ghost grants us more abundant and more effica­
cious actual graces. With a special care, He preserves us
from temptations; He causes in us movements of grace,
directs our soul and its faculties, speaks to our heart,
strengthens our will, rekindles our love, and thus perpetuates
within our soul the effects of sacramental Communion.
To enjoy these privileges, however, one must evidently
practice interior recollection, hearken attentively to the
voice of God, and be ready to comply with His least desire.
Thus Sacramental Communion is complemented by a spiri­
tual Communion which renders its effects more lasting.

282. d) This communion brings about a special union
with the Three Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity. 4 In
virtue of the indwelling of each Divine Person within the
1 Galat., II, 20. — 2 John, VI, 56. — 3 Instit. theol. Mystica, § 153.
4 Cfr. Bern A DOT, De TEucharistie à la Trinité.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

147

other — circumincession — the Eternal Word does not come
alone into the soul ; He comes with the Father forever
generating His Son ; He comes with the Holy Ghost
forever proceeding from the mutual embrace of the Father
and the Son : “ If any one love me, my Father will love him
and we will come to him and we will make our abode with
him. ” 1 No doubt, the Three Divine Persons are already
in us by grace, but at the moment of Communion they are
present within us because of another, a special title : as
we are then physically united to the Incarnate Word, the
Three Divine Persons also are, through Him and by Him,
united to us, and They love us now as They love the
Word-made-Flesh, Whose members we are. Bearing Jesus
in our hearts, with Him we bear the Father and the Holy
Ghost. Holy Communion, then, is an anticipation of Heaven,
and, if we are possessed of a lively faith, we shall realize
the truth contained in the words of the Imitation, that
“ to be with Jesus is a sweet paradise. ” *12*5

283. B) Dispositions to profit well by the reception
of the Eucharist. 3 Since the object of the Eucharist is to
effect an intimate, transforming, and permanent union with
Christ and God, whatever in our preparation and thanksgiving
fosters that union will increase the effects of Holy Commun­
ion. a) The preparation will have the form of an anticipated
union with Our Lord. We take for granted the union of
the soul with God by sanctifying grace as already existing ;
without it, Communion would constitute a sacrilege. 4
1) There is first the more perfect accomplishment of all
our duties of state in union with Jesus and in order to
please Him. This is the best means of drawing unto us
Him Whose whole life was a continual act of filial obedience
to the Father. “ For I do always the things that please
Him. ” 5 This practice we explained in N. 229.
2) The second disposition should be a sincere humility,
based, on the one hand, on the exalted sanctity of Jesus
Christ and, on the other, upon our lowliness and our unwor­
thiness : “ Lord, I am not worthy... ” This humility creates,
so to speak, a void within the soul, emptying it of its
’ John, XIV, 23. — 2 The Imitation of Christ, Bk. II, C. 8.
1 Mother M. Loyola, Welcome; Lejeune, Holy Communion ; Approved PrayerBooks.
« Hence, were one conscious of mortal sin, it would be imperative, first of all, to
confess it with contrition and humility of heart, not being content with an act of
contrition no matter how perfect. Cf. Ad. Tanquerey, Syn. theol. Dogm., 1. HI,
N. 652-654.
5 John, VIII, 29.

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CHAPTER Π.

egotism, its pride, its presumption. Now, the more we
empty ourselves of self, the more ready we make the soul,
to let itself be inhabited and possessed by God.
3) To this humility must be added an ardent desire to be
united to God in the Eucharist. Realizing our helplessness
and our poverty, we should long for Him Who alone can
give strength to our weakness, enrich us with His treasures
and fill the void within our hearts. Such a desire will, by
dilating the soul, throw it wide open to Him Who in turn
^desires to give Himself to us : “ With desire I have desired
to eat this pasch with you. ” 1

284. b) The best thanksgiving will be to prolong our
union with Jesus.
1) It should begin by an act of silent adoration? of selfabasement and complete surrender of ourselves to Him Who
being God, gives Himself all to us : “ O Hidden God,
devoutly I adore Thee... To Thee my heart I bow with
bended knee. ” 3 In union with Mary, the most perfect
adorer of Jesus Christ, we shall abase ourselves before the
majesty of the Godhead to bless it, praise it, thank it, first,
in the Word-made-Flesh, and then with Him and through
Him, in the Most Blessed Trinity. “ My soul doth magnify
the Lord... He Who is mighty hath done great things unto
me, and holy is His name. ” 4 Nothing so enables Jesus to
take complete possession of the soul, to penetrate its very
depths, as this act of self-abasement. This is the manner
in which we poor creatures can gives ourselves to Him Who
is All. We shall give Him whatever of good is in us
since all this good proceeds from Him and has never ceased
to be His. We shall further offer Him our miseries that
He may consume them with the fire of His love and place
in their stead His perfect dispositions. What a wondrous
exchange!
285. 2) Then take place sweet colloquies between the
soul and the Divine Guest : “ Speak, Lord, for thy servant
keareth... Give me understanding that I may know thy
testimonies... Incline my heart unto the words of thy
mouth... ” This is the acceptable time to listen attentively
to Our Master and Our Friend, to speak to Him with1
*3
1 Luke XXII, 15.
’ Many, forgetting this first act, begin at once to ask for favors without consi- ·
dering the fact that our requests will be all the better received, if first of all, we
render our homage to Him Who honors us with His presence.
3 Hymn of&X.. THOMAS. — 4 Luke, I, 46 and foil.

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149

reverence, with candor, with love. This is the moment in
which Jesus instils into us His dispositions and His virtues.
We must lay our soul open to the divine communications
and not only receive them, but also relish them and assimi­
late them. That this communion may not degenerate into
a mere form, it will be good to vary, if not daily at least from
time to time, the subject of our colloquies. This can be
done by choosing now one virtue and then another, or by
the loving consideration of some Gospel-texts, begging Our
Lord for help to understand and relish them, and for grace
to live by them.
286. 3) One must not fail to thank God for the lights
and the loving sentiments He has vouchsafed to us, to thank
Him, too, for the very darkness and weariness of soul in
which He has at times allowed us to remain. Even these
are profitable to us unto humility, unto the acknowledgment
of our unworthiness to receive divine favors; profitable,
because they enable us to adhere more frequently by will
to Him Who even in the midst of our aridity, pours into us
in a hidden and mysterious manner His life and His virtues.
We ask Him to communicate to our souls His action and
His life. “ 0 Jesus living in Mary, come and live in thy
servants."1 We beg Him to accept and transform the
little good within us : “ Take, Lord, and accept my liberty. ” 2
287. 4) We promise to make the sacrifices required to
reform and transform our lives, especially in this or that
particular point, and conscious of our weakness we beg
earnestly for the courage of carrying this promise into
effect. 3 This point is of capital importance : each Commu­
nion should be received with this end in view, to advance in
the practice of some particular virtue.
288.5) This is likewise the moment to pray for all who
are dear to us, for the vast interests of the Church, for the
intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff, for bishops and priests.
Let us have no fear of making our prayer too universal :
this rather gives assurance that we shall be heard.
Finally, we conclude by asking Our Lord to vouchsafe
us the grace of abiding in Him as He does in us, the
grace of performing all our actions in union with Him,
in a spirit of thanksgiving. We entrust to the Blessed
Virgin that same Jesus she guarded so well, in order that
’ Prayer of Father de Condren completed by Father Olier.
Prayer of S. Ignatius in the Contemplation on the love of God.
< On the spirit of a victim cf. L. Capelle, S. J., Les âmes généreuses.

CHAPTER II.

150

she may aid us in making Him grow in our hearts.
strengthened by prayer we pass on to action.

Thus

Conclusion
289. We have, then, at our disposal three great means
of sustaining and expanding that Christian life God has so
bountifully begotten within us — means of giving ourselves
as whole-heartedly to God as He has given Himself to us :
1) Fighting relentlessly and fearlessly against our
spiritual foes. With the help of God and the aid of
all the heavenly protectors He has given us, certain
victory and the further strengthening of our spiritual life
are assured.
2) Sanctifying all our actions, even the most common­
place. Through the oft-repeated offering of them to God,
we acquire numberless merits, add largely day by da.y to
our stock of grace, and strengthen our title to heaven, the
while we make reparation and atone for our faults.
3) The sacraments, received with right and fervent dispo­
sitions, add to our personal merits a rich bounty of grace
which proceeds from Christ’s own merits. Approaching so
frequently the sacrament of Penance and communicating
daily as we do, it is in our power, if we will, to become
saints. Jesus Christ came and still comes to us to commu­
nicate with largess His life to us : “ I am come that they may
have life and may have it more abtcndantly. ” 1
Our task is but to lay our souls open to receive this divine
life, to foster it and make it grow by our constant partici­
pation in the dispositions, the virtues, and the sacrifices of
Jesus Christ. At last the moment will come when trans­
formed into Him, having no other thoughts, no other senti­
ments, no other motives than His own, we shall be able to
repeat the words of S. Paul : “ I live, now not I, but Christ
liveth in me. ”

Summary

of the second chapter

290. At the close of this chapter, the most important
of this First Part, we can understand better the nature of
the Christian life.
i° It is a real participation in God's life, for God lives in
us and we in Him. He lives in us really — in the Unity of
1 John, X, 10.

THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

151

His nature and in the Trinity of His persons. Nor is He
inactive there. He creates in the soul a complete superna­
tural organism that enables it to live a life, not indeed equal,
but truly similar, to His, a Godlike life. More, it is He
Who gives it movement by His actual grace, He Who helps
us to make our acts meritorious, He Who rewards these
acts by a further infusion of habitual grace. We also live
in Him and for Him, for we are His co-workers. By the
aid of His grace, we freely accept the divine impulse,
co-operate with it and by it triumph over our enemies,
acquire merit, and prepare ourselves for the rich effusion of
grace given to us by the Sacraments. Withal, we must not
forget that even our free consent itself is the work of His
grace, and this is the reason why we refer to Him the merit
attached to our good works, living zmto Him, just as we
live by Him and in Him.
291. 2° This life is also a participation in the life of
Jesus, for Christ lives in us and we live in Him. He lives
in us not only as the Father lives in us — as God, but He
also lives in us, as the God-man. He is, in fact, the head of
a mystical body whose members we are, and from Him it is
that we receive movement and life. He lives within us in a
still more mysterious manner, for through His merits and
prayers He causes the Holy Ghost to create within us dispo­
sitions like those which the same Divine Spirit produced in
His own soul. He lives in us really and physically at the
moment of Communion, and through His divine Spirit
communicates to us His sentiments and His virtues. We
too live in Him. We are incorporated into Him and we
freely receive His divine impulse. It is likewise by the free
action of our wills that we imitate His virtues, even though
our success comes from the grace He merited for us.
Lastly, it is freely that we adhere to Him as the branch to
the vine and open our souls to receive that divine life He
so liberally infuses into us. As we have all from Him, it is
by Him and unto Him that we live, only too glad to give
ourselves to Him as He gives Himself to us, our one regret
being that the manner of our giving is so imperfect.
292.3° This life is, in a certain measure, also a
participation in Mary's life, or, as Father Olier says, a
participation in the life of Jesus living in Mary. Desiring
that His Holy Mother be a living image of Himself,
Jesus through His merits and prayers communicates
to her His divine Spirit, Who makes her share to a
prééminent degree in His dispositions and His virtues. It

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CHAP. II.— THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

is thus that He lives in Mary, and, since He wills that His
Mother be also our Mother, He wills that she engender us
in spirit. Giving us spiritual life (of course as a secondary
cause), Mary not only makes us share in Jesus’ life, but in
her own as well. At the same time, then, that we partici­
pate in the life of Jesus, we participate in that of Mary —
in other words, in the life of Jesus living in Mary. Such
is the thought which the beautiful prayer of Father de
Condren completed by Father Olier si well expresses :
“ 0 Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in thy servants. ”
293. 4° Finally, this life is a participation in the lives of
the Saints of heaven and of those of earth. As we have
seen, the mystical body of Christ includes all those that
have been incorporated into Him by Baptism and especially
those enjoying the possession of grace and of heavenly
glory. All the members of this mystical body share one
common life, the life they receive from the Head, which is
diffused in their souls by one and the same Spirit. We are
then in all truth brethren, having oür life from a common
Father, a life spiritual, the plenitude whereof is in Christ
Jesus, “ of whose fulness we have all received. ” Thus the
Saints in heaven and those of earth have our spiritual
welfare at heart and aid us in our struggle against the flesh,
the world and the devil.

294.How consoling are these truths! Doubtless, the
spiritual life here below is a warfare. Hell fights against
us and finds allies in the world, and chiefly in our threefold
concupiscence. But Heaven fights for us, and Heaven
means not only the host of Angels and Saints, but Christ
the victor over Satan, the Most Blessed Trinity living and
reigning within the soul. We should, therefore, be full of
confidence, being assured of victory, if only we distrust
ourselves and rely upon God : “ I can do all things in Him
Who strengtheneth me.” 1

1 Phil.t IV, 13.

CHAP. III. — THE PERFECT. OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

153

CHAPTER Π1.
The Perfection of the Christian Life
295. All life must perfect itself. This is true, above
all, of the Christian life. It is by its very nature a
progressive life, its completion being achieved only in
Heaven. We must examine, then, in what its perfection
consists, in order that we direct our steps more surely along
its way. Since there exist erroneous conceptions and more
or less incomplete ideas on this fundamental point, we
shall begin by eliminating the false notions of Christian
perfection, and then explain its true nature. 1
1. False notions Unbelievers
Worldlings
held by
Devout Souls

11. The true
notion

Art. I. False

Consits in love
Presupposes sacrifice here on earth
Blends harmoniously this twofold ele­
ment
Includes both the precepts and the
counsels
Has degrees and limits
notions concerning perfection.

These false notions are met with among unbelievers,
worldlings, and even among devout souls.

296. i° In the eyes of unbelievers, Christian perfection is
no more than a subjective phenomenon without any corres­
ponding reality.
A) Many of them study what they call mystical phenomena, only
with malicious prejudices and without distinguishing the true from
false mystics. Such are, Max Nordau, J. H Leuba, E. Murisier. 1
23
According to them, the so-called perfection of the mystics is nothing
more than a morbid phenomenon, a species of psycho-neurosis, a sort
of exaltation based on religious feeling or even a special form of
sexual love. This, they say, is shown by the terms spousals, spiritual
marriage, kisses, embraces and divine caresses so frequently found in
the writings of mystics.
1 Introd, to a Devout Life, Ρ. I, C. I-II ; Spiritual Combat, C. I; Faber,
Growth in Holiness, C. XX1I-XXV ; MEYER, Science of the Saints, Vol. I. C. XIX.
2 Max Nordau, Dégénérescence, t. I, p. nil J- H. Leuba, Psychological Study
of Religion; E. Murisier, Les maladies du sentiment religieux.

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CHAPTER III.

It is evident that these authors, hardly acquainted with any but
sensual love, have not the slightest conception of divine love; they are
among those to whom the words of Our Lord can be aptly applied :
“ Neither cast ye your pearls before swine. ” ’ No wonder then that
other psychologists, such as William James, have pointed out that
sexual instinct has nothing to do with sanctity ; that the true mystics
have practiced heroic chastity, some having never experienced, or
hardly so, the weaknesses of the flesh, others having overcome vio­
lent temptations by heroic means, for instance, throwing themselves
among thorns. If they have, therefore, employed the language of
human love, it is because every other falls short of terms to express
the tenderness of divine love. 3 They have further shown by the
whole tenor of their conduct, by the greatness of the works they
have undertaken and brought to a successful end, that they were full
of wisdom and poise and that at any rate we cannot but bless the
neuroses that have given to the world an Aquinas and a Bonaven­
ture, an Ignatius Loyola and a Xavier, a Teresa of Jesus and a John
of the Cross, a Francis de Sales and a Jeanne de Chantal, a Vincent
de Paul, a Mademoiselle Legras, a Berulle, an Olier, an Alphonsus
Liguori, a Paul of the Cross.

297. B) Other unbelievers, such as William James and Maxime de
Montmorand,3 whilst doing justice to our mystics, yet doubt the
objective reality of the phenomena they described. They acknowledge
the marvelous effects caused in souls by the religious sentiment, an
indomitable impulse toward good, an absolute devotedness to others.
They recognize their supposed egotism to be in reality charity of the
highest social character and productive of the most wholesome influ­
ence ; that their thirst for sufferings does not hinder them from enjoying
unspeakable delights nor from radiating a measure of happiness to
their surroundings. — Yet, they ask themselves the question : are not
mystics the victims of auto-suggestion and hallucinations?
To this we answer that such salutary effects can only proceed from
a proportionate cause ; that no real and lasting good can come from
aught but what is true ; and that if Christian mystics have produced
useful social works, it is because contemplation and the love of God,
which have inspired such works, are not hallucinations but actual,
living and working realities : “ By their fruits you shall know them. ” 4

298. 2° Worldlings, even when they have the faith,
often entertain very false ideas concerning perfection or, as
they call it, devotion.
A) Some look upon devout souls as hypocrites, who under
the cover of religion, hide odious vices or political designs
and ambitions, such as the desire to lord it over consciences
and thus to control the world. This is the fallacy that
identifies the thing with its abuse. The course of the present
study will show us that frankness, honesty and humility
are the true characteristics of piety.
« Matth., VII, 6.
2 W. James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, p. 9-12.
3 W. James, op. tit,; M. de Montmorand, Psychologie des Mystiques, 1920.
4 Matth., VII, 20.

THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

155

299. B) Others see in piety a sort of exaltation offeeling
and imagination, a kind of vehemence of emotion good at
best for women and children, but unworthy of men who
want to be guided by reason and will. And, yet, how many
men whose names appear in the catalogue of the Saints,
have been distinguished by proverbial good sense, an
uncommon degree of intelligence, an energetic and perse­
vering will ! Here again a caricature is mistaken for the
portrait.
300. C) Lastly, there are those who maintain that
perfection is a Utopia beyond realization and hence fraught
with danger; that it suffices to keep the Commandments
without wasting time in punctilious practices or in the quest
of extraordinary virtues.
The perusal of the lives of the Saints suffices to rectify
such an erroneous view : perfection has been realized here
on earth, and the practice of the counsels, far from working
to the detriment of the precepts, simply renders their
observance all the easier.

301.3° Even among devout souls there are those who
err as to the true nature of perfection, and who describe it,
each according to the caprice of his own bias and fancy. 1
A) Many, mistaking devotions for devotion, imagine per­
fection to consist in reciting a great number of prayers,
in joining sundry religious societies, even if such practices
entail the occasional neglect of their duties of state or of the
charity due to the other members of the household. This is
a substitution of non-essentials for the necessary, a sacrifice
of the end to the means.
302. B) Others give themselves to fastings and austeri­
ties to the exhaustion of the body, and thus become unfit
for the discharge of their duties of state and consider
themselves dispensed therefore from the law of charity
toward their neighbor. They dare not permit themselves
any little dainties, yet they do not hesitate “to drench their
lips with the life-blood of their fellow-men through calumny
and slander. 2 ” Here again one forgets the essentials of
perfection and neglects the fundamental duty of charity in
favor of practices good indeed but far less important. —
The like mistake is made by those who give generously to
1 Thus remarks St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to a Devout Life, Part. I,
C. I, which should be read in its entirety.
a Devout Life, ib.

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CHAPTER HL

charity, but refuse to forgive their enemies, or those who,
whilst forgiving them, think not of paying their debts.
303. C) Some, taking spiritual consolations for fervor, ■
think they have arrived at perfection if they are filled with
joy and can pray with ease, and they consider themselves
lukewarm when they are seized by aridity and distractions.
Such persons forget that what counts before God is the
generous, oft-renewed effort despite apparent failures.
304. D) Others, taken up by a life of action and exter­
nal activities, neglect the interior life to give themselves
more entirely to works of zeal. They forget that the life
and soul of all zeal is habitual prayer which draws down the
grace of God and gives fruitfulness to action.
305. E) Others, having read mystical works or the
lives of the Saints in which ectasies and visions are des­
cribed, fancy perfection to consist in these extraordinary
phenomena and strain their minds and imaginations to
obtain them. They have never understood that such phe­
nomena are, as the mystics themselves testifiy, but inci­
dental ; that they do not constitute the essence of sanctity
and that it is foolhardy to covet them ; that conformity to
the will of God is by far the safer and more practical way.
Having thus cleared the ground, we shall be able to
understand more easily in what perfection essentially
consists.

Art. II. True notion of perfection 1
306. The State of the Question. i° Any being is
perfect {perfectum} in the natural order when it is finished,
completed, hence, when it has attained its end : “ Each is
said to be perfect in so far as it attains its own end, which
is the highest perfection of anything. ” 2 This constitutes
absolute perfection. However, there is also a relative and
progressive perfection which consists in the approach
toward that end by the development of all one’s faculties
and the carrying out in practice of all duties, in accordance
with the dictates of the natural law as manifested by right
reason.
'St. THOM., Ila Ilæ, q. 184, a. 1-3; Opuscul. de perjectione vitæ spiritualis,
Alvarez de Paz, op. cit., 1. Ill; Le Gaudier, op. cit., P. Ia; Schram, Instit.
mysticœ, § IX-XX ; Ribet, L'Ascitique chrétienne, ch. IV-VI; Ighina, Cours de
Thiol, ascitique, Introduction ; Garrigou-Lagrange, dans la Vie spirit., oct. et
nov. 1920.
■ Sum. theol., IIa Ilæ, q. 184, a. 1. See also works referred to above, n. 295.

THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

157

307. 2° The end of man, even in the natural order, is
God : l) Created by Him, we are of necessity created for
Him since He is the fulness of Being. On the other hand,
to create for an imperfect end would be unworthy of
Him. 2) Besides, God being infinite perfection and thereby
the origin of all perfection, man is the more perfect as he
approaches closer to God and shares in His divine
perfections. This is the reason why man cannot find in
creatures anything that can fully satisfy his legitimate
aspirations : “ The ultimate end of man is uncreated good,
that is to say, God, Who alone is capable, by His infinite
goodness, uf satisfying completely the human will. ” 1 All
our actions then must be referred to God—to know, love
and serve Him and thereby glorify Him, this is the end of
life, the source of all perfection.
308. 30 In the supernatural order this is so all the more.
Raised by God to a state that surpasses all our needs and
all our capabilities, destined one day to contemplate Him
through the Beatific Vision, possessing Him even now
through grace, and endowed as we are with a supernatural
organism that we may unite with Him by the practice of
the Christian virtues, we cannot evidently perfect ourselves
unless we unceasingly draw closer to Him. This, however,
we cannot effect except by uniting ourselves to Jesus — the
One indispensable way to go to the Father. Hence, our
perfection will consist in living for God in union with fesus
Christ : “ To live wholly unto God in Christ Jesus. ” 123 This
we do when we practice the Christian virtues, theological
and moral. The end of all these is to unite us to God more
or less directly by making us imitate our Lord Jesus Christ.
309. 40 Here the question arises whether there is among
these virtues any one which summarizes and embodies all
the others, thus constituting the essence ofperfection. Sum­
ming up the doctrine of Holy Writ and of the Fathers,
St. Thomas answers that perfection essentially consists in the
love of God and of the neighbor for God’s sake : “ Essentially
the perfection of the Christian life consists in charity, first
andforemost in the love of God, then in the love of neighbor. ” 3
But in this life the love of God cannot be practiced without
renouncing inordinate self-love, that is, the threefold concu­
1 St. Thom., Ia II®, q. HI, a. 1. Cfr. Tanquerey, Synopsis Theol. moralis,
Tr. de Ultimo fine, n. 2-18.
a Father Olier, Pietas Seminarii, η. i.
3 Sum, theol., lla llæ, q. 184, a. 3; Opusculum, De perfectione vitee spiritualis,
cap. I, n. 56, 7.

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CHAPTER HI.

piscence; therefore, in practice, sacrifice must be joined to
love. This we are to explain by showing : i) how the love
of God and of the neighbor constitutes the essence of per­
fection ; 2) why this love must go to the point of sacrifice;
3) how these two elements must be combined ; 4) how per­
fection includes both precepts and counsels; 5) what are
the degrees of perfection and how far perfection can be
attained here on earth.
§ I. The Essence of Perfection consists in Charity

310. First of all we shall explain the sense of this propo­
sition. The love of God and of neighbor here in question
is supernatural by reason of its object as well as by reason
of its motive and its principle.
The God we love is the God made known to us by reve­
lation, the Triune God. We love Him because our faith
shows Him to us infinitely good and infinitely loving. We
love Him through the will perfected through the virtue of
charity and aided by actual grace. This love then is not a
mere sentiment. Man is indeed a composite being made
up of body and soul and, doubtless, some feeling often
enters into his affections even the noblest. At times,
however, this sentiment which is wholly accidental, is utterly
lacking. The essence of love itself is devotedness. It is a
firm determination of the will to give itself up to God, and,
if need be,to make the entire sacrifice of self to Him and
His glory, preferring His good pleasure to that of self and
others.
311. The same is to be said, with due proportion, of the
love of neighbor. It is God Whom we love in him, a like­
ness, a reflection of God’s perfections. The motive of this
love is then the divine goodness as manifested, expressed
and reflected in our neighbor. To speak more concretely,
we see and love in our brethren a soul inhabited by the
Holy Ghost, beautified by divine grace, redeemed at the
price of Christ’s blood. In loving him, we wish his super­
natural perfection, his eternal salvation.
Thus there are not two distinct virtues of charity, the one
towards God and the other towards the neighbor. There is
but one, comprising at once God loved for His own sake,
and the neighbor loved for God’s sake.
With these notions in mind, we shall easily understand
that perfection does really consist in this one virtue of
charity. But what degree of charity is required for perfec-

THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

159

tion? That the charity which necessarily accompanies
the state of grace and which coëxists with the habit oi
venial sin and unmortified passions cannot be sufficient
for perfection, every one will agree. On the other hand,
charity causing us to love God as much as He deserves
to be loved, or charity causing us to avoid all venial sins
and imperfections, is not required, for as will be seen further
(N. 344-348), such charity is not within our power here on
earth. Charity required for perfection may then be defined :
Charity so well established in the soul as to make us strive
earnestly and constantly to avoid even the smallest sin and
to do God’s holy will in all things out of love for Him.

Proofs of the Thesis

312. i° Let us see what Holy Writ tells us. A) Both
in the Old and the New Testaments, the dominating prin­
ciple wherein the whole law is summed up is the Great
Commandment of love — the love of God and the love of
neighbor. Thus when a certain, lawyer asked our Lord
what was to be done in order to gain everlasting life, the
divine Master made the simple reply : “ What saith the
law? ” And the lawyer without hesitation recalled the
sacred text in Deuteronomy : “ Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul
and with all thy strength and with all thy mind : and thy
neighbor as thyself.” Our Lord approved it, saying:
“This do: and thou shalt live" ’ He adds elsewhere
that in this twofold precept of the love of God and of
the neighbor are contained all the Law and the Prophets. *
2
St. Paul declares the same when after having enumerated
the principal precepts of the Decalogue he adds: "Love
therefore is the fulfilling of the Law. ” 3 Thus the love
of God and of the neighbor is at one and the same time
both the summary and the plenitude of the Law. Now’
Christian perfection cannot be anything else but the per­
fect and complete fulfilment of the Law, for the Law is
the will of God, than which there can be nothing more
perfect.
313.B) Another proof is the one drawn from St. Paul’s
doctrine on charity in the thirteenth chapter of the first
Ilpistlc to the Corinthians. There, in lyric language,
he describes the excellence of love, its primacy over the
■ Luke, X, 25-29; cfr. Dent. VI, 5-7.
2 Matth., XXII, 39-40. — 3 Rom., XIII, 10.

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CHAPTER III.

charisms or freely given graces, and over the other theolo­
gical virtues of faith and hope. He shows that it embodies
and possesses all virtues in the highest degree ; so much so,
that love is itself the aggregate of all those virtues : “ Charity
is patient, 'is kind; charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely,
is not puffed zip, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not
provoked to anger, thinketh no evil. ” He ends by affirming
that the charismata shall pass, but that charity abideth
eternally. This means not only that love is the queen
and the soul of all the virtues, but that its worth is such
that it suffices to make man perfect by imparting to him all
the virtues.
314. C) St. John, the Apostle of divine love, gives us
the fundamental reason for this doctrine. God, says he,
is love. This is, so to speak, what characterizes Him. If
we, therefore, wish to be like unto Him, to be perfect like
Our Heavenly Father, we must love Him as He loves us,
“ because He hath first loved us. ” 1 But since we cannot
love Him if we love not our neighbor, we are to love
our brethren even to the point of sacrifice : “ We also must
lay down our lives for the brethren. ” “ Dearly beloved, let
us love one another : for charity is of God. And every one
that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that
loveth not knoweth not God ; for God is charity... In this is
charity : not as though we had loved God, but because He
hath first loved us, and sent His Son to be a propitiation
for our sins. My dearest, if God hath so loved us, we also
ought to love one another... God is charity and he that
abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him. ” 2 It
cannot be stated in clearer terms that all perfection consists
in the love of God and of the neighbor for God’s sake.

315. 2° When we seek an answer to this question from
reason enlightened by faith, we arrive at the same con­
clusion, whether we consider the nature of perfection or the
nature of love.
A) We have said that the perfection of any being consists
in attaining its end or in approaching it as closely as pos­
sible (N. 306). Now, man’s end in the supernatural order
is the eternal possession of God through the Beatific Vision
and the love resulting therefrom. Here upon earth we
approach the realization of this -end by living already
intimately united to the Most Blessed Trinity dwelling in us,
1 John, IV, 10.
* / John, IV, 7-16.

The whole Epistle should be read.

T^E PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

161

and to Jesus the indispensable Mediator with the Father.
The more closely we are united to God, our last end and
the source of our life, the more perfect we are.
316. Among the Christian virtues, the most unifying,
the one which unites the whole soul to God is divine charity.
The other virtues indeed prepare us for that union or initiate
us into it, but cannot effect it. The moral virtues of pru­
dence, fortitude, temperance, and justice do not unite us
directly to God, but limit themselves to removing or
reducing the obstacles that estrange us from Him, and to
bringing us closer to Him through conformity to His order.
Thus temperance by restraining the immoderate use of
pleasure, weakens one of the most potent obstacles to the
love of God; humility by putting off pride and self-love
predisposes us to the practice of divine charity. Besides,
these virtues, by making us observe order or right measure,
subordinate the will to that of God. As to the theological
virtues other than charity, they do indeed unite us to God,
but in an incomplete fashion. Faith unites us to God,
infallible Truth, and makes us see all things in the divine
light, yet it is compatible with mortal sin which separates
us from God. Hope raises us to God inasmuch as He is
good to us and makes us desire the joys of Heaven, but it
can exist along with grave faults that turn us away from
our end.
317. Love alone unites us fully to God. It presupposes
faith and hope, but it surpasses them. It lays hold of our
entire soul, intellect, heart, will, activity, and delivers all
unreservedly to God. It excludes mortal sin, God’s enemy,
and makes us enjoy the divine friendship : “ If any one love
me... my Father will love him.”* Now, friendship is the
union, the blending of two souls into one : “ One heart
and one soul... the same likes and dislikes,” (Cor unum et
anima una : unum velle, unum nolle). Thus our friendship
with God is a perfect union of all our faculties with Him;
a union of our mind that patterns our thoughts after those
of God; a union of our will that causes us to embrace the
divine will as our very own, a union of heart that prompts
us to give ourselves to. God as He has given Himself to us,
“ My beloved to me and I to Him; ” 2 a union of activities,
in virtue of which God places His divine power at the
service of our weakness to enable us to carry out our good
desires. Charity then unites us to God, our end, — to God,
1 John, XIV, 23. — 2 Cant., II, 16.

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CHAPTER III.

infinitely perfect, and thus constitutes the essential element
of our perfection.
318. B) If we inquire into the nature of charity we arrive
at the same conclusion. St. Francis de Sales shows that
charity includes all the virtues and even lends them a per­
fection all its own. 1
a) It comprises all the virtues. Perfection evidently con­
sists in the acquisition of virtues. If we possess all, not
simply in an initial stage, but to a high degree, we are
perfect. But whoever has the virtue of charity in the
degree described in n. 311, has all other virtues and has
them in all their perfection, without which it is impossible
to know and love God’s infinite loveliness; he has hope,
which by inspiring trust leads to Içve; he has all the moral
virtues, such as prudence without which charity could neither
last nor grow, fortitude which triumphs over the obstacles
impeding the practice of charity, temperance which curbs
sensuality, that relentless enemy of divine love. Nay more,
adds St. Francis de Sales, “ the great Apostle does not
simply say that charity bestows on us patience and kindness,
and steadfastness and simplicity, but he says that charity is
itself patient and kind, and steadfast, ” because it embodies
the perfection of all virtues.

319. b) Charity, moreover, gives to other virtues a spe­
cial perfection and worth. It is, according to St. Thomas, 2
the form, the soul, of all the virtues. “ All the virtues when
separated from charity fall very short of perfection, since
they cannot in default of this virtue fulfil their own end,
which is to render man happy. I do not say that, without
it, they cannot be bom and even develop; but they are
dependent on charity for their perfection, for their complete­
ness to draw therefrom the strength to will in God and to
receive from His mercy the manna of true merit and of the
sanctification of those hearts wherein they are found. Char­
ity is among the virtues as the sun among the stars — it
gives to all their brightness and their beauty. Faith, hope,
fear, sorrow ordinarily precede charity into the soul, there to
prepare its abode, but once love arrives they obey and
minister to it like all other virtues; charity, by its presence,
animates, beautifies and vivifies them all. ” 3 In other
words, charity by directing our soul immediately toward
1 Treatise on the Love of God, Book XI, C. 8.
8 Sum. theol., lla Ilæ, q. 23, a. 8.
* St. Francis de Sales, 1. c., c. 9.

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God, the supreme perfection and the last end, gives the
selfsame direction and hence the same worth to all the other
virtues under its sway. Thus an act of obedience or of
humility, besides having its own proper value, derives from
love a far greater worth, when done in order to please God.
It becomes then an act of charity, an act of the most
perfect of all virtues. Let us add that such an act becomes
easier and more attractive. To obey and to undergo
humiliation is a bitter thing to our proud nature, but this
becomes easier once we are conscious that by the perfor­
mance of such acts we actually practice the love of God
and procure His glory.
Thus charity is not only the synthesis but the very soul
of all virtues, it unites us to God in a manner more perfect
and more direct than any of the others. Hence it is love
that constitutes the very essence of perfection.

Conclusion
320. Since the essence of perfection consists in the love
of God, it follows that the short-cut thereto is to love with
a great love, with a generous heart, with intensity and above
all with a pure and disinterested love. Now we truly love
God not only when we give expression with our lips to an
act of charity, but even each time we do His will or perform
the least duty with the intention of pleasing Him. Each of
our actions then, however commonplace, can be trans­
formed into an act of love and become a help to our
advancement in perfection. Our progress will be all the
more real and rapid as our love becomes more intense
and generous and our effort accordingly more strenuous
and steadfast, for that which has value in the eyes
of God is the will, the effort, apart from all sensible
emotion.
Lastly, because the supernatural love of the neighbor
is likewise an act of the love of God, all the services we
render our brethren, while seeing in them reflections of
the divine perfection, or, what is the same, seeing Jesus
Christ in them, become acts of love that make us advance
toward sanctity.
§ II. Love on Earth Requires Sacrifice
321. In Heaven we shall love without any need of selfimmolation. Here on earth it is quite otherwise. In our
present state of fallen nature, it is impossible for us to

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love God truly and effectively without sacrificing ourselves
for Him.
This follows from what we have said above (n. 74-75)
regarding the tendencies of fallen nature which remain in
regenerated man. We cannot love God without fighting
and curbing those tendencies. This is a struggle that
begins with the dawn of reason and ends only with our last
breath. Assuredly there are moments of respite when the
struggle is not so intense, but even then, we cannot afford
to rest upon our oars except at the risk of another sally on
the part of the enemy. To this Holy Writ bears witness.
i° Holy Writ clearly states the absolute necessity of
sacrifice and self-renunciation in order to love God and the
neighbor.
322. A) Our Lord addresses the following invitation to
all His disciples : “ If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ” 1 Ip
order to follow and to love Jesus, there is an indispensable
condition, that of renouncing self, that is to say, renouncing
the evil inclinations of our nature : selfishness, pride, -ambitiçn, sensuality, lust, inordinate love of ease and riches.
There is the condition of carrying one’s cross, of accepting
the sufferings, the privations, the humiliations, the evil turns
of fortune, labor, sickness, in a word, those crosses with
which the hand of God’s Providence puts us to the test,
strengthens our virtue and makes easy the expiation of our
faults. Then, and only then, can one be Christ’s disciple
and walk the way of love and perfection.
Our Lord confirms this lesson by His example. Having
come from Heaven with the express purpose of showing us
the way of perfection, He followed no other way than that
of the Cross : “ Christs whole life was a Cross and a
martyrdom. ” 2 From Bethlehem to Calvary His life is a
long series of privations and humiliations, of fatigue and
apostolic labors, all crowned by the anguish and the tortures
of His bitter Passion. It is the most eloquent commentary on
His words : “ If any man will come after me. ” Were there
a surer road, He would have shown it to us. But He knew
there was no other and He followed it to draw us after Him.
“ And I,if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things
to myself. ” 3 Thus it was understood by the Apostles who
1 Matth.., XVI, 24; cfr. Luke, IX, 23. — Read the commentary of Blessed
Grignion de Montfort in his Circular letter to the friends of the Cross.
8 Imitation, Book II, C. XII, n. 7. — 3 John, XII, 32.

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repeat to us with St. Peter, that if Christ suffered for us
it was that we might walk in his steps : “ Because Christ also
sufferedfor us leaving you an example that you shouldfollow
His steps. ” 1
323. B) This is also the teaching of St. Paul. For him
Christian perfection consists in divesting oneself of the old
man to invest oneself with the new : “ Strippingyourselves of
the old man with his deeds and putting on the new." - Now
the old Adam is but the sum-total of the evil tendencies we
have inherited from the first man. It is that threefold con­
cupiscence we are to fight and to muzzle by the practice
of mortification. “ They that are Christ's, ” says he, “ have
crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences. ” 3
This is the essential condition; so much so that St. Paul
himself feels obliged to punish his body : “ But I chastise
my body and bring it into subjection, lest perhaps, when I have
preached to others, I myself should become a castaway. ” 4
324. C) The Apostle of Love, St. fohn, is no less
emphatic. He teaches that in order to love God we must
keep the Commandments and fight the threefold concupis­
cence which holds the world under its sway. He adds that
if one loves the world and the things that are in the world
one cannot possess the love of God : “ If any man love the
world, the charity of the Father is not in him. ” 5 But in
order to hate the world and its allurements, it is clear that
one must practice the spirit of sacrifice by foregoing danger­
ous and evil pleasures.
325. 2° This need of sacrifice is a consequence of the
condition of our fallen nature as described in n. 74, and of
the threefold concupiscence, n. 193. As a matter of fact, it is
impossible to love God and the neighbor without sacrificing
whatever goes counter to that love. The threefold concu­
piscence, as we have shown, does go counter to the love
of God and of the neighbor; hence, if we wish to advance in
the way of charity, we must relentlessly fight against our
bad tendencies.
326. Let us consider a few instances. Our exterior
senses eagerly tend toward whatever flatters them, thus
putting at hazard our virtue. What is to be done to avoid
this danger? Our Lord tells us very forcibly : “ If thy right
eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it*
’ I Peter, II, 21. — » Coloss., Ill, 9. — 3 Galat., V, 24.
41 Cor., IX, 27. — s 1 John, II, 15.

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is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish,
rather than thy whole body be cast into hell? 1 This means
that we must learn by mortification to deprive our eyes,
our ears, all our senses, of whatever constitutes for us an
occasion of sin. Without this there is neither perfection
nor salvation.
The same holds true of our interior senses, particularly,
of our imagination and our memory. Who does not know
from experience the risk we run, unless we repress their
vagaries from the outset?
Even our higher faculties, intellect and will, are liable to
go astray through curiosity, independence or pride. What
efforts must be made, what combat sustained, in order to
place them under the yoke of Faith, in humble submission
to the will of God and to His representatives!
We must confess then, that if we want to love God and
our neighbor for God’s sake, we must learn to mortify our
selfishness, our sensuality, our pride, our love for riches.
Thus sacrifice is the essential condition of loving God in
this life.
This seems to be the mind of St. Augustine when he
says : “ Two loves have built two cities : the love of self
carried unto the contempt of God has built the city of this
earth; the love of God carried unto the contempt of self has
built the heavenly city. ” 2 In other words, we cannot truly
love God except through repression of our evil tendencies.
327. The conclusion that necessarily follows is that, in
order to be perfect, we must not only multiply acts of love,
but also acts of sacrifice, for in this life love cannot be
without self-immolation. Of course, it can be truly said ol
all our good works that inasmuch as they detach us from
self and from creatures they are acts of sacrifice, and,
inasmuch as they unite us to God they are acts of love.
It remains for us to see how love and sacrifice can be
combined.
§ III. The Part of Love and the Part of Sacrifice
in the Christian Life

328. Since both love and sacrifice must have a part in
the Christian life, what shall be the rôle of each? On this
subject there are points on which all agree, and there arc
others on which a difference of opinion is manifest. Practi
1 Matth., V, 29.
» De Civitate Dei, XIV, 28.

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167

t ally, however, the present authors of the various schools
arrive at conclusions that are nearly the same.

329. 1° All admit that objectively and in the order of
excellence, love holds the first place. It is the end and the
essential element of perfection, as we have proved in our first
thesis, N. 312. It is love, then, that we must look to above
all, it is love that we must seek without respite, it is love
that calls for sacrifice and gives it its chief value. Hence,
it is essential that even with beginners, the spiritual director
should insist on the love of God; but he should make clear
to them that while love renders sacrifice easier, it can never
dispense with it.
330. 2° As regards the chronological order, all admit
that both elements are inseparable and must be cultivated
at one and the same time, nay more, that they must blend
one with the other. This, because there is no true love here
on earth without sacrifice, and because sacrifice made for
God is one of the best signs of love.
The whole question resolves itself into this : Taking the
chronological order, which of these two elements must be
emphasized, love or sacrifice? Here we come upon two
distinct schools and trends of thought.

331. A) St. Francis de Sales, resting upon the authority
of many representatives of the Benedictine and the Domi­
nican schools, and relying upon the resources which regenerated human nature has to offer, insists first on the love of
< iod, in order the better to make us accept and practice
sacrifice. But far from excluding the latter, he demands of
I’hilothea much self-renunciation and self-sacrifice. If he
does so with great caution and suavity of manner, it is to
attain his purpose all the better. This becomes evident
from the first chapter of the Introduction to a Devout Life :1
" i rue devotion presupposes not a partial, but a thorough
love of God... As devotion then consists in a certain
excellent degree of charity, it not only makes us active and
diligent in the observance in God's commandments, but it also
excites us to the performance of every good work with an
affectionate alacrity, even though it be not of precept but
'•nly of counsel. ” But to keep the commandments, to follow
die counsels and the inspirations of grace, is to practice
mortification to a high degree. Besides, the Saint asks that
I’hilothea begin by purifying herself not only from mortal
1 St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to a Devout Life, C. 1.

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sins, but also from venial faults and from the affection for
vain and dangerous things, as well as from evil tendencies.
When he deals with the virtues, he does not forget their
austere side; although he is ever concerned that all be
pervaded by the love of God and that of the neighbor.
332. B) On the other side, we have the school of
St. Ignatius and the French School of the Seventeenth
Century. Without forgetting that the love of God is the
end to be attained and that it must vivify all our acts, they
place to the fore, especially for beginners, renouncement,
the love of the Cross, the mortification of our passions, as
the surest means of arriving at real effective love. The
representatives of these schools seem to fear that unless
this be insisted on at the beginning, many souls would fall
victims to illusions, think themselves already far advanced
in the love of God, whilst, in fact, their virtue is more senti­
mental and apparent than real. Hence those lamentable
falls when grave temptations come or when spiritual dryness
sets in. Besides, sacrifice courageously accepted for the
love of God leads to a charity that is more generous and
more constant, and the habitual practice of this charity
gradually comes to complete the spiritual edifice.

333. Practical conclusion. Without any desire to
settle this controversy, we shall simply propose some con­
clusions admitted by the most prudent of all schools.
A) There are two excesses to be avoided : a) that of
wishing to lead souls prematurely into the so-called way
of love, whilst failing to train them to the stern discipline of
daily self-denial. It is in this way that illusions are fostered
and at times the ground made ready for regrettable falls.
How many souls experiencing those sensible consolations
God dispenses to beginners, and thinking themselves wellgrounded in virtue, expose themselves to occasions of
sin and fall into grievous faults! A little more mortifi­
cation, true humility, distrust of self, and a more deter­
mined fight against their passions, would have preserved
them from such lapses.
b) The other excess is to speak constantly of renounce­
ment and mortification without making it clear that these
are but means of arriving at the love of God, or manifesta­
tions of that love. Thus some persons possessed of good
will, but as yet of little courage are disheartened. They
would take more heart and be filled with greater strength,
if they were shown how such sacrifices become so much

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easier if done for the love of God : “ Where there is love,
there is no labor. ”

334. B) Once these excesses are avoided, the spiritual
director must know what path to point out to each penitent
according to his character and the promptings of grace.
a) There are affectionate souls who have no taste for
mortification until they have for some time practiced the
love of God. It is true that this love is ofttimes imperfect,
more sentimental than generous and lasting. However, if
one takes advantage of these first flights to show that real
love cannot endure without sacrifice, if one succeeds in
inducing such souls to exercise themselves in some acts
of penance for the love of God, in some acts of repara­
tion, of mortification, such acts as are more indispensable
to the avoidance of sin, then their will will be gradually
strengthened, and the moment will come when they will
understand that sacrifice and the love of God must go hand
in hand.
b) On the other hand, if one has to deal with energetic
characters, accustomed to act from a sense of duty, one may
from the outset insist on renouncement as the touchstone of
charity, and cause them to exercise themselves in penance,
humility and mortification, while infusing into these austere
virtues the motive of the love of God or zeal for souls.
Thus love and sacrifice will ever be united, and it will
become evident that these two elements blend and perfect
each other.
§ IV. Does Perfection consist in the Commandments
or in the Counsels?

335.i° The State of the Question. We have seen
that perfection consists essentially in the love of God and
of the neighbor carried unto sacrifice. But the love of God
and sacrifice include both commandments and counsels;
commandments that oblige under pain of sin, counsels that
invite us to do for God over and above what is demanded ;
failure in this case would not involve sin but wilful imper­
fection and resistance to grace. It is this distinction of
precept and counsel that Our Lord alluded to when He
declared to the rich young man : “ If thou wilt enter into
life, keep the commandments... If thou wilt be perfect, go sell
what thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have
a treasure in heaven. ” 1 Thus, to observe the laws of justice
1 Matth., XIX, 17-21.

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and charity in what concerns ownership suffices for entrance
into heaven, but if one would be perfect, one must sell his
possessions, give their price to the poor and so practice
voluntary poverty. St. Paul points out to us likewise that
virginity is a counsel and not a commandment — that to
marry is good, but that to be a virgin is better.1
336. 2° The Solution. Some authors have reached
the conclusion that the Christian life consists in the obser­
vance of the commandments, and perfection in that of the
counsels. This explanation is a little too simple, and if
wrongly understood, would end in fatal results. In reality,
perfection requires, in the first place, the keeping of the com­
mandments and, in the second, the observance of a certain
number of counsels.
This is the teaching of St. Thomas.1
2 After proving that
perfection is nothing else but the love of God and of the
neighbor, he concludes that, in practice, it consists essentially
in the commandments, the chief of which is that of love;
secondarily, in the counsels all of which are directed toward
charity, for they remove the obstacles that hinder its prac­
tice. We shall explain this doctrine.
337. A) Perfection demands peremptorily and in the
first place the keeping of the commandments. It is important
to impress this notion strongly upon certain persons, who,
for example, in order to practice some devotions, forget
their duties of state, or who under the pretext of almsgiving,
defer indefinitely the payment of their debts ; in a word, on
all those who, aiming at a perfection of a higher order,
neglect some precept of the Law of God. It is evident
that the infraction of a grave precept, like that of the
payment of debts, destroys charity in us, and that the
pretext of giving alms cannot justify this violation of the
natural law. In like manner, the wilful violation of a com­
mandment in light matter is a venial sin which, though not
destroying charity in us, impedes to a greater or lesser extent
its exercise, offends Almighty God, and interferes with our
intimacy with Him. This is especially true of frequent
deliberate venial sins which create in us attachments, and
retard our advance towards perfection. To be perfect, there­
fore, we must, above all, observe the commandments.
338. B) To this, however, we must join the observance
of the counsels — of a few at least — chiefly of those related
11 Cor., VII, 25-40.
2 Sum. theol., IIa II®, q. 184, a. 3.

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to our duties of state, a) Thus, religious, having bound
themselves by vow to practice the three great evangelical
counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, cannot evidently
sanctify themselves without fidelity to their vows. Besides,
this fidelity renders singularly easy the exercise of the love
of God by detaching the soul from the chief obstacles which
stand in the way of divine charity. Poverty, by uprooting
disordered love for wealth, sets the heart free to reach out to
God and heavenly things. Chastity, by spuming the pleas­
ures of the flesh, even those the holy state of marriage
would sanction, fosters an undivided love of God. Obed­
ience, by fighting pride and the spirit of independence,
subjects the will to that of God. This obedience is, in
reality, a genuine act of love.·
339.b) Those who are not bound by vows must, in
order to be perfect, observe the spirit of these vows, each
according to his condition in life, the inspirations of grace,
and the guidance of a prudent spiritual adviser. Thus
they will exercise themselves in the spirit of poverty by
depriving themselves of many useless things, and so will
spare money for almsgiving and for works of charity
or zeal; in the spirit of chastity, even if they be married, by
using with moderation or restraint the rights to the lawful
pleasures of their state, and, above all, by scrupulously
avoiding whatever is forbidden or dangerous; in the spirit
of obedience, by submitting themselves with docility to their
superiors in whom they will see the image of God, and by
a like submission to the inspirations of grace, under the
guidance of a wise spiritual director.
Hence to love God and the neighbor for God’s sake,
to know how to sacrifice oneself in order to fulfil the better
this twofold commandment and the counsels related thereto,
this is true perfection.
§ V. The different Degrees of Perfection

Perfection here on earth has degrees and limits. Hence
two question : i° What are the principal degrees of per­
fection? 2° What are its limits here on earth?
I. The Different Degrees of Perfection 1
340. The degrees by which one is raised to perfection
are numerous. The question here is not to enumerate all
■ St. THOMAS, Sum. theol., 2a 2æ, q. 183, a. 4; Catholic Encycl., States·, Cursus
Asceticus, I, p. 19-29.

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of them, but only to note the chief stages. According to
the common doctrine, explained by St. Thomas, there are
three principal stages or, as they are commonly called,
three ways : that of beginners — the purgative way, that of
souls already advanced — the illuminative way, and that of
the perfect — the unitive way.
341. a) The chief care of beginners is that of preserving
charity. Their efforts, then, are directed toward the avoid­
ance of sin, above all, mortal sin, and toward the conquest
of evil inclinations, of the passions, and of all that could
make them lose the love of God. 1 This is the purgative
way, the end of which is the purification of the soul.

342. b) The chief concern of those already advanced,
the proficientes, is progress in the positive exercise of the
virtues and growth in charity. The heart, already purified,
is all the more open to divine light and to the love of God.
The soul wishes to follow Jesus and to imitate His virtues,
and since by following Him one walks in the Light, this is
called the illuminative way. * Here the soul strives to
avoid not only mortal, but even venial sin.
343. C) Perfect souls have but one concern — to cling
to God and to take their delight in Him. Ever seeking to
unite themselves to God, they are in the unitive way. Sin
fills them with horror, for they fear to displease God and
to offend Him. The virtues that most attract them are the
theological virtues, which unite them to God. Hence, the
earth seems to them an exile, and, like St. Paul, they long
to die to be joined to Christ. 3
These are only brief indications. Later on we shall
resume them again and develop them in the Second Part of
this work. There we shall take the soul from the first stage,
that of the purification, to the transforming union that pre­
pares it for the Beatific Vision.
II. The Limits of Perfection here on Earth
344. When reading the lives of the Saints, and espe­
cially those of the great contemplatives, one marvels at the
sublime heights to which a soul can rise that refuses nothing
to God. There are, however, limits to our perfection here
on earth. Beyond these we must not wish to go lest we
fall back into a lower degree, or even lapse into sin.
1 Sum. theol., 2a 2æ, q. 24, a. 9. — * L. cit. — 3 L. cit.

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345. i° It is certain that we cannot love God as He
deserves to be loved. He is infinitely lovable, and, our hearts
being finite, can never love Him, even in Heaven, except
with a finite love. We can, therefore, always strive to
love Him more. According to St. Bernard, the measure
wherewith to love God is to love Him without measure.
Let us not forget, however, that real love consists less in
pious sentiments than in acts of the will, and that the best
way to love God is to make the will conform to His. This
we shall explain further on, when treating of conformity to
the divine will.
346. 2° On earth one cannot love God uninterruptedly
nor unfailingly. One can, no doubt, with the aid of choice
graces granted to souls of good-will, avoid all delibe­
rate venial sin, but not all faults of frailty. No one ever
becomes impeccable, as the Church has declared on many
occasions.
A) In the Middle Ages, the Beghards 1 pretended “ that
man is capable in this present life of reaching such a degree
of perfection that he becomes altogether impeccable and
can no more grow in grace. ” They concluded from this
that those who have attained this degree of perfection
should neither fast nor pray, for in this state sensuality has
been so completely subjected to the spirit and to reason,
that a man may grant his body whatever he pleases ; he is
no longer obliged to observe the commandments of the
Church nor to obey men, nor even to exercise himself in
acts of the virtues, such things being only for the imperfect.
These are dangerous doctrines leading to immorality.
Once a person believes himself impeccable and no longer
strives to practice virtue, he soon becomes a prey to the
vilest passions. This happened to the Beghards, whom the
(Ecumenical Council of Vienne rightly condemned in 1311.
347. B) In the Seventeenth Century, Molinos *
revived this error by teaching that “ through acquired con­
templation one arrives at such a degree of perfection that
one no longer commits any sins, either mortal or venial. ”
He showed only too well, by his example, that with maxims
that seem so exalted, one is greatly exposed to fall into
scandalous disorders. He was justly condemned by Inno­
cent XI on November 19, 1687. Upon reading the proposi­
tions he had dared maintain, one is horrified at the frightful
1 Denz.-Bann., n. 471-478. Cfr. P. Pourrat, Christian Spirituality, t. II;
Cath. Encyclop., Beghards, Beguines. —2 Catholic Encyclop., Molinos.

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consequences to which this pretension to impeccability could
and did lead. 1 Let us be more modest then and ever seek
to correct our deliberate faults and to diminish the number
of those of frailty.
348.3° Contrary to what Fenelon maintained, 2 we
cannot on earth love God with a constant, nor yet habitual
love, which is at the same time perfectly pure and disinter­
ested. No matter to what degree of perfection we may
attain, we are obliged from time to time to make acts of
hope. We, therefore, cannot remain altogether indifferent
to our own salvation. It is true that there have been Saints,
who, in the midst of passive trials, have momentarily
acquiesced to their reprobâtion, but on the supposition that
it were so willed by God, whilst at the same time firmly
declaring their unwillingness, were this the case, to desist
from loving Him. These are only suppositions that must
be thrust aside since the fact is that God wills the salvation
of all men.
From time to time, though, we can elicit acts of pure
love with no thought of self whatever, and therefore with­
out actually hoping or wishing for Heaven. Such is the
following act of love of St. Theresa : 3 “ If I love Thee,
Lord, it is not because of Heaven which Thou hast promised
me. If I fear to offend Thee, it is not because of Hell that
threatens me. What draws me unto Thee, Lord, is Thyself
alone — it is the sight of Thee, nailed to the Cross, Thy
body bruised’ mid the pangs of death. Thy love doth so
hold my heart that were there no Heaven, I would love
Thee still; were there no Hell, I would fear Thee yet.
I need not thy gifts to make me love Thee, for although
I should have no hope of all I do hope for, I would love
Thee still with the selfsame love. ”
349. Ordinarily, our love of God is a mixture of pure
and interested love; that is to say, we love God both for
His own sake, because He is infinitely good, and also
because He is the source of our happiness. These two
motives are not exclusive of each other, since it is the will
of God that we find our happiness in loving and glorifying
Him. Let us not, therefore, be alarmed at this admixture
of motives in our love of God. Let us simply say to our­
selves when thinking of Heaven, that our happiness will
consist in the possession and the vision of God, in loving
1 Denz.-Bann., n. 1228-1288. — » Denz.-Bann., n. 1327-1349.
3 The Bollandists, History op St. Theresa, vol. II, c. 31.

THE PERFECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

175

and glorifying Him. Then even when we are influenced
by the desire and the hope of Heaven, the predominant
motive in our actions will truly be the love of God.

Conclusion
350. Behold, then, the whole of Christian perfection :
— love and sacrifice. Who cannot, with God’s grace, fulfil
this twofold condition? Is it, indeed, so difficult to love
Him Who is infinitely lovable and infinitely loving? The
love that He asks of us is nothing extraordinary; it is the
devotedness of love — the gift of oneself — consisting
chiefly in conformity to the divine will. To want to love
is to love. To keep the commandments for God’s sake is
to love. To pray is to love. To fulfil our duties of state
in view of pleasing God, this is likewise to love. Nay more,
to recreate ourselves, to take our meals with the like inten­
tion is to love. To serve our neighbor for God’s sake is to
love. Nothing then is easier, God’s grace helping, than the
constant excercise of divine love and through this, steady
advance toward perfection.

351. As for sacrifice, doubtless it seems hard. But we
are not asked to love it for its own sake. It is enough if we
love it for God’s sake, or, in other words if we realize that
here on earth one cannot love God without renouncing
whatever is an obstacle to His love. Then sacrifice becomes
first tolerable and soon even lovable. Does not a mother,
passing long, sleepness nights at the bedside of her son
joyously undergo fatigue when she entertains the hope and,
more especially, when she has the certainty of thereby
saving his life? Now, when we accept for the sake of God
the sacrifices He demands, we have not only the hope, but
the certainty itself, of pleasing Him, of giving Him glory
and of working out the salvation of our own souls. In this,
have we not for our encouragement the example and the
help of the God-Man? Has He not suffered as much as
and even more than we ourselves suffer, for the glory of His
Father and the salvation of our souls? Shall we, His dis­
ciples, incorporated into Him in Baptism, nourished with
His Body and Blood, shall we hesitate when we are to
suffer together with Him, for His love and for His inten­
tions? Is it not true that in the Cross there is gain, espe­
cially for loving hearts? “In the Cross’’says the author
of the Imitation, 1 “is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the
• Imitation, Bk. If, C. 12, v. 2.

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CHAPTER IV.

Cross is protection from enemies. In the Cross is infu­
sion of heavenly sweetness.We shall conclude with the
words of Saint Augustine : “ There are no labors too great
for loving hearts. In fact, one finds pleasure therein, as
we observe in the case of the fisherman fishing, the hunter
at the chase, the merchant at the mart. For where there
is love, there is no labor, or if there be labor, it is a labor
of love. ”1 Let us then hasten toward perfection by this
path of love and sacrifice.

CHAPTER IV.
The Duty of Tending to Perfection i2
352.Having already explained the nature of the Chris­
tian life and its perfection, we are now to examine whether
there is for us a real obligation to advance in it or whether
it suffices to keep it as we keep a treasure. To answer
with greater exactness we shall examine this question with
regard to three categories of persons : i° the laity; 2° the
religious ; 3° the priests.

Art. I.

the duty incumbent upon all

Christians

IN GENERAL TO TEND TOWARD PERFECTION

We shall explain : i° The obligation itself. 2° The mo­
tives that make this duty more easy to perform.
§ I. The Obligation Itself
353. In a matter so delicate as the one now under con­
sideration, we cannot be too precise. It is certain that one
must die in the state of grace in order to be saved, and that
this suffices. It would appear then that for the faithful in
the world there is no other obligation than that of preserving
the state of grace. However, the question is precisely
whether they can preserve the state of grace for a long time
without striving to grow in holiness. To this, authority and
reason enlightened by faith answer that, in the state of
fallen nature, one cannot for long remain in the state of
grace without striving at the same time to make progress
in the spiritual life and to exercise oneself from time to time
i St. August., De bono Viduitatis, c. 21, P. L. XL, 448.
s Alvarez de Paz., op. cit., lib. IV-V; Le Gaudier, P. Ill, sect. I.,
sec. VII-X ; Scaramelli, Guide Ascétique, Traité I, art. II; Ribet, Ascétique,
ch. V1I-IX ; Ighina, op. cit.. Introd., XX-XXX. Cursus Asceticus, VoL I, n. 15.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

177

in the practice of some of the evangelical counsels. It is
only in this restricted sense that we maintain the obligation
of perfection for ordinary Christians.
I. The Argument from Authority
354. i° Holy Writ does not deal with this question
directly. It does indeed furnish us with the distinction
between precept and counsel (cf. n. 335), but it does not as
a rule tell us which of the exhortations of Our Lord are
obligatory and which are not. However, Holy Scripture
lays so much stress upon the holiness that becomes a Chris­
tian, it proposes such an ideal of perfection, it proclaims so
emphatically to all Christians the necessity of renouncement
and of love — the essentials of perfection — that any
impartial mind will draw the conclusion that in order to
save our souls, we must, at least at times, do more than is
strictly commanded and, therefore, strive after holiness.
355. A) It is evident that one who would merely aim
at avoiding mortal sin would not be living according to the
standard of moral conduct outlined in the Gospel. Our
Lord proposes to us as the ideal of holiness the very per­
fection of Our Heavenly Father : “ Be ye therefore perfect,
as also your heavenly Father is perfect. ” 1 Hence, all
having Godfor their Father must approach this divine per­
fection — which evidently cannot be accomplished without
progress. At bottom, the whole Sermon on the Mount is
nothing but a commentary on and the development of this
ideal. The path to follow is the path of renunciation, the
path of imitation of Christ and of the love of God : “ If any
man come to me, and hate not” (that is to say does not
renounce) “ h is father and mother and wife and children and
brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be
my disciple. ” 2 We are bound, then, on certain occasions
to choose God and His will rather than the love of parents,
of wife, of children, of self, and to sacrifice all to follow
Christ. This supposes heroic courage, which will be found
wanting in the time of need, unless God in His mercy give
a special grace and unless one be prepared by sacrifices that
are not of strict obligation. True, this is a straight and
narrow path and fèw there are that follow it, but Jesus
( 'hrist wills that we make earnest efforts to walk this path :
" Strive to enter by the narrow gate. ” 3 Does He not
thereby ask us to strive after perfection?
1 Matth., V, 48. — 2 Luke, XIV, 26, 27; cfr. Matth., X, 37, 38.
3 Luke, XIII, 24; cfr. Matth., VII, 13, 14.

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356. B) The apostles speak the same language. St. Paul
often reminds the faithful that they have been elected to be
saints : “ That we should be holy and unspotted in His sight
in charity. ” 1 This cannot be accomplished without putting
off the Old Adam and putting on the New, that is to say,
without mortifying the tendencies of fallen nature and
striving to reproduce the virtues of Christ. But St. Paul
adds that this cannot be done without endeavoring to reach
“ unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of thefulness
of Christ. ” 2 This means that being made into one body
with Christ, we are His complement and that it is we who
are to effect His completeness and the fulness of His growth
by our own progress in the reproduction of His virtues.
St. Peter likewise wants all his disciples to be saints, like
Him Who has called them unto salvation : “ According to
Him that hath called you, Who is holy, be you also in all
manner of conversation holy. ” 3 Could they be so, should
they make no progress in the exercise of Christian virtues?
St. John in the last chapter of the Apocalypse asks the just
to cease not in the working of justice and invites the holy
to become holier still : “ He that is just, let him be justified
still; and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. ” 4
357. C) The same doctrine follows from the nature of
the Christian life. This life Our Lord and His disciples
describe as a warfare, wherein watchfulness and prayer,
mortification and positive exercise of the virtues are the
necessary conditions for victory : “ Watch and pray that ye
enter not into temptation. ” 5 Having to struggle not only
against flesh and blood, that is, the threefold concupiscence,
but also against the evil spirits that excite our passions,
we stand in need of arming ourselves spiritually and fight­
ing fearlessly. But in a protracted struggle, if one remains
always on the defensive, defeat is almost inevitable. Re­
course, therefore, must be had to counter-attacks, to the
positive practice of the virtues, watchfulness, mortification,
and the spirit of faith and of trust. This is, in fact, the
conclusion drawn by St. Paul after a description of the fight
we are to sustain. He declares that we must be armed
from head to foot after the fashion of the Roman soldier :
“ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth
and having on the breast-plate ofjustice : and your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In all things
taking the shield offaith... and take unto you the helmet of
1 Ephes. I, 4. — 1 Ephes. IV, 13. Read the entire passage, v. 10-16.
3 I Peler, I, 15. — ■» Apoc., XXII, 11. — 5 Maith., XXVI, 4r.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

179

salvation and the sword of the Spirit... ” 1 In this way
St. Paul shows us that we must do more than is strictly
commanded in order to triumph over our enemies.
358. 2° This doctrine is confirmed by Tradition. When
the Fathers wish to insist upon the necessity of perfection
for all, they assert that we cannot remain stationary on the
way that leads to God and to salvation, that we must
advance or fall back : “ In the way to God, not to advance is
to retreat. ” Thus St. Augustine, noting that action is
characteristic of charity, remarks that we must not halt
on the way, precisely because to halt is to recede : “ He
turns back who reverts whence he had once departed. ” 2
This principle is so evident that even Pelagius, his anta­
gonist, admitted it. St. Bernard, the last of the Fathers,
explains this doctrine in a most telling way : “ Dost thou
wish to advance? — No. — Then dost thou wish to turn back?
— By no means.— What, then, wishes! thou? — I wish to
live in such a way as to remain where I have arrived... — This
is impossible, for nothing in this world does remain in the
same condition. ” 3 In another place he adds that : “ Of
necessity one must rise or else fall : if one tries to stop, one
falls of a certainty. ” 4 No wonder then that Our Holy
Father, Pius XI, in his Encyclical of January 26, 1923, on
St. Francis de Sales, clearly states that all Christians without
exception must tend toward sanctity, s
II. The Argument from Reason
The fundamental reason that obliges us to tend to per­
fection is the one given by the Fathers.
359. i° Life is movement, hence it is essentially pro­
gressive ; no sooner does it cease to grow than it begins
to decline. The reason for this is that there are in all
living beings disintegrating forces which, if not counteracted,
end by causing disease and death. The same holds true of
our spiritual life. Side by side with those tendencies that
incline us toward good, there are other forces that incline us
strongly toward evil. The one effective means of combat­
ting them is to strengthen within us the living forces of the
love of God and the Christian virtues. Then the evil forces
abate. If we stop trying to advance, our vices reawaken,
gather strength, and assail us with added vigor and fre­
quency; and unless we awake from our torpor, the moment
1 Ephes., VI, 14-17. — 3 Sermon, CLXIX, n. 18. — 3 Epist. CCLIV, n. 4.
< Epist., XCI, n. 3. — 5 Acta Apostolicce Sedis, XV, 50.

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will come when from surrender to surrender we fall into
mortal sin. 1 Such is, alas ! the story of many a soul, and
the experience of spiritual directors is witness to it.
A comparison will make us understand this. To work out our salva­
tion we have to go counter to the current, more or less violent, of out
own disordered passions bearing us on toward evil. So long as we
make the effort to go against the current, we advance or at least we
hold our own. The moment we stop we are carried along and driven
seaward, there to meet the ocean storms, that is, grave temptations
and perhaps lamentable falls.

360.2° There are grave precepts that cannot at certain
times be observed except by heroic acts. If we take into
account psychological laws, we are not ordinarily capable of
heroic acts,'unless we have prepared for them in advance by
sacrifice or, in other words, by the practice of mortification.
A few examples will render this truth more concrete. Let
us take, for instance, the precept of chastity and see the
generous, at times heroic efforts required to keep it through­
out life. Up to marriage (and many young men do not
marry before their twenty-fifth or thirtieth year), this precept
exacts absolute continence under the pain of mortal sin.
Now, serious temptations make themselves felt in almost
all of us at the age of puberty, at times even before. To
resist them successfully, we must pray; we must avoid
dangerous associations, readings, and shows; we must
reproach ourselves with the slightest failings and profit by
them in order to rise without delay and with added genero­
sity, all this throughout a considerable part of life. Does
not all this presuppose more than ordinary effort? Does it
not demand at least some works of supererogation? Nor
does marriage protect us against all grave temptations.
There are periods when conjugal continence is imperative.
To practice it, a heroic courage is required, a courage
acquired only by habitual mortification of sensual pleasure
and the unwearied practice of prayer.

361. Again, let us consider the laws of justice in finan­
cial, commercial and industrial transactions. Do we not
at once think of the thousand and one ways there are of
violating justice, of the difficulties of dealing with perfect
honesty in an atmosphere where competition and greed
cause prices to rise beyond just limits? We shall soon see
that in order to remain simply honest, extraordinary efforts
and self-denial are required. Will a man be ready for such
x This is the common teaching of theologians summarized by Suarez in
De 'Religione, t. IV, 1. I, c. 4, n. 12.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

181

efforts if he has been accustomed to observe only the precepts
that bind under pain of mortal sin? In order to shun this
danger one must do at least a little more that is strictly
commanded, so that the will, schooled by acts of generosity,
may have the strength to resist temptations to commit acts
of grave injustice.
On all sides this moral law is verified — in order not to
fall into sin, we must stave off the danger by the perfor­
mance of generous acts which are not directly prescribed
by law. To strike the target we must aim above it; not to
lose grace, we must fortify our will against temptation by
works of supererogation ; in other words, we must aim at
some measure of perfection.
§ II. Motives that Make This Duty Easier

The numerous motives that may draw the faithful on to
perfection can be reduced to three principal ones : i° the
welfare of our soul, 2° the glory of God, 30 the edification
of the neighbor.

362. i° The welfare of our soul means security of salva­
tion, increase of merit, and joy of a good conscience.
A) The great work we are to accomplish here on earth,
truly the one thing necessary, is the salvation of our soul.
If we save our soul, even should we lose all the goods of
earth : parents, friends, good name, wealth, all is saved ; we
shall find again in Heaven all we have lost, increased one
hundredfold and that for all eternity. The most effective
means, however, of securing our salvation is to aim at per­
fection, each one according to his state of life. The higher
we aim, with due discretion and with constancy, the greater
is the distance we put between ourselves and mortal sin,
which alone can prevent our salvation. It is evident that
when one sincerely strives to grow in perfection one thereby
removes the occasions of sin, strengthens the will against
surprises, so that when the moment of temptation arrives,
the will, disciplined by effort toward perfection, accustomed
to pray in order to obtain the grace of God, repels with
horror the very thought of grave sin : “ Rather die than be
defiled. ” On the other hand, those who allow themselves
whatever falls short of grave sin, run the risk of falling the
momenta prolonged and violent temptation presents itself;
for, accustomed to yielding to pleasure in lesser things,
there is reason to fear that carried away by passion they
will end by falling, just as the man who constantly walks on

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CHAPTER IV.

the edge of the abyss finally falls into it. In order, then, to
make sure that we shall not offend God grievously, the best
means is to keep at a safe distance from evil by doing more
than is strictly commanded and by striving to advance
toward perfection ; for the more we strive, with due prudence
and humility, the surer we are of our eternal salvation.
363. B) In this way we likewise increase daily habitual
grace and acquire a title to a higher degree of glory in
heaven. We have seen that every supernatural act done
for God by a soul in the state of grace results in an
increase of merit. Whoever is unmindful of perfection
and is more or less remiss in the performance of his duty,
acquires but little merit, as we have said above, n. 243. On
the contrary, he who tends to perfection and strives to make
progress, secures merit in large measure; he augments daily
his store of grace and glory ; each of his efforts is rewarded
by additional grace here on earth and of happiness in
heaven : “ An eternal weight of glory. ” 1
364. C) If we desire to have true happiness on earth,
there is no better way than to cultivate piety (godliness)
which, as St. Paul says, “ is profitable to all things, having
promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. ” 2
Peace of soul, the joy of a good conscience, the happiness of
union with God, of growing in His love, of effecting a closer
intimacy with Christ, such are a few of the rewards which,
along with the comforting hope of life eternal, God dispenses
even now to His faithful servants in the midst of their
trials.
365.2° The Glory of God. There is nothing more
noble than to procure the glory of God, nothing more just
when we recall all that God has done and ever does for us.
Now, a perfect man gives more glory to God than a thou­
sand ordinary souls. For he multiplies day by day his acts
of love, of gratitude, of reparation ; he directs toward God
his whole life by the oft-renewed offering of ordinary
actions, thus giving glory to Him from morning until night.
366. 30 The Edification of our Neighbor. There is
no better way to do good to others, to bring to God sinners
or unbelievers and to strengthen the wavering, than the
earnest effort to live a thoroughly Christian life. Just as a
common-place life on the part of Christians invites the
critical and the unbelieving to scoff at Christianity, so true11
11 Cor.., IV, 17. — a II Tim., IV, 8.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

183

sanctity calls forth their admiration for a religion that pro­
duces such effects : “ By their fruits you shall know them. ” 1
The best apologetics are those of example coupled with the
fulfilment of all our social duties. This is likewise the best
stimulus to careless Christians who would remain in their
spiritual indolence if the earnest efforts of fervent souls did
not stir them up.
This motive appeals today to many a soul. This is an
age of proselytism, and lay people realize better than ever
the necessity of defending and spreading the faith by word
and example. It devolves upon priests to further this
movement by creating round about them a choice body of
resolute Christian men and women determined to become
daily more and more faithful to all their duties, civic and
social, and above all religious. These will be valuable
co-workers, who going into places inacessible to the priest
and the religious, will successfully second their efforts in
the exercise of zeal.

Art. II.

the obligation incumbent upon religious
OF TENDING TOWARD PERFECTION 2

367. There are among Christians those who, wishing to
give themselves all the more perfectly to God and to insure
more effectively the welfare of their souls, enter the religious
state. This state is according to the Code of Canon Law, 3
“ a permanent manner of living in community wherein the
faithful, in addition to those things that are of precept,
engage themselves by vow to observe the evangelical coun­
sels of obedience, chastity and poverty. ”
All theologians agree that Religious are bound to tend
to perfection in virtue of their state. The Code recalls this
teaching when it declares that “ each and every religious
superior as well as subject is bound to tend toward the per­
fection of his state. ” 4 This obligation is so grave that
St. Alphonsus does not hesitate to say : “ If a religious takes
the firm resolution of not tending toward perfection or of
‘ Matth., VII, so.
» Codex, can. 487-672; St. Thom., ID Ilæ, q. 24, a. 9 ;q. 183, a. 1-4; p. 184-186;
Suarez, De Religione, tr. VII; S. Francis de Sales, Spiritual Conferences,
I .otters to Persons in Religion ; S. Alphonsus, The Religious Slate·, Vermeersch,
De Religiosis;VALUY, Les Vertus Religieuses, 1914; Gautrelet, Traité de titat
religieux ; J. P. Mothon, Traité sur l'élat religieux, 1923; Gay, Religious Life
and vows·. Card. Gasquet, Religio Religiosi; Hedley, Retreat, Retreat for Reli­
gious; Butler, Benedictine Monachism; Scott, Convent Life ; Buckler, Spiritual
Perfection ; Lord, Our Nuns; Giraud-Thurston, The Spirit of Sacrifice in the
tteligious Life; Catholic Encyclop,, Religious Life.
λ Can. 487. — 4 Can. 593,

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CHAPTER IV,

giving no thought whatever to it, he commits a mortal sin. ” 1
Such a religious would fail seriously in his duty of state,
which is precisely that of tending to perfection. On this
account the religious state is called a state ofperfection, that
is to say, a permanent condition of life, officially recognized
as such by Canon Law, wherein one binds oneself to strive
after perfection. Hence, as St. Thomas teaches, it is not
necessary to have attained perfection before entering the
religious life, but one enters it precisely to acquire per­
fection. 2
The obligation for religious of tending to perfection is
based chiefly on a twofold reason : i° their vows; 2° their
rules and constitutions.
I. The Obligation Based on the Vows
368. When one becomes a religious it is for the purpose
of giving, of consecrating oneself more perfectly to God.
This is the reason for the three vows. These vows impose
the obligation of performing acts of virtue which are not of
precept; and these acts are all the more perfect as the vows
add to their intrinsic worth the merit of the virtue of religion.
Moreover, these vows remove, at least in part, some of the
greatest obstacles to perfection. We shall understand this
better when we examine these vows in detail.

I

369. i° By the vow of poverty we renounce external
possessions present or future. If the vow is solemn, we
renounce the very right to ownership, so that all acts of
ownership would be canonically void, as the Code has it,
Canon 579. If the vow is simple, we do not renounce the
right itself to ownership, but only the free exercise thereof ;
consequently the use of this right depends upon the will of
Superiors and is confined within the limits set by them.
This vow is a help in overcoming one of the great ob­
stacles to perfection, namely, the inordinate love of riches
and the cares inherent to the administration of temporal
goods. It is, therefore, a great means of spiritual progress.
Moreover, this vow imposes painful sacrifices ; one has not
the security, the independence which the free use of one’s
own goods confers. At times, one has to suffer certain
privations that community-life imposes : it is hard and
humiliating to be obliged to have recourse to a Superior for
everything one needs. Here we have acts of virtue imposed
1 Theol. moralis, 1. IV, n. 18.
9 Sum. Theol., Ila Hæ, q. i86, a. i, ad 3.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

185

by the vow of poverty which not only make us tend towards,
but actually bring us nearer to perfection.

370. 2° The vow of chastity enables us to overcome a
second obstacle to perfection, the concupiscence of the flesh,
and frees us from the cares and worries of family-life.
St. Paul calls attention to this when he says : “ He that is
without a wife is solicitous for the things that belong to the
Lord : how he may please God. But he that is with a wife
is solicitous for the things of the world : how he may please
his wife. And he is divided. ” 1 But the vow of chastity
does not divest us of concupiscence; and the grace that is
given to keep this vow is not meant to spare us pain and
struggle. To observe life-long continence it is necessary to
watch and pray, to mortify the exterior senses and curiosity,
to check the sensitive appetite, to avoid idleness, to give the
heart entirely to God by the practice of charity, to live in
intimate and affectionate union with Our Lord, as we shall
show when we speak of the virtue of chastity. Now, to do
all this is evidently to tend to perfection. It is to renew
constantly the effort to conquer self and control one of the
most violent tendencies of fallen nature.

371. Obedience goes even further. It brings into sub­
mission not solely to God, but to Rules and to Superiors,
that which we cling to most tenaciously, our own will. By
this vow the Religious pledges himself to obey the com­
mands of his lawful Superior in all that concerns the vows
and constitutions. Here it is question of formal commands,
and not of mere advice. Such a command is recognized
by the formulas employed by the Superior, for instance,
when he commands in the name of holy obedience, in the
name of Our Lord, or when he uses any other equivalent
expression making clear that he means to give a formal
order. Of course this power of Superiors is limited. They
are to command according to the rule, “ not going beyond
what is expressly or implicitly contained therein, that is,
the constitutions, the statutes legally designed to ensure
their observance, the penalties sanctioned to punish trans­
gressions and prevent further infractions, and whatever
relates to the fulfilment of the different duties and to an
efficient and fair administration. 2
In spite of these restrictions, it remains true that the vow
11 Cor., VII, 32-33.
J Valuy, Les Vertus Religieuses, 19e éd. p. 106. To be valid in the external
forum, the command must be given in writing or before two witnesses (Code, C. 24).

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of obedience is one of those that come hardest to human
nature, precisely because we are so much attached to our
own will. To observe it we need humility, patience and
meekness ; we have to mortify that strong tendency of ours
to criticise Superiors, to prefer our judgment to theirs,
to follow our likes and at times our whims. To overcome
these tendencies, to bend our will respectfully before that of
Superiors and to see God in them is, without doubt, to tend
to perfection, for it is to cultivate some of the most difficult
virtues. Besides, since true obedience is the best proof of
love, to practice it is to grow in the virtue of charity.
372. It is clear, then, that fidelity to the three vows
entails not only the practice of the great virtues of poverty,
chastity and obedience, but also of a great many others
which are indispensable to their observance. To pledge
oneself to keep them is certainly to oblige oneself to an
uncommon degree of perfection.

II. The Obligation Based on the Constitutions and the Rules
373. Upon entering the religious state one assumes the
obligation to observe the Constitutions and the Rules
explained in the course of the novitiate, before profession.
Now, no matter what Order or Congregation one may enter,
there is not a single one that has not as its end the sanctifi­
cation of its members and that does not determine, at times
in great detail, the virtues they must practice and the means
that facilitate their exercise. Hence, if one is sincere, one
binds himself to keep at least in general those various rules,
and by this very fact, to rise to a certain degree of perfec­
tion ; for in keeping these rules, though it be only in a
general way, one has plenty of opportunities to mortify
oneself in things not of precept, and the effort one is forced
to make in this direction is an effort toward perfection.
374. Here the question arises whether the infringement
of the rules constitutes a sin or a mere imperfection. Many
distinctions must be made to answer this question.
a) There are rules prescribing fidelity to those virtues
that are of precept, or to the vows, and there are other rules
determining the means necessary to the keeping of these
virtues and vows, for instance, the rule of enclosure for
cloistered communities. Such rules bind in conscience for
the very reason that they simply promulgate an obligation
flowing from the vows themselves, for when making these,
one assumes the obligation of keeping them and taking the

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

187

means necessary for their observance. These rules bind
under the pain of sin, mortal or venial according to the
importance of the matter. They are, therefore, preceptive
and, in certain Congregations they are clearly noted as
such, either directly or indirectly, by the infliction of a grave
sanction which supposes a proportionate fault.

375. b) There are, on the other hand, rules which
explicitly or implicitly are considered as being simply direc­
tive. i) To break them without reason is no doubt an
imperfection, but such infraction is not in itself even a venial
sin, for there is no violation either of a law or of a command.
2) St. Thomas, however, justly remarks that one may sin
grievously against the rule, if one violates it out of contempt
(contempt of the rule itself or contempt of Superiors). 1
One may sin lightly if the violation in question is due to
voluntary negligence, passion, anger, sensuality or any other
sinful motive. In this case it is the motive that constitutes
the fault. We may add with St. Alphonsus that the fault
may be grave if the infractions are frequent and deliberate,
either because of the resulting scandal, which gradually
leads to an appreciable weakening of discipline, or because
the delinquent exposes himself to expulsion from the
community to the great detriment of his soul.
376.Superiors, therefore, are obliged in virtue of their
office to enforce the rules with care. The Superior who
would neglect to check transgressions of the rule, even
slight ones, when they tend to become frequent, may be
guilty of a grave fault, because he thereby encourages a
gradual relaxation, which in a community constitutes a grave
disorder. Such is the teaching of de Lugo, St. Liguori,
Schram 1
23and many other theologians.
But the true religious does not enter into these distinc­
tions. He observes the rule as perfectly as he can, knowing
this to be the best way of pleasing God : “ Who lives by
rule lives unto God." In like manner, he is not satisfied
with keeping to the letter of the vows, but rather he lives by
their spirit in striving daily to approach perfection according
to the word of St. John : “ He that is holy, let him be
sanctified still. ” 3 Then, are fulfilled in him the words of
St. Paul : “ And whosoever shall follow this rule, peace on
them and mercy. ” 4
1 Sum. theol., II» Ilæ, q. 186, a. 9, ad 1 et 3.
’ Schram, Instit. Theol. Mysticœ, § 655, Scholion.
3 Apoc,, XXII, II. — ♦ Galat., VI, 16.

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Art. III.

CHAPTER IV.

the obligation incumbent upon priests
OF TENDING TO PERFECTION 1

377.Priests in virtue of their functions and of the
mission which makes theirs the duty of sanctifying souls,
are bound to a higher interior holiness than that of the
simple religious not raised to the priesthood. This is the
express teaching of St. Thomas, * confirmed by the most
authoritative ecclesiastical pronouncements. The Councils,
and particularly that of Trent, 3 the Supreme Pontiffs, and
especially Leo XIII 4 and Pius X, 5 so insist upon the
necessity of holiness in the priest, that to deny our thesis is
to stand in open contradiction to authorities that cannot be
gainsaid. Let it suffice to recall the fact that Pius X, upon
the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his priesthood,
issued a letter addressed to the Catholic clergy, wherein he
shows the necessity of holiness in the priest, and enumerates
one by one the means necessary to attain it, those very
means, by the way, which are insisted on in our Seminaries.
After describing interior holiness (vitee morumque sancti­
monia), he declares that only this holiness makes us what
our vocation requires us to be, “ men who are crucified to
the world, who have put on the new Adam, men whose
thoughts are fixed on heavenly things and who strive by all
possible means to lead others to heaven. ”
378. The New Code has confirmed the views of Pius X
by emphasizing more than the old legislation did the neces­
sity of holiness in the priest and the means of exercising
himself therein. It declares in no obscure words that*
2345
’ Besides the authors already quoted, see Arvisenet, Memoriale vites sacerdo­
talis; Molina le Chartreux, Id instruction des prêtres, 2° Traité; Olier,
Traité des SS. Ordres; Tronson, Particular Examens ; Dubois, Le saint Prêtre;
CAUSSETTE, Manrise du Prêtre; Gibbons, The Ambassador of Christ; G1RAVO,
Priest and Victim; Manning, The Eternal Priesthood; Mgr. Lelong, Lé Prêtre;
Card. Mercier, The Interior Life, Retreat to his Priests, Conferences to his
Seminarians; Hedley, Lex Levitarum, Retreat for Priests; Card. Vaughan,
The Young Priest, Introduction to the Life of St. John B. de Rossi; Keatinge,
The Priest, His Character and Work; Millet-Byrne, Jesus Living in the
Priest; Bruneau, Our Priesthood ; Grimal, Priesthood and Sacrifice; CARD.
Bourne, Ecclesiastical Training ; The Teaching of St. Thomas on Priestly
Perfection, Cath. Educ. Assoc., 1924.
2 “ By Holy Orders a man is deputed to the most dignified ministry, to serve
Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar. For this a greater interior sanctity is
required than even the religious state demands. " Ila-IIæ, q. 184, a. 6, 8.
3 Sess. XXII, de Reform, c. 1.
4 Encyclical Quod multum, Aug. 22nd, 1886; Encyclical Letter Depuis le jour,
Sept. 8, 1899.
5 Exhortatio ad clerum catholicum, Aug. 4th, 1908. The entire letter should be
read. See BRUNEAU, Our Priesthood, Appendix.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

189

“ clerics must lead an interior and exterior life holier than
that of the laity and give these the good example of virtue
and good works. ” It adds that Bishops should see to it,
“ that all clerics receive frequently the Sacrament of Penance
to be purified of their faults ; that each day they apply
themselves during a certain length of time to the exercise
of mental prayer, visit the Most Blessed Sacrament, recite
the beads in honor of the Blessed Mother of God, and make
their examination of conscience. At least every three years
diocesan priests must make a retreat. All clerics, but
chiefly priests, are especially bound to respect and to obey
their Bishop. ” 1
This doctrine, that the priest is obliged to tend to perfec­
tion, is proved : i° by the authority of Our Lord and of
SZ. Paul, 2° by the Pontifical, 30 by the very nature of the
priestly functions.
I. The Teaching of Our Lord and of St. Paul
379. i° Our Lord eloquently teaches the necessity of
holiness in the priest by His examples as well as by His
words.
A) He gives the example. He Who from the beginning
was “ full of grace and truth ” has willed to submit Himself
to the law of progress : “ fesus advanced in wisdom and age
and grace with God and men. ” 2 Nay, during thirty years
He prepared for His public ministry by a hidden life and
all that this implies : prayer, mortification, humility, obed­
ience. Thirty years of the life of the Incarnate Word are
summed up in these few words : “ He was subject to them. ” 3
To make His preaching of the Christian virtues more effec­
tive, He began by practicing them : “ fesus began to do and
to teach, ” 4 so that He could have proposed Himself as
a model of all virtues, as He did of the virtues of humility
and meekness : “ Learn of me, because I am meek and humble
of heart. ” 5 At the close of His life He declared in all
simplicity that He sanctifies and sacrifices Himself in order
that His Apostles and His priests, their successors, be sanc­
tified in all truth : “ And for them do I sanctify myself that
they also may be sanctified in truth. ” 6 Now, the priest is the
representative of Jesus Christ upon earth, another Christ :
“ For Christ therefore we are ambassadors. ” 7 Hence, the
priest, too, must be ever pursuing holiness of life.
1 Can. 124-127. — s Luke, II, 52. — 3 Luke, II, 51. — 4 Act., I, 1.
s Maith., XI, 26. — 6 John, XVII, 19. — 7 // Cor., V, 20.

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CHAPTER IV.

380. B) What Our Lord teaches by His example,
He teaches also by His word. The great work of the three
years of His public life was the training of the Twelve.1 In
this He employed the most of His time; it was His habitual
occupation. Preaching to the crowds was merely secondary
and was to serve as a model of what the preaching of His
disciples should be. From this are drawn the following
conclusions : a) The sublime teachings on godliness, inward
holiness, self-denial, the love of God and the neighbor,
humility, meekness and all the other virtues so frequently
inculcated in the Gospel, are meant, no doubt, for all
Christians aspiring to perfection, but they are first of all
addressed to the Apostles and their successors. For it is
they who are commissioned to teach the people of God
these great duties by their example even more than by their
word. The Pontifical recalls this to the deacons : “ Take
heed that ye show forth the living works of the Gospel unto
whom you proclaim it by word of mouth. ” Every one agrees
that these doctrines embody a code ofperfection that is very
high. Hence, it is a duty of state for priests to strive after
holiness.
381. b) The exhortations to higher perfection that we
find in so many places in the Gospel are most particularly
addressed to the Apostles and to priests : “ You are the salt
of the earth... You are the light of the world. ” 2 This light
is not only knowledge but rather and chiefly the beacon-light
of example, which enlightens and attracts even more than
knowledge : “ So let your light shine before men that they
may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in
heaven. ” 3 It is likewise to priests that are addressed in a
special manner the counsels regarding poverty and chastity,
for in virtue of their vocation they are obliged to follow
Christ more closely.
382. c) Lastly, there is a whole series of teachings that
directly and explicitly are meant for the Apostles and their
successors : the instructions He gave to the Twelve and to
the Seventy-two when He sent them to preach in Judea,
and the discourse He pronounced at the Last Supper.
These utterances embody a code of priestly holiness so high
as to imply the duty of tending to perfection. Priests must
live a life of complete detachment, be poor in spirit, and
poor in fact, being satisfied with what they need ; they must
1 Delbrel, S. J., Jésus, Educateur des Apôtres, ch. 1V-VI.
3 Matth., V, 13 and 14. — 3 Matth., V, i6.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

191

exercise zeal, charity, absolute devotedness, patience and
humility in the midst of · persecutions, courage to confess
Christ and preach His Gospel before all men and in spite of
all men. They must be detached from the world and from
their kin, learn to carry the Cross and live in total abnega­
tion of self. 1
383. At the Last Supper 2 He gives unto them that
new commandment, to love one another as He has loved
them, that is to say, unto the complete immolation of self.
He counsels them to have faith, a live faith and an absolute
confidence in the prayer that is offered in His name.
He urges on them the love of God, which is made manifest
by keeping His commandments; peace of soul in order
to receive and relish the teachings of the Holy Spirit ; an
intimate and abiding union with Himself as the essential
condition for their sanctification and the discharge of their
ministry. He exhorts them to patience midst the persecu­
tions of the world that shall hate them as it has hated their
Master; to docility to the Holy Ghost, their Comforter
in their tribulations; to steadfastness in the faith, to prayer
in their trials. In a word, He recommends to them all
those things which constitute the essential condition of what
we call today the interior life or the life of perfection.
He ends this discourse by that grand sacerdotal prayer, so
full of tenderness, wherein He asks His Father to keep His
chosen ones as He Himself has kept them during the course
of His mortal life; to keep them from evil in the midst
of the world which they must evangelize, and to sanctify
them in all truth. He utters this prayer not only in behalf
of His Apostles but for all those that through them would
believe in Him, so that they may ever be one, even as the
Three Divine Persons are one, that they may all be one with
God and one with Christ : “ That the love wherewith thou
hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. ” 3 This is a
charter of perfection drawn up for us by Our High-Priest,
Whose representatives on earth we are, Whose priesthood
we share. It must be an inspiration for us to think that He
prayed that we might live according to this standard.

384. 2° St. Paul, drawing his inspiration from this
teaching of the Master, describes in his turn the apostolic
virtues. Stating in the first place that priests are the
dispensers of the mysteries of God, His ministers, the ambas■ Matth., X, XI; Luke, IX, X, etc.
3 John, XIV-XVII. — John, XVII, 27.

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CHAPTER IV.

sadors of Christ, and the mediators between God and men,
he then enumerates in the Pastoral Epistles the virtues
wherewith deacons, priests and bishops must be adorned.
For them, it is not enough to have once received the grace
of ordination ; they must make it live vigorously lest it wane :
“ I admonish thee that thou stir up the grace of God which
is in thee by the imposition of my hands. ” 1 Deacons must
be chaste and modest, sober, disinterested, discreet and
faithful, knowing how to govern their houses with prudence
and dignity. Even more perfect must priests and bishops
be. 1
23*5 Their lives must be so pure as to be irreproachable.
They must sedulously combat pride, anger, intemperance,
avarice, and cultivate the virtues of humility, tefnperance,
chastity, holiness, kindness, generosity, patience, meekness
and above all godliness (which is profitable unto all
things), faith and charity. 3 They must be examples of
these virtues and must therefore practice them to a high
degree : “ In all things show thyself an example of good
works. ” 4 All these virtues presuppose a certain measure
of perfection already acquired and a generous and con­
stant effort to advance.

II. The Teaching of the Pontifical
385. It would be an easy task to show that the Fathers,
commenting on the Epistles and Gospels, have unfolded
these teachings and explained them in detail. We could
even add that they have written Letters and entire Treatises
upon the dignity and the holiness of the priesthood. 5 In
order to be brief, however, we shall confine ourselves to the
teaching of the Pontifical, which is the Priestly Code, as it
were, of the New Law, embodying the summary of what
the Catholic Church requires of her ministers. This simple
exposition will show the high degree of perfection demanded
of the Ordinands and still more of priests in the ministry. 6
1II Tim., I, 6.
3 " For a bishop must be without crime, as the steward of God ; not proud, not
subject to anger, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre : but given
to hospitality, gentle, sober, just, holy, continent : embracing that faithful word
wich is according to doctrine, that he may be able to exhort in sound doctrine and
to convince the gainsayers. " Tit., I, 7-9.
3 “ Pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. " I Tint., VI, xi.
♦ Tit., II, 7.
5 Most of these Treatises are to be found in a work entitled
Le Prêtre Æ après
les Pères", by Raynaud, 12 in-8u, Paris, 1843. See likewise the numerous texts
in L. Tronson’s book, Forma Cleri.
6 For the explanation of the Pontifical, cfr. Olier, op. cit., ; Bacuez, Major
Orders, Minor Orders, Vocation and Tonsure ; GiRAUD, op. cil., t. II; Gontier,
Explication du Pontifical; Bruneau, Our Priesthood.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

193

386. i° The Church demands of the tonsured cleric a
universal detachment from whatever is an obstacle to the
love of God, and an intimate union with Our Lord, that
he may wage war against the tendencies of the Old Adam
and may put on the dispositions of the New. The Dominus
pars, which he should utter every day, reminds him that
God, and God alone, is his portion, his inheritance, and that
whatever cannot be referred to Him should be trodden
under foot. The Induat me shows him that life is a warfare,
a struggle against the evil inclinations of nature, an effort
to cultivate the supernatural virtues implanted in our souls
on the day of our Baptism. Thus, from the outset, it is the
love of God that is given him as the end to be reached, and
sacrifice as the means thereto, with the obligation of foster­
ing these two dispositions in his soul, if he is to be promoted
to higher ranks in the clergy.
387. 2° Minor Orders confer upon the cleric a twofold
power : one over Christ’s Eucharistic Body, the other over
His mystical body, that is, over souls. Besides detachment,
he is to have a twofold love, the love of Our Lord in the
Blessed Sacrament and the love of souls. Both imply
sacrifice.
As porter, he is separated from the occupations of the
home and constituted the official custodian of the House of
God. The reader rises above the interest of worldly studies
to tarry in the consideration of the Sacred Text, to draw
therefrom that doctrine which will work unto his own
sanctification and that of others. The exorcist casts off sin
and the remnants of sin, to evade all the more surely the
power of Satan. The acolyte renounces the pleasures ofsense
to live in that state of purity which the service of the altar
exacts. At the same time His love for God becomes
stronger. He loves the God of the Eucharist, Whose guar­
dian he is. He loves the Word, hidden beneath the sacred
veil of Holy Writ. He loves Him. at Whose commands the
spirits of darkness tremble and obey. He loves the Victim
of the Altar. This love blossoms forth in zeal : the cleric
loves souls, whom with joyful heart he brings to God by
word and example, whom he sanctifies by his participation
in the Holy Sacrifice. Thus step by step he makes his way
forward unto perfection.
388. 3° By his irrevocable consecration to God, the
subdeacon immolates himself out of love for Him, a prelude
to the Sacrifice he will one day offer upon the altar. He
immolates his body by the vow of chastity and consecrates

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CHAPTER IV.

his soul by dedicating it to the recitation of the divine office.
Chastity implies mortification of the interior and exterior
senses, of the mind, of the heart. The duty of the Divine
Office supposes a spirit of recollection and of prayer, the
sustained effort for a life of union with God. One cannot
be faithful in these two duties of chastity and of prayer
without an ardent love of God, which love alone can shelter
the heart from the allurements of sensual love and lay the
soul open to prayer and recollection. Sacrifice and love,
then, is what the Church demands of the subdeacon, a sacri­
fice greater than any he had made up to the present; for the
efforts demanded at times by a life-long chastity are nothing
short of the heroic, and require an habitual spirit of watchfulnesSj humble mistrust of self, and mortification.1 Furth­
ermore, it is a sacrifice which is irrevocable : “ But if you
receive this Order, you will no longer be at liberty to recede
from your resolution, but you will be obliged to serve God
perpetually, to serve Whom is to reign. ” 2 That this sacrifice
be possible and lasting it must be made with a great deal of
love. An intense love of God and love for souls alone can
shield us from profane love ; it alone gives us the relish for
the sweetness of perpetual prayer, by directing our thoughts
and our affections toward Him Who alone can steady them.
Therefore, the Pontiff invokes upon the ordinand the seven
gifts of the Holy Ghost that he be made mighty unto
the fulfilment of the stern duties laid upon him by the
subdiaconate.

389. 4° Of deacons, who co-operate actively in the obla­
tion of the Sacred Victim, who are “ co-ministers and co-ope­
rators of the Body and Blood of the Lord, ” the Pontifical
exacts even a more perfect purity : “ Be clean, undefiled,
pure, chaste. ” Because they have the power to preach the
Gospel, they are asked to proclaim it even more by example
than by word : “ Take care that you may illustrate the
gospel, by your living works, to those to whom you announce
it with your lips. ” Their life must be a living exemplifica­
tion of the Gospel and a constant imitation of the virtues of
the Master. Thus, the Bishop praying that the Holy Spirit
may descend upon them with all His gifts, chiefly that of
1 " Celibacy is an heroic virtue, and for heroic virtue we need high sanctity.
If I am asked what degree of perfection or holiness the Church demands of her
priests, it is enough for me to answer that she demands of them perfect chastity
and a life of celibacy. This obligation is so heavy, its extent is so broad, that it
either presupposes or leads to a high degree of personal sanctity. ” Keatinge,
The Priest, His Character and Work, p. ιοί.
- Pontifical, ordination of Subdeacons.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

195

fortitude, addresses to God this beautiful prayer : “ Let the
practice of every virtue abound in them, mild authority,
constant modesty, the purity of innocence, and the observance
of spiritual discipline. ” Is not this a petition in their behalf
for the virtues that lead to sanctity? In his final prayer, in
fact, the Pontiff asks that they be adorned with all the
virtues : “ Well-formed in all the virtues. ”
390. 5° The Pontifical demands even more of the priest.
Because he offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass he must
be both priest and victim. This he shall be by the immola­
tion of his passions : “ Bear in mind what you do. Let your
conduct be in conformity with the action you perform, so that
celebrating the mystery of the Lord's death, you take heed to
mortify your members from all vices and lusts. " He shall
become such a victim by his constant renewal in the spirit
of holiness : “ Renew in them, O God, the spirit of holiness. ”
To attain this, the Law of God shall be the object of his
thoughts by day and by night that he may teach it to
others, that he may live by it himself and thus be an
exemplar of all Christian virtues : “ That meditating on Thy
law, day and night, they may believe what they read, teach
what they believe and practice what they teach. May they
show forth in themselves justice, constancy, mercy, fortitude
and all other virtues. ” As he is to be spent for souls, he
shall practice brotherly love in the form of devotedness :
“ Receive the priestly vestment by which charity is signified; ”
and, after the example of St. Paul, he shall spend himself
entirely for the sake of souls : “ I most gladly will spend and
be spent myselffor your souls. ” 1

391. Thus it is that at each step toward the priesthood,
the Pontifical demands a greater measure of virtue, of love
and of sacrifice. Coming finally to the priesthood, it requires
sanctity in order, as St. Thomas 2 says, that the priest be
made fit to offer worthily the august sacrifice and be enabled
to sanctify the souls committed to his care. The Ordinand
is free to go, on or not, but if he receives orders, he thereby
evidently accepts the conditions so explicitly laid down by
the Prelate, that is, the obligation of tending to perfection,
an obligation which far from ceasing, becomes more urgent
with the actual exercise of the sacred ministry.
• II Cor.. XII, 15.
•St. Thomas, Suppl., q. 35, a. 1, ad 3. “ For the worthy exercise of Holy
Orders, ordinary virtue is not enough, but a high degree of sanctity is required.

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CHAPTER IV.

III. The Nature of the Priestly Functions
Demands Holiness of Life
392. On the testimony of the Apostle St. Paul, the
priest is the mediator between God and man, between
heaven and earth. Chosen from among men to be their
representative, he must be acceptable to God, called by Him
so as to have a right to appear before Him, and to offer the
homages of men and to obtain His favors : “ For every high
priest taken from among men is ordained for men in the
things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and
sacrifices for sin... Neither doth any man take the honour to
himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. ” 1
His functions can be reduced to two principal ones : he is
the “ Religious of God, ” 1
23charged with glorifying Him in
the name of the whole Christian people ; he is also a Savior,
a Sanctifier of souls, his mission being that of co-operating
with Jesus Christ in the work of their sanctification and
their salvation. He should be saintly on this twofold
ground, 3 and should therefore ever tend toward perfection,
since he will never fully attain to the plenitude of that
holiness demanded by his office.
i°

The Priest,

as

“ The Religious of God, ”

SHOULD BE A SAINTLY MAN

393. In virtue of his mission, the priest must glorify
God in the name of the Christian people. Truly, then, he is
the Religious of God, and that by reason of the priesthood
such as Our Lord instituted it. “He is ordainedfor men in
the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts
and sacrifices. ” It is above all through the Holy Sacrifice
of the Mass and the recitation of the Divine Office that he
acquits himself of this duty; yet all his actions, even the
most ordinary, may contribute thereto, if they be done with
a view to please God. This mission cannot be fulfilled in a
seemly manner except by a priest who is saintly or a least
who is striving to become so.

394. A) What holiness is required in order to offer up
the Holy Sacrifice ! The priests of the Old Law had to be
1 Hebr., V, i, 4.
2 Religious in the sense that he is officially charged with fulfiling toward God the
duties of religion, and not in the sense of a man entering a religious order and
making the three vows.
3 St. Thomas says : “ Those who handle the divine mysteries obtain a regal
dignity and must be perfected in virtue. " (IVSent., dist. 24, q. 2.)

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

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holy, and this under pain of punishment, because they came
near to God. (It is question here chiefly of legal holiness).
“ The priests also that come to the Lord, let them be sanctified;
lest He strike them. ” 1 They were bound to be holy in
order to offer worthily incense and the bread destined for
the altar : “ For they offer the burnt offering of the Lord and
the bread of their God : and therefore they shall be holy. ” 2
How much holier should they be, how much greater
interior holiness should they have who offer no longer
shadows and figures, but the Great Sacrifice itself, the All­
holy Victim! All is holy in this Divine Sacrifice : the
Victim and the chief Offerer, Jesus Himself, Who, says
St. Paul, is “ holy, innocent, undefiled, separatedfrom sinners,
and made higher than the heavens. ” 3 The Church in whose
name the priest offers Holy Mass is likewise holy, whom
Jesus hath sanctified with His Blood : “ Christ delivered
Himself up for it... that it should be holy and without
blemish. ” 4 The end for which such offering is made is
holy, to glorify God and bring forth in souls the fruits of
holiness. The prayers and ceremonies are holy, recalling
the Sacrifice of Calvary and the effects it merited unto
sanctification. Above all is the Communion holy that
unites us to the very source of all sanctity.
The priest, who as the representative of Jesus Christ and
of the Church offers up this august Sacrifice, must of neces­
sity be also clothed in holiness. How could he worthily
represent Christ, how could he be another Christ, if his life
be but commonplace, void of any aspiration toward perfec­
tion? Could he be the minister of the Church, the spotless
Spouse of Christ, if his soul, attached to venial sin, is
neglectful of spiritual progress? Could he glorify God if
his heart be void of love and sacrifice? How could he
sanctify souls if he lacked the earnest desire of sanctifying
himself?

395. How would he have the audacity to mount the
altar uttering those prayers of the Mass which breathe the
most pure sentiments of sorrow, faith, religion, love, self­
denial, if his soul had no part in these? How could he
venture to offer himself with the Divine Victim, “ in a
humble spirit and a contrite heart may we be received by
Thee, O Lord, ” 5 if those sentiments were in contradiction
with his life? How can any man whose life is all human,
* Exod., XIX, 22. — a Levit., XXI, 6. — 3 Hebr., VII, 26. — 4 Ephes., V, 25-27.
s Prayer of the Offertory.

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CHAPTER IV.

demand a share in the divinity of Jesus Christ? How
could such a one make his own this protestation of inno­
cence : “ But as for me, I have walked in my innocence, ” 1
if he make no effort to shake off the dust of a thousand
and one deliberate venial sins? How dare he utter the
Sanctus wherein God’s awful holiness is proclaimed? How
make bold to identify himself with Jesus Christ at the
Consecration, with the Author of all holiness, if he strive
not to sanctify himself with Him and through Him?
Could he utter the Lord’s prayer and not think that we
must be perfect as Our Father in heaven is perfect?
Could he repeat the Agnus Dei without a humble and con­
trite heart? What of those tender prayers before Com­
munion : “ Make me always adhere to Thy commandments,
and suffer me never to be separated from Thee. ” 2 And yet
the heart far from God, far from Jesus! To unite himself
daily in Communion with an All-holy God without
a sincere desire of sharing in His holiness, without striving
daily to become more and more like Him, would not this
be a flagrant contradiction, a lack of loyalty, an abuse of
grace and a lack of fidelity to the priestly vocation ? Let
priests meditate on and take to heart the Fifth Chapter of
the Fourth Book of the Following of Christ : On THE

Dignity

of the

Sacrament

and of the

Priestly

STATE. “ If thou hadst the purity of an angel, and the
sanctity of St. fohn the Baptist, thou wouldst neither be
worthy to receive nor to handle this Sacrament... Thou hast
not lightened thy burden, but art now bound by a stricter
bond of discipline, and art obliged to greater perfection of
sanctity. " 3
396. B) What we have said of Holy Mass can be said
in a certain sense also of the Divine Office. It is in the
name of the Church, in union with fesus, the great Reli­
gious of God, and for the whole Christian people, that
seven times a day the priest appears before God to adore
Him, to thank Him, and to obtain from Him the number­
less graces souls need. If his prayer is but lip-service and
not the tribute of his heart, will he not merit the reproach
addressed by God to the Jews : “ This people honoreth me
with their lips : but their heart is far from me. ” 4 And
will grace be granted abundantly if he asks for it in so
unworthy a manner?
1 Rs. XXV. — 2 Roman Missal, Prayer before Communion.
3 Imitation, Bk. IV, c. V, n. i.
< Matt/ι., XV, 8; Isaiah, XXIX, 13.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

199

397.Furthermore, in order that our ordinary actions
be transformed into acts of worship pleasing to the Lord,
they ought to be accomplished with dispositions inspired
by love and by the spirit of sacrifice (cf. n. 309).
Whithersoever we turn, the selfsame conclusion imposes
itself : as The Religious of God, the priest must aim at
holiness of life.
20 The priest cannot be successful in the work
of saving souls unless he aims at personal holiness

1

398. A) The priest’s duty of state is to sanctify and to
save souls. When Our Lord chose His Apostles it was in
order to make them “ fishers of men ” ; *
3*5in order that they
should bring forth, in themselves and in others abundant
fruits of salvation : “ You have not chosen me : but I have
chosen you, that you should go and should bring forth
fruit; and your fruit should remain. ” 3 For this must
they preach the Gospel, administer the Sacraments, give
good example and pray in all earnestness.
It is of faith that what converts and sanctifies souls is
the grace of God. We ourselves are but instruments that
God deigns to use, that bring forth fruit only in the mea­
sure wherein they are one with the principal cause. This is
the doctrine of St. Paul : “ I have planted; Apollo watered :
but God gave the increase. Therefore neither he that
planteth is anything, nor he that watereth : but God that
giveth the increase. ” -i Now, it is certain that this grace is
obtained in two ways, by prayer and by merit. In either
case we obtain grace in proportion to our sanctity, to our
fervor, to our degree of union with Our Lord (N. 237). If,
then, our duty of state consists in the sanctification of
souls, our first duty is to sanctify ourselves : “ And for
them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified
in truth. ”5
399. B) We arrive at the same conclusion if we con­
sider the principal means of zeal, namely, preaching, example
and prayer.
a) Preaching produces no salutary effects unless we
speak in the name and in the power of God : “ God as it
were exhorting by us ”.6 This is what the fervent priest
does. Before preaching he prays in order that grace may
* Read on this subject the excellent book of Dom Chautard, L'âme de tout
apostolat, Eng. Tr., The True Apostolate.
» Matth., IV, 19. — ijohn, XV, 16. — < I Cor., Ill, 6-7.
5 John, XVII, 19. — 6 II Cor., V, 20.

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CHAPTER IV.

inspire his words : He humbly asks Our Lord to be “ in his
heart and on his lips, ” Dominus sit in corde meo et in
labiis meis. Whilst preaching he seeks, not to please, but
to instruct, to do good, to convince, to persuade; and
because his heart is intimately united to that of Jesus,
there is in him an emotion, a power of persuasion that
moves his hearers. Because by forgetting himself he
attracts the Holy Spirit, souls are moved by grace and
either converted or sanctified. A lukewarm priest, on the
contrary, preaches but with his lips and, because he seeks
self, beats the air and often is but “ sounding brass or a
tinkling cymbal. ”1

400. b) The priest cannot fulfil his duty 23of giving
good example to the faithful unless he concerns himself
with his own spiritual progress. Then only can he repeat
in all confidence the words of St. Paul : “ Be ye followers
of me as I also am of Christ. ” 3 Witnesses of his piety, of
his kindness, of his poverty and of his self-denial, the faith­
ful realize that he practises what he preaches, that he is
a Saint ; they venerate him and are drawn to follow in his
footsteps. The old saying is again verified, that “ words
touch the heart, but examples rule our lives. ” A mediocre
priest may be esteemed as an honest man who works
at his craft like any other, yet his ministry will bear little
or no fruit.
401. c) Prayer is and will ever remain the most effec­
tive means of exercising zeal. What a contrast is offered
in this regard between the saintly priest and the common­
place priest? The former prays habitually and constantly,
for his very actions, done for God, constitute a real prayer.
He does nothing, he does not even give a word of counsel
without acknowledging his helplessness and begging God
to make up for it by His grace. God, “ Who giveth grace
to the humble, ” 4 grants it to him in abundance and his
ministry brings forth fruit. The imperfect priest prays
little and prays poorly, and for this reason his ministry
remains barren.
therefore, whoever wishes to work successfully for souls,
must make daily efforts to advance. Sanctity is the soul
of the true Apostolate.

* / Cor., XIII, i. — a Cod.., Can. 124.
3 / Cor., IV, 16. — 4 James, IV, 6.

THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION.

201

Conclusion
402.From all that has been said it is clear that before
entering the priesthood one must be already possessed of
a measure of sanctity; and that, once a priest, one must
continually strive to attain to a higher degree.
i° To enter the priesthood one must needs have acquired
already a certain measure of perfection. This is brought
out by all the texts of the Pontifical cited above. Even
of the mere cleric is required detachment from the world
and from self, and attachment to Jesus Christ. If the
Church prescribes regular intervals between ordinations,
it is with a view that the young ecclesiastic may have the
time of acquiring one by one the various virtues proper to
the different orders. The Pontifical gives clear expression
to this in the following words : 1 “ And thus let them
advance from one Order to the other that as they grow in age,
they may likewise grow in probity of life and in doctrine. ”
Moreover, it demands tried virtue : “ Let tried virtue be to
them in the stead of old age.” 2 But such virtue is not acquired
except by the painstaking fulfilment of the duties of
state, by the unwearied exercise of the virtues which the
Prelate points out in every ordination. This virtue should
be so solid that it resembles that of men advanced in
years (senectus sit), who through long and arduous efforts
have attained to the maturity and constancy becoming
their age.
403. It is not any sort of virtue that is required for the
right exercise of the sacred functions ; it is a superior kind
of virtue, says St. Thomas : “ For the worthy exercise of
Holy Orders ordinary goodness does not suffice, superior
virtue is required. ”3 We have seen that the Pontifical
requires of the Ordinands a solid and active faith, a
great trust in God, a devoted love of God and of the
neighbor, not to mention the moral virtues of prudence,
justice, religion, humility, temperance, fortitude, constancy.
The practice of these virtues must reach a high degree,
since the Pontiff calls down upon the Ordinands the gifts
of the Holy Ghost, which supplement the virtues and
perfect their practice. Hence, it is not enough to be in
the state of beginners, as yet exposed to relapse into
serious faults. One must have undergone a purification
from faults and inordinate attachements, be grounded in the
1 De Ordinibus Conferendis. — * Loc. cit. — 3 Supplem., q. 35, a. i, ad 3.

202

CH. IV. — THE DUTY OF TENDING TO PERFECTION,

exercise of those virtues that belong to the illuminative
way, and have for goal a closer and closer union with
Almighty God.
404. 2° Once a man has become a priest, he must not
stop, but rather go on daily from virtue to virtue. This is
the teaching of the Imitation : “ Thou hast not lightened thy
burden, but art now bound by a stricter bond of discipline,
and art obliged to greater perfection of sanctity.” 1 Not to
advance is to fall back. (N. 358, 359.) Moreover, such is
the extent of our obligation to follow in Christ’s footsteps
and to edify our neighbor, that despite all efforts, we still
fall short of the ideal proposed to us by the Gospel and
by the Pontifical, as we proved when we spoke of the
priestly functions (N. 392 and foil.). We must therefore
say to ourselves each day that we have yet a great way to
go before attaining the goal : “ Thou hast yet a great way
to go. ” 2
405.This is all the more so, since we live in the midst
of the world and its dangers, whilst religious are protected
by their rules and all the helps of community life. If they
are obliged to tend constantly toward perfection, are we
not under the same obligation, and even a greater one?
And if we have not for the protection of our virtue all the
exterior helps that protect them, are we not bound to make
up for these by greater interior strength? This strength,
it stands to reason, cannot be acquired but by an everrenewed effort toward a better life ; for the world wherein
we must mingle forevei' tends to lower our ideal, and we
must therefore raise it, again and again, by constantly
stirring up the spirit of the priesthood.
What makes this spiritual progress a more pressing duty
still is the fact that on the degree of our own sanctity
depend the welfare and the sanctification of the souls
entrusted to our care. According to the ordinary laws of
a supernatural Providence, the holier the priest, the greater
the good wrought by him. This we have shown (N. 398
and foil.). Would it be in harmony with our mission as
sanctifiers of souls to call a halt half-way or at the very
outset on the road to perfection, when so many souls in
imminent danger of being lost cry out on all sides, “ Pass
over... and help us. ”3 A worthy priest has but one answer
to this cry of distress. It is Our Lord’s own answer : “ And
» Book IV, ch. 5. — 3 III Kings, XIX, 7. — 3 Ads XVI, 9.

CHAPTER V. — GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

203

for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be
sanctified in truth. ” 1
406.We shall not examine in this place the question
of whether the priest, obliged as he is to an interior perfec­
tion greater than that of the religious who is not in Holy
Orders, is or is not in the state of perfection. This is
a question of Canon Law. It is commonly answered in
the negative, for the priest’s status, even if he be a pastor
of souls, lacks that stability which is canonically required in
order to constitute the state ofperfection.
As regards the priest who is also a religious, he evidently
has all the obligations imposed on him by his priesthood
besides those imposed by his vows, finding in his rule addi­
tional helps to become holy. He must not forget, however,
that his priesthood obliges him to a higher perfection than
does his religious profession.
Thus the members of the clergy, secular and regular, far
from falling into petty jealousies, should hold each other in
mutual esteem and help each other, having but one and the
same aim, to glorify God by gaining unto Him souls — as
many as possible. They should find in the virtues and in
the success of their brethren a stimulus to a noble emulation :
“ And let us consider one another, to provoke unto charity
and to good works. ” 2

CHAPTER V.
General Means of Perfection
407. Once we have formed deep convictions concern­
ing the obligation of tending to perfection, it remains but
to seek and use the means that lead thereto. It is question
here of the general means, common to all souls desirous of
spiritual progress. In the second part we shall treat of the
special means proper to the different stages of the spiritual
life.
These means are interior or exterior. The former are
dispositions or acts of the soul itself that gradually raise it
toward God. The latter comprise besides these acts,
exterior helps which aid the soul in this elevation. It is
important to give first a brief survey of these means.
408. I. Among the interior means there are four that
must be considered here : i° The desire of perfection which
• John, XVII, 19. — ’ Hebr., X, 24.

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CHAPTER V.

is the first step forward, giving us the impulse needed to
overcome obstacles.
2° The knowledge of God and of self. Since it is question
of uniting the soul to God, the better these two terms are
known, the easier will be the task of effecting such union :
May I know Thee, O Lord, that I may love Thee, may
I know myself that I may despise myself!
3° Conformity to God's will. To surrender our will to
that of God is the most genuine token of love and the most
effective means of uniting ourselves to the source of all per­
fection.
4° Prayer viewed in its wider sense, as adoration and
petition, mental or vocal, private or public, any elevation of
the soul to God. It unites all our interior faculties to God,
our memory and imagination, our mind and will, and even
our outward actions inasmuch as they are an expression of
our spirit of prayer.
II. The exterior means of perfection may likewise be
reduced to four principal ones :
i° Direction. Just as God has instituted a visible autho­
rity to govern His Church externally, so He has willed that
souls be led by an experienced spiritual guide, who may
help them to avoid danger, and further and direct their
efforts.
2° A rule of life, which approved by such a director
further extends his influence over souls.
3° Conferences, exhortations, and spiritual reading. Well
chosen, these put us in contact with the teachings and the
example of the Saints and lead us to follow in their foot­
steps.
4° The sanctification of our relations with others, with
parents, friends, or business-associates. This enables us to
direct toward God not merely our pious exercises, but all
our actions and our duties of state.
Desire of Perfection
I
Knowledge of God and of Self
Interior Means Ί Conformity to the Divine Will
ς Prayer
Direction
II
A Rule of Life
Exterior Means Spiritual Readings and Conferences
Sanctification of Social Relations

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

Art. I. Interior

205

means of perfection

§ I. The Desire of Perfection 1

409. The first step toward perfection is the sincere,
ardent and constant desire to attain it. We shall examine,
i° its nature, 2° its necessity and efficacy, 3° its qualities,
4° the means of fostering it.
I. The Nature of this Desire
410. i° Desire in general is a movement of the soul toward
the^<7</ that is absent. It differs, therefore, from joy which
is the satisfaction coming from the actual possession of
a good. There are two kinds of desire : one is a feeling or
passionate impulse toward a sensible good that is absent ;
and the other, the rational desire, is an act of the will
tending toward some spiritual good. At times this rational
desire reacts upon our sensibility and is thus mixed whith
feeling. In the supernatural order our good desires are
influenced by divine grace, as we have said above.

411.2° The desire of perfection, then, may be defined as
an act of the will, which, under the influence of grace, ever
seeks after spiritual progress. It may be at times accompan­
ied by pious sentiments that intensify it, 2 but this element
is not necessary.

412. 30 This desire is born of the combined action of
God’s grace and the human will. From all eternity God
loves us, and by that very fact, desires to unite Himself to
us : “ I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore
have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee. ” 3 His unfailing
love follows us, pursues us, as if His own happiness were
incomplete without us. Then, when our own soul illumined
by faith looks into itself, it finds an immense void that
nothing but the Infinity of a God itself can fill : “ Thou
hast made us unto Thyself, O God, and our heart finds no
rest until it rests in Thee. ” 4 Our soul, then, sighs after God,
after His love, after perfection : “ As the hart panteth after
' St Fr. de Sales, Devout Life, P. I. C. I-III ; The Lave of God, Bk. XII,
c. 2-3; Alvarez de Paz, De vitd spirit., t. I, 1. V; Rodriguez, Practice of
Christian Perfection, P. I, Tr. I, On the Esteem of Perfection; Le GAUDIER, De
perfect, vitœ spiritualis, P. II, Sept. ia; J. Arintero, Du disir de la perfection,
Vie spirituelle, Fevr. 1920, p. 296; Scaramelli-Stockman, Manual of Christ.
Perfection P. I, art. 2.
» See remark of St. Thomas, I» Ilæ, q. 30 a 1 ad 1
s Jerem., XXXI, 3.
< St August., Confessions, Bk. I, n. 1.

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CHAPTER V.

the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after Thee,
O Lord... for Thee my soul hath thirsted. ” 1 Since on
earth this longing will never be satisfied, for here this divine
union can never be complete, it follows that if we place no
obstacle in the way this desire will constantly grow.

413. 4° Unfortunately, obstacles abound that tend to
stifle, or at least, to weaken this desire. Such are the
threefold concupiscence (which we have described above,
n. 193), the fear of the difficulties to be overcome and of the
continued efforts required for co-operation with grace and
for spiritual progress. Hence, we must thoroughly convince
ourselves of the necessity of this desire and take the means
to foster it.
II. The Necessity and Efficacy of tJle Desire for Perfection
414. i° Its Necessity. The desire for it is the first
step toward perfection, the indispensable condition for attain­
ing it. The road to perfection is arduous and implies
constant and energetic efforts, for as we have remarked, no
one can make progress in the path of God’s love without
sacrifice, without struggling against the threefold concu­
piscence and against the law of least resistance. No one ever
enters upon any steep, rugged path unless he is possessed
of an ardent desire of arriving at the goal ; and were he to set
out on such a path he would soon abandon it. Likewise, no
one starts on the way to perfection or perseveres in it unless
sustained by a strong desire to reach the end.
A) Hence, everything in the Sacred Scriptures tends to
inspire in us this desire. The Gospels as well as the Epistles
are a continual exhortation to perfection. This we have
shown in treating of the obligation of tending to perfection ;
the object of the texts that establish this obligation is to
stimulate the desire of pressing forward. What other
purpose can they have? They present to us as the ideal
the imitation of the divine perfections ; they propose to us
Jesus Christ Himself as our model ; they recount His virtues;
they urge us to follow His example. Does not all this
inspire us with the desire of perfection?

415. B) The Church’s Liturgy has the same aim. By
setting forth in the course of the liturgical year the various
phases of Our Lord’s life, it makes us give expression to the
most ardent longings for the coming of Christ’s kingdom in
« Rs. XLI, 2; LXII, 2.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

207

the souls of men during the season of Advent; for His
growth in our hearts, at Christmastide and the Epiphany;
for penitential exercises, through the Lenten period, as a
preparation for Easter graces ; for an intimate union with
God, through the Pascal time, and for the gifts of the Holy
Ghost, from Whit-Sunday till the end of the cycle. Thus,
all through the year the Sacred Liturgy, in one form or
another, quickens our desire for spiritual growth.
416. C) The experience gained from reading the lives of
the Saints or from the actual direction of souls shows us that
without the oft-renewed desire for perfection, there is no
progress in the spiritual life. St. Teresa 1 makes us well
aware of this fact : “ Let us not stifle our desires. This is
highly important. Let us firmly believe that with the divine
help and our own efforts we, too, can in the course of time
obtain what so many Saints, aided by God, finally attained.
Had they never conceived such desires, had they not little
by little carried them into execution, they would never have
risen so high... Oh! how important it is in the spiritual life
to rouse oneself to great things ! ” The Saint herself offers
us a striking example of this. As long as she was not de­
termined to break all the bonds that interfered with her flight
towards the heights of perfection, she painfully dragged
along the way of mediocrity; from the day she resolved to
give herself entirely to God, she advanced wondrously.

417. The practise of direction corroborates the teaching
of the Saints. Generous souls possessed of a humble and
persistent desire to advance in the way of perfection relish
and employ the means we suggest to them. If, on the
contrary, such desire is lacking, or exists but feebly, we
readily observe that the most urgent exhortations produce
hut little effect. Spiritual nourishment, like food for the
body, profits but those who hunger and thirst. God heaps
His gifts upon those who crave them, but allots them
with measured hand to those who do not prize them :
“ He hath filled the hungry with good things ; and the rich
he hath sent empty away. ” 2
418. 2° Efficacy of the desire for perfection. This
desire is a real force that makes us grow in holiness.
a) Psychology demonstrates that an idea deeply impressed
tends to elicit a corresponding act. This is the more true,
when the thought is, accompanied by the desire, for the
• Life by Herself, C, XIII. — 3 Luke, I, 53.

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CHAPTER V.

latter already constitutes an act of the will which sets our
faculties in motion. Hence, to desire perfection is to tend
towards it, and to tend towards perfection is to begin to
attain it. To desire to love God is already to love Him,
since God sees the heart and takes into account all our
intentions. Hence, Pascal’s profound \vords : “ Thou
wouldst not seek me, hadst thou not found me
Now, to
desire is to seek, and he who seeks finds : “ For every one
that seeketh findeth. ” 1

419. b) Furthermore, in the supernatural order, desire
constitutes a prayer, an elevation of the soul towards God,
a sort of spiritual communion which lifts our soul towards
Him and draws Him to us. Now, God delights in granting
our prayers, especially when their object is our sanctifica­
tion, — the most ardent desire of His Heart : “ For this is
the will of God,your sanctification. ” 2 Thus God, in the Old
Testament, urges us to seek after, to pursue wisdom, that is
to say, virtue, making the most wondrous promises to those
that hearken to his voice, and granting wisdom to those that
earnestly desire it : “ Wherefore I wished, and understanding
was given me : and I called upon God, and the Spirit of
wisdom came upon me. ”3 In the Gospels, Our Lord invites
us to quench in Him our spiritual thirst : “ If any man
thirst, let him come to me and drink. ” 4 The more ardent
our desires, the more abundant the graces we receive, for
the Source of living water is inexhaustible.
420. c) Lastly, desire dilates the soul and so renders it
more apt for the reception of divine communications.
There is in God such a fulness of goodness and of graces,
that the measure of His bounty is to a great extent in pro­
portion to our capacity to receive. The more we expand our
soul by earnest and ardent desires, the more capable it
becomes of receiving of the fulness of God : “ I opened my
mouth and drew unto myself the Spirit... Open thy mouth
wide, and I willfill it. ” 5

III. The Qualities Which the Desire for Perfection
Should Possess
To attain such happy results, the desire for perfection
must be supernatural, predominant, persevering, and practical.
1 Matlh., V 11, 8. — " / Thess., IV, 3. — 3 Wisdom, VII, 7; cfr. Prcru. I, 20-23.
4 John, VII, 37. As St. Thomas remarks (I, q. 12, a. 6), desire renders the soul
more fit — better disposed — for the reception of the desired object.
5 Ps. CXVIII, I3I ; LXXX, 11.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

209

421. i° It must be supernatural in its motive as well as
in its principle.
a) Supernatural in its motive, that is to say, based
upon reasons furnished by faith, which reasons we have
already explained : the nature and the excellence of the
Christian life and of Christian perfection, the glory of
God, the edification of the neighbor, the welfare of our
soul, etc.
b) Supernatural in its principle, in the sense that it must
be conceived under the influence of grace, which alone can
impart to us the light that will make us understand and
relish such motives, and the strength required to act in
accordance with our convictions. Since grace is obtained
through prayer, we must ask insistently of God that He
increase in us this desire for perfection.
422.2° It must be predominant : in other words, it must
outdo in intensity any other desire. Since perfection is in
reality the hidden treasure, that pearl of great price which
must be bought at any cost, and since each degree of
Christian perfection is attended by a corresponding degree
of glory, of the Beatific Vision and of love, the same must
be longed for and sought after in preference to any thing
else whatsoever : “ Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God
and his justice. ” 1

423. 3° It must be persevering. To seek perfection is
a long and arduous work calling for constant progress.
Hence the desire to do better must be renewed frequently.
Our Lord tells us, therefore, not to look backwards over
the distance traversed, or to cast complacent eyes upon
the results of past efforts : “ No man putting his hand
to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of
God. ” 2 On the contrary we must look ahead, as St. Paul
tells us, to see the way we must yet travel and redouble
our effort, like the runner who stretches forth his arm
the better to reach hold of the goal : “ Forgetting the
things that are behind, and stretching forth myself to those
that are before, I press towards the mark, to the prize of
the supernatural vocation. ” 3 St. Augustine lays great
stress upon this same truth; he says that to halt is to fall
back, to tarry in the contemplation of the way we have
traveled is to lose our vigor. The motto of perfection
is to go ever forward, to aim ever higher : “ Linger not
1 Matth., VI, 33. — a Luke, IX, 62. — 3 Philip., Ill, 13-14.

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on the way, stray not from it... Always strive, always move,
always advance. ” *.
We must not consider the good we have achieved but the
good that is yet to be accomplished ; we must not look
to those who do less than ourselves, but to those who do
better, to the fervent, to the Saints, and above them all
to Jesus Himself, our True Model. Then, the more we
progress the further we seem from the goal, just because
we realize the better how lofty that goal is.
However, there must be an entire absence of anything
like over-eagerness, impatience, and, above all, anything like
presumption in our desires. Violent efforts are of short
duration, and the presumptuous soon lose heart after the
first failures. What really makes for our progress is a calm
and oft-renewed desire based on convictions and on the
omnipotence of grace.
424. 4° Then, desire becomes practical and efficacious,
because it is directed not towards an ideal that is impossible
to realize, but towards the means that lie within our reach.
There are souls possessed of magnificent, but purely specu­
lative ideals, souls who aspire to high perfection the while
they neglect the means that lead thereto. Herein lurks
a twofold danger : we may fancy we have attained per­
fection, simply because we dream of it, and thus fall into
pride; or we may come to a standstill and fail. We must,
instead, bear in mind the saying that he who wills the
end wills also the means. We must recall that it is fidelity
in little things that ensures fidelity in greater things, and
that our desire for perfection should bear on our present
duties, however trifling they may be, since the faithful
accomplishment of these will guarantee fidelity in those of
greater moment. “ He who is faithful in that which is least
is faithful also in that which is greater. ” 2 To pretend
to desire perfection and then relegate to the morrow the
efforts that should accompany such desire, to λνίεΐι to
sanctify oneself through the performance of great actions
and then take no heed of ordinary ones, is to labor under
a double illusion, which reveals either a lack of sincerity
or an ignorance of psychology. High ideals are, no doubt,
required, but so also is their immediate and progressive
realization.
1 St. Augustine, Sermon 169, n. 18.
8 Luke XVI, 10.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION

211

IV. Means to Stimulate this Desire for Perfection

425. i° Based upon supernatural convictions, the desire
for perfection takes root and grows chiefly through medi­
tation and prayer. It is necessary then first of all to reflect
on the great truths we have explained in the foregoing
chapters, on the greatness of this life which God Himself
communicates to us, on the beauty and the wealth of a soul
that cultivates it, on the delights which God has in store
for it in heaven. It is necessary to meditate on the lives of
those Saints who grew the more in holiness as their longing
for perfection gained daily in constancy and ardor.
That such meditation may be made more fruitful, we must
join to it prayer which, drawing God’s grace upon the soul,
makes our convictions concerning the need of perfection
deeper and more vital.
426. 2° There are certain favorable circumstances, in
which the action of grace is more keenly felt. A wise
spiritual director will know how to profit by them in order
to awaken in his penitents the desire for perfection.
a) From the first dawn of reason, God invites the child
to give himself to Him. How important it is that parents
and confessors avail themselves of these divine solicitations
to stimulate and direct the impulses of young hearts ! This
is true of the time of First Communion, of the moment
when the signs of vocation first appear or a choice of life
is to be made; of the time when one enters college,
seminary, or novitiate ; or of the time when one receives
the sacrament of matrimony. On all these occasions, God
grants special graces to which it is important to correspond
with a generous heart.

427. b) The same is true of the time of retreat. The
prolonged periods of recollection, the instructions, the
readings and the examinations of conscience, and the
prayers offered, above all, the more abundant graces then
received, contribute to the strengthening of our convictions,
to a better knowledge of our state of conscience, to the
more sincere abhorrence of our faults and their causes,
whilst new, more practical and more generous reso­
lutions are suggested, giving us a new impetus toward per­
fection. Thus it has come to pass in recent years that
more frequent retreats 1 have formed among the clergy and
1 A. Boissel, Retraites fermées, pratique et théorie.

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CHAPTER V.

the faithful choice men whose one ambition is that of
advancing in the spiritual life. Spiritual directors in semi­
naries, likewise, know the wonderful effects produced in
their students by the general retreats and the retreats for
ordination. Then it is that generous desires for a better
life are conceived, renewed or intensified. We must, then,
profit by these opportunities to answer God’s, appeal and
begin or perfect the reformation of our life.

428.C) Providential trials, physical or moral, such
as illness, death, moral suffering, evil turns of fortune are
often accompanied by interior graces that urge us on to
a more perfect life. Provided we take advantage of
these ordeals to turn to God, they wean us from earthly
things, purify our soul through suffering, inspire us with
a yearning for Heaven and for perfection which is the way
to Heaven.

429.d) Lastly, there are times when the Holy Spirit
produces interior movements in the soul, inclining it towards
a life of greater perfection. He enlightens us on the vanity
of human things, on the happiness flowing from a more
complete gift of self to God, and urges us to greater
efforts. We must profit by these interior graces to hasten
our progress.
430. 3° There are Spiritual Exercises which by their
very nature tend to awaken in us the desire for perfection.
These are :
a) The particular examen, which obliges us each day to
study ourselves in regard to some one special point, not
only in order to ascertain our failings or successes, but
above all to renew our determination to advance in the
practice of such or such a virtue. (N. 468.)
b) The systematic practice of Confession with a view to
correct such or such a fault (n. 262).
c) The monthly and annual retreats that come to renew
our desire of doing better.

Conclusion
431. In making use of these various means we shall
continually or at least habitually keep our wills fixed on
the end to be attained, spiritual progress. Then, upheld
by God’s grace, we shall more easily triumph over obstacles.
No doubt, there will be slight failings now and then, but

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

213

spurred on by the desire of advancing, we shall courageously
resume our march, and our little setbacks, by exercising
us in humility, will serve but to draw us nearer to God.
§ II. The Knowledge of God and the Knowledge
of Self

432. Since perfection consists in the union of the soul
with God, it becomes evident that in order to effect this
union, we must be acquainted with its two terms, God and
the soul. The knowledge of God will lead us directly to
love : May I know Thee, that I may love Thee. The know­
ledge of self, by making us realize the worth of all the
good wherewith God has endowed us, will awaken in us
a corresponding sense of gratitude; while the sight of our
miseries and our faults, by making us conceive a just con­
tempt of self, will engender in us true humility : May
I know myself, in order that I may despise myself. Divine
love will be the result, for it is on the ruins of self-love that
the love of God is built.
I. The Knowledge of God1
433. In order to love God it is necessary first of all to
know Him.2 The more profound our consideration of His
perfections, the more ardent the love of our heart for
Him; for, all is loveliness in Him. In Him is found the
fulness of being, of beauty, of goodness and of love : God
is love. This much is evident. It remains to determine :
i° What we must know of God in order to love Him,
and 2° How to come to that affectionate knowledge of God.

i°

What We

must

Know

of

God

Concerning God, we must know whatever can render
Him admirable and lovable. We must learn of His exis* Faber, Creator and Creature, The Precious Blood, Bethlehem; Newman,
Grammar of Assent and other works (See word God in Index to the Works of
Card. Newman by Rickaby, S. J.); Bellord, Meditations on Dogma; BranCHEREAU, Méditations, vol. I, Méd. I-VI; Hedley, Retreat, IV-V; HOGAN,
Clerical Studies, C. IV; A I; SCOTT. S. J., God and Myself; Bossuet, De la
connaissance de Dieu et de soi-méme; Elévations sur les mystères; Méditations sur
Γ Evangile ; L. Bail, Théologie affective; Lessius, De perfectionibus moribusque
divinis·, P. d'Argentan, Les Grandeurs de Dieu ; Contenson, Theologia mentis
et cordis; Beaudenom, Les Sources de la Piété; SAUVÉ, Dieu intime, Jésus intime,
L'homme intime, etc. ; P. Saudreau, O. P., Les divines paroles /M. d'Herbigny,
La Théologie du révélé, ch. VIII-XI; P. R. Garrigou-Lagrange, Dieu, son
existence, sa nature, 1920.
a Contrary propositions of Molinos were condemned, Denz.-Bann. 1226, 1329.

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CHAPTER V.

tence, His nature, His attributes, His works, above all, His
inner life and His relations with us. Nothing that concerns
the Godhead is foreign to devotion ; the most abstract truths
themselves have an affective aspect which is a very great
aid to our piety. Let us see this with the help of a few
instances taken from philosophy and theology.
434. A) Philosophical Truths.1 a) The metaphysical
proofs of the existence of God seem abstract enough, and yet
they are inexhaustible treasures of marvelous considerations
leading to divine love : God, the Changeless Prime Mover,
Pure Act, is the origin of all movement. Hence, we cannot
move if not in Him and through Him. He must be, there­
fore, the first principle of all our actions. If He is our first
principle, He shall be our last end : “ lam the beginning and
the end. ” God is the First Cause of all beings, of whatever
of good there is in us, of our faculties, of our acts. To Him
alone, therefore, be all honor and glory ! God is the Neces^
sary Being, the Only Necessary Being. He is then the
only good to be sought. All other things are contin­
gent, accessory, transient, useful solely inasmuch as they
lead us to this Only Necessary Being. God is Infinite
Perfection : creatures are but the faint reflection of His
beauty. He is then, the Ideal to pursue : “ Be you therefore
perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. ” 2 We
must set no limits to our perfection : “ I am infinite, ” said
Almighty God to St. Catherine of Sienna, “ and I seek infi­
nite works, that is, an infinite sense of love. ” 3
435. b) If we pass thence to the divine nature, even the
little we know of it is sufficient to wean us from all created
things and raise us up to God. He is the fulness of being :
“ Iam Who am. ” Hence, mine is but a borrowed existence,
incapable of -subsisting by itself, and I must acknowledge
my utter dependence upon the Divine Being. This it was
that God wished to teach St. Catherine of Sienna when He
said to her : “ Learn, my daughter, what you are and what
I am... You are that which is not, and I am He Who is. ”4
What a lesson in humility! What a lesson in love!

436.c) We learn the same lesson from the consideration
of the divine attributes. There is not one that if well medi­
tated upon does not act as a stimulus to our love in one
’ See especially Joyce, Natural Theology.
3 Matth., V, 48; cfr. Commentary of IV Lateran Council. (Denzinger, 432).
3 Dialog., I, p. 40.
·« Vie, by Raymond de Capoue, trad. Cartier, t. I, p. 71.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

215

form or another. The simplicity of the Godhead moves us
to the practice of singleness of purpose or purity of inten­
tion, which causes us to tend directly to God, to the
exclusion of every inordinate thought of self. His immen­
sity, which encompasses and pervades our being, is the
foundation of that practice so dear and so profitable to
pious souls, the exercise of the presence of God. His
eternity detaches us from all things that pass away with
time, by recalling that whatever is not eternal is nothing.
His unchangeableness aids us in the midst of human vicissi­
tudes to maintain that peace of mind so necessary to a close
and abiding union with Him. His perpetual activity spurs
us on to action, preventing us from lapsing into indifference
or into a sort of dangerous apathy or quietism. His
omnipotence, ministering to His unbounded wisdom and His
merciful goodness, inspire us with a filial trust that becomes
a singular aid to prayer and to a holy abandonment of
ourselves to Him. His holiness makes us hate sin and
cherish that purity of heart which leads to a familiar union
with Him : “ Blessed are the clean of heart : for they shall
see God. ” The soundest foundation of our faith rests upon
His infallible truthfulness. His beauty, His goodness, His
love, captivate our heart, giving rise to outpourings of love
and gratitude. Thus it is that saintly persons love to lose
themselves in the contemplation of the divine attributes
and by gazing adoringly upon God’s perfections, to draw
them in a measure into their own hearts.
437. B) Holy souls delight above all in the contempla­
tion of revealed truths, all of which refer to the history of
the Divine Life : its source in the Most Holy Trinity, its
first bestowal by the creation and sanctification of man, its
restoration through the Incarnation, its actual diffusion
through the Church and the Sacraments, its final consum­
mation in Heaven. Each of these mysteries enraptures and
inflames souls with love for God, for Jesus Christ, for their
brethren and for all things divine.
438.a) The source of divine life is the Blessed Trinity.
God, the very plenitude of being and of love, eternally
regards His Own Self. Out of this contemplation He
brings forth His Word, the Word that is His Son, distinct
from, yet in all things equal to Him, His own living and
substantial image. He loves that Son and is in turn loved
by Him; and from this mutual love proceeds the Holy
Ghost, distinct from the Father and the Son yet equal in
all things to Both. And this is the life wherein we share!

CHAPTER V.

216

439. b) Because He is infinitely good, God wills to
communicate Himself to other beings. This He does by
creating and above all by sanctifying men. By creation we
are God’s servants, which already constitutes a high honor.
Indeed, what a cause for wonder, for gratitude, for love, that
God should have thought of me from all eternity, that He
should have chosen me out of billions of possible beings in
order to bring me into existence and bestow upon me life
and intelligence! But what shall I say of His calling me to
share in His own divine life? Of His having adopted me
as a child, having destined me for the clear vision of His
essence and for His undivided love? Is not this the con­
summation of charity? Is not this a great motive-power
urging us to love Him without measure or stint?
440.c) Through the fault of our first parents we lost
our right to this participation in the divine life, and of
ourselves we had not the power to regain it. But behold !
The Son of God sees our plight, becomes a man like ourselves
and is thus constituted the Head of a mystical body whose
members we are; He atones for our sins by His sorrow­
ful Passion and His death on the Cross, reconciles us to
God and makes that life He has drawn from the bosom
of His Father flow once more into our souls. Can there be
a stronger appeal to make us love the Word-made-Flesh,
to urge us to unite ourselves to Him and through Him
to the Father?
441.d) To facilitate this union, Jesus remains among us.
He abides with us through His Church, that transmits and
explains His teachings ; through His Sacraments, mysterious
channels of grace, giving the life divine. He dwells among
us, above all, in the Holy Eucharist wherein He at once
perpetuates His Presence, His merciful action, and His
Sacrifice : His Sacrifice through the Holy Oblation of the
Mass, wherein in a mysterious manner He renews His
immolation; His merciful action, through Holy Communion,
wherein He comes to us with all the treasures of grace
to perfect our souls and impart to them His own virtues;
His abiding Presence, willingly imprisoned day and night
within the Tabernacle, where we can visit Him, converse
with Him, glorify with Him the Most Blessed Trinity, find
health for all our spiritual miseries, and consolation in
sorrow and discouragement : “ Come to me all you that
labour and are burdend : and I will refresh you. ” 1
* Matth., XI, 28.

217

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

442. e) This is but the dawn of the noonday light of
eternity, wherein we shall see God face to face, as He sees
Himself, and shall love Him with a perfect love. In Him
we shall behold and love whatever is good, whatever is
noble. We came from God by creation ; we return to
Him by glorification. In glorifying Him we find perfect
happiness.
Dogma is, then, the true source of real devotion.
2° Means

of

Arriving at This Knowledge

of

God.

443. Three principal means are at our disposal in order
to acquire this affective knowledge of God : i° the devout
study of philosophy and theology ; 2° meditation or mental
prayer ; 3° the habit of seeing God in all things.
A) The Devout Study of Theology. 1 One may study phi­
losophy and theology in two ways : merely with the mind,
as one would study mathematics or any other secular
science, or with mind and heart. It is the latter that begets
godliness. When St. Thomas plunged into the depths of the
great philosophical and theological questions, he studied
them not as a Greek sage would, but as a disciple and lover
of Christ. According to his expression, theology treats of
divine things and of acts inasmuch as they lead us to a per­
fect knowledge of God, in which eternal happiness consists. 2
This is why his piety was even more wonderful than his
knowledge. The same was true of St. Bonaventure and other
great theologians. Of course, the most of them have not
gone into devout considerations concerning the great myste­
ries of our faith which they sought but to explain and prove,
yet it is from these very truths that godliness springs.
Whoever studies them in the spirit of faith, cannot but
admire and love Him Whose grandeur and goodness theo­
logy reveals. This holds especially if we know how to
avail ourselves of the gifts of knowledge and of understand­
ing. The former lifts us up from creatures unto God,
disclosing to us their relations with the Divinity; the latter
» The Church has condemned the assertion of Molinos that a theologian is not
as well disposed for contemplation as an ignorant man (Denz.-Bann., 1284).
Father Faber writes : “ Is not all doctrine practical? Is it not the first use of
dogmatic theology to be the basis of sanctity...? He who separates dogmatics
from ascetics seems to assert this proposition : The Knowledge of God and of
Jesus Christ was not meant primarily to make us holy... ” (Faber Spiritual Con­
ferences, Conf, on Death, 3, p. 137). (Theology) “is the best fuel of devotion,
the best fuel of divine love... If a science tells of God, yet does not make the
listener's heart burn within him, it must follow either that the science is no true
theology, or that the heart which listens is stupid and depraved. In a simple and
loving heart, theology burns like a sacred fire. ” (Faber, The Precious Blood,
c. in). — a Sum. iheol. I, q. 1, a. 4.

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CHAPTER V.

makes us penetrate to the very heart of revealed truths,
to discern their marvelous harmony.
With the aid of these lights, the devout theologian will
know how to rise from the contemplation of the most
speculative truths to acts of adoration, of wonder, of grati­
tude and of love, which spring spontaneously from the
study of Christian dogmas. These acts, far from paralyz­
ing his intellectual activities, will but quicken and sharpen
them ; for one studies better, with more diligence and
greater perseverance, whatever one loves. One discovers
depths which the intellect alone could not sound, and draws
inferences which broaden the field of theology, whilst
nourishing piety.

444. B) Meditation must accompany study. We do
not meditate sufficiently upon Christian dogmas, or we
confine our consideration to their secondary aspects. We
must not hesitate to take the very essence of these dogmas
as the subject of our meditations. Then it is that the light
of faith, under the influence of grace, reaches such heights
and pierces such depths as the intellect alone could never
discern. We find proof of this fact in the writings of
unlettered persons, who having been raised to contemplar
tion, have left us appreciations concerning God, Christ our
Lord, His doctrines and Sacraments, that actually rival
those of the most exalted theologians. And did not
St. Thomas say that he had learned more from his Crucifix
than from the works of Doctors? The reason for it is that
God speaks more readily in the silent peacefulness of
prayer; and that His Word, then better understood, enlight­
ens the mind, enkindles the heart and sets the will in
action. Then it is, likewise, that the Holy Spirit deigns to
impart, over and above the gifts of knowledge and under­
standing, that of wisdom, which gives a relish for the truths
of faith, causes us to love these truths and live by them,
and thus establishes a very close union between God and
the soul. This is well described by the author of the
Imitation in the following words : “ Happy is the soul
that heareth the Lord speaking within her, and receiveth
from His mouth the word of comfort. ” 1
The repeated and affectionate remembrance of God is
but the prolongation of the happy effects of our mental
prayer. The frequent thought of God increases our love
for Him, and this love deepens and refines our knowledge.
« Imit. Bk. Ill, c. I.

GENERAL MEANS OB' PERFECTION.

219

445. C) Then it is that we acquire the habit of rising
more easily from the creature to the Creator, and of seeing
God in all His works, in things, persons and events. The
basis of this practice is “ the divine exemplarism, ” taught
by Plato, perfected by St. Augustine and St. Thomas, elu­
cidated by the school of St. Victor, and taken up by the
French school of the Seventeenth Century. 1 All beings
have existed in the divine thought before their creation.
God has begotten them in His mind before bringing them
forth and He has willed that they reflect, in various degrees,
His divine perfections. If, therefore, we regard created
things, not only with the eyes of the body, but with the
eyes of the soul, by the light of faith, we shall see there
three things :
a) All creatures, according to their degree of perfection,
are an image, a likeness of God ; all proclaim God for their
Maker and bid us join in praise of Him, since their own
being, all their beauty and goodness, is but a created and
finite participation in the divine essence.
b) Intelligent creatures in particular, raised as they are to
the supernatural order, are images, living likenesses of God,
sharing, though in a finite way, in His intellectual life.
Since all the baptized are Christ’s members, it is Christ
that we must see in them : Christ in all.
C) All events, propitious or adverse, are designed in the
mind of God to perfect the supernatural life wherewith He
has endowed us, and to facilitate the recruitment of the
elect ; so much so, that we can profit by everything unto
sanctification.
We must add, however, that in the order of time, souls
go first to Jesus Christ. It is through Him that they go to
the Father, and once they have reached God, they never
cease to hold themselves in the closest bonds of union with
Jesus.

Conclusion : The Exercise of the Presence
of God 1
2
4<46. The affective knowledge of God leads us to the
holy exercise of the presence of God. We shall now note
1 See especially La Journée Chrétienne of Father Olier where this doctrine is
wonderfully applied.
2 S. Thom., I, q. 8, a. 3; Lessius, De perfectionibus moribusque divinis, lib. II;
Rodriguez, Practice of Christian Perfection, Part I, Treatise VI; P. Piny, O. P.,
La Présence de Dieu; P. Plus, S. J., God in us, Living -with God, In Christ Jesus;
S. Francis de Sales, Introd, to a Devout Life, P. II, c. II, XII, XIII; Vaubert,

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CHAPTER V.

briefly the foundation, the practice, and the advantages of this
exercise.
A) Its foundation is the doctrine of God's omnipresence.
God is everywhere, not only by His all-contemplating vision
and His all-pervading action, but likewise, by His substance.
As St. Paul told the Athenians : “ In Him we live, and
move, and are. ” 1 This is true from both the natural and
the supernatural point of view. As Creator, after having
given us our being and our life, He preserves us and quick­
ens our faculties by His concurrence. As Father, He
begets us unto the supernatural life, which is a participation
in His own, He co-operates with us as principal cause in its
preservation and its growth, and He is thus intimately
present in us, within the very center of our soul, yet without
ceasing to be distinct from us. As we have said above
(n. 92), it is the Triune God that lives in us : the Father,
Who loves us as His children, the Son Who deals with us
as His brethren, and the Holy Ghost Who gives us both His
gifts and Himself.
B) The Practice of This Exercise. To find God, then,
we need not seek Him in the heavens, a) We find Him
close by in the creatures round about us. It is there
that we look for Him at the outset. One and all suggest
to us some divine perfection, but it is especially so of those
creatures which, endowed with intellect, are the dwelling­
places of the Living God (n. 92). These constitute for us
the steps, as it were, of a ladder by which we ascend to
Him. b) We know, moreover, that God is near those that
confidently invoke Him : “ The Lord is nigh unto all them
that call upon Him, ” 3 and our soul delights to call to Him
now by ejaculatory prayers, now by long supplications,
e) Above all we recall the fact that the Three Divine Persons
dwell within us 3 and that our heart is a living tabernacle,
a Heaven, wherein They give Themselves to us even now.
It is enough, then, simply to recollect ourselves, to enter
within the inner Sanctuary of our soul, as St. Catherine of
Sienna calls it, and contemplate with the eyes of faith
the Divine Guest Who deigns to abide there. Then shall
we live under His gaze, under His influence; then shall we
adore Him and co-operate with Him in the sanctification of
our souls.
How to Walk before God; Spiritual Combat, c. 21-23; MATURIN, Principles of the
Spiritual Life, p. 116-138; Hamon, Medit., Vol. V, p. 95-125; Cursus Asceticus, Vol. II, p. 308-317; Hedley, Retreat for Priests, II.
« Acts, XVII, 28. — 2 ps. CXLIV, 18. — 3 See C. I, a. I.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

221

447. C) It is easy to see the advantages of this exercise
for our sanctification.
a) It makes us carefully avoid sin. Who shall dare offend
the majesty of God while realizing that God actually dwells
within him, with His infinite holiness that cannot endure
the least blemish, with His infinite justice obliging Him to
punish the slightest fault, with His power to punish the
guilty, above all with His goodness, forever seeking our love
and our fidelity!
b) It stimulates our zeal for perfection. If a soldier
fighting under the eyes of his commander is inspired to
multiply his feats of valor, should we not be ready to
undergo the most strenuous labors, to make the greatest
efforts when conscious that not only does the eye of God
watch us in our struggle, but that His victorious arm ever
sustains us? Could we lag, when encouraged by the
immortal Crown He holds out to us, and above all, by the
greater love He bestows on us as a reward?
c) What great trust does not this thought inspire in us!
Whatever may be our trials, our temptations, our weariness
and our weakness, are we not assured of final victory, λνΐιεη
we recall that He, Who is All-powerful, Whom nothing
can resist, dwells within us and invests us with His power?
Doubtless, we may sustain partial reverses and experience
excruciating anguish, yet we are certain that, supported by
Him, we shall conquer, and that even our crosses will but
make us grow in God’s love and multiply our merits.
d) Lastly, what a joy for us is the thought that He Who
is the Joy of the Elect, and Whom we shall see one day
face to face, is even now our portion, Whose presence and
conversation we may enjoy all day long!
The knowledge and the habitual thought of God are,
therefore, most sanctifying. The same is true of the know­
ledge of self.
II. Self-knowledge 1
The knowledge of God leads us directly to love Him,
since He is infinitely lovable. The knowledge of self helps
us indirectly to love God by disclosing to us the absolute
need we have of Him, in order to perfect the qualities with
1 Maturin, Self-knowledge and Self-discipline ; Rodriguez, Christian Per­
fection, P. I. tr. VII; S. Francis de Sales, Introd, to a Devout Life, P. II, X,
XI, P. V, III-VI1; Meyer, Science of the Saints, Vol. 1, Lessons 1, XIII-XV1;
Faber, Spiritual Conferences, Self-deceit ; Clare. The Science of the Spiritual
Life; Scaramelli-Stockman, Manual of Christian Perfection, P. I, a. X.

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which He has endowed us and to heal our deep miseries.
We shall explain : i° the necessity of self-knowledge, 2° its
object, 3° the means of obtaining it.
x° The Necessity

of

Self-knowledge

A few words will convince us of this.
448. A) If we lack self-knowledge, it is morally impos­
sible to perfect ourselves. The reason is that we then
entertain illusions concerning our state, and, according
to our character or our changing moods, we fall either
into a presumptuous optimism that makes us believe we
are already perfect, or into discouragement that causes
us to exaggerate our faults. In either case, the result is
almost identical — inaction, lack of sustained effort, care­
lessness. Besides, how can we correct faults with which we
are not acquainted or of which we have at best but an
imperfect knowledge? How undertake the cultivation of
virtues, of qualities of which we have but a vague and con­
fused notion?
449. B) An honest and accurate knowledge of ourselves
on the contrary, is an incentive to perfection. The good
qualities we discover move us to thank God and to show
our gratitude by generous co-operation with His grace. Our
defects and the realization of our helplessness show us how
much we have yet to accomplish, and how important it is
to lose no opportunity of advancing. Then we profit by
all occasions to uproot or, at least, to weaken, mortify,
overcome our vices and to foster and further the growth of
our good qualities. Conscious of our weakness, we humbly
beg of God the grace of advancing each day ; and, upheld
by trust in Him, we cling to the desire and the promise of
success; This is what excites and steadies our efforts.
2° The Object

of

Self-knowledge

450. General Remarks. That this knowledge be more
profitable, it should extend to all that is ours, qualities and
defects, natural and supernatural endowments, likes and
dislikes, our personal history, our faults, our efforts, our
progress; all this to be studied, not in a pessimistic frame
of mind, but with due impartiality, with a right conscience
enlightened by faith.
a) We should then candidly, without any sort of false
humility, ascertain what are the good qualities that
Almighty God has dealt out to us, not, indeed, to glory

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

223

therein, but to thank the Giver and to cultivate His gifts.
These are the talents He has entrusted to us and of which
He will ask an account. The field to be explored, then,
is vast indeed, comprising as it does all our natural and
supernatural gifts : those things which we hold directly
from God, and those we have received from our parents;
those we owe to our Christian education and those that are
the results of our own efforts sustained by grace.

451. b) We must, at the same time, face with courage
the sight of our miseries and our faults. Drawn forth
from nothing, thither forever we tend. We can neither
subsist nor act, except by the ever-present concurrence of
God. Drawn to evil by a threefold concupiscence (N. 193
and foil.), we have added new strength to our evil tendencies
by our actual sins, and by the evil habits resulting from
them. We must humbly acknowledge this fact and, without
losing heart, set to work with the help of divine grace to
heal these wounds by the practice of Christian virtue and
thus approach the perfection of Our Heavenly Father.
452. Practical Applications. To guide ourselves in
this study we may examine successively our natural and
supernatural endowments, following a sort of questionnaire
that will facilitate our task.
A) Our Natural Gifts. Regarding the natural gifts, we
may ask ourselves, before God, what are our outstanding
tendencies. In this we may adopt the following practical,
if not strictly philosophical order.1
453.a) As regards the sensitive appetites. Is-feeling predo­
minant with us, or is it reason and will? There is within all of us
this mixture of the higher and the lower, but not in the same proportion.
Is our love a matter of sentiment rather than of devotedness and will?
Do we control our exterior senses, or are we under their sway? What
power do we hold over our imagination and our memory? Are not
these faculties excessively flighty and often engaged in empty day­
dreaming? Are our passions properly directed and controlled? Is
sensuality our ruling passion, or is it pride or vanity? Are we apathetic,
soft, listless, sluggish? If we are slow by nature, do we, at least, per­
severe in our efforts?
454. b) As regards the mind. What sort of mind do we possess ?
Is it quick and clear but superficial, or slow but deep? Do we belong
to the intellectual, reflective type, or do we belong to the class of
practical men, who study in order to love and to act? How do we set
about the work of cultivating our mind? Do we do so with earnestness
’ In an Appendix will be found a brief study on character that will aid us in
this study of self. Cf. Dosda. L'Union avec Dieu, t. I, IIe p., ch. XXI.

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CHAPTER V.

or with unconcern; steadily, or by fits and starts? What results do we
obtain ? What are our methods of study? Could we improve upon
them? Are our judgments biased by our feelings? Are we obstinate
in our opinions? Can we listen with an open mind to those who hold
views different from ours?

455.e) As regards the will. Is our will weak and inconstant,
or is it strong and persevering? What do we do to train it? The will
should reign supreme over the other faculties, but it cannot do so
unless we use great tact and make great efforts. What do we do to
assure the control of the will over our exterior and interior senses, over
the activities of our mind? What do we do to strengthen, to steady
the will? Have we strong convictions? Do we renew these frequently?
Do we strengthen our will power by fidelity in little things, and by the
small sacrifices of daily life?
456. d) As regards character. Our character is of capital
importance in what concerns our relations with the neighbor. A good
disposition, the gift of getting along with others, is a powerful asset to
zeal, and a bad disposition one of the greatest obstacles. A man op
character is one who, having the courage of his convictions, strives
resolutely and perseveringly to live up to them. A good character is
that harmonious combination of kindness and firmness, of meekness
and strength, of frankness and tact that elicits the esteem and the love
of those with whom it comes in contact. A bad character is one which
is lacking in frankness, in kindness, in tact or in firmness, or which, by
allowing egoism to hold sway, is rude in its manner and makes itself
repulsive, at times hateful to others. Here then, we have an important
element for study.
457. e) As regards habits. Habits result from a repetition of the
same acts, and they make the repetition of these acts easy and pleasant.
It is important to study such habits as we have already acquired, in
order to strengthen them, if they are good, to uproot them, if they are
bad. What we shall say in the second part of this treatise about the
capital sins and the virtues, will be of help to us in this inquiry.

458. B) Our supernatural gifts. Penetrated as our
faculties are by the supernatural, we would not gain a com­
plete knowledge of ourselves if we did not take account
of the supernatural gifts God has imparted to us. These we
have described above (n. 119 and foil.). God’s grace
however takes sundry forms in its way of working, 1 and it
is important that we study its special action upon our soul.
a) We must examine the attraction grace makes us feel
for such or such a virtue. Our sanctification, in fact,
depends on the docility wherewith we follow these motions
of grace.
1) There are decisive moments in life when God speaks
in clearer and more urgent tones. To hearken to His Voice
and follow His inspirations is of the utmost importance.
1 I Peter, IV, io.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

225

2) We should ask ourselves whether there be among the
attractions we feel, one that is predominant, stronger than
the others, oft-recurring, drawing us toward a particular kind
of life, toward a certain kind of prayer, toward some deter­
mined virtue. We shall thus find the special way wherein
God wishes us to walk. It is important that we enter it, for
it is there that we shall receive the fulness of grace.
459. b) Besides discovering our attractions, we must
also take cognizance of the resistance we offer to grace, of our
failings, of our sins, in order to regret them with all sincerity,
make amends and avoid them in the future. This is a
painful, humiliating study, especially if carried out honestly
and minutely, but it is a most profitable one; for, on the
one hand, it is a great aid in the practice of humility, and
on the other, it throws us with perfect trust on the merciful
love of God, Who alone has the power to heal our weak­
nesses.
30 The Means

of

Obtaining Self-knowledge

460. Self-knowledge is difficult to attain, a) Attracted
as we are by outward things, we hardly care to enter into
ourselves to scrutinize that unseen miniature world ; we care
even \çss, proud as we are, about discovering our faults.
b) Our interior acts are extremely complex. There is
within us, as St. Paul says, the lower life of the flesh and
the higher life of the spirit and often turbulent conflict
ensues between them. In order to sift what proceeds from
nature, what from grace, what is wilful, and what is not,
a great deal of attention is required, a great deal of insight,
of honesty, of courage, of perseverance. The light comes
but gradually — a bit of knowledge leads to more, and this
prepares the way for deeper insight.

461.Since it is through examinations of conscience that
we come to know ourselves, we shall give, in order to
facilitate this exercise, some general rules, offer a method,
and suggest the dispositions with which these examinations
should be made.

462. A) General Rules, a) In order to perform this
examination well, we must first of all invoke the light of
the Holy Ghost, Who “ searcheth the reins and the hearts ”
of men, and beg Him to show us the inmost recesses of our
soûl by bestowing upon us the gift of knowledge, one of
whose functions is to help us know ourselves and thus to
lead us to God.

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CHAPTER V.

b) Next, we must bring before us the perfect Exemplar,
Jesus, Whom we must resemble more and more every day,
and we must adore and admire not only His exterior acts,
but above all, His interior dispositions. By the light which
the contrast between ourselves and our Divine Model will
give, our faults and imperfections will be the more clearly
discerned. Nor shall we be disheartened at the sight, for
Jesus is also the Healer of souls Whose one anxiety is to
dress our wounds and heal them. To make our confession
to Him, so to speak, and humbly ask His forgiveness is an
excellent practice.
463. c) Then comes the moment to enter into our
inmost soul. From outward actions we pass on to the
hidden causes from which they spring, our interior disposi­
tions. Thus, if we have failed in charity, we shall ask
ourselves whether it was through thoughtlessness, envy,
jealousy, talkativeness, or from a desire to be witty.
Then to estimate the morality of the act, and to determine
our responsibility, we must ask ourselves whether it was
actually wilful, or wilful in cause; performed with full
consciousness of its malice, or with only a half-advertence;
with full consent of the will, or with a half-consent. At the
outset, all this is rather obscure, but it gradually becomes
clear.
To be even more impartial in our judgments, it is good to
place ourselves in the presence of the Sovereign Judge, and
to hear Him say to us, kindly, indeed, but with supreme
authority : “ Render an account of thy stewardship. ” Then
we shall endeavor to answer as frankly as on the last day
we shall wish to have done.
464. At times, it is useful, especially for beginners, to make this
examination in writing, so as to concentrate attention better and to
be able to compare the results obtained each day and each week.
Should anyone do so, however, care must be taken to avoid anything
that savors of self-seeking, any studied elegance of style, and the
danger of having such memoranda fall under the eyes of others. If we
use a record with conventional signs, we must be on our guard against
routine or shallowness. At all events, a time generally arrives when
the better course is to discard such means and candidly examine our­
selves under the eye of .God immediately after the performance of the
principal actions of the day, and make a general review of these in the
evening.

465. In this, as in all else, we shall follow the counsel
of a wise spiritual director, and ask him to help us to come
to a better knowledge of ourselves. Experienced and
impartial observer, he generally sees better than we do

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

227

ourselves the depths of our conscience, and thus is more
competent to judge the true character of our acts.
466. B) Methods for the examination of conscience.
Every one acknowledges that these have been greatly per­
fected by St. Ignatius. In his Spiritual Exercises, he care­
fully differentiates between the general and the particular
examination. The former bears upon all the actions of
the day, the latter upon one special point, a fault to be
corrected, a virtue to be cultivated. Both may, however,
be made together. In this case, one will limit the general
examination to a summary glance over the day’s actions
in order to discover the chief faults, passing directly on to
the particular examination which is far more important.
467.a) The general examination, which every good
Christian should make in order to know and to improve
himself, comprises five points, says St. Ignatius : 1
1) “ The first point is to return thanks to God Our Lord
for the benefits received. ” This is an excellent exercise,
at once consoling and sanctifying, for it brings into relief
our ingratitude, thus preparing the way for contrition, and
at the same time it sustains our confidence in God. 2
2) “ The second is to ask grace to know the sins and
cast them out. ” If we want to know ourselves it is in order
to reform ourselves, but we accomplish neither without the
helping grace of God.
3) “ The third, to demand of the soul an account from the
hour of rising to the present examen, taking hour by hour
or period by period ; and first of thought, then of word, and
afterwards of deed, in the same order that has been men­
tioned for the Particular Examen. ”
4) “ The fourth is to ask pardon of God Our Lord for the
faults. ” In fact, we must not lose sight of this, that sorrow
is the principal element of the examination and that this
sorrow is mainly the work of grace.
5) “The fifth is to purpose amendment with His grace. ”
This resolution, to be practical, should bear upon the means
of reform. He who wills the end, wills also the means.*
i
1 Spiritual Exercises, 1st week. The words within the quotation marks belong
l<> St. Ignatius’ own text; translation is by Father Rickaby, S. J., The Spiritual
I· i ercises of St. Ignatius.
■’ Here the method of S. Sulpice adds the adoration, that is to say all those acts
l>y which we adore, praise, bless, love and express our gratitude to God; we place
•tirselves then in the presence of Jesus Christ, our model and our Judge, as has
i h i n explained above, n. 462.

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CHAPTER V.

The recitation of the Our Father is a fitting conclusion for
this examination, bringing before our eyes the glory of God
which we must seek, and uniting us to Jesus Christ in our
supplication for the pardon of our sins and for the grace of
avoiding them in the future.
468. b) The particular examination,1 in the judgment
of St. Ignatius, is of greater moment than the general one,
and of even more importance than meditation itself, because
it enables us to run down, one by one, our defects and thus
overcome them the more easily. Besides, if we examine
ourselves thoroughly on some important virtue, we not only
acquire that virtue, but all the others related thereto. Thus,
whilst we advance in the practice of obedience, we perform
at the same time acts of humility, of mortification, and we
exercise ourselves in the spirit of faith. Likewise, to acquire
the virtue of humility means that we are perfecting ourselves
in the practice of obedience, of the love of God, of charity,
since pride is the chief obstacle to the exercise of these
virtues. There are, however, rules for the choice of the
subject of examination, and for the manner of performing it

469. The choice of a subject, i) In general we must
attack our predominant fault by striving to practice the
contrary virtue. This fault is, as a matter of fact, the great
stumbling block, the great leader of the opposing forces.
If it is conquered, the entire host is routed.
2) Once the subject is determined upon, we must attack
first the outward manifestations of the particular fault so
as to do away with whatever offends or scandalizes the
neighbor. Thus, if charity be the’subject chosen, we must
begin by suppressing words and actions contrary to this
virtue.
3) Then, we must without great delay pass to the subject
of the hidden cause of our faults. This may be, for instance,
feelings of envy, a desire to be brilliant in our conver­
sation, etc...
4) It is important not to limit our efforts to this negative
side, that is, to the struggle against faults, but we must
carefully cultivate the opposite virtue. Here, to suppress
means to replace.
5) Lastly, in order to make more certain of our progress,
we -should carefully divide the subject of our examinations
1 Meyer, Science of the Saints, Vol. I, Lesson XIV.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

229

in accordance with the different degress of a virtue, so as
not to cover the whole field, but merely those acts that
more exactly correspond to our individual needs. Thus, as
regards humility, one should practice, first, what may be
called self-effacement or forgetfulness of self ; speaking but
little, giving others the opportunity to speak by means of
discreet questions, loving to be unnoticed, to lead a hidden
life, etc...

470. The manner of performing the particular
Examen.1
St. Ignatius tells us that this particular examen involves
three periods of the day and two examinations of conscience.
The first time is that in the morning, as soon as the man rises, he
ought to purpose to be carefully on his guard against that particular
sin, or defect, of which he wishes to correct and amend himself.
The second, after dinner, the man ought to beg of God what he
wants, to wit, the grace to remember how often he has fallen into that
particular sin or defect, and to amend himself in future ; and thereupon
let him make the first examen, taking account of his soul of that parti­
cular thing proposed, whereof he wishes to correct and amend himself,
ranging through the time hour by hour, or period by period, beginning
from the hour that he rose even to the hour and moment of the present
examen ; and let him score on the top line of the figure as many dots
as are the times that he has fallen into that particular sin or defect ;
and afterwards let him purpose anew to amend himself until the next
examen that he shall make.
The third time, after supper, the second examen shall be made also
from hour to hour, beginning from the first examen until the present
second examen ; and let him score on the second line of the same figure
as many dots as shall answer to the times that he has fallen into that'
particular sin or defect.

471. HERE FOLLOW FOUR ADDITIONS FOR THE
SPEEDIER REMOVAL OF THAT SIN OR DEFECT.
The first Addition is that, as often as the man falls into that sin or
particular defect, he puts his hand to his breast, grieving that he has
fallen, — which may be done even in presence of company without
their noticing what he is doing.
The second, since the first line of the figure represents the first
examen, and the second the second examen, let him observe at night
whether there is any improvement from the first line to the second, that
is, from the first examen to the second.
The third ; to compare the second day with the first, that is, the
two examens of the second day with the other two of the day pre­
vious, and see whether from the one day to the other there has been
improvement.
• From the translation of the Spiritual Exercices of S. Ignatius, by Father Joseph

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CHAPTER V.

The fourth Addition ; to compare one week with another, and see
whether there has been improvement in the present week upon the
former.
We must observe that the first great
which follows signifies
Sunday; the second smaller signifies Monday; the third Tuesday, and
so of the rest.

472. This method may, at first sight, appear somewhat
complex ; in actual practice, it proves less so. Should one
be unable to devote to it such a notable space of time as
indicated above, one can condense the essential features of
these acts within a shorter period, for instance, ten minutes
at night. If one foresees that it cannot be performed in the
evening, a part of the time given to visiting the Blessed
Sacrament may be set apart for it.
473.C) The Dispositions that should attend this
examination. That the examination of conscience, general
or particular, may be effective in uniting us more closely to
God, it must be accompanied by sentiments or dispositions

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

231

that are, so to speak, its soul. We shall note the principal
ones : gratitude, sorrow, purpose of amendment, and prayer.
a) First in order is a lively sense ofgratitude toward God,
Who all through the day has encompassed us about with
His paternal Providence, protected us against temptation,
and guarded us from innumerable sins. Without the aid
of His grace, we should have fallen into many a fault.
We should overflow with gratitude, thanking Him in a
practical way — by putting His divine gifts to better use.
474.b) Such a sentiment will beget a sincere sorrow,
all the more profound, as we have abused so many benefits
received, offending so good and so merciful a Father. Out
of this sorrow a sincere humility is born. Realizing from
our own experience our frailty, our helplessness, our un­
worthiness, we accept with joy the confusion we feel at the
sight of our repeated failures; we are happy to exalt the
boundless mercies of a Father ever ready to forgive; and
we rejoice that our misery serves to proclaim the infinite
perfection of our God. These dispositions are not a passing
mood ; rather they abide with us through the spirit of
penance, calling often to mind the thought of our faults :
“ My sin is ever before me! ” 1
475.e) The firm determination to atone for sin and to
reform our lives will follow : to atone by acts of penance,
which we take care to impose upon ourselves in order to
deaden in us the love of pleasure, the source of our sins;
to reform our lives by determining the means we shall
employ, in order to lessen the number of our faults. Such
determination must carefully exclude prestimption, which
by having us rely too much on our own will and our
own strength, would deprive us of manifold graces and
expose us to additional imprudences and further falls.
On the other hand, our determination must rest confidently
upon the omnipotence and the infinite goodness of God,
ever willing to come to our aid when we acknowledge
our weakness.
476. d) It is to implore this divine help that we con­
clude the examination with a prayer, all the more humble,
all the more earnest, now that the sight of our sins has
made us more distrustful of self. Realizing that of ourselves
we are incapable of avoiding sin and still more incapable
of rising up to God by the practice of virtue, we rely on
■ Λ. l, 5.

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CHAPTER V.

the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, and cry out to God from
the depths of our wretchedness, to come unto us, to lift us
from the mire of our sins, and to raise us up to Himself.
It is through these dispositions rather than by a minute
scrutiny of our faults that our souls are gradually trans­
formed under the influence of grace.

Conclusion
477. In this way, then, the knowledge of God and of
self cannot but promote the intimate and affectionate union
between the soul and God. He is infinite perfection, and
we are absolute poverty. Hence, there is between the two
a certain contact. — He has all that we need, and we need
what He has. He stoops down to us to surround us with
His love and ’His favors, whilst we tend toward Him
as toward the One Being Who alone can supply for our
deficiencies, the One Who alone can make up for our
weakness. Our thirst for happiness and for love is quenched
only in Him, Who with His love satiates our heart and
all its longings, giving us at once both perfection and bliss.
Let us repeat these well-known words : “ May I know Thee,
O Lord, that I may love Thee; may I know myself, that
I may despise myself. ”
§ III. Conformity to the Divine Will1

478. The knowledge of God not only unites our mind
to that of God, but it also leads to love, because all in
God is lovable. By showing us the need we have of God,
the knowledge of self makes us ardently long for Him and
throws us into His arms. Conformity to the divine will,
however, unites us even more intimately and directly to
Him Who is the source of all perfection. In fact, it subor­
dinates and unites our will to God, thus placing our ruling
faculty at the service of the Sovereign Master. It may be
said that our degree of perfection corresponds to the extent
to which we conform to the will of God. In order that
this be better understood we shall explain : i° the nature.
of this conformity, 2° its sanctifying power.

* P. de Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence, Part. I, 1. I ; Le Gau­
op. cit., p. Ill, sect. II; St. Fr. de Sales, The Love of God, Bks. VIII-IX;
DESURMONT, Œuvres, t. II, sur La Providence ; M.GR. Gay, Christian Life and
Virtues, XI, XIV; Dom V. Lehodey, Le Saint Abandon, Ire Partie; Tissot, The
Interior Life, Part. II ; Drexelius, The Heliotropium or Conformity of the Human
will to the Divine.
dier

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

233

I. Nature of Conformity to the Will of God
479. By conformity to the divine will we understand
the absolute and loving submission of our will to that of
God, whether it be His “ signified will ” or His will of
“ good pleasure. ”
As a matter of fact, God’s will manifests itself to us
under a twofold aspect : a) as the moral norm of our
actions, clearly intimating what we must do in virtue of
His commandments or His counsels; b) as the ruling prin­
ciple that governs all things with wisdom, directing the
course of events so as to make them work together unto
His glory and the salvation of men, and made known to
us by the providential events that take place in or about us.
The first is called the signified will of God, since it pro­
claims in clear terms what we must do. The second is
called the good pleasure of God in the sense that God’s will
is here manifested by providential events to which we must
submit. In practice, then, conformity to God’s will means
doing God's will and submitting to God's will.
We shall explain : i° what is the signified will of God;
2° what is His will of good pleasure; 30 what degree of
submission this latter includes.
i°

The

signified will of god or obedience to god’s will

480. Conformity to God’s signified will consists in
willing all that God manifests to us of His intentions.
Now, says St. Francis de Sales : “ Christian doctrine clearly
proposes unto us the truths which God wills that we should
believe, the goods He will have us hope for, the pains He
will have us dread, what He will have us love, the com­
mandments He will have us observe and the counsels He
desires us to follow. And this is called God’s signified will,
because He has signified and made manifest unto us that
it. is His will and intention that all this should be believed,
hoped for, feared, loved and practiced. ” 1
This will of God, then, according to the holy Doctor3
includes four things : the commandments of God and of
the Church, the counsels, the inspirations of grace, and, for
Religious, the Constitutions and the Rules.
481. a) God, being our Sovereign Lord, has the right
to give us commands. Since He is infinitely wise and
■ Treatise of the Love of God, Bk. VIII, c. 3, (Mackey's translation page 329).
• Spiritual Conf., XV.

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CHAPTER V.

infinitely good, He commands nothing that is not conducive
at once to His glory and our own happiness. We must,
then, willingly and unquestioningly submit ourselves to His
laws : the natural law, the positive divine law, ecclesiastical
law, or a just civil law; for as St. Paul says, all lawful
authority comes from God, and to obey Superiors within
the limits of their authority is to obey God Himself, just
as to resist them would be to offer resistance to Him :
“ Let every soul be subject to higher powers. For there is no
power but from God : and those that are, are ordained oj
God. Therefore he that resisteth the power resisteth the
ordinance of God. And they that resist purchase to them­
selves damnation. ” 1 We do not inquire here in what cases
disobedience to the various laws constitutes a grave or
a light sin; this we have done in our treatise on Moral
Theology. Suffice it to say that from the point of view of
perfection, the more faithful and Christlike is our obser­
vance of law, the closer is our approach unto God, since
law is the expression of His will. We may add that duties
of state come within the category of commandments. They
are, as it were, particular precepts incumbent upon us by
reason of our special vocation and the special offices God
has confided to us.
Sanctification, then, is impossible without the observance
of the commandments and the fulfilment of the duties of
our state. To neglect them under the pretext of performing
works of supererogation is a dangerous illusion, a veritable
aberration, for it is evident that commands take precedence
over counsels.
482. b) The observance of the counsels is of itself not
necessary for salvation, nor does it fall under a direct and
explicit command. But, as we have already said in speak­
ing of the obligation of striving after perfection (n. 353),
in order to remain in the state of grace, we must at times
perform certain good works over and above the strict
requirements of the law, that is to say, exercise ourselves
in the practice of the counsels. This constitutes an indirect
obligation based upon the principle that he who wills the
end, wills also the means.
When it is question of perfection, however, we proved
in n. 338, that one cannot sincerely and effectively
seek it without observing some counsels, such as are in
accord with our condition in life. Thus, a married person
' Rom., XIII, τ-2.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

235

may not carry out in practice those counsels which would
go counter to the discharge of marital or parental duties.
A priest in the ministry may not lead the life of a Carthu­
sian. However, when we aim at perfection, we must be
resolved to do more than that to which we are strictly
bound. The more generous we are in giving ourselves
over to the practice of the counsels compatible with
the duties of our state, the closer we draw unto Our
Lord, for such counsels are the expression of His designs
upon us.
483. e) The same must be said of the inspirations of
grace, when they are clear and are submitted to the control
of our spiritual director. One may say that these are so
many particular counsels addressed to individual souls.
No doubt, care must be taken to refer them in the main
to the judgment of our spiritual director lest we should
become an easy prey to illusion. Ardent, passionate souls
readily persuade themselves that they hear the voice of
God, when in truth it is the voice of their own passions
suggesting such or such a dangerous practice. Punctilious
or scrupulous souls would mistake for divine inspirations
what is but the product of a feverish imagination, or even
a diabolical suggestion, calculated to induce discourage­
ment. Cassian relates many such instances in his Confer­
ences on Discretion, 1 and experienced directors of souls,
know how the imagination does at times suggest practices
morally impossible and directly at variance with the fulfil­
ment of the duties of state, all colored by the appearance
of divine inspiration. Such suggestions create trouble.
If we yield to them, we make ourselves ridiculous; we
waste and make others waste much valuable time. If we
withstand them, we think we rebel against God, we yield
to discouragement and end by surrendering to laxness.
A certain control, then, is necessary and the rule to follow
is this : if it be question of customary things generally done
by fervent persons living under the same circumstances as
we do, of things that do not trouble the soul, we may do
them without hesitation and later on mention them to our
director; but if it is question, on the contrary, of things
extraordinary, even in the least degree, of things not usually
done by devout souls, let us wait till we have consulted our
spiritual adviser and, in the meantime, fulfil with all gener­
osity our duties of state.
• Second Conference, c. 5-8.

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484. With this limitation, it is evident that any one
seeking perfection ought to lend a ready ear to the voice of
the Holy Ghost speaking within his soul : “ I will hear
what the Lord God will speak in me, ” 1 and he should
without delay and without sparing himself comply with
God’s demands : “ Behold, I come to do thy will, 0 God. ” 2
This is nothing more than correspondence to grace, and it
is precisely this willing and steadfast co-operation that
makes us perfect : “ And we helping do exhort you that you
receive not the grace of God in vain. ” 3 This is, in fact, the
very characteristic of perfect souls, that they hearken to
and carry out in practice these divine inspirations : “ I do
always the things that please Him. ” 4
485. d) As to those that live in communities, the more
generously they obey their rules and constitutions, the more
perfect they are. These rules are means of perfection
which the Church has explicitly or implicitly approved and
to the observance of which a Religious binds himself on
entering the community. Undoubtedly, to fail through
weakness in certain details of some rules does not of itself
constitute a sin. However, often a more or less sinful
motive enters into such wilful negligences, and the violation
of rules, even when not sinful, certainly deprives us of
a priceless opportunity for the acquisition of merit. It ever
remains true that to observe one’s rule is the safest means
of accomplishing God’s will and of living for Him : “ He
who lives by rule, lives unto God. ” To fail wilfully in this
matter, with no good reason for it, is an abuse of grace.
Thus it is that obedience to God’s signified will is the
normal way of attaining perfection.
2° Conformity

to god’s will of good pleasure,

or submission to god’s will

486. This conformity consists in submitting oneself to
all providential events willed or allowed by God for our
own greater good, and chiefly for our sanctification.
a) It rests upon this basis, that nothing happens without
God’s order or permission, and that God, being infinite
Perfection and infinite Goodness, cannot will or permit
anything but for the good of the souls He has created,
although this is not always apparent to our eyes. This is
what Tobias said in the midst of his afflictions and the
* Ps. LXXXIV, 9. — » Hebr., X, 9. — * II Cor., VI, 1.— 'John., VIII, 29.

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237

reproaches of his wife : “ Thou are just, 0 Lord... and all
thy ways mercy and truth and judgment. ” 1 This is what
Wisdom proclaims : “ But thy Providence, 0 Father, governeth... She reacheth therefore from end to end mightily and
ordereth all things sweetly. ” 2 This is also what St. Paul
teaches : “ To them that love God, all things work together
unto good. ” 3
But in order to understand this teaching we must take
the point of view of faith and of eternity, of the glory of
God and the salvation of men. If we look only at the
present life and its earthly happiness, we cannot understand
the designs of God, Who has willed that we undergo trials
here below in order to reward us in Heaven. All things
are subordinated to this end. Present evils are but means
of purifying our soul, of grounding it in virtue, and occa­
sions of acquiring merits, all in view of God’s glory, the
ultimate end of all creation.
487. b) It is our duty, then, to submit ourselves to God
in all the events of life, happy or unhappy, midst public
calamities or private ills, whether we are lashed by the hand
of nature or gripped by that of want and suffering, in sorrows
or in joys, in the unequal distribution of gifts natural and
supernatural, in failure or success, in desolation or in
consolation, in sickness or in health, in life or in death with
its attendant suffering and uncertainties. In the words of
holy Job : “ If we have received good things at the hand of
God, why should we not receive evil? ” 4 Commenting upon
these words, St. Francis de Sales 5 cannot but admire their
beauty :“O God! How this word is great with love!
He ponders, Theotimus, that it was from the hand of God
that he had received the good, testifying that he had not
so much loved goods because they were good, as because
they came from the hand of the Lord ; whence he concludes
that he is lovingly to support adversities since they proceed
from the hand of the same Lord, which is equally to be
loved when it distributes afflictions and when it bestows
consolations. ” And, indeed, it is affliction that enables us
to offer the more genuine proof of our love for God. To love
Him when He lavishes His favors upon us is an easy task;
but it is only a perfect love that accepts ills at His Hands,
for they cannot be loved except for the sake of Him Who
sends them.
* Tob., Ill, 2. — a Wisd., XIV, 3; VIII, 1. — * Rom., VIII, 28.
* Job., II, 10.
s The Love of God, Bk. IX, c. 2. (Mackey's translation, p. 370.)

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488. The duty of submission under trial to the good
pleasure of God is a duty ofjustice and obedience, for God is
Our Supreme Lord and Master, Who wields all authority
over us. It is a duty inspired by wisdom, since it would be
folly to wish to elude the action of Providence, whilst in
humble resignation we find our peace. It is a duty urged
by our own interest, because God’s will merely puts us to
the test that we may be exercised in virtue and acquire
merit. It is a duty imposed, above all, by love, which is the
gift of self, even to immolation.
489. c) To facilitate this submission to the divine will
for souls who are not as yet schooled in the love of the
Cross, it is always good to offer them some means of
assuaging their sufferings. We can point out two remedies,
the one negative, the other positive, i) The first is not to
aggravate sufferings by employing false tactics. There are
persons who occupy themselves in gathering together in
their minds all their ills, past, present, and to come, until
their weight seems insupportable. It is the contrary that
we must do : “ Enough for the day is the evil thereof. ”1
Instead of reopening past wounds, we must never give them
a thought, unless it be to note the profit derived from them :
increase of merit, growth in virtue, more strength to bear
pain. Thus is suffering soothed, for ills only vex us when
we heed them : slander, calumny, injuries hurt us only as
long as we brood over them.
As to the future, it is irrational to let it prey upon the
mind. True, it is the part of wisdom to foresee it and
provide for it, in the measure that we are able, but to brood
in advance over the ills that may befall us, to be saddened
by them, is a loss of time and sheer waste of energy. Such
ills may never come to pass; if they do come, then will be
the time to bear them with the help of grace which will be
given us for that purpose. Just now, we have not such
grace and, left to our own forces, we shall surely succumb
under the weight of a self-imposed burden. Is it not wiser
to abandon ourselves into the arms of Our Heavenly
Father, and to drive out relentlessly any wicked thought
or evil fancy that would force upon our minds the ills of
the future and of the past?
490. 2) The positive remedy consists in reflecting, when
we suffer, upon the great advantages of suffering. Pain is
a teacher and a source of merit. As a teacher, it is a source
’ Maith., VI, 34.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

239

of light, a source of power : of light, for it reminds us that
we are exiles on the way home and that we cannot entertain
ourselves gathering the flowers of consolation, since our
true bliss is in Heaven ; of power, for while pleasure-seeking
dulls activity, undermines courage, and leads to disgraceful
surrenders, suffering, not indeed in itself, but by reason of
the reaction it produces, tends to reinforce our energies, and
develops in us manly virtues.
491. Suffering is also a source of merit for us and for
others. Patiently borne for God’s sake and in union with
Jesus Christ, it merits for us an eternal recompense, a fact
which St. Paul forever kept before the eyes of the early
Christians : “ For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall
be revealed in us... '...that which is momentary and light of
our tribulation worketh for us an eternal weight of glory. ” 2
For the benefit of generous souls he adds that in suffering
with Jesus, they fulfil what is wanting to His passion and
contribute with Him to the welfare of the Church : “ I fill up
those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in
my flesh, for His body, which is the Church. ” 3 This is a
consequence of the doctrine of our incorporation into Christ
(n. 142 and foil.). These thoughts, indeed, do not deliver us
from pain, but they do lessen in no small measure its
bitterness, by making us realize its fruitfulness.
Everything, then, invites us to conform our will to that
of God, even in the midst of trials.

30

Degrees of Conformity, of Submission
to God’s Will

492. St. Bernard distinguishes three degrees of this
virtue, corresponding to the three stages of Christian per­
fection : “ The beginner, moved by fear, patiently bears the
Cross of Christ ; the one who has already made some progress
on the road to perfection, inspired by hope, carries it
cheerfully ; the perfect soul, consumed by love, embraces it
ardently. ” 4
A) Beginners, upheld by the fear of God, do not indeed
love pain, but rather seek to escape it. However, they
choose to suffer rather than to offend God and, though
groaning under the weight of the Cross, they endure it in
patience, they are resigned.
* Rom.. VIII, 18. — » II Cor., IV, 17. — J Coloss., I, 24.
4 I Serm. S. Andreæ, 5.

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B) Those who have already made some progress, are
sustained by the hope and the desire of heavenly things,
and, though they do not yet seek the Cross, they willingly
carry it with a certain joy, knowing that each new pang
represents an additional degree of glory : “ Going, they went
and wept, casting their seeds. But coming, they shall come
with joyfulness carrying their seed. ” 1
C) The perfect, led by love, go further. To glorify the
God they love, to become more like our Lord, they go forth
to meet the Cross, they long for it and embrace it lovingly,
not because it is in itself lovable, but because it offers them
the means of proving their love for God and for Christ.
Like the Apostles, they rejoice that they are counted
worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus. Like
St. Paul, they rejoice in their tribulations. I23
4
This last degree is called holy abandonment, to which we
shall return later when we speak of the love of God. 3
II. The Sanctifying Power of Conformity
to the Will of God
493.From what has already been said, we reach the
evident conclusion that conformity to God’s will cannot but
sanctify us, since it makes our will one with God’s and, by
that very fact, unites all our other faculties to Him, Who is
the source of all sanctity. The better to realize this, let us
see how it purifies us, reforms us, and make us like unto
Jesus Christ.

494. i° This conformity to the divine Will purifies us.
Already in the Old Dispensation God often said that He is
ready to forgive all sins and to restore the soul to the
stainless splendor of its pristine purity, if it but undergo a
change of heart or will : “ Wash yourselves : be clean. Take
away the evil of your devices from my eyes. Cease to do
perversely. Learn to do well... Ifyour sins be as scarlet,
they shall be made white as snow. ” 4 Now, to conform our
wills to that of God, is assuredly to cease to do evil, and to
learn to do good. Is not this the meaning of that oftrepeated text : “ For obedience is better than sacrifices. ” 5
In the New Law, Our Lord declares from the very moment
of His entry into the world that it is with obedience that
I Fs. CX XV, 6-7.
» Following of Christ, Bk. Ill, c. 17, Bk. Il, c. XI-XII.
3 S. Fr. de Sales, The Love cf God, Bk. IX, c. 15.
4 Isaias, I, 16-18.
s 1 Kings, XV, 22; cfr. Osee, VI, 6; Matth., IX, 13; XII, 7.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

241

He will replace all the sacrifices of the Ancient Law :
“ Holocausts for sin did not please thee. Then said I :
Behold, I come... that I should do thy will, O God.”1
And, in truth, it is by obedience unto the immolation of
self that He has redeemed us : “ He was made obedient
unto death, even the death of the Cross. ” 2 In the same
way, it is through obedience and through the acceptance of
God-ordained trials in union with Christ that we shall atone
for our sins and cleanse our soul.

495.2° This conformity works out our reformation.
What has deformed us is the disordered love of pleasure,
to which through malice or through weakness we have
yielded. Conformity to the divine will cures this malice
and weakness.
a) It cures our malice. This malice is the result of our
attachment to creatures and, especially, of our attachment
to our own judgment and our own will. Now, by conform­
ing our will to that of God, we accept His judgments as
the standard of ours, His commandments and His coun­
sels as the rule of our will. Thus we wean ourselves
from creatures and from self and rid ourselves from such
attachments.
b) It cures our weakness, the source of so many failings.
Instead of relying on our own frail selves, we make through
obedience the Omnipotent God our support : He gives us
His own strength enabling us to overcome even the severest
temptations : “ I can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth
me. ” 3 When we do His will, He takes His good pleasure
in doing our own by granting our petitions and helping
our weakness.
Thus freed from our malice and weakness, we no longer
sin deliberately against God and we gradually effect the
reformation of our lives.
496. 3° Through this conformity, we make our wills
one with Christ’s, a) The truest, the closest, the most farreaching union that can exist is that between two wills.
Through conformity to the divine will, we unite our will to
that of Jesus Christ Whose food was to do the will of His
Father. 4 Like Jesus and with Jesus we desire but what
He wills and that all the day long. This is the fusion of
two wills. We are one with Him, we adopt His views, His
» Hebr.. X, 6-7. — » Phil., II, 8. — 3 Phil., IV, 13.
4 John, IV, 34; VI, 38; VIII, 29.

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sentiments, His choices : “ Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus ; ” 1 and soon we can make our own
the word of St. Paul : “ I live, now not I, but Christ liveth
in me. ” 2

497. b) In submitting our will, we yield and unite to
God all the other faculties which are under its sway; hence,
we yield and unite unto Him our whole soul, which by
degrees conforms itself to the will and wishes of the Master.
Thereby the soul acquires one by one all the virtues of Our
Lord. What we have said of charity, n. 318, can also be
said of conformity to the divine will; that like charity it
embodies all other virtues. In the words of St. Francis de
Sales : “ Abandonment is the virtue of virtues. It is the
cream of love, the fragrance of humility, the merit, it seems
to me, of patience and the fruit of perseverance. ” 3 Hence,
Our Lord calls by the tender names of brother and sister
and mother those who do the will of His Father : “ For
whosoever shall do the will of my Father that is in heaven,
he is my brother and sister and mother. ”4 He repeatedly
declares that the true test of love is doing God’s will :
“ Ifyou love me, keep my commandments... not every one that
saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven; but he that doth the will of my Father who is in
Heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. ” 5

Conclusion.
498. Conformity to the divine will, then, is one of the
most effective means of sanctification. Hence, we cannot
but end with these words of St. Theresa : “ The sole
concern of him who has but entered into the way of prayer,
— keep it in mind, it is very important — must be to strive
courageously to conform his will to that of God... Herein
lies, whole and entire, the highest perfection to which we
can attain. The more perfect this accord is, the more
do we receive from the Lord and the greater is our pro­
gress. ” *
6 She adds that she herself had wished to live in
this way of conformity without being raised to rapturous
transports and ecstasies, so firm was her conviction that
the path of conformity was all-sufficient to the most exal­
ted perfection.
1 Philip., II, 5. — 8 Galat., II, 2a — 3 Spiritual Conferences, XI.
Matth., XII, 50. — sjohn. XIV, 15; Matth., VII, 21.
6 Interior Castle, Second Mansion.

4

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

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§ IV. Prayer1

499. Prayer embodies and completes all the preceding
acts. It is itself a desire for perfection, since no one would
sincerely pray who did not wish to become better. It pre­
supposes some knowledge of God and of self since it estab­
lishes relations between the two. It conforms our will to
that of God, since any good prayer contains, explicitly or
implicitly, an act of submission to Our Sovereign Master.
Prayer, moreover, perfects all these acts, by bringing us in
all humility before the Majesty of God, in order to adore
Him, and to implore new graces that will enable us to
grow in perfection. We shall, then, explain : i° the nature of
prayer ; 2° its efficacy as a means of perfection ; 30 the way
in which our lives are transformed into a habitual prayer.
I. The Nature of Prayer
500. We use the word prayer here in the widest sense
of the term, as an elevation of the soul to God. We shall
explain : i° The notion of prayer. 2° Its various forms.
3° The perfect prayer, The Lord's Prayer.
i°

What Prayer is

501. In the Fathers we find three definitions of prayer
that complete one another. 1) In its broadest signification
it is, says St. John Damascene, 2 an elevation of the soul to
God. St. Augustine had stated before him that prayer is
the soul's affectionate quest of God. 3 2) In a narrower sense
it has been defined as the asking of seemly things from God. 4
3) To set forth the relations that prayer establishes between
God and the soul, it has been represented as a familiar
conversation with God. 5 All these aspects of prayer are
true and, by uniting them, we may define prayer as an
elevation of our soul to God to offer Him our homage and
ask His favors, in order to grow in holiness for His glory.
This definition we shall explain.
» St. Thom., IIa Ilæ, q. 83-84; Suarez, De Religione, Tr. IV, Kb. I, De Ora­
tione; Alvarez de Paz, t. Ill, lib. I; St. Alph. de Liguori, The Great Means of
Prayer; St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, P. Il; Grou, How to Pray; Meschi.kr, Three Fundamental Principles of the Spiritual Life, P. I; Spiritual Combat,
<·. 44-52; Hedley, Retreat, XXI; Retreat for Priests IX, X; P. MonsabrÉ, La
Prière, Philosophie et Théologie de la prière; P. Ramiere, L'Apostolat de la
prière; P. Sertillanges, La Prière, 1917. References to Works on Mental Prayer
will be given in the Second Part of this Work.
« De Fide Orthod., 1. Ill, c. 24, P. G., XCIV, 1090.
3 Serm. IX, n. 3.
* S. John Damascene, ibidem.
s S. Greg. Nys., Orat. I, de Orat. Domini, P. G., XLIV, 1124.

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502. The term elevation is a metaphor indicating the
effort we make to detach ourselves from creatures and from
self in order to fix our thoughts on God Who not only
surrounds us, but dwells in our inmost soul. As we are
only too prone to let our faculties roam over a multitude of
subjects, it requires an effort to snatch them away from
these vain and alluring goods and center them on God.
Such elevation is termed a colloquy, because prayer, whether
it takes the form of worship or of petition, calls for an
answer on the part of God and thus implies a sort of con­
versation with Him, even if it be of the briefest duration.
Our first act in this conversation, evidently, must be to
render to God religious homage, just as we begin by saluting
those persons with whom we hold converse. It is only
after having acquitted ourselves of this fundamental duty
that we may present our requests. Many forget it, and
this is the reason why their petitions are less favorably
answered. Even when we ask for the graces of sanctifica­
tion and salvation, we must not lose sight of our principal
purpose, the glory of God. Hence, the last words of our
definition “ for His glory. ”
2° The Various Forms

of

Prayer

503. A) Considering the twofold end of prayer, we
distinguish the prayer of worship, and the prayer of petition.
a) Prayer of Worship. This includes adoration, due to
God as our Sovereign Master; thanksgiving, because God is
likewise our Benefactor ; and reparation, because we have
offended Him.
i) The first sentiment that imposes itself when we raise
our soul to God is that of adoration, that is to say, an
acknowledgment of God’s supreme dominion and of our
absolute dependence. All creation adores God after its
own manner, but inanimate nature lacks both an intellect
to grasp Him, and a heart to love Him. It must be content
to display before our gaze its own harmony, its activities,
its beauty : “ It cannot see — it reveals itself ; it cannot
adore — it brings us to our knees, loath to have us ignore
the God it cannot apprehend... But man, a breath divine
within a body of clay, possessed of reason and intelligence
and capable of knowing God, both through his natural
powers and through the agency of creation, is urged by his
own self and by all creatures to bow before God in humble
adoration. For this reason is man, himself a microcosm,
placed in this world, that contemplating this universe and,

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

245

as it were, gathering it all up in himself, he may refer
himself and all things to God alone. So much so, that man
is made to contemplate the visible things of this creation,
only in order that he may adore the Invisible Being Who
brought them out of nothing by the omnipotence of His
power. ” 1 In other words, man is the pontiff of creation,
upon whom it devolves to glorify God in his own name
and in that of all creatures. This duty man fulfils by
acknowledging “ that God is perfection itself and hence
incomprehensible; that God is Supreme; that God is
Goodness... We are instinctively drawn to revere what is
perfect,... to depend on that which is supreme,... to cling to
what is good. ” 234

504. Thus it is that mystics delight to adore in crea­
tures the power, the majesty, the beauty, the activity, the
fecundity of God hidden in them : “ My God, I adore Thee
in all Thy creatures, Thou the real, the sole strength that
bears this mighty world. Without Thee, nothing would be;
nothing does subsist outside of Thee. I love Thee, O my
God, and praise Thy Majesty shown forth in all creation.
All that I behold, O God, but reveals to me the mystery
of Thy beauty unknown to mortal eyes... I adore the
splendour of Thy glory, the grandeur of Thy majesty that
outshines the noon day sun a thousand times. I adore the
fecundity of Thy power, more wonderful by far than that
disclosed by the starry skies. ” 3
505. 2) Adoration is followed by thanksgiving. God
is not merely Our Lord and Master but our great Benefactor,
to Whom we owe all that we are, all that we have, whether
in the order of nature or of grace. Therefore, He has a
right to everlasting gratitude from us who forever receive
new favors at His Hand. Hence, the Church daily calls
upon us, just before the Canon of the Mass, to thank
Almighty God for all His gifts, and chiefly for that which
embodies all others, the Holy Eucharist : “ Let us give
thanks to the Lord Our God. It is truly meet andjust, right
and salutary to offer thanks... ” 4 Hence, the Church also
places on our lips formulas of thanksgiving : “ We give
Thee thanks for the greatness of Thy glory. ”5 In so
doing, she but follows the example of Christ, Who often
gave thanks to the Father; she but carries out the instruc­
1 Bossuet, Sermon sur le culte de Dieu. — a Bossuet, 1. cit.
3 Olier, Journée chrit., II p.
4 Preface of the Mass. — 5 Gloria in excelsis Deo.

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tions of St. Paul, who invites us to give thanks to the
Most High for all His blessings : “ In all things give thanks,
for this is the will of God...x Thanks be to God for His
unspeakable gift. ” 2 Generous souls need not be reminded
of this duty. They feel themselves impelled by the
thought of the divine favors to give vent again and again
to the gratitude that overflows their heart.

506. 3) In our present state of fallen nature, a third
duty forces itself upon us — that of expiation and of
reparation. We have but too often offended God’s infinite
majesty, using His gifts to offend Him. This constitutes
an injustice requiring as full a reparation as we are able to
offer. It consists of three principal acts : the humble
acknowledgment of our faults; a sincere sorrow for them;
the courageous acceptance of the trials God in His goodness
may see fit to send us. If we desire to act with gene­
rosity, we shall add thereto the offering of ourselves as
expiatory victims in union with the Victim of Golgotha.
Then we may humbly beg and hope for pardon and ask for
further graces.
507. b) The Prayer of Petition. Asking of God
for what we need is itself homage rendered to Him, to His
power, to His goodness, to the efficacious operation of His
grace; it is an act of confidence that honors Him to Whom
it is offered. 3 The reasons for prayer of petition are, on
the one side, the love God bears His creatures, His children,
and, on the other, the sore need we have of His help.
Inexhaustible source of all good, God longs to communi­
cate it to souls : goodness tends to communicate itself. Being
our Father, God desires nothing so much as to give us His
life and increase it in our souls. The better to attain this
purpose He sent to earth His Only-Begotten Son, Who
came full of grace and truth purposely to fill us with His
treasures. Nay more, He invites us to ask for His graces,
and promises to grant them : “ Ask and you shall receive,
seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto
you. ” 4 We are, therefore, certain of pleasing God by
presenting our requests to Him.

508. Besides, we stand in sore need of God’s help.
Whether in the order of nature or in the order of grace, we
are poor, steeped in poverty. Depending of necessity upon
■ 1 Thess., V, 18. — 3 II Cor., IX, 15.
3 St. Thomas, IIa Ilæ, q. 83, a. 3. —4 Matth., VII, 7.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

247

God, even in the order of nature, we cannot so much as
preserve the very existence He has given us; we are at the
mercy of physical causes, themselves depending on God.
In vain we may protest that we possess brain and sinews,
and that we are well able with our strength and our energy
to draw from the earth the things we need for our subsis­
tence. That brain, those sinews, are sustained by God ;
they can work only with His concurrence. The earth
flowers not, save when watered by the rain He sends; it
produces nothing, save when quickened by the warmth of
His glowing sun. And how many forces of destruction
can wreck the fruit of man’s work and man’s care!
Our dependence upon God in the supernatural order is
more absolute still. We need light to guide us, and who
will give it to us if not the Father of lights? We need
courage and strength to follow the light ; who will give these
except He Who is All-Powerful? What else then can we
do but implore the help of Him Whose one desire is to
succor us?

509. Let no one say that His omniscience is aware of
all that is necessary and useful to us. St. Thomas answers
that no doubt, out of pure liberality, God does bestow upon
us innumerable benefits unasked, unsought, but that there
are some which He will grant only at our request, and this
for our own good, namely, that we should place our
confidence in Him and come to acknowledge Him as the
source and origin of all our goods.1 When we pray, we
cherish the hope of being heard and we are less exposed to
forget God. As it is, we forget Him all too often; what
would it be, if we should never feel the need of recurring to
Him in our distress?
It is for very good reasons then that God demands of us
prayer in the form of petition.
510. B) From the point of view of form, we can
distinguish between mental and vocal, private and public
prayer.
a) From the point of view of expression, prayer is mental
or vocal, according as it takes place wholly within the soul,
or is given outward expression.
i) Mental prayer is a silent intercourse of the soul with
God. “ I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the
1 Sum. theol., II* liæ, q. 83, a. 2, ad 3. —Cfr. Monsabré, La Priere, 190ά,
P- 54-55·

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understanding. ” 1 Every interior act of the mind or of the
heart that tends to unite us to God, such as recollection,
consideration, reasoning, self-examination, the loving
thought of God, contemplation, a longing of the heart for
God — all these may be called by the name of mental
prayer. All these acts, even our examination of conscience,
the purpose of which is to make our soul less unworthy
of Him Who dwells in it, raise us up to God. All
of these deepen our convictions, exercise us in virtue,
and constitute our training for that heavenly life that is
nothing else but an eternal, loving contemplation of the
Godhead. Mental prayer is likewise the very food and the
soul of vocal prayer. 1
23.
511. 2) Vocal prayer finds expression in word and act.
It is frequently mentioned in our Sacred Books, which call
upon us to proclaim God’s praises by word of mouth, with
lip and tongue : “ I have cried to the Lord with my voice...
O Lord, thou wilt open my lips : and my mouth shall
declare thy praise. ” 3 But why thus express our sentiments,
since God reads them in the depths of our heart? It is in
order to honor Him not only with the soul, but also with
the body, and, above all, with that word which He has
given us to express our thought. This is the teaching of
St. Paul, who after showing that Jesus died for us outside
the walls of Jerusalem, invites us to come out of ourselves
and join our Mediator, in order to offer unto God a sacrifice
of praise, the homage of our lips : “ By him, therefore, let us
offer the sacrifice of praise always to God, that is to say, the
fruit of lips confessing to His name. ” 4 Vocal prayer,
moreover, stimulates devotion by the very utterance of the
words : “ That man may rouse himself by word of mouth to
devout prayer.” 5 Psychology, indeed, shows that gestures
intensify the acts of the heart. Finally, it works unto the
edification of our neighbor; for, seeing or hearing others
pray devoutly increases our own devotion.

512. b) Vocal prayer may be private ox public, according
as it is offered in the name of an individual or of society.
We have elsewhere proved that society as such owes God
social homage, since it must acknowledge Him as its
Sovereign Master and Benefactor. This is why St. Paul
1 I Cor., XIV, 15.
2 In the Second Part of this work we shall return to the subject of mental prayer,
indicating which kind is in harmony with each of the three Ways.
3 Ps. HI, 5; L, 17. — -t Hebr., XIII, 15.
s St. Thomas, In Libr. Sentent., distinct. XV, q. 4, a. 4.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

249

urged the early Christians to unite, not only with one heart,
but with one voice in praising God with Jesus Christ :
“ That with one mind and with one mouth, you may glorify
God and the Father of our Lord fesus Christ. ” 1 Our Lord
had already exhorted His disciples to come together in
order to pray, promising to come to them and sponsor their
requests : “ For where there are two or three gathered together
in my name, there I am in the midst of them. ” 2 If this is
true of the gathering of one or two, how much truer is it
when a multitude comes together to thank God in an
official manner! St. Thomas says that the power of prayer
is then irresistible : “ The prayers of the many cannot go
unheeded, when they unite in one. ”3 J ust as a father who
would not yield to the request of a son is moved by the
united requests of all his children, so Our Heavenly Father
cannot resist the sweet violence of the united prayers of
a great number of His children.
513. It is important, therefore, that Christians should
often join in common prayer and worship. This is why the
Church calls them on the Lord’s Day and on holy days to
assist at the great public prayer, the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass, and at other religious services.
514. Since, however, the Church cannot gather her
faithful children every day, and since nevertheless God
deserves perennial praise, she commits to her priests and
religious the discharge of this grand duty of public prayer.
This they fulfil several times a day through the recitation
of the Divine Office, which they perform, not in a private
capacity, but in the name of the entire Church, and on
behalf of all mankind. Hence, it is important that they
unite themselves to the perfect worship offered to God by
the Incarnate Word, in order to give glory to God through
Him, with Him, and in Him, and ask at the same time .all
the graces that the Christian people need.
3° The Lord’s Prayer

515.Among all the prayers we recite, private or public,
there is none so beautiful as that taught us by Our Lord
Himself — the Our Father.
A) We find therein, first of all, an appropriate introduc­
tion which ushers us into God’s presence and excites our
confidence : Our Father Who art in Heaven. The very first
' Rom., XV, 6. — 2 Matth., XV111, 20. — 3 Commentar, in Matth., c. XVIII.

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step in prayer is to draw nigh unto God. The word Father
places us at once before Him, Who is pre-eminently the
Father Who has adopted us as children. We face then the
God Who surrounds us with the same love wherewith He
loves His Son. And that Father is in Heaven; that is, He
is all-powerful, He is the source of all graces, hence we are
impelled to invoke Him with a filial trust that knows no
bounds, for we are His offspring; all brethren, because
children of the same God : Our Father.
516. B) The object of the prayer follows. We ask for
all we desire, and in the order in which we should desire
it : a) We place the principal end before all else — God’s
glory : “ Hallowed be Thy Name, ” that is to say, may Thy
Name be known and proclaimed blessed, b) Then comes
the secondary end — the growth of God’s kingdom within
us, which is the preparation for our entry into the Kingdom
of Heaven : “ Thy Kingdom come. ” c) Next, we ask for
the essential means for attaining this twofold end, that is,
conformity to the Divine Will : “ Thy Will be done on
earth as it is in Heaven. ”
We ask, after that, for the secondary means. — This
request constitutes the second part of the Our Father,
d) First, the positive means — our daily sustenance, food for
the body and food for the soul; we need one and the other,
if we are to subsist and grow : “ Give us this day our daily
bread. ” e) Lastly, we beg the negative means, which
comprise i) the remission of sin — the only real evil, which
is forgiven us in the measure that we ourselves pardon
others : “ Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us. ” 2) The removal of trials and tempta­
tions to which we could fall victims : “ Lead us not into
temptation. ” 3) The removal of physical evils, of the
miseries of life so far as they constitute an obstacle to our
sanctification : “ But deliver us from evil. Amen. ”
A sublime prayer, since every word of it refers to God’s
glory, and yet so simple that it is within the reach of
all ; for whilst glorifying God, we ask for all the things that
are most useful to us.
Hence, the Fathers and the Saints have taken delight in
commenting 1 on this prayer, and the Catechism of the
Council of Trent gives an extended and solid explanation
of it.
1 Many of these commentaries are found in Hurter's, Opuscula Patrum selecta,
t. II; cf Sum. Theol., IIa Ilæ, q. 83, a. 9; St. THERESA, The Way of Perfection ;
P. Monsabré, La Prière Divine, le Pater.

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II. The Efficacy of Prayer for Sanctification
517. The sanctifying power of prayer is such that the
Saints never tired of saying that he lives well who prays
well. Prayer produces three marvelous effects : i) it
detaches us from creatures, 2) it unites us entirely to God,
3) it gradually transforms us into God.

518. i° It detaches us from creatures in so far as they
are an obstacle to our union with God. This effect of
prayer follows from its very nature as an elevation of the
heart to God. In order to be raised up to God we must
first loosen the bonds that fasten us to creatures. Drawn
by these, and by the alluring pleasures they hold out to us,
dominated moreover by selfishness, we cannot free ourselves
except by breaking the shackles that fetter us to earth.
Nothing works this happy deliverance more effectively than
the elevation of the soul to God through prayer, for in order
to think of Him and of His glory, in order to love Him, we
are constrained to forget self and creatures with their
deceitful allurements. Once we are nigh unto Him, united
to Him in intimate converse, then His infinite perfections,
His loving kindness, and the sight of His heavenly riches,
complete the liberation of the soul : “ How wretched the
earth when I gaze upon the heavens! ” We hate mortal sin
more and more, for it would turn us away altogether from
God. We detest venial sin because it would impede our
ascent towards Him, and we deplore even imperfections,
since they would cool our intimacy with Him. We are
likewise schooled to a more vigorous strife against the
disordered inclinations latent within our nature, because of
the realization that they tend to make us wander away
from God.
519. 20 Prayer moreover makes our union with God
more complete and more perfect day by day.
A) More complete. Prayer lays hold of all our faculties,
in order to unite them to God. a) It seizes the higher
faculties of our soul : the mind, by absorbing it in the
thought of divine things; the will, by directing it toward
the Glory of God and the welfare of souls ; the heart, by
permitting it to pour out its love into a Heart ever open,
loving, ever merciful, and enabling it to produce affections
that cannot be but sanctifying, b) It seizes the lower
faculties of the soul, by helping us to fasten upon God and
Our Lord, our imagination, our memory, our emotions, and

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even our passions in so far as they are capable of good.
C) It even takes possession of our body, helping us to mortify
our outward senses, which so often lead us astray, and to
regulate our exterior according to the dictates of modesty.
B) More perfect. Prayer, as just described, produces in
the soul acts of religion born of faith, sustained by hope and
vivified by love : “ Faith believes, hope and love pray, but
these could not exist without faith ; hence it is, that faith also
prays. ” 1 Is there anything nobler, anything more sanc­
tifying than these acts of the theological virtues? Prayer,
likewise, presupposes the performance of acts of humility,
of obedience, of fortitude, of constancy, so that it is not
difficult to see that the holy exercise of prayer unites our
soul to God in a most perfect manner.

520. 3° No wonder, then, that through it, the soul is
gradually transformed into God. Prayer causes, so to
speak, a mutual exchange between us and God : whilst we
offer Him our homages and our requests, He stoops down
to us and bestows upon us His graces.
A) The mere consideration of His divine perfections, the
mere fact of admiring them and taking in them a genuine
delight, draws them into us through the desire we thus feel
of sharing in them. Little by little our soul feels, as it
were, all pervaded, possessed by that Simplicity, that Good­
ness, that Holiness, that Serenity which God would fain
communicate to us.

521. B) Then God stoops down to hearken to our
prayers and to bestow upon us His graces in abundance.
The more we honor Him, the greater is His concern in
sanctifying a soul that seeks His glory. We can ask a
great deal, provided we do so with humility and confidence.
He can refuse nothing to humble souls who care more for
His interests than for their own. He gives them light to
show them the emptiness, the nothingness of human things;
He draws them to Himself by revealing Himself to them
as the Supreme Good, the origin of all good ; He strengthens
and steadies their will that they may will nothing, love
nothing, but what is worthy. We cannot but conclude
with St. Francis de Sales 2 : “ If prayer be a colloquy, a
discourse or a conversation of the soul with God, by it then
we speak to God, and He again speaks to us; we aspire to
1 St. Augustine, Enchirid., VII.
3 The love of God, Bk. VI, c. I. (Mackey’s translation).

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253

Him and breathe in Him, and He reciprocally inspires
and breathes upon us. ” Happy exchange! It shall
altogether to our advantage, since its ultimate end is
other than the transformation of ourselves into God,
making us share in His thoughts and His perfections!

us
be
no
by

III. How We Can Transform Onr Actions Into Prayers

522.Since prayer is such an effective means of sancti­
fication, we should frequently and perseveringly make use
of it. Our Lord said : “ We ought always to pray and not
to faint. ” 1 St. Paul teaches the same doctrine both by
word and example : “ Pray without ceasing... Making a
remembrance of you in our prayers without ceasing. ” 2 How
are we, however, to pray without ceasing, the while we
discharge our duties of state? Is not this impossible? We
shall see that it is simple, once we have learned to regulate
our lives. To accomplish it, two things are required :
i° that we perform a certain number of spiritual exercises in
harmony with our state of life; 2° that we turn our ordinary
actions into prayer.
523. i° Spiritual Exercises. In order to foster a life of
prayer, first of all, a certain number of spiritual exercises
re necessary, the extent arid duration of which will vary
in accordance with our duties of state. Here we shall
speak of such as are proper to priests and religious, leaving
to directors of souls the care of adapting this program to
the laity.
Three different sets of spiritual exercises school the
priestly soul to prayer : in the morning, meditation and
Holy Mass present to us the ideal we are to pursue and aid
us to realize it; throughout the day, the Divine Office,
devout readings and some great Catholic devotions help to
keep up in the soul the habit ofprayer; in the evening the
examination of conscience will cause us to note and correct
our failures.
524. A) The morning exercises are sacred in character.
Priests and religious can not dispense with them without
giving up real concern for perfection, a) It is meditation,
the loving thought of God, that, above all, recalls to
mind the ideal we must ever keep before our eyes and
pursue with all our strength. This ideal is no other than
the one pictured for us by the Divine Master : “ Be you,
’ Luke, XVIII, I. — 3 / Thess., V, 17; I, 2.

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therefore, perfect as also your Heavenly Father is perfect, ” 1
So we must place ourselves in the presence of God, the
source and exemplar of all perfection ; in the presence of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has realized in the world this
ideal of perfection and has merited for us the grace of
imitating His virtues. After offering Him our homage, we
draw Him unto us by becoming one with Him in thought,
through the formation of deep-seated convictions regarding
the special virtue we want to practice ; we then draw this
virtue from His heart into our own by earnest prayers that
obtain for us the grace of actually practicing it. Finally,
we humbly, but resolutely, co-operate with the grace
received by. making the generous resolve of practicing the
said virtue during the course of the day.2 b) Holy Mass
confirms us in this disposition by placing before our eyes,
in our hands, and at our disposal, the Sacred Victim we are
to imitate. Holy Communion causes His thoughts, His
sentiments, His interior dispositions, His graces and His
Divine Spirit to penetrate our own souls there to abide
the day long. We are priests, then, in order to act, and
our action vivified by His influence will be an unceasing
prayer.

525. B) That this be so, it is necessary that from time
to time there be exercises renewing and promoting our
union with God. a) This will be effected by the recitation
of the Divine Office, so aptly styled by St. Benedict God's
Work, wherein, in union with the perfect worship of God
by Jesus Christ, we shall glorify Him and implore His graces
for ourselves and for the entire Church. After the Holy
Sacrifice, this is the most important act of the day.
b) Another exercise fostering our union with God is the
reading of Holy Scripture and the lives of the Saints, the
perusal of which will once more place us in close contact
with God and His Saints, c) Lastly come what may be
called the essential Catholic devotions that nourish piety,
such as the visit to the Blessed Sàcrament — a heart-toheart talk with Jesus — and the recitation of the beads,
through which we are privileged to hold familiar conver­
sation with Mary and to consider devoutly the mysteries of
her life and her virtues.
526. C) At night, the two examinations, general and
particular, will take place. These we shall turn into a
» Matth., V, 48.
a This we shall explain later when treating of the method of prayer.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

255

humble and sincere confession to the Great High Priest,
and into a means of seeing to what extent we have realized
in the course of the day the ideal conceived in the morning.
Alas! we shall ever find a discrepancy between our resolu­
tions and their realization;but without any loss of heart, we
shall retire to rest with a sense of trust in God, abandoning
ourselves into His arms, determined to greater effort on the
morrow.
Weekly, or at least fortnightly confession, together with
the monthly retreat — a summary review of the month —
will complete the work of our daily examination of con­
science and be the occasion of a spiritual renewal.
527. 2° This is the sum-total of spiritual exercises, that
prevent us from losing sight of God’s holy presence for any
considerable time. What shall we do, however, to fill in
the time between these various exercises and to transform
all our actions into prayer? St. Paul answered this question
when he wrote : “ Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever
else you do, do all to the glory of God... All whatsoever
you do in word or in work, all things do ye in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 St. Augustine and St. Thomas
tell us how this can be done; the former tells us to convert
our life, our actions, our occupations, our meals, even our
repose, into a hymn of praise unto God’s glory : “ Let the
harmony of thy life ever rise as a song, so that thou mayest
never cease to praise... If thou wilt give praise, sing, then,
not only with thy lips, but sweep the chords upon the psalter
of good works; thou dost give praise when thou workest,
when thou eatest and drinkest, when thou liest to rest, when
thou sleepest; thou givestpraise even if thou boldest thy peace! 234
The latter briefly expresses the same thought : “ Man prays
so long as he directs his whole life toward God. ” 3
It is love that directs our whole life towards God. The
practical means of giving all our actions this direction, is to
offer each of them to the Most Blessed Trinity in union
with Jesus Christ living in us, and in accordance with
His intentions (n. 248).
528.Father Olier shows the importance of performing
our actions in union with Jesus. He explains first how the
Son of God is within us in order to sanctify us. 4 “ He
dwells in us not only through His immensity, as the Word...
* I Cor., X, 31, Col. Ill, 17. — a In Psalm. CXLVT, n. 2.
3 Comment, in Rom., c. I, lect. 5.
4 Catech. Int. Life, Part. II, Lesson X. — Cfr. Father Charles, S. J. Prayer
for all Times.

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but also as the Christ, through His grace, in order to make
us partakers of His unction and of His divine life. Jesus
Christ is within us to sanctify both ourselves and our works
and to fill all our faculties with His own Self. He wills to
be the light of our mind, the fire of love in our hearts, the
might and strength of all our faculties, in order that in Him
we may have power to know and to fulfil the desires of
God, His Father, whether it be to work for His honor or to
suffer and endure all things unto His glory. ” Father Olier
then explains how the actions we perform of ourselves and
for ourselves are defective : “ Because of our corrupted
nature, our intentions and our thoughts tend toward sin
and, should we decide to act of ourselves and follow the
bent of our own sentiments, our works would be of sin. ”1
His conclusion is, therefore, that we must renounce our own
intentions so as to unite ourselves to those of Jesus : “You
see thereby what great care you must take to renounce,
upon undertaking any action, all your sentiments, all your
wishes, all your own thoughts, all your desires, in order to
enter, according to the word of St. Paul, into the sentiments
and the intentions of Jesus Christ : For let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus. ” 1
2
When our actions endure for some time, it is useful to
renew this offering by an affectionate gaze upon our Crucifix,
or better, upon Jesus living within us, and to raise our soul
to God through oft-repeated ejaculations.
In this manner our actions, even the most commonplace,
will become a prayer, an elevation of the soul to God, and
we shall thereby comply with the teaching of Jesus : “ We
ought always to pray and not to faint. ” 3
529. Here then we have four interior means of perfec­
tion that tend at once to glorify God and perfect the soul.
The desire to be perfect is, in fact, a first flight toward God,
a first step toward holiness. The knowledge of God draws
God down to us and helps us give ourselves to Him through
love. The knowledge of self shows us the need we have of
God and stimulates in us the desire of receiving Him in
order to fill the void that exists within us. Conformity to
His will transforms us into Him. Prayer lifts us up to
Him while it draws unto us His perfections, making us
share in them in order to render us like unto Him. All
leads us to God, because all proceeds from Him.
1 Catech. of Int. Life, P. II, Lesson VI.
2 Philip., II, 5. — 3 Luke, XVIII, i.

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Art. IL the exterior

257

means of perfection

530. These means can be reduced to four principal
ones : spiritual direction that provides safe guidance ; a rule
of life, which is the sequel and the complement of spiritual
direction ; spiritual reading and devout exhortations, which
present to us the ideal to follow; the sanctification of our
social relations, which enables us to supernaturalize our
dealings with the neighbor.
§ I. Spiritual Direction 1

Two points, chiefly, are to be elucidated : i° The moral
necessity of spiritual direction; 2° the means required to
insure its success.
I. Moral Necessity of Spiritual Direction
Direction, although not absolutely necessary for the
sanctification of souls, is one of the normal means of spiritual
progress. Authority, and reason based on experience,
demonstrate this.
i°

Proof from authority

531. A) God, Who established His Church as a hierar­
chical society, has willed that souls be sanctified through
submission to the Sovereign Pontiff and to the Bishops
in things external, and to .confessors in things internal.
When Saul was converted, Our Lord, instead of directly
manifesting to him His designs, sent him to Ananias to
learn from this man’s lips what he was to do. Cassian,
St. Francis de Sales and Leo XIII argue from this fact to
show the necessity of direction. “God,” says Leo XIII, “in
His infinite Providence has decreed that men for the most
part should be saved by men; hence He has appointed that
those whom He calls to a loftier degree of holines should
be led thereto by men, ‘ in order that, ’ as Chrysostom says,
‘ we should be taught by God through men. ’ We have an
illustrious example of this put before us in the very begin­
1 Cassianus, Collationes, coll. II, c. 1-13; St. John Climacus, L'Echelle du
Paradis, 4e Degré, η. 5-12; Godinez, Praxis Theol. mysticce, lib. VIII, c. 1;
Schram, Instit. theol. mysticœ, P. II, cap. I, §327-353:31. Fr. de Sales, Introd,
to a Devout Life, Part I, ch. 4; Tronson, Traité de l'obéissance, IIe Partie; Faber,
tlronoth in Holiness, ch. XVIÎI; H. Noble, Ο. P., Lacordaire apôtre et directeur
des jeunes gens, 1910; Desurmont, Charité sacerdotale, § 183-225; Catholic
Encyclopedia, Direction; F. Vincent, S. François de Sales, Directeur d'Ames ;
Abbé d'Agnel et Dr d'Espiney, Direction de conscience, 1922; V. Raymond,
O. P., Spiritual Director and Physician, 1917.

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ning of the Church, for although Saul, who was breathing
threatenings and slaughter, heard the voice of Christ Himself,
and asked from Him, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?
he was nevertheless sent to Ananias at Damascus : Arise
and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee what thou
must do. This manner of acting has invariably obtained in
the Church. All without exception who in the course of
ages have been remarkable for science and holiness have
taught this doctrine. Those who reject it, assuredly do so
rashly and at their peril. ” 1
532. B) Unable to quote all the authorities, we shall
briefly review a few witnesses that can be considered repre­
sentatives of ascetical theology. Cassian, who had spent
long years among the monks of Palestine, of Syria, and of
Egypt, has set down their teachings together with his own
in two works. In the first, the Book of Institutions, he
urgently exhorts the young cenobites to open their heart to
the elder charged with the direction of their life; to disclose
to him without false shame their most secret thoughts, and
to submit themselves entirely to his decision as to what is
good and what is evil. 1
23 He treats this point again in his
Conferences, and, after showing the dangers to which those
who do not seek counsel from their elders expose them­
selves, he affirms that the best means to overcome tempta­
tions even the most dangerous, is to disclose them to a wise
counsellor. This he says on the authority of St. Anthony
and the Abbot Serapion. 3
What Cassian teaches to the Monks of the West,
St. John Climacus instils into those of the East by his
Ladder of Paradise. Ύο beginners he says that those who
wish to leave the land of Egypt for the Promised Land and
subdue their disorderly passions, stand in need of another
Moses to serve them as a guide. To those that are
advanced he declares, that in order to follow Christ and
enjoy the holy liberty of the children of God, One must
humbly deliver the care of one’s soul to a man that is the
representative of the Divine Master ; and that such a one
must be chosen with care, because he must be obeyed in all
simplicity, in spite of the shortcomings that may be detected
in him; for the sole danger lies in following one’s own
judgment. 4
1 Apostolical Letter Testem Benevolentia, Jan. 22, 1899. From The Great
Encyclical Letters of Leo XIII, P. 447.
3 Cassianus, De Cœnobiorum institut., 1, IV, c. 9; P. I.. XLIX, 161.
3 Id. Collationes, II, 2, 5, 7, 10-11; P. L. XLIX, 526, 529, 534, 537, 542.
« Scala Paradisi, Grad. I, IV; P. G. LXXXVIII, 636, 680-681.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

259

533. For the period of the Middle Ages, two authorities
will suffice. St. Bernard wants the novices to have a guide,
a foster-father to enlighten them, direct them, console them,
and encourage them.1 To more advanced souls, like Ogier,
the Canon Regular, he declares that whoever constitutes
himself his own guide, becomes a disciple of a fool. He
adds : “ I know not what others think about themselves on
this matter; for myself, I speak from experience and
I hesitate not to say that I find it easier and safer to direct
many others than I do to guide myself. ” 2345 In the
Fourteenth Century, the eloquent Dominican, St. Vincent
Ferrer, stated that spiritual direction had ever been the
practice of souls that wished to make progress, and he gave
the following reason : “ He who has an adviser whom he
absolutely obeys in all things, will succeed much more
easily and quickly than he could if left to himself, even if
endowed with quick intellect and possessed of learned
spiritual books. ” 3
534. It was not only in communities that this need of
a spiritual guide was felt, but likewise in the world. The
letters of St. Jerome, of St. Augustine, and of other Fathers,
to widows, virgins, and other persons living in the world,
are ample proof of it. 4 It is therefore with good reason
that St. Alphonsus in explaining the duties of a confessor
declares that one of the most important of these duties is
that of directing devout souls. 5
Besides, reason itself, enlightened by faith and by
experience, shows us the necessity of a spiritual director in
order to advance in the way of perfection.
2°

Proof

from reason based on the nature

OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

535. A) Progress in holiness is a long and painful
ascent over a steep path bordered by precipices. To venture
thereon without an experienced guide is highly imprudent.
It is extremely easy to deceive oneself as regards one’s own
condition. We are unable to gaze eye to eye upon our­
selves, says St. Francis de Sales ; we cannot be impartial
judges in our own case, by reason of a certain complacency,
“ so veiled, so unsuspected that the keenest insight alone
can discover its existence; those who suffer from it are not
1 De Diversis, sermo VIII, 7. — a Epist., LXXXV1I, 7.
3 De Vita Spirituali, II Part, ch. I.
4 See the instances given by Faber, Growth in Holiness, C. XVIII.
5 Praxis confessorii, n. 121-127.

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aware of it unless some one points it out to them. ” 1
Hence, he concludes that we need a spiritual physician to
make a sound diagnosis of our state of soul and to prescribe
the most effective remedies : “ Why should we wish to
constitute ourselves directors of our own souls when we do
not undertake the management of our bodies. Have we
not noticed that physicians, when ill, call other physicians
to determine what remedies they require?” 1
2
536.B) The better to understand this need, we have
but to explain briefly the chief dangers one encounters in
each of the three ways leading to perfection.
a) Beginners must be on their guard against relapses
and, in order to avoid them, they must undergo a long and
rigorous penance in proportion to the number and gravity
of their faults. Some of them, soon forgetting their past,
want to enter forthwith into the path of love. Such
presumption is frequently followed by a withdrawal of
sensible consolations, by discouragement and fresh falls.
Others give themselves without discretion to bodily morti­
fications, take therein a vain complacency, impair their
health, and then, under pretence of taking proper care of it,
fall into a state of relaxation. It is, therefore, important
that an experienced director hold the former to the spirit
and the practice of penance, and check the latter in their
impetuous ardor.
Another danger for beginners is spiritual aridity, following
the withdrawal of sensible consolations. In this state a
soul imagines itself abandoned by God, gives up its exercises
of piety, which now appear useless, and falls a prey to
lukewarmness. Who will be able to forestall this danger?
Only a wise spiritual director, who, during the season of
consolations, will give warning that these do not last forever,
and, at the time of aridity, will comfort this soul by explain­
ing that there is nothing better than such trials for the
strengthening of virtue and the purifying of love.
537. b) In the illuminative way, a guide is still needed,
in order to discern which are the virtues especially suited
to this or that person in particular, as well as the means of
practicing these virtues, and the proper method of self­
examination. When a soul becomes a prey to that sense
of Aveariness experienced upon the discovery that the way
of perfection is longer and more arduous than imagined, it
1 Devout Life, Part. Ill, c. 28.
2 Sermons recueillis, pour la fête de N. D. des Neiges, t. IX, p. 95.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

261

is hard to see what can prevent this feeling from degenerat­
ing into lukewarmness, if not the fatherly affection of a
director who will be able to recognize the difficulty, obviate
discouragement, console the penitent, urge him to new
efforts and make him discern the fruits to be gained from
such a trial courageously borne.
538. C) Direction becomes even more necessary in the
unitive way. To enter herein, one must cultivate the gifts
of the Holy Ghost by a generous and constant docility to
the inspirations of grace. But to distinguish divine inspi­
rations from those that proceed from nature, or from the
Evil One, the counsel of a wise and disinterested adviser is
ofttimes required. This is all the more necessary when one
undergoes the first passive trials, when aridity, weariness,
fear of God’s judgments, besetting temptations, inability to
reason in meditation, and contradictions from without burst
all together upon a desolate soul and cast it into the greatest
turmoil. It is evident that a pilot is indispensable to guide
the disabled craft to safety. A spiritual director is equally
necessary for one enjoying the delights of contemplation.
This state presupposes so much discretion, humility, docility
and, above all, so much prudence in harmonizing passivity
with activity, that it becomes morally impossible not to go
astray without the advice of an expert guide. This is why
St. Theresa used to open her soul with such candor to her
spiritual directors; this is why St. John of the Cross often
insisted on the necessity of disclosing to him everything.
“God,” says he, “so desires that man place himself under
the direction of another, that He absolutely does not want
to see us give full assent to the supernatural truths He
Himself imparts, before they have issued out of the mouth
of man. ” 1
539. To sum up what has been said, we can do no
better than quote the words of Fr. Godinez : “ Hardly ten
in a thousand called by God to perfection heed the call; of
a hundred called to contemplation, ninety-nine fail to
respond. It must be acknowledged that one of the princi­
pal causes is the lack of spiritual directors. Under God,
they are the pilots that conduct souls through this unknown
ocean of the spiritual life. If no science, no art, how simple
soever, can be learned well without a master, much less can
any one learn this high wisdom of evangelical perfection,
wherein such great mysteries are found. This is the reason
1 Sentences et avis spirituels, n. 229, ed. Hoomaert, p. 372.

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why I ho)d it morally impossible that a soul could without
a miracle or without a master, go through what is highest
and most arduous in the spiritual life, without running the
risk of perishing. ”
540. It may be said, therefore, that the normal way to
advance in the spiritual life is to follow the counsels of a
wise spiritual adviser. As a matter of fact, fervent souls so
understand it and seek direction in the tribunal of penance.
When of late years a need was felt for a select body of
truly devout and earnest Catholics, no better means of
forming it was found than a strong direction given in
Sodalities, vacation-camps and above all in regular retreats.
Direction, then, is one of the normal means of spiritual
progress.

11. Rules to Insure the Success of Spiritual Direction
That spiritual direction be profitable, i° its object must
be clearly determined; 2° the co-operation of both director
and penitent must be assured.
i°

Object of

spiritual direction

541. A) General Principle. The object of spiritual
direction consists in all that has a bearing upon the spiritual
formation of souls. Confession limits itself to the accusation
of faults; direction goes far beyond this. It reaches the
causes of sin, deep-rooted inclinations, temperament, charac­
ter, acquired habits, temptations, imprudences. This, in
order to discover the right remedies, such as go to the very
roots of the evil. In order to combat defects the better,
direction in also concerned with virtues opposed to them,
the virtues common to all Christians and those special to
each particular class of persons. It includes the means
most apt to foster the practice of these virtues : spiritual
exercises such as mental prayer, the particular examination,
devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament, to the Sacred
Heart, the Blessed Virgin, which supply us with spiritual
arms to force our way onward in the practice of virtue. It
deals with vocation, and, once this question is settled, with
the duties peculiar to each state of life. Hence, it is clear
that the field of direction is very wide.
542. B) Applications, a) In order to guide a person
wisely, the spiritual director must be acquainted with the
chief features of his past life, his habitual faults, his efforts
to correct them, the results obtained, so that he sees clearly

GENERAL MEANS OK PERFECTION.

263

what is left to be done. He must, likewise, know his
present dispositions, his likes and dislikes, the temptations
he undergoes and the method employed to overcome them,
the virtues he feels the greatest need of, and the means used
to acquire them. The director must know all this in order
to give proper advice.
b) Then it is that the director can more easily form a
plan of direction, a flexible plan, adaptable to the actual
condition of the penitent and calculated to foster his
spiritual progress. It is impossible to lead all souls in the
same way; a director must take them as they are, and lead
them gradually through the various stages along the steep
path of perfection. He must realize that some are more
eager and more generous, others more calm, more slow,
that all are not called to attain the same degree of
perfection.

543. There is, however, a progressive order to be
followed which gives a certain measure of unity to spiritual
direction :
1) From the outset it is important that souls should be taught
to sanctify all their ordinary actions by the practice of union with Our
Lord (n. 248). This holds good for their whole life and the Director
must insist on it again and again showing how such practice is
grounded on the spirit of faith so indispensable in these days of
rampant naturalism.
2) The purification of the soul, through the practice of penance and
mortification, should never cease altogether; penitents should be often
brought back to it, taking into account their state of mind, so as to
vary the exercise of these virtues.
3) Humility is a fundamental virtue, which must be inculcated
almost from the beginning, and penitents must be frequently reminded
of it at all the stages of the spiritual life.
4) Fraternal charity, because so often violated, even by devout
people, should be insisted upon in the examinations of conscience and
in confession.
5) Habitual union with Our Lord, our model and co-worker, cannot
be too frequently emphasized, for it is one of the most effective means
of sanctification.
6) A thing to be cultivated with care, because so necessary in this
our day, is manliness or strength of character, based upon strong
convictions, and with it, honesty and loyalty which cannot be separated
from it.
7) In an epoch of proselytism like ours, zeal is of paramount impor­
tance and a spiritual director should keep in view the formation of
select souls who will be of help to the priest in the innumerable details
connected with his ministry.
As for the rest, one has but to bear in mind what we shall say when
explaining the three ways.

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2° Duties

CHAPTER V.

of the spiritual director and of the penitent

Direction will not produce any profitable results, unless
both director and penitent work together in all earnestness.
i) Duties of the Spiritual Director

544. St. Francis de Sales 1 declares that a spiritual
director must have three principal qualities : “ He must be
full of charity, of knowledge and of prudence : if he lacks
one of these, there is danger. ”
A) The charity wherewith he must be filled is a superna­
tural and paternal affection that makes him see in his
penitents so many spiritual children confided to his care by
God Himself so that he may cause Jesus Christ and His
virtues to grow in them : “ My little children of whom I am
in labor again until Christ be formed in you. ” 2
a) Hence, he surrounds them all with the same thoughtfulness and

care, making himself all things to all, in order to sanctify all ; spending
his time, his efforts and himself to form in them the Christian virtues.
In spite of himself, no doubt, he will at times feel drawn more to some
than to others, but he will not allow his natural likes or dislikes to
govern him, being careful to avoid sentimental affections that would
tend to create attachments, at first innocent, then distracting and
finally dangerous both to his good name and to his virtue. Father
Olier rightly says that to wish to attach to oneself the hearts made to
love God, constitutes a sort of treason : “ Spiritual directors have been
chosen by Our Lord to go forth to conquer kingdoms, that is to say,
the hearts of men, which belong to Him, which He has bought by the
shedding of His Blood, and in which He wants to establish His reign.
What an ingratitude ! What a fraud ! What an outrage ! What a
betrayal! if instead of offering those hearts to Him as to their lawful
sovereign, they constitute themselves their lords and masters. ” 3 Such
conduct would be equivalent to placing a well-nigh insurmountable
obstacle in the way of one’s own spiritual progress and in that of one’s
penitents, for God does not want a divided heart.

545. b) Kindness on the part of the spiritual director
must not mean weakness. It must, on the contrary, be
coupled with firmness and frankness. The director must
have the courage to give sound, fatherly warnings, to point
out to his penitents their defects, and not allow himself to
be directed by them. There are persons very demure, yet
very clever, who want to have a spiritual director, but on
condition that he accommodate himself to their tastes and
fancies. Such seek after approbation rather than guidance.
’ Introduction to a Devout Life, P. I, C. IV. — 2 Galat., IV, 19.
3 Esprit d'un directeur des âtnes, p. 60-61. Father Olier often returns to this
subject in this little work.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

265

To be on guard against this abuse that might involve his
own conscience, the spiritual director must not let himself
be swayed by the schemes and manoeuvres of such peni­
tents; he must remember that he represents Our Lord
Himself, and resolutely render his decisions according to
the rules of perfection and not according to the wishes of
his penitents.
546. e) It is chiefly in directing women that one must be reserved
and firm. A man of wide experience, Father Desurmont,1 writes as
follows on this subject :·“ Let there be none of those affectionate words,
none of those tender expressions, no private talks except those absolute­
ly indispensable. Let there be nothing savoring of feeling, either in
manner or gesture, nor the least shadow of familiarity. As to conver­
sations, no more than is necessary ; as to dealings outside of matters
of conscience, only those that have a recognized serious purpose. As
much as possible, let there be no direction outside the confessional,
and no correspondence. They must not be made even to suspect that
one is personally interested in them. Their mentality is so constituted
that if they be led to think themselves the object of a particular regard
or affection, almost without fail, they descend to a natural plane, be it
through vanity or sentimentality. ” The same author adds : “ Gene­
rally speaking, it is best that they be not conscious of being directed
at all. Woman has the defects of her qualities : she is instinctively
pious, but she is likewise instinctively proud of her piety. The
adornment of the soul affects her no less than that of the body. For
her to know that one wishes to adorn her with virtues, ordinarily
constitutes a danger. ” One should, then, direct them without
acquainting them with the fact, and give them counsels of perfection
as if it were the common ordinary thing for the welfare of souls.

547. B) In the spiritual director, devotedness must be
accompanied by the knowledge of ascetical theology so
necessary to confessors, n. 36. He will, therefore, never tire
of reading and re-reading spiritual authors, correcting his
judgments by their standards, and comparing his own
method with that of the Saints.
548. C) Above all, prudence and a sound judgment are
needed in order to direct souls not according to one’s own
ideas, but according to the motions of grace,the temperament
and character of the penitents, and their supernatural
attractions. 1
2
a) Father Libennann rightly remarks that the spiritual director is
but an instrument in the hands of the Holy Ghost. 3 He should,
therefore, first of all, apply himself to gain through discreet questions
a knowledge of the action this Divine Spirit has upon the soul.
1 La Charité sacerdotale, t. II, § 196.
3 This is exactly what St. Francis de Sales practiced as shown by F. Vincent,
o/>. cit., p, 439-481.
3 La direction spirituelle, d’après les écrits et les exemples du Vin. Libermann,
2e édit., p. 10-22.

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CHAPTER V.

“ I consider it a capital point in spiritual direction, ” he writes, “ to
discover the dispositions whereby a sou) is animated..., to perceive
how far you can urge it, to allow grace full scope, to distinguish true
from false attractions, and prevent souls from going astray or running
to excesses. ” In another letter he adds : “ The spiritual director
having once ascertained God’s action in a soul, has nothing else to do
but to guide it that it may obey the promptings of grace... He must
never attempt to inspire a soul with his personal tastes and individual
attractions, nor lead it after his own way of acting, or his own peculiar
point of view. A director that would thus act, would often turn souls
from God’s own guidance and oppose the action of divine grace in
them. ”
He adds, however, that this applies to souls who work earnestly to
attain perfection. As to those that are sluggish and lukewarm, the
initiative must be taken by the director, who will, by his exhortations,
his counsels, his rebukes, and all the means which his zeal suggests,
strive to stir them out of their spiritual torpor.

549. b) The prudence in question here is, therefore, a
supernatural prudence, fortified by the gift of counsel, which
a spiritual director should ever beg of the Holy Spirit.
He will invoke Hirn especially in difficult cases, repeating
in his heart the Veni Sancte Spiritus before rendering any
important decision. Having consulted the Holy Ghost, he
will listen with attention and childlike simplicity to the
answer whispered to his soul, and communicate it to his
penitent : “ As I hear, so I judge. And my judgment is
just. ” 1 In this wise, a director will in truth become the
instrument of the Holy Spirit — a joint instrument with
God — and his ministry will be fruitful.
This care to take counsel with the Most High will not hinder
the director from making use of all the means prudence will place
at his command to acquire a thorough knowledge of his penitent.
For this knowledge, he will not rely merely on the penitent’s
words; he will study his conduct, and without subscribing to all
his judgments, will weigh these in accordance with the rules of
prudence.

550.c) Let prudence guide the spiritual director not
only in giving counsel, but in all matters connected
with the practice of direction. l) He should devote no
more time than is necessary to this duty of his ministry,
important as it is. He should hold no protracted conver­
sations, nor indulge in idle talk, nor ask indiscreet questions.
He should limit himself to what is of real profit to souls.
Brief advice to the point, the clear exposition of one of the
means of perfection, will well occupy a penitent for a
fortnight or a month. More, the director will strive so to
lead souls that before long they may be, not indeed self1 Iohn, V, 30.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

267

sufficient, but may rest satisfied with briefer spiritual
direction, and be able to resolve their ordinary problems
by means of the general principles imparted to them.
2) Although the spiritual direction of youths and men can be carried
on anywhere, that of women demands greater reserve. Ordinarily, it
should be given only in the confessional, and this briefly, without
allowing them to go into useless details. We belong to all ; time is
limited and should not be wasted. We must, no doubt, be patient,
giving each soul all the required time, but bearing in mind the while
that there are other souls who also need our ministrations.
2) The Duties of Penitents

551. Penitents will see in their spiritual director the
person of Our Lord Himself. If it is true that all authority
comes from God, it is more so of the authority the priest
exercises over consciences in the confessional. The power
of binding and loosing, of opening and closing the gates of
Heaven, of guiding souls in the paths of perfection, is a
divine power and cannot reside outside of him who is the
lawful representative, the ambassador of Christ. “ For
Christs therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were
exhorting by us. ” 1 This is the principle from which all
duties toward a spiritual director flow — respect, trust,
docility.
552. A) The director must be respected as the represen­
tative of God, clothed as he is with God’s authority in what
regards our most intimate and most sacred relations with
God. Hence, if he has his shortcomings, let us not dwell
on them, but simply regard his authority and his mission.
A penitent will thus carefully avoid any criticism whereby
the filial respect due his director is lost or lessened. He
should likewise avoid excessive familiarity, hardly com­
patible with true respect. This respect will be tempered by
an affection that is frank and genuine, but full of reverence,
an affection of a child for his father, an affection that
excludes the desire of being singularly loved, and the petty
jealousies issuing from such desire. “In a word, this
friendship should be strong and sweet, holy, all sacred,
wholly divine and entirely spiritual. ” 2

553. B) A second duty toward the spiritual director is
filial trust and perfect openness of heart. “ Open your heart
to him with all sincerity and fidelity, manifesting clearly
the state of your conscience without fiction or dissimulation ;
1 II Cor., V, 20.
St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to a Devout Life, Part. I, C. IV.

a

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by this means your good actions will be examined and
approved, and your evil ones corrected and remedied...
Place great confidence in him, but let it be united with a
holy reverence, so that the reverence may not diminish the
confidence, nor the confidence the reverence. ” 1 We are to
open our heart to him, then, with full confidence, making
known to him our temptations and our weaknesses, that he
may help us conquer the former and heal the latter; we
must submit to his approbation our desires and resolutions;
we must tell him of the good we strive to accomplish, that
he may help us to do even more ; of our good purposes that
he may examine them, and suggest the means of realizing
them ; in a word of whatever has a bearing on the spiritual
welfare of our soul. The better he knows us, the more will
he be able to counsel us wisely, to encourage, comfort and
fortify us, in such wise, that after taking leave of him, we
can repeat the words of the disciples at Emmaus : “ Was
not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke...? ” 2
554. There are persons who, though willing enough to be thus
perfectly open, through a sort of timidity or reserve do not know how
to make known their state of soul. Let them speak of this to their
spiritual director, who will help them with pertinent questions and, if
need be, have them read some book or other that will enable them to
come to a better knowledge of themselves and to analyze the state of
their souls. Once the ice is broken, such intimate communications
will be made with greater ease.
Others there are who, on the contrary, are liable to talk overmuch
and to turn spiritual direction into pious prattle. These must remem­
ber that a priest’s time is limited, that others wait their turn and may
grow impatient of delay. They should, therefore, set a limit and leave
less important matters for some future meeting.

555. C) Docility in listening to and carrying out of a
director’s advice must accompany this frankness. There is
nothing less supernatural than to wish him to enter into
our views, nothing more hurtful to the welfare of our soul,
for then it is not the will of God we seek, but our own, with
this aggravating circumstance, that we abuse a God-given
means in order to attain our selfish purposes. Our only
desire must be to know God’s will through the agency of
our spiritual director and not to extort his approval through
more or less clever devices. One may deceive a spiritual
director, but not Him Whom he represents.
Doubtless, it is our duty to make known to him our likes
and our dislikes, and if we foresee serious difficulties in
1 St. Francis de Sales, I ntroduction. to a Devout Life, P. I, C. IV.
3 Luke, XXIV, 32.

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carrying out his advice, we must candidly mention them to
him. Once this has been done, we must submit to his
decision, or if we think it unwise, seek another director.
Strictly speaking, oui' spiritual director may be mistaken,
but we make no mistake in obeying him, except, of course,
were he to give counsel opposed to faith or morals.1
556. D) Only a grave reason and mature reflection
should determine us to seek another spiritual guide. There
should be in direction a certain continuity that cannot exist
if changes be frequently made.
a) Some persons tired of listening to the same counsels, especially
if these bear upon things disagreeable to nature, or led through
curiosity, change confessors in order to see what the attitude of another
will be. Others do the same through inconstancy, finding it impossible
to hold for any length of time to the same practices. Others are
inspired by vanity, wishing to go to one who enjoys a greater reputa­
tion, or who is more in vogue, or to one who will probably flatter them.
Some change through a kind of restlessness that causes them to be
ever dissatisfied with what they have and to dream of an imaginary
perfection. Again, some do so, through an ill-regulated desire of
opening their soul to different confessors, so as to engage their interest
or to be reassured. Lastly, some change through a false shame, to
hide from their regular confessor some humiliating weaknesses.
Evidently, these motives are not sufficient, and one must learn to
brush them aside, if one wishes to make consistent progress in the
spiritual life.

557. b) On the other hand, we must remember the
growing insistence wherewith the Church safeguards the
freedom individuals must enjoy in the choice of a confessor;
hence, if there be good reasons to have recourse to another,
one must not hesitate to do so. What are the chief reasons?
l) If in spite of all our efforts we cannot have towards our
director the respect, the confidence, and the openness abovementioned, even if there be little or no grounds for such
state of mind ; 2 for in such a case, we could derive no
profit from his counsels. 2) Should we have any grounded
fears that our director would deter us from perfection,
because of his too natural views, or because of a too strong
and too sentimental affection he has shown on some occa­
sions. 3) If we should detect in him a lack of the necessary
knowledge, prudence or discretion.
1 “ This obedience to our director is a stumbling-block to many of us. I cannot
think it would be so if we had a clear idea of it or, which is the same thing, an
unexaggerated idea of it... A spiritual director is not a monastic superior... The
superior's jurisdiction is universal, the director's only where we invite it or he asks
it and we accord it... If we disobey a superior, we sin; it would require very
peculiar and unusual circumstances to make disobedience to our director any sin at
all. ” Faber, Growth in Holiness^ C, XVIII.
3 P. Libermann, of. cit., p. 131.

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Such cases are rare, it is true; but should they occur, we
must remember that spiritual direction is productive of
good only if there exist between director and penitent real
co-operation and mutual trust.
§ II. A Rule of Life 1

558. A rule of life extends the influence of the director,
by imparting to the penitent principles and rules that will
enable the latter to sanctify all his acts through obedience,
and that will provide him with a norm of conduct at once
sound and safe. We shall explain : i° its utility ; 2° its
qualities ; 30 the manner of keeping it.
I. Utility of a Rule of Life
Useful even to laymen who seek holiness in the world,
a rule of life is of still greater importance to members of
religious communities and to priests in the ministry. It is
no less conducive to personal sanctification than to the
sanctification of the neighbor.
559. i° Its utility as a means of personal sancti­
fication. In order to sanctify ourselves we must make good
use of our time, supernaturalise our acts, and follow a certain
program of perfection. Now, a rule of life wisely made
with the help of our spiritual director secures for us this
threefold advantage.
A) It enables us to make a better use of our time. Let us
actually compare the life of a person that follows a rule
with that of another that does not.
a) He that lives without a rule inevitably wastes a great
deal of time : i) He hesitates as to what is the best thing
to do. Time is spent in deliberation, in weighing the
reasons for and against, and, as in many cases there are
no decisive reasons on either side, he is liable to remain
inactive; then, natural inclinations gain the upper hand
and he runs the risk of being led by curiosity, pleasure or
vanity. 2) He neglects a certain number of duties, for
having neither foreseen nor determined the acceptable time
and place for their fulfilment, he no longer finds time to
perform them all. 3) These negligences engender incon­
stancy. At times he makes vigorous efforts to steady himself,
1 St. Francis de Sales, Introd, to A Devout Life, Part. I, C. Ill; Part III,
C. XI; Tronson, Manuel du Séminariste;ÏD., Traité de l'obéissance, IIIe Partie;
RI BET, L'Ascétique, ch. XLI ; Keating, The Priest, His Character and Work,
P. 1, C. II; The secret of Sanctity, C. I.

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while at other times he surrenders to his native indolence,
and this, just because he has no fixed rule that would act
as a corrective to the fickleness of his nature.
660. b) The man who holds to a well-defined rule
of life saves considerable time : i) He wastes no time in
hesitation. He knows exactly what he is to do, and when
he is to do it. Even if his schedule is not mathematically
detailed, at least it sets off time-periods and lays down
principles with regard to religious exercises, recreation,
work, etc... 2) There is little or nothing unforeseen, for
even should the unusual occur, he has already provided
for it by determining beforehand exercises that may be
shortened and the manner of making up for them. At all
events, as soon as these exceptional circumstances cease
to exist, he immediately comes back to his rule. 3) Incon­
stancy likewise vanishes. The rule urges him to do always
what is prescribed, and that every day and at every hour of
the day. Thus, habits are formed that, give continuity to
his life and assure his perseverance; his days are full days,
teeming with good works and merit.
561. B) A rule of life enables us to supernaturalize all
our actions, a) They are performed through obedience,
and this virtue adds its own special merit to that which
is proper to every virtuous act. It is in this sense that
the saying obtains, that he who lives by rule lives unto
God;since it means the constant fulfilment of His holy will.
Faithfulness to a rule has, besides, a decided educative value.
Instead of caprice and disorder that run rampant in an illordered life, duty and strength of will prevail, and as a
consequence, order and system. The will submits to God,
and our inferior faculties yield their obedience to the will.
This is a gradual return to the state of original justice.
b) With a rule of life, it is easy to infuse supernatural
motives into all our actions. The mere fact of conquering
our tastes and whims puts order into our life and directs
our actions towards God. Moreover, a good rule provides
for a brief thought of God before every action of any
importance, and for the forming of a supernatural intention.
Thus each and every one of our actions is explicitly sancti­
fied and becomes an act of love. What a great measure of
merit can be thus gained each day!
562. C) A rule gives us a program of sanctification.
a) What we have described already constitutes such a
program, and by following it, we march on to perfection; it

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is none other than the highway of conformity to the Divine
Will so extolled by God’s Saints (n. 493-498).
b) Moreover, no rule of life is complete that does not
single out the virtues best adapted to the individual
penitent’s condition in life and to his state of soul. Of
course, this program will be subject now and then to change
by reason of new needs that arise, but all this will be done
in agreement with the spiritual director.
563. 2° A rule of life cannot but promote the sanctifi­
cation of the neighbor. To sanctify others, we must join
prayer to action, make good use of the time devoted to works
of zeal, and give good example. This is exactly what is
done by the man who is faithful to his rule.
A) In his well-regulated life he finds the practical means
of combining prayer with action. Convinced that the soul
of zeal is an interior life, he takes care that his rule devotes
a certain portion of time to prayer, Holy Mass, thanksgiv­
ing, and all other exercises indispensable as spiritual food
to the soul (n. 523).
This does not prevent him from devoting a good measure
of his time to works of zeal. Having learned how to make
a wise distribution of time (n. 560), he knows how to spare
it whilst doing all things in an orderly and methodical
manner. Fixed hours are devoted to the divers kinds of
parochial work, like confessions and the administration of
the Sacraments. The faithful, once they know these arrange­
ments, readily abide by them, happy to know just when
they may call on the priest in their various needs.

564. B) Furthermore, the faithful are edified by the
example of punctuality and regularity which they observe in
the priest. They cannot help thinking and repeating that he
is a man of duty, ever faithful to the rules laid down by eccle­
siastical authorities. When they listen to him urge from
the pulpit or in the confessional obedience to the laws of
God and of the Church, they feel drawn more by the force
of his example than by his words, and they become in turn
more faithful in their observance of the Commandments.
A priest that lives up to his rule sanctifies in this manner
both himself and the neighbor. This is true also of those
of the laity λνΐιο devote themselves to works of zeal.
II. Qualities of a Rule of Life
That a rule be productive of these happy results, it must
be devised with the help of our spiritual director; it must

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273

be at once flexible and firm; it must grade one's duties
according to their relative importance.
565. i° It must be devised with the help of our spiritual
director. Prudence and obedience require this : a) prudence,
because to draw up a practical rule of life, great discretion
and experience are needed in order to see not only what
may be good in itself, but also what is good for this parti­
cular individual; what is advisable in his case, what is
beyond his strength, what is timely and what is not, consi­
dering his circumstances. Few, indeed, are those that can
unaided settle all these things wisely, b) Besides, one of
the advantages of a rule of life is to give us occasions to
practice the virtue of obedience. This would never be the
case if we were its sole framers and did not submit it to a
lawful authority.
566. 2° The rule must be firm enough to sustain the
will, yet elastic enough to be adaptable to the various
circumstances arising in real life, which not unfrequently
foil our calculations.
a) It will have the necessary firmness if it embodies all
that is needed to fix, at least in principle, the time and the
manner of performing our spiritual exercises, of fulfilling
our duties of state, and of practicing the virtues proper to
our condition in life.
567. b) It will possess the required elasticity if, once these
points have been determined, it leaves a certain freedom of
action as to changes of time, substitution of practices not
essential in themselves by their equivalents, and if it
makes allowance even for the shortening of exercises at the
demand of charity or of some other duty, the more so if
the religious exercises be completed at some later time.
This elasticity should especially apply, according to the wise remark .
of Saint John Eudes,1 to forms of prayer and the manner of offering
our actions to God : “ I beg you to notice that the practice of all
practices, the secret of secrets, the devotion of devotions, is not to
attach oneself exclusively to any one particular practice or exercise of
devotion. Take care, on the contrary, in all your exercises and all
your actions to give yourself up to the Holy Spirit of Jesus with
humility, confidence, and detachment from all things, so that, finding
you detached from your own spirit and from your own devotion and
dispositions He may have full power and liberty to act in you as He
desires, to inspire you with such dispositions and sentiments of devo­
tion as He shall judge well, and to lead you by the ways which are
pleasing to Him. ”
■ The Reign of Jesus, p. 148.

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568. 3° The rule must give each duty its own relative
importance for there is a hierarchy in our duties : a) God
must evidently hold the first place ; then come the welfare
of our soul and the sanctification of the neighbor. Assured­
ly there is no real conflict between these duties; on the
contrary they will, if we desire it, blend most harmoniously ;
for to glorify God means simply to know and love Him.
But to know and to love God is to sanctify oneself, and
also to sanctify others by making them know and love Him.
If, however, one should devote his entire time to works of
zeal to the detriment of the great duty of prayer, he would
evidently be neglecting the most efficacious means of zeal.
It is likewise evident that should any one neglect his
personal sanctification, he would very soon be lacking in
genuine zeal for that of others. So, if we are careful first
to give to God the portion of time that should be conse­
crated to Him and to reserve the necessary time for our
essential spiritual exercises, the means of working out oui’
own sanctification, then our works of zeal will most assured­
ly bear abundant fruit. Therefore, the first and the last
moments of the day should be devoted to God and to our soul.
Then we can safely give ourselves to works of zeal, stopping
however from time to time to raise our mind and heart to
God. Our whole life will thus be divided between prayer
and works of zeal.
b) However, in urgent circumstances we must be guided
by another principle : that the more necessary comes first.
A case in point would be that of an urgent sick call ; a priest
leaves all else to attend to this. Still, while on the way he
should strive to occupy his mind with holy thoughts, which
will take the place of whatever spiritual exercise was then
to be performed.
III. The Manner of Keeping a Rztle of Life
569. That a rule be sanctifying, it must be observed
entirely and in a Christian manner.
i° It must be observed in its entirety, that is to say,
fully, in all its parts, and with punctuality. If we pick and
choose among the various points of our rule, and this
without reasonable cause, we shall carry out those that cost
us less and omit those that are more difficult. We should
thus lose the chief advantages to be derived from the exact
observance of a rule, for even in the points we should
observe, we would be in danger of acting from caprice or
self-will. The rule, then, must be kept in its totality and

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275

to the letter, as far as possible. If for some grave reason
this cannot be done, we must abide by the spirit of the rme
and do all, that is, morally speaking, within our power.
570. There are two faults to be avoided here : scrupulosity and
laxity, i) Let there be no scruples. As long as there is a serious reason
to dispense with a given point of the rule, to postpone it or to substi­
tute an equivalent for it, let it be done without misgivings. Thus an
urgent duty, a sick-call for instance, is sufficient to dispense from the
visit to the Blessed Sacrament, should no time be left for it; one may
easily supply for it by communing with Our Eucharistic Lord on the
way. The same may be said of a mother’s care of her children ; it
dispenses her from her regular communion, when it is impossible to
harmonize this with the other duty. Spiritual communion, in that case,
can take the place of sacramental communion.
2) Neither let there be laxity. A lack of mortification, the mere
desire to prolong conversations without necessity, curiosity, etc., are
not adequate reasons for deferring the performance of a given exercise,
at the risk of omitting it altogether. Likewise, if the accomplishment
of certain duties in the usual manner becomes impossible, we must
strive to comply therewith in another way. Thus a priest who is
obliged to take the Holy Viaticum during his time of meditation,
will try to turn the fulfilment of this duty into an affective prayer,
by offering his homages to the God of the Eucharist Who rests
upon his heart.

571.Punctuality is an integral part of the observance
of a rule of life. Not to begin an exercise at the prescribed
moment, and that without a reason, already constitutes an
act of resistance to grace, which admits of no delays; it is
to run the risk of omitting or at least shortening this
exercise from lack of time. If it is question of some public
exercise of the ministry, a delay often means considerable
inconvenience to the faithful; on the part of a teacher lack
of punctuality sets before the students a bad example which
they are but too prone to follow.
572. 20 The rule must be observed in a Christian
manner, that is to say, with supernatural motives, in order
to do the will of God, and thus give Him the most genuine
proof of our love. This singleness of purpose is the soul of
a rule; it gives to each of our actions its true worth, by
transforming them all into acts of obedience and love. In
order to practice this singleness of purpose, we must reflect
a moment before acting, ask ourselves what our rule
demands of us at the time, and then regulate our conduct
t hereby with the view of pleasing God : “ I do always the
things that please Him. ” Thus the keeping of a rule will
enable us to live constantly for God : “ He who lives by rule,
lives unto God. ”

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CHAPTER V.

§ III. Spiritual Readings and Conferences1

573. Readings or conferences complete the spiritual
rection of souls. A spiritual book is in reality a written
rection. An exhortation is oral direction addressed to
veral. We shall explain : i° their utility ; 2° the disposi­
ons requisite to profit by them.
I. The Utility of Spiritual Readings
and Spiritual Conferences
574. A) The Reading of Holy Scripture, especially of
ie New Testament, evidently holds the first place. 2
a) Truly pious souls take their delight in the Gospels.
) Therein they find Our Lord’s teachings and examples.
iothing schools them better to a solid piety ; nothing draws
lem more powerfully to the imitation of the Divine Model.
Should we ever have understood the meaning of humility, of
ieekness, of the bearing of injuries, of virginal chastity, of fraternal
rarity unto the immolation of self, had we not read and pondered the
cample as well as the instructions of the Master concerning these
irtues? True, pagan philosophers, especially the Stoics, had written
eautiful pages upon some of these; yet how great is the contrast
etween their literary disquisitions and the persuasive call of the
laster? Theirs, we feel, is the art of the rhetorician, and often the
ride of the moralist, exalting himself above the masses : “ I loathe and
kun the common herd. ” In Our Lord we behold perfect simplicity as
le shrinks not from the lowly multitude, a perfect sincerity as He
radices what He preaches and seeks not His personal glory, but the
lory of Him that sent Him.
2) For devout souls, moreover, each utterance, each act of the
daster holds a special grace that facilitates the practice of the virtues
hey set before us. In reading the Gospels, such souls worship the
divine Word ; and they beg Him to enlighten them to make them
inderstand, relish, and live His teachings. This sort of reading is a
neditation, a loving conversation with Jesus, and souls emerge from
t determined more than ever to follow Him Who is the object of their
idmiration and their love.
b) The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles likewise supply food
br our piety. They are the teachings of Jesus lived by His disciples,
explained, commented upon, and adapted to the needs of the faithful
jy those to whose care He entrusted the perpetuation of His work.
1'here is nothing more tender or more stimulating than this first
commentary on the Gospel.
1 St. Bonaventure. De modo studendi in S. Scriptura ; Mabillon, Des itudes
monastiques, IIe Part., ch. II, III, XVI; Le Gaudier, op. cit., P. V, sect. I;
Tronson, Manuel. IIe Part., Ent. I, XV, XVI; Ribet, Ascétique, ch. XLIV;
D. Columba Marmion, Le Christ idéal du moine, p. 519-524; St. Francis
de Sales, Introd, to a Devout Life, p. 11. C. 17; Faber, Spiritual Conferences,
A Taste for Reading; HEDLEY, Retreat, c. XXX; A. BARRY-O'NEILL, Priestly
Practice,'VI. — 2 The Following of Christ, Book I, c. V.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

277

575. e) In The Old Testament : i) There are parts that should be
in the hands of every one. Such are the Psalms. “ The Psalter,n
says Lacordaire,1 “was our forefathers’manual of piety; it was found
on the table of the poor and it lay on the kneeling-bench of kings.
Today, it is still in the hands of the priest a treasure whence he draws
the inspiration that leads him to the altar, the Ark of Refuge wherewith
he-ventures into the perils of the world and into the desert land of medi­
tation. ” It is the most excellent of Prayer-books wherein we find in
a language that always lives and never grows old, the most beautiful
expressions of admiration, adoration, filial reverence, gratitude and
love, together with the most ardent supplications, midst situations the
most varied and trying : the appeals of the just to God when harassed
by persecution, the bitter cry of the repentant sinner from a broken
and humbled heart ; the note of hope for a merciful pardon and the
promises of a better life. To read and reread them, to ponder them
and to make their sentiments our own is surely a highly sanctifying
occupation.*
3
2) The Sapiential Books may likewise be read with profit by pious
souls. They will find therein besides the urgent calls of Uncreated
Wisdom to a worthier life the exposition of the great virtues we are to
practice in our relations to God, the neighbor, and ourselves.
3) As for the Historical and Prophetical Books, to read them to
advantage a certain preparation is required. We must see in them
above all God’s providential action over the chosen people in order to
keep them from falling into idolatry and to recall them again and
again, despite their estrangement, to the worship of the true God, to
the hope of a Deliverer, to the practice of justice, of equity, of charity,
especially towards the poor and the oppressed. Having been thus
initiated, we find in these books most inspiring pages. If the weak­
nesses of the servants of God are therein recorded together with their
good works, it is to remind us of the frailty of human nature and of
God’s tvonderful mercy, so full of forgiveness to penitent sinners.

576. B) Spiritual writers, if we choose the best,
especially from among the Saints, are for us masters and
mentors.
a) They are masters, who having learned and lived the
science of the Saints, can impart to us an understanding
of and a taste for the principles and the rules of perfection.
They strengthen in us the conviction of our obligation to
aim at sanctity; they point out to us the means to be
employed, showing the effectiveness of these in their own
lives ; they exhort, encourage, and induce us to follow in
their footsteps.
They are all the more helpful, since they are ever
available. With the help of our spiritual director we can
choose those best suited to our state of soul and hold
1 Letters to Young Men, 2nd Letter.
3 Numerous commentaries facilitate the understanding of the Psalms. Among
the most recentare those of Boylan, C. Fillion, Barry and Hugueny, O. P..
whose object is to give both the literal and spiritual sense in view of the devout
recitation of the Divine Office.

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converse with them as long as we will. We find excellent
ones among them, adapted to the different states of soul
and answering the needs of the moment. Our chief
concern is to make a good choice and to read them with
the earnest desire of profiting by them.
577. b) They are likewise most benevolent mentors who
reveal to us our defects with great discretion and kindness.
They do this by placing before us the ideal we are to follow,
enabling us by the light of this spiritual mirror to recognize
our good qualities and our defects, the stages we have
reached and those we have yet to traverse in the pursuit of
perfection. Thus we are easily led to self-examination and
to generous resolutions.
No wonder, then, that the reading of spiritual books and
of the lives of the Saints has brought about conversions
such as those of Augustine and Ignatius Loyola, and led to
the highest degrees of perfection souls that would have
otherwise never risen above mediocrity.

578. C) Spiritual Conferences have a double advan­
tage over the reading of spiritual books, a) Designed as
they are for a special class of persons, they are better
adapted to their peculiar needs, b) The appeal of the spoken
word is stronger and, all things being equal, its power is
greater than that of the writter word, better calculated to
carry conviction to souls : the eye, the living voice, the
gesture, bring out the import of the thought expressed.
But that this be so, the speaker has to drink at the purest
sources, be deeply convinced of what he says and beg God
Almighty to bless and vivify his words. His hearers,
likewise, must be possessed of the right dispositions.
II. Requisite Dispositions in order to Profit
by Spiritual Readings and Conferences 1
579. The real purpose of spiritual reading is to sustain
in us the spirit of prayer. It is one of the forms of medi­
tation, one of the ways of holding converse with God, with
the writer or the speaker as interpreter.

580. i° To draw real profit from these readings and
conferences a great spirit of faith is required, making us
see God Himself in the writer or speaker : “ God as it were
exhorting by us. ”2 This will be easy if the author or
1 J. GAUDERON, La Lecture Spirituelle' d'après les principes de S. Jean Eudes,
Vie spirit., juin 1921, p. 185-202. — 3 II Cor., V, 20.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

279

preacher is himself imbued with the teachings of the Gospel
and can say in all truth that his doctrine is not his own, but
that of Jesus Christ : “ My doctrine is not mine, but his that
sent me. ” 1
Let the pious reader or the devout hearer offer up to God
a fervent prayer asking Our Lord to vouchsafe to speak to
his heart through the Holy Ghost. Let him, moreover, be
on his guard against curiosity, which seeks to learn novel­
ties rather than to profit spiritually. He must beware of
vanity, which prompts one to seek acquaintance with things
spiritual in order to be able to speak about them and thus
gain a reputation. He must beware of censoriousness, which
prompts one to listen or read, not in order to gain profit,
but to criticise the matter or the literary form of the
discourses. His sole purpose must be his spiritual gain.
581. 2° A second requisite is a sincere desire to
sanctify oneself. The fact is that we derive advantage
from such readings and conferences in the measure in which
we seek therein our own sanctification. Hence we must :
a) hunger and thirst for perfection, listening or reading
with an alert mind that yearns after the word of God ;
a mind that applies to itself, not to others, what it reads or
hears, the better to assimilate it and carry it out in practice.
We then find abundant food for the soul whatever may be
the subject treated, for all things hold together in the spi­
ritual life. What applies directly to beginners can be easily
adapted to the more advanced; what is said for the latter
constitutes the ideal of the former, and what has a bearing
on the future enables us to form resolutions in the present,
thus preparing ourselves for the duties that will fall to us
later on. Thus victory over future temptations is prepared
by the vigilance we exercise here and now. We can always
draw profit in the present from whatever we hear or read,
especially, if we hearken to the inward voice that speaks to
our inmost soul, if we have ears to hear : “ I will hear what
the Lord God will speak in me. ” 2

582. b) This is the reason why we should read slowly,
as St. John Eudes advises : 3 “ Stop to consider, ponder, and
relish the truths that make the greater appeal to you, in
order to fix them in your mind, therefrom to elicit acts and
affections. ” When this is realized, spiritual reading and
conferences become a prayer; little by little the thoughts
1 John, VII, i6. — » Ps. LXXXIV, 9. — * The Reign ofJesus, P. II, § XV.

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and sentiments we either read or hear penetrate the soul,
and we form the desire and pray for the grace of putting
them into practice.
583. 3° A third requirement is the earnest effort to begin
to practice what is read or heard. This was St. Paul’s
recommendation to his readers : “ Not the hearers of the
law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be
justified.” 1 St. Paul but comments here on the words of
the Master Who in the parable of the Sower declares that
they profit by the word of God “ who in a good and perfect
heart hearing the word, keep it and bring forth fruit in
patience. ” 2
We should, then, imitate St. Ephrem, of whom it is said :
“ He reproduced in his life what he had read in the sacred
pages. ’’ 3 Light is given to us for action, and our first act
should be an effort to live according to the instruction
received : “ Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only. ” 4
§ IV. The Sanctification of Our Social Relations

584. Thus far we have spoken of the soul’s relations
with God, under the guidance of a spiritual director. It is
clear, however, that our relations extend to many other
persons as well, to our relatives, to our friends, and to those
with whom we come in contact by reason of our position in
life and of the share we take in works of zeal. All these
relations can and should be sanctified and thus contribute to
strengthen our spiritual life. In order to facilitate the
sanctification of these relations, we shall explain the general
principles that should govern them and we shall point out
some of the principal applications.
I. General Principles
585. i° In God’s initial plan, creatures were designed
to raise us up to God by reminding us that He is the Author
and the Exemplary Cause of all things. Since the Fall,
however, creatures so attract us that if we are not on our
guard they will turn us away from God, or at least retard
our progress towards Him. We must then react against
this tendency, and by the spirit of faith and of sacrifice
make use of persons and things as means to reach God.

586. 2° Among the relations we have with others,
there are those that are willed by God, such as those born
1 Rom., II, 13. — a Luc., VIII, 15. — 3 Ennodius, in ejus Tita. — * James, I, 22,

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

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of family-ties or imposed by our duties of state. These
relations must be maintained and supernaturalized. One is
not relieved from duties imposed by the natural law because
one aspires to perfection ; on the contrary, one is thereby
obliged to fulfil them in a more perfect manner. These
relations must, however, be supernaturalized by being
directed toward our last end, God. The best way to
accomplish this is to look upon those with whom we come
in contact as the children of God, our brethren in Christ,
respecting and loving them because they possess qualities
which are the reflection of the divine perfections, and
because they are destined to share in God’s life and in His
glory. In this way, it is God Whom we esteem and love
in them.
587. 3° There are, on the other hand, relations which
are dangerous or bad, which tend to lead us into sin either
by stirring up within us the spirit of the world or by creat­
ing in us an inordinate attachment to creatures by reason
of the sensible or sensuous pleasure we find in their
company. It is our duty to flee from such occasions as far
as we can, and, if it be impossible to avoid them, it is
incumbent upon us to remove them morally (to make the
danger remote) by fortifying our will against the disordered
attachment to such persons. To act otherwise is to hazard
our sanctification and our salvation, for “ he that loveth
danger, shall perish in it. ” 1 The greater our desire for
perfection, the more must we flee from dangerous occasions,
as we shall explain later when speaking of faith, charity,
and the other virtues.

588. 4° Lastly, there are relations which in themselves
are neither good nor bad. They are merely indifferent.
Such are visits, conversations, recreations. These may by
reason of circumstance and motive be rendered useful or
harmful. A soul striving after perfection will by purity of
intention and by a spirit of moderation turn all such relations
into good. First of all, we must seek those only which are
truly conducive to the glory of God, the \velfare of souls, or
to the relaxation which health of body and mind requires.
Then, in the enjoyment of these we must exercise prudence
and reserve, and thus conform all our relations to the order
willed by God. Hence, we must not indulge in long, idle
conversations which constitute a loss of time and an occasion
of fostering pride and lessening brotherly love, nor must we
1 Eccli., Ill, 27.

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give ourselves to protracted and violent amusements that
fatigue the body and depress the spirit.1 In short, let us
ever keep before us the standard laid down by St. Paul :
“ All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the
Father by Him. ” 12

II. Sanctification of Family-Relations
589. Nature is not destroyed, but perfected by grace.
Family ties are God-given. He has willed that men
increase and multiply through the sanctioned and indisso­
luble union of man and woman and that this bond be
further strengthened by their offspring. Hence, the most
intimate and most tender relations between husband and
wife, parent and child. These the sacramental grace of
marriage helps to supernaturalize.
i°

The Christian Conception of the Relations
Husband and Wife 3

between

590. By His presence at the marriage-feast of Cana,
and by raising Christian wedlock to the dignity of a
Sacrament, Our Lord taught husband and wife that their
union can be sanctified, and He merited for them that
grace.
A) Before marriage, a truly Christian love, a tender and
ardent love, pure and supernatural, has made their hearts
one, and prepared them to bear bravely the heavy burdens
of parenthood. The flesh and the devil will no doubt
attempt to inject into this love a sensual element that might
threaten virtue. However, the betrothed sustained by the
reception of the Sacraments, learn to control such influences
and to supernaturalize their mutual affection by realizing
that every worthy sentiment comes from God and should
be referred to Him;
591. B) The sacramental grace of marriage, whilst
uniting their hearts in an indissoluble bond, refines and
purifies their love. They will ever keep in mind the words
of St. Paul admonishing them that their union is the image
of the mysterious union between Christ and His Church.
1 Concerning the sanctification of visits, conversations, recreations, journeys,
Tronson, Particular Exam. LXXV1II-XC.
2 Coloss., Ill, 17.
3 St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, Part. Ill, C. XXXVIII, XXXIX;
Gerrard, Marriage and Parenthood ; D’HULST-CONWAY, The Christian Family,
Kane S. J., The Plain Gold Ring.
cf.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

283

“ Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord :
because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the
head of the Church. He is the savior of his body. There­
fore as the Church is subject to Christ : so also let the wives
be to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your
wives, as Christ also loved the Church and delivered
himself up for it : that He might sanctify it, cleansing it by
the laver of water in the word of life : that He might present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle,
or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without
blemish. So also ought men to love their wives as their
own bodies... Nevertheless let everyone of you in particu­
lar love his wife as himself : and let the wife fear her
husband. ” 1 Hence, there should be between husband and
wife a mutual respect and a mutual love that reproduce as
far as possible the love of Christ for the Church. The wife
must render obedience to the husband in all things lawful.
The husband is bound to cherish and protect the wife.
These are the duties outlined by the Apostle for the
Christian husband and wife.
592. C) When- God blesses them with children, they
receive these as a sacred trust from His hand, loving them
not merely as their own offspring, but as children of God,
Christ's members, heirs-to-be of eternal glory. They ever
surround them with their devoted care and solicitude. They
give them a Christian education, intent upon forming in
them the very virtues of Christ. With this aim in view,
they exercise the authority committed to them by God,
with tact, thoughtfulness, strength and meekness. They do
not lose sight of the fact that they are God’s representa­
tives, and they avoid that weakness which would spoil their
children, that selfishness which would delight in children as
in so many playthings and fail to inure them to labor and
virtue. With God’s help and the aid of carefully chosen
teachers, they will help them to grow to the fulness of
Christian manhood, thus exercising a sort of priesthood
within the sacred precincts of the home. Thus, they will
be counted worthy of the blessing of God Almighty and of
the gratitude of their offspring.
2° Duties

of

Children towards Their Parents

593. A) The grace that hallows the relations of Christian
parents perfects, likewise, and supernaturalizes the duties of
• Ephes., N, 22-33.

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respect, love and obedience which children must render
to them.
a) That grace makes us see in our parents the representa­
tives of God and His authority.· To them, under Him, we
owe our life, its preservation, its guidance. Our respect for
them, therefore, reaches veneration. We revere in them
their participation in the Fatherhood of God, “ of whom
all paternity in heaven and earth is named. ”1 In them
we pay homage to His authority, to His perfections, to
God Himself.
b) Their attachment, their kindness, their solicitude are
for us a reflection of the divine goodness, and our filial love
in turn grows in intensity, rising to such perfect devotedness,
that we are ready to sacrifice ourselves in their behalf and,
if need be, lay down our lives to save them. Hence, we
give them, to the full extent of our resources, all the tem­
poral and spiritual assistance they need.
C) Seeing in them the representatives of the divine
authority, we do not hesitate to render them obedience in all
things, following the example of Our Lord, Who during
thirty years of His life on earth was subject to Mary and to
Joseph. 2 This obedience knows no other bounds than
those set by God Himself : we must obey God rather than
men, and hence, in what regards our soul and particularly
in what pertains to our vocation, we must rather follow the
advice of our confessor, after acquainting him with home
conditions. In this again we but follow Our Lord’s example,
Who, to His Mother’s question of why He had remained in
Jerusalem, made answer : “ Did you not know that I must be
abozit my Father's business?" 3 Thus the rights and duties
of each are safeguarded.

594. B) By entering the ranks of the clergy we quit the
world and, in a sense, the family. This, in order to form
part of the great ecclesiastical family and to consecrate
ourselves henceforward, and before all else, to the glory of
God, the good of souls and the welfare of the Church. The
interior sentiments of respect and love for our parents are
not suppressed ; rather they are refined. Their outward
expression, however, from now on is subordinated to our
duties of state. We must not, in order to please our
parents, do anything that would interfere with our ministry.
Our first duty is to busy ourselves with the things of God.
* Ephes., HI, 15. — = Luke, II, 51. — 3 Luke, II, 49.

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285

Hence, if their views, their words, their demands go counter
to the claims of our service to souls, we shall sweetly and
lovingly, yet firmly, make them understand that in what
relates to our duties of state we are dependent on God and
our ecclesiastical superiors.1 We shall continue, however,
to honor, to love, and to aid our parents to the full extent
compatible with the duties of our office. These principles
apply all the more to those who enter a religious order or
congregation. 1
2
III. Sanctification of Friendship
Friendship can become a means of sanctification or a
serious obstacle to perfection accordingly as it is superna­
tural or merely natural and sentimental in character. We
shall treat, then : i° of true friendship, 2° of false friendship,
3° of that friendship wherein there is an admixture of the
supernal and the sentimental.
i°

True Friendship 3

We shall explain its nature and its value.
595. A) Its Nature, a) Friendship being an interchange,
a mutual communication between two persons, it receives
its character chiefly from the variety of the communications
themselves and from the diversity of the things communi­
cated. This is very well explained by St. Francis de Sales : 4
“ The more exquisite the virtues are, which shall be the
matter of your communications, the more perfect shall your
friendship also be.
If this communication be in the
sciences, the friendship is very commendable ; but still more
so, if it be in the moral virtues : in prudence, discretion,
fortitude and justice. But should your reciprocal commu­
nications relate to charity, devotion and Christian perfection,
good God, how precious will this friendship be! It will be
excellent, because it comes from God ; excellent, because it
tends to God ; excellent, because its very bond is God ;
excellent, because it shall last eternally in God. Oh how
good it is to love on earth as they love in heaven ; to learn
to cherish each other in this world, as we shall do eternally
in the next?”
1 A. Chevrier, Le Véritable Disciple, 1922, p. 101-112.
2 Rodriguez, Practice of Christian Perfection, P. II, Treatise V.
3 St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, Part. Ill, C. 17-22; Ribet, Ascétique,
ch. XLIII, p. 437-441, 448-451; Ad. a Denderwindeke, Comp. Theol. asceticœ,
n. 437-439; Rouzic, De Γ Amitié; MARCETTEAU, The Young Seminarian's
Manual, p. 401-411.
« Devout Life, Part. Ill, C. 19.

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In general, then, true friendship is an intercourse between
two souls with the purpose of procuring each other’s good.
It stays within the limits of moral goodness if the good
mutually shared belongs to the natural order. Supernatural
friendship, however, stands on a far superior plane. It is
the intimate intercourse of two souls, who love each other
in God and for God with a view of aiding each other to
attain the perfection of that divine life which they possess.
The ultimate end of this friendship is God’s glory, the
proximate end their own spiritual progress, and the bond of
union between the two friends is Our Lord. This was the
thought of the Blessed Ethelred : “ We are two, you and I,
and I trust a third One is with us, Christ." Lacordaire
thus renders this thought : “ I can no longer love any one
without reaching the soul behind the heart and having
Jesus Christ as our common possession. ” 1

596. b) Thus, supernatural friendship instead of being
passionate, all-absorbing, exclusive after the manner of
sentimental friendship, is marked by calm reserve and
mutual trust. It is a calm, self-possessed affection precisely
because it is rooted in the love of God and shares in His
virtue. For the same reason it is unwavering; it grows,
unlike the love that is founded on passions and which tends
to grow cool. With it goes a prudent reserve. Instead of
seeking familiarities and endearments like sentimental
friendship, it is full of respect and reserve, for it seeks
nothing but spiritual good. This reserve does not exclude
confidence. Because there is mutual esteem and because
one sees in the other a reflection of the divine perfections,
there arises a strong mutual trust. This leads to an intimate
intercourse since each longs to share in the spiritual qua­
lities of the other, thus establishing an exchange of thoughts,
of views, and a communication of holy desires for perfection.
Because such friends desire each other’s perfection they do
not fear to point out their respective defects and to offer
mutual help for their correction. This mutual confidence
excludes all suspicion and Uneasiness and does not allow the
friendship to become all-absorbing or exclusive. One does
not take it amiss that one’s friend should have other friends,
but one is rather glad of it for his sake and the sake of others.
597. B) The value of such friendship is evident, a) It
has been praised by the Holy Ghost : “ A faithful friend is
a strong defence : and he that hath found him hath found
’ P.

Chocarne, Vie de Lacordaire, t. II, ch. XV.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

287

a treasure... A faithful friend is the medicine of life and
immortality. ” 1 Our Lord Himself has given us an example
in His friendship for St.John, who was known as “ the
disciple whom Jesus loved.”2 St. Paul had friends to
whom he was deeply attached ; he sorrowed at their absence;
meeting them again was his sweetest consolation; and he
was comfortless because, contrary to his expectation, he
failed to find Titus : “ Because I found not Titus my
brother." 3 He rejoiced upon finding him again : “ God
comforted us by the coming of Titus... we did the more
abundantly rejoice for the joy of Titus. ” 4 We see also the
affection he had for Timothy, whose very presence did him
so much good and helped him to do good unto others.
Thus he called him his “ fellow laborer, ” 5 his “ dearest
son,”*56 his “brother, ”7 his “beloved son.”8 Christian
antiquity, likewise, furnishes us with illustrious examples,
among which one of the best known is that of St. Basil and
St. Gregory Nazianzen.9
598. b) True friendship has three important advan­
tages, especially for the priest in the ministry.
1) A friend is a protection for virtue, a strong defence
We must needs open our hearts to an intimate confidant.
At times our spiritual director answers the purpose, but not
always; his friendship,paternal in nature, is not the fraternal
intimacy we crave. We need an equal to whom we can
speak with perfect freedom. If we do not find such a one,
we are liable to be betrayed into indiscreet disclosures to
persons unworthy of our trust, and such confidences have
their dangers for those who make and for those who
receive them.
2) A friend is also a sympathetic counsellor to whom we
willingly bring our doubts and offer our difficulties in order
that he may help us to reach a solution. He is likewise a
mentor, prudent and devoted, who observing our ways and
aware of what is said of us, will tell us the truth and save
us from many an act of imprudence.
3) Lastly, a friend is a comforter who will listen with
sympathy to the story of our sorrows, and who will find in
his heart words of comfort and encouragement.
599. The question has been asked whether or not such
friendships should be encouraged in communities. It may
' Eccles.y\, 14-16. —o John, XIII, 23. —3 II Cor., II, 13. — « // Cor., VII, 6, 13.
Eom., XVI, 21. — 6 I Cor., IV, 17. — τ II Cor., I, 1. — 8 I Tim., 1, 2.
9 St. Francis de Sales, loc. cit., c. 19, refers to many others.

5

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be feared that they will be detrimental to the affection
which should unite all the members and that they will be
the cause of jealousies. Assuredly, care must be taken
that such friendships do not interfere with the charity due
to all, that they be supernatural and be kept within the
limits set by Superiors. With these provisions, friendship
retains in communities all the advantages described above,
since religious as well as others need the counsel, comfort
and protection that a friend alone can give. However, in
communities more than elsewhere, all that savors of false
friendship must be avoided with jealous care.
2° False Friendship

We shall speak of its nature and dangers, and of the
remedies to be applied.
600. A) Its Nature, a) False friendship has for its
foundation external or shallow qualities, and for its purpose
the enjoyment of the sight and charms of its object. Hence,
fundamentally it is but a sort of masked egotism, since one
loves the other because of the pleasure he finds in his
company. Undoubtedly, he is ready to be of service to
him, but this again in view of the pleasure he experiences
in drawing the other closer to himself.
b) St. Francis de Sales distinguishes three types of false
friendships : carnal friendship in which one seeks voluptuous
pleasure ; sentimental friendship, based mainly on the appeal
outward qualities make to the emotions, “ such as the pleasure
to behold a beautiful person, to hear a sweet voice, to touch,
and the like; ” 1 foolish friendship, which has no other foun­
dation than those empty accomplishments styled by shallow
minds virtues and perfections, such as graceful dancing,
clever playing, delightful singing, fashionable dressing,
smiling glances, a pleasing appearance, etc.

601. c) These various kinds of friendship generally
begin with adolescence and are born of the instinctive need
we feel of loving and being loved. Often they are a kind
of deviation of sexual love. In the world such friendships
arise between young men and women and go by the name
of “ fond-love. ” 2 In cloistered communities they exist
between persons of the same sex and are styled particular
friendships. Such affections are at times kept up in mature
life; thus there are men who feel sentimental affection
1 St Francis de Sales, loc. cit., C. 17. —2St Francis de Sales, loc. cit., C. 18.

GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

289

toward boys because of their youthful and attractive appear­
ance, their frankness and openness of character, and the
charm and winsomeness of their manner.
602. d) The characteristics whereby sentimental friendships may
be recognized are gathered from their origin, development, effects.
x) Their origin is sudden and vehement because they proceed from
a natural and instinctive sense of sympathy. They rest upon exterior
and showy qualities. They are attended by strong and, at times,
passionate feelings.
2) Their development is fostered by conversations at times insi­
gnificant but affectionate, at others, fond and dangerous. In certain
communities furtive glances take the place of familiar conversa­
tions.
3) These friendships are impetuous, all-absorbing and exclusive;
the illusion that such affection will last forever is often brusquely
destroyed by separation and the forming of new attachments.

603. B) The dangers of such friendships are apparent.
a) They constitute one of the greatest obstacles to spiri­
tual progress. God Who does not want a divided heart
begins by making interior reproaches to the soul and, if it
hearkens not to His voice, He gradually withdraws, leaving
the soul without light and inward consolations. In propor­
tion as the attachments grow, the spirit of recollection is
lost, peace of soul vanishes, as well as relish for spiritual
exercises and love of work.
b) Hence a great loss of time : the absorbing thought of
the friend hinders both mind and heart from devoting
themselves to piety and to serious work.
c) All this ends in dissatisfaction and discouragement ;
sentimentality gains control over the will, which loses its
strength and languishes.
d) It is at this point that dangers threatening purity arise.
One would wish, indeed, not to trespass the bounds of pro­
priety, yet fancying that friendship confers certain rights,
one indulges in familiarities of a more and more question­
able character. Now the descent is swift, and he who
risks the danger will end by perishing in it.
604. C) The remedies against such friendships are :
a) To resist them in their beginnings. It is all the easier
then, for the heart is not yet deeply attached. A few
energetic efforts succeed, especially if one has the courage
to mention the matter to one’s director and to accuse
oneself of the least failings in that regard. If one waits too

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long, the process of disentangling the heart will prove far
more difficult.1
b) To root out these affections successfully, radical
measures must be taken : “ You must cut them, break them,
tear them; amuse not yourself in unravelling these criminal
friendships ; you must tear and rend them asunder. ” 12 So
it is not enough to renounce intercourse with one to whom
we are thus attached, but we must not even deliberately
think of him ; and should it be impossible to avoid all
association with him, we shall on these occasions show
courtesy and charity, but never indulge in any confidences
or bestow any special marks of affection.
c) The better to insure success, positive means must be
used. Let one’s activities be wholly devoted to the fulfilment
of the duties of state, and when, in spite of all, the object of
such affections presents itself unsought to the mind, this
should be made the occasion of eliciting acts of love toward
God: “One is my beloved, One is my troth forever.” We
thereby profit by temptation itself to increase within us the
love of Him Who alone is worthy to possess our hearts.
3° Friendship at once Supernatural and Sentimental
605. At times it happens that there is in our friendships
a mixture of the sentimental with the morally good and the
supernatural. One truly desires the supernatural good of a
friend and at the same time craves the joy of his company
and his words, sorrowing overmuch at his absence. This is
well described by St. Francis de Sales : “ They begin with
virtuous love, with which, if not attended to with the utmost
discretion, fond lovew ill begin to mingle itself, then sensual
love, and afterwards carnal love; yea, there is even danger in
spiritual love, if we are not extremely on our guard ; though
in this it is more difficult to be imposed upon because its
purity and whiteness makes the spots and stains which Satan
seeks to mingle with it more apparent and therefore when he
takes this in hand he does it more subtilely, and endeavors
to introduce impurities by almost insensible degrees. ” 3
606. Here again we must watch over the heart and
take effective means so as not to be carried as it were
insensibly down this dangerous grade.
De Remediis Amoris :
"Principiis obsta, sero medicina paratur
Cum mala per longas invaluere moras ”.
2 Devout Life, loc. cit., C. XXL — 3 Devout Life. loc. cit., C. XX.

1 The following is Ovid’s remark in

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291

a) If it is the good element that predominates, one may
continue such a friendship whilst purifying it. For this,
one must first of all forego what would foster sentiment,
like frequent and affectionate conversations, familiarity, etc.
From time to time one must deny oneself meetings
otherwise in order, and be willing to shorten conversations
that cease to be useful. In this way one gains control of
sentiment and wards off danger.
b) If the element of sentiment predominates, one must
for a considerable period of time renounce any special
relations with the said friend beyond the strictly necessary,
and when one must meet him one should abstain from
speaking in terms of affection. Sentiment is thus allowed
to cool ; one waits for a renewal of relations until calm is
restored to the soul. The renewed association then takes
on a different character. Should it be otherwise, it must be
severed forever.
e) In any case the results of our examination must be put
to profit so that they may redound to a further strengthen­
ing of our love for Jesus Christ. We must protest that we
want to love only in Him and for Him, and we should read
frequently chapters VII and VIII of the second book of
the Following of Christ. It is thus that temptations will
become for us a source of victory.

IV. Sanctification of Social and Business Relations 1
607. Professional relations are a means of sanctifi­
cation or an obstacle to our spiritual progress, according
to the view we take of our duties of state and the man­
ner in which we discharge them. In reality the duties
imposed by our calling are in themselves in harmony with
the will of God. If we fulfil them with the intention of
obeying God and of regulating our life according to the
laws of prudence, justice and charity, they are an aid to our
sanctification.123 If, on the contrary, we have no other end
in view than to secure position and wealth by the discharge
of our professional duties in defiance of the laws of con­
science, such relations become a source of sin and scandal.
A) A first duty then is to accept the profession to which
God’s Providence has led us as the expression of His will
1 A. Desurmont, La sainteté dans les relations sociales. Œuvres, t. XI, p. 272
and foil.; Charité Sacerdotale, t. II, § 205-213.
3 BOURDALOUE in his second sermon for the Feast of All Sainis shows how the
Saints have sanctified their respective stations in life and profited by their condition
to arrive at a high degree of perfection.

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and to abide therein as long as we have no reasons justify­
ing a change. It is part of the divine economy that there
should be a diversity of arts, trades, and professions, and
when we have found a place in any of them through a
series of providential happenings, we may rightly believe
that we are where God wills us to be. We make an
exception when for prudent and lawful reasons we are
convinced that it is our duty to effect a change, for whatever
is in harmony with right reason lies within God’s providen­
tial scheme. Therefore, whether we be employers or
employees, industrialists or merchants, whether farmers or
financiers, our duty is to carry on our activities so as to do
the will of God, and conduct them according to the rules
of justice, equity and charity. After this, nothing prevents
us from sanctifying our actions by directing them to the
ultimate end, a fact which does by no means exclude the
secondary end we have in view, namely that of earning
enough to provide for ourselves and those dependent upon
us. As a matter of fact, Saints have sprung from each and
every situation in life.
608. B) Our numberless activities and relations tend of
themselves to fill our mind ’ and thus to turn our thoughts
from God. Hence, oft-renewed efforts are required on our
part to offer to Him and so supernaturalize our ordinary
actions. This we have noted above, n. 248.
609. C) Besides, since we move in a rather dishon­
est world, where regardless of the laws of justice man
greedily vies with man for honor and for gain, it is im­
portant that we remind ourselves of the fact that we
are to seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and
use for the attainment of our purposes only legitimate
means. The best standard for judging what is permissible
and what is not, is to observe the behavior of honorable
Christian men of the same profession. There are accepted
ethics in every profession. We cannot change them without
incurring and causing others to suffer considerable damage.
Standards generally followed by good Christian men in
the profession can be followed safely until by common
agreement a change for the better can be effected without
compromising lawful interests.1 But we must never be led
into imitating the practices and following the counsels of
traders or producers who, devoid of conscience, mean to
1 Thus, standard wages for the same kind of work in the same locality are deter­
mined by norms which an employer could not set aside without incurring such
losses that would soon bring his business to a stand-stilk

GENERAL MEANS OE PERFECTION.

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attain to wealth at any cost, even at the expense of justice.
Their success does not justify us in employing similar,
unlawful means. A Christian who would follow in their
footsteps would be a stumbling block to others. We must
seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all other
things shall be added unto us.1
610. D) Thus understood and thus fulfilled, professional
duties will prove a great aid to our spiritual progress, since
they take up most of our time and most of our activity
each day. Our Lord has shown us by His example that
the most homely occupations, such as manual labor, can
contribute to our personal sanctification and the spriritual
welfare of our brethren. Therefore, if a laborer or a business
man observes the rules of prudence, of justice, of fortitude,
of temperance, of equity and of charity, numberless oppor­
tunities are offered to him daily for the practice of all the
Christian virtues, the acquisition of all manner of merit,
as well as for the edification of the neighbor. This is what
has happened in the past, what is done today by fathers
and mothers in the home, by employers and employees, by
young and old, who by honesty in their work and in their
dealings, elicit respect for the religion they profess and use
their influence in the exercise of zeal.
V. Sanctification of Works of Zeal
611. That works of zeal may be for us a means of sanc­
tification is not difficult to understand. However, there
are those who find therein a cause of distraction, of spiritual
loss, even an occasion of sin and a source of reprobation.
Let us recall the words of a social worker to Dom Chautard :
" It is my overeagerness that has brought on my fall.”2
There are persons who allow themselves to become so
absorbed by an active life, that they no longer find time for
their most essential spiritual exercises. Hence, a moral
break-down giving the passions a new lease of life and
paving the way for lamentable surrenders. In every case
where the interior life is lacking, little personal merit is
acquired, whilst outward activities secure but meager results
since God’s grace cannot render fruitful a ministry from
which prayer has all but disappeared, Outward works
must needs be vivified by the spirit ofprayer.
612. A) The first thing to remember is that the means
employed in the exercise of zeal differ in effectiveness and
■ Matth., VI, 33. — 2 The True Afostolate, p. 67.

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importance; there exists among them a hierarchy, the most
effective being prayer and sacrifice. Example follows next
in order, word and action holding the last place. The
example of Our Lord is enough to convince us of this.
His whole life was one of continual prayer and sacrifice.
He began by practicing what He taught others, leading
a hidden life for thirty years before He would give
Himself to a public ministry of but three years’ duration.
Let us bear in mind the course taken by the Apostles, who
committed to deacons the discharge of sundry works of
charity, that they might give themselves more freely to
prayer and the preaching of the Gospel : “ But we will give
ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the
word. ”1 Let the words of St. Paul resound in our ears :
“ Neither he that planteth is anything, nor he that watereth :
but God that giveth the increase. ” 2
Prayer, then, will hold the first place in our life (n. 470). We shall
make no surrender of the essential exercises of piety such as medita­
tion, thanksgiving after Mass, the devout recitation of the Divine
Office, examination of conscience, the explicit offering of our actions
to God, fully persuaded that we thereby render greater service to souls
than if we gave ourselves entirely to works of zeal. A shepherd of
souls will be,as S. Bernard says, a reservoir not a mere conduit. The
latter merely passes on what it receives, the former, being first filled,
gives constantly of its overflow : “ If thou hast wisdom, thou shaltprove
a fountain-spring and not a channel. ” 3

613. B) To aim at creating a chosen group of devout
souls without, however, neglecting the multitudes, will
likewise help us to keep before our minds the absolute need
of an interior life. We feel that we cannot succeed in this
unless we are interior men. The study we make of the
spiritual life, the advice we give to others, the virtuous
practices we try to inculcate, will perforce lead us to a life
of prayer and of sacrifice. But to attain our end, we must
be generous enough to live by the advice we give to others.
Then we need not fear laxity and lukewarmness. In fact,
not a few priests have been brought to live an interior life,
through their interest in leading chosen souls to strive after
perfection.
614. C) In the doctrinal or moral instructions we give oui
flock, we must follow a definite plan enabling us to present
the whole field of Christian truth and Christian virtue. The
preparation of such instructions will nourish our piety, for
what we preach to others that we shall aspire to practice. |
1 Acts, VI, 4. — 2 I Cor., Ill, 7.
5 St. Bernardus, In Cantica., sermo XVIII, 3.

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615. D) Lastly, in the ordinary course of our parochial
ministry, on the occasion of baptisms, marriages, funerals,
sick-calls, visits of condolence and even social calls, we must
ever remember that we are priests and apostles, that is to
say, servants of souls. Therefore, after a few expressions
of good will, we should not hesitate to raise minds and
hearts towards God. Priestly conversation must always
suggest the higher, the nobler things of life.
These are the various means whereby our interior life is
preserved and strengthened. Our ministry vivified by grace
yields fruit a hundred-fold : “ He that abideth in me and I
in him, the same beareth much fruit. ” 1
Thus, all our relations with our neighbor can and must
be supernaturalized. All become then the occasion of
further growth in virtue and of a development within us of
that divine life of which we have received abundantly.

General Summary
616. We have reached the end of the first part of our
work, namely, The Principles of the Supernal Life. All we
have said flows logically from the truths of our faith ; all
can be reduced to unity : God is our end, fesus-Christ is our
Mediator and the Christian life is the gift of God to the
soul and the gift of the soul to God.
i° It is God's Gift to the Soul. From all eternity the
Most Holy Trinity has loved us and predestined us to that
supernatural life which is a participation in the life of God.
This Adorable Trinity living in our souls is both the
efficient and the exemplary cause of that life, whilst the super­
natural organism that enables us to elicit Godlike acts,
is the work of the same Triune God.
The Incarnate Word, however, is the meritorious cause as
well as the most perfect model of our supernatural life.
Conformed to our weakness, He is man like unto us, without
ceasing to be God. He is our friend, our brother, nay
more, the Head of a mystic body whose members we are.
Because Mary, associated as she is in the work of our
Redemption, cannot be separated from her Son, she stands
as the first stepping stone to Jesus, just as Jesus is the
necessary Mediator with the Father. The Saints and
Angels who form part of God’s vast family aid us by their
prayers and their example.
• John, XV, 5.

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CHAPTER V. — GENERAL MEANS OF PERFECTION.

617.
2° In order to correspond to God’s loving kindness,
we give ourselves entirely to Him, fostering that life so
freely bestowed. We develop it by struggling against the
concupiscence that remains in us ; by eliciting supernatural
acts which besides meriting an increase of divine life cause
us to acquire good habits, that is, virtues ; and by receiving
the Sacraments, which add to our merits a sanctifying
power that comes from God Himself.
The very essence of perfection is the love of God unto the
immolation of self. To fight and annihilate within us the
old Adam, that the new Adam, Jesus Christ, may live in us,
is the task before us. In pursuing this work, that is, in
making use of the means of perfection, we tend constantly
toward God through fesus Christ.
The desire for perfection is, fundamentally, but the
generous answer of the soul to God’s tender love. Such a
desire brings us to the knowledge and the love of Him Who
is all love, “ God is love ” ; to a knowledge of self that we
may all the more forcibly feel the need we have of God and
may entrust ourselves into His merciful arms. This love
is shown by a conformity, to the full extent of our powers,
to the will of God as manifested by His laws and His
counsels, as made known by the events of life, propitious or
adverse, all of which help us to love God the more. This
love is, likewise, shown by prayer which becoming habitual
constantly elevates the soul toward God. Even the exterior
means lead us to God, for spiritual direction, a rule of life
and spiritual reading are calculated to bring us into com­
pliance with His will, whilst the relations by which we are
brought into contact with others in whom we see a
reflection of the divine perfections bring us to Him Who
is the Source and Centre of all things. Since in the
employment of all these means we constantly have before
our eyes Jesus, our Model, our Co-worker, our Life, we arc
transformed into Him, into true Christians, for a true
Christian is another Christ.
Thus is gradually realized the ideal of perfection outlined
by Father Olier for his disciples at the beginning of the
“ Pietas Seminarii ” : “ To live wholly unto God in Christ
fesus Our Lord, in such wise, that the Spirit of His Son may
enter into our inmost soul, ” and that we, like St. Paul, may
have a right to say : “ I live, now not I : but Christ liveth
in me. ”

End

of the

First Part

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SECOND PART

Tfte Tfjm Wap#
PRELIMINARY REMARKS1
618. The general principles explained in the first part
of this work apply to all souls, and already constitute a body
of motives and of means calculated to lead us to the highest
form of perfection. But as we have stated above (n. 340-343)
there is a diversity of degrees in the spiritual life — different
stages to traverse. Hence, the importance of adapting the
general principles to the individual needs of souls, taking
account not only of their peculiar characters, their various
attractions and their different callings, but also of the degree
of perfection they have so far attained, in order that the
spiritual director may guide them in the most suitable
manner.
The purpose of this second part is to follow a soul in its
gradual ascent from the moment it first conceives a sincere
desire of advancing in the spiritual life, on to the loftiest
heights of perfection — a long road indeed, but one wherein
the soul tastes the sweetness of the choicest consolations!
Before entering upon the description of the three ways we
shall explain : i° the basis of this distinction, 2° the practical
way to employ it wisely, 30 the importance of the study of
the three ways.

I. Basis of the Distinction of the Three Ways
619. We make use of the expression, the three ways, to
conform to traditional usage. We must note however that
it is not question here of three parallel or divergent ways,
but rather of three different stages, of three marked degrees,
which souls who generously correspond to divine grace
traverse in the spiritual life. Each way in turn has many
degrees which spiritual directors must take into account, the
1 S. Thom., Il» Ilæ, q. 24, a. 9; q. 183, a. 4; Thom, de Vallgornera, Myst,
theol., q. II, a. II; Le Gaudier, De Perf. vitœ spir., IP Pars, sect. I, cap. I;
Scaramelli, Direttorio ascetico, Traité II, Introd. ; Schram, Instit. iheol. myst.,
XXVI; Saudreau, The Degrees of the Spiritual Life, Preface; DESURMONT, Cha< it<! Sacerdotale, 138-140; Cursus Asceticus, VoL I. Prolegomena.

298

SECOND PART. — THE THREE WAYS.

most notable of which we shall indicate. Likewise, there
are in the various stages many forms and variations depen­
dent upon the character, the vocation, and the providential
mission of each soul. 1 But, as we have said, following
St.Thomas.we way reduce these degrees to three, accordingly
as a soul begins, advances or reaches Xhe goal. (n. 340-343)
This is the general sense in which we make a threefold divi­
sion based upon authority and reason.

620. i° This doctrine is based on the authority of
Scripture and Tradition.
A) No doubt, many texts could be found in the Old
Testament suggesting the triple distinction.
Thus Alvarez de Paz makes it rest upon the following passage, which
provided him with his division of the spiritual life : “ Turn away
from evil and do good : seek after -peace and pursue it. ” 12 Turn away
from evil : avoid sin ; this is the purification of the soul or
purga­
tive way. Do good : practice virtue ; this is the illuminative way. Seek
after peace : that peace which intimate union with God alone can give;
here we have the unitive way. This interpretation of the text is
ingenious, but we must not see therein a conclusive proof.

621. B) In the New Testament : a) Among others, one
could cite the following words of Our Lord which sum up
Christian spirituality as described in the Synoptics : “ Ifany
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, andfollow me. ” 3 Self-denial, self-renouncement
— let him deny himself— behold the first degree. The carry­
ing of one’s cross already presupposes the positive practice
of virtue, or the second degree. Follow me is, in reality,
intimate union with Jesus, union with God, and, hence, the
unitive way. Here, again, we have the basis for a real
distinction, but not a rigorous proof of the three stages.

622. b) Neither does St. Paul explicitly make any such
distinction, yet he gives a description of three states of soul
which later on gave origin to this classification.
1) Recalling what athletes did in striving after a perishable crown,
he compares himself to them, for he also strives to run and struggle,
but instead of beating the air he buffets his body and brings it into
bondage lest he sin and be rejected : “ I therefore so run, not as at an
uncertainty : I so fight, not as one beating the air. But I chastise my
body and bring it into subjection : lest perhaps when I have preached to
others, I myself should become a castaway. ” 4 These are indeed, peni­
tential exercises, practises of mortification inspired by a wholesome
1 Thus in the unitive way two distinct forms are generally distinguished as we
shall later on explain : the simple unitive way, and that which is accompanied by
infused· contemplation.
2 Ps. XXXIII, 15. — 3 Luke, IX, 23. — 4 I Cor., IX, 26-27.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

299

fear in order to subject the flesh and purify the soul. How often does
he not remind Christians of the necessity of putting off the Old Adam
and of crucifying their flesh with its vices and lusts? This corresponds
with what we call the purgative way.
2) Writing to the Philippians he declares that he has not yet reached
perfection, but that he tries, following His Master, to attain it, and
that without looking back he forges ahead toward the goal : “ Forget­
ting the things that are behind and stretchingforth inyself to those that
are before., I press toward the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation
of God in Christ fesus. ”1 He adds that whoever would seek after
perfection must do in like manner : “ Let us therefore as many as are
perfect, be thus minded..... be ye followers of me, brethren..... ”a And
in another place : “Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.” 3
These are the distinguishing marks of the illuminative way, wherein
the principal duty is imitation of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
3) As to the unitive way, he describes its two forms, the simple
unitive way by the constant effort to have Jesus live in him : “ I live,
now not I, but Christ liveth in me; ”4 and the extraordinary unitive way
which is accompanied by ecstasies, visions, and revelations : “ I know
a man in Christ : above fourteen years ago ( whether in the body, I know
not, or out of the body, I know not : God knoweth), such a one caught
up to the third heaven. ”5

In St. Paul, then, as in the Gospels, we find that a true
Christian must purify his soul, practice virtue, and strive after
union with God, yet it is not clear that these constitute three
successive stages of the spiritual life rather than three aspects
of one process that goes on simultaneously.
623. Tradition, gradually worked out this distinction,
basing it at times upon the difference that exists between the
three theological virtues, at others, upon the various degrees
of love.
a) Clement of Alexandria is one of the first to employ the first of
these methods. To become a gnostic or a perfect man, many stages
must be traversed : to shun evil through fear, and to mortify the pas­
sions ; then, under the influence of hope, to do good or practice virtues
and lastly, to do good out of love for God. 6 Cassian, from the same
point of view, arrived at the differentiation of three degrees in the
soul’s ascent toward God : fear, peculiar to slaves, hope, fit for merce­
naries working for a reward, and love, becoming the children of God. 7
b) St. Augystine takes another point of view : perfection consisting
in love, it is in the practice of this virtue that he discerns four degrees :
incipient love, growing love, full-grown love, and perfect love. 8 Since
the last two degrees relate to the unitive way, his doctrine is, at
bottom, the same as that of his predecessors. — St. Bernard also
perceives three degrees in the love of God : after showing that the
genesis of human love is love of self, he adds that man, realizing his
own insufficiency, begins through faith to seek for God and to love
Him on account of His gifts; this intercourse leads him then to love

’ Phil., Ill, 13-14. — » Phil., Ill, 15-17. — 3 I Cor., IV, 16. — 4 Gal., II, 2a
5 // Cor., XII, 2. — 6 Stromata, VI, 12. — 7 Confer., XI, 6-8.
H De natura et gratia, cap. LXX, n. 84.

300

SECOND PART. — THE THREE WAYS.

Him both because of His benefits and for His own sake; finally, he
comes to love God with an altogether disinterested love.1 Lastly,
St. Thomas, perfecting the teaching of St. Augustine, shows clearly the
existence of three degrees in the virtue of love that correspond to the
three ways or stages, n. 340-343.

624. 2° Reason shows the correctness of this division.
A) It is evident that before arriving at an intimate union
with God, the soul must first of all be purified of its past
faults and be strengthened against future ones.
Purity of heart is, on the authority of Our Lord, the
first essential condition for seeing God, for seeing Him as
He is in the next life, and also for seeing Him now imper­
fectly and obscurely but truly, and for uniting ourselves
with Him : “ Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see
God. ” 2 But this purity of heart presupposes a cleansing
from former faults by means of a sincere and rigorous
expiation, an earnest and relentless fight againts sinful
tendencies and the practice of prayer, meditation and such
other spiritual exercises as are required for the strengthen­
ing of our will against temptation — in a word, all those
means that tend to purify the soul and ground it in virtue.
The sum-total of these means is what is called the purga­
tive way.
625. B) Once the soul has been thus purified and re­
formed, it must be adorned with Christian virtues, virtues of
a positive character, that will make it more like unto Christ.
Its task then is to follow the Master step by step and
gradually reproduce Christ’s interior dispositions by the
concurrent practice of both the moral and theological virtues.
The former mold and strengthen the soul; the latter already
initiate its union with God. Both are practiced simulta­
neously according to the needs of the moment and the
attractions of grace. The better to attain this end, the soul
perfects its own form of prayer, which becomes more and
more affective, and strives to love and to imitate Jesus
Christ. It thus advances toward the illuminative way, for
to follow Jesus is to walk in the light : He who followeth me,
walketh not in darkness.
626. C) A moment comes when the soul, purified from
its faults, made strong and docile to the inspirations of the
Holy Spirit, longs but for an intimate union with God. It
seeks Him everywhere, even in the midst of the most
absorbing occupations; it clings to Him and enjoys His
« Epist. XI, n. 8, P. L., CLXXXIT, 113-114. — 2 Mattti., V, 8.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

301

presence. Mental prayer grows in simplicity ; it becomes
a lingering, loving thought of God and of things divine,
under the influence, latent or conscious, of the gifts of the
Holy Ghost. This is the unitive way. 1
Within these three great stages there are indeed many
degrees and diversities of “ the manifold grace of God." 1
2
We shall describe a few. An acquaintance with the others
may be obtained by studying the lives of the Saints.
II. The Practical Way to Employ

This Distinction Wisely
627. To make a right use of this distinction, great tact
and intelligence are required : one must indeed study the
principles explained here, but still more, study each soul
in particular, with its' characteristic traits, taking cogni­
zance of the special action of the Holy Ghost upon it. In
order to aid the spiritual director, a few remarks will not be
amiss.
628. A) There can be nothing absolute or mathematical
in the distinction of the three ways, a) A soul passes imper­
ceptibly from one to the other, for there are no well-defined
boundary lines dividing one sharply from the other. To
decide, therefore, whether a soul is as yet within the limits
of the purgative way, or has already crossed the borders of
the illuminative way, is often impossible; for there is
between the two a common ground, the exact bounds of
which cannot be determined, b) Besides, the soul’s pro­
gress is not always a sustained advance ; it is a vital action,
with its ebb and flow ; at times the soul presses onward, at
times it recedes; at others, it actually seems but to mark
time making no apparent headway.
629. B) There is in each of the three ways a number
of different degrees, a) Among beginners, there are those
who have a heavy burden of sin to expiate; others there are
who never lost their baptismal innocence. It is evident, all
things being equal in other respects, that the former must
undergo a longer course of penance than the latter, b) Be­
1 I Peter, IV, io.
2 St. John of the Cross, and after him a number of authors, use a special termi­
nology with regard to the three ways, a knowledge of which is important.
He
styles beginners those on the threshold of obscure contemplation or the ‘ ‘ night of
the senses " ; he calls the advanced those already within the realm of passive
contemplation; and the perfect, those that have passed through the " night of the
senses " and the “ night of the soul ", Cfr. Hoornaert, note on the Dark Night,
t. Ill, des Œuvres spirituelles, (p. 5-6).

302

SECOND PART. — THE THREE WAYS.

sides, there are differences arising from temperament, degree
of earnestness and constancy. There are souls that eagerly
embrace penitential practices, whilst others, on the contrary,
do so with reluctance ; some are generous and would refuse
Almighty God nothing; some respond to His advances only
half-heartedly. Undoubtedly, among such souls, all as yet
in the purgative way, a marked difference will be in evidence
ere long, c) Nay, there is a considerable distance between
those who have devoted but a few, short months to the
purification of their souls, and those who have already
consecrated many years to this task, d) Likewise, and
above all, account must be taken of the action of grace.
Some souls seem to receive it in such an abundance that
we can look to a swift advance toward the heights of
perfection ; others receive it in far smaller measures and
their progress is slower. A spiritual director must bear in
mind that his action must be subordinated to that of the
Holy Ghost, n. 548.
He must not imagine that there are such things as moulds
into which all souls must be poured. On the contrary, he
must proceed on the assumption that each soul possesses
peculiarities of which account must be taken, and that the
outlines traced by spiritual writers must be elastic enough
to be adapted to each case.
630. C) In the direction of souls there is a twofold
danger to avoid. Some would, by a forced march, rush
through the early stages, the sooner to arrive at divine love ;
others, on the contrary, but mark time and, through their
own fault, tarry in the lower levels because of a lack of
generosity or a lack of method. A spiritual director must
frequently remind the former that to love God is, indeed, an
excellent thing, but that we do not attain to a pure and
effective love, except trough self-abnegation and penance,
(n. 321). The latter he must encourage and advise, in order
to stir them to action and aid them in perfecting their
method of prayer or of self-examination.
631. D) When spiritual writers speak of a particular
virtue as being proper to this or that of the three ways, the
statement is to be accepted with a great deal of caution.
The truth is that all fundamental virtues belong to each of
the three ways, varying only in degree. Thus beginners
must, assuredly, exercise themselves especially in the virtue
of penance, but they cannot do so without the practice of
the theological and cardinal virtues, though in a different
way from that of the more advanced souls. Beginners

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

303

practice these virtues chiefly in order to purify their souls
through self-denial. These same virtues must be practiced
in the illuminative way, but to a different degree, in a more
positive fashion, and with a view of resembling all the more
the Divine Model. The same must be done in the unitive
way, but to a higher degree still, as an earnest of love for
God, and under the influence of the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
In like manner, the perfect, whilst exercising themselves
above all in the practice of the love of God, do not give up
the purification of their souls through penance and mortifi­
cation ; but a purer and more intense love mellows their
penitential practices, and gives them greater effectiveness.
632. E) A similar remark must be made with regard to
the different kinds of prayer. Thus, discursive meditation
is, generally speaking, suitable for beginners ; affective
prayer, adapted to advanced souls ; and the prayer of sim­
plicity and contemplation, proper to the unitive way. Yet,
experience shows the degree of prayer does not always
correspond to the degree of virtue; that owing to tempe­
rament, training or custom, some persons linger in the
exercice of discursive meditation or affective prayer, who
are the while intimately and habitually united to God ; and
that others possessed of greater insight and more affectionate
natures, readily practice the prayer of simplicity without
having as yet attained that height of virtue which the
unitive way demands.
It is important that from the outset we bear in mind
these observations so as not to place the virtues in imagi­
nary, air-tight compartments. In the exposition of each
virtue, we shall accordingly note carefully the degrees that
are in keeping with beginners, with advanced souls, and
with those that have attained perfection.
III. Importance of the Study
of the

Three Ways

The foregoing remarks show how useful and how neces­
sary is the intelligent study of the Three Ways.
633. i° To spiritual directors this study is a real neces­
sity. It is obvious, in fact, “ that beginners and perfect
souls are not to be guided by the same rules ”,1 for, as
Father Grou 2 says, “ the grace given to beginners is not
that bestowed on souls already advanced, nor is the one
1 Articles d'Issy, η. XXXIV. — 2 Manualfor Interior Souls.

304

SECOND PART. — THE THREE WAYS.

granted these the same as that received by those who have
reached the heights of perfection. ”
Thus, discursive meditation, necessary to beginners, would paralyze
the efforts of more advanced souls. Likewise, with regard to the
virtues, there is a manner of practicing them adapted to the purgative
way, another to the illuminative, another to the unitive. A spiritual
director who has not delved into these questions is liable to guide
almost all souls after the same fashion and to counsel each according
to what has answered his own purpose : because he finds affective,
simplified prayer of great avail to himself, he will be led to prescribe
the same method to all his penitents, unmindful of the fact that, as a
rule, this is reached by gradual stages; if he finds in the habitual
practice of the love of God all that he needs for his own sanctification,
he will be inclined to recommend to all the ways of love, forgetting
that fledglings are unable to fly to such heights ; should he have never
been himself initiated into that form of prayer which consists in a
lingering, loving thought of God, the prayer of simple regard, as it
is called, he will blame those who exercise themselves therein, claming
that this is but spiritual sloth. The director, on the other hand, who
has carefully studied the gradual ascent of earnest souls, will know
how to give competent counsel and to impart effectual guidance
adapted to the actual state of his penitents and calculated to produce
the greatest measure of good in their souls.

634. 2° The faithful themselves will profit by the study
of these various stages of the spiritual life. To be sure,
they will be guided by the advice of their spiritual directors;
yet, if through well-chosen readings they come to grasp —
at least in the main — the differences that exist between the
three ways, they will understand better the counsels given
them and will turn them to greater profit.
We shall then take up successively the study of the three
ways, bearing in mind, however, that there are no clean-cut
divisions between them and that each admits many varieties
and forms.

BOOK I

The Purification of the Soul
or the Purgative Way
INTRODUCTION1
635. The characteristic of the purgative way, or the
state of beginners, is the purifying of the soul in view of
attaining to intimate union with God.
We shall therefore explain i° what is meant by beginners,
and 2° the end these must strive to attain. *
I. Who are called Beginners?
636. i° Essential Characteristics. In the spiritual
life, beginners are those that habitually live in the state of
grace and have a certain desire for perfection, but who have
still attachments to venial sin and are exposed to fall now
and then into grievous faults. We shall explain these three
characteristics :
a) Beginners live habitually in the state ofgrace : hence, they
generally ^struggle successfully against grave temptations.
We therefore rule out of the class of beginners those that
frequently commit mortal sin and do not avoid its occasions;
who would no doubt wish to be converted, but lack the
necessary firm and efficacious purpose. Such are not on
the way to perfection. They are sinners, worldlings, who
must first of all be helped to sever their attachment to
mortal sin and to part with the occasions of sin. 2
b) They have a certain desire for perfection or for progress,
even if this desire be as yet feeble and imperfect. Thus we
exclude from the category of beginners those wordlings —
all too numerous — alas ! whose highest purpose is to escape
Ά. Saudreau, The Degrees of the Spiritual Life, the Purgative Way, I-II;
Schryvers, Les principes, IIe Part., ch. II.
3 No doubt, there are authors who with Fr. Marchetti, (Rev. di Ascitique et de
Mystique, Jan. 1920, p. 36-47), are of the opinion that sinners must be included in
the purgative way in order to convert them, yet he admits that in this be does not
follow the common teaching.
The conversion of sinners and the means to be
suggested to them that they may persevere in the state of grace, belong rather to
the province of Moral than of Ascetic theology. We may say, however, that the
motives we shall soon propose as deterrents from mortal sin will be a confirmation
of those given by Moral theology.

306

BOOK I.

mortal sin, but who have no earnest desire of advancing
further. As we have shown above, n. 414, the desire for
perfection is the first step on the way.
c) They have, however, some attachment to deliberate venial
sin and, therefore, they frequently fall. This distinguishes
them from souls already advancing along the way of
perfection, who although they may from time to time commit
some wilful venial sins, yet earnestly strive to avoid them.
The existence of these attachments is due to the fact that
their passions are not as yet subdued ; hence, they yield
to temptations of sensuality, pride, vanity, anger, envy,
jealousy, and uncharitableness in word and deed. How
many persons called devout retain attachments of this
kind, Avhich cause them to commit deliberate, venial sins
which expose them to fall from time to time into grievous
faults !

637. 20 Different CategOries. There are different
categories of beginners : —
a) Innocents souls desiring to grow in the spiritual life —
children, young men and young women who, not content
with the mere avoidance of mortal sin, wish to do something
more for God and want to become perfect. The number
of these would be greater were priests active in arousing
this desire for perfection in Sunday school, at the meetings
of Sodalities and parochial organizations, (cf. 409-430.)
b) Converts from sin, who after having transgressed
grievously, return to God with all sincerity and who, in
order to withdraw further from the brink of the abyss, want
to press forward in the ways of perfection. Here again
we may say that these would be far more numerous if
confessors would take heed to remind their penitents that in
order not to fall back they must advance, and that the
safest means of avoiding mortal sins is to tend to perfection,
(cf. 354-361).
c) The lukewarm, those who after having given themselves
once to God and having advanced in the way of perfection
have fallen into a state of remissness and tepidity. These,
even if they had once reached the illuminative way, need to
return to the austere practices of the purgative way and
begin once more the work of perfection. To aid their
efforts, one must carefully put them on their guard against
the dangers of carelessness and lukewarmness and teach
them to combat their causes, which are generally frivolity
or fickleness, listlessness and a sort of sluggishness.

THE PURIFICATION OF THE SOUL.

307

638. 3° Two classes of beginners. Some show
greater generosity, others less. Hence the two classes into
which they are divided by St. Teresa.
a) In the first mansion or the Castle of the Soul, she gives a de­
scription of those souls that have good desires, are faithful to recite
some prayers, but who are taken up with the world and have their
minds filled with a thousand and one things which absorb their thought.
The while they retain these many attachments, they strive from time
to time to free themselves from them. Through such efforts they gain
an entrance into the first and lower halls of the Castle : with them,
however, enter a multitude of mischievous animals (their own passions)
which hinder them from gazing at the beauty of the castle and abiding
peacefully therein. To have entered this mansion, although it is the
lowest, is already a singular good-fortune ; nevertheless the machina­
tions and subterfuges employed by the devil in order to prevent such
souls from advancing are ruthless. The world, likewise, wherein they
are yet immersed, allures them with its pleasures and honors ; hence,
they are easily conquered, even though they want to avoid sin and do
perform good works. 1 In other words, these souls strive to harmonize
piety and noorldliness. Their faith is not sufficiently enlightened, their
will is not strong enough, not generous enough to determine them to
renounce not merely sin, but sundry dangerous occasions ; they have
little realized the need of frequent prayer, of rigorous penance, or
mortification ; still, they want not only to work out their salvation, but
also to grow in the love of God by making some sacrifices.

639. b) The other class of beginners is described by the Saint in
her second mansion. They are souls already initiated in the practice op
mental prayer, who understand the necessity of sacrifice as a means of
perfection, but who through lack of courage retreat at times to the first
mansion, exposing themselves once more to the occasions of sin.
They love as yet the pleasures of the world and its allurements, and
occasionally fall into some grave fault; but hearkening to God’s call to
penance, presently rise againj In spite of the appeals made to them
by the world and the devil, they meditate on the emptiness of the
world’s false goods and on death that shall soon take these away.
They grow apace in the love of Him from Whom they receive so many
proofs of love; they realize that apart from Him they shall find neither
peace nor safety, and wish to avoid the wanderings of the Prodigal.
This, then, is a state of struggle in which such souls have much to
suffer from the manifold temptations that assail them, but wherein also
God deigns to comfort and fortify them. By acting in conformity with
God’s holy will, which is the great means of perfection, they will finally
emerge from the mansions wherein creep such venomous creatures,
and they will pass to the other mansions beyond the reach of their
poisonous sting.2

640. We shall not treat separately of these two classes,
because the means to be suggested to each are practically
the same. Let the spiritual director however bear this
division in mind when giving advice. Let him draw the
attention of souls of the first class to the consequences
* Interior Castle, First Mansion.
3 Interior Castle, Second Mansion.

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BOOK I.

of sin, the necessity of avoiding its occasions, and awaken
in them a longing for prayer, penance and mortification.
Souls of the second class he will advise to give more time
to meditation, and to take the offensive against the capital
vices, those deep-seated tendencies which are the source of
all our sins.
II. The End to Pursue

641. We have stated (n. 309) that perfection consists
essentially in union with God through Love. But because
God is holiness itself, we cannot be united to Him unless
we are clean of heart— a state implying a twofold condition :
atonement for. the past and detachment from sin and the
occasions of sin for the future.
The first task, then, of beginners is purification of the
soul.
We may add that the union of the soul with God will be
the more intimate as the soul grows in purity and detach­
ment. The purification is more or less perfect according
to the motives that inspire it and according to the effects
produced by it.
A) The purification remains imperfect, if it is inspired
chiefly by motives offear and hope — fear of hell, and hope
of heaven and heavenly gifts. The results of such a purifi­
cation are incomplete. The soul, indeed, renounces mortal
sin, which would deprive it of heaven, but it does not
renounce venial fauts, even deliberate ones, since these do
not deprive it of its eternal welfare.
B) There is, then, a more perfect purification, which,
though not excluding fear and hope, has for its ruling
motive the love of God, the desire to please Him and hence
to avoid whatever would constitute even a slight offence.
Here is verified the word of the Savior to the sinful woman :
“ Many sins are forgiven her because she hath loved
much. ” 1
It is at this second purification that souls should aim; still,
the spiritual director must remember that for many a begin­
ner it is not possible to rise thereto at the outset, and whilst
speaking to such of the love of God, he will not forget to
offer them the motives of hope and of fear which make
a stronger impression.
1 Luke, VII, 47.

THE PURIFICATION OF THE SOUL.

Division

of the

309

First Book

642. Once we know the end, we must determine the
means necessary for its attainment. Fundamentally, they
may be reduced to two : prayer, through which grace is
obtained, and mortification through which we correspond
to grace. Mortification assumes different names according
to the point of view from which we consider it. It is called
penance when it prompts us to atone for our past faults ;
mortification properly so called, when it sets upon the love of
pleasure in order to reduce the number of faults in the
present and obviate their recurrence in the future; it is
called warfare against the capital sins, when it combats
those deep-rooted tendencies that incline us toward sin, and
warfare against temptation, when practiced by way of resis­
tance to the onslaughts of our spiritual enemies. Hence
the five following chapters :

Chapter I. — The Prayer of Beginners
Chapter II. — Penance, to atone for the past
Chapter III. — Mortification, to safeguard the future
Chapter IV. — Warfare against the capital sins
Chapter V. — The Warfare against temptation

All these means clearly presuppose the practice in some
degree of the theological and the moral virtues. No one
can pray, no one can do penance and mortify himself,
without a firm belief in revealed truth, without the expecta­
tion of a heavenly reward, without love of God, without the
exercise of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. We
shall speak of these virtues when we treat of the illumina­
tive way wherein they attain their full development.

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CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER I
The Prayer of Beginners 1
643. We have already explained (n. 499-521) the nature
and the efficacy of prayer. After beginners have been
reminded of these notions, they must : i° be instructed as
to the necessity and the conditions of prayer; 2° they must
be gradually introduced to the practice of such spiritual
exercises as befit them ; 30 they must be taught mentalprayer.

. ,. , ,
Art.de I.

y.
.
, f Necessity of Prayer
- Prayer in general |
of pAyer

Article II. — Principal Spiritual Exercises
General Notions
Advantages and Neces­
sity
Article III. — Mental Prayer The
Mental Prayer of
Beginners
The Principal Methods

Article I. Necessity and Conditions of Prayer
§ I. Necessity of Prayer

644. What we have said regarding the twofold end of
prayer, worship and petition (n. 503-509), shows us clearly
its necessity. It is evident that as creatures and as Chris­
tians we are bound to glorify God through adoration,
thanksgiving and love; that as sinners we must offer Him
reparation (n. 506). Here it is question of prayer chiefly as
petition, and of its absolute necessity as a means of salvation
and perfection.
645. The necessity of prayer is based on the necessity
of actual grace. It is a truth of faith that without such
grace we are utterly incapable of obtaining salvation and,
still more of attaining perfection (n. 126). Of ourselves, no
1 St. Thom., IP Ilæ, q. 83 and his Commentators; Suarez, De Religione, Tr. IV,
lib. I, De Oratione; Alvarez de Paz, t. Ill, lib. I; Th. de Vallgornera,
q. II, disp. V; Summa theol. mystica, Ia Pars, Tract. I, discursus III; L. DE Gra­
nada, Traitl de l'Oraison et de la Méditation ; St. Alphonsus DE L1GUORI,
Prayer; P. MONSABRÉ, La Prière; P. RamiÈRE, L'Apostolat de la prière;
St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, Part II; Spiritual Combat, C. 44-52;
Rodriguez, Christian Perfection, I, Treat. 5; Grou, Hoio to Pray ; Meschler,
Three Fundamental Principles of the Spiritual Life, I ; HEDLEY, Retreat, XXL

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

311

matter how we use our freedom, we can do nothing positive
that would prepare us for conversion to God, nor can we
persevere for any length of time, much less until death :
“ Without me you can do nothing.... Not that we are suffi­
cient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves.... For it
is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish. ” 1
Now, barring the first grace, which is gratuitously given
us since it is itself the principle of prayer, it remains ever
true that prayer is the normal, the efficacious, and the uni­
versal means through which God wills that we obtain all
actual graces. This is the reason why Our Lord insists
so frequently upon the necessity of prayer Ask, and it
shall be given you : seek, and you shall find; knock and it
shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh, receiveth :and he that seeketh, findeth :and to him that knocketh,
it shall be opened. ” 2*
45 Almost all commentators add that
it is as if tie said
Unless you ask, you shall not receive;
unless you seek, you shall not find. ” On this necessity of
prayer Our Lord constantly insists, especially when it is
question of resisting temptation : “ Watch ye and pray that
you enter not into temptation : the spirit indeed is willing
but the flesh is weak. ” 3 St. Thomas asserts that confidence
not based on prayer is presumption, for God, Who is nôt in
justice bound to grant us His grace, has not pledged
Himself to give it except through prayer. God, assuredly,
does know our spiritual needs without our exposing them to
Him, yet He wills that prayer be the spring that sets in
motion His loving mercy, so that we may acknowledge Him
as the Author of the gifts He bestows on us. 4
646. This is likewise the way in which tradition has
understood the teaching of Our Lord. The Council of
Trent, making its own the teaching of St. Augustine, tells
us that God does not command the impossible, for He
commands us to do what we can and to ask His help for
what we cannot do, His grace helping us to ask for it. 5
This manifestly implies that there are thing which without
prayer are impossible. Such is the conclusion the Roman
Catechism draws : “ Prayer is the indispensable instrument
given us by God in order to obtain what we desire : there are
things, in fact, impossible to obtain without the aid of
prayer. ” 6
« John. XV. 5; ZZ Cor.. Ill, 5; Phil., II, 13.
« Matth.. VII, 7-8. — 3 Matth., XXVI, 41.
4 Sum. theol.. Ha Hæ, q 83, a<
acj 3
5 Sess. VI, ch. II. — 6 Catech. Trident., P. VI, c. I, n. 3.

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CHAPTER I.

647. Advice to the spiritual Director. This truth
must be emphasized with beginners. Many, unknown to
themselves, are saturated with Pelagianism or Semi-pelagianism, and imagine that by sheer strength of will they can
accomplish all things. Soon, however, experience brings
them to the realization that their best resolves often fall
short despite their efforts. The spiritual director should at
such times remind them that it is only through grace
and through prayer that they can succeed. This personal
experience will go far to strengthen their convictions on
the necessity of prayer.
§ II. Essential Conditions of Prayer

648. Having already proved the necessity of actual
grace for all the acts bearing on salvation (n. 126), we must
infer its necessity for prayer. St. Paul clearly states this
necessity : “ Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity.
For, we know not what we should pray for as we ought : but
the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings. ”1
We may add that this grace is offered to all, even to
sinners; hence, all are able to pray.
Although the state of grace is not necessary in order to
pray, it increases the value of prayer, since it makes us the
friends of God and the living members of Jesus Christ.
We shall now inquire into the requisite conditions of
prayer i° on the part of the object of prayer, and 2° on the
part of the one who prays.
I. Conditions on the Part of the Object
649. The most important condition regarding the
object of prayer is to ask for those things only which lead
unto life everlasting : for supernatural graces in the first
place, and then, for temporal goods, in the measure in which
they are conducive to salvation. This rule was laid down
by Our Lord Himself : “ Seek ye therefore first the kingdom
of God and his justice : and all these things shall be added
unto you. ” 2 We have said (n. 307-308), that man’s hap­
piness as well as his perfection consists in the possession of
God, and as a consequence in the possession of the means
necessary to that end. We must, then, ask for nothing
that is not in harmony with it.
i° Temporal goods in themselves are far too inferior, too
inadequate to satisfy our heart’s aspirations, and bring us
1 Rom., VIII, 26. — 2 Matth., VI, 33.

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

313

true happiness ; they cannot, therefore, be the chief object of
our prayers. However, since in order to live and to secure
our salvation we need some temporal goods, we are allowed
to ask for our daily bread, the bread for the body as well
as for the soul, subordinating the former to the latter. It
happens at times that this or that particular good, wealth
for instance — desirable in our estimation — would prove
a danger to our salvation. Hence, we may not ask for
such, except in subordination to the goods that are eternal.
650. 2° Even when it is question of such or such parti­
cular grace, we must not ask for it, except in conformity with
the will of God. God in His infinite Wisdom knows better
than we do what is suitable for each soul in accordance with
its condition and degree of perfection. As St. Francis
de Sales rightly remarks, we must desire our salvation after
God’s own way, and hence we must desire such graces as He
dispenses to us and cling to them with a firm purpose, for
our will must harmonize with His. 1 When it is question
of particular graces, like one or other form of prayer, such
and such consolations or trials, etc... we must not make any
unqualified request, .but rather refer all to the good pleasure
of God. 1
23 God dispenses His graces, giving consolation or
aridity, peace or struggle, according to the designs of His
Wisdom and the needs of our soul. We have, therefore,
but to leave in His Hands the choice of the graces which
will prove most beneficial to us. True, we are permitted to
express a wish, but in humble submission to the will of Our
Heavenly Father. He will always answer our prayer if we
ask as we should. If at times He gives us, in place of what
we ask, something greater and better, far from complaining
we should bless and thank Him. 3

II. Conditions on the Part of the Subject
The most essential conditions to ensure the efficacy of
our prayers are : humility, confidence and attention, or at
least the earnest effort to be attentive.
1 The Love of God, Book VIII, ch. IV.
3 The reason why our petitions are not answered, says Bourdaloue, is because
we make use of prayer “ in order to ask for whimsical, needless graces — graces
according to our taste and fancy...
We pray and ask for the grace of penance,
the grace of sanctification — graces for the future, not for the present — graces
that would do away with all difficulties, that would leave no room for effort, leave
no obstacles to overcome — miraculous graces that would carry us as they did
St. Paul, not those that would merely help us to walk.... graces which would alter
the whole order of Providence, and revolutionize the whole scheme of salvation. ”
Lent. Sermon on prayer for Thursday of the 1st Week.
3 In “ Lc Saini Abandon, ” P. Ill, of Dom V. Leuodey, most apt details are
given on the subject.

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CHAPTER I.

651. i° The need of humility flows from the very nature
of prayer. Since grace is a free gift of God to which we
have no right whatever, we are as St. Augustine says, but
beggars in relation to God, and we must implore of His
mercy what we cannot demand as a right. It was thus that
Abraham prayed, considering himself but dust and ashes in
presence of the Divine Majesty : “ I will speak to my Lord,
whereas I am dust and ashes. ” 1 Thus did Daniel pray
when he asked for the deliverance of the Jewish people,
relying not on his merits and virtues, but on God’s over­
flowing mercies : “ It is not for our justifications that we
present our prayers before thy face, but for the multitude of
thy tender mercies. ” 2 Thus prayed the publican, who was
also heard : “ O God, be merciful to me a sinner, ”3 whilst
the proud Pharisee saw his prayer rejected. Jesus Himself
gives us the reason : “ Every one that exalieth himself shall
be humbled : and he that humbleth himselfshall be exalted. ” 4
His Disciples understood this well. St. James insists that :
“ God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble I 5
This is mere justice : the proud man attributes to himself
the efficacy of his prayer, whilst the humble man attributes
it to God. Now, can we expect that God will hear us to
the detriment of His own glory, in order to flatter our vain
complacency? The humble soul, on the contrary, sincerely
acknowledges that all it has is from God, and hence God in
hearkening to his prayer procures His own glory as well as
the welfare of him who prays.

652. 2° Humility in turn begets confidence, a confi­
dence based, not upon our merits but upon the goodness of
God and upon the merits of fesus Christ.
a) Faith teaches us that God is merciful and that because
He is merciful, He turns to us with greater love the more
we acknowledge our miseries, for misery appeals to mercy.
To call upon Him with confidence is in reality to honor
Him, to proclaim Him as the source of all gifts, and as
desiring nothing so much as to bestow them upon us. In
the Scriptures He affirms again and again that He hearkens
to those who hope in Him : “ Because he hoped in me I will
deliver him.... He shall cry to me and I will hear him. ” *6.
Our Lord invites us to pray with confidence, and in order
to inspire us to do so He resorts not only to the most
* Gen., XVIII, 27. — a Dan., IX, 18. — 3 Luke, XVIII, 13.
4 Luke, XVIII, 14. —5 James, IV, 6.
6 Ps. XC, 14-15. Those who recite the Divine Office know that the predominant
sentiment expressed by the Psalms is that of trust in God.

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

315

pressing exhortations, but to the most touching parables.
After having affirmed that he who asks receives, He adds :
“ What man is there among you, of whom if his son shall
ask bread, will he reach him a stone ?..... If you then being
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children : how
much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things
to them that ask him. ” 1 At the Last Supper He comes
back to the same thought : “ Amen, amen, I say to you....
whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will
I do : that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you
shall ask me anything in my name, that I will do23
.... In
that day you shall ask in my name; and I say not to you,
that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself
loveth you, because you have loved me. ” 3 To lack
a whole-hearted trust in prayer would amount to mistrusting
God and His promises, to underrating the merits of Jesus
Christ and His all-powerful mediation.
653. b) It is true that God at times appears to turn
a deaf ear to our prayer. This He does in order that we may
more fully fathom the depths of our wretchedness and realize
better the value of -grace. But on the other hand, He shows
us in His treatment of the Canaanean woman, that even
when He seems to repel us, He is well-pleased at the sweet
insistence of our repeated requests. Behold, a woman of
Canaan comes and asks Jesus to deliver her daughter,
vexed with a devil. But the Master answers her not a word.
She beseeches the Disciples and cries after them, so that
they come and ask the Lord to send her av;ay. Christ
turns to the woman and answers that He was not sent but
to the children of the house of Israel. Undaunted, the
poor woman worships Him, saying : “ Lord, help me. ”
Jesus replies, with seeming harshness, that it is not meet to
take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs. — “ Yea,
Lord, ” she says, “ for the whelps also eat of the crumbs
that fall from the table of their masters. ” — Conquered by
such a humble, unfaltering trust, Jesus grants her request :
“ And her daughter was cured from that hour. ”4 Could the
Lord do more to make us understand that no matter what
ill success seems to attend our prayers, we can be sure that
they will be answered if we persevere in humble confidence.
654.3° To this persevering confidence we must join
attention, or at least the serious effort to realize and to
’ Matth., VII, 7-II. —2 John, XIV, 12, 13, 14.
3 John, XVI, 26-27. —4 Matth., XV, 24-28.

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CHAPTER I.

mean what we say to God. Involuntary distractions do not
constitute an obstacle to prayer as long as we strive to
overcome them or reduce their number, for by these very
efforts our soul keeps on its course toward God. They
constitute indeed a loss though not a sin, but this loss may
be made good in a measure by our efforts to pray atten­
tively. On the contrary, voluntary distractions, those we
freely and deliberately entertain, or which we but faintly
repel, or the causes of which we are unwilling to suppress,
are venial sins, since they constitute a lack of due respect
towards God. Prayer is an audience which our Creator is
kind enough to grant us ; a conversation we hold with Our
Heavenly Father, wherein we beg Him to vouchsafe to
hearken to our words and heed our request : “ Give ear,
0 Lord to my words.... Hearken to the voice of my prayer. ” 1
Through voluntary distractions we do no less than refuse
to make a serious effort to understand what we say and to
be attentive to the divine voice; and this, at the very moment
we ask the Almighty to hear us and to speak to us! Do
we not deserve the reproach Our Lord cast upon the
Pharisees : “ This people honoreth me with their lips : but
their heart is far-from me?"2 Does this not constitute
a glaring inconsistency as well as a lack of religion?
655. We must, then, strive seriously to repel promptly
and firmly the distractions that present themselves to our
mind ; we must readily humble ourselves when they occur
and unite again our prayer with the perfect prayer of Jesus.
We must, likewise, reduce the number of such distractions
by a vigorous fight against their causes : habitual dissipation
of mind, the habit of day-dreaming, the preoccupations and
attachments that absorb the mind and the heart. We must
also accustom ourselves little by little to recall frequently to
mind God’s presence, by offering up to Him our actions, as
well as ardent ejaculatory prayers. Once we have taken these
means, there is no cause for worry concerning such invol­
untary distractions as run through our minds or disturb
our imagination. These are but trials, not faults, and once
we have learned to profit by them, they but increase our
merits and the value of our prayers.
656. The attention we can bring to bear upon our
prayers may be of a threefold kind, i) When we apply
ourselves to the correct pronunciation of the words we give
verbal attention which presupposes an effort to think of
« A. V, 2-3. — a

Matth., XV, 8.

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

317

what we say. 2) If we try to understand the meaning of the
words, our attention is called literal or intellectual. 3) Should
the soul, disregarding the literal meaning, rise toward God
to worship Him, bless Him, unite itself to Him, or to enter
into the spirit of the mystery it considers, attention becomes
spiritual or mystical. This last is hardly adapted to begin­
ners, but rather to advanced souls. The first two should be
recommended to those who begin to relish prayer.

Art. II. The Exercises of Piety of Beginners
657. Prayer is one of the great means of salvation.
Hence, the spiritual director should gradually initiate
beginners into the practice of such spiritual exercises as
form the framework of an earnest Christian life, taking
account of their age, their vocation, the duties of their state,
their character, supernatural attractions, and the progress
they have made.
658. i° The objective in view is to train souls gradually
in the habitual practice of prayer in such a way that their
whole life becomes in a measure a life of prayer (n. 522).
It is evident that much time and prolonged efforts are
required to approach this ideal, which is not within the
reach of beginners, but which the spiritual director must
know for the better guidance of his penitents.
659. 2° Besides morning and night prayers, which good
Christians do not fail to say, the following are the chief
spiritual exercises that render our lives a constant prayer :
A) The morning meditation, of which we shall soon treat,
Holy Mass and Communion show us the ideal we are to
pursue, and help us realize it (n. 524). There are persons,
however, who are prevented by their duties of state
from assisting daily at the Holy Sacrifice. They should
make up for this by a spiritual communion to be made
either at the end of meditation or even whilst engaged in
manual labor. At ail events, they must be taught how to
profit from attendance at Holy Mass and the reception of
Holy Communion. The Director does this by adapting to
their capacity what we have said in n. 271-289. They
must also be taught to follow intelligently the liturgical
services of Sundays and Holy days. The sacred Liturgy
well understood is one of the great helps to perfection.

660. B) Besides the oft-renewed offering of their
actions to God, they must be advised to recite during the

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CHAPTER I.

course of the day some ejaculatory prayers, to do some
devout reading suited to their state of soul on such funda­
mental truths as the end of man, sin, mortification, confes­
sion, and the examinations of conscience, adding thereto
the lives of Saints who were noted for the practice of the
virtue of penance. Such reading will be a light to the mind,
a stimulus to the will, and a great help to mental prayer.
The recitation of some decades of the beads, with medi­
tation upon the mysteries of the Rosary, will be productive
of an increased devotion to the Blessed Virgin and will
strengthen the habit of union with Our Lord. A visit to
the Blessed Sacrament, varying in duration according to
their occupations, will reanimate within them the spirit of
piety. For these visits they may use with profit the Follow­
ing of Christ, especially the Fourth Book, and Visits to the
Blessed Sacrament by St. Alphonsus Liguori.
661. C) In the evening, a serious examination of con­
science, followed by the particular examen, will help beginners
to note their failings, to foresee the remedies and to muster
the strength of will needed to renew their purpose of
amendment, thus preventing them from falling into indiffe­
rence or lukewarmness. Here one must recall what we
have said anent the examinations of conscience (460-476),
and regarding confession (n. 262-269), and remember that
the examination of beginners must bear chiefly upon deli­
berate venial sins. Such watchfulness is the best means
of avoiding mortal sin and of repairing any grave sin
committed in an unguarded moment.
662.30 Advice to the spiritual director. A) The
director should see to it that his penitents do not burden
themselves with too many spiritual exercises that might
hinder the fulfilment of their duties of state or be detri­
mental to true devotion. Less prayers and more attention
is preferable. Our Lord Himself gives us this advice :
“ And when you are praying, speak not much, as the
heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they
may be heard. Be not you therefore like them : for your
Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask
him. ” 1 After speaking these words He taught His
Disciples that short and all-embracing prayer which embo­
dies all our possible requests, the Our Father (n. 515-516).
There are beginners who readily imagine that they grow
in piety as they multiply their vocal prayers. A great
« Matth., vi, 7-8.

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

319

service will be rendered them by recalling this
teaching of the Master, and by showing them that a short
attentive prayer is of greater worth than one lasting twice
as long, and filled with more or less wilful distractions. To
help them fix their attention, the spiritual director should
remind them that a few seconds spent in placing themselves
in the presence of God and in uniting themselves with Our
Lord will do much to make their prayers truly effective.

663. B) To help them avoid the routine that is liable
to creep into the repetition of the same formulas of vocal
prayer, it is well to give them a method, at once, easy and
simple, of holding their attention. For instance, in the
recitation of the Rosary they may meditate on the Mysteries
with the twofold purpose in view of honoring the Blessed
Virgin and of drawing unto themselves the particular virtue
corresponding to each Mystery. This practice will be found
very profitable; it will make the recitation of the Rosary
a short meditation. But in this case it is well to recall that,
generally speaking, we cannot at the same time pay
attention both to the literal sense of the Hail Mary and to the
meaning of the Mystery and that therefore either one suffices.

Art. III. The Mental Prayer of Beginners 1
We shall explain : i° Some general notions concerning
meditation; 2° Its advantages and necessity ; 30 The distin­
guishing characteristics of meditation — the mental prayer
of beginners; 40 The chief methods of meditation.
§ I. General Notions

664. i° Definition and Essential Elements of Mental
prayer. We have said (n. 510,) that there are two kinds
of prayer : vocal prayer, expressed by word or by gesture,
and mental prayer which takes place wholly within the soul.
1 JOAN. MauburnuS, Rosetum exercitiorum spiritualium et sacrarum medita­
tionum; Garcia De Cisneros, Exercitatorio de la
’■? espiritual; St. Ignatius,
Spiritual Exercises; and Commentators; also la Eibliothèque des Exercices de
St. Ignace, published under the direction of Father Watricant; Rodriguez,
Practice of Christian Perfection, V. Treatise, On Prayer ; L. DE Granada, Traité
de l'oraison et de la méditation; A. Massoulié, Traité de la véritable oraison;
St. Peter of Alcantara, La oraciân y meditaciôn ; St. Francis de Sales
Devout Life, Part I, ch. I-IX; Brancati de Laurea, De oratione christianà;
Crasset, A Key to Meditation; ScARAMELLi, op. cil., I. Treatise, art. 5; Courbon,
Familiar Instructions on Mental and Affective Prayer ; V. LlBERMANN, Ecrits
spirit., p. 82-147; Faber, Growth, in Holiness, ch. XV; R. DE Maumigny, Pratique
de Γoraison mentale, t. I; Dom LEHODEY, The Ways of Mental Prayer, P. I
and II; Letourneau, La Méthode d'oraison mentale de S.-Sulpice; Clare, S. J.,
Science of the Spiritual Life.

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The latter is defined as a silent elevation and application
of our mind and heart to God in order to offer Him our
homages and to promote His glory by our advancement
in virtue.
It comprises five elements : i) The religious duties ren­
dered to God, or to Our Lord Jesus Christ, or to the Saints;
2) considerations bearing upon God and our personal rela­
tions with Him, in order to deepen and strengthen our con­
victions ; 3) examination of conscience, in order to determine
how we stapd in relation to the subject of meditation ;
4) prayer of petition by which we ask of God the graces
necessary for exercising ourselves more perfectly in this or
that particular virtue; 5) resolutions to do better in the
future. These various acts need not follow in the order just
described, nor must they all, of necessity, have a place in
every meditation. Moreover, mental prayer must be pro­
longed over a notable period of time to deserve the name
of meditation and to be distinguished from mere ejacu­
latory prayers.
As souls advance in perfection and acquire convictions
which are easily renewed, they gradually devote less time to
considerations and examinations, and give more to affections
and petitions. These in turn become more and more
simple, and at times mental prayer consists in a simple and
loving gaze upon God. — This we shall explain later.

665. The Origin of Mental Prayer. We must carefully
distinguish between mental prayer in itself and methodical
mental prayer.
A) Meditation, or mental prayer, has always been practiced in one

form or another. The books of the Prophets, the Psalms, the Sapiential
Books are all full of meditations to nourish the devotion of the Chosen
People. Our Lord, by insisting on the worship of God in spirit and
truth, by spending whole nights in prayer, by the long prayer He
offered at Gethsemane and upon Calvary, prepared the way for those
saintly souls who through all ages to come would withdraw to the inner
sanctuary of their hearts, therein to pray in secret to their God. Medi­
tation or mental prayer, even in its highest forms, such as contem­
plation, is explicitly treated in the writings of Cassian and St. John
Climacus, not to speak of the works of the Fathers. It may be said
that St. Bernard’s treatise De Consideratione is in reality a treatise on
the necessity of reflection and of meditation. The School of St. Victor
lays emphasis on meditation in order to arrive at contemplation, 1 and
we know how strongly St. Thomas recommended it as a means of
growing in the love of God and of giving ourselves to Him.2
1 Cfr. Hugh of S. Victor, De modo dicendi et meditandi; De Meditando seu
meditandi artificio, P. L. CLXXVI, 877-880; 993-998.
’Sum. theol., lia Ilæ, q. 82, a. 3.

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666. B) Meditation as a methodical prayer dates from the
XV Century. We find it explained in the Rosetum of John Mauburnus *
and in the Benedictine writers of the same epoch. St. Ignatius in the
Spiritual Exercises gives several methods of meditating, at once
precise and varied. St. Theresa gives by far the best description of
the different kinds of mental prayer. Her disciples have sketched the
rules of systematic meditation.123 St. Francis de Sales does not fail to
trace a method of mental prayer for Philothea, and the French School
of the XVII Century soon had its own method, perfected by Father
Olier and Father Tronson, called today the method of St. Sulpice.

667. Meditation and Mental Prayer. The terms
meditation and mental prayer are often interchanged.
When differentiated, the former is applied to that form of
mental prayer wherein considerations and reasonings predo­
minate and which, owing to this, is called discursive medi­
tation. The latter name is chiefly applied to those forms of
mental prayer wherein pious affections or acts of the will are
predominant. Discursive meditation itself, however, already
contains affections, and affective prayer is ordinarily preced­
ed or accompanied by some considerations, excepting the
case when the soul is seized by the light of contemplation.
668. The kind of prayer generally suited to beginners
is discursive meditation. They need it in order to acquire
convictions or to strengthen them. There are, however,
some souls who from the outset give considerable place
to affections. But all must be taught that the best part of
mental prayer lies in the acts of the will.
§ II. The Advantages
and the Necessity of Mental Prayer

I. The Advantages
669. Meditation, as we have described it, is most
helpful for the attainment of salvation and perfection.
i° It detaches us from sin and its causes. — When we
sin, it is through thoughtlessness and lack of will-power.
This twofold defect, however, is corrected by meditation.
a) It enlightens us as to the malice of sin and its fearful
consequences, by showing it to us in the light of God, of
eternity, and of what Jesus Christ did in order to atone for
it. “ It is meditation, ” says Fr. Crasset, 3 “ that leads us in
spirit into the hallowed solitudes wherein we find God
1 H. Watrigant, La Méditation méthodique, Rev. d'Ascétique et de Myst.,
Jan. 1923, p. 13-29.
3 V. P. Jean de Jésus Marie, Instruction des novices, 3e Partie, chap. II, § 2.
3 Instructions sur l'Oraison, Méthode d’oraison, ch. I, p. 253-254. Read the
whole passage — Engl. Transi. A Key to meditation, p. 85-95.

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alone — in peace, in calm, in silence, in recollection. The
same it is that in spirit makes us descend to hell, therein to
see our place; that brings us before the grave to see our
last abode ; that takes us up to Heaven to see our throne of
glory; that carries us to the Valley of Josaphat to see Our
Judge; to Bethlehem to see Our Savior; to Mount Thabor
to see Our Love and to Calvary to see Our Model. ” Medi­
tation, likewise, detaches us from the world and its false
pleasures. In reminds us of the instability of wordly goods,
the anxiety they bring, the void, the ennui in which they
plunge the soul. It forearms us against a false and corrupt
world and makes us realize that God alone can constitute
our bliss. Above all it detaches us from our pride and
from our sensuality, by placing us before God Who is the
fulness of being, and before our nothingness ; by making us
understand that sensual pleasure reduces us to the level of
the brute, whilst godly joys ennoble us and make us soar
unto God.
b) Meditation strengthens our will, not merely by provid­
ing us with strong convictions, as we have just said, but also
by gradually healing our languor, our cowardice, and our
fickleness. God’s grace alone, our own efforts helping, can
cure such infirmities. Now, meditation makes us ask for
this grace all the more insistently, as it brings home to us
through reflection our helplessness ; whilst the acts of sorrow,
of contrition that we perform, the firm purpose of amend­
ment we conceive during meditation, together with the
resolutions we take, already constitute an active co-operation
with grace.
670. 2° Meditation makes us also practice all the great
Christian virtues, i) It enlightens our faith by bringing
before our eyes the eternal truths ; it sustains our hope by
giving us access to God to obtain His help; it enkindless
our love by exposing to our view the beauty and the
goodness of God. 2) It makes us prudent by supplying us
with considerations to be taken into account before we act ; it
makes us just by having us conform our will to that of God ;
it renders us strong by making us share in God’s own power ;
and temperate by cooling the ardor of our passions. There
is no Christian virtue which we cannot acquire by daily
meditation. Through it we hold fast to the truth, and truth,
freeing us from our vices, makes us practice virtue : “ You
shall know the truth : and the truth shall make you free. ” 1
1 John, VIII, 32.

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323

671. 3° Meditation therefore initiates our union with
God, nay more, our transformation into Him. It is, in fact,
a conversation with God which from day to day becomes
more intimate, more tender, and longer, since it continues
the day long, even in the midst of our activities, n. 522.
By virtue of daily intercourse with the Author of all perfec­
tion, we drink of His fulness, and are permeated by it, like
the sponge by the water. We are transformed like the iron
in the furnace that kindles, softens, and assumes the proper­
ties of living fire.
II. The Necessity of Mental Prayer
672. i° For the Laity. A) Systematic meditation is
a highly effective means of sanctification ; however, it is not
necessary for the salvation of most Christians. What is
necessary is prayer by which we render homage to God and
obtain grace. Evidently, this cannot be done without
attention on the part of the mind and desire on the part of
the heart. No doubt, to prayer must be joined the consi­
deration of the great Christian truths and of the great
Christian duties, together with self-examination. But we
accomplish all these without the practice of systematic
meditation, by simply listening to the religious instruction
given in Church, by pious reading, and by the examination
of conscience.
673. B) Meditation, however, is most useful and most
profitable to all for salvation and perfection; to beginners, as
well as to more advanced souls. It may be even said that
it is the most effective means of assuring one's salvation
(n. όός>). This is the teaching of St. Alphonsus, who gives
the following reason, that whilst habitually practicing the
other exercises of piety, like the Rosary, the Little Office
of the Blessed Virgin, fasting, etc.... one may, unfortunately,
still continue to live in mortal sin, whilst the habitual
practice of mental prayer cannot suffer one to remain long
in such a state. One either relinquishes mental prayer or
relinquishes sin. 1 How could we day by day go into the
presence of God, the source of all holiness, while conscious
of mortal sin, and not determine, with the help of grace, to
break with sin and to seek in the Tribunal of Penance that
pardon the supreme need of which we recognize? But, if
we have no appointed time and no practical method for the
consideration of the great religious truths, we allow ourselves
Praxis Confessarii, n. 122.

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CHAPTER I.

to be carried away by dissipation of mind and the example
of the world, until we lapse into sin and live in sin.
674. 2° The Moral Necessity of Mental Prayer for
Diocesan Priests. We do not speak here of those Regulars,
who in the devout and prolonged recitation of the Divine
Office, in their readings and in the prayers they offer
may find the equivalent of mental prayer. Nevertheless, we
call attention to the fact that even in the Orders where the
Office is recited in choir, the rule prescribes at least a halfhour of mental prayer, because meditation is the soul of all
vocal prayers and insures their fervent recitation. It should
also be said that religious congregations dating from the
XVI century insist even more upon mental prayer, and that
the New Code directs superiors to see that all religious,
unless they have a legitimate excuse, devote a certain
amount of time each day to this exercise.1
But speaking of diocesan priests, absorbed in the
activities of the ministry, we say that the habitual exercise
of mental prayer at an appointed time is morally necessary
to their perseverance and to their sanctification. Their
duties are many and heavy, and they are at times sub­
jected to serious temptations, even while exercising their
ministry. Now, in order to resist these temptations and
to fulfil all their duties with fidelity and in a supernatural
way, they need deep convictions and choice graces, which
as every one must admit are obtained through daily
meditation.
675. A) Nor let it be urged that the offering of the
Holy Sacrifice and the recitation of the Divine Office replace
mental prayer. It is true that the Mass and the Breviary,
attentively and devoutly said, are effective means of perse­
verance and progress in the spiritual life; yet, experience
shows that priests absorbed in their ministerial work do
not, as a matter of fact, acquit themselves well of these
important duties, unless they develop in daily meditation
the spirit of prayer and of interior recollection. If a priest
disregards this holy exercise, how can he, encompassed and
pressed by labors, find the time to recollect himself and
renew his sense of the supernatural? If he fails in this,
distracting thoughts invade his soul, even whilst he is engaged
in the holiest occupations; his convictions weaken, his
energy dwindles, his negligences and his failings grow, and
lukewarmness ensues. Should a serious, persistent, and
« Can. 595.

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325

besetting temptation make its appearance, the strong con­
victions needed to repel the enemy are no longer clear to
his mind, and he runs the risk of falling.1 “ If I meditate, ”
says Dom Chautard, “ I am as it were clothed in steel
armor, and impervious to the shafts of the enemy. Without
mental prayer, I shall surely be their target. ” The
devout, learned and prudent Father Desurmont, one of the
most experienced retreat-masters for priests, declares that
“ for the priest in the world, it is either meditation or a very
great risk of damnation. ” Cardinal Lavigerie writes in the
same strain : “ For an apostolic laborer, there is no alterna­
tive between holiness, if not acquired, at least desired and
pursued (especially through daily meditation) and progres­
sive perversion. ” 123

676. B) For the priest, it does not suffice to avoid sin.
In order to fulfil the duties of glorifying God and saving
souls he must be habitually united to Jesus Christ the Great
High Priest, through Whom alone he can give glory to God
and save men. Yet, how can the priest unite himself to
Christ in the midst of the occupations and preoccupations
of his ministry, if he does not set apart sufficient time to
think leisurely and lovingly on that Divine Model, to draw
unto himself through prayer His spirit, His dispositions,
and His grace? Through this union the priest’s energies
are multiplied, his confidence increased, the fruitfulness of
his ministry assured, for it is not he who speaks, but Jesus
Who speaks through his lips : “ God as it were exhorting by
us ” ; 3 it is not he who acts ; he is but an instrument in
God’s hands. Because he strives to imitate the virtues of
our Lord, his example wins souls even more than his words.
If he gives up meditation, he loses the spirit of recollection
and of prayer and he is but “ sounding brass and a tinkling
cymbal. ” 4
677. Hence, Pope Pius X, of holy memory, has proclaimed in
clear terms the necessity of meditation for the priest : “ It is of the first
importance that a certain time should be allotted every day for medi­
1 Let us ponder the following words of a priest reproduced by Dom Chautard :
“ It is my overeagerness that has brought on my fall! My excessive devotion to
the active life and my love for the same filled me with great joy at my success, and
this together with the deceits of Satan led me to be so absorbed in laboring for
others, as to neglect my own spiritual wants, prayer and meditation; and then
when temptation came, I yielded in the weakness caused me by my lack of spiritual
nourishment. ” The True Apostolatt, p. 67. All that this excellent writer says
about the need of an interior life, applies to mental prayer which is one of the most
effective means to foster this life.
2 L'âme de tout apostolat, p. 179-180. Engl. Transi. The True Apostolate,
p. 143-144·
3 II Cor., V, 20. — 41 Cor., XIII, 1.

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CHAPTER I.

tation on the things of eternity. No priest can omit this without being
guilty of serious negligence, to the detriment of his soul. ”1 The New
Code bids Bishops to see that priests devote each day a certain time to
the exercise of mental prayer, 3 and that students in seminaries do
likewise.3 Are not such prescriptions equivalent to a proclamation of
the moral necessity of meditation for ecclesiastics?
To advise priests absorbed in the parochial ministry to omit medi­
tation so as to say their Mass and Office more devoutly is nothing less
than a total ignorance of psychology. Experience shows that, when
mental prayer is absent, the devout recitation of the Office becomes
well-nigh impossible ; it is said at odd moments with many attendant
interruptions, and with the mind filled with the thoughts of other
things. It is, in fact, the morning meditation that guarantees the
devout celebration of the Holy Sacrifice and that enables a priest to
recollect himself before beginning his Office and to make its recitation
a real prayer.

678. What we say of the priest, can be said also to
a certain extent of those devoted men and women who
dedicate part of their time to works of zeal. If they want
their apostolate to be fruitful, it must be vivified by the
spirit of recollection and by prayer. Let it not be urged
that the time consecrated to this exercise is taken from
works of zeal. It would be to approach closely to the error
of Pelagius to imagine that action is more necessary than
grace and prayer, whereas in reality works of zeal are all the
more fruitful, as they are inspired by a life of greater interior
recollection, which is in turn nourished by mental prayer.

§ III. General Characteristics of the Meditation
of Beginners

We have already said that the mental prayer of beginners
is chiefly a discursive prayer, wherein, though the affections
have their place, reasoning predominates. We now explain :
i° the ordinary subjects of their meditation, and 2° the
obstacles they meet.
I. The Subjects upon which Beginners Meditate
679.They must, in general, meditate upon whatever is
calculated to inspire them with a growing horror for sin,
upon the causes of their own faults, upon mortification that
removes such causes, upon the principal duties of their state,
upon fidelity to grace and its abuse, upon Jesus Christ,
a modelfor penitent sinners.
680. 1° In order to acquire a growing horror for sin, they must
meditate : a) on the end of man and of the Christian, and hence upon
Exhortation to the Clergy, Aug. 4, 1908. — 2 Can. 125, 20. — 3 Can. 1367, i°.

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

327

the creation of man, his elevation to the supernatural state, his fall and
his redemption (n. 59-87) ; upon the rights of God as Creator, Sanctifier,
and Redeemer; upon such of the divine attributes as would inspire
them with a horror for sin, for instance, God’s immensity, whereby He
is present to all creatures and especially to the soul in the state of
grace; upon His holiness whereby He is bound to hate sin; upon His
justice which punishes it ; upon His mercy that moves Him to forgive
it. All these truths tend to make us flee from sin, the one obstacle to
the attainment of our end, the one enemy of God, the destroyer of that
supernatural life given to us by God as the great proof of His love for
us, and restored to us by the Redeemer at the price of His Blood.
b) Upon sin : its origin, punishment, malice, and frightful conse­
quences, n. 711-735; πΡθη the causes leading to sin : the world, the
flesh, and the devil, n. 193-227.
C) Upon the means of expiating and preventing sin : penance,
n. 705, and the mortification of our different faculties, of our evil
tendencies, and chiefly of the seven capital vices. From our medi­
tations on these points we shall draw the conclusion that there is no
safety as long as we have not uprooted or at least controlled all these
disordered inclinations.

681. 2° Beginners must also choose for the subject of meditation
all the positive duties of the Christian : 1) General duties of religion
toward God, of charity toward the neighbor, of mistrust of self on
account of our helplessness and wretchedness. What will impress
beginners most will be the external acts of these virtues; but this will
be a preparation for the more perfect practice of the same virtues in
the illuminative way. — 2) Particular duties, according to age,
condition, sex, state of life. The fulfilment of these duties will prove
to be the best kind of penance.
682. 30 Since grace plays an all-important rôle in the Christian life,
beginners must be gradually instructed in this doctrine. The spiritual
director, then, will explain to them in a familiar and easy way the
doctrine of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in our souls, of our
incorporation into Christ, of habitual grace, of the virtues and of the
seven gifts. At first, no doubt, they will grasp but the mere elements
of these great truths, but even the little they will understand will not
fail to exert a powerful influence on their spiritual formation and their
spiritual progress. It is when we think of what God has done and
incessantly does for us, that we are prompted to further generosity in
His service. We should not forget that St> Paul and St. John preached
these truths to pagan neophytes who were but beginners in the
spiritual life.

683. 40 Then it will be easy and practical to propose
fesus as the model for true penitents : Jesus condemning
11 imself to a life of poverty, of obedience and of toil that
lie might be unto us an example; Jesus, doing penance
for us in the desert, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in His
cruel passion; Jesus dying for us upon the Cross. This
••cries of meditations, presented to us by the Church in
the yearly cycle of the liturgy, will have the advantage
of making us practice penance in union with Jesus with

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CHAPTER I.

greater generosity, with a greater love, and hence with
greater efficacy.
II. The Obstacles Encountered by Beginners
The special difficulties encountered by beginners in medi­
tation arise from their inexperience, their lack ofgenerosity,
and chiefly from the many distractions to which they are
subject.

684. A) On account of their inexperience they are liable
to turn their mental prayer into a sort of philosophical or
theological thesis, or into a kind of sermon to themselves.
This is not, indeed, a complete loss of time, since even this
kind of meditation makes them give thought to the great
truths of religion and strengthens their convictions. They
would, however, derive greater profit if they proceeded in
a more practical and in a more supernatural way.
This a spiritual director must teach them. He should point out to
them : a) that considerations, if they are to bear practical fruit, must
be made more personal, be applied to themselves and be followed by
an examination in order to see to what extent the truths on which they
meditate influence their lives, and what must be done in order to live
by these truths during the course of the day ; b) that the most impor­
tant part of meditation is found in the acts of the will : acts of adoration,
thanksgiving and love toward God ; acts of humility, of sorrow, of firm
purpose of amendment ; acts of petition to obtain the grace of correct­
ing their faults ; and finally, firm and frequently repeated resolutions of
doing better throughout the day.

685. B) Their lack of generosity exposes them to discour­
agement when they are no longer upheld by the sensible
consolations God graciously bestowed on them at the outset
in order to draw them unto Himself. Obstacles and the
first spells of aridity dishearten them, and thinking them­
selves abandoned by God, they drift into carelessness.
Hence, they must be made to see that what God asks is
effort and not success, that perseverance in prayer, despite
difficulties, is so much the richer in merit, and that God
having proved Himself so generous towards them, to turn
back when effort is required, would be an act of cowardice.
These directions should be tempered by the mildness with
which they are given and by paternal words of comfort.
686. C) The greatest obstacle, however, comes from
distractions. Since in the first stages of the spiritual life, out
imagination, our feelings and our attachments are far front
being mastered, worldly and ofttimes dangerous fancies,
useless thoughts and the divers emotional movements of

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329

the heart invade the soul at the very time of meditation.
The help of the spiritual director is here of capital im­
portance.
a) He should first of all remind them of the distinction
between wilful1 distractions and those that are not, bidding
his penitents to concern themselves merely with the former
in order to diminish their number. To succeed in this :
i) they must repel such distractions promptly, vigorously and
persistently, as soon as they become aware of them. Even if
these distractions are many and grievous, they are not
culpable unless they are voluntary; the effort made to repel
them is a meritorious act. Should they recur a hundred
times and be a hundred times repulsed, the meditation will
be excellent and worth far more than one made with fewer
distractions but with little effort.

687. 2) They must humbly acknowlege their weakness,
explicitly unite themselves to Our Lord, and offer to God
His worship and His prayers. If need be, a book may be
used, the better to fix the attention.
b) It is not enough to drive off distractions. In order to
reduce their number, we must attack their causes. Many of
them proceed from a lack of preparation or from an habitual
dissipation of mind. 1) Beginners thus troubled with
distractions should, therefore, be urged to prepare their
meditation more carefully on the night before, not by
merely reading the points, but by trying to see how the
subject of the meditation is of practical advantage to them
personally, and by thinking about it before falling asleep,
instead of letting their mind become a prey to useless or
unwholesome reveries. 2) Above all, beginners must be
taught the means of controlling the imagination and the
memory. In proportion as the soul grows in the practice
of habitual recollection and detachment, distractions become
less numerous.
§ VI. The Principal Methods of Mental Prayer

688; Since mental prayer is a difficult art, the Saints
have ever been eager to offer counsel on the means of
succeeding therein. One finds excellent advice in Cassian,
* Distractions are voluntary in themselves when they are deliberately willed,
01 when, aware that our mind wanders, we do nothing to prevent its vagaries.
They are voluntary in their cause, when we foresee that such or such all-absorbing
trading or occupation will be a source of distractions, and none the less we indulge
In it.

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St. John Climacus and other spiritual writers. It was not,
however, until the XV Century that methods properly so
called were elaborated, which have since guided souls in the
ways of mental prayer.
Because at first sight these methods appear rather intricate,
it is well, before introducing beginners to their use, to
prepare them by what may be called meditative reading.
They should be told to read some devout works, like the
First Book of the Following of Christ, the Spiritual Combat
or some work containing brief, solid meditations ; and they
should be taught to follow up this reading by asking
themselves the following questions : i° Am I thoroughly
convinced that what I have just read is useful and necessary
to the welfare of my soul? How can I strengthen this
conviction? 2° Have I up to the present exercised myself
in such an important practice? 30 What must I do today
in order to improve? If an earnest prayer is added asking
for the grace that one may carry out the resolutions taken,
all the essential elements of a real meditation will be con­
tained in such reading.

I. Points Common to all Methods of Mental Prayer
We find in all the various methods certain common traits
which are manifestly the most essential; hence, attention
must be called to them.

689. i° There is always a remote, a proximate, and an
immediate preparation.
a) The remote preparation is nothing more than the effort
to make our daily life harmonize with prayer. It comprises
three things : 1) the mortification of the senses and of the
passions; 2) habitual recollection; 3) humility. These are,
in fact, excellent dispositions for a good meditation. At
the beginning they are imperfect; still, they suffice to
enable us to meditate with some profit, and later on they
will become more and more perfect in proportion as progress
is made in mental prayer.
b) The proximate or, as others call it, the less remote
preparation, includes three principal acts : 1) to select the
subject of meditation on the preceding evening; 2) to revolve
it in our mind in the morning upon awakening, and to
excite in our heart corresponding sentiments ; 3) to approach
meditation with earnestness, confidence, and humility,
desiring to give glory to God and to improve our life. In

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331

this way the soul is placed in the best dispositions to enter
into conversation with God.
C) The immediate preparation, which is in reality the
beginning of meditation itself, consists in placing ourselves
in the presence of God Who is present everywhere especially
within our heart, in acknowledging ourselves unworthy and
incapable of meditating, and in imploring the aid of the
Holy Ghost that He supply our insufficiency.
690. 2° Within the body of the meditation, the
different methods likewise contain more or less explicitly
the same fundamental acts :
a) Acts of worship rendering to the Majesty of God the
religious homage due to Him.
b) Considerations, to convince ourselves of the necessity
or the great importance of the virtue we want to acquire,
so that we may all the more earnestly pray for the grace of
practicing it, and firmly determine to make efforts necessary
to co-operate with grace.
C) Self-examinations, to see our failings in this regard and
survey the progress yet to be made.
d) Prayers or petitions, asking for the grace of growing in
the said virtue and of using the means conducive thereto.
e) Resolutions, whereby we determine from that very
moment to practice that virtue.
691. 3° The conclusion, which brings the meditation
to a close, includes : i) an act of thanskgiving for the favors
received ; 2) a review of the manner in which we have made
our meditation with the view to improve thereon the
following day; 3) a final prayer asking the blessing of Our
Heavenly Father; 4) the selection of some impressive
thought or some telling maxim, which will during the day
recall to our mind the ruling idea of our meditation.
The different methods are reduced to two principal types
called respectively the method of St. Ignatius and the
method of St. Sulpice.

II. The Method of St. Ignatius 1
692. In the Spiritual Exercises St. Ignatius presents
several methods of mental prayer, according to the subjects
1 Spiritual Exercises, Ist Week, 1st Exercise ; (Translation by Father Rickaby,
S. J. j; See CLARE, S. J. The Science of the Spiritual Life; CRASSET, A Key to
Meditation ; Faber, Growth in Holiness, C. XV.

332

CHAPTER I.

meditated upon and the results desired. The one best
adapted to beginners is the one called the exercise of the
three faculties, so named because it consists in the exer­
cise of the memory, the understanding and the will, the
three chief faculties of the soul. It is explained in the
First Week of the Exercises in connection with the medi­
tation on sin.
693. 1° The *Beginning of the Meditation. It begins
by a preparatory prayer in which we beg of God that our
intentions and all our actions be solely directed to the
service and honor of the Divine Majesty.
Two preludes follow: a) the first, which is the composition of place,
has for its purpose to center the imagination and fasten the attention
upon the subject of the meditation, the more easily to banish distrac­
tions. i) If the object falls under the senses, for instance if it is one ot
the mysteries of Our Lord, it is presented to the mind as vividly as
possible, not like ari event having taken place in the distant past, but
as if one were actually witnessing the facts and taking part in them.
2) If the object does not fall under the senses, e. g. sin, “ the compo­
sition of place will consist in picturing and considering my soul impri­
soned in this mortal body, and myself, that is, my body and my soul,
in this vale of tears, exiled, as it were, midst animals devoid of reason”;
in other words, one considers sin in some of its effects in order to
conceive a horror for it.
b) The second prelude consists in asking God what we want and
desire, for example, shame and confusion at the sight of our sins. As
can be seen, the practical purpose of the meditation — the resolution
— is clearly pointed out from the very outset : In all things look io
the end.

694. 20 The Body of the Meditation. This consists
in the application of the three faculties of the soul, the
memory, the understanding, and the will, to each point of
the meditation. Each faculty is in turn applied to each
point, unless one point furnishes adequate matter for the
meditation. It is not necessary in every meditation to
make all the acts ; it is good to dwell upon the affections
and sentiments which the subject suggests.
a) The exercise of the memory is performed by recalling the first
point of the meditation, not in detail, but as a whole ; thus, says
St. Ignatius: “This exercise of the memory as regards the sin of the
Angels consists in calling to mind how they were created in a state of
innocence; how they refused to employ their freedom in rendering their
Creator and Master the homage and obedience due to Him; how
pride, taking possession of them, they passed from the state of grace to
a state of reprobation, and were cast from Heaven into Hell. ”
b) The exercise of the understanding consists in reflecting in detail
upon the same subject. St. Ignatius proceeds no further, but Father
Roothaan supplements his teaching by explaining that the office of the
understanding is to make reflections upon the truths the memory has

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

333

proposed, to make application thereof to the soul and the soul’s needs,
to draw therefrom practical conclusions, to weigh the motives for reso­
lutions, to consider how we have heretofore conformed our conduct to
the truths upon which we meditate, and how we must conduct ourselves
with regard to them in the future.

c) The will has two duties to fulfil : to conceive devout
affections and to form good resolutions. i) The affections,
indeed, must find a place in all parts of the meditation, at
least they must occur very frequently, since it is these that
make the meditation a real prayer ; but it is chiefly toward
the end of the meditation that they are to be multiplied.
One must not be concerned about the manner of expressing
them ; the simpler the manner, the better they are. When
some good sentiment spontaneously lays hold of us, it is
well to entertain it as long as we can and until our
devotion is satisfied. 2) The resolutions should be prac­
tical, designed to improve our life, and therefore particular,
accommodated to our present condition, and capable of
being carried out that very day ; they must be based upon
solid motives. They must be humble and therefore accom­
panied by prayers to obtain the grace of carrying them
into execution.

695. 30 The Conclusion. This comprises three things :
a summary view of the various resolutions already taken ;
devout colloquies with God the Father, Our Lord, the
Blessed Virgin or some Saint ; and lastly, the review of the
meditation, or the examination upon the way we have made
it, in order to note its imperfections and to seek a remedy
for them.

334

CHAPTER I.

To give a clearer understanding of the method, we add the following
synoptic table of the preludes, of the body of the prayer, and of the
conclusion.
' i° A rapid recall of the truth to be considered
I. Preludes- 2° The composition ofplace through the imagination
3° The petition for a special grace in harmony with the
.
subject

mu

.

i A representation of the subject as a whole
tHogether
cJiraJmstances

1’ The Mimcry by |

i° What should I consider in this subject?
2° What practical conclusions should I draw
from it?
3° What are my motives in drawing these
conclusions?
2° The Understand­
ing by asking : 4° How have I heretofore lived up to this?
5° What must I do in the future the better to
conform my life thereto?
6° What obstacles must I remove?
7° What means must I employ?

3° The Will by

Affections produced during the entire
course of the meditation, especially at
the end
2‘ Resolutions taken at the end of each point :
practical, personal, sound, humble, full
of trust

i° Colloquies : with God, Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin, the
Saints

2° Review

i° How have I made this meditation?
2° Wherein and why have I failed, or succeeded?
3° What practical conclusions have I drawn? What
requests have I made? What resolutions have
I formed? What lights have I received?
4° Choice of a thought as a reminder of the medi­
tation.

696. Advantages of this method. As may be
readily observed, this method is highly psychological and
highly practical, a) It lays hold of all the faculties, the
imagination included ; applies them one after the other to
the subject of meditation, and thus introduces an element
of variety that makes it possible to consider a truth under
its different aspects, to revolve it in our mind so as to assim­
ilate it, to form convictions, and above all to draw there­
from practical conclusions for the present day.
b) Whilst this method lays emplasis upon the important
part played by the will, which acts only after lengthy consi­

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

335

deration of the motives, it does not minimize the role of
grace, since one begs for it from the very outset, and again
in the colloquies at the conclusion.
C) It is most suitable to beginners, for it states precisely,
to the minutest details, what must be done from the prepa­
ration to the conclusion and thus prevents the faculties
from wandering. Besides, it does not presuppose a deep
knowledge of dogma, but only the contents of the Cate­
chism, and hence adapts itself easily to the laity.
d) When simplified, this method is just as well suited to
the most advanced souls; in fact, if one limits it to the main
outline traced by St. Ignatius, it can be easily transformed
into an affective prayer, which allows a wide scope to the
inspirations of grace. The important thing is to know how
to make an intelligent use of it under the wise guidance of
an experienced spiritual director.
e) It has at times been criticized on the score that it does
not give due prominance to Our Lord Jesus Christ. True,
in the exercise of the three faculties Our Lord’s place is but
incidental; but St. Ignatius has given us other methods, in
particular, that of the contemplation of Mysteries and the
application of the senses wherein Our Lord becomes the
central object of the meditation.1
There is nothing to hinder beginners from employing one
or the other. The objection, therefore, has no foundation
if the Ignatian methods are thouroughly followed.

III. The Method of St. Sulpice*2
697. A) Origin. This method, coming after several
others, has been influenced by them as to the details; but
its underlying idea and broad lines originated with Cardinal
de Bérulle, Father de Condren, and Father Olier, whilst the
supplementary details are the work of Father Tronson.
a) The underlying thought is that of union with the
Incarnate Word in order to render through Him the religious
homage due to God and to reproduce in ourselves the
virtues of Jesus Christ.
b) The three essential acts are: i) Adoration, wherein we consider
one of the attributes or one of the perfections of God, or else some
virtue of Our Lord as the model of that virtue we are to practice.
Then we offer to God or to Our Lord, or to God through Our Lord,
* We shall explain these methods when we treat of the illuminative way.
2 G. Letourneau, La Mithode d'oraison mentale du Sim. de S.-Sulpice,
Paris, 1903, especially p. 321-332 ; Faber, Growth in Holiness, C. XV,

336

CHAPTER I.

our religious homage in the form of adoration, admiration, praise,
thanksgiving, love, joy or compassion. By thus paying our duties to
the Author of grace we render Him propitious to our prayers.
2) Communion, whereby through prayer, we draw unto ourselves the
perfection or the virtue which we have adored and admired in God or
in Jesus Christ. 3) Co-operation, wherein under the influence of grace
we determine to practice that virtue by forming at least one resolution
which we strive to put into practice that very day.
This is the broad outline found in Cardinal de Bérulle, Father de
Condren and Father Olier. As found in these writers it is rather
a method of affective prayer, cf. n. 994-997.

698. B) The additions of Father Tronson. It is evident that
this meagre outline, sufficient to souls already advanced, would prove
inadequate for beginners. This was readily perceived at the Seminary
of St. Sulpice, and whilst preserving the spirit and the essential elements
of the original method, Father Tronson added to the second point,
the communion, the considerations and self-examinations so indis­
pensable to those that begin to meditate. Thus, once convinced of
the importance or necessity of a virtue and realizing their lack of it,
they ask for it with more earnestness, humility and perseverance. In
this method, then, prayer is stressed even for beginners as the chief
element of meditation. Hence, the name given to the third point —
Co-operation — to remind us that our good purposes are more the
effect of grace than of our own volitions, but that on the other hand
grace works nothing in us without our co-operation, and that all the
day long we are to work with Jesus Christ in striving to reproduce that
virtue which has been the subject of our meditation.

699. C) A Summary of the Method. The following
table will give an adequate idea of the method. We omit
the remote preparation which is the same as the one
explained in n. 689.

Proximate
or

Less Remote

Immediate

i° To choose the subject of the meditation the
night before and determine \vhat we are to
consider in Our Lord ; to foresee in parti­
cular, the considerations and requests we
are to make and the resolutions we are
to take.
2° To remain henceforth in great recollection
and keep in our mind the subject of the
meditation whilst going to sleep.
30 Upon rising in the morning, to avail ourselves
of the first free time to make our meditation.
i° To place ourselves in the presence of God,
present everywhere and especially in our
heart.
20 To humble ourselves before God at the sight
of our sins. Contrition. Recitation of the
Confiteor. Act of union with Our Lord.
30 To acknowledge ourselves incapable of
praying as we ought. Invocation of the
Holy Ghost: recitation of the Veni, Sancte
Spiritus.

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

1st point,
Adoration :
Jesus before
our Eyes

i° To consider the
subject of our
meditations in
God, in Our Lord,
or in one of the
Saints :

337

His sentiments,
words,
actions.

2° To offer our homage: adoration, admi­

ration, praise, thanksgiving, love, joy,
or compassion.
i° To convince ourselves of the necessity or

importance of the virtue through motives of
faith, through reasoning or through a de­
tailed examination.
2° To reflect on our conduct with sorrow for
2nd point,
the past, confusion for the present, and
desire for the future.
Communion:
3° To beseech God to grant us the virtue upon
Jesus in our
which we are meditating. (It is chiefly
heart
through this prayer that we participate in
the virtues of Our Lord). — To beg also of
God whatever else we need, to pray for the
needs of the Church, and of all those for
whom we are bound to pray.
Ί°Το
form a resolution : particular, present, effi­
3rd point,
cacious, humble.
Co-operation
2° To renew the resolution relative to our parti­
Jesus in our
cular examination.
hands
i° To thank God for the many graces He has bestowed upon us
during the course of our meditation.
2° To beg His pardon for our faults and negligences during this
holy exercise.
3° To beseech Him to bless our resolutions, the present day, our
life, our death.
4° To select some striking thought that impressed us during our
meditation in order to remember it during the day and thus
recall our resolutions.
5° To place ourselves and the fruit of our meditation in the hands
of the Blessed Virgin.

Sub tuum præsidium

700. D) Characteristics of this method, a) The
method is based upon the doctrine of our incorporation into
Christ (n. 142-149), and upon the resultant obligation of
reproducing in ourselves His interior dispositions and His
virtues. To succeed therein we must, as Father Olier puts
it, have Jesus before our eyes, in order to gaze upon Him as
our model and offer Him our homage — adoration; we must
have Him in our heart, drawing unto us through prayer His
sentiments and His virtues — communion; we must have
Him in our hands, sharing with Him in the work of repro-

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CHAPTER I.

ducing His virtues — co-operation. An intimate union
with Jesus, then, is the soul of this method.
b) It places the duty of religion (reverence and love
towards God) before that of petition. God comes first!
The God it places before us is not an abstract, philosophical
concept, but a concrete, personal God, the living God of the
Gospels, the Most Blessed Trinity living in us.
c) In asserting the need both of grace and of our co­
operation, it lays the emphasis upon grace and hence upon
prayer, whilst at the same time it demands the energetic
and persevering effort of the will, of specific, pertinent,
oft-renewed resolutions on the keeping of which we examine
ourselves at the end of the day.
701. d) It is a method of affective prayer supported by
considerations. It begins with religious sentiments in the
first point; the considerations in the second are designed to
elicit from the heart acts of faith in the supernatural truths
on which we meditate, acts of hope in the Divine mercy,
acts of love towards God’s infinite goodness ; the self-exami­
nations are accompanied by sorrow for the past, confusion
for the present, and a firm purpose of amendment for the
future; the aim of all these acts being to prepare a humble,
confident and persevering prayer. In order to prolong this
petition, the method furnishes various motives, explained at
length, and further suggests a prayer for the whole Church
and for certain souls in «particular. The resolutions are to
be made with distrust of self, absolute confidence in Jesus
Christ, and accompanied by a prayer that we may be
enabled to put them into effect. Lastly, the conclusion is
but a series of acts of gratitude, of humility and further
petitions. Thus we avoid giving a too philosophical turn to
our reasoning and to our considerations, and prepare the
way for affective prayer and for prayer of simplicity ; for
the method tells us that it is not necessary always to
perform all these acts, or in the order prescribed, but that
we should rather abandon ourselves to the affections that
God excites in us, and repeat frequently those to which we
feel particularity attracted by the Holy Ghost. No doubt,
beginners as a rule give more time to reasoning than to
other acts, yet they are constantly reminded by the method
that affections are preferable, and thus they gradually give
to them a larger place in their meditation.
e) This method is especially suited to priests and semi­
narians. It continually reminds them that being other
Christs by virtue of their character and their powers, they

THE PRAYER OF BEGINNERS.

339

should be so likewise in their dispositions and virtues, and
that all their perfection consists in causing Jesus to live and
to grow in their souls.
702. These two methods, then, have their respective
excellence according to the special object they have in view.
The same may be said of all the other methods, which
more or less approach one of these two types.1 It is well
that there are many of them, so that each one may with the
advice of his director choose, according to his own super­
natural attractions, the method that suits him best.
As Father Poulain 1
23 says, these methods are like the
numerous rules of rhetoric and logic ; beginners must be
taught these, but once they have been so schooled in them
that they possess their spirit and their elements, they need
but follow the broad lines of the method, and then, without
ceasing to be active, they give greater heed to the move­
ments of the Holy Ghost.

Conclusion : The Efficacy of Prayer
Purification of the Soul

for the

703. From what we have just said, we may easily infer
how helpful and how necessary mental prayer is for the
purification of the soul, a) In the prayer of worship, we
offer God the homage due to Him : we admire, praise and
bless His infinite perfections — His holiness, His justice,
His goodness, His loving mercy. He in turn lovingly stoops
down to forgive us, to inspire us with a deep horror of sin
which offends Him, and to protect us against fresh faults,
b) In meditation, we form, under the influence of divine
light and of our own reflections, strong convictions on the
malice of sin, on its frightful consequences in this life and in
the life to come, on the means of expiating it and avoiding
it in the future. Our heart is then filled with sentiments of
shame, of humiliation, of love of God, of hatred of sin, together
with purpose of amendment, and thus our faults are washed
away more and more in penitential tears and in the Blood
of Christ. Our will is fortified against the slightest surren­
ders, and we embrace generously the practice of penance
1 We make special mention of the method of St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life,
II Part. ch. II-V1I ; of that of the Discalced Carmelites, Instruction des Novices by
V. P. J. de Jésus-Marie, HI Part. ch. II ; Aurelianus a SS. Sacramento, Cursus
Asceticus Vol. I, disput. Ill, sect. I; of that of the Reformed Cistercians, Directoire
Spirituel by Dorn Lehodey, 1910, sect. V, ch. IV ; of that of the Dominicans
Instruction des Novices, by Fr. Cormier.
3 Etudes, 20 mars 1898, p. 782, note 3.

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CHAPTER II.

and self-denial. C) In the prayer of petition, supported by
the infinite merits of Christ, we are the recipients of abundant
graces to practice humility, penance, trust and love; these
graces complete the cleansing of our soul, strengthen it
against temptation, and ground it in virtue, chiefly in the
virtues of penance and mortification, which complete the
work of prayer.

704. Advice to spiritual directors. Mental prayer
cannot be too strongly urged upon those who want to
advance in the way of perfection. Spiritual directors should
instruct them in its practice as early as possible. They
should, likewise, have their penitents give an account of the
difficulties they encounter in this exercise, in order to help
them to overcome them, to show them how they can improve
their method of meditation, and above all how they may
avail themselves of this exercise to correct their faults,
practice the contrary virtues, and gradually acquire the
spirit of prayer, which, along with penance, will effect the
transformation of their souls.

CHAPTER II

Penance
We shall briefly state the necessity and the notion of
penance; then we shall explain : i° The motives that should
prompt us to hate and avoid sin; 2° the motives and the
means of atoning for sin.
Necessity and Notion of Penance.
mortal
Art. I. — Hatred of sin (f venial
Art. II. — Atonement for sin (f motives
means

The Necessity

and

Notion of Penance1

705. Penance is, after prayer, the most effective means
for cleansing the soul ofpast faults and even for guarding it
against future ones.
» St. Thom. Ill, q. 85; Suarez, De Pænitentiâ, disp. I et VII; Billuart, De
Pœnil., disp. II; Ad. Tanquerey, Synop. Theol. Mor., t. I, n. 3-14; Bossuet,
Serin, sur la nécessité de la pénitence, édit. Lebarcq, 1897, t. IV, 596, t. V, 419;
Bourdaloue, Carême, pour le Lundi de la deuxième Semaine; Newman, Disc,
to Mixed Congregations, Neglect of Divine Calls; Faber, Growth, in Holiness,

PENANCE

341

i° When Our Lord is about to begin His public ministry,
He has His Precursor proclaim the necessity of penance :
“ Do penance : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ” *
1 He
Himself declares He has come to call sinners to repentance:
“ I came not to call the just, but sinners to penance. ” 2 This
virtue is so necessary, that unless we do penance we shall
perish : “ But except you do penance, you shall all likewise
perish. ” 3 So well was this doctrine understood by the
Apostles, that from the very first they insisted on the
necessity of penance as a condition preparatory to Baptism :
“ Do penance : and be baptised every one ofyou. ” 4
For the sinner penance is an act of justice; for having
offended God and violated God’s rights, he is bound to make
reparation for the outrage. This he does through penance.
706.
2° Penance is defined as a supernatural virtue,
allied to justice, which inclines the sinner to detest his sin
because it is an offence against God, and to form the firm
resolve of avoiding sin in the future, and of atoningfor it.
Hence, it includes four chief acts, the origin and inter-relation of
which may be readily perceived, i) In the light of reason and of faith,
we see that sin is an evil, the greatest evil, in truth the only evil, and
this because it offends God and deprives us of the most precious gifts.
This evil we hate with our whole soul : “ I have hated iniquity. ”
2) Moreover, conscious that this evil is ours since we have sinned, and
that, even once forgiven, its traces remain in our soul, we conceive
a lively sorrow, a sorrow that weighs upon and crushes the soul,
a sincere contrition, a deep sense of humiliation. 3) To avoid in the
future this heinous evil we form the firm resolve or the firm purpose of
avoiding it, by carefully shunning dangerous occasions and by fortify­
ing our will against the allurements of sinful pleasures. 4) Lastly,
realizing that sin constitutes an act of injustice, we determine to atone
for it, to expiate it by sentiments and works of penance.

Art. I. Motives

for

Hating

and

Avoiding Sin 5

Before explaining these motives,6 we shall explain what
mortal sin is and what venial sin is.
< XIX and XX; Tissot, Profiting by Our Faults; Manning, Sin and Its Conse­
quences, The Love of Jesus for Penitent SinnersRetreat, C. VII; Meyer,
Science of the Saints, C. XIII; St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, P. I, C. V-VIII.
1 Matth.., Ill, 2; — 3 Luke, V, 32; — 3 Luke, XIII, 5. — 4 Acts, II, 38.
'■ St. Thomas, Ia Ilæ, q. 85-89; Suarez, De Peccatis, disp. I-III; disp. VII-VIII;
Philip, a S. Trinitate, Sum. theol. mystica, I* P., tr. II, discursus I; Anton,
λ Spiritu S., Directorium mysticum, disp. I, sect. Ill; Th. DE Vallgornera,
Mystica theol., q. Il, disp. I, a. III-IV; Alvarez de Paz, T. II, P. I, De
Abjectione peccatorum; Bourdaloue, Carême mercredi de la 5esem., sur l'état
du péché et l’état de grâce; Tronson, Ex. Part., CLXX-CLXXX; Manning,
Sin and its Consequences; Mgr. d’Hulst, Carême iSqz; Retraite; P. Janvier,
1 arêrne 1903, Ie Conf. ; Carême 1908, entirely. — See other references, no. 705.
'· We develop the treatment of these motives somewhat at length, in order that
i hr reader may be able to meditate on them. Once a lively horror of sin is
i onceived progress in the spiritual life is assured.

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CHAPTER II.

707. Notion and Species of Sin. Sin is a wilful trans­
gression of the law of God. Hence, it is an act of disobe­
dience to God, an offence against Him ; for it is the choice of
our own will in preference to His, and thereby a violation
of the sovereign right God has to our submission.
708. a) Mortal Sin. When, with full advertence and
with full consent we transgress in grave matter a law that
is important, necessary to the attainment of our end, the sin
is mortal, because it deprives us of habitual grace which is
the supernatural life of the soul (n. 105). This is why
St. Thomas defines mortal sin as “ an act whereby we turn
away from God, our last end, willingly attaching ourselves in
an inordinate manner to some created good.” By the loss
of habitual grace, which unites us to God, we turn away
from Him.
709. b) Venial Sin. When the law we violate is not
necessary to the attainment of our end, or when we violate
such a law, but in a slight matter, or if the law is grave in
itself, but we transgress it either without full advertence or
without full consent, the sin is but venial and does not
deprive us of the state of grace. Our soul still remains in
union with God, since we want to do His will in all things
necessary, to abide in His friendship and attain our end.
Still, venial sin is truly a violation of God’s law, consti­
tuting an offence against the majesty of the Law-giver.
§ I. Mortal Sin 1

710.If we would pass sound judgment on grave sin,
we must consider : i° What it is in the sight of God;
2° What it is in itself; 30 What are its baneful effects. If
through meditation we realize thoroughly these teachings
of faith we shall conceive an invincible hatred of sin.

I. What Mortal Sin is in the Sight of God
To form an idea of what mortal sin is in God’s eyes, let
us see how He punishes it and how He condemns it in
Holy Writ.
711. i° How God punishes mortal sin. A) In the
rebel angels. These committed but a single sin, an interior
sin, a sin of pride ; and God, their Creator and Father, God,
Who loved them, not only as the work of His hands, but as
’ St. Ignatius, Spiritual
numerous commentators.

Exercises, Ist Week, 1st Exercise; See also his

PENANCE.

343

His adopted children, punished their rebellion by casting
them into Hell, where through all eternity they will remain
separated from God and deprived of all bliss. And withal,
God is just and punishes no one beyond his deserts; He is
merciful even in His punishments, and tempers the rigors
of His justice with His goodness. Sin, then, must be
something abominable to merit such a terrible sanction.
712. B) In our first parents. They had been endowed with all
manner of gifts, natural, preternatural and supernatural, n. 52-66 ; but
having likewise committed a sin of disobedience and pride, they were
directly despoiled, along with the life of grace, of all the free gifts that
had been bestowed upon them ; were banished from Paradise and left
to bequeath their posterity that dismal heritage of original sin, the sad
consequences of which actually weigh upon us all (n. 69-75). Still,
God bore our first parents the love of a father and allowed them the
joy of intimacy with Him. If an all-just and all-merciful God visited
such a severe punishment upon them and their posterity, it is because
sin is a frightful evil, an evil which we can never sufficiently detest.

713. C) In the person of His Son. In order not to let
man perish forever and in order to safeguard the rights
both of justice and of mercy, the Eternal Father sends His
Son into the world, makes Him the Head of the human
race and lays upon Him the charge of atoning for and
expiating sin in our stead. And what is the price of this
redemption? Three and thirty years of humiliation and
pain, ending in the unspeakable torture of body and mind
at Gethsemane, before the Sanhedrim, in the Pretorium,
upon Calvary! If we would learn what sin is, let us follow
the Savior of the world, step by step, from the Stable to
the Cross, through that hidden life of obscurity, of submis­
sion, of poverty, of toil ; through His apostolic life of fatigues
and failures, midst the ill-will and persecutions He was
made to endure; through His suffering life, wherein He
underwent such anguish of body and soul from friend and
foe, so that He could well be called the Man of Sorrows.
If we would know what sin is, let us face this truth: “ He
was wounded for our iniquities: He was bruised for our
sins. ” 1 Then we shall not be at a loss to understand that
sin is the greatest of evils.

714. 20 How God condemns sin. Holy Scripture
describes sin as the most odious and the most criminal
thing in existence.
a) It is an act of disobedience to God, a transgression of His orders,
which is justly punished with the utmost severity, as we witness in our
• Jsaias, L1II, 5.

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first parents.1 In the people of Israel, God’s chosen portion, this
disobedience is regarded as a revolt, a rebellion. a b) It is an act
of ingratitude toward our greatest Benefactor, an unnatural lack of
filial piety toward the most loving of fathers : “ I have brought up
children and exalted them: but they have despised me. ”3 C) It is unfaith­
fulness, a species of adultery, since God is the spouse of our souls and
rightly demands inviolable fidelity : “ But thou hast prostituted thyself
to many lovers.”4 d) It is an injustice, since by sin we openly violate
the rights God has over us : “ Whosoever committeth sin committeth
also iniquity. And sin is iniquity. ” 5

II. Mortal Sin in Itself
Mortal sin is an evil, the only real evil, since all other
evils are but its consequences or its punishment.

715. i° In relation to God, mortal sin is a crime
against the majesty of the Godhead; it is an assault upon
all of God’s attributes, but chiefly an attempt against Him
as our first beginning, our last end, our Father, and our
benefactor.
A) God, the first cause of our being is our Maker, from
Whom we hold all we are and all we have; He is thereby
our Supreme Lord and Master to Whom we owe an
absolute obedience. By mortal sin we disobey Him; we
affront Him by preferring our own will to His, by preferring
a creature to the Creator! Nay more — we revolt against
Him, since by the fact of creation, we are subject to Him
as we can be to no earthly power, a) This rebellion is all
the more grave, since this Master is infinitely wise and
infinitely good, and commands nothing that is not con­
ducive to our own happiness as well as to His glory ; whilst
our will is weak, frail, liable to error. In spite of this, we
prefer it to that of God! b) This defiance is all the more
inexcusable, since we know well what we do; for from the
days of our childhood, we have been taught by Christian
parents and have a clear and precise knowledge of God’s
rights over us and of the malice of sin. c) And why do
we thus betray Our Lord and Master? We do so for a
vile pleasure that debases us, from a stupid pride whereby
we arrogate unto ourselves glory that belongs to God
alone, for paltry interests, for a transient gain, to which we
sacrifice a good that is eternal.
716. B) God is also our last end. He created us, and
created us for Himself alone. He could not have done
Gen., II, 17; III, 11-19. —2 Jeremias, II, 4-8. —3 1Saias, I, 2.
4 Jeremias, III, 1. — 5 I John, III, 4.
x

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otherwise, for He is the Supreme Good, and outside Himself
we could neither realize our perfection nor find our bliss.
Besides, having come forth from God, we should and we
must return to Him; being the work of His hand, we are
His own and we must revere, praise, serve, and glorify
Him;1 being the object of His love we should love Him
with our whole soul — and it is in the love of Him and in
the worship of Him, that we find our perfection and our
happiness. Hence, He nas a strict right that our whole life
with all its thoughts, all its longings, all its acts be directed
unto Him, unto His glory.
By mortal sin, however, we turn away from God in order
to take our delight in some created thing; we do Him an
injury when we choose one of His creatures, or rather
our own selfish satisfaction in preference to Him, for at
bottom, it is not so much the creature which we seek as the
pleasure we find therein. This is flagrant injustice, since it
constitutes an attempt to strip the Almighty of His supreme
rights over us, of that outward glory we are bound to
promote ; it is a sort of idolatry, the setting up in the heart’s
sanctuary of an idol over againts the One True God; it is
scorning the fountain of living water, which alone can
quench the soul’s thirst, to go, as Jeremias vigorously
puts it, after the slimy waters that reek within abandoned
wells : “ For my people have done two evils : They have
forsaken me the fountain of living water, and have
digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold
no water. ” 2

717. C) God is to us also a Father, Who has adopted us
as His children and Who bestows on us the thoughtful care
of a parent (n. 94); He heaps upon us His choicest favors,
endowing us with a supernatural organism, in order that we
may live a life like unto His; He showers upon us abundant
actual graces that we may make good use of His gifts, and
thus by good works increase our spiritual life. Now, by
mortal sin we scornfully fling aside those gifts, nay we fling
them back at the Giver, our Benefactor, our Father; we
spurn His grace at the very moment He overwhelms us
with His bounty. Is not this ingratitude? Ingratitude all
the more culpable because we have received so much,
ingratitude that cries out for vengeance!
* This is the thought developed by St. Ignatius at the outset of the Spiritual
Exercises, beginning with these words: “ Man was created to this end, that he
glorify and worship the Lord his God, and that by serving Him he attain salvation. '
0 Jeremias, II, 13.

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718. 2° In relation to Jesus Christ, our Redeemer,
mortal sin is a sort of deicide. a) It is sin that has caused
the sufferings and death of the Savior : “ Christ stiffenedfor
us...1 And washed us from our sins in his own blood." 2
That this thought make an impression upon us, we must
think of the personal share we have had in Christ’s bittei
Passion. It is I who betrayed my Master with a kiss, and
at times, for even less than the thirty pieces of silver. It is
I who caused violent hands to be laid upon Him, and
a sentence of death to be passed on Him. I was with the
rabble that cried out : “ Not this man, but Barabbas...
Crucify him. ” 3 I was with the soldiers, lashing Him
through my self-indulgence, crowning His head with thorns
through my interior sins of pride and sensuality, laying the
heavy beam upon His shoulders and nailing Him to the
Cross. As Father Olier so well explains it, “ our niggard­
liness crucified His all-embracing charity, our ill temper His
meekness, our intolerance His patience, our pride His
humility. Thus our vices rack and strangle, and quarter
the Christ that lives in us. ” 4 What hatred should we bear
a sin that has so cruelly fastened Our Savior to the Cross!
b) Of course, we can no longer visit fresh tortures upon
Him, since He can suffer no more, but our present faults do
offer Him fresh insults; for when we wilfully commit them,
we scorn His love and favors; as far as we are concerned,
we render void the Blood He shed in such profusion ; we
hold back from Him that love, that gratitude, that obedience
to which He is entitled. What is this, if not repaying love
with black ingratitude, and thereby calling down upon our
heads a dreadful punishment?
HI. The Effects of Mortal Sin
God has given the law a sanction ; He has made happiness
the reward of virtue and suffering the wages of sin. Seeing
then the effects of sin in this life and in the next, we can in
a measure judge of its guilt.
719. i° To realize the dire effects of mortal sin in
this life, let us remember what a soul in the state of grace
is. It is the dwelling-place and the delight of the Most
Blessed Trinity. The Three Divine Persons adorn it with
divine graces, divine virtues, divine gifts. Under the
influence of actual grace, the good acts such a soul performs
‘ / Peter, II, 21. — 2 Aj>oc., I, 5. — 3 John, XVIII, 40, XIX, 6.
4 Cat. for an Ini. Life, P. I, lesson II.

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merit eternal life. Such a soul possesses the holy liberty
of the children of God, shares in His power and virtue, and
enjoys, especially at certain times, a happiness which is
a foretaste of celestial bliss. And what does mortal sin do ?
a) It expels Godfrom our soul, and because the possession
of God is already the beginning of heavenly joy, the loss of
Him is, at it were, a prelude to eternal loss ; for the loss of
God is likewise the loss of all the goods of which He is
the source.
b) Losing God we lose sanctifying grace, whereby our
soul lived a life similar to that of the Godhead ; hence,
mortal sin is a sort of spiritual suicide. Together with
sanctifying grace we lose that glorious galaxy of virtues
and gifts that go with it. If in His infinite mercy God
leaves us in possession of Faith and Hope, these virtues are
no longer vivified by Love and now abide with us merely to
infuse a wholesome fear and inspire us with an earnest
desire of atoning and doing penance. In the meantime they
show us the sad plight of our soul and excite the pangs of
remorse.
720.c) The merits we have earned in the past with so
much effort are likewise lost by mortal sin ; we can only
regain them by penance. Moreover, whilst we remain in
the state of mortal sin, we can acquire no merits for heaven.
What a waste of the supernatural !
d) To all this we must add the tyrannical yoke of servitude the
sinner must from now on bear. Instead of “ the liberty of the
children of God,”* behold him now in the slavery... of sin, of evil
passions now unloosed by the loss of grace, of habits soon formed
after repeated falls — falls so difficult to avoid ! “ Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." \ Little by little the moral strengh
of the soul is sapped, actual graces become rarer, discouragement
and at times despair ensue. This poor soul is lost unless God in His
exceeding great mercy comes with His grace and rescues it from
the abyss.

721. 2° If unfortunately the sinner remains obdurate to
the end in his resistance to grace, then follows hell with all
its horrors. A) First there is the well-deserved pain of loss.
Grace had ever pursued the culprit, but he willingly died in
his sin, that is he willingly died without God, and since his
soul’s dispositions can no longer change, he remains forever
separated from Him. As long as he lived on earth absorbed
in business or pleasure, he gave no time, no thought to the
horror of his plight. But now there is neither business nor
« Rom., VIII, 21. — 2 John, VIII, 34; 11 Peter, II, 19.

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pleasure, and he faces constantly the harrowing reality. By
the very constitution of his nature, by the cravings of his
mind and of his heart, by the urge of his entire being, he is
now uncontrollably driven towards Him, Who is his first
beginning and last end, his one principle of perfection and
only source of bliss; drawn towards that loving Father, so
worthy of love, Who had adopted him as His offspring;
toward the Redeemer of his soul, Who had so loved him as
to die upon the Cross for him. Yet, a ruthless force beyond
his power, the force of sin, his own sin, hopelessly thrusts
him back upon himself. Death has forever stayed his
spirit, irretrievably fixed his dispositions. Having rejected
God the very moment death overtook him, he remains
estranged from Him forever. Happiness and perfection
are everlastingly beyond his quest; he remains attached to
his sin and through sin to all that defiles and all that
degrades : “ Depart from me, ye cursed. ”
722. B) To this pain of loss, by far the most terrible, is
added the pain of sense. The body, a partner in sin, will
share the torment of the soul ; the everlasting despair which
will torture the reprobate soul, will producé in the body an
unquenchable thirst that nothing can assuage. Besides, the
damned will be tormented by a real fire different indeed
from our material fire, but the instrument of divine justice
to punish the flesh and" the senses. In fact, it is but just
that wherein a man sins, therein also he be punished : “ By
what things a man sinneth, by the some also he is tormented; ”1
and since the evildoer willed to take inordinate delight in
creatures these will prove the instruments of torture. This
fire enkindled and applied by a knowing hand will torture
its victims with that same measure of intensity with which
they once entered into their wicked delights.
723. C) There will be no end of this double woe, and
this everlastingness is what fills the measure of the punish­
ment of the lost; for if a slight discomfort by its persistence
becomes well nigh unbearable, what shall we say of those
pangs, of themselves so racking, which outlast millions of
ages only to begin afresh !
And withal, God is just, God is good even in the sanction
He is bound to inflict upon the damned. Mortal sin, then,
must be an abomination to be thus punished! It must be
the one real evil, the only evil. Hence, better to die than be
defiled by a single mortal sin.
» Wisdom, XI, 17.

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§ II. Deliberate Venial Sin

From the point of view of perfection there is a great
difference between venial faults of surprise and those com­
mitted with full deliberation, with full consent of the will.
724. Faults of surprise. The Saints themselves at
times commit such by allowing themselves to be momentar­
ily betrayed though thoughtlessness or weakness of will
into some carelessness in prayer, into imprudences, rash
judgments, words against charity, or little lies to cover up
a fault. No doubt, these faults are to be deplored, and
fervent souls do deplore them sincerely; however, such
faults are not an obstacle to perfection. Almighty God,
Who knows our weakness, readily condones them. Besides,
almost invariably fervent souls make amends on the spot
through acts of contrition, of humility, of love — acts that
endure longer and are more voluntary than are their sins
of frailty.
All we have to do as regards these faults is to lessen their
number and ward off discouragement. a) We diminish
their number through vigilance, by striving to reach and
suppress their causes. This we do without anxiety or
overeagerness, relying more on the grace of God than on
our efforts. We must, above all, endeavor to destroy all
attachment to venial sin ; for as St. Francis de Sales
remarks,1 “ if the heart clings thereto devotion loses for us
its sweetness, and all devotion vanishes. ”
725. b) We must carefully avoid discouragement, the
vexation of those who “ are angry for having been angry,
and vexed to see themselves vexed. ” 2 Such feelings
proceed from self-love; one is cast down and troubled at
seeing oneself so imperfect. To escape this defect, we must
look upon our faults with the same eye of tolerance with
which we behold those of others; indeed, we must detest
our faults and our failings, but with a calm hatred, highly
conscious of our own weakness and misery, and firmly
determined to make them an occasion of giving glory to
God by bringing more love and more fidelity to the
fulfilment of our present duties.
It is otherwise with deliberate venial sins, which are
a very great hindrance to our spiritual progress, and which
must be vigorously combatted.
1 Devout Life, Bk. 1, C. XXII. — 2 Devout Life, Part III, C. IX.

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I. The Malice of Deliberate Venial Sin
726. Deliberate venial sin is a moral evil. In reality,
it is, mortal sin excepted, the greatest evil. It does not
actually turn us from our end, but it checks our progress,
robs us of time beyond price, and constitutes an offence
against God. It is in this that its malice consists.
727.It is an act of disobedience to God, in a slight
matter it is true, but willed after reflection. Regarded in
the light of faith, it is something truly hateful, since it
challenges the infinite majesty of God.
A) It is a wrong, an indignity offered to God; for placing
God and His glory over against our whims, our pleasure,
and our vanity, we dare to choose the latter. What an
outrage! A will infinitely wise and righteous sacrificed to
our own, the slave of error and caprice! “ It is, ” says
St. Theresa,1 “ as if we said : ‘ Lord, I know full well this
action displeases you, yet I shall do it none the less. I am
not unaware that your eyes see it, I know perfectly well
you do not want it, but I will rather follow my bent and
fancy than your will. Can this be of little consequence?
As for myself, no matter how slight the fault might be in
itself, I find on the contrary that it is grave and very
grave. ’ ”
728. B) Hence, there results through our own fault,
a diminution of God's external glory ; for we have been
created in order that by a perfect and loving obedience to His
law we may procure His glory. Now, by refusing to obey,
even in slight matter, we withhold from Him a measure of
that glory; instead of proclaiming with Mary our readiness
to exalt Him in all our acts, “ My soul doth magnify the
Lord ”, we positively refuse to glorify Him in this or that
particular.
C) This, of itself, is an act of ingratitude. Loaded by
God with numberless favors, raised to friendship with Him,
and knowing that in return He claims our love and grati­
tude, we begrudge Him a small sacrifice. Instead of
striving to please Him, we dare to displease Him. Hence,
inevitably, a certain coolness in God’s friendship towards us.
God loves us without stint and asks us in return that we
love Him with all our soul : “ Thou shall love the Lord thy
God with thy zvhole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with
* Way of Perfection, ch. XLI.

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thy whole mind. ” 1 Now, we do not make the entire gift
of ourselves to Him, we hold something back, and the
while we want to keep His friendship, we are niggardly
with ours, offering Him but a divided heart. This is
evidently inconsiderate; it shows a lack of generosity,
a smallness that cannot but alter our intimate relations
with God.

II. The Effects of Deliberate Venial Sin
729.i° In this life. Frequent deliberate venial sin
deprives the soul of many graces, gradually lessens itsfervor,
and predisposes it to mortal sin.
A) Venial sin does not, indeed, take from the soul sancti­
fying grace or divine love, but it deprives it of the new
graces, the increase of divine love and of the corresponding
degree of glory that it could have acquired and that God
meant to give. Is not this an enormous loss, the loss of
a treasure worth far more than the entire world?
730. B) It causes a diminution of fervor, that is to say,
a waning of that generosity whereby we give ourselves
without reserve to God. This generosity presupposes
a high ideal and an unrelenting effort to pursue it; but these
two dispositions are incompatible with habitual venial sin.
a) Nothing so lowers our ideal as attachement to sin : instead of
being ever ready to serve God in all things and to aspire to the highest,
we purposely halt half-way along the road to relish some forbidden
pleasure. We thus waste precious moments, turning away our gaze
from the lofty peaks to linger and gather a few flowers that are soon
to wither. We feel then the weariness of the way, and heights of
perfection that God wants us to reach seem far too remote and too
forbidding. We say to ourselves that it is not necessary to aim so
high ; that we can obtain our salvation on more reasonable terms; and
the ideal which once shone before our eyes no longer moves us. We
say to ourselves that after all this little self-complacency, these
trifling sensual gratifications, these sentimental friendships, these
uncharitable words are unavoidable, b) This lowering of our ideals
necessarily paralyzes effort towards perfection. Before, we marched
joyously on, sustained by the hope of reaching the goal ; now, we begin
to feel the heat and the burden of the day, and when we want to
resume our ascent, our attachment to venial sin holds us back. Even
as the bird held by cords to the ground tries in vain to take its flight
and falls back bruised, so our souls, held by ties we will not break, fall
very soon, harmed in some degree by the fruitless attempt to rise. At
times, indeed, it seems as if we were to regain our strength, but alas!
other ties hold us and we lack the steady purpose that would tear them
asunder. Hence, there ensues a cooling of charity that becomes
alarming.
’ Matth., XXII, 37.

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731.C) The great danger that confronts us then is that
of gradually drifting into mortal sin. Our tendencies
toward forbidden pleasure gather strength, our will becomes
weaker and God’s graces are reduced. Then a moment
comes when any surrender may be feared.
a) Our tendencies toward forbidden pleasures gather
strength; the more we yield to this treacherous and insa­
tiable enemy, the more it demands.
Today sloth makes us shorten our meditation by a few brief minutes;
tomorrow it demands twice as many. Today sensuality but asks for
some slight gratifications ; tomorrow it becomes bold and asks for
more. Where shall we stop on this downward grade? We try to
reassure ourselves by saying that such faults are only venial, but alas,
step by step they come nearer and nearer to grievous sins ; impru­
dences recur and stir the imagination and the senses more deeply than
before. This is the fire that lies smouldering beneath the ashes and
which may at any given moment be the source of threatening flames;
this is the reptile that we warm in our bosom and which makes ready
to bite and poison us. — The danger is all the more imminent since
familiarity has partly dispelled our fear; we let fall one after the other
the barriers that guarded the stronghold of the heart and an hour
comes when with added fury in the assault, the enemy gains entry
into the citadel of the soul.

732. b) This is the more to be dreaded, as God’s graces
are as a rule reduced in proportion to our. infidelities, i) It
is the law of Divine Providence that graces are given us
according to our own dispositions and our own co-operation.
This is the sense of the Gospel words : “ For he that hath,
to him shall be given, and he shall abound : but to him that
hath not, from him shall be taken away that also which he
hath.1 ” By our attachment to venial sin we offer resistance
to grace, we hamper its action in our soul and therefore
receive it in smaller measure. If, then, even with a greater
abundance of grace we failed to make a stand against the
disordered tendencies of our nature, shall we succeed in
restraining them now with less grace and less strength?
2) Besides, a soul lacking recollection and generosity hardly
feels the promptings of the graces it receives ; these are
soon stifled by the turmoil of awakening passions. 3) Lastly,
grace cannot sanctify us except through the sacrifices it
demands of us, whilst the habits of pleasure we have
acquired by our attachment to venial faults render such
sacrifices all the more difficult.

773. We can, therefore, conclude with Father Lallemant :2 “The
multiplication of venial sins is the destruction of souls, causing the
1 Maith., XIII, 12. — 3 Spiritual Doctrine, Principle III, c. II, art. II.

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diminution of those divine lights and inspirations, those interior conso­
lations, that fervor and courage, which are needed to resist the
assaults of the enemy. Hence follow blindness, weakness, frequent
falls, an acquired habit of insensibility of heart ; because, when once
an affection to these faults is contracted, we sin without feeling that
we are sinning. ”

734.2° The effects of venial sin in the next world *
show us how much we should dread it. It is in order to
to expiate venial sin that many souls spend a long time
in purgatory.
A) There they endure the most unbearable of sufferings,
the privation of the vision of God. This torture, it is true,
will not last forever, differing in this from the pains of
hell ; nevertheless, for a time measured by the number and
seriousness of their faults, these souls who love God and
who, now removed from the pleasures and distractions of
earth, think of Him constantly and long to see His face,
are prevented from seeing and possessing Him, and there­
fore suffer indescribable anguish. They now realize that
outside of God there is no solace and no bliss; and still
before them looms, like insurmountable barriers, that host of
venial sins they have not as yet sufficiently expiated. They
are, moreover, so alive to the necessity of the purity required
to contemplate the Almighty face to face, that their very
shame would not allow them to appear before Him as they
are, nor would they ever consent to enter Heaven as long
as there remains upon them the least stain of venial sin. 2
They find themselves, therefore, in a state of torture the
more excruciating as they realize that it is fully deserved.
735. B) Moreover, according to the teaching of St.Thomas, a subtle fire hinders their activity and makes them
experience physical sufferings whereby they may expiate
the guilty pleasures to which they gave consent. This trial,
no doubt, they most willingly accept as they realize the
need of it in order to effect their union with God.
“ Seeing, ” says St. Catherine of Genoa,3 “ that purgatory is designed
to cleanse them of their stains, souls throw themselves into it, deeming
it an unspeakable token of mercy that they are offered a place wherein
they can rid themselves of what prevents their union with God. ”
1 We do not speak of the temporal punishments of venial sin. Holy Writ
repeatedly makes mention of them. When it is question, however, of determining
whether a particular punishment is the chastisement for a venial sin, one is
reduced to conjectures.
'■' "If the soul could discover another purgatory still more terrible than that
which it endures, urged on by its love for God, it would eagerly plunge into it, the
more speedily to be freed of all that separates it from the Sovereign Good. ”
(St. Catherine of Genoa, Purgatory, c. IX.) — 3 Op. cit., c. VIII.

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Such willing acceptance, however, does not do away with their great
sufferings : “ This resignation of the souls in purgatpry does not relieve
them of one whit of their torments ; far from it, love pent up causes
their woe, and their woe increases in proportion to that perfection of
love of which God has made them capable. ” 1

And yet, God is not only just but merciful as well! He
bears those souls a love that is real, tender, fatherly; He
longs to give Himself to them for all eternity. If He does
not do so, it is because there can be no possible fellowship
between His infinite holiness and the least venial sin.
Therefore, we can never hate venial sin too much, we can
never undergo enough in order to avoid it, we can never
endure enough to repair it.

Art. II. Motives

and

Means for Expiating Sin

I. Motives of Penance
Three principal reasons oblige us to do penance for our
sins. The first is a motive arising from a duty of justice
toward God ; the second, a duty consequent upon our
incorporation into Christ; the last is a duty imposed by
charity to ourselves and to our neighbor.
i° A Duty

of

Justice Toward God

736. Sin is a real injustice, since it deprives God of
a portion of that eternal glory which is His due. Sin, then,
requires a reparation which consists in rendering God, to
the extent in which we are able, that honor and that glory
of which, through our fault, we have defrauded Him. The
offence, inasmuch as it is offered to the Infinite Being, is in
this respect at least infinite and can never be adequately
repaired. Therefore, our expiation of sin must extend over
the full span of our life; and this obligation is the more
far reaching, as we have been the recipients of more
favors and have been guilty of graver and more numerous
faults.
Bossuet remarks on this point :3 “ Have we not good reason to fear
that God’s goodness so foully outraged be turned into implacable
wrath? If His just punishment of the Gentiles was so severe, will not
His anger be more dreadful towards us? Does not a father feel more
keenly the faithlessness of his children than the wickedness of his
servants?” We must then, he adds, take sides with God against
ourselves : “Thus if we side with divine justice as against ourselves,
we oblige divine mercy to take sides with us against divine justice.
The more we regret the plight wherein we have fallen, the sooner we
1 Op. cit., ch. XII. Read entire treatise.
» Premier Panégyrique de S. Fr. de Paul.

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PENANCE.

shall regain the good we have lost. God’s loving kindness will accept
the sacrifice of the broken heart we offer Him as satisfaction for our
crimes ; and looking not to the inadequate reparation we offer, this
good Father will but regard the good will of the offerers. ” Besides,
we can make our penance more effective by uniting it to the atonement
of Christ.
2° A Duty Consequent
into

upon our

Incorporation

Christ

737. Through Baptism we have been incorporated into
Christ (n. 143), and since we share His life we are to share
His sentiments. Although impeccable, Jesus has taken
upon Himself, as the head of a mystical body, the burden of
our sins and, so to speak, assumed responsibility for them :
“ A nd the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ” 1
Behold the reason for His life of suffering from the moment
of His conception to His death on Calvary. Knowing
that the holocausts of the Ancient Law could not propitiate
the Father, He gives Himself as an offering in the place
of all victims. All His acts constitute an immolation
through obedience, and after a lifelong martyrdom, He
dies on the Cross, the victim of obedience and of love :
“ He was made obedient unto death, even the death of the
Cross. ” And He wills that His members, in orders to be
cleansed from their sins, be with Him victims of expiation :
“ He willed to become a victim that He might become
the Savior of mankind. But since His mystical body
is one, if the head be immolated, the members likewise
become living victims. ”2 It is evident that if Jesus, being
innocent, atoned foi' our sins through His passion and death,
we the guilty must share in His sacrifice, in proportion to
our guilt.
738. To move us to comply with this duty, the atoning
Christ comes through His Divine Spirit, to live within us
with all His sentiments of victim.
“Thus in reading the Psalms ” says Father Olier,3 “we must honor
that spirit of penance that was David’s and revere in silent adoration
the interior dispositions of Christ’s Spirit, the fountain-head of penance,
as diffused in David’s soul. Humbly, insistently, ardently and
perseveringly we must ask the Holy Ghost to give us this spirit of
penance, trusting that He will grant our request. ” We may not
be aware of the operations of the Holy Spirit, for He often works in
an imperceptible manner; but if we invoke Him with humility, He will
hear us and infuse into our hearts the dispositions of the Heart of
Jesus towards sin, and thus enable us in union with Him to detest and
* Isaias Lil I, VI. — » BOSSUET, Premier Sermon /our la Purification.
Introduction, ch. VII.

3

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CHAPTER II.

expiate our sins. Then our penance will become more efficacious
since it is no longer we alone who atone, but Christ atoning in us and
with us. “All exterior penance,” says Father Olier,’ “that has not
its source in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, is not true and genuine penance.
One may inflict upon oneself rigors, even the most harsh, but if these
proceed not from the atoning Christ within us, they cannot be acts of
Christian penance. It is through Christ alone that we can do penance.
He initiated it here on earth in His own person and He continues it in
us, infusing into our soul sentiments of abasement, of confusion, of
sorrow, of detestation of self and of fortitude, to fulfil in us the
sufferings and the measure of that satisfaction which God the Father
wills to receive from Jesus Christ in our flesh. ” This union with
Jesus, then, does not exempt us from the exercise of the spirit of
penance nor from the works thereof; its effect is that of conferring
upon them a greater worth.

3° A Duty

of

Charity

Penance is a duty of charity both to ourselves and to our
neighbor.

739. A) A duty to ourselves. Sin leaves in the soul
baneful consequences against which it is necessary to react,
a) Even when the guilt or fault has been remitted, there
generally remains a temporal punishment varying according
to the gravity and number of our sins, and according to the
fervor of our contrition at the moment of our return to God.
This punishment must be undergone either in this life or in
the next. By far the most advantageous course is to make
satisfaction in this life. The sooner and the more perfectly
we acquit ourselves of this debt, the better fitted our soul
becomes for union with God. Moreover, expiation on earth
is easier, since this is the acceptable time for mercy ; it is
more fruitful, since the acts wherewith we make satisfaction
are also meritorious, a source of grace and greater glory
(n. 209). Therefore, personal interest and love for our own
soul are best served by a prompt and whole-hearted penance.
b) Moreover, by the fact that sin intensifies in us the
disordered love of pleasure and weakens our will, it
bequeathes to us a pernicious facility to commit fresh
faults. Nothing so well rectifies this disorder as the virtue
of penance. By having us bear with fortitude the afflictions
sent by Providence, by inflaming our desire for privations
and austerities compatible with our health, it gradually
weakens within us the love of pleasure, and inspires us with
a fear of sin which exacts such amends. By inuring us to
the exercise of such acts of virtue as are opposed to our
evil habits, it helps us to correct them and thus gives us
* Op. cit., c. VIII.

PENANCE.

greater security for the future. 1
charity towards ourselves.

357

Hence, to do penance is

740. B) Penance is also an act of charity toward the
neighbor, a) In virtue of our incorporation into Christ we
are all brethren, all members of the same body of Christ
(n. 148). Since our works of satisfaction can contribute to
the welfare of others, will not our charity prompt us to do
penance not only for ourselves, but likewise, in behalf of
our brethren? Is not this the best means of obtaining their
conversion or, if they have turned to God, their persever­
ance? Is not this the best service we could possibly render
them, a benefit worth infinitely more than all the temporal
goods we could confer upon them? Thus, to atone for our
neighbor’s faults is but to carry out the will of God, Who
having adopted us as His children, commands us to love
our neighbor as we love ourselves.
741. b) This duty of reparation devolves more particularly upon
priests. For them it is a duty to offer sacrifices not only for themselves
but for the souls committed to their charge, “ First for his own sins,
and then for the peoples. ” 1*3 We do find, however, outside the priestly
state generous souls, who, in the cloister or in the world, feel drawn to
offer themselves as expiatory victims for the sins of others. A high
calling that associates them with Christ’s redeeming work! A call
they should fearlessly answer, taking counsel from a wise spiritual
director as to the appropriate works of reparation to which they should
devote themselves.3

742. Let us say in conclusion that the spirit of penance
is not a duty imposed merely upon beginners and only for
a short period of time. Once we have understood what sin
is, what an infinite offence it gives to God, we are obliged to
do penance all through life, since a whole lifetime is but too
short to make reparation for an infinite offence. Hence, we
must never cease to do penance.
This point is so important that Father Faber, after giving much
thought to the reason why so many souls make but little progress,
came to the conclusion that the cause was “ the want of abiding sorrow
for sin.”4 To this the example of the Saints bears witness; they
never ceased expiating the faults, at times very slight, into which they
had formerly lapsed. God’s attitude toward the souls whom He wants
1 This is the teaching of the Council of Trent (Session XIV, C. VIII).

3 Hebr., VII, 27.
3 P. Plus, The Ideal of Reparation, Book III; L. CAPELLE, Les Ames Généreuses.
4 This he explains at length in Growth in Holiness, C. XIX, and he adds :
"Just as all worship breaks down, if it is not based on the feelings due from
a creature to his Creator. . . just as all penances come to nought which do not rest
on Christ... so in like manner all holiness has lost its principle of growth if it is
separated from abiding sorrow for sin. For the principle of growth is not only
love, but forgiven love. ”

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CHAPTER II.

to raise to contemplation likewise confirms it; after they have striven
for a long time to purify themselves through active exercises of
penance, God sends them, in order to complete their purification, those
passive trials which we shall describe in the unitive way; for only
perfectly pure or perfectly purified hearts can attain to the sweetness
of the divine union : “ Blessed are the clean of heart because they
shall see God ! ”

II. The Practice of Penance

The more perfectly to practice penance, we must
unite ourselves to the atoning Christ, and ask Him to
dwell within us with His dispositions of victim (n. 738);
then, we must enter into His sentiments and join in His
acts of penance.
Sentiments

of

Penance

743. These sentiments are most aptly expressed in the
Psalms and particularly in the Miserere.
a) First comes abiding and sorrowful remembrance of our
sins : “ My sin is always before me. ” 1 No doubt, it is not
expedient to recall them to mind in detail; this might stir
the imagination and be a source of new temptations. Yet,
we must always bear in mind that we have sinned and
above all we must entertain a sense of sorrow and
humiliation.
We have offended God in His sight : “ 1 have done evil before
thee, ” 2 before that God Who is holiness itself, and Who hates
iniquity, before that God Who is all love and Whom we have outraged
by dishonoring His gifts. Nothing is left to us but to appeal frequently
to His mercy and implore His forgiveness : “ Have mercy on me,
O God, according to thy great mercy. ”3 Indeed, we cherish the hope
of having been pardoned; still, longing for a more complete forgive­
ness, we humbly beg God to cleanse us even more in the Blood of
His Son : “ Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from
my sin. ”4 To effect a more intimate union w'ith Him, we want our
sins wiped out and their traces removed ; we want our spirit and our
heart renewed, and we want the joy of a good conscience restored
to us. 5

744. b) This sorrowful remembrance is accompanied
by an abiding sense of shame : “ Shame hath covered my
face. ” 6 We stand in confusion before God like Christ Who
bore before His Father the infamy of our sins, especially at
Gethsemane and on Calvary. We carry our shame before
men, seeing ourselves as criminals in the assembly of the
Saints. We bear the opprobrium in our own hearts, and
unable to stand the reproach, to suffer the disgrace, we
’ Ps. L. — 2 Ps. L, 6. — 3 p$, L, 3. — 4 Ps. L, 4. — 5 Ps. L, 10-14.
6 Ps. LXVII1.8.

PENANCE.

359

utter the sincere cry of the Prodigal : “ Father I have sinned
against heaven and before thee; ” 1 we repeat with the
publican : “ 0 God, be merciful to me a sinner. ” 2
745. c) Of this a wholesome fear of sin is born, a horror
for all the occasions that might lead us into it; for despite
our good will we ever remain exposed to temptation and
liable to fall.
Hence, a great distrust of self follows, whilst from our hearts we are
prompted to repeat the prayer of St. Philip Neri, “ My God, beware of
Philip ; otherwise he will betray Thee, ” or the concluding petition of
the Our Father, “Lead us not into temptation.” This distrust makes
us foresee the dangerous occasions that might bring a fall and the
positive means that will ensure our perseverance; it keeps us on our
guard against the least imprudence. Such diffidence, however,
harbors no faint-keartedness. The more we are conscious of our
weakness, the more we place our confidence in God, convinced that
through the power of His grace we shall conquer.

III. Works of Penance
746. No matter how painful these works may be, they
will seem of light account if we keep constantly in mind
this thought : I am a fugitive from hell, a fugitive from
purgatory, and, were it not for the mercy of God, I would
be there now, undergoing the well-merited punishment of
my faults; therefore, I can consider nothing as humiliating
me overmuch or grieving me above measure.
The chief works of penance we must perform are :
747. i° The submissive, willing, and joyful acceptance
of all the crosses Providence may see fit to send us. The
Council of Trent teaches us that it is a great token of God’s
love for us that He deigns to accept as satisfaction for our
sins 3 the patient endurance wherewith we suffer the
temporal ills He visits upon us. Therefore, should we
have any physical or moral trials to undergo, arising from
the uncontrolled forces of nature or from reverses of fortune,
from failure or from humiliation, let us, instead of breaking
into bitter complaint as our tendencies would suggest,
accept all such suffering in a spirit of gentle resignation,
persuaded that they are the just wages of sin, and that
patience in adversity is one of the best means of atoning
for it. This acceptance, a mere resignation at first, will
gradually grow into a manful, nay, a joyous endurance of
ordeals, as we see our woes thereby assuaged and made
fruitful. We should be glad thus to shorten our purgatory,
Luke, XV. i8. — 3 Luke, XVIII, 13. — 3S«f. XIV, C. IX.

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CHAPTER II.

to become more like Our Crucified Master and to glorify the
God we have outraged. Then patience will bear all its
fruits and cleanse our soul because it will be a work of
love : “ Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath
loved much. ” 1
748. 2° To patience we shall add the faithful discharge
of our duties of state in a spirit of penance and reparation.
The most acceptable sacrifice we can offer God is obedience:
“ Obedience is better than sacrifices. ” 2 Now, the duties of
our state are the manifest expression of God’s will in our
regard. To fulfil them as perfectly as we can is to offer
God the most perfect sacrifice within our giving, a perpetual
holocaust, since this duty rests upon us from morning until
night. This is assuredly true for such as live in community :
faithful obedience to their rule, general or particular, and the
courageous accomplishment of the orders or directions of
their superiors multiply their acts of obedience, of sacrifice
and of love, and enable them to repeat with St. John
Berchmans : “ My greatest penance is community life. ” Such
perfect discharge of the duties of state is likewise the best
means of doing penance for persons in the world. Fathers
and mothers who loyally observe all their obligations as
husbands and wives and as parents have many occasions
of offering God sacrifices that will work unto the purification
of their souls. The one thing necessary is that they acquit
themselves resolutely of their duties in a Christian manner,
for God’s sake, and in a spirit of expiation and penance.
749.3° There are other works of penance recommended
in Holy Writ, such as fasting and almsgiving.
A) Fasting was, in the Old Dispensation, one of the great
means of making atonement ; it was called “ to afflict the
soul ; ” 3 but to be acceptable it had to be accompanied by
sentiments of sorrow for sin and mercy towards others. 4
Under the New Law, fasting is an earnest of grief and
of penance. The Apostles do not fast as long as the
Bridegroom is with them, but they will fast when He is
gone. 5 Our Lord, wishing to expiate our sins, fasted forty
days and forty nights, and taught His Apostles that certain
evil spirits cannot be cast out except by prayer and fasting.6
True to His teachings, the Church has established the Lenten
Fast, that of the Vigils and of the Ember Days to offer
her children the opportunity of making expiation for their
» Luke, VII, 47. — 2 I Kings, XV, 22. — 3 Leveticus, XVI, 29, 32 ; XXIII, 27, 32.
* Isa., LVIII, 3-7. — 5 Matth., IX, 14-15. — 6 Matth., XVII, 20.

PENANCE.

361

faults. Many a sin takes its rise directly or indirectly in
the craving for pleasure, in excess in eating and drinking,
and nothing is so effective in making atonement as morti­
fication in eating, reaching as it does the very root of the
evil by mortifying the craving for sensual pleasure. This
is why the Saints have made a practice of fasting even
outside the seasons appointed by the Church. Generous
Christian souls imitate them and, if they cannot keep the
strict fast, forego some food at each meal in order thus
to curb their sensuality.
750. B) Almsgiving is both a work of mercy and a pri­
vation; from this double title it derives great power of
atoning for our sins : “ Redeem thou thy sins with alms. ” 1
When we deprive ourselves of some good to give it to Jesus
Christ in the person of the poor, God does not allow Himself
to be outdone in liberality, and He willingly remits part of
the punishment due to our sins. The more generous we
are, each according to his means, and the more perfect our
intention in almsgiving, the more fully are our spiritual
debts cancelled. What we say of almsgiving with regard
to the things that minister to the body holds true even
more of spiritual almsgiving, which is calculated to promote
the welfare of souls and thereby the glory of God. Thus it
is one of the penitential acts the Psalmist promises to per­
form in reparation for his sin : “ I will teach the unjust thy
ways : and the wicked shall be converted to thee. ” 2
4° Lastly, there come the voluntary privations and the acts of mor­
tification we impose upon ourselves in expiation for our faults, particu­
larly those that reach the heart of the evil, by punishing the faculties
that have had part in our sins. This we shall treat in the following
chapter on mortification. The priest after absolving the penitent sums
up in striking words the means by which we can atone fully for our
sms and cleanse our souls from the remains of forgiven sins : “May
whatever good you do and whatever ill you bear be to you unto the
remission of sins...”

1 Dan., IV, 24. — ’ Ps. L·, 15.

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CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER III
Mortification 1
751. Like penance, mortification has a part in the
cleansing from past faults, but its chief purpose is to safe­
guard us against sin in the present and in the future, by
weakening in us the love of pleasure, the source of our sins.
We shall, therefore, explain the nature, the necessity and the
practice of mortification.
Various names
Nature
Definition
For salvation
Necessity For perfection
' General Principles
Mortification of the exterior senses
Practice - Mortification of the interior senses
Mortification of the passions
b Mortification of the higher faculties

Art. I. The Nature

of

Mortification

After explaining the scriptural and the modern terms
whereby mortification is designated, we shall give its defi­
nition.

752. I. Scriptural terms used to designate morti­
fication. In Holy Writ we find seven principal expres­
sions that describe mortification in its different aspects.
i° The word renouncement : “ Every one of you that doth
not renounce all that he possesseth cannot be my disciple. ” 2
This presents mortification as a giving up of external goods
in order to follow Christ as the Apostles did : “ Leaving all
things they followed him. ” 3
1 St. Thomas, whose principal texts are quoted by Th. de Vallgornera,
op. cit., q. II, disp. 1I-IV ; Philip, a S. Trinitate, op. cit., I» P., Tr. II,
disc. I-IV; Alvarez de Paz, t. II, lib. II, De mortificatione; Scaramelli,
Guide ascétique, Tr. II, a. 1-6; Rodriguez, Practice of Christian Perfection,
Part II, Tr. I and II: Tronson, Exam, part., CXXIX-CLXIX ; Mgr Gay,
Christian Life and Virtues, Tr. VII; Meynard, Tr. de la vie intérieure, I. I,
ch. II-IV; A. Chevrier, Le Véritable disciple, IIe P., p. 119-323; St. Francis
de Sales, Devout Life, Part. Ill, C. 23-28, 34; Meyer, Science of the Saints,
C. 5-7; Maturin, Self-Knowledge and Self-Discipline ; MESCHLER, Three Fun­
damental Principles of the Spiritual Life, P. II.
3 Luke, XIV, 33. — 3 Luke, V, 11.

MORTIFICATION.

363

2° Mortification is likewise an act of abnegation or selfrenunciation : “ If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself. ” 1
3° But mortification also has a positive aspect : it is an
act that maims and cripples the inordinate inclinations of
nature : “ Mortify therefore your members 2... But if by the
Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live. ” 3
4° Nay more, mortification is a crucifixion of the flesh
and its lusts, whereby we attach, as it were, our faculties to
the law of the Gospel by devoting them to prayer and
labor : “ They that are Christ's have crucified their flesh,
with the vices and concupiscences... ” 4
5° This crucifixion, if it persists, produces a sort of death
and burial whereby we seem to die completely to self and
to be buried with Christ, to live with Him a new life :
“ For you are dead : and your life is hid -with Christ in
God... 5 For we are buried together with him by baptism
into death. " 6
6° To indicate this death, St. Paul makes use of another
expression. Since in Baptism a new life is given us, super­
natural life, the while our own natural life subsists with the
threefold concupiscence, the Apostle, calling the latter the
old man and the former regenerated man, declares that we
must put off the old man and put on the new : “ Stripping
yourselves of the old man... and putting on the new. ” 7
7° And since this is not done without a struggle, he says
that life is a fight: “ I have fought the good fight", 8 and
that Christians are the athletes who chastise their body and
bring it into subjection.
From all these and similar phrases it follows that morti­
fication comprises a twofold element : one negative — detach­
ment, renunciation, despoilment; the other positive — the
struggle against the evil tendencies of nature, the effort to
curb and deaden them, a crucifixion, a death of the old
man and his lusts, in order to live Christ’s own life.

753. II. Modern expressions designating mortifi­
cation. Today milder expressions are preferred which
indicate rather the object to be attained than the effort to be
undergone. It is said, for instance, that we must reform
ourselves, exercise self-control, train the will, practice self­
discipline, turn our soul towards God. These expressions
1 Ltike, IX, 23. — 3 Coloss., Ill, 5. — 3 Rom., VIII, 13. — * Gala/., V, 24.
Coloss., Ill, 3. — 6 Rom., VI, 4. — 1 Coloss., Ill, 9-10. — 8 II Tim., IV, 7.

5

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CHAPTER ΙΠ.

are exact, provided it is kept in mind that we cannot work
out our reform nor master ourselves except by fighting
against and mortifying the inordinate tendencies of our
nature ; that the training of the will is not accomplished
without thwarting and curbing our lower faculties; that
we cannot direct the course of our life towards God but by
detaching ourselves from creatures and stripping ourselves
of our vices. In other words, the two aspects of mortifi­
cation must be duly combined, as is done in Holy Writ :
the end to be attained must be kept in view in order to
give us courage, but we should not lose sight of the effort
necessary to the attainment of this end.
754. III. Definition. Mortification, then, may be
defined as the struggle against our evil inclinations in order
to subject them to the will, and the will to God. It is not so
much a virtue as an ensemble of virtues — the first degree
of all the virtues — which consists in overcoming the
obstacles that stand in the way so as to restore to our
faculties their lost balance and reestablish among them
their right order. Thus it is easily seen that mortification
is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. We mortify
ourselves only to live a higher life; we despoil ourselves of
external goods only the better to lay hold of spiritual
goods; we renounce self but to possess God; we struggle
but to obtain peace; we die to ourselves but to live the life
of Christ, the life of God. Hence, the end of mortification
is union with God.

Art. II. The

necessity of

Mortification

We may consider this necessity from a twofold point of
view, that of salvation and that of perfection.
I. The Necessity of Mortification for Salvation
There is a kind of mortification which is necessary for
salvation in this sense, that if we fail to practice it, we run
the risk of falling into mortal sin.

755. i° Our Lord speaks of it in a very clear way
concerning faults against chastity : “ Whosoever shall look
on a woman to lust after her hath already committed adul­
tery with her in his heart. ”1 There are looks, then, that
are gravely sinful, such as are prompted by evil desire. In
this case mortification of the eyes is imperative under pain
1 Maith., V, 28.

MORTIFICATION.

365

of mortal sin. Our Lord says so in no uncertain language :
“ And if thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and
cast it from thee. For it is expedient for thee that one of
thy members should perish, rather than thy whole body be
cast into hell. ” 1 It is not question here of putting out
one’s eyes, but of turning them away from such sights as
are a cause of sin. St. Paul gives us the reason for these
serious injunctions : “ For if you live according to the flesh,
you shall die; but if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds
of the flesh, you shall live. ” 2
As we have said, (n. 193-227) the threefold concupiscence
that remains with us, spurred on by the world and the devil,
often inclines us to evil and endangers our salvation, unless
we take heed to mortify it. Hence, the absolute necessity
of waging a constant warfare against our evil tendencies;
of fleeing from the proximate occasions of sin, that is, from
such things or such persons as, given our past experience,
are to us a serious and a probable danger of sin; of renounc­
ing thereby a great many pleasures towards which our
nature draws us. 3 There are then certain practices of mor­
tification which are imperative; without them we should fall
into mortal sin.
756. 2° Other practices of mortification there are which
the Church prescribes in order to determine the general
obligation so often repeated in the Gospel. Such are :
abstinence from flesh-meats on Fridays, the fast of Lent,
the Ember Days and the Vigils. These laws bind under
pain of grievous sin all those who are not legitimately
excused. Here we must make a remark that is of impor­
tance. There are persons who for good reasons are dispensed
from these positive laws; but they are not thereby exempt
from the natural, divine law of mortification, and hence
must comply with it in some form or other. Should they
fail in this, they will ere long experience the rebellion of
the flesh.
757. 30 Besides these practices of mortification enjoined
by divine and by ecclesiastical law, there are others which,
when temptations grow more severe, individuals must under­
take with the advice of their spiritual director. What these
mortifications are shall be indicated in n. 767 and following.

' Matth·., V, 29. — 3 Rom., VIII, 13.
3 We treated more at length of these occasions of sin in our
moralis, De Pænitentiâ, η. 524-536.

Synopsis Theologia

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CHAPTER III.

II. Necessity of Mortification for Perfection
758. This necessity follows from what we have said of
the nature of perfection, which consists in the love of God
unto sacrifice and the immolation of self (n. 321-327). This
is so true, that, according to the Imitation, the measure of
our spiritual growth depends upon the measure of violence
we do to ourselves : In proportion as thou dost violence to
thyself the greater progress wilt thou *make.
It will suffice,
then, to recall briefly a few of the motives that may aid the
will in the discharge of this duty; they are drawn from the
point of view of our relation to God, to fesus Christ, and
from that of our personal sanctification. 2

x° Mortification is Necessary for Our Union with God
759. A) We cannot attain to union with God without
mortification, without detaching ourselves from the inordi­
nate love of creatures.
St. John of the Cross says : “ A soul will become like unto the
creature to which it cleaves; as the attachment grows, the identifica­
tion asserts itself; for love establishes the equal adjustment of the
lover to the thing beloved... Therefore, he who loves a creature
stoops down to its level — nay, even lower, since love is not content
with equality, but descends to slavery. This is why a soul under sub­
jection to anything apart from God becomes incapable of entering
into that pure union with Him and of being assimilated to Him, for
the utter nothingness of the creature is farther from the sovereignty of
the Creator than darkness is from light.” Now, the unmortified soul
soon clings to creatures in an inordinate way; for since the Fall, the
soul of man feels itself drawn to them, captivated by their charms,
and delights in them as if they were ends in themselves, instead of
making them stepping stones unto God. To break this charm, to
escape this snare, it is absolutely necessary that we detack ourselves
from whatever is not God, or at least, from whatever cannot be looked
upon as a means leading us to Him. This is why Father Olier, in
comparing the condition of Christians to that of Adam in the state of
innocence, sees a vast difference between the two : “Adam sought
God, served Him, and adored Him in His creatures ; Christians, on
the contrary, are forced to seek God through faith, to serve Him and
adore Him in the inaccessible heights of His own Being and of His
holiness. ” 3 For this we have the grace of baptism.

760.B) By Baptism a real contract is concluded be­
tween God and ourselves, a) God on His part cleanses us
from the stain of original sin, adopts us as His children, and
admits us to share in His life, engaging Himself to bestow
’ The Following of Christ, Bk. I, C. 25.
3 These motives are similar to those we explained with regard to penance,
n. 736 and foil. Penance is in reality but mortification that repairs past faults.
3 Cai. for an Int. Life, P. I, Lesson IV.

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367

upon us all the graces necessary to the preservation and
development of that life. We know the liberality where­
with He has fulfilled His promises, b) On our part, we
bind ourselves to live like true children of God, to strive to
become perfect as Our Heavenly Father is perfect. This,
however, we can do only if we practice mortification ; for,
on the one side, the Holy Ghost, given us in Baptism, “ urges
us to embrace contempt, poverty, suffering; and, on the
other, our flesh longs for honor, pleasure, riches.” 1 Within
us, therefore, rages a conflict, an incessant struggle ; nor can
we be faithful to God unless we renounce the inordinate
love of honor, pleasure, and riches. Thus in the rite of
Baptism, the priest marks us with two Crosses, one upon
the heart to stamp thereon the love of the Cross, the other
upon our shoulders to give us the strength to carry it.
We should be untrue to our baptismal vows, if we did not
carry our cross by waging war against the lust for honor
through humility, against the lust for pleasure through
mortification, against the lust for riches through poverty.
2° Mortification Necessary
to

for

Our Conformity

Christ

761. A) Through Baptism we have been incorporated
into Christ, we have become His members, and as such,
it is from Him we are to receive life, and motion, and
inspiration, and thereby be made conformable to Him.
But the Imitation tells us that “ The whole life of Christ was
a cross and a martyrdom." - Ours, then, cannot be a life
of pleasure and honors, but it must be a life of mortification.
This is what our divine Head clearly tells us : “ If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me. ”3 If there is any one who must follow
Jesus, it is he who seeks after perfection. But how can a
lover of pleasure, of honors, of riches follow Jesus? How
can one follow Christ, if one is unwilling to carry his cross
daily — the cross that God Himself has chosen for him and
sent to him? How can such a one follow Him Who from His
very entry into the world embraced the Cross, Who through­
out His entire life sighed for sufferings and humiliations,
Who was wedded to poverty at the Crib and Whom poverty
followed unto Calvary? “ It is shameful," says St. Ber-1
*3
1 Olier, Cai. for an Int. Life, Part I, Lesson VII.
* Following of Christ, Bk. II, C. XII, v. 7.
3 Luke IX, 23.
Read the beautiful commentary on this text in the Circular
Letter to the Friends of the Cross by the Blessed L. Grignion de Montfort.

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nard,1 “ that we appear as delicate members, shrinking at the
least smart of pain, under a Head that is crowned with
thorns." Therefore, if we wish to become like unto Jesus
Christ and reflect His perfection, we must like Him carry
our Cross.
762. B) If we aspire to a life of apostolic service, we find
therein a new motive for the crucifixion of our flesh. It
is through the Cross that Jesus saved the world; it is
likewise through the Cross that we shall co-opérate with
Him in the salvation of our brethren; and the fruitfulness
of our zeal will grow in proportion as we share in the
Savior’s sufferings. This was what compelled St. Paul to
fill up in his flesh that which was wanting of the passion of
His Master in order to obtain graces for the Church.12
This is the motive that in the past sustained and even now
sustains so many souls who consent to be victims, that God
may be glorified and that souls may be saved. No doubt,
suffering is hard to bear, but when we look upon Jesus
walking before us with His Cross borne for our own sal­
vation and that of our brethren; when we contemplate His
agony; when we see Him unjustly condemned, scourged,
tormented with a crown of thorns; when we hearken to the
jeers, the insults, the calumnies He silently endured — how
dare we complain! “ Ye have not yet resisted unto the
shedding of blood." 3 If we prize at their worth our souls
and the souls of our brethren, can we make so much of a
few fleeting pangs of suffering endured for the sake of a
glory that will have no end, endured in union with Our
Lord and Master, as our share in His work of saving souls
for whom He shed the last drop of His Bipod?
These motives, high as they are, are entered into by some
generous souls from the very moment of their turning to
God. By proposing such motives to them, a spiritual
director will further their purification and sanctification.
3°

Mortification Necessary

for

Our Own Sanctification

763.A) We must secure our perseverance in good, and
mortification offers without doubt one of the best means we
have to keep free from sin. What causes us to surrender
to temptation is the love of pleasure or the horror of hard­
ship, the hardship of the struggle. Mortification combats
this twofold tendency, which is really but one; for by having
1 Sermo V in festo omnium Sanctorum, n. 9.
2 Coloss., I, 24. — 3 Heb., XII, 4.

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us break with some few legitimate pleasures, it arms our
will against those that are unlawful, thus giving us an easier
victory over sensuality and the love of self ; “ inveighing
against sensuality and self-love ”, as St. Ignatius puts it.
If, on the contrary, we yield to pleasure, allowing ourselves
all lawful joys, how shall we be able to resist when our sen­
suality, hankering after new delights, dangerous or wrong,
feels itself as if overpowered by the force of habit? The
bias is so strong, that where our sensuous nature is con­
cerned, it is easy to fall into the abyss, by a sort of vertigo.
Even when it is question of pride, the downward plunge is
far more rapid than we think : we lie about a trifle to cover
up a fault, to escape humiliation ; and then when we approach
the tribunal of penance we run the risk of failing in sin­
cerity through the dread of a mortifying avowal. Our
safety demands, therefore, a warfare against self-love as
well as against sensuality and greed.
764. B) To avoid sin is not sufficient; we must^rtfw in
perfection. Here again, what is the great stumbling-block,
if not the love of pleasure and a dread of the cross? How
many would wish to be better than they are, to aim at per­
fection, were it not that they shrink from the effort
required, from the trials sent by God to His best friends?
Such persons must be frequently reminded of what St. Paul
said time and again to the first Christians, that is to say,
that life is a struggle; that we should blush for shame if we
show less courage than those who strive for an earthly
reward and who in order to assure victory deprive them­
selves of sundry pleasures, willingly submitting to a stern
and arduous discipline: “And they indeed that they may
receive a corruptible crown : but we an incorruptible one. ” 1
Do we dread pain? Let us ponder the terrible sufferings
of Purgatory (n. 734) which will be our lot for years should
we persist in living heedless of mortification and ready to
indulge in all those things that delight us. How much
wiser are the children of this world ! Many a one undergoes
hard labor and at times endures harsh treatment that he
may earn a living and secure decent comfort in his declin­
ing years; and we would be loath to impose a hardship on
ourselves for the sake of an eternal abode in the Kingdom
of Heaven! Is this rational?
We must, then, realise that there is no perfection, no
possible attainment of virtue without the practice of morti' I Cor., IX, 25.

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CHAPTER III.

fication. How can we be chaste without deadening that
sensuality that urges us so strongly toward evil and danger­
ous pleasures? How can we be temperate unless we curb
our greediness? How practice poverty, nay justice, if we
do not combat our greed? How be humble, meek, kind, if
we exercise no control over the passions of pride, anger,
envy, jealousy, that lurk in the recesses of every human
heart? There is not one virtue which, in our fallen con­
dition, we can practice for any length of time without effort,
without a struggle and, hence, without the practice of mor­
tification. We can, therefore, say with Father Tronson
that “just as a lack of mortification is the cause of all our
vices, mortification is the foundation and the source of all
our virtues. ” 1

765. C) We can go further and add that mortifi­
cation, notwithstanding the privations and sufferings it
imposes, is even here on earth rich in goods of the highest
order. The mortified Christian is as a rule more truly
happy than the worldling who abandons himself to every
pleasure. This is what Our Lord Himself teaches when
He says: “ Every one that hath left house or brethren...
shall receive an hundredfold and shall possess life everlast­
ing. ” 123 St. Paul speaks the same language. After having
spoken of modesty, that is, of moderation in all things, he
adds : “ And the peace of God, which surpasseth all under­
standing, keep your hearts and minds in Christ fesus. ” 3
Of this he was himself the living example. In truth he
had much to suffer. He recounts at length not only his
own inner conflict, but also the terrible ordeals he had to
undergo for the preaching of the Gospel. He adds how­
ever : “ I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation. ” 4
And so it was with all the Saints. Undoubtedly, they had to endure
long and painful trials ; but the martyrs mid their tortures gave testi­
mony that “they had never been so happy. ” Reading the lives of the
Saints we meet two striking facts : the dreadful ordeals they sustained,
the mortifications they willingly embraced ; and then their patience,
their joy, their peace in these sufferings. They came to love the cross,
to lose all fear thereof, nay, to sigh after it, to count as lost the day
wherein they had but little to suffer. This is a psychological pheno­
menon which puzzles the wordly, but which is a comfort to men of
good-will. No doubt, one could not ask of beginners such love of the
cross ; but one can, showing them the example of the Saints, make
them understand that the love of God soothes the pain of mortification,
1 Examens part., Ier Ex. de la Mortification.
Q Matth., XIX, 29; Mark, X, 29-30, where it is said: “An hundred times as
much, now in this time. "
3 Philip., IV, 7. — ■» II Cor., VII, 4.

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371

and, if they consent to enter whole-heartedly into the practice of offer­
ing small sacrifices within their strength, that they will come themselves
to love the cross, to long for it and to find in it true spiritual comfort.

766. The author of the Imitation expresses this in a text which
briefly sums up the advantages of mortification : “ In the cross is sal­
vation: in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection from enemies.
In the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength
of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit. In the Cross is height of virtue;
in the Cross is perfection of sanctity11 The love of the Cross is but the
love of God unto the immolation of self. And this love, as we have
said, is the embodiment of all the virtues, the very essence of perfection
and therefore the strongest defence against our spiritual enemies, the
fountain-spring of consolation, the best means of growing in the spiri­
tual life and of assuring our salvation.

Art. III. The practice of Mortification 2
767. Principles. i° Mortification must include the
whole man, body and soul; for each of our faculties unless
well-disciplined may be the cause of sin. It is true,
indeed, that the will alone sins, but it has for accomplices
and instruments our body with its exterior senses and our
soul with all its faculties. Hence, it is the whole man that
must be disciplined, that is, mortified.
768. 2° Mortification is the enemy of pleasure. True,
pleasure of itself is not an evil ; rather, it is a good when
subordinated to its God-given end. God has willed to
attach a certain pleasure to the fulfilment of duty in order
to facilitate its accomplishment. Thus, we find a certain
enjoyment in eating and drinking, in our work, and in other
duties. In the divine plan, therefore,pleasure is not an end,
but the means to an end. Hence, the enjoyment of pleasure
in view of a more perfect acquittal of duty is not proscribed;
it is rather in accordance with the order established by God.
But to seek pleasure as an end in itself without any relation
to duty, is at least dangerous, since it exposes one to slip
from lawful to unlawful pleasure. To enjoy pleasure to the
exclusion of duty is a sin more or less serious, because it is
a violation of the order established by God. Mortification,
1 The Following of Christ, Bk. II, c. 12.
3 Since mortification is defined as the struggle against our evil inclinations, it
must be practiced first of all in resisting temptations. This aspect of mortification
will be treated in nos 900 and following. It is next practiced in overcoming our
evil inclinations, our vices. This will be seen in nos 818 and following. Here we
speak only of the mortification of our faculties, or rather of their inordinate ten­
dencies.
It must be noted that the word mortification is not used in exactly the same
«■nse when we speak of the mortification of our sins and vices as when we speak
<>f the mortification of our faculties. In the former case it means destroying, put­
ting to death; in the latter it means correcting, training, disciplining.

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therefore, consists in foregoing evil pleasures, pleasures con­
trary to God’s providential plan, or to His Law, or to the
law of the Church; in renouncing dangerous pleasures, so
as not to run the risk of sin; in abstaining from certain
licit pleasures, so as to insure the dominion of the will
over our sensuous nature.
With this same end in view
we not only forego some pleasures, but likewise impose
upon ourselves some positive practices of mortification; for
it is a matter of experience that nothing is so effective in
breaking down the lure to pleasure as the voluntary under­
taking of some additional labor, the shouldering of some
additional burden.

769. 3° Mortification, however, must be practiced with
prudence and discretion. It must be properly fitted to the
physical and moral strength of each, and must be in keeping
with the accomplishment of one’s duties of state, i) We
must spare our physical strength, for according to St. Francis
de Sales, “ We are exposed to great temptations both
when the body is overfed and when it is too enfeebled. ”1
In the latter case one becomes an easy prey to neurasthenia,
which subsequently demands a letting down that may
prove dangerous. 2) We must take into account our moral
strength, that is to say, we must refrain from imposing
upon ourselves from the outset excessive privations which
we could not long sustain, and the giving up of which may
lead us to laxness. 3) Above all, our mortifications must
be such as would be compatible with the duties of our
state, for the latter are obligatory and take precedence over
practices of supererogation. Thus it would be wrong for a
mother to practice such austerities as would prevent her
from fulfilling her duties towards her husband and her
children.
770.40 There is a hierarchy in the practices of morti­
fication. Those that mortify our interior faculties have a
greater worth than those that mortify our exterior senses,
because the former attack more directly the root of the
evil ; yet we must not lose sight of the fact that the latter
aid in a great measure the exercise of the former. Who­
ever would attempt to mortify the imagination without
mortifying the eyes will hardly succeed, for the very reason
that these furnish our fancy with sensible images whereon
it thrives. To jeer at the austerities of former Christian
days is a baneful error of modern times. As a matter of
* Devout Life, Part III, c. XXIII.

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373

fact the Saints of all ages, those that have been beatified in
these latter days as well as those of old, have severely
chastised their bodies and their exterior senses, well aware
that man’s whole being must be brought into subjection,
that in the state of fallen nature, man’s whole being must
be crucified if he is to belong wholly to God. We shall
therefore examine in succession the entire range of morti­
fications beginning with those that are exterior in character,
finally arriving at those of a more interior nature. This is
the logical order; in actual practice we must learn how to
combine them, and make proper use of them.
§ I. The Mortification of the Body
and the Exterior Senses

771. 1° Its motives, a) Our Lord recommended to
His disciples the moderate practice of fasting and of absti­
nence, the mortification of sight and of touch. St. Paul
was so alive to the necessity of mortifying the flesh that he
punished it severely in order to escape sin and final repro­
bation : “ But I chastise my body and bring it into subjection :
lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should
become a castaway. ” 1 The Church herself prescribes for
the faithful certain days of fast and of abstinence.
b) Why this? No doubt the body, well held in check,
is a profitable servant, nay, an indispensable one, whose
strength must be preserved to place it at the soul’s service.
But in the state of fallen nature, the body seeks after the
joys of the flesh regardless of what is licit or illicit; it has a
special tendency towards forbidden pleasures, and at times
rebels against the higher faculties when these stand in the
way. This enemy is so much the more dangerous, because
it is ever with us, at table, in our room, abroad; and because
it often meets with abbettors ready to excite its sensuality
and lust. The senses are but so many openings for for­
bidden pleasure. We are obliged therefore to keep an
ever-watchful guard over our body, to overpower it and
bring it into subjection. If we fail in this it will betray us.
772. 2° The Modesty of the Body. If we wish to
mortify the body, we must begin by a faithful observance
of the prescriptions of modesty and good deportment.
Here we find an extensive field for mortification. The
rule we must follow is the principle of St. Paul: “Know
* I Cor., IX, 37.

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you not that your bodies are the members of Christ... that
your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost? ” 1
A) We must, then, hold our body in reverence, as a holy
temple, as a member of Christ. Let there be nothing about
us savoring of those fads, more or less indecent, designed
to excite the unwholesome curiosity of lust. Let our dress
be in harmony with our condition in life, plain and modest,
ever becoming, ever decent.
The wisest recommendations on this subject are those of St. Francis
de Sales : “ Be neat, Philothea ; let nothing be negligent about you ;...
but at the same time, avoid all affectation, vanity, curiosity, or levity in
your dress. Keep yourself always, as much as possible, on the side of
plainness and modesty, which, doubt not, is the greatest ornament of
beauty, and the best excuse for the want of it... Women who are
vain, are esteemed to be very weak in their chastity ; at least, if they
are chaste, it is not to be discovered amid so many toys and fopperies...” ’
S. Louis briefly says, “ that one should dress in accordance to one’s
condition in life, so that the wise and the good might not say : ‘you
are too fastidious, ’ nor the young remark, 1 you are too negligent. ’ ”

As regards religious and priests, they have rules that
prescribe the form and quality of their dress, and they
should conform to those directions. It is needless to say
that worldliness and affectation would be out of place in
them and could not but shock worldlings themselves.

773.B) Good deportment likewise furnishes everyone
with ample opportunity for the practice of mortification, an
excellent way of mortifying the flesh without endangering
our health or attracting undue attention, and of gaining
a wonderful control over the body. Examples of good
deportment are : the avoidance of anything like lack of
poise or of any bodily pose that smacks of primness or
softness; an erect, easy and natural carriage of the body;
holding the same even posture for a considerable space
of time; not to lounge when sitting or lean when kneeling;
to avoid all brusqueness of movement or manner and
ill-regulated gestures.
774. C) Th ere are other positive means of mortification which
penitent souls inspired by generosity delight to employ in order to
subdue their bodies, to temper the importunities of the flesh and give
vent to their holy desires. The more customary ones are small iron
bracelets clasped to the arms, chains worn about the loins, hairshirts,
or a few strokes of the discipline when this last can be done without
attracting any notice. *
3 As to all such practices one must faithfully
1 I Cor., VI, 15, 19. — - Devout Life, Part III, c. XXV.
3 To resume the practices of corporal mortification is one of the most effective
means of regaining lost joy of spirit and fervor of soul : “ Let us go hack to our
bodily mortifications. Let us bruise our flesh and draw a little of our blood, and

MORTIFICATION.

375

follow the advice of one’s spiritual director, shun whatever tends to
evince any singularity or to flatter vanity not to speak of whatever
would be against the rules of hygiene and personal cleanliness. The
spiritual director should not give his sanction to any of these extra­
ordinary practices except with the greatest discretion, only for a time,
and on trial. Should it come to his notice that any inconveniences
arise therefrom, he must bring them to a halt.

775. 3° Modesty of the Eyes. A) There are looks
which are grievously sinful, that offend not only against
modesty, but against chastity itself; from such we must
evidently abstain.1 Others there are which are dangerous ;
for instance, to fasten our eyes on persons or things
which would of themselves be apt to bring on temptations.
Thus Holy Scripture warns us : “ Gaze not upon a maiden :
lest her beauty be a stumbling-block to thee.”2 Today,
when indecency in dress, exhibitions of the stage and of
certain types of drawing-room entertainment.create so many
dangers, what great care must we not exercise so as not to
expose ourselves to sin !

776.B) The earnest Christian who wants to save his
soul at all costs goes even further so as to make the danger
more remote. He mortifies the sense of sight by repressing
idle, curious glances and by duly controlling his eyes in all
simplicity without any show of affectation. He takes the
opportunity whenever offered of directing his looks towards
those things that tend to raise his heart towards God and
the Saints, such as holy pictures, statues, churches and
crosses.
777. 4° Mortification of the Ear and the Tong’ue.
A) The mortification of these senses demands that we
speak no word nor lend-a willing ear to utterances that
hurt brotherly love, purity, humility and the other Christian
virtues; for, says St. Paul, “Evil communications corrupt
good manners. ” 3 How many souls have been turned
from their godly ways by giving ear to impure conversa­
tions or to words against their neighbor. Obscene words
induce a morbid curiosity, excite the passions, kindle desire,
and incite to sin; whilst unkind words stir up strife and
divisions even in the home, give rise to suspicion, enmity
and rancor. We must, therefore, watch over the least of
we shall be happy as the day is long. If the Saints are such gay spirits, and
monks and nuns such unaccountably cheerful creatures, it is simply because
their bodies, like St. Paul's, are chastised and kept under with an unflinching
■ harpness and a vigorous discretion. " (Faber, The Blessed Sacrament, Book 11,
Section VII).
« Maith,, V, 28. — 2 Eccli., IX, 5. — V Cor., XV, 33.

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our words and we must know how to close our ears to
whatever may sully purity, hurt charity or disturb peace.

778. B) The better to succeed in this, we shall at times
mortify our curiosity, refraining from asking questions that
would satisfy it, or repressing that itch for gossip that
draws us into idle conversations not altogether devoid of
danger : “ In the multitude of words there shall not want
sin. ”1
C) Since negative means do not suffice. We should take
care to direct our conversation to subjects not merely
harmless, but good, elevating and edifying, without however
growing burdensome to others by too serious remarks that
do not naturally suggest themselves.
779. 5° The Mortification of our other senses. What we have
said with regard to sight, hearing and speech, is applicable to the other
senses as well. We shall return to the sense of taste when we speak
of gluttony, and to the sense of touch when we treat of chastity. As to
the sense of smell, suffice it to say that the immoderate use of perfumes
is often but a pretext for satisfying sensuality, and at times a ruse to
excite lust. Earnest Christians should use them with moderation ;
clerics and religious should never use them.
§ II. Mortification of the Interior Senses

The two interior senses to be mortified are the imagination
and the memory, which generally act in accord, memory­
activities being accompanied by sense-images.
780. i° Principle. These are two valuable faculties,
which not only furnish the mind with the necessary material
whereon to work, but enable it to explain the truth with the
aid of images and facts in such a manner as to make it
easier to grasp, and render it more vital and more interest­
ing. The bare, colorless and cold statement of truth would
not engage the interest of most men. It is not question,
then, of atrophying these faculties, but of schooling them,
of subjecting their activity to the control of reason and
will. Otherwise, left to themselves, they literally crowd
the soul with a host of memories and images that distract
the spirit, waste its energies, cause it to lose priceless time
while at prayer and work, and constitute the source of a
thousand temptations against purity, charity, humility and
other virtues. Hence, of necessity they must be disciplined
and made to minister to the higher faculties of the soul.
1 Proverbs, X, 19.

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377

781. 2° Rules to be followed. A) In order to check
the wanderings of the memory and the imagination, we
must, first of all, strive to expel from the outset, that is,
from the very moment we are aware of them, all dangerous
fancies and recollections; for such, by conjuring up some
crisis of the past, or by carrying us along midst the seductive
allurements of the present, or on to those of the future,
would constitute for us a source of temptation. Further­
more, since frequent day-dreaming by a kind of psycho­
logical necessity leads us into dangerous musings, we should
take heed to provide against idle thoughts, by mortifying
ourselves as regards useless fancies, which constitute a waste
of time and pave the way to others of an even more peril­
ous nature. Mortifying idle thoughts, the Saints tell us,
is dealing death to evil ones.

782. B) The best means to attain this end is to apply
ourselves whole-heartedly to the performance of the duties
of the moment, to our work, to our studies, to our ordinary
occupations. Besides, this is likewise the best means of
doing well what we are about, by making all our activities
converge towards the production of the one action : “ Do well
whatever you do. ” Let young men remember that in order
to succeed either in studies or in their profession, they must
give more play to the mind and the will than to the lower
faculties. Thus, whilst making provision for the future,
they should avoid all dangerous flights of the imagination.
783. C) Lastly, the memory and the imagination will
prove most helpful if they are employed to nourish our
piety, by searching in the Scriptures, in the Liturgy, and in
spiritual writers the choicest texts, the most beautiful
similes, the richest imagery, and if the imagination is used
to enter into God’s presence, to picture in their details the
mysteries of Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin. Thus, far
from stunting this faculty, we shall fill it with devout
representations which will displace dangerous fancies and
enable us the better to grasp and present to our hearers
the beauty of the Gospel-scenes.
§ III. The Mortification of the Passions1

784. The passions in the philosophical sense of the
term are not necessarily nor wholly evil. They are active
■St. Thom., Ia Ilæ, q. 22-48; Suarez, disp. Ill; SénaüLT, De l'usage des fas­
hions; Descuret, La médecine des fassions ; Belouino, Des fassions; Th. Ribot,

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forces, often impetuous, that may be used for good as well
as for evil, provided we learn to control them and direct
them towards a high purpose. In popular parlance, how­
ever, and with certain spiritual writers, the word is used
to designate evil passions. We shall, then — i° recall
the principal psychological notions concerning the passions;
2° indicate their good and their bad effects; 30 give rules for
their right use.
I. The Psychology of the Passions

Here we but recall briefly what is explained at length in
Psychology.
785. i° Notion. Passions are vehement movements op
the sensitive appetite toward sensible good, reacting more or
less strongly on the bodily organism.
a) At the bottom of passion, therefore, there is a certain knowledge,
at least a sense-knowledge, of a good hoped for or already possessed,
or of an evil opposed to the said good. From this knowledge spring
the movements of the sensitive appetite.
b) These movements are vehement and thus differ from affective
conditions, pleasant or unpleasant, which are calm, peaceful, and free
from the eagerness and the violence found in passion.
C) It is precisely because they are vehement and act strongly upon
the sensitive appetite that they have their reaction upon the physical
organism. This is due to the close union that exists between body
and soul. Thus, anger causes blood to rush to the brain and strains
the nerves ; fear causes us to turn pale ; love dilates the heart and fear
contracts it. These physiological effects do not reach the same degree
in all subjects ; they depend upon the individual temperament and the
intensity of passion itself, as well as upon the measure of control
acquired over self.

786. Passions differ from sentiments, which are movements of the
will, and which presuppose, therefore, an intellectual knowledge ;
although they are strong, they lack the violence of passions. Thus
there is a passion of love and a sentiment of love, a passionate fear
and an intellectual fear. We may add that in man, a rational animal,
the passions and the sentiments almost invariably blend in varying
proportions, and that is is through the will aided by grace that we
transform the most ardent passions into lofty sentiments by bringing
the former under the sway of the latter.

78 7. 20 Their Number. Eleven are generally enum­
erated, all of which proceed from love, as Bossuet*1 lucidly
La psychologie des sentiments ; La logique des sentiments ; Payot, The Education
of the Will; Cursus A sceticus, I, P. 157-236; Meyer, The Science of the Saints,
II-IV; MESCHLER, Three Fundamental Principles of the Spiritual Life, P. 11,
C. X-XV ; P. Janvier, Carême /90g; H. D. Noble, L'éducation des passions.
1 De la connaissance de Dieu et de soi-même, C. I, n. 6.

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shows : “ Our other passions refer but to love, love which
embodies or stimulates them. ”
1) Love is a yearning for union with a person or thing that pleases
us ; we thereby crave possession of it.
2) Hatred is an eagerness to rid ourselves of what displeases us ;
it is born of love in the sense that we hate that which militates against
what we love. We hate disease only because we love health ; we hate
no one, except those who place an obstacle to our possessing what
we love.
3) Desire is a quest for an absent good and proceeds from the fact
that we love that good.
4) Aversion (or flight) makes us shun or repel approaching evil.
5) J°y's die satisfaction arising from a present good.
6) Sadness, on the other hand, makes us grieve over and shrink
from a present evil
7) Courage (daring) makes us strive after union with the object
loved, the acquisition of which is difficult.
8) Fear prompts us to shrink from an evil difficult to avoid.
9) Hope eagerly bears us toward the thing loved, the acquisition of
which is possible, though difficult.
10) Despair arises in the soul when the acquisition of the object
loved seems impossible.
11) Anger violently repels what hurts us, and incites the desire of
revenge.
The first six passions which take rise in what is called the concupiscible appetite, are generally known to modern psychologist as
pleasure-passions ; the other five, proceeding from what is termed the
irascible appetite, go by the name of aggressive passions.

II. The Effects of the Passions
788. The Stoics assumed that the passions were radi­
cally evil and must be annihilated. The Epicureans deified
the passions and loudly proclaimed the necessity of obeying
them; modern Epicureans reëcho their cry in saying that
life must be lived. Christianity shuns these two extremes.
Nothing, it holds, that God has bestowed on our nature is
evil. Our Lord Himself had well-ordered passions. He
loved not only with His will, but with His heart; He wept
over dead Lazarus and over faithless Jerusalem; He let
Himself be roused to righteous indignation; He felt fear,
underwent sadness and "weariness ; yet He knew how to
keep these passions under the control of the will and sub­
ordinate them to God. When, on the contrary, passions
are ill-ordered they are productive of the most harmful
results. Hence, they must be mortified and disciplined.
789. The Effects of ill-ordered Passions. Passion^
are said to be ill-ordered when directed towards some sen­

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sible good which is forbidden, or even towards a good which
is lawful, but is pursued with too much eagerness and
without any reference to God. Such ill-regulated passions
have the following effects :
a) They produce blindness of soul, for heedless of reason,
they move headlong toward their object, led on by attraction
or by pleasure. This constitutes a disturbing factor which
tends to unbalance our judgment and becloud right reason.
The sensitive appetite is by nature blind; and should the
soul allow itself to be guided by it, it will likewise become
blind. The soul then, instead of being guided by duty,
allows itself to be fascinated by the pleasure of the moment;
it is as if a cloud stood between it and the truth. Blinded
by the passions, the soul no longer sees clearly the will of
God, the duty to be fulfilled; it is no longer competent to
form a sane judgment.
790. b) Ill-ordered passions weary and torture the soul.
1) The passions, says St. John of the Cross,1 “are as
impatient little children that can never be pleased, that ask
their mother now for this, now for that, and are never
satisfied. A miser tires of digging in vain for a treasure;
likewise the soul wearies of seeking what its appetites
demand. If one of these appetites is satisfied, others arise
and wear us out, because they cannot all be satisfied...
Appetites afflict the soul, enervate it and trouble it as the
wind agitates the sea. ”
2) Hence, a suffering all the more intense, the more
ardent the passions, for they torture the soul until they are
satisfied, and just as the appetite for food is whetted by
eating, so the passions ever crave for more. If conscience
offers resistance, they lose patience, they fret, they impor­
tune the will to yield to their ever-recurring desires. This
is an unspeakable torture.

791. c) Ill-ordered passions also weaken the will.
Drawn hither and thither by these ^rebellious passions, the
will is forced to scatter its efforts in every direction and by
so doing to lessen its strength. Every concession it makes
to the passions increases their demands and diminishes its
own energies. Like the useless, rapacious, parasitic shoots
that sprout round the trunk of a tree, uncontrolled appetites
' The Ascent of Carmel, Bk. I, C. VI; See chapters VI-XII of the same book,
wherein the Saint explains in a wonderful way the hurtful effects of the appetites,
that is, of the passions. We but briefly sum up his thought.

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grow and sap the strength of the soul. A time comes
when the weakened soul becomes the prey of laxness and
lukewarmness and is ready to make any surrender.
792. d) Ill-ordered passions, lastly, blemish the soul.
When the soul, yielding to the passions, joins itself to
creatures it lowers itself to their level. Instead of being
the faithful image of God it takes on the likeness of the
things to which it clings; specks of dust, blots of grime
sully its beauty and impede a perfect union with God.
“ I do not hesitate to affirm, ” says St. John of the Cross,1 “ that one
single disordered passion, even if it lead not to mortal sin, is enough
to cause the soul such a state of darkness, ugliness and uncleanness,
that it becomes incapable of intimate union with God so long as it
remains a slave of this passion. What then shall we say of the soul
that is marred by the ugliness of all its passions, that is a prey to all
its appetites? At what infinite distance will it not be from divine
purity? Neither words nor arguments can make us understand the
divers stains which all these appetites create in the soul. Each one of
them in its own way places its share of filth and ugliness in the soul. ”

793. Conclusion. If we wish, then, to attain to union
with God, we must repress all inordinate movements of tjie
passions, even the most trifling; for perfect union with God
presupposes that there be nothing in us contrary to the
divine will, no wilful attachment to creatures or to self.
The moment we deliberately allow any passion to lead us
astray, this perfect union no longer exists. This is espe­
cially true of habitual attachments. These paralyze the
will even if they be in themselves trivial. St. John of the
Cross 2 says that “ it makes little difference whether a bird
be tied by a thin thread or a heavy cord ; it cannot fly until
either be broken. ”
794. Advantages of well-ordered passions. Pas­
sions are helpful when they are well-ordered, that is, when
they are directed towards good, when they are controlled
and made subservient to the will of God. They are live,
powerful forces that stir our mind and will to action and
thus render them signal help.
a) They act upon the mind by stimulating our ambition
to work, our desire to know the truth. When we are pas­
sionately interested in any object, we are on the alert to
know all about it; our minds grasp the truth more readily;
the impression made upon our memory is more lasting.
An inventor, for instance, burning with love for his country
‘ Ascent of Carmel, Bk. I, C. XI. — a Ascent of Cannel, Bk. I, C. XI.

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works with greater zest, perseverance and insight because
of the very fact that he wants to serve his country. In like
manner a student inspired by the high purpose of putting
his knowledge at the service of his countrymen makes
greater efforts and obtains greater results. But above all,
he who passionately loves Jesus Christ, will study the
Gospel with greater zeal, understand it better and relish it
more; the words of the Master are for him so many oracles
that shed upon his soul a glowing light.
795. b) Well-ordered passions, likewise, exert their
influence upon the will, grouping and multiplying its ener­
gies. Whatever is done out of love, is done more thoroughly,
more whole-heartedly, pursued more perseveringly and
attended by greater success. What does not a loving
mother do to save her child? What acts of heroism does
not patriotism inspire? A Saint in whom love for God
and for souls is a passion balks at no effort, at no sacrifice,
at no humiliation if he can but save his brethren. Undoubt­
edly, it is the will which dictates such acts of zeal, but it is
a will inspired, stimulated, and sustained by a hallowed
passion. When both the sensitive and intellectual appetites,
that is to say, when the heart and the will join forces and
work along the same lines, the attendant results are evi­
dently of far greater import and much more lasting.
1 fence, the importance of knowing how to put the passions
to good use.

III. The Good Use of the Passions
After recalling the psychological principles that will make
our task easier, we shall show how evil passions are resisted,
how passions are directed towards good, and how they are
controlled.
i° Psychological Principles

to be

Applied 1

796. To attain mastery over the passions, we must
first of all, count on the grace of God and, therefore, on
prayer and the Sacraments; but we must also employ the
sound tactics furnished by psychology.
a) Every idea tends Xo evoke a corresponding act, espe­
cially if the idea is attended by live emotions and associated
with strong convictions.
Thus the thought of sensual pleasure, vividly depicted by the imagi­
nation, provokes a sensual desire, often a sensual act. On the other
1 Eymieu, Le gouvernement de soi-même, t. I, 3e Principe.

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hand, the thought of noble deeds and their happy results excites the
desire of performing such acts. This is especially true of the idea
that does not remain cold, colorless, abstract, but, accompanied by
sensitive images, becomes concrete, real and thereby captivating.
It is in this sense that we can say that thought is power, a dynamic
force, the beginning of action. If then, we are, to master our illordered passions^ we must cautiously banish every thought, every
fancy that presents evil pleasure in an attractive guise; and, if we
want to foster well-ordered passions or good sentiments, we must wel­
come the thoughts and the images that picture the beautiful side of
duty, of virtue, and we must make these as vivid and as concrete as
possible.

797. b) The influence of an idea abides as long as that
idea is not obliterated and supplanted by a stronger one.
Thus sensual desire continues to make itself felt so long as
it is not driven out by some nobler thought which takes
possession of the soul. Hence, if we would be rid of such
desires we must through some reading or engaging study
apply ourselves to an entirely different or to an absolutely
contrary trend of thought; and should we wish to strengthen
some good desire, we must dwell on it and think of such
things as will tend to feed it.
c) The influence of an idea grows by being associated
with correlative ones that enrich and broaden it. Thus the
thought and the desire of saving our soul grow more intense
and more active if associated with the idea of working for
the salvation of our brethren. The life of St. Francis
Xavier is a striking example of this.
798. d) Lastly, an idea attains its maximum power,
when it becomes habitual, absorbing, a sort of fixed idea,
the motive-power of action. This is exemplified in the
sphere of the natural by the single-mindedness of those
who hold but one purpose in view, for instance, that of
bringing about some particular discovery; in the realm of
the supernatural it is illustrated by those who are deeply
impressed by some Gospel-truth which becomes the ruling
principle of their life, for example : “ Sell what thou hast
and give to the poor. What doth it profit a man if he
gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?
For to me, to live is Christ. ”
We must, therefore, aim at burying deep into our souls
some directing thoughts, and then embody them in a maxim
that makes them real and keeps them ever before our
mind, such as : “ My God and my all! To the greater glory
of God! God alone suffices! He who possesses Jesus, pos­
sesses all things! To be with Jesus is a sweet paradise! ”
With a motto of this kind, we shall more easily triumph

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over ill-ordered passions and make a right use of wellordered ones.
2° How to Wage War against Ill-Ordered Passions
799. As soon as we are aware of any ill-ordered mov­
ement of the soul, we must have recourse to every natural
and supernatural means to stay and curb it.
a) From the outset, we should with the help of grace
avail ourselves of the power of inhibition wielded by the
will to thwart such motion.
We should avoid exterior acts and gestures which would but stimu­
late or intensify passion. Thus, if we feel roused to anger, we should
avoid excited gestures, and words, holding our peace until calm is
restored; if it be question of a too ardent attachment to some person,
we should avoid any meeting, any conversation with that person, and
above all we should refrain from showing, even in an indirect way,
the affection we feel. In this wise, passion gradually subsides.

800. b) If it be question of some pleasure-passion one
must strive to forget the object of that passion.
In order to accomplish this : i) one must apply the mind and the
imagination to any wholesome activity apt to divert attention from
the object of passion; one must seek to engage all the powers of the
mind on some absorbing subject of study, on the solution of some
question or problem, or find distraction in play, social intercourse,
conversation, walks, etc... 2) Then, when calm ensues one should
have recourse to such moral considerations as may strengthen the
will against the allurement of pleasure : considerations of the natural
order, such as the untoward consequences, for the present and the
future, with which a dangerous attachment, a too sentimental friend­
ship may be fraught (n. 603); but above all, one should appeal to
supernatural considerations, for instance, that it is impossible to
advance in the way of perfection so long as we cling to such attach­
ments, that these are but chains we forge for ourselves, that we thereby
risk our salvation, that through our fault scandal may be given, etc.
If it be some aggressive passion with which we have to deal, anger
for· example, we must first of all, through instant flight, allow the passion
time to cool ; then we can take the offensive, face the difficulty, convince
ourselves through rational considerations and chiefly through motives
of faith that it is unworthy of man, unworthy of a Christian to yield
himself a willing prey to anger or to hatred; that serenity, self-control
is the highest, the noblest course to follow, the one most consistent
with the Gospel.

801. c) Lastly, positive acts directly opposed to the
harassing passion must be elicited.
If we experience dislike for any one we must act as if we wished to
gain his good graces, strive to serve him, be amiable towards him and
above all pray for him. Nothing so empties the heart of all bitterness
as an earnest prayer offered for an enemy. If. on the contrary, we feel
a too ardent affection for any one we shall avoid his company or, if this
be impossible, treat him with that cold formality, that sort of courteous

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indifference wherewith we treat the rank and file of human beings.
These contrary acts finally succeed in weakening passion.
3’ The Direction

of

Passions towards Good

802. We have said that the passions are not in them­
selves evil ; all can without exception be turned to good.
a) Love and joy can be directed towards pure and lawful family­
affection, towards good and supernatural friendship, but chiefly towards
Our Lord, Who is the most tender, the most generous, the most
devoted of friends. This, then, is what matters most, that we center
our hearts on Him by reading, meditation, and by actually carrying
out in our lives the teachings contained in the two chapters of the
Following of Christ, “ On the love of Jesus above all things," and
“ On familiarfriendship with Jesus", two chapters which have proved
a potent source of inspiration to many souls.
b) Hatred and aversion can be turned against sin, against vice, and
against whatever leads to them, in order that we may loathe them and
fly from them : “ / have hated iniquity. ” '
e) Desire is transformed into lawful ambition ; into the natural
ambition of doing honor to one’s family, one’s country, and into the
supernatural ambition of becoming a saint, an apostle.
d) Sadness, instead of degenerating into melancholy, becomes a
sweet resignation under trials, which are for the Christian soul a seed
of glory ; or it is changed into tender compassion for the suffering
Christ, loaded down with insults ; or it is turned towards afflicted
souls.
e) Hope becomes a Christian virtue of unfailing trust in God and
multiplies our energies for good.
f) Despair takes the form of a rightful mistrust of self, based upon
our own insufficiency and our sins, but tempered by trust in God.
g) Fear is no longer that sense of depression which weakens the
soul ; but in the Christian it is a source of power. The Christian fears
sin, he fears hell; but this righteous fear inspires him with courage in
the struggle against evil. He fears God above all, he dreads to offend
his Maker and treads under foot human respect.
h) Anger instead of causing us to lose self-control, is but a just and
holy indignation that strengthens us against evil.
i) Boldness becomes prowess in the face of obstacles and dangers ;
the greater the difficulty we encounter, the more eager we are to make
efforts to overcome it.

803. To attain these happy results, there is nothing
like meditation, accompanied by devout affections and
generous resolutions. Thereby, we conceive an ideal, and
form deep-seated convictions that help us daily to approach
that ideal. The purpose in view is to evoke and nurture in
the soul such thoughts and feelings as are in harmony with
the virtues we want to practice, and to remove images and
impressions allied to the vices we want to shun. These
• Ps. CXVIII, 163.

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386

results cannot be better realized than by the practice of
daily meditation after the manner noted in no. 679 and
following. In this intimate converse with God, infinite
Truth and infinite Goodness, virtue becomes every day
more attractive and vice more loathsome, whilst the will
strengthened by convictions draws the passions towards
good instead of allowing itself to be drawn by these
towards evil.

4° How

to

Moderate the Passions

804.a) Even when the passions are directed towards
good, one must know how to temper them, that is to say,
one must know how to make them obey the dictates of
reason and the control of the will, both reason and will
being guided in turn by the light of faith and by grace.
Without this restraining influence, the passions would at
times run to excess, for they are by nature too impetuous.
Thus, the desire to pray fervently may become a strain ; love for
Jesus may manifest itself in forced emotions which wear out both body
and soul ; untimely zeal results in overstrain, indignation degenerates
into anger, and joy into dissipation of mind. We are particulary
exposed to such excesses in this age in which the feverish activity
of our fellow-men readily becomes contagious. Even when these
vehement impulses are directed towards good, they weary both mind
and body and cannot, in any event, be of lasting duration, for vio­
lence is shortlived, whereas it is sustained effort that best secures
spiritual progress.

805. b) We must, therefore, submit our activity to the
control of a wise director, and follow the dictates of Christian
prudence.
>) In the training of our desires and of our passions there must be
a certain habitual moderation, a kind of calm tranquillity, and we
must avoid being constantly under a strain. We have a long journey
ahead and it is important that we save our strength, since our poor
human machine cannot be forever under pressure without danger of
collapse.
2) Before a great expenditure of effort, prudence demands that we
enforce a certain rest, that we put a certain curb upon our ambitions,
even the most legitimate, and upon our zeal, even the most ardent and
the purest. Our Lord Himself gave us the example in this. From
time to time He invited His disciples to rest: “Come apart into a
desert place and rest a little. ” '

Ί bus directed and tempered, the passions, far from
constituting an obstacle to perfection, will be effective
means of daily growth in holiness.
1 Mark., VI, 31.

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§ IV. The Discipline of the Higher Faculties

The higher faculties, the intellect and the will, which
make man what he is, need likewise to be disciplined, for
they also have been affected by original sin, n. 75.

I. The Discipline of the Intellect1
806. We have been endowed with understanding, that
we may know truth, and above all that we may know God
and things divine. It is God Who is the true light of the
mind. He illumines us with a twofold light, that of reason
and that of faith. In our present state, we cannot come to
the fulness of truth, without the joint help of these two
lights. To scorn either of them is to blindfold our eyes.
The discipline of the intellect is all the more important,
since it is the intellect that enlightens the will and enables
it to direct its course towards good. It is the intellect
which, under the name of conscience, is the guide of our
moral and our supernatural life. That it may rightly fulfil
its office, its defects must be corrected. The chief of these
are ignorance, curiosity, hastiness, pride and obstinacy.
807. i° Ignorance is overcome by a constant and
systematic application to study, above all, to the study of
whatever refers to our last end, and to the means of attain­
ing it. It would be irrational to concern ourselves with all
sciences and neglect the science of salvation.
Indeed, each one must study those branches of human knowledge
that relate to his duties of state ; but the foremost duty being that of
knowing God in order to love Him, to neglect this would be inexcusable.
Yet, how many Christians there are, who, though well versed in some
branch or other of learning, have but a very imperfect acquaintance
with Christian truths, Christian doctrines, Christian morals, and
Christian asceticism !

808. 20 Curiosity is a disease of the mind, which is
one of the causes of religious ignorance, for it leads us to
seek too eagerly the knowledge of things that delight us
rather than of things that are profitable to us, and thus to
lose precious time.
In order to overcome curiosity we must : 1) study before all else, not
what is pleasing, but what is profitable, especially what is necessary.
“ Wfial is more necessary comes first", said St. Bernard, and we must
not be occupied with the rest except by way of recreation. Hence,
books that feed the imagination rather than the mind should be read
1 Cursus Asceticus, I. P., 94-104. Maturin, Self-Knowledge and Self-Diseifline,
Payot, The Education of Hie Will, Bk. II, C. I, III.

P. 141-179;

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CHAPTER III.

sparingly ; such are, for the most part, novels, newspapers and reviews
of a worldly character. 2) In reading, tve must avoid any undue
eagerness, the desire to rush through a volume. It is especially when
we read serious works that it is important to go slowly, the better to
understand and to relish what we read (n. 582). 3) This will be all
the easier, if we study, not from curiosity, not merely for the sake
of knowledge, but from a supernatural motive, to improve ourselves
and to enlighten others : “ That they edify others, and this is cha­
rity... that they be edified themselves, and this is prudence. ” ' For, as
St. Augustine tells us, knowledge should be put to the service of love :
“ Let knowledge be used in order to erect the structure of charity. ” ’
This holds true even in the study of things spiritual. Some there are
who seek in the pursuit of such studies satisfaction for their curiosity
and their pride rather than the purification of their heart and the
practice of mortification. 1*3*

809.3° Pride is to be avoided, that pride of intellect
which is more dangerous and more difficult to overcome
than the pride of will, as Scupoli 4 says.
This is the pride that renders faith and obedience to superiors
difficult. One wants to be self-sufficient ; the more confidence one has
in one’s own judgment the more reluctantly does one accept the teach­
ings of faith, or the more readily does one submit these to criticism
and to personal interpretation. In like manner, one so trusts to one’s
own wisdom, that it is with repugnance that others are consulted,
especially superiors. Hence, regrettable mistakes occur. Hence
comes also obstinacy of judgment, resulting in the final and sweeping
condemnation of such opinions as differ from our own. Herein lies
one of the most common causes of strife between Christian and
Christian, at times even between Catholic writers. St. Augustine calls
those who cause unfortunate dissensions, destructive of peace and of
the bond of charity, “Dividers of unity, enemies of peace, without
charity, puffed up with vanity, well pleased with themselves and great
in their own eyes. ”s

810. To heal this intellectual pride : 1) we must first
of all submit ourselves with childlike docility to the teachings
of faith. We are undoubtedly allowed to seek that under­
standing of our dogmas which is obtained by a patient and
laborious quest with the aid of the Fathers and Doctors
of the Church, especially St. Augustine and St. Thomas;
but as the Vatican Council 6 says, this must be done with
piety and with discretion, following the maxim of St. Anselm :
“ Faith, seeking understanding. ” Thus we avoid that
hypercritical attitude that attenuates and minimizes our
dogmas under pretense of explaining them. We submit
our judgment not only to the truths of faith but to the
directions of the Holy See. With regard to such questions
1 S. Bernard, In Cant., sermon XXXVI, n. 3.
a Epist., LV, C. 22. n. 39. P. L., XXXUI, 223.
3 Scupoli, Spiritual Combat, C. IX. — 4 Loc. cit. — 5 Sermo 111 Paschæ, n. 4.
• Denzinc., n. 1796.

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as are open to discussion, we give others the same freedom
as we claim for ourselves and refrain from taking an
attitude of contempt for the opinions of others. Thus,
minds are at peace.
2) In the discussions, we hold with others, we must seek, not the
satisfaction of our pride and the triumph of our ideas, but the truth.
It seldom happens that there is not in the contrary opinions a kernel
of truth that has so far escaped our notice. The best means of drawing
close to the truth, as well as of observing the laws of humility and
charity, is to listen attentively and without prejudice to the reasons
adduced by our opponents and to admit whatever is true in their
remarks.

To sum up, in order to discipline the mind we must study
what is most necessary and pursue this study with method,
with perseverance and with supernatural motives, that is to
say, with the desire to know and to love the truth and to
live by it.
II. The Training of the Will

811.i° Necessity. The will is in man the governing
faculty. Being free, the will imparts its freedom, not only
to the acts it performs itself, but to those acts it bids the
other faculties perform ; it gives them their merit or their
demerit. The discipline of the will means the discipline
of the entire man, and a well-disciplined will is one that is
strong enough to govern the lower faculties and docile
enough to submit itself to God. These are the two functions
of the will.
Both are difficult. Ofttimes the lower faculties rebel against the
will and submit only when one has learned to add tact to firmness; for
the will does not exercise an absolute power over our sense faculties,
but a kind of moral influence, a power of persuasion that leads them
to compliance (n. 56):

Hence, it is only with difficulty and through oft-renewed
efforts that we succeed in bringing the sense faculties and
the passions under the sway of the will. Likewise, it is not
easy to yield full submission of the will to God, because we
aspire to a certain independence, and because God’s will,
in order to sanctify us, often demands sacrifices from which
we naturally shrink. We often prefer our own tastes, our
own whims, to the holy will of God. Here again, morti­
fication becomes a necessity.
812. 20 Practical means. In order to effect the right
education of the will, we must render it supple enough to
obey God in all things and strong enough to control the
body and the sensitive appetites. To attain this end,
obstacles must be removed and positive means employed.

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A) The chief obstacles are : a) from within : i) lack of reflection :
we do not reflect before acting and follow the impulse of the moment,
passion, routine, caprice. We must take thought before acting and
ask ourselves what God demands of us. 2) Over-eagerness, which,
producing too great a strain, depletes the energies of body and soul to
no purpose, and often causes us to stray in the direction of evil. We
need self-possession and self-restraint even in doing good, so that we
may start up a lasting fire rather than a darting flame. 3) Indifference,
indecision, sloth, lack of moral stamina, which paralyze or atrophy our
will-power. We must, then, strengthen our convictions and build up
our energies. 4) The fear of failure, or lack of confidence, an atti­
tude which notably weakens our power. We must, therefore, remind
ourselves that, with God’s help, we are sure of attaining good results.
813. b) To these interior obstacles are added others coming from
without: 1) human respect, which makes us slaves of other men and
causes us to stand in fear of their criticisms or their mockery. This is
combatted by realizing that what matters is not man’s judgment,
always liable to error, but the ever-wise and infallible judgment of
God ; 2) bad example, which draws us all the more easily as it is in
accord with the tendency of our nature. We must remember that the
only model we are to imitate is Jesus Christ, Our Master and Our
Head (n. 136 and foil.), and that the ways of the Christian must go
counter to the ways of the world (n. 214).

814. B) The positive means consist in a harmonious
combination of the work of the mind, the will and grace.
a) It is the province of the mind to furnish those deepseated convictions that are at once a guide and a stimulus
to the will.
These convictions are those calculated to determine the
will in the choice of what is in conformity with the will of
God. They are thus summed up : God is my one end and
Jesus Christ is the way which I must take to reach Him;
I must, then, do all things for God, in union with Jesus
Christ. Only one obstacle sin, can come in the way of the
attainment of my end. I must, then, flee from sin ano
should I have the misfortune of falling into it I must
immediately atone for it. Only one means is necessary
and suffices to avoid sin, always to do the will of God.
I must, then, ever strive to know His will and conform my
conduct to it. In order to succeed in this, I shall frequently
repeat the words of St. Paul at the moment of his con­
version : “ Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" 1 In the
evening, in my examination of conscience, I shall reproach
myself for the least failing.
815. b) Such convictions exert a powerful influence
upon the will, which, in turn, must act with decision, firmness,
■ Acts, IX, 6.

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391

and constancy, i) Decision is necessary. Once we have
reflected and prayed, according to the importance of the
action we are about to perform, we must make an immediate
decision, in spite of the amount of hesitation we may feel.
Life is too short to lose time in such long deliberations.
We take sides with what seems to be more in accordance
with the divine will, and God Who sees our good dispo­
sitions will bless our action. 2) We must be firm in this
decision. It is not enough to say : I should like, I wish;
these are but yearnings. We must say : I will, and I will
at all costs, and then set ourselves to the task without
waiting for the morrow or for some grand opportunity.
It is firmness in small things that secures fidelity in the
greater. 3) This firmness, however, is not synonymous with
violence; it is calm, for it must endure; and in order to give
it constancy, we must often renew our efforts without ever
allowing ourselves to be discouraged by failure; we are
never vanquished except when we give up. In spite of a
few failures, in spite even of a few wounds, we must con­
sider ourselves the victors, because supported by God’s
grace, we are in reality invincible. If we have the misfor­
tune of falling, we rise immediately. For the Divine Healer
of souls there is no incurable wound, no incurable illness.

816. c) In the last analysis it is upon the grace of God
that we must learn to rely. If we beg for it with humility
and confidence, it will never be refused to us, and with it
we are invincible. We must, then, often renew, especially
before every important action, our convictions regarding
the absolute necessity of grace; we must ask for it with
insistence, in union with Our Lord so as to make its best­
owal more certain. We must remind ourselves that Jesus
Christ is not only our model but our co-worker, and lean
confidently upon Him, assured that in Him we are powerful
to undertake and to bring to completion all things pertain­
ing to salvation : “ I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me. ”1 Then, our will is strong, since it shares in the
very strength of God : “ The Lord is my strength; ” 2 it is tree,
for true liberty does not consist in yielding to our passions,
but in securing the triumph of reason and will over instinct
and sensuality.
817. Conclusion. Thus will be accomplished the pur­
pose we have assigned io mortification — to bring our
■ Phil., IV, 13. — -Pt. CXVII, 14.

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392

senses and our lower faculties under subjection to the will
and the will to God.

CHAPTER IV
The Struggle against the Capital Sins *
818.At bottom this struggle is but a species of morti­
fication.
In order to complete the purification of the soul and
prevent it from relapsing into sin, we must set upon the
source of the evil in us, which is the threefold concupiscence.
The general characteristics of this we have already described
in numbers 193-209; but being the root of the seven capital
sins, these evil inclinations must be known and attacked.
They are tendencies rather than sins; however, they are
called sins, because they lead to sins; they are termed
captital, because they are the fountain-head or source of
other sins.
These tendencies can be referred to the threefold con­
cupiscence in this way : from pride are born vain-glory,
envy, and anger ; from the concupiscence of the flesh issue
gluttony, lust, and sloth; lastly, the concupiscence of the
eyes is one with avarice or the inordinate love of riches.
819. The struggle against the seven capital sins has always had
a prominent place in Christian spirituality. Cassian treats of it at
length in his Conferences and in his Institutes;* he enumerates eight
instead of seven, because he distinguishes pride from vain-glory.
St. Gregory the Great1*3 clearly distinguishes the seven capital sins,
all of which he traces to pride. St. Thomas also traces them all to
pride and shows how they can be logically classified, if account is
taken of the special ends towards which man is drawn. The will may
be drawn towards an object by a twofold motion, the search for some
apparent good, or flight from an apparent evil. The apparent good
sought by the will may be : 1) praise or honor, a spiritual good, pursued
in an inordinate manner by persons who are vain ; 2) the preservation
1 Cassian, De coenobiorum institutis, 1. V, c. I, P. L., XLIX, 202 and foil.;
Collationes, coll. V, c. X, ibid., 621 and foil.; St. John Climacus, Scala Para­
disi, XXII, P. G., LXXXVIII, 948 and foil.; St. Gregory the Great, Moral.,
1. XXXI, c. XLV, P. L., LXXV1, 620 and foil.; St. Thomas, I-II, q. 84, a. 3-4;
De Malo, q. 8, a. 1; St. Bonaventure, In II. Sent., dist. XLII, dub. III;
Noel Alexandre, De Peccatis (Theol. cursus Migne, XI, 707-1168); Alvarez
de Paz, t. II, Lib. I, P. 2, De extinctione vitiorum; Phil, de la Ste Trinité,
P. I, Tr. II, disc. II and III, De vitiorum eradicatione et passionum mortificatione;

Card. Bona, Manuductio ad cœlum, cap. ΠΙ-ΙΧ ; Alibert, Physiologie des Pas­
sions, 1827; DeSCURET, La Médecine des Passions, Paris, i860; PAULHAN,
Les Caractères, Paris, 1902; Laumonier, La Thérapeutique des péchés capitaux,
Paris, Alcan, 1922.

3 De coenobiorum institutis. Lib. V, C. I ; Collât., col. V, c. X.
3 Moral., C. XXXI, c. 45, P. L., LXXVI, 620-622.

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393

of self or of the race, corporal goods, sought after excessively by glut­
tonous and impure persons respectively ; 3) external things, loved to
excess by such as are avaricious. The apparent evil from which we
flee may consist : 1) in the effort required for the attainment of good,
which effort the slothful evade ; 2) in the prospect of lost prestige,
which both the jealous and the irritable dread, though in different
ways. Thus, the differentiation of the seven capital sins is based on
the seven special ends which the sinner has in view.

We shall follow that division which shows the connection
between the capital vices and our threefold concupiscence.

Art. I. Pride and the Vices Related Thereto 1
§ I. Pride
820. Pride is a deviation of that legitimate sentiment
which prompts us to prize what is good in us, and to seek
the esteem of others in the measure in which this is useful.
There is no doubt that we can and that we must prize the
good which God has given us, acknowledging that He is its
first principle and last end. This is a sentiment that
honors God and makes for self-respect. We may also
desire that others see and appreciate the good that is in us
and that they give glory to God for it, just as we ourselves
must in turn recognize and appreciate their good qualities.
This mutual regard fosters good relations among men.
However, these two tendencies may either go astray,
or go beyond due limits. At times we forget that God is
the source of these gifts, and we attribute them to ourselves.
This constitutes a disorder, for it denies, at least implicitly,
that God is our first principle. In like manner we are
tempted to act for self, or to gain the esteem of others,
instead of acting for God, and of referring to Him all the
honor. This is again a disorder, for it denies, at least in
the same implicit manner, that God is our last end. Such
is the twofold disorder found in this vice. We can, then,
define pride as an inordinate love of self, which causes us to
consider ourselves, explicitly or implicitly, as our first
beginning and last end. It is a species of idolatry, for
we make gods of ourselves, as Bossuet remarks (n. 204).
The better to combat pride, we shall expose : 1° Xte prin­
cipal forms it takes, 20 the faults it engenders, 30 its malice,
40 the remedies to be applied.
1 St. Thomas, II* I læ, q. 162, q. 132 ; de Malo, q. 8-9 ; Bossuet, Tr. de la Con­
cupiscence, c. 10-23; Sermon sur ΓAmbition; BoURDALOUE, Carême, Serm. pour
le mercredi de la 2' sem.; Alibert, op. cil., t. I, p. 23-57; Descuret, op. cit.,
t. II, p. 191-240; Paulhan, Les Caractères, p. 167; Beaudenom, The Path
of Humility ,· THOMAS, L'Education des sentiments, Paris, Alcan, 1904, p. 113-124,
133-148; Laumonier, op. cit., C. VII.

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CHAPTER IV.

I. The Principal Forms of Pride
821. i° The first form of pride is to regard oneself,
explicitly or implicitly, as one’s own first principle.
A) There are but few who go as far as to consider them­
selves explicitly as their own first principle.
a) This is the sin of atheists, who wilfully deny God, because they
want no master, “ No Cod. no Master. ” Of such the Psalmist speaks
when he says : “ The fool hath said in his heart : there is no God." 1
b) This was, equivalently, the sin of Lucifer, who, desiring to be a rule
unto hintself, refused to submit to God ; the sin of our first parents,
who wishing to be like God wanted to know of themselves what is
good and what is evil ; the sin of heretics, who like Luther refused to
acknowledge the authority of the Church established by God; the sin
of rationalists, who in their pride of intellect refuse to submit their
reason to faith. This is also the sin of certain intellectuals, who, too
proud to accept the traditional interpretation of dogmas, attenuate and
deform them to make them conform to their own views.

822. B) A greater number fall into this fault implicitly
by acting as if the natural and supernatural gifts which God
has freely bestowed upon them were in every sense their
own. True, they recognize in theory that God is their first
principle, but in practice they esteem themselves beyond
measure, as if they were the source of the qualities they
possess.
a) Some there are who delight in their qualities and their worth as
if these were due solely to themselves. “ The soul, ” says Bossuet,
“ seeing its own beauty, has delighted in itself and has become absorbed
in the contemplation of its own excellence. It has failed for an instant
to refer .all it has to God; it has forgotten its own dependence; it has
first centered upon self and then surrendered to it. But in seeking to
free himself from God and the laws of justice, man has become the
slave of his sin.'”
823. b) Graver still is the pride of those who, after the manner of
the Stoics, attribute to themselves the virtues they practice; the pride
of those who imagine that the free gifts of God are the wages due their
own merits, or that their good works are more their own than God’s,
Who in reality is their principal cause ; the pride of those who look
complacently upon such good works, as if these were wholly their own. 3

824. C) By the same principle we exaggerate our per­
sonal qualities.
a) We close our eyes to our defects, we look at our good qualities
through magnifying glasses, as it were, and we end by attributing to
ourselves qualities we do not possess or, at least, qualities which have
only the appearance of virtue. Thus, we give alms for show and we
believe ourselves charitable when we are simply proud; we fancy we
‘ Ps. XIII, I. — ’ Tr. on Concupiscence, C. XI.
3 Ibid., C. XXIII ; Oder, Introd., C. VII.

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395

are saints because we enjoy sensible consolations, or because we have
given expression to beautiful thoughts, or taken good resolutions,
whilst in reality we have not advanced beyond the first few steps on
the way to perfection. Others pride themselves on being broad­
minded because they make little of small practices, wishing to sanctify
themselves by doing great things, b) From this there is but one step
to an unjust preference of self to others. We examine their defects
with a miscroscope, and we are scarcely conscious of our own ; we see
the mote in the neighbor’s eye, but not the beam in our own. At times
we come, like the Pharisee, to despise our brethren ;1 at other times,
without going that far, we unjustly lower them in our estimation, and
we believe ourselves above, whilst in reality we are below them. It is
by the selfsame principle that we seek to lord it over our brethren
and have our superiorly over them recognized, e) In relation to
Superiors, this pride takes the form of censure and fault-finding,
prompting us to scrutinize minutely ~.ll their acts, all their moves ; we
want to pass judgment on all things, to control all things. Thus we
render obedience far more difficult for ourselves ; we find it hard to
submit to the authority and the decisions of superiors; to ask their
permission becomes a hardship ; we aspire to independence, that is,
to be ourselves our own first principle.

825. 2° The second form of pride consists in consider­
ing ourselves, explicitly or implicitly, as ottr last end, by
performing our actions without referring them to God, and
by desiring to be praised for them as if they were exclusively
our work. This fault proceeds from the first, for whoever
looks upon himself as his own first principle wills also to be
his own last end. Here we must recall the distinctions
already made.
A) Hardly any one explicitly considers himself as his own last end,
except an atheist or an unbeliever.
B) Yet, many behave in practice as if they shared in this error,
a) They want to be praised, to be complimented upon their good
works, as if they were themselves the principal authors, and as if they
were responsible only to themselves. Instead of referring all to God,
they expect congratulations for success, as if all the honor were due
to them, b) They are prompted by egotism, they act for their own
ends, caring little for the glory of God, and still less for the welfare of
their neighbor. They even go so far as to take for granted that others
must organize their lives to please and to serve them ; thus they make
themselves the center, and so to speak, the end toward which others are
to gravitate. What else is this if not the unconscious usurpation of the
rights of God? e) There are devout persons who, without going so far
seek self in piety : they complain of God when He does not flood them
with consolations; they pine with grief when in the midst of dryness,
and thus form the false idea that the aim of piety is the enjoyment of
consolations, forgetting that the glory of God must be the supreme
end of all our actions, above all, of prayer and spiritual exercises.

826. We must, then, acknowledge the fact that pride,
under one form or the other, is a very common fault, even
> Luke XVIII, 9-14.

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CHAPTER IV.

among those who follow the path of perfection, a fault
that stays with us through all the stages of the spiritual
life and disappears only when we die. Beginners are
hardly aware of it because their study of self does not
reach deep enough. Their attention must be drawn to this
point; the more common forms of this fault must be
indicated to them, so that they may make these the subject
of their particular examination.
II. Defects Born of Pride
The chief ones are presumption, ambition, and vain-glory.
827.i° Presumption consists in an inordinate desire
and hope whereby we want to do things which are beyond
our strength. It proceeds from too high an opinion of
ourselves, of our natural faculties, of our knowledge, of our
strength, of our virtues.
a) From the intellectual point of view we think ourselves capable
of approaching and solving the most difficult questions, or at least of
undertaking studies which are beyond the reach of our talents. We
easily persuade ourselves that we abound in judgment and wisdom,
and instead of learning how to doubt, we settle with finality the most
controverted questions: b) From the moral point of view we fancy
that we are possessed of sufficient light to be our own guides, and that
it is hardly profitable to consult a spiritual director. We convince
ourselves that in spite of past faults we need fear no relapses, and we
imprudently walk into occasions of sin, and then we fall. From this
come discouragement and vexation that often result in fresh falls,
e) From the spiritual point of view, we have but little relish for hidden
and mortifying virtues, preferring those that are more brilliant : instead
of building upon the sound foundation of humility, we dream about
greatness of soul, about strength of character, about a magnanimous
spirit, about apostolic zeal, and about the imaginary successes we lay
in store for the future. The first serious temptations, however, make
us aware that the will is still weak and wavering. At times we make
little of the ordinary ways of prayer, and of what are called the little
exercises of piety, aspiring to extraordinary graces while we are still
only at the beginning of the spiritual life.
828.
2° This presumption, added to pride, begets ambition, that is to say, the inordinate love of honors, of dignities,
of authority over others. Because we presume overmuch on
our strength, and because we consider ourselves superior
to others, we want to dominate them, to rule them and
impose upon them our ideas.
This disorder, says St. Thomas, 1 may show itself in
three ways: i) One seeks for undeserved honors, honors
which are above one; 2) one seeks them for oneself, for

1 Sum. theol., IIa, Ilæ, q. 131, a. 1.

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397

one’s own glory, and not for the glory of God ; 3) one takes
delight in honors for their own sake, without making them
redound to the good of others, contrary to the order
established by God Who requires superiors to procure the
welfare of those under them.
This ambition invades every sphere of life : 1) the political realm,
where men aspire to rule others, and that ofttimes at the price of so
many meannesses, so many compromises, so many questionable
practices, in order to secure the votes of constituents ; 2) the intellectual
domain, wherein men seek stubbornly to impose their ideas on others,
even with regard to questions open to free discussion ; 3) civil life,
where men vie for the first places, ' high office, and the plaudits of the
crowd ; 4) even the ecclesiastical state is not exempt, for as Bossuet3
remarks, “ How many safeguards have not been found necessary, even
in ecclesiastical and religious elections, in order to curb ambition,
to prevent factions, intrigues, underhand dealings, and the most
criminal pledges and practices, simoniacal contracts, and other such
irregularities too common in these matters? We cannot boast that
these safeguards have uprooted such abuses ; they have hardly done
more than to conceal or to restrain them in part.” And, as St. Gre­
gory 3 notes, are there not those, even in the ranks of the clergy, who
want to be called doctors, and eagerly seek the first places and the
praise of men? “They seek to appear learned, they long to excel
others, and, as Truth bears witness, they crave the first salutations in
public, the first places at table, the highest seats in councils. ”
This fault, then, in more general than one would at first sight believe,
and is closely allied with vanity.

829. 30 Vanity is an inordinate love for the esteem of
others. It differs from pride, which is pleasure taken in
one’s own excellence; it generally springs from pride.
When one has conceived too high an esteem for oneself one
naturally desires the approbation of others.
830. A) The Malice of Vanity. We may rightfully
desire the esteem of others, if we wish that our qualities,
natural or supernatural, be acknowledged in order that God
be glorified and that our influence for good be extended.
Such a desire is not sinful, for it is in order that what is
good should be esteemed, provided we acknowledge God as
the author of that good and that He alone must be given
the praise for it. 4 The most that can be said against such
desires is that it is dangerous to center our thoughts upon
them, because we run the risk of seeking the esteem of
others for selfish purposes.
■ It is not solely among the learned and the wealthy that this defect is found,
Bossuet speaks (Tr. on Concupiscence, C. XVI) of the country-folk who peevishly
contend for the more honorable places in the churches, going so far as to say that
they will cease to attend divine services unless their wishes are given heed.
’ Tr. on Concupisc.. C. XVI. — 3 Pastoral; P. 1, C. I, P. L., LXXVII, 14.
4 Cf. St. Thomas, Ila Hæ, q. 132, a. 1.

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CHAPTER IV.

The disorder, then, consists in wanting to be held in
esteem for one’s own sake, without referring this honor to
God, Who has placed in us whatever good we possess; it
may also consist in wanting to be esteemed for the sake
of vain things, undeserving of praise; or it may consist
in seeking the esteem of those whose judgment is worth­
less, of wordlings for instance, who hold in esteem only
vain things.
No one has given a better description of this fault than St. Francis
de Sales : “ We call that glory vain which we assume to ourselves,
either for what is not in us, or for what is in us, and belongs to us, but
deserves not that we should glory in it. The nobility of our ancestors,
the favor of great men, and popular honor, are things, not in us, but
either in our progenitors, or in the esteem of other men. Some become
proud and insolent, either by riding a good horse, wearing a feather
in their hat, or by being dressed in a fine suit of clothes; but who does
not see the folly of this? for if there be any glory in such things, the
glory belongs to the horse, the bird, and the tailor... Others value
themselves for a well-trimmed beard, for curled locks, or soft hands;
or because they can dance, sing or play ; but are not these effeminate
men, who seek to raise their reputation by so frivolous and foolish
things? Others, for a little learning, would be honored and respected
by the whole world, as if every one ought to become their pupil, and
account them his masters. These are called pedants. Others strut
like peacocks, contemplating their beauty and think themselves admired
by every one. All this is extremely vain, foolish, and impertinent ; and
the glory which is raised on so weak foundations is justly esteemed
vain and frivolus. ” 1

831. B) Faults that spring from vanity. Vanity
produces many faults which are but its outward manifes­
tation. The principal ones are boasting, ostentation and
hypocrisy.
1) Boasting is the habit of speaking of self or of those things that
can redound to our advantage with a view to gaining the esteem of
others. There are those who speak of themselves, of their family, of
their success with a candor that amuses their hearers ; others cleverly
turn the trend of conversation to a subject wherein they can display
their knowledge ; others timidly speak of their defects, harboring the
secret hope that these will be excused and their good qualities thereby
made more apparent. *
2) Ostentation consists in drawing to self the attention of others by
a certain way of acting, by pompous display, and by singularity.
3) Hypocrisy takes on the outward appearance of virtue to cover
very real vices.

III. The Malice of Pride
To form a right idea of this malice we may consider
pride in itself and in its effects.
■ Devout Life, III, C. IV.
’ Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, c. XIX.

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399

832. i° In itself: A) Pride properly so called, that pride
which consciously and wilfully usurps, even if implicitly,
the rights of God, is a grievous sin, nay it is the gravest of
sins, says St. Thomas,1 because it is a refusal to submit to
God’s sovereign will.
a) To want to be independent, to refuse obedience to God or to His
lawful representatives, in a serious matter, constitutes a mortal sin,
since one thereby revolts against God, our rightful Sovereign.
b) To attribute to oneself what evidently comes from God, and espe­
cially the gifts of grace, constitutes likewise a grievous fault, for this is
to deny implicitly that God is the first principle of whatever good is in
us. Some are guilty of this, for example, those who say that they have
“ made themselves what they are. ”
β) One sins gravely, again, when one wants to act for oneself to the
exclusion of God, for this is to deny God His right to be our last end.

833. B) Mitigated pride, which indeed acknowledges
God as the first principle or last end but does not render
Him all that is due to Him, and implicitly robs Him of
a part of His glory, is without doubt a venial fault. Such
is the fault of those who glory in their good qualities or
their virtues, as if they were convinced that all is theirs in
their own right. It is also the fault of the presumptuous,
of the vain, of the ambitious, who, however, do nothing
against a divine or a human law in serious matter. At all
events, such sins can become mortal if they lead to acts that
are grievously reprehensible. Thus, vanity, which in itself
is but a venial fault, becomes a grievous one when it causes
us to contract debts which we are unable to pay, or
when it seeks to stir in others an inordinate love. Pride,
then, must be examined also in its results.
834.2° In its effects: A) Unrestrained pride produces
at times disastrous effects. How many wars have been
started through the pride of rulers and sometimes through
the pride of nations themselves ! 1
23 Without going that far,
how many family discussions, how many personal hatreds
are not due to this vice? The Fathers rightly teach that it
is the root of all other vices and that it vitiates many
a virtuous act, since it causes men to perform them from
selfish motives. 3
835. B) Taking the point of view ofperfection, the one
with which we are concerned, we can say that pride is the
archenemy of perfection because it creates in the soul
1 Sum. theol., Π· Ilæ, q. 16a. c. 5-6.
Chrysostom, in Ep. Il ad. Thess., C. I, homiL I, n. 2. P. G., 471.
Gregory, Moral., 1. XXXIV, c. 33, n. 48, P. L., LXXVI, 744.

3 St.
3 St.

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CHAPTER IV.

a barren waste and is the source of numerous sins. a) It
deprives us of many graces and much merit:
1) It deprives us of many graces, because God Who is
bountiful with His grace to the humble, withholds it from
the proud : “ God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the
humble."1 Let us weigh well these words : God resisteth the
proud, “ Because ”, says Father Olier, 2 “ the proud man,
challenging God to His face, is resisted by the Almighty in
his insolent and horrible pretensions; and, since God wills
to remain what He is, He lays low and destroys such as
rise up against Him. ”
2) It deprives us of much merit. One of the essential
conditions for meriting is purity of intention. But the
proud man acts for self or in order to please men, instead
of acting for God, and thus deserves the reproach addressed
to the Pharisees, who paraded their good works before men
and who for this reason could expect no recompense from
God:“ Take heed that you do not your justice before men to
be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have reward ofyour
Father who is in heaven.... Amen, I say to you, they have
received their reward. ” 3

836. b) Pride is likewise a source of many faults :
1) Personal faults: through presumption one exposes oneself
to danger and falls; through pride one fails to ask earnestly
for the graces one needs and likewise falls; then come
discouragement and the temptation to conceal sins in con­
fession. 2) Faults against the neighbor: through pride one
is unwilling to yield, even when in the wrong; one is caustic
in speech; one indulges in harsh and heated discussions
which bring dissension and discord; hence, acrimonious
words, even unjust ones, against one’s rivals in order to
belittle them ; hence, bitter criticism against Superiors and
refusal to obey their orders.
837. C) Finally, pride is a source of unhappiness to those
habitually given to it. Because we want to excel in all
things and lord it over others, we have neither peace nor
contentment, for we know no rest as long as we have not
succeeded in vanquishing our antagonists and, since this is
never fully accomplished, we are troubled, ill at ease
and unhappy.

• Janus, IV, 6. — 9 Introduction, c. VI. — 3 Matt., VI, i-x

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IV. The Remedies against Pride

838. We have already said (n. 207) that the great
remedy against pride is the acknowledgment of the fact
that God is the Author of all good, and that therefore to
Him alone belongs all honor and glory. Of ourselves we
are but nothingness and sin, and hence merit nothing but
forgetfulness and contempt (n. 208).
839. i° We are but nothingness. Beginners must
form this conviction through meditation by pondering
leisurely the following thoughts: I am nothing, I can do
nothing, I am worth nothing.
A) I am nothing. — True, it has pleased the divine
goodness to choose me out of millions of possible beings, to
give me my existence, to endow me with life, with a spiritual
and immortal soul, and for this I am bound to thank Him
daily. Yet, a) I came from nothing, and by the very force
of my being I tend towards nothingness, whereto I should
surely return were it not for the abiding action of my
Maker which sustains me. My being, then, is not mine,
but is wholly God’s, and it is to Him that I must render
homage.
b) This being God has given me is a living reality, a great
boon for which I shall never be able to return Him due thanks.
Yet, wondrous as this being of mine is, side by side
with the God-head it is as mere nothingness : “ And my
substance is as nothing before thee, ” 1 for it is so imperfect.
1) This being is a contingent being, which could well cease
to exist without detracting anything from the world’s
perfection. 2) It is a borrowed being, given to me on the
explicit condition of remaining under the sway of God’s
supreme dominion. 3) It is a frail being, unable to subsist
of itself, a being that ever needs the unceasing sustaining
power of its Maker. Such being is, therefore, essentially
dependent upon God, and has no other reason for its
existence than that of giving glory to its Creator. To
forget this dependence, to act as if our good qualities were
absolutely our own and to boast of them, is an error hard
to conceive; it is madness and injustice.
840. What we say of man considered in the order of
nature is even truer of him in the order ofgrace, whereby
we share in the life of God, wherefrom issue all our worth
• Λ. XXXVIII, 6.

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and all our grandeur, that grace which is essentially a free
gift of God and of Jesus Christ, which we cannot for long
keep without the help of God, and wherein we cannot grow
without His supernatural concurrence (n. 126-128). For
this especially we must say: “Thanks be to God for His
unspeakable gift. ” 1 What ingratitude and injustice to
attribute to self the least part of that gift essentially
divine! “ What hast thou that thou hast not received?
And if thou hast received, why dost thou glory, as if thou
hadst not received it?” 2
841. B) Of myself I can do nothing. True, I have
received from God wondrous powers that enable me to
know and loye truth and goodness. These faculties have
been perfected by the supernatural virtues and the gifts of
the Holy Ghost. These gifts of nature and of grace
blending so harmoniously and complementing one another
so perfectly surpass all wonder. Yet, of myself, of my own
accord, I can do nothing to set them in motion to work out
their perfection. I can do nothing in the natural order
without the concurrence of God ; I can do nothing in the
supernatural order without actual grace, not even conceive
a good thought unto salvation, nor a desire supernaturally
good. Knowing this, could I take pride in those natural
and supernatural powers as if they were entirely my own?
Here again there would be ingratitude and madness and
injustice.
842. C) I am worth nothing. In truth, if I consider
what God has placed within me, what He works in me
through His grace, I am worth a great deal, I am beyond
price For you are bought with a great price” 3.... You
are worth what God is worth. ” I am worth the price
which was paid for me, and the price paid for me was the
blood of God Himself! Does the glory of my redemption
and of my sanctification belong to me or to the Almighty?
There can be no uncertain answer to such question. But
still, urges my vanquished self-love, I have something that
is my own, something that invests me with greatness, my
free co-operation with God’s concurrence and His grace.
Indeed, we have therein our share, yet not the principal
share. That free consent is the mere exercise of faculties
freely bestowed on us by God, and at the very moment we
give it, God is working within us as its principal cause :
“ For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to
' Il Cor., IX, x$. — a / Cor., IV, 7. — 31 Cor., VI, 20.

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accomplish. ” 1 Besides, for the one time that we agree to
follow the impulse of grace, how many times are there
when we resist grace or co-operate only half-heartedly?
Truly, there is nothing wherein we should glory; rather
there is cause for humiliation.
When a great artist creates a masterpiece, it is to him that we
attribute it and not to the third or fourth rate artists who have been
his collaborators. With far greater reason must we give to God the
credit for our merits as their first and principal cause, since God, as
the Church says with St. Augustine, but “ crowns His own gifts when
He crowns our merits. ”

Therefore, from whatever point of view we see ourselves,
whether we consider the great worth of the gifts wherewith
we have been endowed, or the great value of our merits
themselves, we find no cause for boasting, but cause for
paying tribute to God and for thanking Him from our
inmost heart. Moreover, we find that we have to beg His
pardon for the bad use we have made of His gifts.
843. 2° I am a sinner, and as such I merit contempt,
all the contempt which it may please God to heap upon me.
To convince ourselves of this, it suffices to recall what we
have said about mortal and venial sin.
A) If I have committed but a single mortal sin, I have
merited eternal humiliation, since I have merited hell.
True, I entertain the hope that God has pardoned me, yet
it remains none the less true that I have criminally assailed
the majesty of God, that I have attempted a species of
deicide, perpetrated a sort of spiritual suicide (n. 719), and
that in order to atone to the Divine Majesty for that
offence, I must be ready to accept, nay, even to wish for
every possible humiliation, every slander, every calumny,
every injury, every insult. All this is far below the just
deserts of him who has offended a single time the infinite
majesty of God. And if I have offended against it a great
many times, what must be my resignation, nay, my joy,
when the occasion offers to expiate my sins by enduring
a shame that lasts but for a short time!
844. B) We have all committed venial sins and, no
doubt, deliberate ones, thus making a willing choice in favor
of our own wills and our own pleasure as against the will
and the glory of the Almighty. This, we have said, (n. 715)
constitutes an affront to the Divine Majesty, an offence
meriting such abject humiliations, that, should we spend
■ Phil., II, 13.

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the whole of our lives in the exercise of humility, we should
never be able of ourselves to give back to God the glory
that we have unjustly taken from Him. If this way of
speaking seems to us an exaggeration, let us recall the
tears and the austerities which the Saints, who had been
guilty of but venial faults, thought always insufficient for
the cleansing of their [souls and inadequate to repair the
outrages offered to the majesty of God. These Saints saw
this in a clearer light than we do, and if we think otherwise
it is because we are blinded by our pride.
As sinners, therefore, far from seeking the esteem of
others, we must despise ourselves and accept all the humi­
liations that God may see fit to send us.
§ II. Envy *1

845. Envy is at once a passion and one of the capital
sins. As a passion it consists in a sort of deep sadness
experienced in the sensitive part of our nature because of
the good we see in others. This sensitive impression is
accompanied by a contraction of the heart, slowing the
activity of this organ and producing a feeling of anguish.
Here we are mainly concerned with envy inasmuch as it
is a capital sin, and we shall explain: i° its nature, 2° its
malice, 30 its remedies.

846. i° The Nature of Envy. A) Envy is a tendency
to be saddened by another 's good as if that good constituted
an affront to our own superiority. Often it coincides with a
desire of seeing the neighbor deprived of the particular
good that Offends us.
This vice proceeds from pride, which can bear neither
superior nor rival. When we are persuaded of our own
superiority, we are saddened to see others better gifted than
we are or, with no greater gifts than ours, succeeding better
than we do. The object of envy is chiefly some brilliant
quality ; yet, with men of a serious turn of mind envy bears
also upon solid qualities and even upon virtue.
This fault manifests itself in the pain we experience upon
hearing the praises of others, and in the subsequent attempt
we make to depreciate this good opinion by criticizing those
that are thus commended.
> St. Cyprian, De zelo et livore, P. L., IV, 637-652; St. Gregory, Moral.,
1. V, c. 46, P. L., LXXV, 727-730; St. Thomas, II-II, q. 36; De Malo, q. to;
Aubert, op. tit., u I, p. 331-340; Descuret, t. II, p. 241-274; Laumonier,
op. oil., C. V.

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847. tyEnvy is often confounded with jealousy. They differ,however,
in that the latter consists in an excessive love of our own good accom­
panied by the fear lest we be deprived of it by others. A student
holding the first place in class, upon noting the progress made by
a classmate, becomes jealous of him because he fears the latter may
take away his rank. If we enjoy the affection of a friend and we fear
this affection may be alienated by a rival friend, we become jealous of
him. A man who has a large clientele, fearing lest it be reduced by
a competitor, may likewise become jealous. Hence arises the jealousy
at times abounding among professionals, among writers, and sometimes
even among priests. The difference between envy and jealousy, to
put it briefly, is this: we are envious of another's good, and jealous of
our own.
C) There is also a difference between envy and emulation. The
latter is a praiseworthy sentiment, urging us to imitate, to equal, and,
if possible, to surpass the good qualities of others, but always by means
that are fair.

848. 2° Malice of Envy. We can make a study of
this malice in itself and in its effects.
A) In itself, envy is by nature a mortal sin, because it is
directly opposed to the virtue of charity which requires us
to rejoice in the good fortune of others. The more impor­
tant the good we envy, the graver is our sin. Thus, says
St. Thomas,1 to make envy bear upon the spiritual goods
of the neighbor, to be saddened at his spiritual progress or
his apostolic success is a very grave sin. This is true only
when these envious impulses are fully consented to; however,
often they are mere emotional impressions, or at most,
feelings in which there is but little reflection and will.
These latter constitute only a venial fault.
849. B) In its effects envy is at times very culpable:
a) It stirs within us sentiments of hatred: we run the risk
of conceiving a hatred for those whom we envy or of whom
we feel jealous and, as a result, of speaking ill of them, of
blackening their character, of calumniating them, of wishing
them evil.
b) It tends to sow discord, not only between strangers,
but between related families, and even among members of
the same family. We need only to recall the history of
Joseph and his brothers. These dissensions may go very
far towards creating enmities and scandals. At times envy
divides the Catholics of a given region to the great detri­
ment of the Church.
C) 11 urges men on to the immoderate quest for riches and
' Sum. Thcol., 11“ llæ, q. 36, a. 4, ad a.

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for honors: in order to surpass those whom we envy, we
indulge in overtaxing work, take steps of a more or less
questionable nature, by which we sin against loyalty and
even against justice.
d) It disturbs our peace of soul: we know no peace nor
tranquillity as long as we do not succeed in eclipsing, in
subjugating our rivals, and since this happens but seldom,
we live in perpetual anguish.

850. 3° The Remedies For Envy. They are negative
or positive.
A) The negative means consist: a) in scorning the very
first intimations of envy and of jealousy that arise in the
heart, in crushing such sentiments as something vile, as one
would crush a viper ; b) in distracting the mind, by occu­
pying ourselves with any other thing, and when calm
returns by constantly bearing in mind that the good
qualities of our neighbor do not lessen ours, but are
a stimulus to imitation.
851. B) Among the positive means, two are especially
important.
a) The first is drawn from the fact of our incorporation
into Christ: we are all brethren, members of a mystical
body the head of which is Christ; the good qualities and
the attainments of one member redound to all the others.
Instead, then, of being saddened at the superiority of our
brethren we must rejoice, according to the teaching of
St. Paul,1 since their superiority contributes to the common
good and to our own particular welfare. If it be the virtues
of another that we envy, “ instead of bearing them envy and
jealousy on account of those virtues, as occurs often through
the suggestion of the evil one and of self-love, you should
unite to the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ in the Blessed
Sacrament, honoring in Him the source of those virtues,
and begging of Him the grace to share and partake therein.
You will see how useful and how profitable such practice is
to you. ” 2

852. b) The second means consists in cultivating that
noble and Christian sentiment of emulation, which prompts
us to imitate and even surpass the virtues of our neighbor,
with the help of God’s grace.
’ t^om.„X\\. 15, 16.
Olier, Cai. for hit Life, II, Lesson XIII.

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407

In order that emulation be good and remain free from envy, it must
be: i) right in its object, that is to say, it must bear not on the
successes, but the virtues of others, and this in order to imitate them.
2) It must be worthy in its motives, seeking not to vanquish others,
humiliate them, bring them under subjection, but to make us better, in
order that God may receive greater honor and the Church greater
prestige. 3) It must be fair in the means it employs to attain its ends;
not intrigue, not subterfuge nor any other unlawful proceeding; but
effort, labor, the right use of the divine gifts.

Thus understood, emulation is an effective remedy against
envy, since it works harm to no one and is at the same time
an excellent stimulus. For to consider as models the best
among our brethren in order to follow in their steps or to
go even further than they do, is in reality to acknowledge
our own imperfections and to seek to remedy them by
profiting by the example of those around us. It is to
imitate St Paul, who invited his disciples to be imitators
of himself as he was of Christ;1 it is to follow the same
Apostle’s advice to the Christians : “ Let us consider one
another to provoke unto charity and to good works ; ” 2 it is
to enter into the spirit of the Church, which, in proposing
to us the Saints for our imitation, provokes us to a high
and hallowed emulation. Thus, what would have been
envy, proves to be an occasion for the cultivation of virtue.
§ III. Anger 3

The vice of anger is a perversion of that instinctive
feeling that prompts us, upon attack, to resist force with
force. We shall speak of: i° its nature, 2° its malice, 30 its
remedies.
I. The nature of Anger
853. There is a passion of anger and a sentiment of
anger.
i° Anger considered as a passion is a violent need of
reaction caused by physical or moral suffering or annoyance.
This vexation excites a violent emotion which arouses our
energies to overcome the difficulty. We are then prone to
vent our anger upon persons, animals and things.
There are two principal forms of anger : the red rage of the strong,
and the white rage of the weak. In the first kind of anger the heart
throbs violently and pushes the blood to the surface; breathing
becomes rapid, the face reddens, the neck swells, the veins expand
■ / Cor., XI, X. — ’ Hebr., X, 24.
3 St. Gregory, Moral., 1. V, c. 45, P. L., LXXV, 727-730; St. Thom.,
Ila Has. q. 158; De Malo, q. 12; Descuret, op. cit., t. Il, 1-57; Thomas, op. cit.,
ch. IX, p. 94-103; Laumonîek, op. cit., ch. VI.

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under the skin, the hair stands on end, the eyes sparkle and bulge out
of their sockets, the nostrils widen and speech becomes raucous and
halting, the muscles gather strength, the whole bodily frame is set for
the onslaught and an irresistible motion strikes, breaks, or violently
brushes aside the obstacle. White rage causes the heart to contract ;
breathing becomes difficult, the face assumes a death-like pallor, a cold
sweat oozes from the brow, the jaws clench, and the person keeps an
ominous silence. However, such pent up agitation ends by bursting
forth into a rage and finds an outlet in the discharge of violent blows.

854. 2° Anger as a sentiment consists in a vehement
desire to repel and punish an aggressor.
A) There is a lawful sentiment of anger, a righteous
indignation, which is the ardent, but rational desire to visit
upon the guilty a just retribution. Thus it was that Our
Lord was roused to anger against the money-changers
whose traffic defiled His Father’s house, ’ whilst on the
other hand Heli, the high-priest, was severely reproved for
not having curbed the shameful conduct of his sons.
That anger be legitimate, it must be : a) just as to its object, seeking
to punish only those that deserve punishment, and only in the measure
in which they have merited it; b) tempered by moderation in its
execution, going no further than the offence demands and adhering to
the requirements of justice; C) animated by motives of charity, not
degenerating into sentiments of hatred, but aiming solely at the resto­
ration of order and the amendment of the guilty. If any of these
conditions are lacking, there is moral guilt. Lawful anger belongs
chiefly to those in authority, like parents and superiors, yet it is at
times the right and the duty of those in the ranks to resort to it in
order to defend their common interests and prevent the ascendancy of
the wicked, for there are men whom kindness fails to move and whom
the fear of punishment alone can touch.

855. B) Anger as a capital vice is a violent and
inordinate desire of punishing others, regardless of the
three conditions we have noted. Often anger is accom­
panied by hatred, which seeks not merely to repel aggression
but to take revenge. Such a sentiment is more deliberate,
more lasting, and has, therefore, more serious consequences.
866. 3° There are degrees of intensity in anger: a) at first, it consists
in a mere impulse of impatience; the least annoyance, the least failure
elicits a show of temper, b) This is followed by agitation which
produces undue irritation and which manifests dissatisfaction by
uncontrolled gestures, e) At times anger reaches the stage of violence,
culminating not only in words but even in blows, d) It can develop
into fury, which is temporary insanity : in this stage one is no longer
master of self; one breaks forth into incoherent speech and into such
wild gesticulation that it would seem real insanity, e) Lastly, anger at
times degenerates into implacable hatred, breathing vengeance, and
'John, II, 13-17.

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409

going so far as to desire death to the adversary. It is important to
discern these degrees of anger in order to estimate its malice.

II. The Malice of Anger
It may be considered in itself anA in its effects.
857. i° In order to determine the exact malice of
anger considered in itself we must make important distinc­
tions: —
A) When anger simply consists in a transient impulse of
passion, it is of itself a venial sin, because it exceeds proper
measure, but it is only a venial sin because, as we presup­
pose, there is no violation of the great virtues of justice or
charity. However, there are instances when anger is so
intense that self-control is lost and grave insult is offered to
the neighbor. If these impulses, even though born of
passion, are deliberate and wilful they constitute a grievous
fault; but often this is not the case.
858. B) Anger that goes as far as hatred and rancor,
when deliberate and wilful, is of itself a mortal sin, for it
grievously violates charity and often justice. It is in this
sense that Our Lord says : “ But I say to you that whosoever
is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment
And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in
danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool,
shall be in danger of hell fire. ” 1 Still, if this impulse of
hatred is not fully deliberate, the fault will only be venial.
859. 2° The effects of anger when not repressed are at
times terrible.
A) Seneca has described them in expressive words. He attributes
to anger treasons, murders, poisonings, divisions in families, dissensions
and civil wars with all their horrible aftermath. · Even when anger
does not reach such extremes, it is the source of a great number of
faults, because it disturbs the peace of families and gives rise to fearful
enmities.

860. B) From the point of view of perfection, it is,
St. Gregory 3 tells us, a great obstacle to spiritual progress,
for if it is not curbed it makes us lose: i) good judgment,
mental poise; 2) gentleness which is the charm of social
relations; 3) the sense'of justice, for passion blinds us to the
rights of others ; 4) the spirit of recollection, so indispensable
to an intimate union with God, to peace of soul, to a ready
compliance with the inspirations of grace.
’ Matth., V, 22. — · De ira, L I, n. a. — 3 Moral., 1. c., A £.. LXXV. 724.

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CHAPTER IV.

III. Remedies against Anger
These must attack the passion of auger and the sentiment
of hatred which it at times engenders.
861. i° We must make use .of every means at our
disposal in order to overcome the passion of anger.
A) Physical hygiene offers some means that combine to prevent or
to soothe anger, such as correct diet, lukewarm baths, abstention from
stimulants and particularly from intoxicants. Such hygienic measures
have importance in this matter because of the close union that exists
between body and soul. However, account must be taken of temper­
ament and health, and therefore prudence demands the advice of
a physician. '

862. B) Withal, moral hygiene is even better, a) A good
preventive of anger is to acquire the habit of reflecting
before acting so as not to allow ourselves to be swept away
by the first assaults of passion. This is uphill work, but
most effective, b) When despite all, this passion has taken
our heart by surprise, “ it is better to drive it away speedily
than enter into a parley; for, if we give it ever so little
leisure, it will become mistress of the place, like the serpent,
who easily draws in his whole body where he can once get
in his head.... You must at the first alarm, speedily muster
your forces ; not violently, not tumultuously, but mildly, and
yet seriously. ” 2 Otherwise, whilst trying to repress anger
with impetuosity we should but add to our perturbation,
c) The better to check anger, it is useful to divert the mind,
that is to say, to turn our thoughts to anything except the
one thing liable to excite it. Therefore, we must banish all
thought of past injuries, all suspicion, etc. d) “ We must
invoke the assistance of God when we find ourselves excited
to wrath, in imitation of the Apostles when they were tossed
by the wind and the storm upon the waters ; for He will
command our passions to cease, and a great calm shall
ensue. ’’ 3
863. 2° When anger gives rise to sentiments of hatred,
of rancor, or of vengeance, we can uproot these only by
charity based on the love of God. At such times we must
remind ourselves that we are all children of the same
heavenly Father, all incorporated into the same Christ, all
called to the same eternal happiness, and that these great
• Cf. Descuret, La Médecine des Passions; J. LaUMONIER, La
p. 167-174.
» St. Fr. de Sales, Introd, to a Devout Life, P. Ill, C. VIII.
3 St. Fr. de Sales, loc. cit

thérapeutique...

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truths exclude every sentiment of' hatred. Therefore:
a) we should recall the words of the Lord's Prayer: “ Forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against
us, ” and since we crave divine pardon, we should more
willingly pardon our enemies, b) We should not lose sight
of the example of Our Lord, still calling Judas His friend
in the very moment of his treason, praying on the Cross
for His executioners, and we should ask Him to give us
the strength we need to forgive and forget. C) We should
avoid all thoughts of injuries received and of what relates
to them. Perfect souls pray for the conversion of those
who have hurt them, and in this prayer they find a wonder­
ful balm for the wounds of their souls.
Such are the chief means given us to triumph over the first
three capital sins, pride, envy and anger. We now turn to
consider the faults that have their source in sensuality:
gluttony, lust, and sloth.

Art. II. Sins that proceed from Sensuality
§ I. Gluttony 1
Gluttony is the abuse of that legitimate pleasure God has
attached to eating and drinking, which are necessary
means of self-preservation. We shall explain: i°its nature,
2° its malice, and 30 the remedies against it.
864. i° The Nature of Gluttony. Gluttony is an
inordinate love of the pleasures of the table. The disorder
lies in pursuing this satisfaction for its own sake, in consi­
dering it, either explicitly or implicitly, as an end in itself,
as do those “ whose God is their belly; ” 2 or in pursuing
the said delight to excess, at times even to the detriment
of health, by disregarding the rules of sobriety.
865. Theologians point out four different ways in which we may
violate these rules.
1) Eating when there is no need, eating between meals, and for no
other reason than that of indulging our greed.
2) Seeking delicacies or daintily prepared meats, the more to enjoy
their relish.
3) Going beyond either appetite or need, gorging oneself with food
or drink with danger to health.
4) Eating with avidity, with greed, after the manner of certain
animals. This fashion of eating is considered ill-mannered by the world.
■ St. Thomas, 11» II®. q. 148; de Malo, q. 14; Javgky, De quatuor virtut.
cardin., 1876, p. 569-579; LAUMONIER, op. cit., ch. II.
* Philip, III, 19.

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CHAPTER IV.

866.2° The Malice of gluttony comes from the fact
that it makes the soul a slave to the body, it brutalizes man,
weakens his intellectual and moral life, and insensibly
paves the way to voluptuous pleasure, which at bottom is
one in kind with it. To determine the malice of gluttony
we must make a distinction.
A) Gluttony is a grievous fault : a) when it goes to such
lengths that for a notable space of time it incapacitates us
for the fulfilment of our duties of state or for the com­
pliance with divine or ecclesiastical laws, for example, when
it injures our health, when it is the cause of useless expen­
ditures which endanger the interests of our home, when it
makes us violate the laws of fast or abstinence, b) It is
also a grave fault when it is the cause of other grievous
faults.
By way of example: “Excess in eating and drinking” says Father
Janvier ', “paves the way to unchastity, the offspring of gluttony, the
lust of the eyes and ears demanding to be fed with unwholesome shows
and licentious songs ; the lust of the imagination and the memory,
which search in the past for impressions apt to enkindle the fire of
concupiscence; the lust of the mind, which, going astray, fastens itself
upon unlawful objects ; the lust of the heart, which longs after carnal
affections ; the lust Of the will, which surrenders to be a slave to sense....
Intemperance at the table leads to intemperance in speech. How many
are the faults committed by the tongue in the course of those sumptuous
and protracted feasts! How many improprieties....! How many
indiscretions ! We betray secrets we had pledged ourselves to keep,
professional secrets, sacred trusts, and we deliver to evil tongues the
good name of husband, wife and mother, the honor of a family, and
perhaps the future welfare of a nation. How many faults against
justice and against charity are not thus committed ! Back-biting,
calumny, and slander reveal themselves with dismal frankness in their
most indefensible forms.... How many imprudences are committed!
We become entangled in situations in which we cannot remain without
outrage to all the laws of morality. ”

867. B) Gluttony is a venial fault when one yields to
the pleasure of eating and drinking in an immoderate
manner, yet without falling into grave excess, and without
exposing oneself to violate a grave precept. Thus it would
be venially sinful to eat or drink more than is proper in
order to show one’s appreciation of a fine repast, or in order
to please a friend.
868. C) From the point of view of perfection, gluttony
constitutes a serious obstacle: i) It fosters a spirit of immortification, which weakens the will, whilst it develops
a love for sensual pleasure predisposing the soul to dange■ Carlrru, 1921, Retraite pascale, Excès de table.

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413

rous surrenders. 2) It becomes the source of many faults,
by exciting excessive mirth which leads to dissipation,
garrulousness, jokes of a doubtful character, to lack of
restraint and of propriety, and thus lays the soul bare to the
attacks of the evil one. Hence, it is important that we
should combat this vice.
869. 30 Remedies. Our guiding principle in the
struggle against gluttony is that pleasure is not an end but
a means, and that therefore it must be subjected to right
reason enlightened by faith, (n. 193). Faith, however, tells
us that the pleasure of eating and drinking must be sancti­
fied by purity of intention, moderation and mortification.
1) First of all, we must take our repasts with a right and
supernatural intention, not like the animal that merely seeks
its pleasure, not like the philosopher who goes not beyond
a naturally good intention, but as Christians the better to
work for God’s glory ; in a spirit of gratitude towards God,
Who in His goodness deigns to give us our daily bread; in
a spirit of humility, saying, like St. Vincent de Paul, that
we do not deserve the bread we eat; in a spirit of love,
placing our renewed strength at the service of God and of
souls. Thereby we comply with the advice of St. Paul to
the first Christians, an advice recalled in many communities
at the beginning of meals: “ Whether you eat or drink... do
all to the glory of God. ” 1

870. 2) This purity of intention will make us observe
the rules of sobriety, for wanting to take our food in order
to acquire the strength needed for the fulfilment of our
duties of state, we shall avoid all excess that might compro­
mise our health. Health-experts tell us that “ sobriety (or
frugality) is the essential condition of physical and moral
vigor. Since we eat to live, we must eat sanely in order to
live sanely. Hence, we must not exceed in food or in
drink.... We must leave the table with a wholesome sen­
sation of sprightliness and vigor, and with our appetite not
completely satiated, thus avoiding the heaviness that comes
from an excess of rich fare. ” 2
We must, however, note that the measure is not the same for all.
Some need, in order to escape tuberculosis, a more abundant diet;
others, on the contrary, to escape arterio sclerosis, must check their
appetite. With regard, then, to the quantity of food one must abide
by the advice of a competent physician.
■ I Cor., X, 3i.
Caustikr, La Vie it la Santi, p. 115.

• E.

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CHAPTER IV.

871. The Christian must add to sobriety certain practices
of mortification. A) Since it is easy to overstep the mark
and to yield too much to sensuality, we must at times forego
certain foods we relish, and which, though useful, are not
necessary. We thereby acquire a certain ascendency over
sensuality, we free the spirit from slavery to the senses, and
give it more leisure for prayer and study, and we avoid
many dangerous temptations.
B) An excellent practice is that of accustoming oneself to
take no meal without some element of mortification. Such
privations have the advantage of strengthening the will
without injury to health, and are for this reason generally
preferable to greater mortifications which we perform but
rarely. Generous souls add a motive of charity, setting
aside a part of their food for the poor and therefore for
Christ living in them. St. Vincent Ferrer1 points out that
what we thus set aside must not be waste-matter, but some
choice morsel, no matter how small. Another good practice
is the habit of eating a little of something we dislike.
872. C) Among the most beneficial practices of morti­
fication, we place those that relate to intoxicating beverages.
Let us recall the principles that bear on this matter :
a; in itself the moderate use of alcoholic drinks is not
sinful.
b) To abstain from them in a spirit of mortification, or
for the sake of good example, is assuredly most praise­
worthy. There are priests and laymen belonging to social
organizations who forego entirely the use of liquor, the
more easily to deter others from its abuse.
c) There are cases when such abstinence is morally
necessary to avoid excess, i) When through heredity one
has a certain inclination towards intoxicants; for in this
case the mere use can develop an almost irresistible propen­
sity, just as but a spark is needed to set inflammable matter
afire. 2) When one has had the misfortune of contracting
the inveterate habit of drinking to excess; then the only
effective remedy will consist in total abstinence.

§ II. Lust’
873. i° The Nature of Lust. Just as God has willed
to attach sense-pleasure to the nutritive functions in order
’ La Vie Spirituelle, IIe Part., ch. III.
9 St. Thom., II» Hæ, q. 153-154; S. Alphonsus, 1. Ill, n. 412-485; Capelm an.
Medii ina pastoralis; Antonelli, Medicina pastoralis, Romæ, 1905; Surbled, Vit

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415

to help man’s self-preservation, so He has attached a special
pleasure to the acts whereby the propagation of the human
species is secured.
This pleasure is permissible to married people, provided
they use it for the purpose for which marriage was insti­
tuted ; outside of this it is strictly forbidden. In spite of
this prohibition, there is in us an unfortunate tendency,
more or less violent, especially from the age of puberty or
adolescence, to indulge in this pleasure even out of lawful
wedlock. This is the tendency that is called lust and
which is condemned by the sixth and ninth commandments:
“ Thou shall not commit adultery. ”
“ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. ”

It is not merely exterior actions that are prohibited, but
also interior acts, fancies, thoughts, desires. And this
rightly so, for if one deliberately dwells upon impure imagi­
nations or thoughts, upon evil desires, the senses become
excited, whilst an organic disturbance is produced, which is
too often but the prelude to actions against purity. There­
fore, if we wish to avoid such acts, we must fight against
dangerous thoughts and fancies.
874. 2° Gravity of faults against purity. A) When
one seeks and directly wills the evil pleasure, there is always
mortal sin, for to endanger the preservation and propagation
of the human race is a grave disorder. Now, were the
principle to be admitted that one may seek voluptuous
pleasure in thoughts, in words, or in actions otherwise than
in the right use of marriage, it would be impossible to
restrain this passion, the demands of which increase with
the satisfactions accorded, and soon the purpose of the
Creator would be frustrated. This is what experience
shows : there are but too many young people who render
themselves incapable of transmitting life, because they have
abused their bodies. Hence, as regards evil pleasure directly
willed, there is no lightness of matter.
B) There are cases in which this pleasure is not directly
sought ; it may follow from certain actions otherwise good
or at least indifferent. If one does not consent to this
pleasure, and has, besides, a reason sufficient to justify the
performance of the action, there is no guilt and no cause
de jeune homme, Paris, 1900; Vie de jeune fille, Paris. 1903; Fonssacrives,
Conseils aux parents et aux maîtres sur l'éducation de la pureté/Martindale,
S. J., The Difficult Commandment; GuiBERT, Purity; Foerster, Marriage and
the Sex Problem; C'ATTERER-Krus-Van der Donckt, Educating to Purity;
Mgr. DUBOURG, Sixième et neuvième commandements ; Après la vingtième année.

CHAPTER IV.

416

for alarm. If, on the other hand the actions that give rise
to such sensations are neither necessary, nor really useful,
like dangerous readings, shows, conversations, lewd dancing,
then it is evident that to perform such actions is a sin of
imprudence, more or less grave, in proportion to the gravity
of the disorder thus produced and of the danger of consent
to the evil pleasure.
875. C) From the point of view of perfection, there is,
next to pride, no greater obstacle to spiritual growth than
the vice of impurity, a) When it is question of solitary
acts or of faults committed with others, it is not long before
tyrannical habits are formed which thwart every impulse
towards perfection, and incline the will towards debasing
pleasures. Relish for prayer disappears, as does love for
austere virtue, while noble and unselfish aspirations vanish,
b) The soul becomes a prey to selfishness. The love once
borne to parents and friends gradually dies out; there is but
the desire which becomes a real obsession to indulge at any
cost in evil pleasures. C) The balance of the faculties is
destroyed : it is the body, it is lust that takes command ; the
will becomes the slave of this shameful passion and soon
rebels against God, Who forbids and punishes these unholy
pleasures.
d) The sad effects of this surrender of the will are soon apparent :
the mind becomes dull and weak because the vital forces are used up
by the senses: taste for serious studies is lost; the imagination gravi­
tates towards lower things ; the heart gradually withers, hardens, and
is attracted only by degrading pleasures.
e) In some cases the
physical frame itself is deeply affected : the nervous system, over-excited
by such abuses, becomes irritated, weakened, and “ incapable of
fulfilling its mission of regulation and defence ; ” ' -the various bodily
organs function but imperfectly; nutrition is improperly accomplished,
strength is undermined and the danger of consumption threatens.

Evidently, a soul that has thus lost its balance, no longer
thinks of perfection. It recedes from it daily, considering
itself fortunate if it can gain control over itself at least in
time to insure its salvation !

876. 3° The Remedies. To withstand so dangerous
a passion, we need deep convictions, protection against dan­
gerous occasions, mortification and prayer.
A) Deep convictions bearing at once upon the necessity of
combatting this vice and upon the possibility of succeeding
in the struggle.
•

laumonier, °j>.

cit., p. III.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS.

417

a) What we have said about the gravity of the sin of lust
shows how necessary it is to avoid it in order not to run
the risk of everlasting punishment. To this we may add
two motives furnished by St. Paul:1 i) We are the living
temples of the Holy Trinity, temples hallowed by the
presence of an all-holy God, a,nd by a participation in the
divine life (97, 106). Nothing so defiles this temple as the
vice of impurity which desecrates both the body and the
soul of the Christian. 2) We are the members of Jesus
Christ, into Whom we have been incorporated by Baptism.
We must, therefore, honor our body even as Christ’s own
body. And we would profane it by acts contrary to purity !
Would not this be a sort of sacrilege? And to think that
we would perpetrate it just to relish a vulgar pleasure
which lowers us to the level of the brute!
877. b) Many say that continence is impossible. So thought
St. Augustine before his conversion, but once converted to God and
sustained by the example of the Saints and the grace of the Sacraments,
he realized that all things are possible once we know how to pray and
how to fight. The truth is that of ourselves we are so weak and the
evil at times so alluring, that we would finally yield ; but as long as we
lean upon divine grace and make earnest efforts, we emerge victorious
from the severest temptations. Let no one assert that continence in
youth is detrimental to health. Honorable and notable physicians
have refuted this in the resolutions of the Brussels International
Congress: ’ “Young men must, above all, be taught that chastity and
continence are not only not harmful, but even commendable from
a purely medical and hygienic point of view. ” As a matter of fact,
there is no known disease resulting from the practice of continence,
whilst many are found to originate in the opposite vice.

878. B) Avoidance of the occasions. That chastity
is preserved chiefly by fleeing dangerous occasions is an
axiom with spiritual writers. When we realize our frailty,
we do not run useless risks. As long as such occasions are
not necessary they must be carefully avoided : “ He that
loveth the danger shall perish in it. ” 3 When it is question
of readings, visits, meetings, dangerous entertainments from
which we can exempt ourselves without any considerable
inconvenience, there is no reason for hesitation ; instead of
looking for these we must flee from them as we would from
a dangerous reptile. When these occasions cannot be
avoided, then we must strengthen the will by interior dispo­
sitions that make the danger more remote. Thus St. Francis*
23
■ I Cor., ΙΠ, 16; VI, 15-20.
2 IIe Congrès de la Conf, internationale, 1902.
in Le problème de
p. 122-136.
3 Eccli. III, 27.

Examine many other testimonials

la chasteté au point de vue scientifique by F. ESCLANDE, 1919,

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CHAPTER IV.

de Sales declares that if dances cannot be avoided they
should at least be indulged in with modesty, self-respect,
and good intentions.1 How much more necessary is this
today, when so many indecent dances are in vogue!

879. C) There are, however, occasions that cannot be
avoided. They are those we daily encounter, whether in
ourselves or in our surroundings, and which we can over­
come only by mortification. We have already said in what
this virtue consists, and how it is to be practiced, n. 754-815.
We can but recall a few points connected more directly
with the virtue of chastity.
a) The eyes should be especially guarded, for imprudent glances
enkindle desires and these in turn entice the will. This is why Our
Lord declares that "‘whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her
hath already committed adultery with her in his heart;”’ and He adds
that if our right eye is to us an occasion of scandal it must be plucked
out,3 that is to say, forcefully withdrawn from the object that scanda­
lizes us. This modesty of the eyes becomes more imperative than
ever today, since one is more liable to meet almost everywhere with
persons and things apt to be a source of temptation.
b) The sense of touch is fraught with even more danger, for it
provokes sensual impressions which easily tend towards illicit pleasure.
Hence, one must abstain from such bodily contact or caresses as
cannot but excite the passions.
C) As regards the imagination and the memory, let one folic w the
rules laid down in n. 781. As to the will, the task is to strengthen this
faculty by a virile education according to the principles explained in
n. 811-8x6.

880. d) The heart also must be mortified by struggling
against whatever may be sentimental or dangerous in the
domain of friendship (n. 600-604). Of course, a time comes
when those looking forward to married life first fall in love.
This love is lawful, but it must ever remain chaste and
supernatural. Even engaged persons, then, should avoid
all signs of affection that are not according to the rules of
propriety and should bear in mind that their love, to be
blessed by God, must be pure.
With regard to those who are as yet too young to think
of marriage, they must be on their guard against that senti­
mental and sensual affection, which, whilst enervating the
heart, prepares for dangerous surrenders. One cannot play
with fire and not be scorched. Besides, if one expects that
the heart pledged in marriage be pure, must one not offer a
heart equally pure?
» Introd, to A Devout Life, III P., C. XXXIII.
• Maiths V, 28. — 3 Matth., V, 29.

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419

881. e) Lastly, one of the most profitable forms of
mortification is a constant and earnest application to the
fulfilment of our duties of state. Idleness is an evil coun­
sellor; work, on the contrary, by engaging the whole of our
activity keeps our imagination, our mind, and our heart
away from dangerous objects. We shall speak of this again
in n. 887.
882. D) Prayer, a) The Council of Trent tells us that
God does not command the impossible, but that He requires
us to do what in our power lies and to pray in order to
obtain the grace of accomplishing that which, of ourselves,
we are incapable of performing.1 This injunction holds
particularly in matters of chastity, with regard to which
most persons, even those in the holy state of marriage,
encounter special difficulties. To overcome these, frequent
prayer and the consideration of the great truths of religion
are necessary. Such oft-repeated elevations of the soul
towards God gradually wean us away from sensual pleasures
and make us rise to joys that are pure and holy.
b) To prayer must be joined the frequent reception of the
Sacraments, i) When we approach frequently the tribunal
ofpenance, making a frank avowal of faults and imprudences
against purity, the grace of absolution, together with the
counsels we receive, strengthen the will against temptation.
2) This grace is further increased through frequent Com­
munion. The intimate union with Him Who is the God of
all holiness cools the fires of concupiscence, awakens the
soul to the reality of spiritual goods, and thus withdraws it
from attachments to degrading pleasures. It was through
frequent Confession and Communion that St. Philip Neri
reclaimed youths addicted to the vice of impurity, and even
to this day there is no more efficacious remedy either to
preserve or to strengthen this virtue. If so many young
men and young women escape contagion from vice, it is due
to the fact that they find in religious practices an antidote
to the temptations that surround them. No doubt, the use
of these means of defence requires courage, earnestness and
repeated effort, but with prayer, the Sacraments, and
a determined will we can surmount all obstacles.

1 Sess. VI. De Justificatione, C. XI.

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CHAPTER IV.

§ III. Sloth *

883. Sloth is connected with sensuality, for it proceeds
from love of pleasure, inasmuch as it inclines us to avoid
effort and hardship. There is in all of us a tendency to
follow the line of least resistance, which paralyzes or lessens
our activity. We shall explain: i° the nature of sloth;
2° its malice; 3° its remedies.
884. i0 Nature of sloth. A) Sloth is an inclination to
idleness or at least to aimlessness, to apathy in action. At
times this is a morbid disposition due to poor condition of
health. More frequently it is a disease of the will, which
fears effort and recoils from it. The slothful want to escape
all exertion, whatever might interfere with their comfort or
involve fatigue. Like the real parasite, they live on others
to whatever extent they can. Tractable and submissive as
long as no one interferes with them, they become surly and
peevish when one would rouse them from their inaction.
B) There are various degress of sloth, a) The indolent man takes
up his task reluctantly, and indifferently ; what he does, he does badly,
b) The sluggard does not absolutely refuse to work, but he delays and
postpones indefinitely the accepted task. C) The truly lazy man wants
to do nothing that proves irksome and shows a distinct aversion to
all real work, whether physical or mental.
C) When sloth bears upon spiritual exercises it is called spiritual
sloth. This consists in a species of dislike for things spiritual, which
tends to make us negligent in the performance of our exercises of
piety, causes us to shorten them or to omit them altogether for vain
excuses. This is the foster-parent of lukewarmness, of which we shall
speak when treating of the illuminative way.

885. 2° Malice of sloth. A) To understand the malice
of sloth we have to remember that man was made to labor.
When God created our first parents, he placed them in
a garden of delights, “ to dress it and to keep it. ” 2 This is
because man, unlike God, is not a perfect being, having
many faculties which must act in order to be perfected.
Hence, it is a necessity of man’s nature that he should labor
to cultivate his powers, to provide for his physical and spiri­
tual wants and thus tend towards his goal. The law of work,
therefore, is antecedent to original sin. But because man
sinned, work has become for him not merely a law of nature,
but also a punishment, in the sense that work has become
* St. Thom., II» II», q. 35; de Malo, q. zz; Noel Alexandre, op. cit.,
p. 1148-1170; Melchior Cano, Victoire sur soi-mtme, ch. X; Faber, Growth in
Holiness, XIV; Laumonier, op. cit., ch. Ill; VuiLLERMET, Soyez des hommes,
Paris, 1908, XI, p. 185. — 3 Gen., II, 15.

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421

burdensome and a means of repairing sin ; it is in the sweat
of our brow that we must eat our bread, the food of the
mind as well as that of the body.1
The slothful man fails in this twofold obligation imposed
both by natural and positive law; he sins more or less
grievously according to the gravity of the duties he neglects,
a) When he goes so far as to neglect the religious duties
necessary to his salvation or sanctification, there is grievous
fault, and so also when he wilfully neglects, in matters of
importance, any of his duties of state, b) As long as this
torpor causes him to fail in civil or religious duties of lesser
moment, the sin is but venial. However, the downward
grade is slippery, and if we do not struggle against sloth it
soon becomes more dangerous, more baneful and more
reprehensible.
886. B) Because of its baneful consequences, spiritual sloth
constitutes one of the most serious obstacles to perfection.
a) It makes life more or less barren. One can well apply
to the soul what the Scripture says of the field of the
slothful man:
“ I passed by the field of the slothful man,
and by the vineyard of the foolish man :
And behold it was filled with nettles, and
thorns had covered the face thereof, and
the stone wall was broken down........
Thou wilt sleep a little, said I,
Thou wilt slumber a little;
Thou wilt fold thy hands a little to rest :
And poverty shall come to thee as a runner :
And beggary as an armed man. ” ·

Indeed, this is what one finds in the soul of the slothful
man : instead of virtues, vices thrive there, and the walls
which mortification had raised to protect virtue, crumble
little by little, and open a breach for the enemy, sin, to
enter in.

887. b) Temptations soon become more importunate
and more besetting: “ For idleness hath taught much evil. ”3
It was idleness and pride that brought Sodom low :
“ Behold this was the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, pride,
fulness of bread and abundance and the idleness of her and
of her daughters. ” 4 Man’s heart and man’s mind cannot
for long remain inactive ; unless they be engaged by study
■ Gen.. III. 19. — * Prov., XXIV, 30-34.
3 Ecclus., XXXIII, 29. — « Ezech. XVI, 49.

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CHAPTER IV.

or other work, they are soon filled with a host of fancies,
thoughts, desires and emotions. In the state of fallen
nature, what has full sway within us when we do not react
against it, is the threefold concupiscence. Sensual, ambi­
tious, proud, egotistical, selfish thoughts then gain the upper
hand and expose us to sin.1

888. C) Our eternal salvation therefore and not
merely our perfection is here at stake; for besides the actual
faults into which idleness causes us to fall, the mere fact
of failing to fulfil important duties incumbent upon us, is
sufficient cause for reprobation. We have been created to
serve God and to fulfil our duties of state. We are laborers
sent by God to work in His vineyard ; but an employer does
not ask his employees simply to abstain from doing harm;
he wants them to work. Therefore, if without doing
anything positive against the divine law, we fold our arms
instead of working, will not the Master upbraid our slothful­
ness? “ Why stand ye all the day idle? ” 2 The barren
tree, by the mere fact that it bears no fruit, deserves to be
cut down and thrown into the flames : “ Every tree therefore
that doth not yield goodfruit, shall be cut down and cast into
the fire. ” 3

889. Remedies. A) To reclaim the slothful it is neces­
sary first of all to form in them strong convictions concerning
the necessity of work ; to make them understand that both
the rich and the poor come under this law, and that its
infringement may involve eternal damnation. This is the
lesson given us by Our Lord in the parable of the barren
fig-tree: for three years the owner came seeking fruit from
it, and finding none, he ordered it to be cut down : “ Cut it
down therefore. Why cumbereth it the ground? " 4
Let no one say : 1 am rich, I need not work. If you are not obliged
to work for yourself, you must do it for others. God, your Lord and
Master commands you ; if He has given you strength, brains, a good
mind, resources, it is in order that you may employ them for His glory
and the welfare of your brethren. And, indeed, the opportunities are not
lacking : how many poor need aid, how many ignorant need instruction,
how many broken hearts are there to be comforted, what openings are
offered for the carrying out of projects that would give work and daily
bread to those who have neither! And, does not the rearing of a
large family entail labor and toil if the future of the children is to be
safeguarded? Let us keep in mind the universal law of Christian fel­
lowship whereby the toil of each is the service of all ; whilst sloth is
detrimental to the common weal and to our individual welfare.
■ Melchior Cano, La Victoire sur soi-mlnie, ch. X.
9 Matth., XX, 6. — 3 Matth., Ill, io. — 4 Luke, XIII, 7.

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423

890. B) Besides having convictions, it is necessary to
make a sustained and intelligent effort in accordance with
the rules laid down, n. 812, for the training of the will.
Since the slothful instinctively shrink from effort, they
must be shown that in point of fact there is no creature
more wretched than the idle man; not knowing how to
employ, or as he himself says, how to kill time, he is
a burden to himself, all things bore him, and he becomes
wearied of life itself. Is it not preferable to exert ourselves,
to become useful, and secure some real contentment by
striving to make those around us happy?
Among the slothful there are those that do expend a certain amount
of activity at play, sport, and worldly gatherings. These must be
reminded of the serious side of life and of the duty incumbent upon
them of making themselves useful in order that they may turn their
activities into worthier fields of action, and conceive a horror of being
mere parasites. Christian marriage with its attendant obligations
frequently proves an excellent remedy for sloth. Parents realize the
necessity of working for their offspring and the inadvisability of
entrusting to strangers the care of their interests.

What one must constantly bear in mind is the end of
life : we are here below in order to attain, through work
and virtue, a place in heaven. God is ever addressing to us
these words : “ Why stand you here all the day idle?..... Go
you also into my vineyard. ” 1

Art. III. Avarice 2
Avarice is related to the concupiscence of the eyes, of which
we have spoken in n. 199. We shall explain : 1° its nature,
2° its malice, 30 its remedies.
891. 1° Nature Of Avarice. Avarice is the inordinate
love of earthly goods. To point out wherein the disorder lies,
we must first recall the end for which God has given man
temporal goods.
A) God’s purpose is twofold : our own personal benefit
and that of our brethren.
a) Earthly goods are given us to minister to our temporal
needs of body and soul, to preserve our life and the life
of those dependent upon us, and to procure the means of
cultivating our mind and developing our other faculties.
■ Matth., XX, 6. 7.
’St. Thomas, II» Ilæ, q. 118; de Malo, q. 113; Melchior Cano, op. cit.,
ch. XI1-XII1; Massillon, Discours synodaux, De l'avarice des prêtres; Monsa·
bré, Retraites pascales, 1892-1894: Les idoles, la richesse; Laumonier, op. cit.t
ch. VIII.

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CHAPTER IV.

Among these goods : i) some are necessary for the present or the
future: it is our duty to acquire them through honest work ; 2) others
are useful in order that we may gradually increase our resources, safe­
guard our welfare or that of others, contribute to the common good by
promoting the arts or sciences. It is not at all forbidden to desire
these for a good purpose, so long as we give a due share to the poor
and to good works.
b) These goods are also given us that we may aid those of our
brethren who are in need. We are, therefore, in a measure God's
stewards, and should use our superfluous goods for the relief of
the poor.

892. B) Now we can more easily show wherein lies the
disorder in the love of earthly goods.
a) At times it lies in the intention : we desire wealth for
its own sake, as an end in itself, or for other purposes which
we ourselves set up as our ultimate end, for instance, to
seek pleasures or honors. If we stop there and do not see
in riches means to higher ends, then we are guilty of a sort
of idolatry; we worship the golden calf; we live but for
money.
b) The disorder further manifests itself in the manner of
seeking riches: we pursue them with eagerness, by all kinds
of means, regardless of the rights of others, to the detriment
of our health or that of our employees, by hazardous specu­
lation at the risk of losing all our savings.
C) The disorder likewise shows itself in the way we use
money : i) we spend it reluctantly and in a niggardly
manner, because we wish to accumulate it in order to feel
more secure, or to wield the influence that comes with
riches. 2) We give little or nothing to the poor and to
good works. To increase our capital becomes the supreme
end of life. 3) Some reach the point where they love their
money as an idol, they love to hoard it, to feel it : this is the
classical type known as the miser.
893. C) Avarice is not generally a vice of youth, which as yet
thoughtless and improvident, does not dream of hoarding money.
There are, however, exceptions found among young people who are by
character gloomy, worrisome, crafty. But it is rather in middle life or
old age that this fault shows itself, for it is then that the fear of want
develops, based sometimes upon the thought of sickness or accidents
that might incapacitate for work. Bachelors and spinsters are parti­
cularly exposed to avarice, because they have no offspring to care for
them in their old age.

894. D) Modern civilization has developed another form of this
insatiable love of riches, plutocracy, the hankering thirst for becoming
millionaires or multi-millionaires, not in order to safeguard one’s future
or that of one’s family, but to attain the power and control which
money gives. Vast sums at one’s command secure a vast influence,

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITAL SINS.

425

a power ofttimes more effective than that of governments. Iron-, steel-,
oil-magnates, money-kings, rule sovereigns as well as peoples. This
reign of gold often degenerates into intolerable tyranny.

895. 2° The Malice of Avarice. A) Avarice is a sign
of mistrust in God, Who has promised to watch over us
with the care of a father, and not to allow us to lack the
things we need, provided we trust in Him. He would have
us consider “ the birds of the air that sow not nor do they
reap, nor gather into barns, and the lilies of the field that
labor not, neither do they spin. ” 1 This is not to encourage
us to sloth, but to calm our anxieties and urge us to place
our confidence in our Heavenly Father. 2 But the avari­
cious man instead of putting his trust in God, puts it in the
abundance of his riches, and insults God by distrusting
Him : “ Behold the man that made not God his helper : But
trusted in the abundance of his riches and prevailed in his
vanity. " 3 This lack of confidence in God is accompanied
by too great a confidence in self and personal efforts ; man
wants to be his own providence and thus he falls into a
species of idolatry making money his god. Now, no man
can serve two masters, God and Wealth : “ You cannot setve
God and mammon. ” 4
This sin is of itselfgrave for the reasons just adduced. It is like­
wise grave when it causes one to infringe upon important rights of
others through the employment of fraudulent means to obtain and
retain wealth ; to sin against charity by omitting necessary almsgiving,
or to fail against religion, by allowing oneself to become so absorbed
in business that one disregards religious duties. It constitutes but
a venial sin when it does not cause one to fail in any of the great
Christian virtues, duties to God included.

896. B) With regard to perfection, the inordinate love
of riches is a very serious obstacle.
a) It is a passion that tends to supplant Godin the human
heart. That heart which is God’s temple is crowded with
all sorts of desires bent upon the things of earth, filled with
all sorts of anxieties and distracting preoccupations. Yet,
to effect our union with God, we must empty our heart of
all creatures, of all worldly cares ; for God wants ’* the whole
soul, the whole heart, the whole time, the whole activity of
his wretched creatures. ” 5 We must, above all, empty the
heart of all pride; but attachment to riches develops pride,
since we place greater confidence in our riches than in
our God.
x Maith., VI, 26-28. — « Matth., VII, 24-34. — 3 Ps, LI, 9. — 4 Matth., VI, 24.
Olier, Introd, aux vertus, c. II.

5

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CHAPTER IV.

To fasten our heart on riches is to hinder the love of
God, for where our heart is there is also our treasure.1 To
detach the heart from riches is to lay it open to God.
A soul despoiled of riches has God for its possessions; its
■wealth is the wealth of God Himself.
b) Avarice also leads to lack of mortification and to sensuality, for
when we have money and love it, we either wish to enjoy the pleasures
that money can procure, or if we forego these pleasures, our heart
clings to the money itself. In either case money becomes an idol that
makes us turn away from God.

897. 3° Remedies of Avarice. A) The great remedy
is the profound conviction, resting upon reason and faith,
that wealth is not an end, but a means given us by Provi­
dence to provide for our needs and those of our brethren ;
that God ever remains the Sovereign Master of all ; that we
are in truth but administrators who must one day render an
account to the Sovereign Judge. Riches moreover are
goods that pass away with time, goods we cannot take along
with us into the next world. If we are wise, we shall lay
up treasures not for this world but for eternity. “ Lay not
up to yourselves treasures on earth : where the rust and
moth consume and where thieves break through and steal.
But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven where neither
the rust nor the moth doth consume, and where thieves do
not break through nor steal. ” 2
B) The most effective way of detaching ourselves from
riches is to invest our wealth in the bank of heaven by giving
generously to the poor and to good works. A gift to the
poor is a loan to God ; it yields a hundredfold even in this
world, in the joys which come to us from giving happiness
to those around us. But above all, it yields a hundredfold
for heaven, where Christ, considering as given to Himself
what we have bestowed upon the least of His children, will
take care to give us imperishable goods in exchange for
those we sacrificed for Him. The truly wise, therefore, are
those who exchange the treasures of this earth for those of
glory. To seek God and holiness is the sum-total of
Christian prudence: “ Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of
God and His justice : and all these things shall be added
unto you. " 3

898. C) Perfect souls go further: they sell all to give to
the poor, or they renounce all ownership by the religious
vow of poverty, or they retain their capital but use the
1 Matth., VI, 2i. — 2 Matth., VI, 19-20. — 3 Matth., VI, 33.

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427

income only according to the advice of a wise spiritual
director, and thus while they remain in the state in which
God’s providence has placed them, they live in the practice
of detachment of mind and heart.

Conclusion
899. Thus the struggle against the seven capital sins
uproots the inordinate tendencies of the threefold concu­
piscence. No doubt, there will always remain in us some of
those tendencies to try our patience and to remind us of our
weakness, but they will prove less dangerous, and, aided by
God’s grace, we shall overcome them more easily. In spite
of our efforts temptations will arise in the soul but it will be
to give us occasions of gaining new victories.

CHAPTER V
The Struggle against Temptation
900. Notwithstanding the efforts we put forth to eradi­
cate vice, we must expect temptations. We have spiritual
foes, the world, the flesh, and the devil, n. 193-227, which
cease not to lay snares for us. It is necessary, therefore, to
treat here of temptation in general and of the chief temptations
of beginners.

Art. I. Temptation in General 1
901. Temptation is a solicitation to evil on the part of
our spiritual foes. We shall explain : 1° The providential
purposes of temptation. 2° The psychology of temptation.
30 The attitude we must take towards temptation.
I. The Providential Purposes of Temptation
902. God Himself does not tempt us directly:" Let no
man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted by God.
For God is not a tempter of evils : and he tempteth no
man. ” 1 But He allows us to be tempted by our spiritual
enemies, at the same time giving us the graces necessary to
■ Rodriguez, Prat, de la perfect., IIe Part., 3° Tr.; St. Francis de Sales,
Devout Life, P. IV, C. III-X; Scaramelli, Guide ascit., t. II, art. X; Schram,
Instil. theol, myst., § CXXXV11-CXLIX; Meyer, S. J.. Science of the Saints. IV;
Faber. Growth in Holiness, XVI; De Lehen, The Wav of Interior Peace, P. Ill,
C. IV; P. de Smedt, Notre vie surnat., IIIe P.. ch. Ill; Ribet, L'Ascitique,
ch. X; Mgr. Gay, Vie et vertus chrit., t. I, tr. VIII; Dom Lehodey, Le saint
Abandon, p. 332-343; Bruneteau, Les Tentations du jeune homme, 1912.
3 James, I, 13.

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CHAPTER V.

resist : “ God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that which you are able : but will make also
with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it. ” 1
And this for excellent reasons of His own.
i° He wants to make us merit heaven. Undoubtedly He
could have bestowed upon us eternal life as a pure gift, but
in His wisdom He has willed that we merit it as a reward.
He even wills that the recompense be in proportion to the
merit and hence in proportion to the obstacle overcome.
Temptation, which imperils our frail virtue, is certainly one
of the most trying hardships; to struggle courageously
against it is one of the most meritorious acts we can
perform; and once we have triumphed with God’s grace, we
can repeat with St. Paul,2 that we have fought the good
fight, and that it only remains for us to receive the crown
of justice which God has prepared for us. The more we
have done in order to merit that crown, the greater shall be
our honor and our joy.

903. 2° Temptation is likewise a means of purification.
i) It reminds us that through lack of vigilance and of effort
in the past we have fallen, and it becomes thus an occasion
for new acts of contrition, shame, and humiliation, which
make for the purification of the soul. 2) It obliges us at
the same time to put forth earnest and sustained efforts lest
we fall ; it makes us atone for our negligences and for our
surrenders by the performance of contrary acts which
further purify the soul. This is why when God wants to
purify a soul more perfectly in order to raise it to contem­
plation, He allows it to undergo horrible temptations, as we
shall see when treating of the unitive way.

904. 30 Lastly, temptation is an instrument of spiritual
progress, a) It is like a stripe of the lash that awakens us
at the moment we would lull ourselves to sleep and relax.
It makes us realize the necessity of forging ahead, of not
halting midway, but of ever aiming higher, the more surely
to remove the danger.
b) It is a school of humility, of distrust of self. When
tempted we realize more fully our weakness, our power­
lessness ; we feel more keenly the need of grace, and we
pray with greater earnestness. We see all the better the
necessity of mortifying in us the love of pleasure, the source
of our temptations, and we embrace more eagerly the little
• 1 Cor.. X, 13. — ’ Z/ Tim., IV, 7.

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429

crosses of every day in order to weaken the power of concu­
piscence.
C) It is a school of love of God; for to insure our power
of resistance, we throw ourselves into God’s arms there to
seek for strength and shelter; we are more grateful to Him
for His unfailing grace; we act towards Him as children of
a most loving Father to Whom we have recourse in all
our trials.
Hence, temptation possesses manifold advantages and it
is on this account that God allows His friends to be
tempted : “ Because thou wast acceptable to God, it was
necessary that temptation should prove you. ” 1
II. The Psychology of Temptation
We shall describe : 1° The frequency of temptation.
2° The divers phases of temptation. 3° The signs and
degrees of consent.
905. i° The Frequency of Temptation. The fre­
quency as well as the violence of temptations vary greatly.
Some persons are often and violently tempted ; others are
tempted but rarely and without being deeply stirred. There
are many causes that account for such diversity :
a) First of all, there are temperament and character. Some persons
are extremely passionate and at the same time weak of will ; often
tempted, they are upset by temptation. Others are well-balanced and
energetic; seldom tempted, they keep their peace in the midst of
temptation.
b) Education accounts for other differences : there are souls who
have been reared in the fear and love of God, in the habitual fulfilment
of stem duty, and who have almost invariably received none but good
example. Others have been brought up in the love of pleasure, in the
dread of any kind of suffering, and have seen too many examples of
worldliness and sensuality. It is evident that the latter will be more
violently tempted than the former.
e) God’s providential designs must also be taken into account.
There are souls whom He destines for a holy calling and whose purity
He shelters with a jealous care. There are others whom He likewise
destines to sanctity, but whom He would have pass through severe
tests in order to ground them in virtue. Lastly, others there are
whom He does not destine to such a high vocation, and who will be
more or less frequently tempted, but never beyond their strength.

906.2° The Three Phases of Temptation. According
to the traditional doctrine, as expounded by St. Augustine,
there are three different phases in temptation : suggestion,
pleasure and consent.
• Tobiast XII, 13.

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CHAPTER V.

a) Suggestion consists in the proposal of some evil. Our
imagination or our mind represent to us in a more or less
vivid manner the attraction of the forbidden fruit; at times
this representation is most alluring, holds its ground tena­
ciously and becomes a sort of obsession. No matter how
dangerous such a suggestion may be, it does not constitute
a sin, provided that we have not provoked it ourselves, and
do not consent to it. There is sin only when the will
yields consent.
b) Pleasure follows the suggestion. Instinctively our
lower tendencies are drawn towards the suggested evil and
a certain pleasure is experienced. “ Many a time it
happens, ” says St. Francis de Sales 1 “ that the inferior part
of the soul takes pleasure in the temptation, without there
having been consent, nay against the soul’s superior part.
This is the warfare which the Apostle St. Paul describes
when he says his flesh wars against his spirit. ” This
pleasure does not, as long as the will refuses to consent to
it, constitute a sin ; yet it is a danger, since the will finds
itself thus solicited to yield consent. The question then is :
will it yield or not?
c) If the will witholds acquiescence, combats the temp­
tation, and repels it, it has scored a success and performed
a highly meritorious act. If, on the contrary, the will
delights in the pleasure, willingly enjoys it and consents to
it, the sin is committed.

907. 3° Signs of Consent. The better to explain this
important point, let us see what are the signs of lack of
consent, imperfect consent, and perfect consent.
a) We may judge that there has been no consent, if in spite
of the suggestion and the instinctive pleasure accompanying
it, we experience disgust, chagrin at seeing ourselves thus
tempted ; if we struggle so as not to be overcome; if we hold
the proposed evil in horror; 2 especially if we turn to God
in prayer.
b) We may be culpably accountable for the temptation in
its cause, when we perform an action which we could avoid,
foreseeing that it will be to us a source of temptation : “ If
' Devout Life, Part IV, C. III.
» St. Francis de Sales tells (Devout Life, Part IV, C. IV.) how St. Catherine of
Sienna, having been violently tempted against chastity, was asked by Our Lord :
Tell me, did those filthy thoughts in your heart give you joy or sorrow, regret or
delight?" She answered : " Extreme regret and sorrow. " Thereupon Our Lord
comforted her by adding that her sorrows were of great merit and of great profit.

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431

I know,” says St. Francis de Sales 1 “that some certain
conversation leads me to temptation and to a fall, and I do
voluntarily indulge therein, I am, doubtless, culpable of all
the temptations that shall arise. ” Yet, one is guilty only
to the extent of one’s prevision, and if this is but vague and
indistinct, the guilt is lessened in proportion.
908. c) One may consider consent to be imperfect :
1) When one does not repulse the temptation as soon as
its dangerous character is perceived.2 There is then a fault
against prudence, which without being grave puts us in the
danger of consenting to the temptation.
2) When one momentarily hesitates. One would fain
relish somewhat the forbidden pleasure, but one is loath to
offend God, that is, after a moment’s hesitation, one repels
the temptation. Here again there is a venial fault of
imprudence.
3) If temptation is resisted in a half-hearted way. One
does resist, but in a feeble, indolent manner, a half-resistance
which implies a half-consent, hence a venial fault.
909. d) Consent is full and entire, when the will,
weakened by first concessions, lets itself be drawn to taste
willingly the sinful pleasure, despite the protests of con­
science, which recognizes the evil. In such case, if the
matter be grievous, the sin is mortal ; it is a sin of thought
or “morose delectation,” as theologians call it. If to the
thought is added desire, the fault is graver still. Lastly, if
from desire one passes on to the act, or at least to the
quest and pursuit of means adapted to the execution of
one’s designs, then there is a sin of action.
910. In the different cases we have explained, doubts
arise at times regarding the consent or half-consent given.
Then we must make a distinction between the delicate and
the lax conscience ; when it is question of the former, one
may rule out consent, for the person is not in the habit of
yielding consent, and if he had consented in this particular
case he would know it. When it is question of the latter,
the presumption is that the person has given full consent,
for if he had not, his soul would not be troubled.
■ Devout Life, P. IV. C. VI.
3 '· We are sometimes surprised by certain symptoms of pleasure which imme­
diately follow the temptation, before we are well aware of it. This at most can
only be a light venial sin ; but it becomes greater, if after we have perceived the
evil which has befallen us, we stop sometime, through negligence, to determine
whether we shall admit or reject that delectation. " {Devout Life, P. IV, C. VI).

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III. Our Attitude Towards Temptation
There are three main things to be done, if we are to
overcome temptations and make them redound to our
profit : i° we must forestall temptation ; 2° fight it stre­
nuously; 3° thank God after victory or rise up after a fall.

911. i° Forestall temptation. We know the proverb
that says : One ounce of prevention is worth a pound of aire;
this is but what Christian wisdom teaches. When Our
Lord took the three Apostles into Gethsemane, He said to
them : “ Watch ye : and pray that ye enter not into temp­
tation. ” 1 Watchfulness and prayer are the two great
means of forestalling temptation.
912.A) To watch means to put a sentry, as it were,
about the soul,!lest it be taken by surprise. It is so easy to
fall in an unguarded moment ! This watchfulness implies
two main dispositions: distrust of self and trust in God.
a) We must avoid that proud presumption that thrusts
us into the midst of dangers, under the pretence that we are
possessed of sufficient strength to triumph over them. This
was the sin of St. Peter, who at the moment Christ was
prophesying the desertion of the Apostles exclaimed :
“ Although all shall be scandalized in thee,yet not I. ” 2 Let
us, on the contrary, be mindful of the words of St. Paul :
“ Wherefore, he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take
heed lest he fall, ” 3 for if the spirit be willing, the flesh is
weak, and safety lies only in the humble mistrust of self.
b) But, we must likewise avoid those vain terrors which
only increase the danger. It is indeed true that of our­
selves we are weak, but we are invincible in Him Who
strengthens us : “ And God is faithful, who will not suffer
you to be tempted above that which you are able : but will
make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to
bear it. ” 4
C) This proper mistrust of self makes us shun all dange­
rous occasions, this or that association, such or such amuse­
ment, etc.... which we know by experience expose us to
fall. It declares war against idleness, one of the most dange­
rous of occasions, n. 885, as well as against that habitual
indolence which relaxes all the springs of the will, and
■ Maith.. XXVI, 41. — » Mark. XIV, 29.
31 Cor., X, 12. — « Il Cor., X, 13.

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prepares it for every kind of surrender. 1 This mistrust
holds in horror those empty day dreams, which people the
soul with a host of living phantoms that become threaten­
ing ere long. In a word, such mistrust leads to the
practice of mortification, under the forms pointed out in
nos. 767-817, the compliance with our duties of state, the
leading of an interior life, and the exercise of zeal. In such
an intense spiritual life there is but little room left for
temptation.
d) Vigilance should center round the soul’s weak point,
since the onslaughts generally proceed from that side. In
order to fortify this weak spot, we make use of the particular
examination, which concentrates our attention during an
appreciable length of time upon this defect, or rather upon
the contrary virtue, (n. 468.)
913. B) To watchfulness we must join prayer, which,
placing God on our side, renders us invincible. God is
concerned in our success, for it is He Whom the devil
assails in us, it is His work which he would wreck in us. We
may, therefore, call upon the Almighty with a holy assur­
ance, certain that He wants to help us. ’ Any kind of
prayer vocal or mental, private or public, prayer of adoration
or prayer of petition, is good against temptation. One may,
especially in times of calm, pray for help in the moment of
temptation. When this moment does arrive, one has but to
raise the heart to God in order to resist more successfully.
914. 20 Resisting Temptation. I his resistance will
vary according to the nature of the temptations. Some of
these recur frequently, but are less serious ; these must be
treated with scorn, as St. Francis de Sales 2 so well
explains:
“As to these smaller temptations of vanity, suspicion, impatience,
jealousy, envy, fond love, and such like trash, which like flies and
gnats continually hover about us, and sometimes sting us on the legs,
the hands or the face; as it is impossible to be altogether freed from
them, the best defence that we can make is not to give ourselves much
trouble about them ; for although they may tease us, yet they can never
hurt us, so long as we continue firmly resolved to serve God earnestly.
Despise then these petty attacks, without so much as thinking of what
1 This softness is well described by Mon. Gay, Christian Life and Virtues,
Tr. VIII. " Such a soul sleeps and hence it is exposed to the enemy's blows. The
slothful, indolent, remiss, pusillanimous soul which all sacrifice fills with terror,
which all real woik lays low, no matter how teeming it may be with desires,
remains barren in good resolves and even more so in good deeds. That soul that
spares itself in all things, yields to well-nigh all its propensities and lets itself be
carried along with the stream. "
“ Devout Life, P. IV, C. IX.

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they suggest. Let them buzz and hover here and there around you ;
pay no more attention to them than you would to flies. ”

Here we concern ourselves chiefly with serious tempta­
tions. These must be fought promptly, energetically, perseveringly, and humbly.
A) Promptly, without parleying with the enemy, without
any hesitation. At the outset the temptation is repelled
easily enough, for it has not yet gained a foothold in the
soul ; if we wait until it has gained entry, the repulse will
prove far more difficult. Hence, let there be no debate.
Let us associate the idea of illicit pleasure with all that is
repelling, with the serpent, with a traitor that wishes to
ensnare us, and let us remember the word of Holy Writ:
“ Flee from sins as from the face of a serpent:for if thou
contest near them they will take hold of thee. ” 1 We effect
this flight by prayer and by turning our minds to some­
thing else.

915. B) Energetically, not indolently and with regret,
for this would be like inviting the temptation to return, but
with determination and vigor, showing the horror in which
such a proposal is held : “ Go behind me, Satan. ” 2 There
are, however, different tactics to be employed, according to
the kind of temptations that assail us : if it is question of
those temptations to alluring pleasures, we must turn away
from them and take to flight by concentrating our atten­
tion on any other matter calculated to engage our faculties.
Direct resistance in such instances generally increases the
danger. If it be question of temptations of aversion towards
duty, of antipathy, hatred, human respect, the better course
often lies in facing the difficulty squarely and honestly,
and in having recourse to the principles of Christian faith
in order to overcome it.
916. C) Perseveringly, for at times after having been
routed, temptation returns with renewed obstinacy, and the
devil brings with him from the desert seven other spirits
worse than himself. 3 Equal tenacity, and not less, must be
matched against this persistence of the enemies of our soul ;
he that fights unto the end, overcomes. To be all the more
assured of victory we should make the temptation known
to our spiritual director.
This is the advice given by the Saints, especially St. Ignatius and
St. Francis de Sales: “For you must observe,” says the latter, “that
' Ecclus., XXI, 1. — ’ Mk., VIII, 33. — 3 Maith., XII, 45.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION.

435

the first condition that the enemy of salvation makes with a soul which
he desires to seduce, is to keep silence ; as those who intend to seduce
maids or married Avomen, at the very first forbid them to communicate
their proposals to their parents or husbands ; whereas God requires,
when he sends inspirations, that we should make them known to our
superiors and directors.”1 In truth, it seems as if a special grace
were attached to this openness of heart. A temptation disclosed is
a temptation half-vanquished.

917.D) Humbly. Humility attracts grace, and grace
gives us the victory. The devil who sinned by pride, flees
before a sincere act of humility; and the threefold concu­
piscence, that holds its power from pride, is easily overcome
when by humility we have, so to speak, laid its head low.
918.3° After temptation we must be on our guard
against examining too closely whether we consented or not;
such an imprudent course might bring about a recurrence
of the temptation and create a new danger. Besides, it is
easy to see from the testimony of our conscience, without
any probing search, whether we came out victorious.
A) If we have had the good fortune of overcoming, let us
thank God with our whole heart, God Who gave us the
victory. This is a duty of gratitude, and the best means of
obtaining new graces at the opportune moment. Woe to
the ungrateful who, attributing to themselves the victorious
issue, do not think of returning thanks to God! They will
ere long be made to know from experience their own
weakness.
919. B) If, on the contrary, we have had the misfor­
tune of succumbing, let us not lose heart. Let us remember
the welcome accorded the Prodigal Son, and let us, even as
he did, cast ourselves at the feet of God’s representative,
with the same heartfelt plea : “ Father, I have sinned
against heaven and before thee : I am not worthy to be
called thy son. ”*
3 And God, still richer in His mercies
than the father in the parable, will give us the kiss of peace
and restore us to His friendship.
In order, however, to prevent new falls, the repentant
sinner will take the occasion of his fault to humble himself
sincerely before God, to acknowledge his incapacity to do
any good, to place his trust in God, to be all the more cau­
tious, and return to the practice of penance. A fault thus
repaired will not constitute a serious obstacle to perfection. 3
Those who act thus, “ rise, ” as St. Augustine rightly
■ Devout Life, P. IV, C. VII. — ’ Luke, XV, 21.
Tissot, Profiting by Our Faults.

3 Cf.

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remarks, “ from a fall to be more humble, more prudetit,
more earnest. ” 1

Art. II. The Chief Temptations of Beginners
Beginners are subject to all kinds of temptations,
springing from the sources we have indicated. There are
some, however, that seem to be peculiar to them : i° illusions,
proceeding from consolations and from aridity ; 2° incon­
stancy ; 3° over-eagerness ; 40 at times, scruples.
§ I. Illusions of Beginners with regard
to Consolations1

920. God generally bestows sensible consolations on
beginners in order to draw them to His service; He then
deprives them of these in order to test and to strengthen
their virtue. There are some persons who because they
enjoy many consolations think they have already attained
to a certain degree of sanctity; if the consolations happen
to vanish and spiritual dryness or aridity takes their place
they think themselves lost. It is, therefore, important in
order that they may forestall both presumption and discou­
ragement, that the true doctrine concerning consolations
and aridity be explained to them.
I. Consolations
921. i° Nature and Origin of Consolations, a) Sen­
sible consolations are tender emotions that affect our sensibi­
lity and cause us to experience a feeling of spiritualjoy. The
heart expands and throbs with more energy, the circulation
of the blood is accelerated, the features beam, and at times
tears of joy flow. Sensible consolations differ from the
spiritual consolations generally granted to more advanced
souls: the latter are consolations of a higher order, acting
upon the intellect by enlightening it, and upon the will by
drawing it to prayer and to the practice of virtue. How­
ever, these two kinds of consolations often intermingle, and
what we are about to say can in some measure be applied
to both.
b) These consolations may proceed from three sources :
■ De corrept. etgratiâ, cap. I.
’St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, P. IV, C. XII-XV; F. GuillorÆ, Les
secrets de la vie spirituelle;?aber. Growth in Holiness, XXIII; Dom Lehodey, Le
Saini Abandon, The Ways of Mental Prayer, P. II, C. VI; DE SMEDT, Notre vie
surnaturelle.

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1) From God, Who acts towards us as a mother towards
her child and attracts us to Himself by means of the
sweetness He makes us find in serving Him, in order to
wean us away more easily from the false pleasures of
the world.
2) From the devil, who acting upon the nervous system,
upon the imagination and upon the feelings, is able to
produce certain sensible emotions which he will later use
to urge us on to ill-considered austerities, to vanity and to
presumption soon to be followed by discouragement.
3) From our nature. There are imaginative, emotional,
sanguine temperaments, which, while they apply themselves
to piety, naturally find therein food for their emotions.
922. 2° Advantages of consolations. Consolations,
assuredly, have their advantages :
a) They facilitate, the knowledge of God : the imagination
helped by grace, delights in representing the lovableness of
God, and the heart rejoices in it. Then one loves to pray,
to meditate at length, and the soul realizes better the
goodness of God.
b) Consolations contribute to the strengthening of the
will, which, finding the lower faculties to be no longer
hindrances, but valuable helps, detaches itself all the more
easily from creatures; it loves God more ardently, forms
more vigorous resolutions, and keeps these more easily
because of the aid obtained through prayer. Loving God
with a sensible affection, the will courageously endures the
little sacrifices of every-day life, and çven undertakes on its
own initiative certain mortifications.
c) Consolations help us to form habits of recollection, of
prayer, of obedience, of love of God, which remain in some
measure even after the consolations themselves have disap­
peared.
923. 30 Dangers. Withal, these consolations have
also their dangers :
a) They excite a sort of spiritual greed, which makes us
cling rather to the consolations of God than to the
God of consolations, so much so that when spiritual com­
forts vanish, spiritual exercises and duties of state are
neglected. Even whilst we enjoy these consolations, our
devotion is far from being solid, for while we shed tears
over Our Lord’s sufferings, we refuse to sacrifice for Him
this or that sentimental friendship or to undergo for His

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sake such or such privation. But solid virtue exists only
when our love for God is carried as far as sacrifice, n. 321.
“ There are many souls who experience these tendernesses
and consolations, and who, nevertheless, are very vicious,
and consequently, have not a true love of God, much less
true devotion. ” 1
b) These consolations often foster pride under one form
or the other. 1) Vain self-complacency ; for when we enjoy
consolations, and prayer becomes easy, we readily believe
ourselves to be saints, whilst in truth we are but novices in
the ways of perfection. 2) Vanity: we wish to speak of
these consolations to others in order to make known our
worth; and in such cases God often withdraws them for
a notable period of time. 3) Presumption : we think our­
selves invincible and at times expose ourselves to danger,
or at least, we begin to relax, when we ought to redouble
our efforts and forge ahead.

924. 40 Oup Attitude towards Consolations. In
order to profit by divine consolations and escape the
pitfalls we have pointed out, the following rules are to be
observed :
a) We may wish for such comforts conditionally with
the intention of using them in order to love God and to
fulfil His holy will. Thus the Church has us ask for the
grace of consolation in the Collect of Pentecost : “ That
we may ever enjoy His consolation. ” Consolations are
a gift of God the purpose of which is to aid us in the work
of our sanctification. We must, therefore, hold them dear,
and we may well ask for them provided we submit ourselves
to the holy will of God.
b) When such consolations have been granted us, let us
receive them with gratitude and with humility, acknowledg­
ing ourselves unworthy of them and attributing all the
merit to God. If He does vouchsafe to deal with us as
with little children, let us bless Him for it; but let us also
recognize that we are as yet far from perfect, since we stand
in need of the milk of children : “ Who need milk and not
solid food. ” 2 Above all, let us not boast of them, for this
would be the surest and quickest way of losing them.
C) Having received them with a humble heart, let us
employ them with the utmost care according to the pur■ St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, Part IV, C. XIII.
» I Cor., HI, 2.

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439

poses of the Giver. He gives them to us, says St. Francis
de Sales, “ to make us sweet towards every one and excite
us to love Him. The mother gives little presents to her
child to induce him to embrace her; let us then embrace
our blessed Savior Who grants us favors. But to embrace
Him is to obey Hirn, to keep His commandments, do His
will, and follow His desires with a tender obedience and
humility. ” ’
d) Lastly, we must realize that these consolations will not
last forever, and we must humbly beg of God the grace to
serve Him in dryness of soul, when it will so please Him.
In the meantime, instead of trying to prolong these conso­
lations by our own mental efforts, we must moderate them
and cling steadfastly to the God of all consolations.
II. Aridity
In order to strengthen us in virtue, God visits us from
time to time with aridity. We shall explain : i° the nature
of aridity; 2° its providential purpose; 30 our attitude
towards it.
925. i° Nature of Aridity. Aridity is a privation of
those sensible and spiritual consolations which make prayer
and the practice of virtue easy. In spite of oft-renewed
efforts one no longer relishes prayer; one even experiences
a sense of weariness; one finds prayer irksome and the
time given to it endless; faith and trust seem dormant; once
alert and joyous, one lives now in a sort of torpor and acts
only by sheer force of will. This is, indeed, a most painful
condition, but one not devoid of advantages.
926. 2° Providential purpose of Aridity, a) When
God sees fit to visit us with aridity, it is in order to detach
us from all created things, even from the happiness derived
from devotion, that we may learn to love God for His sake
alone.
b) He wants likewise to humble us, by showing us that
consolations are not our right, but entirely free gifts.
c) God thereby also effects a further purification of the
soul from past faults, present attachments and all manner
of self-seeking. When we have to serve God without any
relish, on principle and by sheer will-power, we suffer
keenly, and our suffering becomes an act of expiation and
atonement.
■ Devout Life, Part IV, C. XIII.

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d) Lastly, God thus strengthens us in virtue, for in order
to persevere in prayer and in well-doing the will must be
energetically and steadily exercised, and it is by such
exercise that we are grounded in virtue.
927. 30 Our Attitude towards Aridity, a) Since
dryness at times proceeds from our faults, we must first of
all carefully search ourselves, yet without over-anxiety, in
order to see if we are not the responsible cause i) by
reason of our tendencies, more or less consented to, towards
self-complacency and pride ; 2) by a sort of spiritual sloth,
or, on the other hand, by an untimely and excessive
straining of the mind; 3) by seeking after human conso­
lations, after personal attachments that are too sentimental,
after worldly pleasures; for God will not have a divided
heart; 4) by a want of frankness towards our spiritual
director: “ For, since you try to deceive the Holy Ghost”
says St. Francis de Sales, “ it is no wonder that He
withholds from you His consolations.”* Once the cause
of aridity is discovered one must with due humility strive
to remove it.
928. If we are not responsible for this aridity, it is
important that we should draw profit from the ordeal.
1) The great means is to convince ourselves that it is more
meritorious to serve God in the absence of attraction and
warm emotions than in the midst of many consolations;
that in order to love God it is enough to will to love Him,
and besides, that the most perfect act of love consists in
having our will conform to that of God. 2) In order to
render such an act still more meritorious we can do no
better than to unite ourselves to Jesus, Who in the Garden
of Gethsemane consented to experience sadness and weari­
ness of soul out of love for us, and to repeat after Him:
“ Not my will, but thine be done.” 2 3) Above all, we must
never lose heart, nor subtract anything from our exercises
of piety, from our efforts, from our good resolutions; but
rather imitate Our Lord, Who “ being in an agony, prayed
the longer. ” 3
929. Advice for the spiritual Director. In order
that penitents may thoroughly understand these practical
lessons regarding consolations and aridity, spiritual directors
should frequently insist on them, for penitents are often
persuaded that they are better off when things go according
■ Devout Life, Part IV. C. XIV.
• Luke, XXII, 42. — 3 id. XXII, 43.

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to their wishes than when they go against the grain. Gra­
dually, however, they are enlightened, and once they have
learnt not to exalt themselves in their own eyes in time of
consolation and not to be discouraged during periods of
dryness, they make progress more rapidly and more steadily.
§ II. Inconstancy of Beginners

930. i° The Evil. When a soul gives itself to God
and begins to advance in the spiritual life, it is sustained by
divine grace, by the attractiveness of the novelty and by
a certain urge towards virtue, which removes many an
obstacle. A moment arrives, however, when God’s grace is
given in a less sensible manner, when the soul grows weary
of essaying again the self-same efforts, which seem to be
thwarted by the self-same difficulties. It is then that the
soul is liable to relax and falter.
This tendency to inconstancy and tepidity shows itself i) in our
spiritual exercises, which we now perform with less attention, which we
shorten or omit; 2) in
practice of virtue: we entered full-heartedly
into the ways of penance and mortification, but now we find this hard
and irksome and we relax our efforts ; 3) in the habitual sanctification
of our actions: we had been accustomed to renew frequently the
offering of our actions, in order to insure the purity of our intention ;
now we find this practice fatiguing, we neglect it with the result that
soon many of our actions are inspired by routine, curiosity, vanity,
sensuality. It is impossible to make progress with dispositions such
as these, for we arrive nowhere without a sustained effort.

931. 20 The Remedy. A) We must realize that the
work of perfection is a work of long endurance, demanding
much steadiness of purpose, and that only those succeed who
tiespite partial setbacks return again and again with fresh
energies to the task. This is just what men do to succeed
in business, and this is what must be done by anyone who
wants to advance in holiness. Each morning we must ask
again the question whether we cannot do more, and espe­
cially whether we can not do better for God; and every
evening we must examine to see if we have carried out, at
least in part, our program for the day.
B) Nothing insures constancy so well as the particular
examination, n. 468. By concentrating our attention upon
one objective, one virtue, and by rendering to our confessor
an account of the progress made, we are certain to advance,
even though we may not be aware of the fact.
What we have said regarding the training of the will,
n. 812, is likewise a very apt means to overcome inconstancy.

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§ III. Over-Eagerness of Beginners

Not a few beginners, full of good will, apply themselves
too eagerly and too anxiously to the work of their per­
fection and end by fatiguing and exhausting themselves
in futile efforts.
932. i° The Causes, a) The chief cause of this defect
is the substitution of one's own activity for that of God.
Instead of reflecting before acting, of asking light from the
Holy Ghost and following it, such beginners thrust them­
selves headlong into action. Instead of taking counsel with
their spiritual director, they act first, and afterwards con­
front him with the accomplished fact. Hence, numerous
imprudences and many wasted efforts.
b) Often presumption enters into the case. They would
like to emerge hastily from the discipline of penance and
promptly arrive at the desired union with God. But alas!
many an unforeseen obstacle appears ; they then lose heart,
retrace their steps and at times fall into grievous faults.
e) At other times, it is curiosity which predominates.
They seek continually new means of perfection, try them a
while and soon discard them before giving them a chance to
produce their effects. They continually plan new projects
of reform for themselves and for others and forget to carry
them out. The net result of such over-exertion is the loss
of interior recollection; it is excitement and trouble without
any solid gain.
933. 2° The Remedies, a) The chief remedies are
submission to and entire dependence upon the action of God,
mature reflection before acting, prayer to obtain divine
light, consultation with and docility towards a spiritual
director. Just as in the workings of nature it is not violent
force that yields the best results, but rather well controlled
energy, so in the spiritual life it is not feverish efforts that
make for progress, but calm and well-directed ones.
b) But if beginners are to submit themselves to the action
of God, they must combat the causes that produce such
over-eagerness; they must fight i) a natural vivacity of
character that inclines to hasty decisions ; 2) a presumption
that arises from too high an esteem of self; 3) curiosity that
is forever in search of novelties. They should, therefore,
direct their attacks successively against these defects by
means of the particular examination, and then God will

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443

take once more His rightful place in their souls and lead
them calmly and sweetly along the paths of perfection.

§ IV. Scruples «
934. Scruples are a disease, physical and moral, which
produces a sort of derangement of conscience, and causes
one to harbor vain fears of having offended God. This
disease is not restricted to beginners; still, it is found in
them as well as in the more advanced souls. Hence, we
must say a word about them and explain : i° the nature,
2° the object, 30 the disadvantages and advantages of scruples,
and 40 the remedies against them.

I. Nature of Scruples
935. The term scruple (from the Latin scrupulus, pebble)
was employed for ages past to designate a weight under
which only the most sensitive scales would tilt. In the
moral sense, it stands for some trifle which only the most
delicate’conscience would notice. Hence, this word has
come to be commonly used to designate the anxiety about
having offended God which certain souls feel for little or no
reason. The better to know the nature of scruples we shall
explain their origin and degrees, as well as the distinction
between a scrupulous and a delicate conscience.
936. i° Origin. Scruples arise sometimes from purely
natural causes and sometimes they are due to supernatural
intervention.
a) From a natural point of view, scruples are often
a physical and moral disease. 1) The physical ailment which
brings about this disorder is a sort of nervous depression,
which hinders a well-balanced decision on moral questions
and tends to produce without solid reasons the obsessing
idea that one has sinned. 2) There are also moral causes
which produce the same effect, such as a meticulous mind,
a mind that loses itself amid the most trifling details, that
wants to reach absolute certitude in all things; a beclouded
mind, that represents God not as a just judge, but as
’St. Ignat., Exercit. spirit., Regulæ de scrupulis ; Alvarez de Paz. t. II, lib. I,
Part. Ill, cap. XII, § V; ScaramElli, Guide ascétique, tr. Il, art. XI; Schram.
Inst, theol. mystica, t. I, § 73-83;SlAlphonsus, Theol. moralis, tr. I. De conscientiâ,
n. 10-19; LOMBEZ. Interior Peace, P. II, C. VII ; Eaber. Growth in Holiness, XVII;
Dubois. LAnge conducteur des âmes scrupuleuses; De Lehen, The Way oj Inte­
rior Peace, P. IV; Raymond, Spiritual Director and Physician, P. II ; A. Eymieu,
Le gouv. de soi-même, t. II, L’obsession et le scrupule; Dom Lehodey, Le saint
Abandon, p. 407-414.

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CHAPTER V.

a merciless one ; a mind that confuses feeling with consent
in human acts, and imagines, that because the imagination
has been for long alive to vivid impressions, sin has been
committed ; an obstinate mind, that prefers its own judgment
to that of the confessor for the very reason that it lets itself
be led by impressions rather than by reason.
When these two causes, physical and moral, are present,
the evil is more deeply rooted and the cure is more difficult.

937. b) Scruples can also arise from a preternatural
intervention on the part of God or of the devil.
1) God allows us to be thus obsessed either as a punish­
ment, chiefly of our pride, of our inclinations to vain
complacency, or as a trial, to make us expiate our past
faults, to detach us from spiritual consolations, and bring
us to a higher degree of sanctity. This is the case espe­
cially with the souls whom He wants to fit for contem­
plation, as we shall explain when treating of the uni­
tive way.
2) The devil also at times injects his activity into the
morbid predisposition of our nervous system in order to
create a turmoil in our souls. He persuades us that we are
in the state of mortal sin in order to hinder us from receiv­
ing Holy Communion, or to hamper us in the discharge of
our duties of state; above all, he strives to deceive us as to
the gravity of some act or other in order to make us sin,
because of a false conscience, even when there is no matter
for sin and much less for grievous sin.
938. 20 Degrees. Evidently there are many degrees
in scruples, a) At the outset it is simply question of a me­
ticulous conscience, extremely fearful, which sees sin where
sin does not exist ; b) then it is a matter of transient
scruples which one submits to the judgment of one’s spiri­
tual director, accepting forthwith his decision ; C) lastly, it
is a case of scruples properly so called, tenacious and
obstinate.
939. 30 Distinction between a Scrupulous and
a Delicate Conscience.
a) Their genesis or starting-point is not the same. The
delicate conscience loves God ardently and, in order to
please Him, wants to avoid the least fault, the slightest
wilful imperfection. The scrupulous conscience is led on
by a certain egotism which causes an inordinate eagerness
for absolute certainty of one’s state of grace.

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445

b) The delicate conscience, possessed of a horror of sin and
knowing its own feebleness, has a rational, yet quiet fear of
displeasing God ; the scrupulous conscience harbors vain
fears of sinning in every circumstance.
C) The tender conscience knows how to discriminate
between mortal and venial sin, and, in case of doubt, abides
by the judgment of the spiritual director; the scrupulous
conscience peevishly questions the decisions of the spiritual
director and submits to them only with difficulty.
Whilst scruples are a real evil to be carefully avoided,
there is nothing more precious than a delicate conscience.

II. The Subject-matter of Scruples
940. i° Sometimes scruples are universal, bearing on
all subjects. Before an action, they magnify beyond all
proportion the dangers that may be encountered in this or
that circumstance; after an action, they fill the soul with
groundless anxieties and easily convince it of having sinned
gravely.

941. 2’ More often scruples bear upon a number of
particular subjects :
a) Past confessions: even after having made several general confes­
sions, one is not satisfied, one fears lest all has not been accused, or
lest sorrow has been defective, and one wants always to begin all over
again, b) Evil thoughts: the imagination is filled with dangerous or
obscene thoughts, and since these make a certain impression, one fears
one has given consent., nay one is sure of having consented, although
one was quite displeased at them, β) Blasphemous thoughts : because
such ideas cross the mind, one is persuaded of having acquiesced
in spite of the horror one experiences, d) The virtue of charity:
one has for instance, listened to conversations against the neighbor
without protesting; one has, through human respect, neglected the
duty of fraternal correction, one has scandalized the neighbor by
indiscreet talk, or one has failed, upon witnessing a crowd congregate,
to ascertain whether an accident had occurred where the ministrations
of a priest might have been needed to give absolution to the dying; in
all this, grievous sins are seen, e) The correct pronunciation and
enunciation of the words of Consecration, the integral recitation of the
Divine Office, etc....

III. Disadvantages and Advantages of Scruples
942. i° When one has the misfortune of allowing
oneself to be governed by scruples, baneful effects follow
for body and soul : —
a) Scruples gradually induce a weakening and a certain
unbalancing of the nervous system. Fears and continual
anguish exercise a depressing action on bodily health; they

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CHAPTER V.

may even become a real obsession and bring about a species
of monomania, bordering on insanity.
b) Scruples becloud the mind and distort the judgment:
little by little one loses the ability to discern between what
is sin and what is not sin, what is grievous and what slight;
and the soul becomes much like a ship without a rudder.
c) Loss of true devotion is often the sequel. The strain
of living in anxiety and vexation turns one into a terrible
egotist, for whom everybody becomes an object of mistrust,
even God, Whom one deems too severe. Complaints arise
that He leaves one in that wretched state. Evidently, the
heart is incapable then of any genuine devotion.
d) Finally, come faults and even grave falls, i) The
scrupulous spend their strength in useless efforts over trifles,
and retain but little energy to meet important issues, for
the attention cannot be directed to bear with equal inten­
sity upon the entire line of battle. Hence, surprises, faults,
and at times even grievous sins. 2) Besides, they instinct­
ively seek relief for their sorrows; but finding no solace in
piety, they seek it elsewhere, in reading and in associations
that are dangerous. This is sometimes the occasion of
lamentable falls which throw them into a deep state of
dejection.
943. 2° On the other hand, if we know how to accept
scruples as a trial, and to correct them gradually with the
help of a wise spiritual director we derive from them price­
less advantages.
a) They serve to purify the soul. By being intent on
avoiding the least sin and the least wilful imperfection, we
acquire a great purity of heart.
b) They lead us to the actual exercise of humility and
obedience by obliging us to refer our doubts in all simplicity
to our spiritual director, and to follow his counsel with
entire submission not only of will, but of judgment.
C) They contribute to increase the purity of our intentions
by detaching us from spiritual comforts and by having us
cling solely to God for Whom our love increases the more
He puts us to the test.
IV. Remedies against Scruples
944. Scruples must be attacked before they take deep
root in the sou). Now the great remedy and indeed the
only remedy is obedience, full and absolute obedience to

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447

an enlightened spiritual director. The light of conscience
has become dim and we must seek enlightenment elsewhere.
A scrupulous person is exactly like a ship without rudder
or compass. The spiritual director, therefore, must win his
confidence and must know how to wield authority over him
if he is to effect a cure.

945.i° Before all else, it is necessary to gain his confid­
ence; for we do not easily obey those whom we do not
trust. This, however, is not always easily accomplished.
True, the scrupulous soul instinctively feels the need of
a guide, but some scrupulous persons do not dare abandon
themselves entirely to the said guide; they want to consult,
indeed, but also to discuss the reasons. Now, one must not
enter into any discussion with the scrupulous, but speak to
them with authority, telling them categorically what they
must do.
To inspire this confidence the spiritual director must merit
it both by his competence and his devotedness.
a) He will allow the penitent to speak first, limiting
himself to a few remarks here and there to show that he
has thoroughly understood. After that he will put a few
questions to the penitent, to which the latter will answer yes
or no, and thus the director will himself conduct the metho­
dical examination of the penitent’s conscience. Then he
will add: I understand your case, you suffer in this or that
manner. To see that he has been well understood is already
a great comfort to the penitent, and at times suffices to win
his confidence.
b) Devotedness must be joined to competence. The
spiritual director should therefore show himself patient,
listening quietly to the lengthy explanations of the peni­
tent, at least at the beginning. He must be kind, taking an
interest in that soul and expressing the desire and the hope
of curing it. He must be gentle, refraining from taking
a tone of severity or harshness, even when he is obliged to
use the language of authority. Nothing wins confidence
better than this union of kindness and firmness.
946. 2° Once the spiritual director has gained the
confidence of his penitent, he must exercise his authority
and exact obedience, saying: If you want to be cured you
must obey blindly; in obeying you are always safe, even if
your spiritual director be mistaken, for God demands of
you only one thing just now, and that is obedience. This
is so true that if you think that you cannot obey me, you

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CHAPTER V.

must seek another spiritual director. Blind obedience alone
can cure you, and it will certainly do so.
a) In giving his orders the spiritual *director must be
direct, clear and precise, avoiding any equivocation ; he must
be positive, speaking categorically, never conditionally; for
instance, he will not say: If that disturbs your peace, do
not do it; rather he will say: Do this, avoid that, spurn
such temptation.
b) Generally no reasons must be given for the decisions,
especially at the beginning. Later on when the scrupulous
penitent is capable of understanding them, and of feeling
their weight, the director should briefly state these reasons
in order to form his conscience little by little. But there
must be no discussion of the decision itself. If there be any
obstacles to prevent its immediate execution, they are to be
taken into account, but the decision stands.
c) The spiritual director must not reverse his judgments.
Before giving a decision he considers it fully, and gives no
orders that he cannot insist upon ; but once an order has
been given, it must not be revoked so long as there is no
new fact requiring a change.
‘
d) To ascertain if the order has been clearly understood,
penitents should be asked to restate it, and then it but
remains to have them carry it out. This is difficult; but
they must be plainly told that they must report on it,
and that if they have failed to follow the advice given, they
will not be listened to until they have complied. There will
be ample opportunity, therefore, to repeat the same ihjunction many times. This is to be done without losing
patience, but with increasing firmness, and in the end the
scrupulous persons will yield obedience.
947. 3° When the moment arrives, the spiritual director
must inculcate the general principle that will enable
scrupulous penitents to disregard all doubts and if need be,
he will have them put this principle in writing in this or a
similar form: I am in conscience bound to take only evidence
into account, that is to say, a certitude that excludes
all doubt, a certitude as clear as the one that tells me
that two and two make four. I cannot, therefore, commit
a sin either mortal or venial, unless I am absolutely certain
that the action I am to perform is forbidden under pain of
mortal or venial sin, and that fully aware of this fact, I will
nevertheless to do it just the same. I will, therefore, pay
no attention whatsoever to probabilities, no matter how

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449

strong they may be, I will hold myself bound solely by
clear-cut and positive evidence. Barring such, there is no
sin. When the penitent proceeds to accuse himself of having
committed a venial or a mortal sin, the confessor must ask:
Can you affirm under oath that before acting you saw clearly
that this action was a sin and that seeing this you gave full
consent? Such a question will give precision to the general
principle laid down and will make it better understood.
948. 4° Lastly, this general principle must be applied
to the specific difficulties that arise.
a) With regard to a general confession, after allowing it
once, the confessor should permit no repetition except when
there is certainty on these two points: i) a mortal sin was
committed, and 2) this sin has never been accused in any valid
confession. As for the rest, after a certain lapse of time
the spiritual director should declare that the past must not
be touched upon under any circumstances and that, should
some sin have been omitted, it has been already pardoned
along with the others.
b) With regard to interior sins, thoughts and desires, the
following rule should be given: during the crisis, divert your
attention by thinking of any other thing; after the crisis, do
not examine yourself to see if you have sinned or not (this
would bring back the temptation), but pursue the even tenor
of your way by devoting yourself to your duties of state,
and receive Holy Communion as long as there is no evidence
that you have given full consent (n. 909).
949. C) Communion is often a torture to the scrupulous.
They fear lest they be not in the state of grace or be not fast­
ing. Now, 1) the fear lest they be not in the state of grace
proves that they are not certain of that fact; hence, they
should after a sincere act of contrition approach the
Sacrament of the Altar; this contrition together with Holy
Communion will put them in the state of grace if they are
not in it. 2) The Eucharistic fast must not prevent the
scrupulous from receiving Holy Communion unless they are
absolutely certain of having broken it.
d) Confession for the scrupulous is a still greater torture,
and therefore, it must be simplified for them. They should
be told: 1) You are not bound to accuse any except mortal
sins. 2) As to venial faults, make mention only of those
that happen to come to your mind during your short exa­
mination of conscience, which should not exceed five
minutes. 3) With regard to contrition, devote a little longer

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CHAPTER V.

time to ask it of God and to excite yourself to it, and then
you will have it. Should the penitent answer : “ I do not
feel sorry, ” the confessor should reply that sorrow to be real
need not be felt, since it is an act of the will which has
nothing to do with feeling. In certain cases, when scruples
are very intense, one must go further and prescribe to the
penitent that he limit himself to this generic accusation :
“ I accuse myself of all the sins committed since my last
confession and of all those of my past life, especially
against this or that virtue. ”
950. 5° Replying to Difficulties. Sometimes a peni­
tent will say to his confessor: You take me for scrupulous,
whereas I am not. The confessor will answer: It is not for
you but for your confessor to decide that. Are you abso­
lutely sure that you are not scrupulous? Are you calm and
at peace after making your confessions? Are you not
troubled with such doubts and worries as most persons
never experience? You are, therefore, not in a normal
state; you are affected with some physical and moral
disturbance, and therefore, need special treatment. Obey
without argument, and you will be cured ; otherwise your
trouble will only be aggravated.
By this and other like means one finally succeeds, with
God’s grace, in curing this distressing malady of scruples.

Appendix: The Discernment

of

Spirits1

951. The different kinds of spirits that act in us. In the
preceding pages we have spoken many times of diverse interior
promptings that urge us to good or to evil. The importance of recog­
nizing the source of these promptings is evident.
In theory they may proceed from six different causes:
a) from ourselves: from the spirit which urges us towards good,
from the flesh that urges us towards evil.
b) from the -world, in so far as, through our senses, it exercises its
influence over our interior faculties to draw them towards evil (n. 212).
e) from the good angels, who inspire in us good thoughts.
d) from the demons, who act upon our interior and exterior senses
to prompt us to evil..
e) from God, Who alone can penetrate into the inmost recesses of
the soul and Who never urges us but to what in good.
1 St. Thom., I» Ilæ, q. 80. a. 4; De Imitatione Christi, 1. Ill, c. 54, De diversis
motibus naturæ et gratiæ; S. Ignatius, Exercit. spirit.. Regulas aliquot, etc.;
SCARAMELLt, Du discernement des esprits, trad. Brasscvin, Paris, 1910; Card.
Bona, De discretione spirituum ; Ribet, L'Ascitique. ch. XL; Mgr A. Chollet,
Discernement des esprits. Diet, de Thiol., t. IV, 1375-1415, avec une abondante
bibliographie; Clare, The Science of the Spiritual Life. 41-47.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION.

451

952. In practice it suffices to know whether these promptings arise
from a good or from an evil principle: from a good principle, God, the
good angels or the spirit aided by grace ; from an evil principle, the
devil, the world or the flesh. The rules by which we can distinguish
the one from the other are called rules for the discernment of spirits.
St. Paul laid the foundations of these rules by distinguishing within
man the flesh and the spirit, and outside of man, the Spirit of God that
leads us to good, and the fallen angels that solicit us to evil. Since
then, spiritual writers like Cassian, St. Bernard, St. Thomas, the author
of the Imitation and St. Ignatius, have drawn up rules to ascertain the
divers promptings of nature and of grace.
953. Rules of St. Ignatius which apply especially to beginners.
The first two rules refer to the different attitudes which the good and
the evil spirits take with regard to sinners and to fervent souls.
1° First rule. To sinners who do not put any curb on their passions,
the devil proposes pleasures and delights in order to hold them fast
and immerse them deeper in vice; the good spirit, on the contrary,
stirs their conscience with uneasiness and remorse in order to make
them emerge from their sad plight.
Second rule. When it is question of souls that have sincerely
returned to God, the devil excites in them sadness, torments of con­
science, and creates and all manner of difficulties in order to make them
lose heart and halt their advance. The good spirit, on the contrary,
inspires them with courage, energy and good thoughts to make them
grow in virtue. By the fruits then will the tree be judged; whatever
hinders progress comes from the evil one, whatever promotes it proceeds
from God.

954. 2° Third rule. This rule deals with spiritual consolations.
These proceed from the good spirit: t) when they arouse fervor, first
a spark, then a flame, lastly a glowing fire of divine love; 2) when
they cause tears that are a true expression of interior compunction or
of love for Our Lord; 3) when they increase faith, hope and charity,
and bring quiet and peace to the soul.
955. 30 The following rules (4 th — 9 th) have reference to spiritual
desolation: 1) Desolation here means either spiritual darkness or the in­
clination of the will towards the lower things, the things of earth, which
render the soul sad, tepid, and sluggish. 2) In time of desolation we
must not, in spite of the suggestions of the evil spirit, make any change
whatever as to the good resolutions we have previously formed, but we
must remain steadfast abiding by our former decisions. 3) Further,
we must take advantage of desolation to grow in fervor, giving more
time to prayer, examination of conscience and exercises of penance.
4) We must rely on divine help, which, though not felt, is none the less
actually given us to aid our faculties in doing good. 5) We must be
patient and await the return of consolation. We must say to ourselves
that desolation may be a punishment for our lukewarmness ; a trial,
God wanting us to realize just what we are able to do when deprived
of consolation; a lesson, God wanting to show us that of ourselves we
are incapable of securing consolations, and thus to cure us of our pride.
956. 40 The eleventh rule returns to the subject of consolations to
warn us that we need muster courage if we are to acquit ourselves well
during the time of desolation, and to remind us that we must humble

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CHAPTER V.

ourselves at the sight of how little we can do when bereft of sensible
comfort, and of how much we can do in spiritual distress if we lean
upon God.
957. 5° The last three rules (12 th — 14 th) explain and expose the
ruses employed by the devil to seduce us : a) He acts like a mischievous
woman, weak in the face of resistance, but fiery and cruel to those who
yield ; hence, the duty of vigorous resistance, b) He acts like a sedu­
cer, imposing silence upon the victim he allures to evil ; hence, the best
means of foiling him is to disclose all to the spiritual director, e) He
follows the tactics of a commander, who attacks a garrison at its
weakest point; hence, it is important that we watch that weak point in
our examinations of conscience.

Summary of the First Book
The end at which beginners aim is the purification of the
soul, so that unhampered by the remains and the occasions ■
of sin they may effect their union with God.
958. To attain this end, they have recourse to prayer.
By offering God their religious homage, they move Him to
pardon all their past offences. By invoking Him with
confidence in union with the Incarnate Word, they obtain
the grace of contrition and firm purpose of amendment
which further cleanse their souls and preserve them from
future falls. The attainment of these ends is the better
ensured through the practice of meditation. The solid
convictions which we acquire by long and serious reflection,
the self-examinations which show us more clearly our
miseries and our needs, the ardent prayers that spring then
from the recesses of our heart, the good resolutions we form
and which we strive to carry out, all this purifies the soul,
inspires it with a horror for sin and its occasions, and
strengthens it against temptation and makes it more gene­
rous in the practice of penance.
959.Having a clearer conception of the offence offered ·
God by sin and of the strict obligation of making atone­
ment for it, the soul enters resolutely into the ways of
penance. In union with Jesus, Who deigned to atone for
us, the penitent harbors in his heart a sense of shame, of
sorrow, of humiliation, and his sin is always a reproach
before his face. With such sentiments, he yields himself to
the hardships of penance, generously accepts the provi­
dential crosses which God sends him, undergoes some
voluntary privations, practices almsgiving and thus atones
for the past.
In order to avoid sin in the future, he practices morti­
fication, disciplining his interior and exterior senses, the

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TEMPTATION.

453

mind, the will, in a word, all his faculties to bring them into
subjection to God and to do nothing but in accordance
with His holy will.
No doubt, evil tendencies, the seven capital vices, still lurk
deep within the soul ; — but aided by divine grace, the soul
undertakes to uproot them or at least to weaken them, and
a time comes when it gains sufficient control over them.
Temptations, at times terrible, arise from the soul’s
lower depths stirred by the devil and the world, but the
soul, leaning upon Him Who has overcome the world and
the flesh, will fight from the outset and as long as necessary
against these assaults of the enemy. With God’s grace
these attacks will in most cases but give occasion to fresh
victories. Should an unfortunate fall occur, the soul,
humbled but trustful, will forthwith throw itself into the
merciful arms of God to beg His forgiveness. A fall thus
atoned for will not constitute an obstacle to spiritual
progress.

960. We must, however, add that the active purifi­
cations we have described in this first book do not suffice
to render a soul perfectly pure. Therefore, this work of
purification will continue through the illuminative way by
means of the positive exercise of the moral and the theolo­
gical virtues. It will not be thoroughly effected until the
passive purifications, so well described by St. John of the
Cross, supervene in the unitive way. These bestow on the
•■<>ul Xht perfect purity of heart normally necessary to con­
templation. Of them we shall treat in the third book.

BOOK II
The Illuminative Way
or
The State of Souls More Advanced
in the Spiritual Life
961. Once the soul is purified from past faults by a long
and arduous penance, in keeping with the number and
gravity of those faults, once it has been grounded in virtue
through the practice of meditation, of mortification, and
resistance to the disordered inclinations and to temptations,
then it enters into the illuminative way. This stage of
the spiritual life is thus named because the great aim of
the soul is now the imitation, the Following of Christ, by the
positive exercise of the Christian virtues; Jesus is the Light
of the World, and whosoever follows Him walks not in
darkness : “ He that followeth me walketh not in darkness,
but shall have the light of life. ” 1

INTRODUCTION ’
Before describing the virtues to be practiced by souls in
the illuminative way, there are three questions that must be
answered : i° Which are the souls that belong in the illumi­
native way? 2° What is the program such souls are to
follow? 3° What difference is there between devout and
fervent souls walking along this way?
I. Which are the souls that belong
in the illuminative way?
962. St. Theresa thus describes the inhabitants of the
third mansion, 3 that is to say, the souls that are more
advanced in the spiritual life: “ They have an intense desire
of not offending the Divine Majesty: they avoid even venial
sins; they love penitence; they have their hours of recol■ John, VIII, 12.
■ Phil, a SS. Trinitate, Sum. Theol. myst., P. II; Le Gaudier, De perfect,
vitre spir., P. II», sect. II»; Schram, Instil myst., § CI 11 ; A. Saudreau, The
Degrees oj the Spiritual Life, Vol. I, The Illuminative Way, p. 128-35; Cursus
A seetiens, Vol. II.
3 Interior Castle, Third Mansion, C. I.

BOOK ir. — THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY.

455

lection ; they employ their time usefully ; they perform works
of charity toward the neighbor. Everything about them is
in perfect order: their words, their clothes, their homes. ”
From this description we can draw the following con­
clusions.

963. i° Since the illuminative way consists in the
imitation of Our Lord, in order to enter therein we must
fulfil the three following conditions which enable us to
follow the Divine Master through the positive practice of
those virtues of which He has given us the example.
A) We must have already acquired purity of heart in some
measure, in order to aspire without rashness to that habi­
tual union with Our Lord which the imitation of His
virtues implies. So long as the soul remains exposed to
fall from time to time into mortal sin, it must above all
else avoid energetically the occasions of sin, combat the
evil tendencies of nature and resist temptations. It is only
after these obstacles have been overcome that the soul
concerns itself with the positive side of virtue. The soul
must likewise hold in abhorrence deliberate venial sin and
stri e to avoid it.
B) In the second place, we must have mortified our
passions. To follow Our Lord it is necessary to renounce
not merely mortal sin but deliberate venial sin as well,
especially such as we often commit and to which we are
attached. It is by a determined fight against the passions
and the capital sins that we gain that self-control which
enables us to practice the positive side of virtue and thus to
gradually come nearer to the Divine Model. Then, indeed
we can lead a well-regulated life, have moments in which
to recollect ourselves and devote our time to the fulfilment
of our duties of state.
964. C) Lastly, it is necessary that through meditation
we should have formed profound convictions on all the great
truths, so that in our meditations we can give more time to
devout affections and petitions, for it is by these that we
attract to our heart Our Lord’s virtues, and that we are
able to practice them without too much difficulty.
The souls, then, that are progressing in the life of per­
fection are recognized by these two principal signs: i) They
experience great difficulty in making their mental prayer
in a purely discursive fashion; the Holy Ghost inspires
them to give less time to considerations and more to
affections and petitions. 2) They are habitually possessed

456

BOOK II.

with a longing to be united to Our Lord, to know Him,
love Him and imitate Him.
965. 2° From what we have just said, we can see the
principal differences between the purgative and the illumi­
native way.
A) In both we find effort and struggle; but beginners
struggle against sin and its causes, whilst the souls in
progress struggle to adorn themselves with Christ’s virtues.
However, there is no opposition between these two ways;
rather one leads into the other. By detaching oneself from
sin and its causes in the purgative way, one already exercises
oneself in the practice of the virtues, although in their
lowest degree, which is predominantly negative. On the
other hand, the positive virtues one practices in the illumi­
native way, perfect the detachment from self and from
creatures. In the first instance it is the negative, in the
second, the positive side that is emphasized. The one
completes the other. By entering on the illuminative way
one does not cease to practice penance and mortification,
but one practices them with the view of becoming more like
Our Lord.
B) The means used in the two ways remain substantially
the same, but vary in the manner in which they are employed :
meditation, which in the purgative way is discursive, be­
comes affective in the illuminative way; thought which here­
tofore centered in God, now converges round the Person of
Our Lord, to know, love and imitate Him. He becomes the
real center of life.

II. Program to be followed in the Illuminative Way
966. This program follows from what has been hereto­
fore said.
i° The direct object in view is so to assimilate ourselves
to Our Lord that He becomes the center of our lives.
A) We make Him the center of our thoughts. We
love to study His life and His mysteries. The Gospel
presents to us new charms: we read it slowly and affection­
ately; the least details of Our Savior’s life, especially His
virtues have a deep interest for us. We find in the Gospel
an inexhaustible source of subjects for meditation. We
love to ponder over the words ot our Lord, to analyze them
and to apply them to ourselves. When we wish to practice
some virtue, it is in Jesus that we study it first of all, recall­
ing His teachings and His examples, and finding there the

457

THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY.

great motive for reproducing in ourselves His own dispo­
sitions and virtues. It is on Him that we focus our thoughts
during Holy Mass and Holy Communion: the liturgical
prayers become for us an excellent means of studying Our
Saviour. Lastly, by devout readings we strive to gain
a deeper knowledge of His doctrines, especially of His
spiritual teachings. It is Jesus we seek in books, “Jesum
qucerens in libris. ”

967. B) This knowledge leads to love, and Jesus
becomes the center of our affections, a) How could any
one, day after day, contemplate Him Who is the perfection
of beauty and goodness itself, and not feel drawn to love
Him! “Since I have known Jesus Christ,” said Lacordaire, “ nothing has seemed to me beautiful enough that
1 should look upon it with desire.”1 If the Apostles on
Mt. Thabor were ravished at the sight of the Lord’s trans­
figured humanity and cried out in wonder and love: “ It is
good for us to be here ”,*
2 our rapture must be still greater
as we gaze on the resplendent comeliness of the Risen
Christ.
b) How can we help loving Him if we often ponder the
earnest proofs of love He has given and continues to give
us, the Incarnation, the Redemption, the Holy Eucharist?
St. Thomas has marvelously grouped within a single strophe
the great things the Saviour has done for us :
Se nascens dedit socium,
Convescens in edulium,
Se moriens in pretium,
Se regnans dat in prœmium.3

His birth made Him our fellow, our friend, our brother,
and He never departs from us. By instituting the Holy
Eucharist He becomes our food and drink, replenishing
our souls with His Body, His Blood, and His Divinity.
Dying on the Cross He paid the price of our ransom,
set us free from the slavery of sin, restored to us
our supernatural life, and gave us the greatest proof
of love that friend can give to friend. In heaven, at
» Chocarne, Vie du P. Lacordaire, t. II, 119.
’ Maith., XVII, 4.
3 Hymn of Lauds :
" Born man, He makes Himself our kin,
He gives His Body at the board,
He dies and is the price of sin,
He reigns and is our sweet reward. ”
(Translation from Donohue’s “ Early Christian

Hymns, ”/

458

BOOK II.

last, He gives Himself as a reward, to be possessed for all
eternity; henceforth His glory and our happiness are one.
For all this we shall never be able to thank Him nor to love
Him enough.

968. C) But love leads to imitation. By the very fact
that we prize the qualities of a friend, that we are drawn to
him by those qualities, we want to reproduce them in
ourselves, so as to be but one with him in heart and soul ;
for we feel that our union will not be strong and deep
unless we share in the thoughts and feelings and actions of
our friend. We copy instinctively the one whom we love.
And thus it is that Jesus becomes the center of our actions,
of our whole existence. When we pray, we draw unto
ourselves Our Lord with His spirit of religion to glorify the
Father and effectively beg for the graces that we need.
When we labor, we unite ourselves to the Divine Artisan of
Nazareth, to work as He did, for the glory of God and the
salvation of souls. When we want to acquire some virtue,
we draw to ourselves the perfect model of that virtue, Jesus,
and with Him we strive to practice it. Even our recreations
are taken in union with Him and in His spirit, with a view
to labor later on for the great interests of God and of
His Church.
969. 2° To attain this end, however, means must be
employed ; these are, besides vocal prayers and affective
mental prayer, a sustained effort to practice those Christian
virtues which acquaint us better with Christ, increase our
love for Him and enable us to follow closer in His footsteps,
that is to say, the theological and the moral virtues. We
aim at solid virtue, based not on emotions but on deeprooted convictions.
K) We practice these virtues along parallel lines : we
cannot exercise ourselves in the practice of the moral virtues
without practicing the theological virtues, and vice versa.
Thus we cannot cultivate Christian prudence without being
guided by the light of faith, sustained by hope, and stimu­
lated by the love of God; in like manner,faith and hope
presuppose prudence, fortitude and temperance, and so it
is with the other virtues.
However, there are some virtues that harmonize better
than others with one or other of the degrees of the
illuminative way. Thus, those who have but entered
into this way, concentrate their efforts on the exercise
of some of the moral virtues, the need of which they feel

THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY.

459

more keenly in order to triumph over pride or sensuality.
Later on, when these vices have been brought under con­
trol, such persons devote themselves more especially to
the practice of the theological virtues, which unite us more
directly to God.
970. B) The better to understand this teaching, we
must briefly note here the difference between these two
kinds of virtues.
*
a) The theological virtues have God Himself as their
direct object and some divine attribute as their motive.
Thus, by Faith I believe in God, relying on His divine
authority; by charity, I love Him because of His infinite
goodness. On this very account these virtues unite us
directly to God; faith makes us share in His thought, charity
in His love.
b) The direct object of moral virtues is some created good,
and their motive some moral good. Thus the object of justice
is the rendering unto each one what is due him, and the
motive of this virtue is honesty. These virtues prepare for
our union with God by removing obstacles, and they
even initiate that union ; for instance, by being just I become
one with God, Who is justice itself. However, it is the
theological virtues that directly constitute and perfect our
union with God.

971. C) From this it follows that if we study the virtues
in the order of their excellence, we must begin with the
theological virtues; but if we follow, as we do here, the
psychological order, which proceeds from the less to the more
perfect, then we must begin with the study of the moral
virtues, without however losing sight of the aforesaid
remark concerning the parallel development of all Christian
virtues.
III. Two Classes of Souls in the Illuminative Way
In the illuminative way there are many classes of souls,
two of which are of special interest : devout souls and
fervent souls.

972. i° Devout souls are those possessed of good-will,
of ambition to do good, and who strive by serious efforts to
avoid deliberate faults. But as yet, they are vain and
presumptuous. Little inured to self-denial, they lack energy,
steadiness of purpose, especially in the face of trials. Hence
the frequent vacillation in their conduct : ready to suffer

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BOOK Π. — THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY.

when trials are far of, they lack patience when facing pain
and desolation ; quick to form generous resolves, they carry
them out but imperfectly in practice, especially if unforeseen
obstacles arise. Therefore, their advance is slow, and they
stand in need of cultivating the virtues of fortitude, of
constancy and of humility.

973. 2° Fervent souls are more humble and more
generous. Distrustful of self and confident in God, and
already habituated to the practice of Christian self-denial,
they are more energetic and more constant. However,
their abnegation is neither absolute nor universal. They
long for perfection, but their virtue has not yet been soli­
dified by trial. When consolation and spiritual joy come,
they welcome them and rest complacently in them. They
have not as yet the love of the cross. The firm resolutions
they take in the morning, they carry out but partially
during the day, because they lack constancy. They have
so far advanced in the love of God that they actually
renounce what is dangerous, but they bestow their affections,
at times overmuch, upon what God allows them to love :
their parents, their friends, the consolations they find in their
exercises of piety. They have still to detach themselves
more perfectly from whatever hinders their union with God.
We shall not treat separately of these two classes of
souls. The spiritual director will choose from among the
virtues we describe the ones best suited to each individual.

Division

of the

Second Book

974. The aim of souls in the illuminative way being
that of making Jesus the very center of their lives, 1° they
must give themselves to the practice of affective prayer, in
order to draw from it the knowledge, the love, and the
imitation of their divine Model. 2° They must practice in
a special though not exclusive manner, those moral virtues
which, by removing the obstacles to union with God, initiate
this union with Him, the Exemplar of all perfection.
3° Then the theological virtues which they practiced in the
purgative way side by side with the moral virtues, develop
in them and become the great motive power in their life.
4° But, since the warfare is far from being over, they must
foresee and make ready for new onslaughts of the enemy. *
Hence this second book comprises four chapters.
1 We shall, therefore, not treat here, in the illuminative way, of fat passive puri­
fication of the sensest nor of the prayer of quiet. These are the beginnings of

CHAPTER I. — AFFECTIVE PRAYER.

461

— Affective Prayer, the Distinctive Prayer
of the Illuminative Way
C. II. — Moral Virtues
C. III. — Theological Virtues
C. IV. — Struggle against the New Offensives of
the Enemy
C. I.

CHAPTER I
Affective Prayer *
1
975. Souls in the illuminative way continue in the
practice of the same spiritual exercises as beginners (n. 657),
but by increasing their number and by prolonging them,
they approach the state of habitual prayer, already described
in n. 522, which finds its perfect realization only in the unitive way. They apply themselves particularly to the
practice of affective prayer, which little by little takes the
place of discursive meditation. We shall explain : 1· the
nature of affective prayer; 2° its advantages; 30 its diffi­
culties; 40 its method.

Art. I. Nature

of

Affective Prayer

976. i° Definition. Affective prayer, as the term
indicates, is that form of prayer in which devout affections
predominate, that is, those various acts of the will whereby
we express to God our love and our desire of glorifying
Him. In this kind of prayer the heart is engaged to a greater
extent than the mind.
Beginners, as we have said (n. 668), need to acquire
convictions ; therefore they insist upon reasoning and give
but little time to affections. But in proportion as these
convictions grow and take root in the soul, less time is
infused contemplation and therefore belong to the unitive way.

However, we beg
to call the reader’s attention to the fact that some writers of note hold that the first
passive purification and the prayer of quiet belong to the illuminative way.
Cf. Garrigou-Lagrange, Perfect. Chrlt. et contemplation, t. I, p. VIII.
1 Thomas de Vallgornera, Q. II, disput. VI; Rodriguez, Christian Per­
fection, P. I, Treat. V; Crasset, A Key to Meditation ; Courbon, Familiar
Instructions on Mental Prayer; Lallemant, Spiritual Doctrine, Seventh
Principle; GvX)\J, Hovj to Pray; POULAIN Graces of Interior Prayer, C. II;
Lehodey, The Ways of Mental Prayer, P. II, C. VIII; Saudreau, The Degress
of the Spiritual Life, Vo). I, P. 249-274; R. DE MAUMIGNY, Practice of Mental
Prayer, I, P. HI.

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CHAPTER I.

required to renew them and greater play is allowed to the
affections. Smitten with love for God and charmed by the
beauty of virtue, we rise with greater ease in loving
aspirations towards the Author of all good in order to
worship Him, to praise Him, to thank Him, to love Him;
towards Our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Exemplar,
Master, Friend, and Brother, in order to offer Him the
tenderest sentiments of love; towards the Most Blessed
Virgin, the Mother of God and our Mother, the dispenser
of God’s gifts, in order to express to her our filial, trustful
and unselfish love (n. 166).
Other sentiments arise spontaneously in the soul : senti­
ments of shame, of confusion and humiliation at the sight
of our miseries; ardent desires to become better, and
confident petitions to obtain the necessary grace; zeal for
God’s glory which makes us pray for the great interests of
the Church and the welfare of souls.
977. 2° Transition from discursive meditation to
affective prayer. One does not attain suddenly to this
kind of prayer. There is a period of transition when to
a greater or lesser extent considerations and affections
intermingle. There follows another period in which consi­
derations still take place, but in the form of a colloquy after
this fashion : “ Help me, O my God, to realize how neces­
sary is this virtue. ” Some brief moments are then given
to reflection, and the colloquy continues: “ I thank Thee,
O my God, for Thy divine lights. Vouchsafe to burn into
my soul these truths, in order that they may affect my life
more deeply... Help me, I beseech Thee, to see how short
I fall of this virtue... what I must do to practice it better...
this very day. ” At last, a time arrives when reasoning all
but ceases, or at least, it is so rapidly done that the greater
part of prayer is passed in devout colloquies. Still, at times
one feels the need of returning for a few moments to consi­
derations so as to keep the mind sufficiently occupied. In
all this one must follow the motions of grace under the
guidance of a spiritual director.
978. 30 Signs that warrant this change. A) It is
important that we recognize the signs which tell us when to
relinquish discursive for affective prayer. To do so prema­
turely would be imprudent, for if the soul is not yet suffi­
ciently advanced to entertain these affections, it will fall
into distractions or aridity. On the other hand, it would be
a loss to make the change too late, for according to all
spiritual writers, affective prayer is more fruitful than

AFFECTIVE PRAYER.

463

discursive prayer, since it is chiefly by acts of the will that
we give glory to God and attract virtue to ourselves.
B) These signs are as follows: i) When despite good-will
one finds it difficult to pursue considerations or to draw
profit from them, and at the same time one is inclined
towards affections in prayer. 2) When convictions are so
firmly rooted in the soul that it takes but a moment to
recall them. 3) When the heart, detached from sin, easily
tends towards God or towards Our Lord. However, since
no one is a fair judge in his own case, these signs are to be
submitted to the judgment of the spiritual director.

979. 40 Means of fostering affections in prayer.
A) These devout affections are multiplied and prolonged
chiefly through the exercise of the virtue of charity, for
they spring from a heart where the love of God reigns
supreme. It is such a heart that moves us to admire the
divine perfections. Aglow with faith, it makes visible to
our eyes the infinite beauty, the goodness, and the loving
mercy of God ; a sense of awe and of wonder arises sponta­
neously and in turn gives birth to gratitude, praise, and
delight in God. The more the soul loves God, the more
are these various acts prolonged. The same is true of love
towards Our Lord Jesus Christ. When we pass in review
His many favors to us (n. 967), the sufferings He has
endured for us, the love He shows us now in the Holy
Eucharist, we are easily drawn on to sentiments of admi­
ration, adoration, gratefulness, pity, love, and we feel
constrained to praise and bless One Who loves us so much.
980. B) To nurture this love, souls in the illuminative
way should be advised to meditate frequently on the great
truths that recall to us what God has done and ceaselessly
does for us: —
a) The indwelling of the Three Divine Persons in our soul and
Their paternal action in our regard (n. 92-130).
b) Our incorporation into Christ and the part He plays in the
Christian life (n. 132-153). His life, His mysteries and, above all, His
cruel Passion, His love in the Eucharist.
C) The share of the Blessed Virgin, the Angels and the Saints in the
Christian life (n. 154-189). Herein we find an excellent means of
lending variety to the affections by addressing ourselves now to our
Mother in Heaven, now to the Holy Angels, especially to our Guardian
Angel, now to the Saints, and in particular to those that inspire in us
greater devotion.
d) Such vocal prayers as the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the
Hymns of St. Thomas to the Blessed Sacrament, e\.z...
abound
in sentiments of love, gratitude, conformity to God’s will.

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CHAPTER I.

e) The fundamental virtues: religion towards God, obedience to
superiors, humility, fortitude, temperance, and, above all, the three
theological virtues. These virtues are to be considered now not in
the abstract but as exemplified by Our Lord. It is in order to resemble
Him and to show Him our love that we strive to practice them.
f ) We must nevertheless continue to meditate on penance, mortifi­
cation, sin, and the last things, but in a manner different from that of
beginners. We should consider Our Lord as a perfect model of
penance and of mortification, loaded down with the burden of our
transgressions and atoning for them through a long martyrdom, and we
should strive to draw to ourselves these virtues. Should we meditate
on death, heaven, and hell, it will be to detach ourselves from created
things in order to unite ourselves to Jesus and thereby secure the grace
of a happy death and a bright throne in heaven, close to Jesus.

Art. IL Advantages

of

Affective Prayer

These flow from the very nature of this prayer.
981. 1° The principal advantage is a closer and more
abiding union with God. Because this prayer multiplies
affective acts, it produces an increase of love for God.
Thus the affections are at once effect and cause. They
spring from our love of God and at the same time perfect
that love, since virtues grow by the repetition of the same
acts. For the same reason they give us a better knowledge
of the divine perfections. For, as St. Bonaventure 1 points
out, “ the best way to arrive at a knowledge of God is to
taste the sweetness of His love; this is a far better way,
worthier, and more gratifying than the way of intellectual
research. ” Just as we form a better appreciation of the
fine quality of a tree by tasting the fruit it produces, so we
realize all the better the worth of the divine attributes, once
we experience the charming tenderness of God’s love. This
knowledge in turn increases our charity, our earnestness,
and urges us on to the perfect exercise of all virtues.

982.2° Because affective prayer increases our love for
God, it perfects all the virtues that flow from charity :
a) conformity to God's will, for we delight in doing the will
of those we love ; b) desire to procure the glory of God and
the salvation of souls, for if we love we cannot but praise
and seek praise for the object of our affections; c) love of
silence and recollection, for we want to be alone with Him
Whom we love, in order to think the oftener of Him and to
tell Him again of our love; d) desire offrequent Communion,
for we want to possess as perfectly as we can the object of
1 Sen/. L III, dist. 35, a. 1, q. a.

AFFECTIVE PRAYER.

465

our love, to welcome Him joyfully into our hearts and
joyfully abide with Him all the day long; e) the spirit of
sacrifice, for we know that we cannot be one with the
Crucified and through Him with God, except inasmuch as
we deny ourselves and sacrifice our ease in order to carry
our cross without faltering and to accept all the trials that
Providence sends us.
983. 3° In affective prayer we often find spiritual con­
solation. There is no purer, no sweeter joy than that found
in the companionship of a friend, and Jesus being the
tenderest and most generous of friends, we relish in His
presence a taste of Heaven’s joys : To be with Jesus is a
sweet paradise. True, side by side with these joys there
are at times trials, such as aridity, but we accept these with
a sweet resignation and we tell God again and again that
in spite of all we wish to love and serve Him. The thought
that we suffer for God’s sake alleviates our sufferings and
becomes a source of consolation.
We may add that affective prayer is not as difficult as
discursive prayer. In the latter, fatigue follows quickly
upon the effort of reasoning, whilst if we let our heart pro­
duce sentiments of love, of gratitude, of praise, the soul
experiences a sweet rest, and is thus enabled to conserve its
energies for action.
984. 4° Lastly, affective prayer becomes more and
more simple as we lessen the number and the variety of
affections and intensify a certain few of them, and it thus
leads us on gradually to the prayer of simplicity. This
already constitutes acquired contemplation, and it prepares
for infused contemplation the souls that are called to it.
Of this we shall speak when treating of the unitive way.

Art. III. The Disadvantages and the Dangers
of Affective Prayer
The best things in this world are not free from disadvan­
tages and dangers. This holds true of affective prayer
unless it be practiced with discretion. We shall now point
out its dangers and disadvantages together with the proper
remedies.

985. i° The first danger is mental strain, leading to
fatigue and exhaustion. Some persons, anxious to lend
intensity to their affective acts, strain their minds and
hearts, and violently bestir themselves to produce acts of

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CHAPTER I.

love in which nature plays a greater part than grace.
Such efforts wear out their nervous system and cause
the blood to rush to the brain; a sort of slow fever con­
sumes their strength and they are soon exhausted. Physio­
logical disorders even may ensue, and sensations more or
less sensual may join with devout affections.
986. This is a serious defect which must be corrected at
the very outset by consulting a wise director and following
his advice. Now, the remedy consists in the profound
conviction that true love of God is centered in the will
rather than in the feelings; that the generosity of that love
does not consist in vehement1 emotional transports, but in
a calm and determined purpose of refusing nothing to
Almighty God. Let us bear in mind that love is an act
of the will. No doubt, it does react on the feelings and
excite more or less lively emotions, yet these do not con­
stitute the essence of true devotion ; they are but acciden­
tal manifestations thereof which must remain subject to
the will and must be regulated by it. In the absence
of this control, the emotions gain the ascendency, (which
means disorder) and instead of fostering solid piety, they
make it degenerate into sentimental, at times into sensual
love, for all violent emotions are fundamentally of the
same kind, and the passage from one to the other is easy.
We must therefore strive to spiritualize our affections, to
moderate them and press them into the service of the
will. Then we shall enjoy a peace that lies above and
beyond all feeling, “ The peace of God which surpasseth all
understanding. ” 2

987. 2° The second danger of affective prayer is pride
and presumption. Because one is possessed of good and
noble sentiments, of holy desires, of fine projects for spiri­
tual progress ; because one experiences sensible fervor, and
in such moments scorns the pleasures and goods and vani­
ties of this world, one becomes easily persuaded that one is
far more advanced in the spiritual life than one really is,
and one may even wonder whether one has not all but
reached the heights of perfection and contemplation. At
times, one may even hold one’s breath at prayer awaiting
some divine communication. These sentiments show, on
«No doubt, there are Saints who have at times experienced transports of love,
which manifested themselves by sensible phenomena; these however were not pro­
duced by the Saints themselves, but by the grace of God. To wish to stir up
violent emotions in oneself by way of imitation of the Saints would amount to
presumption. — 3 Phil., IV, 7.

AFFECTIVE PRAYER.

467

the contrary, that one is still far removed from such exalted
heights; for, the saints and the truly fervent distrust them­
selves, ever regard themselves as the worst, and readily
believe that others are better than themselves. Therefore,
one must return to the practice of humility and self-distrust,
taking into consideration what we shall say subsequently
regarding this virtue. Besides, when these sentiments of
pride develop, God frequently takes it upon Himself to
bring back such souls to a right sense of their unworthiness
and their insufficiency, by depriving them of consolations
and of choice graces. Then they realize that they are as
yet far removed from the desired goal.

988. 3° There are some who make their entire devotion
consist in a quest after spiritual consolations, whilst they
neglect their duties of state and the practice of the ordinary
virtues. Provided they are able to make what they con­
sider beautiful meditations, they imagine themselves to be
perfect. This is a gross delusion. There is no perfection
without conformity to the divine will; and it is God’s will
that besides keeping the commandments we should faith­
fully discharge our duties of state, practice the homely
virtues of modesty, kindness, graciousness, amiability, as
well as the greater ones. To believe that one is a saint
because one loves prayer and especially the comforts of
prayer, is to forget that he alone is perfect who does the
will of God : “ Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven : but he that doth
the will of' my Father. ”1
Once we know how to remove these obstacles and dan­
gers by using the means indicated, affective prayer becomes
highly conducive to our spiritual progress as well as to the
exercise of apostolic zeal.

Art. IV. Methods

of

Affective Prayer

These methods are reduced to two types : the method of
St. Ignatius and that of St. Sulpice.

I. The Methods of St. Ignatius *
Among the methods of St. Ignatius there are three related
to affective prayer : 1° Contemplation. 2° The Application
of the Senses. 30 Meditated vocal prayer.
■ Matth., VII, 21.
■ St. Ignatius, Spiritual Exercitas, 2nd week; R. de Maumionv, Practice of
Mental Prayer. I, P. V.

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CHAPTER I.

i° St. Ignatius’ Method

of

Contemplation

989.It is not question here of infused contemplation
nor even of acquired contemplation, but of a method of
affective prayer. To contemplate any given thing is not
merely to glance at it, but to linger on it with pleasure,
to look at it with wonder and love, much as a mother gazes
upon her child. The object of this contemplation may be
the mysteries of Our Lord or the divine attributes.
When we meditate upon some mystery : 1) we contem­
plate the persons who take part in it, for instance, the Most
Blessed Trinity, Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, the Saints;
2) we listen to their words, see to whom they are addressed,
and search their meaning; 3) we consider the nature and
circumstances of their actions.
All these lead us to offer our homage to God, to Jesus
Christ, to Our Lady and to the Saints, and thus to know
and to love better our Blessed Saviour.

990. That this contemplation may be fruitful, we look upon the
mystery in question, not as a past event, but as one actually taking
place before our eyes. Moreover, we do not simply witness the mystery,
but actively share in it, for example, by making our own the sentiments
that animated the Blessed Virgin at the moment of Our Lord’s birth.
Besides, we seek to attain some practical result, for example, a more
intimate knowledge of Jesus, a more unselfish love for Him.
We can easily see how a subject thus considered readily admits of
all sentiments of admiration, adoration, gratitude, love towards God,
as well as of self-reproach, unworthiness, sorrow at the sight of our sins,
in a word, of every kind of prayer which we can offer for ourselves
and for others.
In order that these manifold affections may not alter our peace of
soul, we must not forget the wise remark of St. Ignatius 1 : “ If I
experience in this or that point of meditation such sentiments as I
wanted to excite in my soul, I shall stop and tarry there, without
concerning myself with proceeding further, until my soul has had its
fill ; for it is not an abundance of knowledge that lays hold on the soul
and satisfies it, but the inward relish of the truths it meditates. ”
20 The Application

of the

Senses

991.
This is the name given to a very simple and very
devout way of meditating. It consists in the imaginative
or spiritual exercise of our senses upon some mystery of
Our Lord’s life, in order that the soul may attain to a fuller
realization of all the circumstances attending the said mys­
tery, and that the heart may be moved to stir up pious
sentiments and to make good resolutions.

1 Spiritual Exercises, 2nd annot., 4th addit.; R. DE Maumigny, Practice of
Menial Prayer, I, P. V.

AFFECTIVE PRAVER.

469

The following is an example taken from the mystery of the Nativity.
1) Application of the sense of sight : I see the tiny Babe laid in the
manger, the straw whereon He rests, the swaddling clothes wherewith
He is wrapped. I see His little hands trembling with cold, His eyes
glistening with tears. This Infant is my God! I adore Him with
lively sentiments of faith. I see the Blessed Virgin, a picture of
meekness and heavenly beauty! I see her taking the Child Jesus in
her arms, covering Him tenderly, pressing Him to her heart and
laying Him upon the straw. That Babe is her Son and her God!
I wonder and pray. Then I think of Holy Communion, in which
I receive the self-same Jesus. Do I have Mary’s faith, Mary’s love?
2) Application of the sense of hearing : I hear the cries of the Divine
Infant. I hear the sobs that suffering wrings from Him. He is cold,
He suffers, chiefly because of the hard-heartedness of men. I listen to
the words His heart speaks to the heart of His Mother. I hearken to
the answer She makes, an answer full of faith, of adoration, of humil­
ity, of love. I join in her sentiments.
3) Application of the sense of smell: I breathe the aroma of the vir­
tues the lowly manger holds, the fragrance of Christ Jesus, and I beg
my Savior to grant me that spiritual sense that will enable me to
breathe in the perfume of His humility.
4) Application of the sense of taste: I relish the delight of being nigh
to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the delight of loving them, and the better
to enjoy this delight I silently rest close to my Savior.
5) Application of the sense of touch: With loving reverence I feel
that straw whereon my Savior lies, I press it to my lips with love ; and
by the leave of the Divine Child, I kiss His sacred feet. '

One ends by holding a devout colloquy with Jesus and
with His Blessed Mother, asking the grace of loving this
Divine Savior with a more generous love.

992. As to meditation on the divine attributes, it is
made by considering each of them with sentiments of ador­
ation, of praise, and of love, in order to arrive at the
complete surrender of self to God.2
3° Vocal Prayer Meditated

993. This method of meditating consists in a leisurely
consideration of any vocal prayer, such as the Our Father,
the Hail Mary, the Hail Holy Queen etc., in order to ponder
and relish the meaning of each word.
Thus, with the Lord’s Prayer, we consider the first word and say,
for instance : O my God, Thou the Eternal, the Almighty Creator of
all things, Thou hast adopted me as Thy child, Thou art my Father.
Thou art so, because at Baptism Thou hast vouchsafed to have me
share in that divine life which is Thine, because each day Thou dost
foster it in my soul. Thou art so, because Thou lovest me with a love
■ St. Ignatius dares not go this far. Other Saints have done so, and if grace
prompts us we may imitate them.
’ See the last contemplation of St. Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises, IV Week.

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CHAPTER I.

surpassing that of any earthly father or mother for a child, because
Thou dost encompass me with a solicitude truly paternal.·
We dwell upon this one word as long as we find therein new depths
of meaning and draw therefrom fresh sentiments that yield some light,
strength or consolation. If we find in one word or two sufficient
matter for all the time of our prayer, we do not proceed further, but
we relish these words, draw from them some practical conclusion, and
pray to be enabled to carry it out.

These methods are three simple and easy ways of
making affective prayer.

II. The Method of St. Sulpice

We have already noted, n. 701, that this method is
particularly adapted to affective prayer. Souls in the illum­
inative way may make profitable use of it if only they
bear in mind the following remarks :
994. i° The first point, the adoration, which was rather
brief for beginners, is now prolonged more and more, and at
times may take up over one-half of the time of meditation.
The soul, seized by love for God, admires, adores, praises,
blesses, thanks now the Three Divine Persons, now each of
Them in particular, now Our Blessed Lord, the perfect
model of the virtue we wish to make our own. According
to circumstances, the soul likewise offers here its reverent,
grateful, and loving homages to the Blessed Virgin and to
the Saints, and whilst so doing it feels itself drawn to
imitate their virtues.

995. 20 The second point, the communion, likewise
becomes almost completely affective. The few considera­
tions made are rather brief, and they are made in the form
of a colloquy with God or with Our Lord, thus : “ Help me,
O my God, to establish this truth more firmly in my soul... ”
These colloquies are accompanied or followed by outpour­
ings of gratitude for the lights received, and by ardent
desires of practicing the virtue upon which we meditate.
On turning to examine ourselves with regard to this virtue,
we do so under the gaze of Jesus and by comparison with
this Divine Model. The result is a clearer realization, by
far, of our defects and of our misery which are brought out
by the contrast between Him and us. Then sentiments of
humiliation and shame are more deeply felt, our confidence
in God increases because we find ourselves before the
Divine Healer of souls, and instinctively the heart utters
1 A. Durand, op. cit., p. 458-459; R. de Maumigny, l. c., C. VI.

AFFECTIVE PRAYER.

471

the cry : “ Lord, behold him whom Thou lovest is sick. ” 1
Earnest petitions are then made for the grace of practicing
some particular virtue, petitions in behalf of others, petit­
ions for the universal Church, petitions full of confidence,
because being incorporated into Christ, we know our
prayers have His support.

996. 3° The third point, the co-operation, assumes a
more affective character : the resolution that we form is
submitted to Jesus for approval, and the desire which
prompts us to carry it out in practice is that of becoming
even more thoroughly one with Christ. For the realization
of this good purpose we rely on His collaboration, while
distrusting ourselves. We associate this resolution with a
spiritual bouquet, a loving aspiration which we repeat often
during the course of the day, and which helps us not only
to put our resolution into practice, but also to remind us of
Him Who inspired it.
997. There are times, however, when the soul affected by aridity,
cannot, save with great difficulty, produce such affections. Then, in
sweet abandonment to the will of God, it reaffirms its determination to
love Him, to remain loyal to Him, to abide in His presence and in His
service, no matter what it may cost ; it humbly avows its own unwor­
thiness, its own powerlessness, makes its will one with Christ’s, offers
with Him the homages He renders to God and joins thereto its own
suffering at not being able to do more to honor the Divine Majesty.
These acts of the will are even richer in merit than devout affections.

Such are the principal methods of affective prayer. Let
each one choose the method best adapted to himself, and,
under the influence of divine grace, take from it what
actually answers to his needs and supernatural attractions.
In this manner the soul will advance in the practice
of virtue.

■ John, XI, 3.

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CHAPTER Π.

CHAPTER Π
The Moral Virtues 1
Before proceeding to describe them singly, we must
briefly recall the theological notions concerning the infused
virtues.

Preliminary Notions Concerning
Virtues

the

Infused

First we shall speak of the infused virtues in general, and
then of the moral virtues in particular.
I. The Infused Virtues in General'1
998. There are natural virtues, that is to say, there are
good habits, acquired through the frequent repetition of
acts, that render easy the performance of morally good
actions. Thus, pagans, and unbelievers can with the help
of God’s natural concurrence acquire and gradually perfect
the moral virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temper­
ance. We do not treat here of these natural virtues, but
of the supernatural or infused virtues as they exist in the
Christian soul.

999. Raised to the supernatural state, and having no
other destiny than the Beatific Vision, we must tend thereto
through acts performed under the influence of supernatural
principles and of supernatural motives, for there must be a
proportion between the end and the acts that lead to it.
And so, the virtues which the world calls natural, must be
practiced by us in a supernatural manner. As Father Garrigou-Lagrange3, following St. Thomas, rightly says : “The
Christian moral virtues are infused and because of their
formal object, are essentially distinct from the highest of
acquired moral virtues described by the greatest philoso■ St. Thomas, 1“ Ilæ. q. 55-67; 11“ Ilæ. q. 48-170; Suarez. Disput. metaptuy.,
XLIV ; ile Passionibus et habitibus, De fdeeic. ; JOANNES A S. THOMA, Cursus
theol., Tr. de Passionibus, habitibus et virtutibus, etc.; Alvarez DE PAZ, t. II.
lib. 111, de adeptione virtutum; Phil, a SS. Trinit., P. Il, tr. 11, dis. 1, II;
J. J. Olier, Introd. à la vie et aux vertus chrêt.; Ribet, Les vertus et les dons;
P. DE Smedt, Notre vie surnaturelle, t. II; St. Francis of Sales, Devout Life,
passim; Gay, Christian Life and Virtues.
* St. Thomas, 1“ Ilæ, q. 62-63; Suarez. De passionibus et habitibus, diss. III;
J. A St. Thoma, op. cit., disp. XVI; L. Billot, De virt. infusis; P. Janvier,
Carême 1906; P. Garrigou-Lagrangë, Perfect, chrêt. et contemplation, p. 62-75.
3 Op. cit., p. 64.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

473

pliers... There is an infinite difference between Aristotelian
temperance with reason as its only rule, and Christian tem­
perance with the superadded rule of divine faith and super­
natural prudence. ”
We have already shown in nos. 121-122, how these virtues
are communicated to us by the Holy Ghost dwelling in us;
now we have but to describe : i° their nature, 2° their
growth, 30 their decline, 4° the bond of union existing
among them.
t°

The Nature

of the

Infused Virtues

1000. A) The infused virtues are principles of action
which God ingrafts in us, that they may perform in the soul
the function of supernatural faculties and may thus enable
us to perform meritorious acts.
There exists an essential difference between the infused
and the acquired virtues from the threefold point of view
of origin, mode of operation, and purpose.
a) As regards origin, the natural virtues are acquired by the repeti­
tion of the same acts, whilst the supernatural virtues proceed from
God, Who implants them in the soul together with habitual grace.
b) From the point of view of operation, the natural virtues, because
they are acquired through the repetition of the same acts, give us a
facility for producing the like acts readily and with a sense of pleasure ;
the supernatural virtues, placed by God in the soul, simply give us the
power to produce meritorious acts, together with a certain tendency
towards the production of these acts; facility will come with frequent
repetition.
C) With regard to their purpose, the natural virtues seek natural
righteousness and direct us towards the Creator, the God of Nature;
the infused virtues pursue supernatural good and lead us to the God
of Revelation, the Triune God, made known to us by faith. Hence,
the motives inspiring the latter must be supernatural ; they all refer to
our friendship with God. I practice prudence, justice, temperance and
fortitude, in order to be one with God.

1001. It follows that acts of supernatural virtue are
possessed of a far higher perfection than acts of acquired
virtue L Christian temperance, for instance, leads us not
merely to the moderation needed to maintain man’s dignity,
but to positive practices of mortification whereby we become
more like Our Savior; Christian humility not only makes
us avoid the excesses of pride and of anger incompatible
with right reason, but it causes us to embrace humiliation,
which renders us more like Our Divine Exemplar.
« Sum. theol., II· Ilæ, q. 63, a. 4; H. Noble, Vie spirituelle, Nov. 1921
p. 103-104.

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CHAPTER Π.

There is therefore an essential difference between acquired
and infused virtues ; for their principle and their motive
differ.

1002.B) We have said that facility in the exercise of
the infused virtues is acquired by the repetition of the same
acts and lends readiness, ease and pleasure to action. Three
main causes concur in producing this happy result :
a) Habit lessens the obstacles or the resistance offered by our lower
nature, and thus, with the same amount of effort, better results are
obtained, b) Habit likewise renders our faculties, more pliant, makes
them quicker to respond to the motives that lead us to good and more
skilful in the attainment of the good perceived ; we even experience a
certain satisfaction in the exercise of faculties so well trained, much as
a musician does in playing upon a delicate instrument. C) Lastly,
actual grace, bestowed upon us in proportion to our faithful correspon­
dence, likewise gives us a singular facility to perform our task and to
love it.

We may note in passing that this facility once acquired
is not immediately lost when by mortal sin we lose the
infused virtue; but being the result of oft-repeated acts,
it still remains for a time, in virtue of the psychological
laws governing acquired habits.
2° The Growth

of

Infused Virtues

1003. A) The infused virtues are susceptible of growth
in the soul and do, as a matter of fact, grow there with the
increase of habitual grace, whence they flow. This growth
is God-given, since He alone can give us an increase of
divine life and of the elements that constitute it. Now,
God causes this increase when we receive the Sacraments,
perform good works, or recite our prayers.
a) Because of their very institution, the Sacraments cause within us
an increase of habitual grace, and thereby of the infused virtues that
go with grace, in proportion to our dispositions, nos. 259-261.
b) Our good works, also, merit not only glory, but an increase of
habitual grace and thereby an increase of the infused virtues. This
increase depends in a large measure upon the fervor of our dispositions,
no. 237.
e) Prayer, besides its meritorious value, has an impetratory power;
it obtains an increase of grace and of virtue in proportion to the fervor
with which we pray. It is important, then, that we unite our prayers
to those of the Church and that with her we ask for an increase of
faith, hope, and charity.
B) According to St. Thomas, this increase is effected not by an
accession of degree or of quantity, but by a more perfect and more
effective possession of the virtue. It is in this manner that virtues take
deeper root in the soul and become more solid and more active.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

3° The Decline

and

Loss of

the

475

Virtues

Any activity that is given up or is brought into play but
seldom, tends to decline or even to be lost entirely.
1004. A) The Weakening of the Virtues. In reality,
the infused virtues cannot be decreased, any more than can
sanctifying grace, on which they depend. Venial sin can­
not diminish them, just as it cannot decrease habitual grace
itself. But venial sin, especially when frequent and fully
deliberate, does hinder considerably the' exercise of these
virtues, by lessening the facility acquired through previous
acts. This facility is the result of earnestness and perseve­
rance in effort; but deliberate venial faults chill our ardor,
and partly paralyze our activity, no. 730. Thus, venial sins
against the virtue of temperance, though they do not detract
from that infused virtue itself gradually lessen the facility
once acquired for mortifying sensuality. Besides, abuse of
grace causes a reduction of the number of actual graces
which help in the exercise of the virtues, and on this
account the practice of virtue lacks vigor. Lastly, as we
have stated, (no. 731) deliberate venial faults pave the way
for grave ones and thereby for the loss of the virtues.
1005. B) The Loss of the Virtues. We can state as
a principle that the infused virtues are lost by any act that
destroys their formal object, their motive. In fact, virtue is
thereby torn out by the roots.
a) Thus, charity is forfeited by any mortal sin, for such sin destroys
the formal object or basis of that virtue, since mortal sin is directly
opposed to God’s infinite goodness.
b) The infused moral virtues also are lost through any mortal sin.
They are bound to charity in such wise, that they come and go with it.
However, the facility that had been acquired to perform acts of pru­
dence, of justice etc., remains for a time after the infused virtues have
been lost, due to the persevering character of acquired habits.
C) As to the virtues of faith and hope, these abide in the soul, even
when grace has been lost by mortal sin, unless it be a sin directly
opposed to either of these virtues. This is so because other sins do
not destroy in the soul the foundations of faith or of hope ; besides
God in His infinite mercy wills that these two virtues stay with us as a
last anchor of salvation. As long as we believe and as long as we hope
conversion remains relatively easy.

4° The Bond

of

Uni,on Existing Among

the

Virtues

1006. It is often said that all virtues are correlated.
This demands explanation.
A) First of all, charity rightly conceived and rightly
practiced comprises all the virtues ; not only faith and hope

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CHAPTER II.

(which is evident), but even the moral virtues, as we have
explained, following St. Paul, in no. 318 : “ Charity is patient,
is kind, etc." This is true in the sense that he who loves
God and the neighbor for God’s sake, is ready to practice
one and all the virtues the moment conscience makes him
aware of his obligation. As a matter of fact one cannot
truly love God above all things, and not want to observe His
commandments and even some of the counsels. Besides,
the proper function of charity is that of directing all our
acts towards God, our last end, and hence of controlling
the acts of all the Christian virtues. One may say that a
growth in charity is attended by a positive growth in the
other virtues as well.
However, whilst the love of God inclines the will towards acts of the
moral virtues and facilitates their practice, it does not immediately and
necessarily bestow the perfection of all these virtues, for instance, of
prudence, of humility, of obedience, of chastity. A sincerely converted
sinner, for example, who had previously contracted evil habits, will
not, though practicing charity in all earnestness, become at once
Cerfectly prudent, perfectly chaste, or temperate. Time and effort will
e required before he can discard old habits and form new ones.

1007. B) Since charity constitutes the form, the fulness
of perfection of'all the virtues, the latter are never perfect
without it. Thus faith and hope which abide in the sinner’s
soul are indeed real virtues, but remain incomplete, that is
to say, they lack that quality that directs them towards
God as last end ; and so the acts of faith and of hope per­
formed in the state of sin cannot merit heaven, even though
they are supernatural and form a preparation for con­
version.
1008. C) With regard to the moral virtues, if one
possesses them in their perfection, that is to say, animated
by charity and in a somewhat high degree, they are truly
correlated in this sense that we cannot be in possession of
one without possessing the others. Thus, all virtues in
order to be perfect, require the virtue of prudence. Pru­
dence itself cannot be practiced perfectly without the con­
currence of fortitude, of justice, and of temperance. A
weak character prone to injustice and to intemperance will
in many circumstances fail in prudence. Justice, likewise,
cannot be practiced in all its perfection without strength of
soul and temperance. Fortitude in turn must be tempered
by prudence and justice, and it would not long survive
without the virtue of temperance.1
1 Cf. St Augustine, Letter 167 to Jerome P. L. XXXIII, 735.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

477

When however the moral virtues exist but in a low
degree, the presence of one does not necessarily entail the
practice of the others. Thus there are persons who are
modest without being humble and others who are humble
without being merciful, or merciful without being just.1

II. The Moral Virtues
We shall give a brief account of their nature, their nùmber, and of the character common to all.
1009. i° Their Nature. These virtues are called moral
for a twofold reason : a) to distinguish them from the purely
intellectual virtues, which perfect the intellect with no refe­
rence to the moral life, such as science, art, etc. ; b) to
differentiate them also from the theological virtues, which
do indeed regulate our moral life, but which, as we have
already said, have God directly for their object, while the
moral virtues pursue directly a supernatural, created good,
for example, the mastery of our passions. Withal, we must
bear in mind that the supernatural, moral virtues themselves
constitute a participation in the life of God and fit us for
the Beatific Vision. Furthermore, according as these vir­
tues become more and more perfect, and especially when
they are complemented by the gifts of the Holy Ghost,
they merge with the theological virtues in such wise as to
become, as it were, permeated by these, until they are but
the various manifestations of the charity that animates them.
1010.2° Their Number. The moral virtues considered
in their divers ramifications are very numerous, but all can
be reduced to the four cardinal virtues (so called from the
word cardines, hinges) since they are, so to speak, four
hinges upon which all the other virtues depend.
These four virtues, in fact, meet all the soul’s needs and
perfect all its moral faculties.
1011. A) They meet all the needs of the soul.
a) First of all, we must make a choice of all the means
necessary or useful to the attainment of our supernatural
end : this falls within the scope of the virtue of prudence.
b) We must likewise respect the rights of others : this
comes within the sphere ofjustice.
C) In order to defend, without fear or violence, both
ourselves and our possessions from the dangers that threaten
us, we stand in need of the virtue of fortitude.
■ St. Gregory, Moral. L XXII, c. I.

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CHAPTER Π.

d) If we would use the goods of this world and its plea­
sures without exceeding the proper measure, we need the vir­
tue of temperance. Thus, justice regulates our relations with
the neighbor, fortitude and temperance determine our duties
to ourselves and prudence directs the other three virtues.
1012. B) They perfect all the moral faculties. The
intellect is controlled by prudence, the will by justice, the
irascible appetite by fortitude, and the concupiscible appetite
by temperance. We must however call attention to the
fact that inasmuch as both the irascible and concupiscible
appetites receive their morality solely through the will, the
virtues of fortitude and temperance reside in this superior
faculty as well as in the lower faculties that are directed in
their function by the will.

1013.C) Lastly, we may add that each of these virtues
can be considered as a genus containing integral, subjective
and potential parts.
a) The integral parts are complements so useful or necessary to the

practice of virtue, that the virtue would not be perfect were these
elements lacking. Thus, patience and constancy are integral parts of
fortitude.
b) The subjective (or inherent) parts are, so to speak, different
species subordinated to the principal virtue. Thus, sobriety and
chastity are subjective parts of temperance.
e) The potential (or accessory) parts have a certain similarity to the
principal virtue, but do not in every respect fulfil all the conditions
found in it. Thus, the virtue of religion is an accessory part of the
virtue of justice, because it tends to render to God the worship due to
Him, but it can do so only inadequately, both as regards the perfection
of the manner in which that worship should be rendered, and the
extent in which it should be offered. Obedience likewise renders to
superiors the submission due to them, but here again there exists no
strict right, absolutely speaking, nor the relation of equal to equal.

Our task will be easier, and that of our readers also, if we
do not enter into an enumeration of all these divisions and
subdivisions. We shall select the principal virtues and we
shall lay stress only upon their most essential elements
from the twofold point of view of theory and practice.

1014. 3° The Character Common to All Moral Virtues.
a) All the moral virtues strive to keep the golden mean :
in medio stat virtus. They must follow the rule of right
reason enlightened by faith. This rule may be broken
either by excess or defect, and so, moral virtue consists in
avoiding these two extremes.
b) The theological virtues as such do not consist in holding this
middle course, since, as St. Bernard says, the measure wherewith to

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

479

love God is to love Him without measure. However, considered in
their relation to us, the theological virtues must likewise take cognizance
of the golden mean, in other words, they must be controlled by pru­
dence, which tells us what are the circumstances in which we can and
must practice these virtues. It is prudence, for instance, which shows
us what we must believe and what we must not believe, as well as how
to avoid both presumption and despair.

Division of

the

Second Chapter

1015. In this second chapter we shall treat of the four
cardinal virtues and of the principal virtues related to them.

I.
II

Prudence
Tustice i Religion
J
I Obedience
III. Fortitude
f Chastity
IV. Temperance < Humility
I Meekness

Art. I. The Virtue of Prudence 1
We shall explain : i° its nature; 2° its necessity ; 30 the
means of progressing in this virtue.

I. The Nature of Prudence
The better to understand prudence, we shall give its defi­
nition, its constituents elements and its different species.
1016.i° Definition. Prudence is a supernatural, moral
virtue which inclines our intellect to choose in every instance
the best means for attaining our aims, by subordinating
them to our ultimate end.
Hence, it is not the prudence of the flesh, nor merely
human prudence, but Christian prudence.
A) It is not the prudence of the flesh, such as makes one skilful
in discovering the means whereby a bad end is to be attained, in satis­
fying one’s passions, in obtaining wealth, in gaining honors. This
kind of prudence has been condemned by St. Paul, because it is inimi­
cal to God, at odds with His law, and because it militates against man,
whom it leads to eternal destruction. ’
It is not merely human prudence, such as seeks out the means best
adapted to attain a natural end, without referring them to the last end.
Such is the prudence of the masters of industry, of merchants, artists,
laborers, who seek gain or fame, unconcerned about God and eternity.
■ Cassias’, Conferences, II ; Sr. John Climacus, Scala, XXVI; St. Thomas,
II» Ilæ, q. 47-56; Ch. de Smedt, Notre vie surnaturelle, t. II. p. 1-33; P· Jan­
Carême 1917. — 'J Rom., VIII, 6-8.

vier,

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CHAPTER Π.

These persons must be reminded that it profits us nothing to gain the
whole world if one suffers the loss of one’s soul. ‘

1017. B) It is Christian prudence which, based upon
the principles of Christian faith, refers all things to the
supernatural end, that is to say, to God known and loved
upon earth and possessed in heaven. Of course, prudence
is not directly concerned with this end, which is proposed
to it by faith, but it keeps it ever in view in order to dis­
cover by its light the means best adapted to direct all our
actions. Prudence therefore concerns itself with all the
details of our life. It regulates our thoughts to prevent
them from straying away from God. It regulates our
motives to keep them aloof from whatever may affect their
singleness of purpose. It regulates our affections, our senti­
ments and our choices, so as to center them on God. It
regulates even our exterior actions and the execution of
our good resolves so as to refer them to our ultimate end. a
1018. C) This virtue resides, strictly speaking, in the intellect,
since it judges and determines what in each particular circumstance
is most suitable to the attainment of our end. It is an applied science
which joins to the knowledge of principles the knowledge of the actual
realities in the midst of which we are to live our lives. *
3 The will
however intervenes to command the intellect to engage in the consi­
deration of the motives and of the reasons that will enable it to make
an enlightened choice, and again to command the employment of the
means thus chosen.

1019. D) The rule of Christian prudence is not reason
alone, but reason enlightened by faith. Its noblest expres­
sion is found in the Sermon on the Mount, in which Our
Lord completes and perfects the Old Law, by ridding it of
the false interpretations of the Jewish doctors. Super­
natural prudence, then, draws its light and inspiration from
the Gospel maxims, which are directly opposed to those of
the world. In the application of these maxims to the
actions of every-day life, it draws inspiration from the
examples of the Saints, who lived according to the Gospel,
and from the teachings of the Church, our infallible guide.
Thus, we are sure of not going astray.
Besides, the means employed by Christian prudence are
hot merely right means ; they are supernatural means :
• Maith.. XVI, 26.
9 “ That prudence is at once true and perfect, which rightly counsels, judges, and
commands in view of the end and aim of all human life. " (St. Thomas, II® llæ,
q. 47, a. 73).
3 " Hence the prudent man must know both the universal rational principles and
the particular objects of action. " (Sv. Thomas, 11“ llæ, q. 47, a. 3).

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

481

prayer and the sacraments, which by multiplying our power
for good cause us to attain far better results.
This will become still more apparent when we consider
the constituent elements of this virtue.

1020. 2° Its Constituent Elements. To act prudently
three conditions are particularly necessary : mature delibe­
ration, a wise choice, and right execution.
A) First of all, a mature deliberation is required in order
to discover the means most apt to the attainment of the
end in view, a deliberation which must be in keeping with
the import of the decision to be taken. This requires
personal reflection and wise consultation.
1021. a) We must consider the past, the present, and
the future.
1) The remembrance of the past will prove to be of great advantage :
human nature remains essentially the same throughout the ages.
We must therefore consult history to see how others have solved the
problems that now confront us. The experiments whereby they
attempted a solution will throw light upon our inexperience and will
save us many a blunder. By observing what succeeded and what
failed, we shall know better the dangers to be avoided and the means
to be taken. We must likewise probe into our personal experience.
From our early youth we have encountered at one time or another
similar difficulties. We must examine what brought them to a happy
issue and what proved a cause of failure and then determine resolutely
not to expose ourselves to the same dangers and not to fall before the
same temptations.
2) We must furthermore take account of the present, of the different
conditions in which we live. Times differ and so do men. Youthful
tastes are not those of maturer years. We must therefore know how
to interpret intelligently past experiences in applying them to present
issues.
e.
3) Lastly, it is no less the part of prudence to look into the future.
Before taking a decision, it is useful to foresee as far as can be done
the consequences of our acts both to ourselves and to others. By
recalling the past and foreseeing the future we can best plan our
present course of action.
We may illustrate all that has been said by applying it to a particular
virtue, chastity. History will tell us what the Saints did in order to
remain pure in the midst of the world’s dangers ; our own experience
will recall our past temptations, the means used to resist them and our
success or failure. From this we can conclude with a high degree of
probability what will be the future result of such or such proceeding,
of this or that reading, of such or such association.

1022. b) Reflection does not suffice; we must know
how to take counsel with wise and competent men. A word,
the remark of a friend, of a relative, even of an inferior, at
times opens our eyes and reveals to us a side of things we

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CHAPTER II.

had forgotten or overlooked. Two heads are better than
one, and enlightenment results from discussion. This is
especially true of consultation with our spiritual director; for
knowing us and being a disinterested party, he sees better
than we do what is good for our soul’s welfare. We should,
then, seek with docility and care the advice of some judicious
and experienced person. This will in no way hinder us
from exercising our own powers of discernment, by which
we are to judge what is well-founded, both in the advice
given and in our personal observations.
We must not forget to have recourse to the best of coun­
sellors, the Father of Lights. The confident invocation of
the Holy Spirit will often prove more profitable to us than
repeated deliberations.
1023. B) Once we have deliberated, we must judge
wisely, that is to say, we must determine which among the
suggested means are really the most effectual. In order to
succeed in this : a) we must carefully rid ourselves of pre­
judice, passion and impressions, which would bias the
judgment, and we must resolutely set our face towards
eternity, so as to form an estimate of all things from the
point of view of faith, b) We must not rest content with a
superficial examination of the reasons which incline us to
this or that course, but we must probe into them carefully
weighing the reasons for and against. C) Lastly, we must
decide resolutely, without allowing ourselves to be drawn
hither or thither by excessive hesitation. Once we have
deliberated according to the relative importance of the
question at hand, and have taken the course that seems
best, Almighty God will not reproach us for the line of
conduct adopted, since we did all in our power to know
His holy will. We can then count on His grace to carry
out our resolutions.
1024. C) We must not delay the execution of the plan
we have adopted. This makes foresight, discretion and
caution necessary.
a) It requires foresight. To foresee means to count in advance the
effort necessary to attain our aims, the obstacles to be encountered and
the means of overcoming them, in order to measure our efforts by the
end in view.
b) It requires discretion. We must open our eyes and view persons
and things from every angle in order to derive therefrom the greatest
possible advantage. We must consider all the circumstances in order
to adapt ourselves to them. We must study events in order to profit
by them if they be favorable, to prevent their consequences if they
be adverse.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

483

e) It requires caution: "See, therefore, how you walk circum­
spectly. ” ' Even when we have tried to foresee al), things do not
always happen as we foresaw them, for ours is a limited wisdom and
liable to err. Therefore, we must do in our moral life as we do in
business, store up reserves and surround ourselves with safeguards.
Our spiritual foes renew the offensive, as we have already explained in
no. 900. Then we need to have recourse to our reserve force, to prayer,
to the sacraments, to the advice of a spiritual director. Thus, we shall
not be the victims of unforeseen circumstances, we shall not lose heart,
and, with the help of God’s grace, we shall bring to a successful issue
the plans we had wisely laid.

1025. 30 The different species of prudence. Prudence varies in
accordance with the diversity of the objects upon which it is exercised.
It is individual when it regulates personal conduct ; this is the prudence
of which we have spoken. It is social when its object is the welfare of
society ; and since we distinguish three different kinds of societies, the
family, the state, and the army, we distinguish likewise three kinds of
prudence : domestic prudence, which regulates the relations of man and
wife and of parents and children ; civic prudence, which pursues the
common weal and good government; military prudence, which is
concerned with the direction of armies. Here we shall not go into
details. The general principles we have explained suffice for our pur­
pose. It is for Christian parents, for statesmen and military leaders, to
look more deeply into the application of these principles to their
respective situations.

II. Necessity of Prudence
Prudence is no less necessary for the control of our own
personal conduct than it is for that of others.
1026. i° For our own personal conduct. It is prudence
that enables us to avoid sin and to practice virtue. A) In
order to avoid sin, we repeat, we must know its causes and
occasions, seek the remedies and apply the treatment. This
is what prudence effects, as we can gather from the study
of its constituent elements. From the consideration of past
experience and the actual condition of the soul, prudence
sees what is or will prove to be in the future a cause or an
occasion of sin. And so, it suggests the best means to
remove or moderate these causes, and the tactics that will
best help us to overcome temptations and even to profit by
them. Without such prudence how many sins would be
committed! How many are actually committed because of
the lack of prudence!
1027. B) Prudence is likewise necessary in order to
practice virtue and to facilitate our union with God. The
virtues are rightly compared to a chariot that conducts us
to God and prudence to the driver who chooses the way.
‘ Ephes., V, 15,

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CHAPTER Π.

It is, so to speak, the soul’s eye, which sees the road and the
obstacles to be avoided.
1) Prudence is necessary for the exercise of all the vir­
tues : of the moral virtues, which must keep to the golden
mean and avoid extremes; of the theological virtues, which
must be practiced in season and by such means as are in
keeping with the various circumstances of our life. Thus,
it is the part of prudence to scan the dangers that imperil
faith and discover the means to remove them ; to seek how
faith can be strengthened and made more practical; to see
how trusi in God and fear of His judgments must go hand
in hand, how both presumption and despair must be
avoided, how all our actions can be animated by charity
without hindering the discharge of our duties of state.
What prudence is required in the practice of fraternal
charity!
2) Prudence is even more necessary for the practice of
certain seemingly contradictory virtues : justice and goodness,
meekness and fortitude, a holy austerity of life and the
right care of health, devotedness to our neighbor and cha­
stity, the practice of an interior life and compliance with
social duties.
1028. 2° When it is question of works of zeal in the
ministry prudence is likewise necessary.
a) In the pulpit^ prudence suggests what must be said and what
must be left unsaid ; it suggests the manner in which the thought must
be expressed in order not to antagonize the hearers, in order to adapt
the Word of God to their intelligence, to persuade, move and convert
them. It is still more needful, perhaps, in teaching catechism, for it is
question then of forming the minds and hearts of children, of making
an impression for life on their souls.
b) In the confessional it is prudence that makes the confessor a keen
and upright judge in discerning guilt, in putting clear and precise
questions to penitents, according to their respective age, condition and
circumstances. Prudence makes the confessor a teacher who knows
how to instruct without giving scandal, when to leave souls in good
faith and when to enlighten them. Prudence again makes of him a
physician who can tactfully probe into the causes of the soul’s ailments
and prescribe the needed remedies. And it is prudence that invests
him with the character of a father., so devoted as to inspire confidence,
yet so reserved as to secure reverence.
e) Much tact is also needed to reconcile the wishes of parishioners
with divine and liturgical ordinances in what relates to Baptisms,
First Communions, Marriages, Last Rites, Funerals, etc., just as great
discretion is demanded upon the occasion of sick-calls and other pro­
fessional visits.
d) Great prudence is likewise required in the administration of tern
poralities, with reference to stole fees, church dues and church funds, so

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

485

as not to give offence or scandal to the faithful, or to compromise the
reputation for perfect detachment which a priest must enjoy.

III. Means of Progressing in this Virtue
1029. One means is general and applicable to all the
virtues, moral or theological : prayer, through which
we draw unto ourselves Jesus Christ and His virtues. We
mention this once and for all. We shall speak only of the
means that are proper to each particular virtue.
1030. i° A general means, one that governs all the
others and which applies to all souls, is that of referring all
our judgments and all our decisions to the ultimate, super­
natural end. This is the advice offered by St. Ignatius at
the outset of the Spiritual Exercises in his fundamental
meditation.
a) We must note however that this principle will not be understood
in the same manner by all. Beginners considering man’s final end
will emphasize salvation; perfect souls, God’s glory. The latter mode
of understanding this general principle is in itself the better way, but
not all will be able thus to understand and relish it.
b) To give this principle a concrete form, it may be embodied in
some maxim or other that presents it vividly to our minds, for instance:
“ What does this matterfor eternity?—Whatever is not eternal is of no
account.— What does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and
suffer the loss of his soul?"
In practice, the way to lay in our souls the foundation of Christian
prudence, is to realize the full meaning of these maxims, to reflect
upon them over and over again until we become familiar with them
and habitually live by them.

1031. 2° Provided with this principle, beginners strive to
rid themselves of the faults opposed to Christian prudence.1
a) They combat vigorously the prudence of the flesh,
which seeks with avidity the means of satisfying the three­
fold concupiscence; this they do by mortifying their love
for pleasure, by remembering that the false joys of this
world are often followed by bitter regrets and are as
nothing compared to eternal happiness.
b) They carefully avoid trickery, deceit, fraud, even in the
pursuance of honorable ends, well realizing that honesty is
the best policy, that the end does not justify the means, and
that according to the Gospel, the simplicity of the dove
must be joined to the wisdom of the serpent. This is all
the more necessary, since devout lay people, priests and
• Not to return repeatedly to the same virtues, we shall indicate here the degree
of each corresponding to the different stages of Christian perfection.

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CHAPTER Π.

religious are at times reproached with these defects, though
unjustly in most instances. Perfect integrity and evangeli­
cal candor are therefore to be assiduously cultivated.

1032. c) They strive to hold in check those two distur­
bing elements of judment,and passion : prejudices
that cause us to make decisions under the influence of
flimsy and preconceived notions which are liable to prove
groundless or unreasonable ; passions of pride, sensuality,
over-anxiety for the goods of this world, which unbalance
men and cause them to choose not the best, but what is
more agreeable or useful from the point of view of earthly
interests. To free themselves from these perturbing influ­
ences, they call to mind the Gospel maxim : “ Seek ye first
the kingdom of God and His justice. ” 1 They therefore
avoid making decisions under the pressure of strong
passion, delaying a choice until calm reigns in the soul.
Should action be urgent, they place themselves, at least for
a moment, in the presence of God, to beg His light and to
follow it faithfully.
d) In order to resist flightiness of mind, hastiness of judg­
ment or listlessness, they accustom themselves never to act
■withoutprevious reflection, without accounting to themselves
for the motives that prompt them to act, without looking
into the consequences, good or bad, of their actions; all this,
from the point of view of eternity. This reflection should
be measured by the importance of the decision to be made,
and in things of graver moment a judicious and experienced
person should be consulted. Thus, the habit of deciding
nothing, of doing nothing that is not referred to God is
gradually acquired.
e) Lastly, to escape the bane of indecision, that is,
extreme hesitation in making a choice, beginners take good
care to remove the causes of this spiritual malady (a com­
plicated and confused mind, a lack of initiative, etc.) by
having a clear-sighted spiritual director devise fixed rules
of action, whereby they will decide promptly and firmly in
ordinary cases, and in greater difficulties have recourse to
the director himself.
1033.3° Souls advancing· in the way of perfection
grow in this virtue of prudence in three different ways :
a) By the study of Our Lord’s actions and words as set
forth in the Gospel, in order to find in them a rule of con« Maith., VI, 33.

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duct and to attract to themselves · through prayer and
imitation the dispositions of that Divine Model, i) Thus,
they will contemplate His prudence, as manifested in
His hidden life. For thirty years He practiced those
virtues, the exercise of which is so hard for us, humility,
obedience, poverty, knowing full well that without such
an object lesson we should never learn to practice these
necessary virtues. No less an object of admiration is His
prudence as exemplified in His public life. He withstands
Satan, so as to baffle his designs and confound him with
replies that admit of no retort. He unfolds His teaching
gradually according to circumstances, disclosing only by
degrees His dignity as Messias and as Son of God. He
makes use of familiar comparisons the better to make His
thought understood ; He employs parables to veil or reveal
the same, as the occasion demands. He skilfully unmasks
His adversaries and meets their cunning with disconcerting
questions. He trains His Apostles step by step, suffering
their defects and adapting His teachings to what they can
actually bear : “ But you cannot bear them now. " 1 He
knows, withal, how to tell them unpleasant, but plain truths,
as when He announces to them His Passion, in order to
prepare them for the scandal of the Cross. In the very midst
of that painful ordeal, He answers judges and underlings
alike with the same unruffled calm, and He knows when to
remain silent. In a word, He knows in all things, how to
harmonize the highest form of prudence with firmness and
devotedness to duty.
2) As regards His teachings, these are summed up in the
following words : “ Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of
God and His justice..." 2 “ Be ye therefore wise as serpents
and simple as doves... ” 3 “ Watch and pray. ” 4
The chief means of growing in this virtue is the prayer­
ful consideration of these examples and the ardent petition
to Our Savior to make us share in His prudence.

1034. b) The constituent elements of this virtue must
then be fostered, namely, common-sense, a habit of reflect­
ion, readiness to consult others, determination, foresight
and caution.
1035. c) Lastly, efforts must be made to adorn pru­
dence with those qualities of which St. James speaks.
After distinguishing true from false wisdom he adds : “ But
■ Jakn, XVI, 12. — » Matth., VI, 33. — 3 Matth., X, 16. — 4 Mark, XIII, 33.

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the wisdom that is from above, first indeed is chaste, then
peaceable, modest, easy to be persuaded, consenting to the
good,/»// of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without
dissimulation. ”1
Chaste: on its guard to keep that purity of body and soul that unites
us to God, and, which therefore unites us to the Eternal Wisdom
Itself.
Peaceable : maintaining the soul’s peace, the calm, the sense of pro­
portion, the poise that enables one to make a judicious choice.
Modest: meek towards others, and by that very fact, easy to be
persuaded, open to conviction, amenable to reason, thus precluding
exasperation, which terminates in strife.
Full of mercy and good fruits : abounding in mercy towards the
unfortunate, eager to do them good, since one of the characteristics of
Christian wisdom is to lay up treasures in heaven.
Without judging, without dissimulation : that is, without partiality,
duplicity or hypocrisy, which trouble the soul and the faculty of
judgment.

1036. 4° In what concerns the exercise of this virtue
by the perfect, suffice it to say that they practice it to a
high degree, under the action of the gift of Counsel, as we
shall explain when treating of the unitive way.

Art. II. The Virtue

of

Justice2

After briefly recalling the theological doctrine on justice,
we shall treat of the virtues of religion and obedience, which
form parts of this virtue.
§ I. Justice Properly so Called

We shall explain : i° its nature, and 2° the principal rules
to be followed in its exercise.
I. Nature of fustice
1037. i° Definition. The word justice often stands in
Holy Writ for the sum-total of Christian virtues. Thus,
Our Lord proclaims blessed those who hunger and thirst
after justice, 3 that is, after holiness. However, in the
strict sense in which we employ the term here, it desig­
nates that moral, supernatural virtue, which inclines the
will to render unto others at all times what is strictly
their due.
x James, HI, 13-18.
» St. Thom., Il» Ilæ, q. 56-122; Dom. Soto, De justitii el jure; Lessius, De
justitii; Ad. Tanquerey, Synopsis theol. moralis, t. Ill, De virtute justitiæ;
P. Janvier, Carême, 1918. — 3 Matth., V, 6,

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This virtue resides in the will and regulates those duties
which we are strictly bound to discharge towards the neighbor.
It is distinguished from the theological virtue of charity
which bids us regard others as brothers in Christ and
inclines us to render them services not otherwise enjoined
by strict justice.
1038.2° Excellence of this virtue. Through justice,
order and peace reign in the lives of individuals as well as
in society at large. In that it respects each one’s rights, it
makes for honesty in the affairs of men, it restrains deceit,
it protects the rights of the helpless and the lowly, it checks
the rapacity and injustice of the powerful, and thus it
establishes social order.1 Without justice we should have
anarchy, warfare between rival interests, oppression of the
weak by the strong, the triumph of evil.
If such is the preeminence of natural justice, how much
more excellent must Christian justice be, which is a partici­
pation in the very justice of God. The Holy Ghost in
communicating it to us, makes it enter into the inmost
recesses of the soul and renders it resolute and inaccessible
to corruption, inspiring us at the same time with such regard
for the rights of others, that we not only loathe injustice, pro­
perly so called, but stand in horror of the least unfairness.
1039. 3° The principal kinds of justice. They are
chiefly two : social justice, which bids us render to society
what we owe to it, and individual justice whereby we render
to individuals what is their due.
a) The first is called legal justice, because it is based on the exact
observance of laws ; it obliges us to acknowledge the great benefits
which we derive from society, by accepting our share of the lawful
burdens it imposes upon us, and by rendering to it the services it
expects of us. Since the commonweal takes precedence over indivi­
dual welfare, there are instances when citizens must sacrifice part of
their goods, of their freedom, and even risk their lives in defence of the
country. But society likewise has duties to discharge towards its mem­
bers. It must effect the distribution of social advantages and social
burdens, not according to the moods and whims of favor, but according
to the capacity of each citizen and in keeping with the rules of equity.
To all, society owes the full protection and aid needed for safeguarding
the essential rights and interests of every citizen. Favoritism towards
some and persecution of others are abuses opposed to distributive
justice, which society must observe towards its subjects.
* " When I speak of justice, I speak of the sacred bond that preserves human
society, the indispensable curb to license... If justice prevails, good faith is found
in treaties, truth in transactions, order in government, the earth is at peace, and
heaven itself sheds over us its beneficent light and radiates down to us its blessed
influence. " Bossuet, Sermon on Justice.

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1040. b) The second kind of justice, called individual
justice, regulates the rights and duties of individuals towards
one another. It respects all rights, not only the right of
ownership, but the right to bodily or spiritual goods, to life,
liberty, honor and reputation.
We cannot in this place enter into all the details which
we have explained in our course of Moral Theology. »
It will suffice for our present purpose to recall the principal
rules by which we must be guided in the practice of
this virtue.
II. Principal Rules Governing the Practice of Justice
1041.i° Principle. It is evident that devout laymen,
religious and priests are obliged to practice the virtue of
justice more perfectly and more scrupulously than the
rank and file of persons in the world. Their duty is to set
the good example in matters of honesty as well as in all
other virtues. To act otherwise would be to set a stumblingblock for the neighbor, and furnish our enemies with a pre­
text to denounce religion. It would constitute an obstacle
to spiritual progress, for an All-just God cannot have for
intimate friends those who glaringly violate His formal
commands regarding justice.

1042.2° Applications of the Principle. A) One must,
first of all, respect the right of ownership in what relates to
temporal goods.
a) Hence, one must scrupulously shun petty thefts, which often and
easily lead to graver forms of injustice. This principle should be
instilled into children so that they will instinctively recoil with horror
from the slightest infraction of justice. All the more must one avoid
such thefts as are committed by dealers and manufacturers, who
habitually defraud both as to the quality and the quantity of their
goods, under the pretext that their competitors do likewise ; who sell
at too high aprice, or buy at a ridiculously low one, taking advantage of
the simplicity of those with whom they deal. One must keep clear of
wild speculations, of those questionable transactions in which one’s
fortune is risked along with that of others with the hope of making
huge profits.
b) One must carefully avoid contracting debts, when one is not sure
of being able to pay them, and one must make it a point of honor to
pay at the earliest possible moment those that have already been
contracted.
e) We should treat a borrowed object with still greater care than if
it were our own property, without ever forgetting to return it in due
time. Much unconscious injustice is committed by those who neglect
these precautions.
* Synopsis Theologice Moralis, t. Ill, De Virtute Justitiæ.

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491

d) Any damage -voluntarily caused must be repaired. If involuntary,
one is not strictly bound to make restitution, yet those who aim at
perfection will do so according to their means.
e) Should one be the recipient of trust-funds to be devoted to good
works, one must take all the legal safeguards required, so that in case
of death these funds may be applied according to the intentions of the
donors. This holds especially in the case of priests who receive Mass
stipends or alms. They must not only keep their accounts up to date,
but must also provide a legatee or executor in the person of a priest
who will attend to such Mass intentions and other obligations.

1043. B) Respect for the good-name and the honor of
the neighbor is no less essential.
a) Rash judgments must be avoided. To censure others on mere
appearances or for reasons more or less trivial, without knowing fully
their motives, is nothing less than to arrogate to oneself divine rights,
the rights of Him Who alone is the Supreme Judge of the living and
the dead ; it is an act of injustice against the neighbor, who is thus
condemned without a hearing, without the knowledge of the unseen
determining motives of his actions, and oftener than not, under the
influence of prejudice or passion. Both justice and charity demand
not only that we abstain from judging the actions of others, but that
we interpret them in the best possible light.
b) Graver reasons bid one refrain from slander, which makes known
to others the faults or the secret defects of the neighbor. These defects
are real, but as long as they are not generally known, one has no right
to reveal them. By speaking of them, one grieves the neighbor; and
the dearer he holds his reputation, the more he is grieved. One lowers
him in the estimation of his fellows, and one undermines his prestige,
the good standing he needs in order to conduct his affairs and exercise
his rightful influence. Thus, one may cause at times a damage that is
well-nigh irreparable.
It is of no avail to argue that the person whose faults are thus made
known has no right to his good name. This right remains as long as
his faults are not public ; and after all, one must not forget the Savior’s
word : “ He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone. ” ’
The Saints are extremely merciful ; they seek in every possible way to
safeguard the reputation of their fellow-men. We cannot do better
than follow in their footsteps.
C) Thereby we shall more safely avoid indulging in calumny, which
by false imputations charges to our neighbor faults he has never com­
mitted. This kind of injustice is all the more serious since it is often
born of malice or of jealousy. The evils that follow in its wake are
numberless. Such talk is, alas, all too welcome, and making the
rounds from mouth to mouth, ruins the reputation and the prestige of
its victims, and at times causes them considerable harm even in tem­
poral matters.

1044. There exists, therefore, a strict obligation of
repairing slanders and calumnies. No doubt, this is difficult,
for it is painful to recant, and besides, the retractation, no
matter how sincere, but covers up the injustice committed.
'John., VIII, 7.

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CHAPTER Π.

A lie, even when retracted, often leaves ineffaceable traces.
This, of course, is no reason for not repairing the injustice
committed ; on the contrary, the greater the harm done, the
more earnestly and persistently must one work at undoing
it. The difficulty of such reparation ought to restrain us
from whatever could, either proximately or remotely, expose
us to a fall so grave.
This is the reason why those who tend to perfection
cultivate not only the virtue of justice, but also that of
charity, which by causing us to see God in our neighbor,
makes us avoid whatever may sadden him. We shall
return to this later on.
§ II. The Virtue of Religion 1

1045. This virtue is related to justice, because it makes
us render to God the worship that is due Him; but, since
we are unable to offer to God the infinite homage to which
He is entitled, our religion does not comply with all the
requisite conditions of the virtue of justice, and thus it does
not, properly speaking, constitute an act of this virtue,
though it is closely related to it. We shall explain · i° the
nature, 2° the necessity and 30 the practice of religion.
I. Nature of the Virtue of Religion
1046. Religion is a moral, supernatural virtue that
inclines the will to render to God the worship due Him by
reason of His infinite excellence and of His sovereign dominion
over us.
a) This is a special virtue, distinct from the three theo­
logical virtues, which have God Himself for their immediate
object; the object proper to the virtue of religion is the
worship of God, whether interior or exterior. However, it
presupposes the virtue of faith, which enlightens us as to
God’s rights. When religion has attained its perfection, it
is animated by charity and becomes but the expression and
the manifestation of the three theological virtues.
b) Its formal object or motive is the acknowledgment of
the infinite excellence of God, the first beginning and last
end, the perfect Being, on Whom all things depend and
towards Whom all things must gravitate.
1 St. Thomas, II» Ilæ, q. 84; Suarez, De virtute et statu religionis, t. I, 1. II;
BOUQUÏLLON, De virtute religionis; J. J. OLIER, Introd, à la vie et aux vertus,
ch. I; Mgr d'Hulst, Carême 1893, Conf. I; Ch. de Smedt, op. cit., p. 35-104;
Ribet, Les vertus, ch. XXI.

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C) The acts to which religion inclines us are interior and
exterior.
1047. By the interior acts we subject to God our soul,
with its faculties, chiefly the intellect and the will, i) The
first and the most important of these acts is that of
adoration, in which we abase our whole being before Him
Who is the fulness of being and the source of all the good
that is found in creatures. It is accompanied or followed
by the reverent admiration experienced at the sight of His
infinite perfections. 2) Since He is the author of all the
good we possess, we offer Him our gratitude. 3) Remember­
ing that we are sinners, we enter into sentiments of peni­
tence, to atone for the offences committed against His
infinite majesty. 4) Because we stand in continual need of
His help to do good and attain our end, we address to Him
our prayers or requests, thus acknowledging Him as the
source of all good.
1048.These interior sentiments are manifested by
exterior acts, which have all the more worth as the interior
acts they express are more perfect. 1) The foremost among
these acts is, without question, that of sacrifice, which is an
exterior and social act, whereby the priest offers God, in the
name of the Church, an immolated victim in order to acknow­
ledge His supreme dominion, to repair the offence offered to
His majesty, and to enter into communion with Him. In
the New Law there is but one sacrifice, that of the Mass,
which, renewing the sacrifice of Calvary, offers to God an
•infinite homage and obtains for men all the graces they
need. We have already pointed out, in nos. 271-276, the
effects of the Mass and the requisite dispositions to profit
by it. 2) To this principal act are added the public
prayers offered in the name of the Church by her represen­
tatives : the Divine Office, Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament, private vocal prayers ; oaths and vows prudently
taken in God’s honor and accompanied by all the conditions
explained in the treatises of Moral Theology, supernatural
exterior acts, done for the glory of God, which, according
to the expression of St. Peter, are “ spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God. ”1
We can conclude from this that religion is the most
excellent among the moral virtues; for, by causing us to
offer up divine worship, it brings us closer to God than do
the other moral virtues.
» I. Peler, II, 5.

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II. Necessity of the Virtue of Religion
To proceed methodically we shall show : i° that all crea­
tures must give glory to God; 2° that for man, this is a
special duty ; 30 that it is so, above all, for the priest.

1049. i° All creatures must glorify God. If every work
must reflect credit on the doer, far higher must be the way
in which the creature must proclaim the glory of its Maker!
Man does not create things; he can but fashion them. This
over, he has done with them. Now, God has not only
formed his creatures, but He has drawn them out of noth­
ing; He has not merely left the mark of His genius upon
them, but also the reflection of His own perfections. More­
over, He preserves them, lending them His concurrence and
His grace, so that they are utterly dependent upon Him.
They must, therefore, more than the works of man’s crea­
tion, declare the greatness of their Author. Inanimate
creatures do this after their own fashion ; by revealing their
beauty and harmony, they invite us to glorify God : “ The
heavens shew forth the glory of God.1 He made us, and
not we ourselves. ” 2 This homage, however honors God
but very imperfectly, since it is not free.

1050. 2° It is to man, then, that the duty falls of
consciously giving glory to God, of lending his heart and his
voice to inanimate creation to render Him a free and ratio­
nal homage. To man, therefore, the king of creation, it
belongs to contemplate these wonders, to refer them to
God, and thus to become creation’s own high-priest. Man
must praise God, above all, in his own name; for endowed
with a higher perfection than irrational beings, created to
the image and likeness of God, sharing in His life, man’s
life should be one of perpetual admiration, perpetual
praise, worship, thanksgiving, and love towards His Creator
and Sanctifier. This St. Paul declares to us : “ For of Him
and by Him, and in Him, are all things : to Him be glory
forever ! 3 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord : or
whether we die, we die unto the Lord. ” 4 Reminding his
disciples that our body as well as our sôul is the temple of the
Holy Ghost, he adds : “ Glorify and bear God in your body." 5
1051. 30 This duty is particularly laid upon priests.
Unfortunately the majority of men, absorbed in business or
■ Ps. XVIII, 2. — ’ Ps. XCIX. 3. — 3 Rom., XI, 36.
« Id. XIV, 8. — S Z. Cor., VII, 20.

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pleasure, devote but little time to the worship of God. It
was necessary, therefore, that from among them some
special representatives acceptable to God be chosen, that
they might, not only in their own name, but in the name of
society, render God the religious duties to which He has a
right. This is the rôle of the priest. He is chosen by God
from among his fellows to be a mediator between earth and
heaven, charged with glorifying God, with offering Him the
homages of all creatures and with drawing down upon the
earth God’s graces and blessings. This is his duty of state,
his profession, a real duty of justice, as St. Paul explains :1
“ For every high priest taken from among men is ordainedfor
men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up
gifts and sacrifices for sins. ” For this reason, the Church
has confided to him two great means of exercising the virtue
of religion, the Divine Office and Holy Mass. This twofold
duty he must discharge with great fervor, for by glorifying
God, he at the same time renders this Divine Majesty pro­
pitious to our supplications. In this way, the priest pro­
cures his own personal sanctification and that of the souls
entrusted to his care (nos. 393-401). His prayers are all
the more effective, since it is the Church, since it is Jesus
Who prays with him and in him, and the prayer of Christ
is always heard : “ He was heardfor his reverence. ” 2
III. The Practice of the Virtue of Religion
1052. For the right practice of this virtue, we must
cultivate true devotion, that is to say, an habitual attitude
of the will, wich causes us to lend ourselves readily and
generously to whatever appertains to the service of God.
This disposition is in reality but a manifestation of love
for God, and it is in this way that religion is related to
charity.

1053. i° Beginners practice this virtue : a) by the
observance of the laws of God and of the Church regarding
prayer, the sanctification of the Lord’s Day and holydays
of obligation ; b) by avoiding dissipation, interior or exte­
rior, which is a source of many distractions during prayer.
This is effected by being on guard against the pressing host
of worldly amusements and empty day-dreams; e) by
inward recollection before prayer in order to make it with
greater attention, and by practicing the holy exercise of
the presence of God (n. 446).
■ Hebr., V, i. — ’ Hebr., V, 7.

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1054.2° Those advancing in the way of perfection
strive to enter into the spirit of religion in union with Jesus,
the supreme Worshipper of the Father, Who, in His life, as
well as in His death, glorified God in an infinite manner
(η. I Si).
a) This spirit of religion comprises two main dispositions,
reverence and love. The former is a profound sentiment of
respect mingled with awe whereby we acknowledge God as
our Creator and Sovereign Master and rejoice in proclaim­
ing our utter dependence upon Him. The latter is directed
towards God, to the most lovable and loving Father, Who
has deigned to adopt us as His children and forever sur­
rounds us with His paternal tenderness. From these two
sentiments all the others proceed ; namely, admiration
gratitude, praise.
1055. b) It is from the Sacred Heart ofJesus that we
seek to draw these sentiments of religion. This Divine
Mediator lived only to glorify His Father : “ I have glorified
thee on the earth. "1 He died to cany out His Father’s
will, proclaiming by His death that nothing is worthy of
life and being before the face of God. After His death He
continues to glorify His Father, not only in .the Eucharist
where He unceasingly adores the Holy Trinity, but also in
our hearts where, through His Divine Spirit, He produces
religious dispositions like unto His own. He lives in the
soul of every Christian, but especially in the soul of every
priest, and through His priests He procures glory to Him,
to Whom alone is due adoration and reverence. Through
ardent desire, then, we must draw Him unto us and give
ourselves to Him, that He may carry out the practice of
the virtue of religion in us, with us, and through us.
“ He comes to us then,” says Father Olier’ “and abides upon the
earth as a sacrifice of praise in the hands of His priests, that He may
impart to us His spirit of victim, have us join in the praise He offers,
and make us inwardly share in His sentiments of worship. He diffuses
Himself within us, He infuses Himself into us, He envelopes our soul
and replenishes it with the intimate dispositions of His spirit of religion,
so that His soul and ours form but one, animated by the same spirit of
reverence, of love, of praise, of interior and exterior sacrifice of all
things unto the glory of His Father.”

1056. c) We must not forget, however, that Jesus
requires our co-operation. Since He comes in order to make
us share with Him in His condition and in His sentiments
of victim, we must needs live with Him and in Him in the
1 St. John, XVII, 4. — 2 Introd, à la vie et aux vertus, cb. I.

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spirit of sacrifice, crucifying the ill-regulated tendencies of
disordered nature, and yielding a ready obedience to the
inspirations of grace. Then will all our actions be pleasing
to God, then will they be so many sacrificial offerings, so
many acts of religion, praising and glorifying God, our
Creator and Father. We thereby proclaim the supremacy
of God and the nothingness of the creature, since we
sacrifice every part of our being, offer every one of our
actions to the honor and glory of our Sovereign Master.
d) This we do more particularly in those acts of religion
properly so called, like assistance at Holy Mass, the reci­
tation of liturgical prayers or other prayers, as explained in
numbers 274, 284, 523.
N. B.—Perfect souls practice this virtue under the influence
of the gift of piety, of which we shall treat further on.
§ III. The Virtue of Obedience1

This virtue is allied to justice, since obedience is a
homage, an act of submission due to Superiors; but it
differs from justice inasmuch as it implies an inequality
between superiors and subjects. We shall explain : i° the
nature and foundation of obedience; 20 its degrees; 30 its
qualities; 40 its excellence.
I. Nature and Foundation of Obedience
1057. i° Definition. Obedience is a supernatural, moral
virtue which inclines us to submit our will to that of our
lawful superiors, in so far as they are the representatives of
God. These last words are the ones that need to be
explained first, since they are the foundation of Christian
obedience.

1058. 2° The foundation of this virtue. Obedience
rests upon God’s sovereign domain and upon the absolute
submission creatures owe Him.
A) First of all, it is evident that we must obey God
(n. 481).
1) We must be entirely dependent upon the holy will of God since
we were created by Him : “ All things serve Thee.
As rational crea­
tures, we are all the more obliged to this submission because we have
■St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Paradise, IV; St. Thomas. II» Ilæ.
q. 104-105; St. Francis of Sales, Devout Life. P. HI. C. XI; Spiritual Confe­
rences, X-XI ; Rodriguez, Christian Perfection, P. Ill, Treat. V; Gay, Christian
Lite and Virtues, Vol. II, Treat XI.
• Ps. CXV1II, 91.

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received more from Him ; we have received in particular the gift of a
free will, which we can best acknowledge by freely submitting it to the
will of our Maker. 2) Being children of God, we must obey Our
Heavenly Father as Jesus Himself did. Who having come into the
world through obedience, through obedience went out from it : “ He
was made obedient unto death. ”1 3) Redeemed from the bondage of
sin, we no longer belong to ourselves, but to Jesus Christ, Who gave
His blood to make us His own : “ And you are not your own, for you
are bought with a great price. ”a We must, therefore, obey His laws.

1059. B) For the same reason we must yield obedience
to God’s lawful representatives. This point must be
thoroughly understood, a) Because man is not self-sufficient
for his physical, intellectual, and moral well-being, God
willed that he live in society. Society, however, cannot
endure without an authority which coordinates the efforts of
its members towards the common good. Hence, it is God’s
will that in society there should be superiors commissioned
to command, and subjects whose duty it is to obey. In
order that this obedience might be more readily practiced,
God has delegated His authority to legitimate superiors :
“ For there is no power but from God. " 3 This is so true
that to render obedience to lawful superiors is to render
obedience to God, and to disobey them is to provoke con­
demnation : “ Therefore he that resisteth the power, resisteth
the ordinance of God. And they that resist, purchase to
themselves damnation." 4 The duty of Superiors lies in
exercising their authority solely in the capacity of God’s
representatives in order to procure glory to God and to
promote the general welfare of the community. Should
they fail in this, they are responsible before God and their
own superiors for such abuse of their authority. The duty
of subjects is to obey God’s representatives, to obey them
as they obey God Himself: "He that heareth you, heareth
me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me. ” 5 The reason
for this is evident. Without such submission, there would
be but chaos and disorder in each of the different parts of
society to the detriment of all.
1060.b) But, who are the lawful superiors? The ans­
wer is, those who are placed by God at the head of the
different kinds of societies.
1) In the natural order three different sorts of society may be
discerned : domestic society or the family, at the head of which are
parents, and especially the father; civil society, ruled by those who are
the lawful holders of authority according to the different systems of
■ Phil., II, 8. -> / Cor., VI, so. - 3 R<m., χπΐ, i.
* Rom., XIII, 2. — 5 Luke, X, 16.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

499

government accepted in the different nations of the world professional
society, where we find employers and employees, whose respective
rights and duties are determined-by special, particular contracts. '

2) In the supernatural order, the hierarchical superiors
are : the Sovereign Pontiff, whose authority is both supreme
and immediate over the whole Church; Bishops, who have
jurisdiction over their respective dioceses, and, under their
authority, pastors and aerates, each within the limits deter­
mined by the Code of Canon Law. Moreover, there are in
the Church particular communities with constitutions and
rules approved by the Sovereign Pontiff or by the Bishops,
and having superiors appointed in accordance with their
Constitutions or rules. Here, again, we find legitimate
authority. Therefore, whoever joins a community binds
himself to keep the rules and obey the Superiors who com­
mand within the limits defined by the rule.
1061. C) There are, then, limits set to the exercise of
authority.
1) It is evident that it is neither obligatory nor permis­
sible to obey a superior who would give a command mani­
festly opposed to divine or ecclesiastical laws. In this case
we should have to repeat the words of St. Peter :2 “ We
ought to obey God, rather than men," words that proclaim
and vindicate Christian liberty against all tyranny. 3 The
same would hold true, if what is commanded is clearly
beyond our powers, for no one is held to do the impossible.
In case of doubt, however, since we are prone to illusions,
we must act on the principle : in doubt the presumption is in
favor of the superior.
2) If a superior should in commanding go beyond the
limits of his authority, for instance, if a parent should
oppose the duly considered vocation of his child, he would
be exceeding his rights and the child would not be bound
to obey. A similar case would be that of the Superior of a
community who would give commands over and above
’ See the Encyclical Letter of Pope Leo XIII, Jterum novarum, (Engl. transL in
The Great Encyclicals of Leo XIIÎ, p. 209; Ad. Tanquerey, De justitia, wherein
the Encyclical is commented upon).
’‘Act., V, 29.
3This.is the doctrine of St. Francis de Sales: "Many have been greatly
mistaken as to this condition Of obedience, believing that it consisted in doing at
random whatever should be commanded, even were it contrary to the Command­
ments of God and of Holy Church. In this they have been greatly mistaken,
imagining a folly to lurk in this quality of blindness which is not there at all. In
all that relates to the Commandments of God, just as Superiors have no power
whatever to give any contrary command, so in such a case inferiors have no obli­
gation to obey—indeed, if they did so they would sin. " Cf. Spiritual Conferences
of St. Francis de Sales, Conf. XI, p, 179. (Translation by Canon Mackey).

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CHAPTER Π.

what the rules and constitutions permit, for these determine
the limits of the authority of Superiors.
II. The Degrees of Obedience
1062. i° Beginners apply themselves, first of all, to
observe faithfully the Commandments of God and of the
Church, and to conform to the orders of lawful superiors
with diligence, punctuality, and in a supernatural spirit.
1063. 2° More advanced souls : a) carefully ponder the
examples given by Jesus from the very first moment of His
existence, when He pledged Himself to fulfil in all things
the will of His Father, until the last instant of His life
when He died a victim of obedience. They pray Him to
come and live within them in that same spirit of obedience,
and they strive to unite themselves to Him in submitting
to their superiors, just as He was subject to Mary and to
J oseph : “ He was subject to them. ” 1
b) They submit their wills even in things that entail hardship and go
against their preferences. They do so whole-heartedly, without com­
plaint, even with joy at being able to imitate more perfectly their
Divine Model. They avoid especially taking any steps that would
lead the superior to conform to their desires, for, as St. Bernard remarks :
“ You need not flatter yourself with the idea that you are truly obedient,
if, when you desire something, you strive either openly or covertly to
have your spiritual father command it to you. In this you only deceive
yourself, for it is not you that obey the superior, but the superior that
obeys you. ”3

1064.3° Perfect souls go even further. They submit
their judgment to that of their superior, without even con­
sidering the reasons for his command.
St. Ignatius gives an excellent explanation of this degree of obe­
dience. 3 “ If, however, one wishes to make the perfect sacrifice of
self, one must, after having submitted one’s will to God, consecrate to
Him one’s understanding in such a way as not only to will what the
superior wills, but to be of the same mind also, and to submit one’s
judgment to that of the superior to the extent that an already obedient
will can sway the mind. ” Our judgment as well as our will can go
astray in the things that touch us closely, and therefore, just as we
conform our wills to that of the superior to prevent it, as it were, from
losing its bearings : “so, lest our judgment go astray, we must likewise
make it conform to that of the superior.” The Saint adds, however,
that “should another view come to our mind differing from that of the
superior, and, if after having consulted the Lord in prayer, it seems to
us that the same should be made known to him, we may well tell him.
Still, lest our self-love and our own opinions deceive us, it is proper to
take the precaution of maintaining a perfect evenness of mind both
before and after disclosing our opinions, ever ready not only to under’ Si. Luke, II, 51. — · Serm. de diversis, XXXV, 4. — 3 Letter CXX-

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

50]

take or to relinquish the purpose in question, but even to approve and
acknowledge as the best course the one to be determined by the
superior. ” This is what is termed blind obedience which places us
in the hands of superiors “after the manner of a staff... after the
manner of a corpse. ” ‘ This obedience, however, if explained with
the reservations of St. Ignatius and those we have noted above, is
not unreasonable, since it is to God that we subordinate our will
and our intellect.

III. The Qualities of Obedience
In order to be perfect, obedience must be supernatural in
its motive, universal in its extent, and entire in its execution.
1065. i° Supernatural in its motive, which means that
we are to see God Himself, or Jesus Christ in the persons
of our superiors, since they have no authority except from
Him. Nothing can render obedience more easy, for who
would refuse to obey God? This is what St. Paul recom­
mends to servants : “ Be obedient to them that are your
lords according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the
simplicity of your heart, as to Christ : not serving to the eye,
as it were pleasing men, but, as the servants of Christ doing
the will of God from the heart with a good will serving, as
to the Lord, and not to men. ” 2
In the same tenor St. Ignatius wrote to his Religious of Portugal :
“ It is my ardent desire that you should carefully strive in all earnest­
ness to see Our Lord Jesus Christ in your superiors, whosoever they
may be, and, in their persons, reverently offer the Divine Majesty the
honor due to Him... Let them not consider the person whom they
obey but let them see in that person Jesus Christ, for Whose sake
obedience is given. As a matter of fact, we are bound to obey a Supe­
rior not on account of his prudence, of his goodness or of any other
personal qualities wherewith God may have endowed him, but because
he is God's representative... Even if he should seem to lack in pru­
dence and wisdom, this is no reason for failing in exact obedience,
since in his capacity of superior, he represents a Person, Whose
wisdom is infallible and Who will Himself provide for all those things
in which His minister falls short, be it virtue or any other quality. ” 3

Nothing could contain greater wisdom than this prin­
ciple; for, if to-day we obey our superior because his qua­
lities please us, what shall we do to-morrow if we have
another superior who seems to us to be devoid of such
qualities? Besides, do we not forfeit the merit that should
be ours, by subjecting ourselves to a man whom we esteem
instead of submitting to God Himself? We must not,
therefore, dwell upon the defects of our superiors, a thing
that would render our obedience more difficult, nor yet
’ St. Ignat., Constit., VI, § I, rule 36.
• Ephts.. VI, 5-9. — 3 Letter CXX.

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CHAPTER Π.

upon their personal qualities, a thing that would render it
less meritorious, but we must consider God living and
commanding in their persons.
1066. 2° Universal in its extent, in the sense that we
are to comply with all the commands of a superior as long
as he commands lawfully. St. Francis de Sales 1 says :
“ Obedience lovingly undertakes to do all that is commanded
it with simplicity and without ever considering whether the
command is good or bad, provided that the person who
orders has authority to order, and that the command serves
to unite our mind to God. ” He adds, however, that if a
superior orders what is evidently against the law of God, it
is one’s duty not to submit. Such obedience, St. Thomas 1*3
says, would be injudicious: “ Obedience in unlawful matters
is injudicious.”
Aside from this case, the truly obedient person does not go astray
even when the superior is wrong and commands what is less good
than what we ourselves would choose. Then as a matter of fact God,
to Whom the submission is given and Who sees the heart, rewards this
obedience by assuring success. St. Francis de Sales, 3 commenting
upon the words, “ the obedient man shall speak of -victory ”, says :
“The truly obedient man will come out the conqueror in all the
difficulties into which he may be led by obedience, and with honor
from all the roads he has traversed, however dangerous. ” In other
words, a superior may err in commanding, but we make no mistake in
obeying.

1067. 3° Entire in the execution, hence prompt, without
reservations, persevering and even cheerful.
a) Prompt; for love, which is the prime mover of perfect
obedience, makes us obey with readiness : “ The obedient
man loves the command, and as soon as he is aware of it,
whether it be to his taste or not, embraces it, caresses it,
and cherishes it tenderly. ” 4
This is just what St. Bernard says : “ The truly obedient man knows
of no hesitation ; he has a horror of procrastination ; he ignores delays ;
he anticipates orders; his eyes are on the lookout, his ears on the
alert, his tongue ready to speak the word, his hands ready to act, his
feet ready to start ; he is all intent on knowing the will of him who
commands. ” 3

b) Without reservations ; for to make a choice, to obey in
some things and disobey in others is to forfeit the merit of
obedience; it is to show that we submit in what pleases us
and, therefore, that our submission is not supernatural.
1 Spiritual Conferences, XI, p. 179.
’ St. Thom., II» II®, q. 104, a. 3, ad 3.
3 Spirit. Conferences, XI, p. 199· — 4 Ibid., p. 186.
s Sermo de diversis, XLI, 7.—This should be read in its entirety.

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503

Let us, then, remember what Our Lord says : “ One jot, or
one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled. ” 1
Perseverance is likewise required of us. This is one of the great
merits of the virtue of obedience, “for to do a thing cheerfully which
we are only commanded to do once, costs nothing; but when our
superior says to us : You will do that always, and all through your life,
there lies the virtue and there also the difficulty.’”

C) Cheerful, “for God loveth a cheerful.giver. "3 In those
things that entail hardship, obedience cannot be cheerful,
unless it be animated by love. In fact, nothing is painful
to him who loves, because he thinks not of the suffering
undergone, but of the person for whose sake he suffers.
Now, if we see Our Lord in the person of him who com­
mands, how cap we fail to love Him, how can we fail to
offer with our whole heart the trifling sacrifice that He
demands, Who died a victim of obedience for our sake!
This is why we must always return to the general principle
we have established, that is, to see God Himself in the
person of our Superior.

IV. The Excellence of Obedience
1068. The excellence of obedience flows from all that
we have said of this virtue. St. Thomas does not hesitate
to say that, after the virtue of religion, it is the most perfect
of all the moral virtues, for the reason that it unites us
closer to God than any other virtue, inasmuch as obedience
detaches us from our own will, which is the main obstacle
to union with God. 4 Obedience is, besides, the mother
and guardian of the other virtues, and transforms our ordi­
nary actions into so many virtuous acts.
1069. i° Obedience unites us to God and makes us
habitually share in His life.
a) It subordinates our will directly to that of God and thereby all
our other faculties, inasmuch as they are in turn subordinated to the
will. This submission is all the more meritorious because it is freely
made. Inanimate creatures obey God by an innate necessity of their
nature, but man obeys by the free choice of his will. In so doing,
man tenders His Sovereign Master the homage of what he holds most
dear; he offers Him a pleasing sacrifice: “ Through obedience our wills
are sacrificed."5 Thus man enters into communion with God, since
he has no longer any other will but God’s will. He can make his own
the words of Christ in His agony : “Not my will, but thine be done.” 6
This is a most meritorious and a most sanctifying union since it unites
the best that is in us, our will, to that of God, ever good and ever holy.
» Matth., V, x8. — · ST. Fr. DE SALES, Spiritual Conferences, XI, p. 191.
3 11 Cor., IX, 7. — 4 Sum. Theol., II· Ilæ, q. 104. a. 3.
s St. Gregory, Moral., 1. XXV, c. 10, — » Luke, XXII, 42.

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b) Since the will is the master-faculty in man, by uniting it to God,
we unite to Him all the powers of our soul. Such a sacrifice is greater
than the sacrifice of external goods made, by the virtue of poverty,
greater than the sacrifice of bodily pleasures entailed by the practice
of chastity and of mortification. Obedience is, in all truth, the highest
sacrifice we can make : “ For obedience is better than sacrifices.” 1
C) Obedience likewise constitutes the most abiding and lasting
union. Through Sacramental Communion we effect a temporary
union with God, but through habitual obedience we establish in our
soul a species of spiritual communion which is permanent, which
causes us to abide in God as He abides in us, since we will what He
wills and nothing but what He wills. This is, as a matter of fact, the
most real, the most intimate, and the most effective of all unions—
unum velle unum nolle.

1070. 2° Obedience is logically the mother and the
guardian of all the virtues, as St. Augustine beautifully
expresses it : “ In a rational creature, obedience is, as it were,
the mother and guardian of all virtues. ” 2
a) Obedience really becomes one with charity, for, as
St. Thomas teaches, love effects primarily a union of wills. 3
And is not this the doctrine of St. John? After declaring
that he who pretends to love God and keeps not His
Commandments is a liar, the Apostle adds : “ But he that
keepeth His word, in him in very deed the charity of God
is perfected; and by this we know that we are in Him.”4
And this is the teaching of the Divine Master Himself.
He tells us that to keep His commandments is to love
Him : “ If you love me, keep my commandments. ” 5 True
obedience, therefore, is in reality a genuine act of love.

1071.b) Obedience makes us practice the other virtues,
inasmuch as they all fall under a precept or a counsel :
“ All acts of virtue come under obedience, inasmuch as they
are contained in a precept. ” 6
Thus, obedience makes us practice penance and mortification, so
frequently prescribed in the Gospels, as well as justice, religion, charity,
and all the virtues embodied in the Decalogue. More, obedience
likens us to the martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for God, as St. Igna­
tius ’ explains : “ Through it, self-will and self-sufficiency are ever being
immolated and laid as victims upon an altar, in such wise that instead
of man’s free-will there remains but the will of Jesus Christ Our Lord,
made known to us by him who commands us. Nor is it merely the
desire to live that is sacrificed by obedience, as happens in the case of
martyidotn, but here all our desires are sacrificed at one and the same
time. ” The same thought was expressed by St. 1’acomius to a young
monk longing for martyrdom : “ It is far better to live in obedience and
1 / Kings, XV, 22. — * De Civitate Dei, I. XIV, c. 12.
3 Sum. Theol., Ila Ilæ, q. 104, a. 3. — 4 *Z John, II, 5. — 5 John, XIV, 15.
6 St. Thom., IIa 11«, q. 104, a. 3, ad 2. — 1 Letter quoted above.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

505

to die daily to self by mortifying our own desires, than to suffer mar­
tyrdom in imagination. He who mortifies himself, dies a martyrs
death as far as need be ; it is a far greater martyrdom to persevere in
obedience all through life, than to die in a moment by a stroke of the
sword. ” ’

1072. e) Obedience offers us perfect safety. Left to
ourselves, we would be wondering which would be the more
perfect course to take, whereas obedience by determining
what is our duty in every instance, points out to us the
surest way of working out our sanctification. By doing
what obedience prescribes, we realize to the fullest possible
extent the one essential condition of perfection, that is,
compliance with God’s good pleasure : “ I do always the
things that are pleasing to him. ” 3
From this arises a sense of profound and abiding peace: “ There is
great peace for them that love thy law, O Lord. ” 3 When we are
desirous of doing only the will of God as manifested through superiors,
we are not preoccupied about what is to be done nor about the means
to be employed. All that we must do is to receive orders from him
who holds God’s place in our regard and to carry them out as best we
can. Providence takes care of the rest, demanding of us, not success,
but simply the effort to fulfil the orders given. Besides, we may rest
assured of the final result. It is clear that if we do God’s will, He will
take care of doing ours, that is to say, of granting our requests and
fostering our designs. Obedience, then, means peace on earth, and at
the end of life’s journey, it is obedience that opens for us the gates of
Heaven. Lost through the disobedience of our First Parents and
regained through the obedience of Jesus Christ, Heaven is reserved for
those who allow themselves to be led by the human representatives of
our Divine Savior. There is no Hell for the truly obedient : “ What
else does God loathe or punish except self-will? Let self-will cease, and
Hell shall be no more. ”4

1073. 3° Lastly, obedience transforms into virtues and
merits the most commonplace occupations of life: meals,
recreations, work. Whatever is done in the spirit of obe­
dience shares in the merit of that virtue, is acceptable to
God, and will be rewarded by Him. On the other hand,
whatever is done in opposition to the will of superiors, no
matter how praiseworthy in itself, is in reality an act of
disobedience. The obedient man is therefore often likened
to the traveller who goes aboard a ship that is in charge of
an expert pilot. Each single day, even though he sleeps,
he is steadily making for port, and, thus, without fatigue or
preoccupation he reaches the desired goal, the haven of a
blissful eternity.
• Quoted by St. Francis de Sales, Spiritual Conferences, p. 192.
'John. VIH, 29. — 3 A., CXVIII, 165.
4 St. Bernard, Sermon III for Eastertide, 3.

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1074. We end with the following words addressed by God to
St. Catherine of Sienna : 1 “ How sweet and glorious is this virtue
which in itself embodies all the others! It has been conceived and
begotten by charity. Upon it rests the foundation of divine faith...
It is the very center of the soul, which no tempest can reach... Pri­
vation causes it no affliction, for obedience has taught it to desire
nothing outside of Myself, Who am able, if I will it, to fulfil all its
desires... O, Obedience! thou dost accomplish the journey without
fatigue, and readiest the haven of salvation without mishap! Thou
identifiest thyself with the Word, my Only-begotten Son. Thou sailest
on the bark of the most hallowed Cross, ready to suffer all things
rather than depart from obedience to the Word and infringe upon His
teaching! How great does thy long perseverance make thee! So
great that thou reachest from earth to heaven, since it is by thee and
by thee alone that it can be laid open. ”

Art. III. The Virtue of Fortitude1
23
1075. Justice, complemented by religion and obedience,
regulates our relations with others. Fortitude and tempe­
rance regulate our duties towards ourselves. We shall
treat of fortitude by describing : i° its nature, 2° the virtues
related to it, 3° the means of practicing it.
§ I. Nature of the Virtue of Fortitude

We shall explain : i° its definition; 2° its degrees.

I. Definition
1076. This virtue, called also strength of soul, strength
of character, spiritual vigor, is a supernatural, moral virtue
that strengthens the soul in the pursuit of arduous moral
good, without allowing it to be deterred by fear, even the fear
of death.
A) Its object is twofold, the repression of the feelings of
fear which tend to paralyze our efforts towards good, and
the control of the spirit of daring which, without such a
check, would easily turn into temerity : “And, therefore, the
relations of fortitude to fear and to audacity consist in
repressing the former and controlling the latter. ” 3

1077. B) Its action is chiefly twofold : to undertake and
to endure difficult things : “ Arduous tasks both to pursue and
to sustain. ”
1 Dialogue.
’ St. Thomas, II* Ilæ. q. 123-140; his commentators, particularly Cajetan and
John of St. Thomas; JANVIER, Lenten Conferences of 1920; Ribet, Vertus,
ch. XXXV1I-XLI1 ; Ch. de Smedt, Notre vie sumat., t II, p. 210-267.
3 St. Thom., 11« Ilæ, q. 123, a. 3.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

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a) First of all, fortitude consists in undertaking and
carrying into execution difficult enterprises. On the road
to virtue and to perfection there lie innumerable obstacles,
difficult to overcome and forever recurring. They must not
only not be feared, but they must be faced with the cou­
rageous effort necessary to overcome them. This is the
first act of this virtue.
This act implies : l) determination to arrive quickly at the decision
of doing one’s duty no matter what the cost may be ; 2) courage and
generosity in putting forth all the effort that the peculiar difficulties of
the case may require ; 3) steadfastness, to prolong the effort to the
end, in spite of the stubbornness and the repeated attacks of the enemy.

b) Furthermore, we must needs learn to suffer for God’s
sake the manifold and difficult trials which He sends us, to
bear the sufferings, the illnesses, the mockeries, the calumnies
of which we may be the victims.
This often proves even more wearisome than action. “ To bear is
more difficult than io attack, ” 1 says St. Thomas, and for this he gives
a threefold reason. First, because one who is on the defensive gene­
rally feels that his adversary is more powerful than himself, while he
who takes the offensive comes on with a sense of superiority.
Secondly, because thé one who holds out in the face ef attack actually
feels the difficulties, whereas he who takes the offensive can only
foresee them. Now, an evil that is actually present inspires more fear
than one we merely foresee. Thirdly, because to hold out under trials
means unflinching perseverance for a notable time, for instance, in the
case of a long and painful illness, or of violent and prolonged tempta­
tion ; whereas to undertake a difficult task often requires but a mo­
mentary effort.

II. Degrees of the Virtue of Fortitude
1078. i° Beginners fight valiantly against the many
fears that deter them from the fulfilment of duty :—
1) Fear of effort and fear of risks. They recall that man
has even more priceless possessions than goods of fortune,
health, good name and life itself. Such are the gifts of
grace which are in themselves but the prelude of eternal
bliss. They come therefore to the practical conclusion that
one must unhesitatingly sacrifice the former to lay hold of
the latter, which endure forever. They convince themselves
of the fact that the only real evil is sin, and that, therefore,
that evil must be avoided at all costs, even at the risk of
suffering all the temporal ills that may befall them.

1079. 2) The fear of criticism or of ridicule, in other
words, human respect, which leads them to neglect their
1 Sum. Theol., IIa Ilæ, q. 123, a. 6, ad 1.

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CHAPTER II.

duty through fear of unfavorable comment, of the ridicule
of which they may be the target, of the threats that may
be hurled against them, of the injuries and injustices of
which they may be the victims. Many a man dauntless on
the battlefield cowers in the face of such sarcasm or such
threats. Of what paramount importance it is to school the
young in the contempt of human respect, to school them in
that manliness that knows how to brave public opinion and
follow convictions, without fear, without blush!
3) The fear of displeasing friends. This fear is at times
more potent than that of incurring the vengeance of enemies.
And yet, we must remember that it is better to please
God than men; that those who would hinder us from
doing our full duty are but false friends, and that if we
were to please them we should forfeit the esteem and the
friendship of Jesus Christ, Our Lord : “ If I yet pleased men,
I should not be the servant of Christ." 1 With far greater
reason must we avoid sacrificing duty to the craving for
vain popularity. The plaudits of men die away. There is
no approbation that is lasting, none that is truly worthy of
us, save that of God, the infallible Judge. Let us then
conclude with St. Paul that the only glory to be sought
after is that which proceeds from loyalty to God and
fidelity to duty : “ But he that glorieth, let him glory in the
Lord. For not he who commendeth himself is approved : but
he, whom God commendeth. " *
1080. 2° Souls in the illuminative way exercise them­
selves in the practice of the positive side of the virtue of
fortitude, by striving to imitate that strength of soul that
Jesus Christ exemplified for us during His life.
1) This virtue appears in His hidden life. From the very first mo­
ment of His Incarnation, Our Lord offers Himself to His Father in the
place of all the victims of the Old Law, by giving Himself for all
mankind. He is aware that, in consequence, His life will be a pro­
tracted martyrdom, yet He freely chooses that martyrdom. That is
why from His birth He eagerly seeks poverty, mortification and obe­
dience ; why He submits to persecution and exile ; why during thirty
years He hides Himself in the most complete obscurity, in order to
merit for us the grace that would enable us to sanctify our most com­
monplace actions and to inspire us with a love of humility. Thus He
teaches us the practice of the virtue of fortitude and courage amidst
the thousand details of daily life.
2) This fortitude is likewise evident during the course of His public
life : in the long fast which He undertakes before beginning His
ministry; in His victorious struggle against Satan; in His preaching,
1 Galat., I, io. —a // Cor., X, 17-18.

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where contrary to the preconceptions of the Jews, He announces the
advent of a kingdom altogether spiritual, founded on humility, sacri­
fice, self-denial, as well as on the love of God. It is shown forth in the
vigor wherewith He stigmatizes scandal and condemns the casuistry
of the Doctors of the Law; in the jealous care wherewith He avoids
popularity of a questionable character and eschews the royalty offered
to Him ; in the manner, at once sweet and forceful, with which he
trains His Apostles, correcting their prejudices, their defects, and
rebuking him whom he had chosen as the leader of the Twelve. It is
shown again in the determination to return to Jerusalem, well knowing
that He is to encounter suffering, humiliation and death. Thus He
sets us the example of the calm and steady courage which we must
have in all our relations with others.
3) Fortitude is manifested in His Passion: in the midst of that
torturing agony, where, in spite of the absence of consolation and in
spite of weariness of soul, He perseveres long in prayer : "‘And being
in agony, He prayed the longer;" 1 in the unruffled serenity He shows
at the moment of His arrest; in the silence He maintains in the face
of calumnies and the curiosity of Herod; in His dignified attitude
before His judges; in the heroic patience which He exemplifies while in
the midst of undeserved torments and the mockeries offered His
sacred Person; in the calm resignation wherewith He commends His
spirit into the hands of God, His Father, and gives up the ghost.’
He thereby teaches us patience amidst the severest trials.

As can be easily seen, there is here an ample field for
imitation. The better to succeed in this we must beg Our
Lord to deign come to dwell within us in all the fulness of
His power. Besides, we must cooperate with Him in the
actual exercise of this virtue, by practicing it, not only
when some great issue demands it, but also in the thousand
and one actions that make up the ordinary run of our
life, remembering that the constant practice of these little
virtues demands a higher degree of heroism than do bril­
liant deeds.
1081. 30 Perfect souls cultivate not only the virtue, but
likewise the gift of fortitude, as we shall explain in the
unitive way. They maintain themselves in that generous
attitude of immolating themselves for God, and of under­
going that slow, unbloody martyrdom, which consists in an
ever-renewed effort to do all things for God and to suffer
everything for His greater glory.
§ 11. Virtues Allied to Fortitude

1082. There are four virtues connected with the virtue
of fortitude. Two of them aid us in the accomplishment
of things arduous : magnanimity and munificence. The other
two help us to suffer in the right manner : patience and
. Luke, XXII, 43· — ’ Luke, XXIII, 46.

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constancy. St. Thomas holds these four to be integral and
potential parts of the virtue of fortitude.

I. Magnanimity
1083. i° Its Nature. Magnanimity, which is also
called greatness of soul or nobility of character, is the noble
and generous disposition to undertake great things for God
andfor the neighbor. It is not the same as ambition, which
is essentially egotistical and goads us on to surpass others by
wielding authority or receiving honors. The characteristic
of magnanimity is disinterested service.
a) This virtue therefore presupposes a noble soul, pos­
sessed of high ideals and unselfish thoughts, a valiant
spirit that does not hesitate to make its life accord with its
convictions.
b) It is brought out not only by noble sentiments, but
also by noble acts, and this in every sphere of action : in
the army by brilliant exploits, in civil life by great reform
movements, or great industrial, commercial, economic enter­
prises etc.; in the realm of the supernatural, by the pursuit
of a high ideal of perfection, by generous efforts to conquer
self and to rise ever higher, by striving to acquire solid
virtue and to exercise zeal in its various forms. All this is
done without fear of risking fortune, health, reputation and
life itself.
1084. 2° The contrary defect is called pusillanimity,
which, through an excessive fear of failure, makes one
hesitate and remain inactive. Seeking to avoid blunders
the pusillanimous fall into the greatest mistakes; they do
nothing or almost nothing, and thus waste their lives.
Evidently, it is better to risk making mistakes than to
do nothing.
II. Munificence or Magnificence
1085. i° Its Nature. Persons with a great soul and
a big heart practice magnificence or munificence, which
inclines us to do great works, and at the same time to
undergo the great expenses that such works entail.
a) At times it is pride or ambition rather than virtue that
inspires these undertakings. But when it is the glory of
God or the welfare of our fellow-men which one has in view,
one supernaturalizes that natural desire for grandeur, and,
instead of forever saving and investing, one generously
employs wealth for the furtherance of great undertakings

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511

such as works of art, public monuments, erection of
churches, hospitals, schools, universities, in a word of all
that promotes the common good. This virtue, then, makes
one overcome the natural attachment one has for money
and the thirst for further riches.

1086. b) This is an excellent virtue which must be
urged upon the well-to-do by showing them that the best
use they can make of the wealth Providence has entrusted
to them is to imitate God’s own liberality and His magnifi­
cence in all His works. There are Catholic institutions
that languish because of lack of means. They offer an
open field for the worthy employment of accumulated
funds, and the best way of preparing for ourselves a glorious
dwelling in Heaven. Then, there are numberless under­
takings to initiate. Each new generation brings a host of
new needs : churches to build, schools to found, a larger
ministry to support; at times there are public calamities to
relieve, at others new agencies of welfare to inaugurate for
youth, for old age, etc. There is here a vast field, open
to every activity and to every purse.
e) And there is no need of being rich in order to practice this virtue.
St. Vincent de Paul was by no means rich, and yet, was there any
other man who provided with such royal munificence for every misery
of his day? Was there any who initiated such lasting and successful
charitable enterprises? A noble soul always finds resources in public
charity, and it seems as if Providence makes common cause with
devoted service if one knows how to trust in God and to follow the
dictates of prudence or the inspirations of the Holy Ghost.

1087. 2° The contrary defects are miserliness and
extravagance.
a) Miserliness or stinginess paralyzes the impulses of the
heart, knows not how to make adequate provision for
important enterprises, and does nothing but what is cheap
or small, b) Extravagance, on the contrary, impels one to
make unnecessary expenditures, to be prodigal of money
and at times to spend beyond one’s means. This defect is
also called prodigality. It is the part of prudence to hold a
middle course between both extremec.
III. Patience1
1088. i° Its nature. Patience is a Christian virtue
that makes us withstand with equanimity of soul, for the
■ St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, Part HI, C. Ill ; Olier, Introd., c. IX;
Faber, Growth in Holiness, C. IX; D. V. Lehodey, Le Saint Abandon, Part III,
C. III-V.

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love of God, and in union with Jesus Christ, all physical and
moral sufferings. We all have an ample share of suffering
sufficient to make us saints, if we would only suffer courage­
ously and from supernatural motives. Many, however,
suffer complainingly, in bitterness of heart, at times even in
a spirit of rebellion against Providence. Others, again,
withstand suffering out of pride or ambition and thus forfeit
the fruits of their endurance. The true motive that should
inspire us is submission to the will of God (n. 487), and the
hope of the eternal reward that will crown our patience
(n. 491). Still, the most potent stimulus, is the thought of
Christ suffering and dying for us. If He, innocence itself,
bore so heroically so many tortures, physical and moral, in
order to redeem us and sanctify us, is it not meet that we,
who are guilty and who by our sins are the cause of His
sufferings, should consent to suffer with Him and with
His intentions, in order to cooperate with Him in the work
of our purification and sanctification, and to partake in His
glory by having shared in His sufferings? Noble and
generous souls add to these motives the motive of zeal.
They suffer to fulfil what is wanting of the sufferings of
Christ and thus work for the redemption of souls (n. 149).
Herein lies the secret source of that heroic patience of the
Saints and of their love of the Cross.

1089.20 The degrees of patience correspond to the
three stages of the spiritual life.
a) At the beginning, suffering is accepted as coming from
God ; without murmur, without resentment, in hope of
heavenly rewards. It is accepted in order to atone for
faults and to purify the heart ; in order to control ill-regulated
tendencies, especially sadness and dejection. It is accepted
in spite of our natural repugnance, and, if a prayer goes up
that the chalice pass away, it is followed by an act of sub­
mission to the holy Will of God.1
1090. b) Patience, in its second degree, makes us
eager to embrace suffering, in union with Jesus Christ,
and in order to make us more like that Divine Model.
Hence the soul is fond of following Him along the sorrow­
ful road that He took from the Crib to the Cross ; it con­
templates Him, praises Him, and pours forth its love upon
Him in all His sorrowful mysteries : at His entrance into
this world when He “emptied Himself”; in His resignation
■ Matth., XXVI, 39.

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513

within the lowly crib that was His cradle and wherein He
suffered even more from the insensibility of men than from
the cold and the elements; amidst the sufferings of His
exile, the menial labors of His hidden life, the work, the
fatigue, and the humiliations of His public life; but, above
all, in the physical and moral tortures of His painful pas­
sion. Strengthened by the words of St. Peter,1 “ Christ,
therefore, having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed with
the same thought, ” the soul takes new courage in the face
of pain and sadness; side by side with Jesus, it tenderly
stretches itself forth on the Cross, for love of Him : “ With
Christ I am nailed to the cross. ” 2 When suffering increases,
a loving, compassionate glance upon the Crucified Christ
brings the response from His lips: "Blessed are they that
mourn... blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice's
sake. ” 3 Then, the hope of sharing in His glory in the
heavenly places renders more bearable the crucifixion
undergone in union with Him : “ If we suffer with him, that
we may be also glorified with him." 4 Nay, the soul at
times comes, like St Paul, to the point where it rejoices in
its miseries and tribulations, well knowing that to suffer
with Christ means to comfort Him, that it means the com­
pletion of His passion, a more perfect love for Him here on
earth, and a preparation for the further enjoyment of His
love through all eternity : “ Gladly therefore will I glory in
my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me... 5
I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation. ” 6
1091. C) This leads to the third degree of patience, the
desire and the love of suffering for the sake of God Whom
one wishes to glorify, and for the sake of souls, for whose
sanctification one wants to labor. This is the degree proper
to perfect souls and especially to apostolic souls, to religious,
priests and devout men and women. Such was the dispo­
sition that animated Our Blessed Lord when He offered
Himself as victim at His entrance into this world, and
which He expressed in proclaiming His desire to suffer the
baptism of His Passion : "And I have a baptism wherewith
I am to be baptized. And how am I straitened until it be
accomplished. ” 7
Out of love for
perfect souls enter
St. Ignatius, “just
of earth, love and

Him and in order to become more like unto Him,
into the same sentiments : “For”, in the words of
as men of the world who are attached to the things
seek with great eagerness honors, good name, and

1 / Peter, IV, i. — ’ Galat., II, 19. — 3 Matt., V, 5, 10-12. — < Rom., VIII, 17.
S // Cor.. XII, 9. — « // Cor., VII, 4. — 7 Luke XII, 50.

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display among men... so those who march ahead in the ways of the
spirit and who earnestly follow Jesus Christ love and ardently desire
whatever is opposed to the spirit of the world... so that were it pos­
sible with no offence to God and scandal to the neighbor, they would
want to suffer insults, slanders, and injuries, be reckoned as fools,
though having given no occasion therefor, such is their intense desire
to be likened in some way to Our Lord Jesus Christ... so that with the
help of His grace we strive to imitate Him as far as we can, and to
follow Him in all things, since He is the true way which leads men to
life. ”1 Evidently, it is only love for God and for the Crucified Christ
that can inspire a like love for the Cross and humiliations.

1092. Must a soul go further, and offer itself to God as
a victim and formally ask God for extraordinary sufferings,
in order either to offer reparation to God, or to obtain some
signal favor? No doubt some of the Saints have done so
and in our day there are still generous souls who are moved
to do likewise. However, generally speaking, such requests
cannot be prudently counselled. They may easily lead to
illusions and are often the outcome of some ill-considered
impulse of generosity which has its origin in presumption.
“ Such requests are made, ” says Father de Smedt, “ in
moments of emotional fervor, and once this is gone... one
realizes one’s weakness to accomplish the heroic acts of
submission and resignation so energetically made in the
imagination. Therefrom issue violent temptations to dis­
couragement and even to complaints against God’s Provi­
dence... It is a source of great annoyance and perplexity
to the spiritual directors of such souls.”1
23 Hence, we must
not take it upon ourselves to ask for extraordinary suffer­
ings or trials. If one feels oneself drawn thereto, one must
take counsel with a judicious director of souls and do noth­
ing without his approval.
IV. Constancy
1093. Constancy in effort consists in struggling and
suffering to the end, without yielding to weariness, discour­
agement, or indolence.
i° Experience shows that after reiterated efforts one
wearies of well-doing, one finds it irksome to be forever
obliged to strain the will. St. Thomas remarks : “ A special
difficulty is attached to long persistence in a difficult task. ” 3
1 Constitut. Soc. Jesu, Exam, generale, cap. IV, n. 44.
·* Notre vie surnaturelle, t. II. p. 260.—Father Capelle, who has made a special
study of this particular matter (Les Ames Généreuses, 1920, 3e P., Ch. IV-V1I)
sums up his teaching in three propositions : 1) It is Our Lord Himself who selects
such victims. 2) He warns them in advance of what they will have to undergo.
3) He asks their free consent.
3 Sum. Theol., 11« Hæ, q. 137, a. 1.

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Yet, no virtue is solid that has not stood the test of time,
that has not been strengthened by deeply rooted habits.
A sense of weariness often results in discouragement and
indolence. The annoyance experienced at repeating efforts
relaxes the energy of the will and produces a species of
moral depression or discouragement; at this juncture, the
love of pleasure and a sense of regret at being deprived of
it gain the upper hand and one lets oneself be carried by
the current of evil tendencies.

1094. 2° In order to react against this weakness, we
must remember: i) that perseverance is a gift of God
(n. 127) obtained by prayer. Hence, we must ask insis­
tently for it in union with Him Who persevered unto death,
and through the intercession of Her Whom we rightly call
Virgin most faithful.
2) We must, after that, renew our convictions as regards
the shortness of life and the everlastingness of the reward
that crowns our efforts. Having an eternal rest awaiting us
we can well afford a measure of annoyance here on earth.
If in spite of these considerations we still remain weak and
hesitant, then we must beg insistently for that grace of
perseverance the need of which we feel so keenly, by
repeating the words of St. Augustine : “ Grant me O Lord
what Thou commandest and then command whatever Thou
wilt. ”
3) Finally, we must go back courageously to our task,
supported by the all-powerful grace of God, and work on
despite the apparently small measure of success that
attends our efforts, remembering that it is effort and not
success that God demands. Besides, we must not forget
that we need a certain amount of relaxation, of rest, and of
diversion : Man cannot live long without some consolation.
Constancy does not therefore exclude due rest : “ Enjoy thy
leisure that thou mayest the better perform thy labor. ” The
important thing is that we take our rest in submission to
God’s will, according to rule and the advice of our spiritual
director.
§ III. Means of Acquiring and Perfecting
the Virtue of Fortitude

We refer the reader to what we have said in number Si 1
regarding the education of the will, adding here Some few
remarks more pertinent to the special subject now under
discussion.

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1095. i° The secret of our strength lies in distrust of
self and absolute confidence in God. Incapable as we are of
any good in the supernatural order without the help of
grace, we share in the very power of God and become invin­
cible if we seek support in Jesus Christ : “ He that abideth
in me, and I in him, the same beareth much *
...
fruit
I can
do all things in him who strengtheneth me. ’’2 This is why
it is the humble who are strong, when the consciousness of
their weakness is accompanied by trust in God. These two
dispositions, then, must be cultivated in souls. If it is
question of the proud and presumptuous, insistence must be
laid upon distrust of self ; when we have to deal with the
timid and the pessimistic, confidence in God is to be
emphasized, by explaining to them the consoling words of
the Apostle : “ The weak things of the world hath God
chosen, that he may confound the strong... and the things that
are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are. ” 3
1096. 2° To this twofold disposition of soul deep con­
victions must be joined, as well as the habit of acting in
accordance with such convictions.
A) These convictions are those based upon the great
truths, particularly, the end of man, the necessity of sacri­
ficing all in order to attain this end, the horror that sin, the
only obstacle to our end, must inspire in us, the necessity
of submitting our will to the will of God in order to avoid
sin and attain our end, etc. These convictions constitute
the directing forces of our conduct and the motive-powers
that infuse into us the courage required to triumph over
obstacles.
B) This is the reason why it is so important to acquire
the habit of acting from conviction. We are not so apt
then to allow ourselves to be carried away by passing
impulses, by the violent urge of passion, by routine, or
personal interest; on the contrary, before acting, such
questions as these will arise in the mind : “ What bearing
has this on eternity? ” Does this action which I am about to
perform bring me closer to God, nearer to the attainment of
a blissful eternity? If we can answer in the affirmative we
act; if not, we refrain. Thus directing all things to the final
end, we live up to our convictions and we become strong.
1097. 3° The better to surmount obstacles it is well to
foresee them, to look them squarely in the face, and to
1 John, XV, 5. — a Phil., IV, 13. — 3 1 Cor., I, 27-28.

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517

muster courage to fight them. This, however, we do with­
out magnifying the difficulties, counting upon the aid which
God will not fail to grant us at the opportune moment.
A difficulty foreseen is a difficulty half overcome.
1098. 4° Finally, we should bear in mind that nothing
renders us so fearless as the love of God : “ For love is strong
as death." If mother-love inspires a woman with courage
and daring when it is question of defending her children,
what cannot the love of God do if it be deep-rooted in the
soul? Is it not love that has made martyrs, virgins, apostles
and all the saints? When St. Paul describes the ordeals he
underwent, the persecutions he suffered, the pains he en­
dured, one cannot but wonder at the power that sustained
his courage in the midst of so many adversities. He tells
us himself it was love for Christ : “ For the charity of Christ
presseth us.” 1 This is why the Apostle is without appre­
hension for the future. “ Who then shall separate us from
the love of Christ?”2 He enumerates the various tribu­
lations that might befall him, and says : “ Neither death, nor
life, nor angels... nor things present, nor things to come,
nor might... nor any other creature shall be able to separate
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord. ” 3
What St. Paul said, every Christian also can say, provided
he bears his God a loyal love; and then He will share in the
very power of the Almighty : “ For Thou, O Lord, art my
strength. ” 4

Art. IV. The Virtue of Temperances
If fortitude is needed to restrain fear, temperance is no
less necessary to control that allurement to pleasure which
so easily turns us away from God.
1099.
Temperance is a supernatural, moral virtue that
moderates the attraction towards sense-pleasure, especially the
pleasures of the palate and the flesh, and keeps them within
the proper limits ofpropriety.
Its object is the moderation of all sense-pleasure, but
particularly of that connected with the two great functions
of organic life; namely, the preservation of the individual
by nourishment, and the preservation of the race by sexual

* // Cor., V, 14. — a Rom.. VIII, 38-39. — 3 Rom., VIII, 35. — 4 Ps. XLII, 2.
5 St. Thom., I» Hæ, q. 141-170; Scaramelli, Guide ascétique, IIIe Traité,
art. 4; Ribet, Vertus, ch. XLIII-XLVIII ; Ch. de Smedt, t. II, p. 268-342;
P. Janvier, Carême, 1921 et 1922. See references, Nos 751 and 864, under Mor­
tification and Gluttony.

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CHAPTER II.

relations. Temperance causes us to make use of pleasure
for an end which is worthy and at the same time super­
natural. By that very fact it regulates the use of the said
pleasures according to the dictates of reason and of faith.
Precisely because pleasure is enticing and easily lures us
beyond the proper limits, temperance leads us to mortify
ourselves, even in some of the things that are permissible,
in order to ensure the preponderance of reason over passion.
It is by the aid of these principles that we shall solve
particular questions.
We have already dealt sufficiently with the rules to be
followed in the regulation of the pleasure that accompanies
the function of nutrition (n. 864). Now we shall treat of
chastity, which moderates the pleasures attached to the
propagation of the race. Then we shall speak of the two
virtues allied to temperance; namely, humility and meekness.
§ I. Chastity1

1100. i° Notion. The aim of chastity is to check what­
ever is inordinate in voluptuous pleasures. These pleasures
have for their principal end the perpetuation of the race
through the right use of marriage. They are lawful only
between married persons, and then only when they further,
or at least do not interfere with the primary end of mar­
riage which is the procreation of children.
Chastity is rightly called the angelic virtue, because it likens us to
the angels, who are pure by nature. It is an austere virtue, because
we do not succeed in practicing it unless we subdue the body and the
senses by mortification. It is a frail virtue, tarnished by the least
wilful failing. On this account it is a difficult virtue, since it cannot
be observed except by a generous and constant struggle against the
most tyrannical of passions.

1101. 2° Degrees. 1) There are several degrees of
chastity. The first one consists in carefully refraining
from consent to any thought, fancy, feeling or action con­
trary to this virtue.
2) The second aims at ridding oneself immediately and
energetically of every thought, image or impression that
could soil the luster of chastity.
3) The third, which is seldom attained save after long
efforts in the practice of the love of God, consists in acquir­
1 Cassias, Conferences. XII; St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Paradise,
XV; St. Thomas, 11“ Ilæ, Q. 151-156; Rodriguez, Christian Perfection. P. Ill,
Treat. IV; St. Francis of Sales, Devout Life, P. Ill, C. X11-XI1I;Gav, Chris­
tian Life and Virtues, Treat. X.—See references No. 873.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

519

ing such a mastery over our senses and our thoughts that,
when duty requires us to deal with questions relating to
chastity, we do so with all the calm and composure that
would attend the treatment of any other subject.
4) Finally, there are some who, by a special privilege,
attain such a degree of chastity that they experience no
inordinate feelings whatever, as is related of St. Thomas
after his victorious issue from an extraordinary temptation.
1102. 30 Kinds. There are two kinds of chastity:
conjugal chastity proper to persons living in lawful wed­
lock, and continence proper to the unmarried. After
briefly treating of the first, we shall lay emphasis on
the second, chiefly in so far as it applies to persons who
lead a life of celibacy either in the religious or in the
ecclesiastical state.
I. Conjugal Chastity
1103. i° Principle. Married persons should never
forget that, according to the teaching of St. Paul, Christian
marriage is symbolical of the holy bond that exists between
Christ and His Church : “ Husbands, love your wives, as
Christ also loved the Church and delivered himself for it,
that He might sanctify it. ” 1 They must then love respect
and sanctify each other (n. 591). The first effect of this
love is an indissoluble union of hearts, and therefore an
inviolable mutual fidelity.
1104. 2° Mutual Fidelity, a) Here we shall borrow
the language of St. Francis de Sales*
2 or give a summary of
his thought.
“ Preserve, then, O husbands ! a tender, constant, and cordial love
for your wives... If you desire that your wives should be faithful to
you, give them a lesson by your example. How, says St. Gregory
Nazianzen 3, can you exact purity of your wives, when you yourselves
live in impurity?”—“But you, O wives, whose honor is inseparably
joined with purity and modesty, be zealous to preserve this your glory,
and suffer no kind of loose behavior to tarnish the whiteness of your
reputation. Fear all kinds of assaults, how small soever they may be ;
never suffer any wanton address to approach you ; for he that praises
the ware which he cannot buy is strongly tempted to steal it, but if to
your praise he adds the dispraise of your husband, he offers you a
heinous injury; for it is evident that he not only desires to ruin you,
but accounts you already half lost, since the bargain is half made with
a second merchant when one is disgusted with the first. ”
' Ephes., V, 25-26.
■ Devout Life. Part. ΙΠ, C. XXXVIII.
3 Orat., XXXVII, 7.

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b) Nothing so well secures this mutual fidelity as the
practice of true devotion, particularly of prayer in common.
“ Thus, wives ought to wish that their husbands should be preserved
with the sugar of devotion ; for a man without devotion is severe,
harsh, and rough. And husbands ought to wish that their wives should
be devout, because without devotion, a woman is very frail, and liable
to obscure, and perhaps to lose, her virtue. ”
C) “ As to the rest, their mutual bearing with each other ought to be
so great that they should never be both angry with each other at the
same time, so that dissension or debate be never seen between them.”
Therefore, if one be angry, let the other hold his peace, in order that
peace may be restored the sooner. ”

1105. 3° Conjugal Duty. They should reverence the
holiness of the marriage-bed by the purity of their intention
and the seemliness of their relations.
A) Their intention must be the same as that of the young
Tobias when he took Sarah for wife; “ And now, Lord, thou
knowest that not for fleshly lust do I take my sister to
wife, but only for the love of posterity in which thy name
may be blessed for ever and ever. ” 1 This is in fact the
primary end of Christian marriage, to procreate children
who are to be reared in the fear and love of God, to be
trained to a pious and Christian life so as to become one
day citizens of Heaven. The secondary end of marriage
is mutual help to bear the sufferings of life, and to overcome
passion by subordinating pleasure to duty.
1106. B) They must, then, faithfully and candidly fulfil
their marriage obligations. Whatever favors the transmis­
sion of life is not only licit, but praiseworthy. On the
contrary, any act whatever whereby this primary end would
be hindered constitutes a grave sin, since it is against the
essential purpose of marriage. They should bear in mind
the following observation of St. Paul : 2 “ Defraud not one
another, except, perhaps, by consent, for a time, that you
may give yourselves to prayer : and return together again,
lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency. ”
C) Moderation is necessary in the use of the marriage
right as it is in the taking of meals. It is even a hygienic
measure, and propriety requires that continence be practiced
at times. One does not succeed in this unless one has
formed the habit of subordinating pleasure to reason, and
unless one seeks in the frequent reception of the Sacraments
a remedy for the too violent motions of concupiscence.
■ Tobias, 9, VIII, — ’ / Cor., VII, 5.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

521

However, let no one forget, that it is by no means impos­
sible, and that through prayer one always obtains the
grace of practicing virtue, even the most austere.

II. Continence or Celibacy
1107. Absolute continence is a duty of those who are
not united in the bonds of lawful wedlock. Therefore, it
must be practiced by all before marriage as well as by
those who are widowed.1 There is yet another class of
chosen souls called to practice a life-long continence either
in the religious state, or in the priesthood, or even in the
world. It is well to give them special rules for the perfect
preservation of purity.
Chastity is a frail and delicate virtue that cannot be
preserved unless it be protected by other virtues. It is, as
it were, a citadel that requires for its defence the raising
of outward ramparts. These are four in number: i° humi­
lity, which produces self-distrust and prompts to flight from
dangerous occasions; 2° mortification, which by waging war
against the love of pleasure, reaches the evil at its roots;
3° devotion to the duties of state, which protects one from the
perils created by idleness; 40 love for God, which by filling
the heart, prevents it from giving itself over to dangerous
affections. Within these four ramparts the soul is not only
able to repulse the onslaughts of the enemy, but also to
grow in purity.

i°

Humility

the

Guardian of Chastity

1108. This virtue produces in us principally three dispo­
sitions, which shelter us from many a danger : distrust of
self and confidence in God, flight from dangerous occasions,
sincerity in the Sacrament of Penance.
A) Distrust of self accompanied by confidence in God.
Many a soul falls into impurity through pride and pre­
sumption. St. Paul calls attention to this fact with regard
to the Pagan philosophers, who whilst glorying in their
wisdom yielded to all manner of turpitude : “ For this cause,
God delivered them up to shameful affections. ” 2
Father Olier thus explains this fact: “God, Who cannot suffer pride
in the soul, humbles it to the very depths; and, desiring to show the
soul its weakness, and that it has no power of itself to resist evil and
persevere in well doing... allows it to be tormented by those terrible
1 See the excellent advice of St. Francis de Sales to widows, Devout Life^
Part III, C. XL. — 9 Rom., I, 26.

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CHAPTER Π.

temptations, and at times even to fall, because such temptations are
the most shameful and leave behind them the greater confusion. ’’
When, on the contrary one is firmly convinced that of oneself one
cannot be chaste, one repeats the humble prayer which St. Philip Neri
used to address to God: “My God, beware of Philip; otherwise he
will betray Thee. ”

1109. a) This distrust must be universal, i) It is
necessary to those who have sinned grievously, for the
temptation will return, and without the help of grace they
will be exposed to a fresh fall. It is no less necessary to
those who have preserved their innocence, for one dày or
another temptation will assail them, and will be all the
more dangerous for them because of their inexperience.
2) This distrust must last to the very end of life. Solomon
was no longer a youth when he let himself be caught by
the love of women. It was old men that tempted the
chaste Susanna. The evil spirit that assails us in mature
life is all the more dangerous, because we thought him
conquered. Experience shows that so long as there remains
in us a spark of life, the smouldering fires of concupiscence
may burst forth once more. 3) This diffidence is necessary
for even the holiest souls. The evil one is more anxious to
cause their fall than that of coarser souls, and he lays for
them more treacherous snares. This is the warning of
St. Jerome1 in his letter to Eustochium, and elsewhere *23he
adds that it is vain to seek reassurance in the long years
already lived in chastity, in holiness and in the pursuance
of wisdom.
1110. b) Withal, this diffidence of self must be ever
attended by a perfect trust in God. For God will never
allow us to be tempted beyond our strength. He does not
ask of us the impossible. He either gives us immediately
the grace of resisting temptations or the grace of praying
for the help necessary to overcome them. 3
“One must, then,” says Father Olier4 “withdraw interiorly into
Jesus Christ to find in Him the power of resistance to temptation...
He wills that we be tried, so that, warned thereby of our weakness and
of the need we have of His help, we may withdraw into Him to find in
Him the strength which we lack.” If the temptation becomes more
> Epist. XXII, ad Eustochium, P. L., XXII, 396.
= Epist. LU, ad Nepotian. P. L. XXII, 531-532: "Trust not in your former
chastity : you are not holier than David, nor can you be holier than Solomon.
Always remember that a woman evicted the tenant of paradise from his possession. "
3 '· For God does not enjoin the impossible; but when He commands, He bids
us do what in our power lies and to pray for what lies beyond, the while He lends
us the power to accomplish His command. " (Council of Trent, Sess. VI, C. II,
Denz. 804.)
♦ Introd., C. XII.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

523

violent we must fall on our kness and lift our hands to Heaven to
invoke the assistance of God.

When all these precautions have been taken one may
infallibly count on God’s help : “ And God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are
able : but will make also with temptation issue, that you may
be able to bear it. ” 1 We must not, then, have too much
dread of temptation before it comes. That would be a
way of bringing it on. Nor must we stand in dread of it
when it actually assails us, since with reliance on God we
are invincible.
1111. B) The Flight from Dangerous Occasions,
a) The mutual attraction that exists between the sexes
creates dangers for those vowed to celibacy. Hence, useless
meetings must be dispensed with, and when meetings are
necessary, the danger must be made remote.2 This is why
the spiritual direction of women must be conducted exclu­
sively in the confessional, as we have noted in n. 546.
Two things we have to protect : our virtue and our good
name. The one and the other make extreme reserve
imperative.
b) Children of graceful appearance, of a joyful and
affectionate nature, may likewise be a source of danger.
One loves to look at them, to caress them, and, if one be
not on guard one may be led to familiarities that perturb
the senses. This disturbance is a warning given us by
God, to make us understand that we must desist and that
we have even proceeded too far. Let us recall to mind
that those children have Guardian Angels who look upon
the face of God ; that they are the living temples of the
Holy Trinity and members of Christ. Then we shall more
easily treat them with a holy reverence while we show them
real affection.
1112. c) In a general way, humility causes us to repress
the desire to please, which prepares the way for many a fall.
This desire, which proceeds both from vanity and from a
natural longing for affection, is manifested by an exagger­
ated concern for our personal appearance, over-carefulness
■ I Cor. VIII, 14.
3 This was St. Jerome's advice to Nepotian : " A woman's foot should seldom if
ever cross the threshold of your home... If in the course of your clerical duly you
have to visit a widow or a virgin, never enter the house alone. Let your compan­
ions be persons, associates who will not disgrace you... You must not sit alone
with a woman or see one without witnesses... Beware of all that gives occasion
for suspicion ; and to avoid scandal shun every act that may give colour to it "
Letter Lil, 5, P. L., XXII, 531-532.

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CHAPTER Π.

in dress, an affected pose, tender language, caressing glances,
the habit of complimenting others upon their exterior
accomplishments.1 This manner of acting soon attracts
notice, especially in a young ecclesiastic, in a priest, or a
religious. He soon jeopardizes his good name; and would
that he stop before he likewise imperils his virtue!

1113. C) Humility, finally, inspires us with that candid
frankness toward our spiritual director which is so necessary
to avoid the snares of the enemy.
St. Ignatius rightly says that “ when the enemy of man wishes to
lead a just soul into error by his tricks and ruses, he wants above all
that such a soul listen to him and keep his words secret. But should
that soul confide all to an enlightened confessor, Satan is chagrined,
because he knows that all his malice will become impotent the moment
his attempts are detected and brought out into the light.”1 It is
especially in matters of chastity that this wise advice applies. If we are
faithful to disclose humbly and candidly our temptations to our spi­
ritual director, we are warned in time of the dangers to which we are
exposed, and we take the means suggested by him. A temptation
laid bare is a temptation already overcome. If, on the contrary, trust­
ing to our own lights we fail to seek advice, under the pretext that a
temptation is not a sin, we fall easily into the snares of the great
seducer of souls.
2° Mortification

the

Guardian of Chastity

We have already explained the necessity and the princi­
pal forms of mortification (n. 755-790). We shall recall here
the points that bear more directly upon the present subject.
Because the poison of impurity seeps through every open­
ing, we must know how to mortify both our exterior and
our interior senses, as well as the affections of the heart.

1114. A) The body, we have said (n. 771 and foil.), must
be disciplined, and if need be, chastised that it may remain
subject to the soul : “ But I chastise my body and bring it
into subjection : lest perhaps, when I have preached to others,
I myself should become a castaway. ” 3
From this principle arises the necessity of sobriety, at times of fast­
ing, or of some other exterior forms of penance; also the need, at
certain periods and especially in the spring of the year, of a less rich
diet to abate the mounting surge of the blood and soothe the ardors*23
‘

' St. Jerome well describes these oddities : " Such men think of nothing but their
dress ; they use perfumes freely, and see that there are no creases in their leather
shoes. Their curling hair shows the traces of tongs; their fingers glisten with
rings; they walk on tiptoe across a wet road, not to splash their feet. When you
see men acting in this way, think of them rather as bridegrooms than as clergymen. "
Letter XXII, 28.

2 Spiritual Exercises, Rules for the Discernment of Spirits, XIII.
1 Cor., IX, 27.

3

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

525

of concupiscence. Nothing is to be neglected that may ensure the
dominion of the soul over the body. There should be no protracted
hours of sleep, and as a general principle we must not remain in bed
of mornings, once we are awake and are unable to fall asleep again.

Each of our bodily senses needs to be mortified.

1115. a) The just Job had made a pact with his eyes
that they should not look upon such persons as could prove
a source of temptation to him : “ I made a covenant with my
eyes, that I would not so much as think upon a virgin. ” 1
The Book of Ecclesiasticus carefully recommends not to
fasten our glances upon a maiden and to turn our eyes
from a beautiful woman : “ For many have perished by the
beauty of a woman, and thereby lust is enkindled as a
fire. ”*2* All these counsels have a good psychological
foundation. The eye acts as stimulus to the imagination,
this enkindles the desire, and the latter solicits the will.
If the will yields consent, sin enters into the soul.
1116. b) Speech and hearing are mortified by reserve in
conversation. This reserve is not common even among
Christian men and women. The reading of novels and the
frequenting of theatres cause them to speak freely of many
a subject that should be passed over in silence. Likewise,
they want to keep informed about the scandals that occur
in the world. At other times they chat pleasantly about
things of a more or less risky nature. A sort of unwhole­
some-curiosity finds delight in such pleasantries and reports,
the imagination is fed on them and visualizes in detail the
descriptions given, the senses react and often the will ends
by taking culpable pleasure. And so it is that St. Paul
rightly denounces evil associations as a source of corruption :
“ Evil communications corrupt good manners. ” 3 The same
Apostle says elsewhere : “ Obscenity, or foolish talking, or
scurrility, which is to no purpose... let it not so much as be
named among you. ”4 Experience shows that sterling
souls have been perverted through the unwholesome curio­
sity aroused by imprudent conversations.
1117. c) In the sense of touch there lurks a special danger
(n. 879).
Father Perreyve understood this well when he wrote the following :5
“ More than ever, O Lord, I consecrate my hands to Thee. These
• Job, XXXI, i.
2 "Gaze not upon a maiden: lest her beauty be a stumbling block to thee...
Turn away thy face from a woman dressed up; and gaze not about upon another's
beauty. ” Ecclus. IX, 5. 8, 9. — 3 / Cor., XV, 33. —■ 4 Ephes., V, 3 & 4.
s Meditations sur les SS. Ordres, p. 103.

526

CHAPTER Π.

hands are to receive priestly consecration within three days. On the
morrow of the third day they will touch, hold, handle Thy Body and
Thy Blood. I want to reverence these hands, honor them as hallowed
instruments dedicated to Thy service and that of Thy altars... ” When
we recollect that in the morning we have held within our hands an
All-holy God, we are more ready to abstain from whatever could soil
their purity. Hence, deep reverence for our own person ; hence rever­
ence for others, treating all with the accepted marks of courtesy, but
abstaining from any sentimental feeling or ill-ordered affection. To a
priest who asked St. Vincent de Paul if it were expedient to feel the
pulse of a dying woman, the Saint replied : “ That practice must be
carefully avoided, for the evil spirit might easily make use of it to
tempt the living and even the dying. The devil, in this last moment
uses any and every device to ensnare a soul... You should never
touch eitheir girl or woman under any pretence whatever. ” 1

1118. B) The interior senses are no less exposed to
danger than are the exterior. Even when we modestly
lower our eyes, importunate memories and obsessing images
still pursue us. St. Jerome complained of this even in the
solitude of the desert where, though parched by the burning
sun and living in a bare cell, he would feel himself carried
in fancy mid the pleasures of Rome.234 He therefore urges
instant riddance of such fancies : “ You must never let the
suggestion of evil grow on you... Slay the enemy while he is
small; and that you may not have a crop of tares, nip the evil
in the bud." 3 The enemy must be strangled before his
strength grows and the tares pulled up by the root before
they sprout, otherwise the soul is invaded, obsessed by
temptation, and the temple of God becomes the haunt of
demons : “ Let not the temple of the Blessed Trinity become a
place where demons shall dance and sirens make their dens. ” 4
1119. In order to escape these dangerous fancies it is important
not to indulge in the reading of such novels or attend such theatrical
representations, where inhuman passions and chiefly that of love are
presented in a vivid and realistic fashion. Such descriptions cannot
but trouble the imagination and the senses. They persistently recur in
our leisure moments, impart to temptation a more vivid and more
alluring form, and at times extort consent. Now, St. Jerome remarks
that virginity is forfeited not merely through exterior but also by
interior acts : u And so, virginity is lost even by thought.”*

Furthermore, the Saints exhort us to mortify the imagi­
nation and useless day-dreaming. For, experience shows
that these are frequently followed by dangerous sensual
images, and that, therefore, if we wish to prevent the latter,
‘ Meynard, Virtues and Spiritual Doctrine of St. Vincent de Paul, C. XIX.
3 "How often, when I was living in the desert, in the vast solitude which gives
to hermits a wild dwelling-place, parched by a burning sun, how often did I fancy
myself among the pleasures of Rome! " Letter, XXII, n. 7. — 3 Ibid.
4 St. Jerome, Letter, XXII, n. 6. — s Letter quoted, n. 5.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

527

we must quickly banish the former. It is only by so doing
that we gradually succeed in subjecting the imagination to
the service of the will.
This is particularly necessary to the priest, who by the very reason
of his ministry, is the recipient of confidences of a delicate nature.
No doubt, he has the grace of state not to take any pleasure therein,
but this on condition that upon leaving the confessional he does not
voluntarily dwell upon what he has heard. Otherwise, his virtue
would be put to a severe test, and God has not bound Himself to
vouchsafe His help to imprudent souls that rush headlong into danger :
“ He that loveth danger shall perish in it. ”1

1120. C) The heart needs to be mortified just as much
as the imagination. It is one of the highest and noblest of
faculties, but it is also a source of danger. By religious
vow or by priestly ordination, we consecrate our heart to
God and renounce the joys of family life. Still, the heart
remains open to affection; and if it be true that we have
special graces, they are graces for the struggle, and they
demand of us great vigilance and great effort.
Besides the dangers common to all, the priest encounters in his
ministry some peculiar to himself. He may become unconsciously
attached to the persons to whom he does good, and they in turn may
feel naturally moved to manifest their gratitude. Therefrom arise
mutual affections; these are supernatural at first, but unless carefully
controlled, they easily descend to the plane of natural, sentimental
and absorbing attachments. Indeed, it is easy to deceive ourselves.
“Oftentimes," says St. Francis de Sales, “we imagine we love persons
for God’s sake, whilst in reality we love them for the sake of the
pleasure we experience in their company.” A famous text, attributed
to St. Augustine, shows us the successive degrees through which we
pass from spiritual to carnal love : “ Spiritual love engenders affectionate
love, affectionate love devoted love, devoted love tender love, and tender
love carnal love. ”
1121. In order to escape such a misfortune, we must ask ourselves
from time to time whether or not we see in ourselves any signs of
friendship that is too natural and sentimental.’ Father de Valuy *
3
says that such a friendship exists : “ If the presence of a person begins
to captivate our eyes, or his agreeable disposition to thrill our heart ;
if we offer tender greetings, speak tender words, cast tender glances,
make small gifts, exchange smiles more eloquent than words and
permit liberties that little by little lead to familiarity; if we seek oppor­
tunities to meet alone, to prolong these meetings interminably and to
renew them for no apparent reason ; if we speak little of divine things
but a great deal of self and of mutual esteem ; if we praise, flatter or
excuse each other ; if we complain bitterly of the warnings of superiors,
of the obstacles they place in the way of our meetings and of the
suspicions in which they seem to indulge ;... if we experience uneasiness
and sadness at the absence of our friend; if we are distracted in
prayer at the thought of him, and recommend him to God with extra­
■ Ecclesiasticus, III, 27. — ’ cf. above, n1» 595-606—friendships, true and false.
3 Vertus religieuses, pp. 73-74.

CHAPTER II.

528

ordinary fervor ; if we have his image deeply engraved on our mind,
and are preoccupied with the thought of him day and night, anxiously
wondering as to his whereabouts, as to the time of his return, and as
to his affection for others ; if we experience unwonted joy at his reap­
pearance, undergo a species of martyrdom when again he must depart,
and strive in a thousand and one ways to bring about a reunion. ”

Let no one try to reassure himself by citing the piety of
the persons to whom he thus attaches himself, for the holier
they are, the more they attract us. Besides, such persons
imagine that the affection they bear a priest holds no
dangers whatever, and may, therefore, allow their affection
to grow without fear. It is imperative, then, that the priest
keep them at a distance by his own reserve.
3° Application

to

Study

and to

Duties of State

1122. One of the most profitable forms of mortification
is the avoidance of idleness by an earnest application to
ecclesiastical studies and to the faithful fulfilment of the
duties of state. Thereby the dangers of idleness are
removed : “ For idleness hath taught much evil. ’’1 For one
demon that tempts a busy man there are a thousand evil
spirits that tempt an idle one. What do we do, as a matter
of fact, when we are not engaged in any useful task? We
muse, day-dream, read light literature, indulge in protracted
visits, hold conversations of a more or less dangerous nature,
while our imagination teems with vain fancies, our heart
drifts on towards sentimental affections and our soul, laid
open to all sorts of temptations, finally yields to sin. On the
contrary, when we become absorbed in study or the work
of the ministry, our mind is filled with wholesome thoughts,*
2
and our heart soars to worthy and pure affections. Our
one absorbing thought is of souls, whilst the very multiplicity
of occupations leaves no opportunity whatever for any
inordinate friendships. If at any time temptation makes
its appearance, the self-mastery acquired through assiduous
work enables us to head it off far more quickly, for study
and work make their wonted demands upon our attention,
and we soon tear ourselves away from reveries to busy
ourselves with the concrete realities that take up the greater
part of our life.
1123. Hence, it is a great service to seminarians and priests to
inspire them with a taste for study; to teach them how to avoid
’ Ecclesiasticus, XXXIII, 29.
2 “ Love the knowledge of Scripture, and you will no longer love the sins of the
flesh... Always have some work on hand, that the devil may find you busy. ”
St. Jerome, Letter CXXV, n. 11.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

529

idleness, even in holiday time, and how to turn to profit every moment
of their life. When one can help them sketch a plan of study that
they can follow in the ministry, or aid them in the preparation of some
course of instructions, or interest them in some special question, one
does them a signal service ; for if they have no such program, they are
liable to waste precious time, whilst with it, they bring to their task a
greater enthusiasm and more perseverance.
4° Ardent Love

for

Jesus

and

His Blessed Mother

1124. If work preserves the mind from dangerous
thoughts, love for God shields the heart from sentimental
affections, and thus spares us many a temptation. Man’s
heart is made for love. Priestly ordination or religious
profession do not change this affective part of our nature,
but they help us raise our affections to a supernatural
plane. If we love God with our whole soul, if we love
Jesus Christ above all things, we shall be less inclined to
give our affections to creatures. St. John Climacus remarks :
“ He is truly virtuous upon whose spirit heavenly beauty
is so engraved, that he deigns not to cast a look upon
earthly beauty, and thus feels not the burning of that fire
which consumes the hearts of other men. ” 1
1125. But in order that love for Jesus may produce these effects,
it must be intense, generous, and absorbing. Then it will bring us a
threefold blessing : i) It will so fill the mind and the heart that we no
longer give a thought to human affections. If at times they make
their way to our heart, we turn them aside, repeating these words of
St. Agnes : “ 7am espoused to Him Whom the Angels serve, at Whose
beauty the very sun and moon stand in awe. ” It is easy to under­
stand bow all creatures vanish and lose their charm in the presence of
Him Who is the fulness of beauty, of goodness and of power. 2) Should
we unfortunately become entangled in any ill-ordered affections, Jesus
Who cannot sufftr strange gods in our heart, will reproach us severely
and thus make us all the stronger for the fight against them. 3) Lastly,
He will Himself protect with jealous care the hearts of those who give
themselves to Him. He will come to our aid at the time of temptation
and will strengthen us against the seductions of creatures.

This generous love for Jesus we draw from prayer, from
the reception of Holy Communion, from silent adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament, and we render it habitual and
permanent through that intimate union with Our Lord
which we described above, in number 153.
1126.To this we add a great devotion to Mary, the
Virgin Undefiled. Her name breathes forth purity, and, it
seems, no sooner do we confidently invoke Her, than
temptation is put to flight. If we consecrate ourselves
» T.adder of Paradise, Degree XV, 7.

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CHAPTER Π.

entirely to this Good Mother (n. 170-176), She will watch
over us as Her very own, and help us to repel successfully
the most harassing temptations. Let us, then, delight in
the recitation of the prayer, O Domina mea, so powerful
against impure suggestions, and the Ave Maris Stella,
especially the following strophe :
Virgin of all virgins,
Thee our queen we seek;
Fire with love our bosoms,
Make us chaste and meek.

And if we are ever worsted in the struggle, we must not
forget that the Immaculate Heart of Mary is also the sure
refuge of sinners, that through the invocation of Her Name
we shall find the grace of repentance, followed by the grace
of absolution. Who could better ensure our perseverance
than the Virgin most Faithful?
§ II. Humility·

This virtue could in some respects be connected with
the virtue of justice, since it inclines us to mete out to our­
selves what are our just deserts. However, it is generally
related to the virtue of temperance, because it moderates
the sense we have of our own worth. We shall explain :
1° its nature; 20 its various degrees; 30 its excellence; 4° the
means to practice it.

I. Nature of Humility
1127. i° Humility is a virtue that was unknown to the
Pagans. For them humility connoted something vile,
abject, servile or ignoble. It was not so with the Jews.
Enlightened by faith, the best among them, conscious of
their own nothingness and of their wretchedness, patiently
accepted trials as a means of expiation. God, on His part
stooped down to help them ; He delighted in the prayer of
the humble, and pardoned the co’ntrite and humbled sinner.
Therefore, when Our Lord came to preach humility and
meekness, the Jews were able to understand Him. As for
us, we understand Him even better, after reflecting on the
examples of humility He has given us in His hidden life,
during His public ministry, and in His passion, nay, givés
us still in His Eucharistic life.
Humility may be defined as a supernatural virtue, which,
through the self-knowledge it imparts, inclines us to reckon
1 See references, N° 818, under Pride.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

531

ourselves at our true worth and to seek self-effacement and
contempt. More succinctly, St. Bernard 1 defines it as
“ a virtue whereby man, through a true knowledge of
himself, becomes despicable in his own eyes. ” This defi­
nition will be better understood after we have explained
the basis of humility.

1128. The Basis of this virtue. Humility has a twofold
basis: truth and justice. Truth causes us to know our­
selves just as we are; justice inclines us to act upon that
knowledge.
A) To attain self-knowledge, says St. Thomas, we must
see what in us belongs to God, and what to ourselves.
Now, whatever there is in us of good, comes from God and
belongs to Him; whatever there is of evil, proceeds from
ourselves: “In man two things may be considered: what
there is of God, and what there is of man. Of man there is
whatever points'to defect; but of God, all that makes for
salvation andperfection. ” 12
Justice, then, absolutely demands that we render to God,
and to Him alone, all the honor and all the glory: “ To the
king of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and
glory ...3 Benediction and glory, and wisdom, and thanks­
giving, honor and power and strength, to our God. ” 4
Undoubtedly, there is some good in us—our natural being
and especially our supernatural privileges. Humility allows
us to see and admire this good, but in such wise only that
when we contemplate the gifts and graces of God in us, it
is Him, and not ourselves that we admire, just as when we
admire a work of art we give credit to the artist, not to
the canvas.
1129. B) Besides, the fact of being sinners condemns us
to humiliation. In a certain sense, of ourselves we are but
sin, since born in sin, we keep within us concupiscence,
which leads to sin.
a) Upon our entrance into the world, we are already
tainted by original sin, from which only the mercy of God
can cleanse us. b) How many actual sins have we not
committed from the dawn of reason! If we have com­
mitted even one mortal sin, then on that score we deserve
eternal humiliations. Even if we have fallen into but
venial sins, we must remember that the least sin constitutes
1 De Gradibus humil., C. I, n. 2.
2 IIa Ilæ, q. 161, a. 3. — 3 / Tim., I, 17. — 4 Apot., VII, 12.

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an offence against God, a wilful violation of His law, an act of
rebellion whereby we prefer our will to His. A whole life­
time of penance and humiliation would not suffice to atone
for this. C) Furthermore, even after our regeneration, we still
keep within ourselves strong tendencies to all kinds of sin, so
much so that, according to St. Augustine, it is due to God’s
grace that we have not committed every sin in the world.1
In justice, then, we must love humiliations and accept all reproaches.
If we are told that we are miserly, dishonest, proud, we must acknow­
ledge it, since we have within us the inclination to each of these
defects. Father Olier rightly comes to the conclusion that “in sick­
ness, in persecution, in contempt, and any other affliction we must take
God’s part against ourselves and acknowledge that we justly deserve
all that and more ; that He has a perfect right to use every creature
for our punishment, and that we must adore the great mercy He uses
towards us, knowing full well that according to His justice we would
fare far worse. ” ’

Such is the twofold basis of humility. Being nothing of
ourselves, we must love oblivion and self-effacement : to be
unknown, to be reckoned as nothing. As sinners we deserve
every kind of humiliation.

II. The Various Degrees of Humility
There are different classifications of the degrees of this
virtue according to the various points of view taken. We
shall note the principal ones, which can be reduced to
three : that of St. Benedict, that of St. Ignatius and that of
Father Olier.
1130. i° The Twelve Degrees of St. Benedict. 3 Cassian discerned ten different degrees in the practice of
humility. St. Benedict completed this division, adding
two others. To understand this arrangement, we must
know that St. Benedict conceived humility as “ an habitual
attitude of soul which regulates the entire range of a monk’s
relations with God, as a sinful creature and as an adopted
son. ” This concept is founded upon reverence towards the
Almighty and comprises besides humility properly so-called,
obedience, patience and modesty. Of these twelve degrees,
seven refer to interior and five to exterior actions.*
I23
• “ I realize that it is Thy grace that has prevented me from doing whatever evil
I have not done ; for what evil is there that I could not have done, being given
that I could take pleasure in doing wrong just for the pleasure of doing it? And I
confess to Thee, my God, that Thou hast pardoned all my sins, those which I
freely committed, and those which because of Thy guidance I did not commit. "
(Confess. II, C. 3, P. L. XXXII, 681).
2 Catech. for an Int. Life, P. I. Lesson XVIII.
3 Butler, Benedictine Monachism, p. 51.

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1131. Among the interior acts he places :
1) The fear of God ever present to the mind and causing
us to keep the commandments. This fear is, in the first
place, fear of punishment, then reverential fear, which
terminates in adoration : “ The fear of the Lord is holy,
enduringforever and ever. ” 1
2) Obedience, or the submission of our will to God’s.
For if we fear and reverence God, we shall do His will in
all things. This obedience is, indeed, an act of humility,
since it is the expression of our dependence upon God.
3) Obedience to Superiors out of love for God. It is
more difficult to submit to Superiors than to God
Himself. More faith is needed to see God in the person
of one’s Superiors; likewise a more perfect self-denial
is needed because this obedience extends to many more
things.
4) Patient obedience even in the most difficult things,
bearing injuries without murmer, even and above all, when
humiliation comes from Superiors. To succeed in this, one
must consider the heavenly recompense awaiting us and
the sufferings and humiliations of Jesus.
5) The avowal of secret faults, thoughts included, to the
Superior,2 apart from sacramental confession. This act of
humility is a powerful check. The prospect of having to
lay bare the most secret faults halts one on the brink of
the abyss.
6) The willing acceptance of all privations, of menial
offices, considering oneself unworthy of even such tasks.
7) To consider oneself in all sincerity as the lowest of
men. This is a degree of humility rarely found. The Saints
attain it by saying to themselves that if others had received
as many graces as they, they would have made much better
use of these divine gifts.
1132. These interior acts manifest themselves in exterior
actions, the principal ones being :
8) Avoidance of singularity : to do nothing out of the ordinary, but
to be satisfied with what is sanctioned by the common rule, the examples
> Λ. XVIII, 10.
* According to the Code of Canon Law (can. 530) religious Superiors can no
longer in any way seek to induce their subjects to disclose to them their conscience;
but the Code adds : “ it is profitable for religious to approach their Superiors with
filial confidence and manifest to them, if the Superiors be priests, their doubts and
troubles of conscience. ”

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of our seniors, and accepted customs. To wish to be singular is a
sign of pride.
9) Silence: to know how to remain silent as long as conversation
is not addressed to us, or as long as there is no good reason to speak.
There is a great deal of vanity behind our readiness to talk.
10) Moderation of laughter : St. Benedict does not condemn laughter
in so far as it is an expression of spiritual joy, but only laughter of a
vulgar kind, uncouth laughter, sneering laughter, or the habitual
disposition to laugh boisterously, and upon the least provocation, all of
which shows little regard for God’s presence and little humility.
11) Reserve in speech: when one speaks, it must be done quietly and
humbly, with all the gravity and propriety of the wise man.
12) Modesty of behavior: to walk, sit, and hold oneself erect; to
practice modesty of the eyes without affectation, to keep one’s thoughts
fixed on God, reflecting that one is not worthy of raising one’s eyes to
heaven : Lord, I am not worthy, a sinful man, to raise my eyes to
heaven.

After explaining the various degrees of humility, St. Bene­
dict adds that they lead to the love of God, that perfect
love that excludes fear : “ Therefore, after having ascended
all these degrees of humility, the monk soon reaches the love
of God, that perfect love that casteth out fear, ” This, then,
is the goal whither humility leads. The way is rough, but
the heights to which it leads us are those of Divine Love.

1133. 20 The Three Degrees of St. Ignatius. Towards
the end of the Second Week of the Exercises, before the
Rules for Election, St. Ignatius proposes three degrees of
humility, which are at bottom three degrees of selfabnegation.
1) The first degree consists “ in perfect submission to the
law of God, so that we should be ready to refuse the empire
of the whole world, or even to sacrifice our lives, rather than
transgress any precept which obliges us under pain of mortal
sin.” This degree is essential for every Christian who
wants to remain in the state of grace.
2) The second is more perfect. “ It consists in the indif­
ference of the soul towards riches or poverty, honor or
shame, health or sickness, provided the glory of God and
the salvation of souls are equally secured ; further, that no
consideration of interest or temporal disgrace, not even the
consideration of immediate death, should be capable of
drawing us into deliberate venial sin. This is a disposition
already implying great perfection, and few souls attain it.
3) “ The third is most perfect. It embodies the first two,
and it goes further, preferring, for the sole love of Jesus
Christ and from the wish to resemble Him the more,

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poverty to riches, shame to honors, etc..., even though our
salvation and the glory of God would be assured by either”
This is the degree of perfect souls; it is the love of the
Cross and the love of humiliation, in union with Christ and
out of love for Him. When a soul has arrived thus far,
it is already on the highroad to sanctity.
1134. 3° The Three Degrees of Humility according·
to Father Olier. After having explained in his “ Cate­
chism for an Interior Life” the necessity of humility and
the way to combat pride, Father Olier in his Introduction
to Christian Life and Virtues, goes on to explain the three
degrees of interior humility proper to fervent souls.
a) The first degree is to rejoice in the knowledge of self,
the knowledge of one’s vileness, of one’s nothingness, of
one’s defects, of one’s sins. The mere knowledge of these
miseries does not constitute humility; there are some who
discover their faults, but who are saddened at the sight of
them, and strive to find in themselves something good that
will spare them the confusion they experience. This is an
effect of pride. However, when one is pleased at the know­
ledge of one’s wretchedness, when one loves one’s own vile
and abject condition one is truly humble.
If one has the misfortune of falling into sin, one must, of course»
detest it, but at the same time be pleased at the humiliation. To
rejoice in one’s infirmities, one must remember that such a sentiment
redounds to God’s glory, by the very fact that one’s littleness makes
manifest God’s greatness, and one’s sins His holiness. In this way
the soul acknowledges that it has no worth whatever, that of itself it
is incapable of any good, and that all has its origin in God, that all
depends on Him, and that all must be done through Him.

b) The second degree is that of wanting to be known as
vile, as base, as being nothing but sin, and to be considered
as such by all men. In fact, if knowing our misery and
being pleased at it we should still wish to be esteemed by
men, we should be hypocrites, wanting to seem better than
we really are.
Alas! such is our tendency! Hence the chagrin we experience when
our imperfections are discovered, the concern we have for the success
of our undertakings, for gaining the esteem of men. To covet this
esteem is to be a thief wishing to make his what belongs to the
Sovereign Being. The humble soul, oil the contrary, is unconcerned
about the regard in which it is held. It is pained when praised, and
would prefer a thousand injuries to a word of praise, since the former
is based on truth, the latter on falsehood.

c) The third degree is to want not merely to be known
as a vile thing, but to be treated as such, as a base and
contemptible being; it is to accept joyfully, all the scorn

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and all the humiliation possible; in a word, it is to want to
be treated according to our deserts. And what contempt
is not due to nothingness, and above all, to sin, which
removes us from the One Who is our true good, God?
Thus, when God deigns to send us aridity of soul, interior desola­
tions and reversals, we must take God’s part against ourselves, and
acknowledge that He is right in rebuking us and our works. Likewise,
if we are ill-treated by our superiors, our equals, and even our inferiors,
we must rejoice at this as being most just, most profitable to us and
most in accord with the desires of Jesus Christ. We must not even
aspire to a high place in Heaven from a motive of pride. Indeed, we
must love God as much as He wishes to be loved, and be faithful so
that we mary attain to the degree of glory and bliss that He prepares
for us; but with regard to our place in Heaven we must leave that
entirely in God’s hands.

“ Then we attain complete self-effacement, and God alone
lives and reigns within us. ”
1135. Conclusion. Each of these points of view con­
cerning the degrees of humility as explained by St. Bene­
dict, St. Ignatius, and Father Olier, has its foundation
in fact. It is the duty of a spiritual director to advise
the one which best harmonizes with his penitents state
of soul.
III. The Excellence of Humility

To be able to understand the language of the Saints on
this subject we must differentiate between humility in itself,
and humility as the foundation of the other virtues.
1136. i° Considered in itself, says St. Thomas,1 humility
is inferior to the theological virtues, which have God Himself
as their direct object; it is even inferior to certain moral
virtues; for instance, prudence, religion, and legal justice
which refers to the common good ; however, (with the pos­
sible exception of obedience) humility is superior to all the
other moral virtues, because of its universal character, and
because it subordinates us to the divine order in all things.
1137. 2° But, if we consider humility as being the key
that opens the treasures of grace and as the foundation of all
virtues, it is, as the Saints say, one of the most excellent
of virtues.
A) It is the key that lays open the riches of grace : “ But
to the humble He giveth grace. ” 2 a) God knows that the
humble soul does not take complacency in the graces He
* 11“ 11“, q. x6i, a. 4. — ’ 1 Peter, V, 5.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

53“

bestows, that it is not puffed up with vanity because of
them, but rather that it refers all the glory to Him.
Almighty God can therefore pour upon that soul the
abundance of His favors, since His own glory will be
thereby increased. On the other hand, He sees Himself
obliged to withdraw His grace from the proud — “God
resisteth the proud,” 1 — since they would appropriate it to
their own ends and would glory therein. This God cannot
suffer : “ I will not give my glory to another. " 2
b) Besides, humility empties the soul of self-love and
vain-glory, and thus creates there a vast capacity for grace,
which God is ready to fill; for as St. Bernard says there is a
close affinity between grace and humility : “ The virtue of
humility is always found closely associated with Divine
grace. ” 3
1138. B) Humility is likewise the foundation of all the
virtues. If not the mother of all, it is at least their fostermother, and this from a twofold point of view : first in the
sense that without it there is no solid virtue, and then that
with it all other virtues grow in depth and perfection.
1) As pride is the great stumbling-block to faith, humility renders
our faith more active, more ready, more firm, and even more enlight­
ened : “ Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and
hast revealed Hum to little ones. ” * How much easier it is to sub­
ject the intellect to the authority of faith, if we are conscious of our
dependence upon God ! “ Bringing into captivity every understand­
ing, unto the obedience of Christ. ” Faith in turn,5 revealing to us
the infinite perfection of God and our own nothingness, grounds us
in humility.
2) The same occurs in the case of hope. The proud man trusts
in himself and presumes overmuch in his own strength. He hardly
thinks of imploring divine aid. The humble man, on the contrary,
places all his hope in God, because he distrusts himself. Hope, in its
turn, makes us more humble, because it shows us that the joys of
heaven are so utterly beyond our powers that without the help of
grace we could never attain them.
3) The enemy of the love of God, of charity, is the love of self.
It is, then, by the “emptying of self” that the love of God grows,
which in turn deepens humility, for we delight in effacing ourselves
before Him Whom we love. Therefore, St. Augustine rightly said
that there is nothing more sublime than charity, and that only the
humble practice it : “ There is no higher road than that of charity, and
none but the humble walk *
therein." There is likewise no surer way
to practice charity towards the neighbor than that of humility, which
throws a veil over his defects and makes us sympathize with his
infirmities, instead of becoming impatient with him.
' / Peter, V, 5. — ” Isaias, XL1I, 8. — 3 Super Missus est, Homil. IV, 9.
« Matth., XI. 25. — s // Cor., X, 5. — « Enarrat, in Ps. CXLI, c. 7.

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1139. 4) Religion is all the better practiced the clearer we perceive
that all must be offered in holocaust and sacrificed to God.
5) Prudence demands humility. The humble are fond of reflecting
and taking counsel before acting.
6) Justice cannot be practiced without humility, for the proud man
exaggerates his own rights to the detriment of those of the neighbor.
7) Christian fortitude, proceeding as it does, not from self but from
God, is not found except in those who, conscious of their weakness,
find support in Him Who alone can strengthen them.
8) Temperance and chastity, as we have seen, presuppose humility.
9) Meekness and patience are never well practiced until we learn to
accept humiliation.

And so, it can be said that without humility there is no
solid and lasting virtue, and that, on the other hand, through
humility, all virtues grow and take deeper root in the soul.
We may well conclude with the words of St. Augustine :
"Dost thou wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan
a tower that shall pierce the clouds? Lay first the foun­
dations on humility. ” 1 The loftier the building, the deeper
must be its foundations.

IV. The Practice of Humility
1140. Beginners, as we have said (n. 838-844), wage war
against pride; souls advanced in the spiritual life direct
their efforts to the imitation of Our Lord’s humility.
1141. i° They strive to draw to themselves the humble
dispositions of the soul of Christ. This is what St. Paul
urges us to do : “ Let this mind be in you, which was also
in Christ fesus : Who being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself..." 2
We must, then, meditate frequently upon and strive to
imitate the examples of humility given us by Our Lord in
His hidden and public life, in His Passion, and in His
Eucharistic life.
A) During His hidden life He practices humility chiefly
under the form of self-effacement, a) He practices this
self-effacement before His birth by hiding Himself for nine
months in the virginal womb of Mary, where He conceals
completely His Divine Attributes : “ He emptied himself; ” 3
by submitting Himself to Cæsar’s edict : “ There went out a
decreefrom Ccesar Augustus ; ” 4 by suffering uncomplainingly
the rude refusals His Mother had to face : “ There was no
room for them in the inn; ”5 above all, by being the object
' Sermon ro on the Words of the Lord. — - Phil., II, c. — 3 thid., 7.
4 Luke, II, i. — 5 Ibid., 7.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

539

of the ingratitude of men, who thought not of making
ready a place for Him in their hearts: "He came unto his
own, and his own received him not. ”1 b) He likewise
practices self-effacement at His birth : He appears as a poor
infant, bound in swaddling clothes, placed in a manger,
and laid upon a bit of straw : “ You shall find the infant
wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger." 2 And
this little Child is the Son of God, coequal with the Father,
Uncreated Wisdom!
e) He practices humility also in all the circumstances that follow
His birth : like any ordinary child he is circumcised ; He is obliged to
flee into Egypt to escape the persecuting hand of Herod, whom with
but one word He could reducé to dust, d) His life at Nazareth is but
continued self-effacement. Hidden away in a small Galilean village,
He at first helps His Mother in her household duties, then becomes
an apprentice, a workman, and spends thirty years in obedience
to two human beings. He, the Lord of the world, “ was subject to
them. ” 3 We can well understand the words of Bossuet :4 “ My God !
I stand aghast once more ! Come, ye proud ones, behold this
spectacle! Jesus, a carpenter’s son! Jesus, Himself a carpenter!
Jesus, known only as a carpenter and as the son of a carpenter, and
nothing more ! ”

1142. B) During the course of His public life Jesus
does not cease to practice this forgetfulness of self to the
extent compatible with His mission. He is, no doubt,
obliged to proclaim both by word and deed that He is the
Son of God ; yet, He does so in a discreet, measured way,
sufficiently clear to reach the minds of men of good will,
but not with such evidence as to force assent. His humil­
ity appears in everything He does.
a) He surrounds Himself with Apostles, ignorant and uncouth, and
therefore little esteemed, eleven fishermen and a publican. He shows
a marked preference for those whom the world despises : the poor,
sinners, the afflicted, little children, those disowned by the world.
He lives by alms and has no place that He can call His home, b) His
teaching is plain and simple, within the reach of all, and His similitudes
like His parables are taken from ordinary, every-day life. He does not
seek to excite the admiration of men, but to instruct them and to touch
their hearts, e) His miracles are of rare occurrence, and when He
does perform them He often charges His beneficiaries to speak of
them to no man. There is no studied austerity in His life : He eats
like every one else, He attends a wedding-feast at Cana, and some
banquets to which He is invited. He shuns popularity ; He does not
hesitate when necessary to displease His disciples: “This is a hard
saying,”5 and He takes to flight when the people would make Him
king, d) If we look into the innermost sentiments of His soul, we see
how He wishes to live in dependence upon God. 6 He speaks only to
give expression to the doctrine of Him Who sent Him : “ I speak not
'John, I, n. —“ Luke, II, 12. — 3 Luke, II, 51.
4 lohn, VI, 61. — 5 Elévations, XXe Semaine, 8' Elév. — 6 John, VIII, 15-16.

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of myself... ” ’ “ My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me;" ’ He
does nothing of Himself but only in deference to His Father : “ I cannot
of myselfdo anything... But the Father who abideth in me, he doth the
works. " 3 Thus it is not His own glory that He seeks, but that of the
Father, and for this cause only He lives on earth : “ I seek not my own
glory..."4 “ 1 have glorified thee on the earth." 5 Nay more, He, the
Lord of Creation, becomes the servant of men : “ The Son of man is
not come to be ministered unto, but to minister. ” 67 Ina word, oblivious
of self; He continually immolates Himself for God and men.

1143. C) This is all even more apparent in His Passion
where He practices abject humility.
He, Holiness itself, wills to bear the weight of our iniquities and
suffer the penalty, as if He were guilty : “ Him, who knew no sin, he
hath made sin for us. ” ’ a) Hence proceed that sorrow, that dejection,
that weariness, which He feels at Gethsemane at seeing Himself loaded
with our sins : “ And he began to fear and to be heavy... My soul is
sorrowful even unto death. " 8
b) He bears the outrages heaped upon Him: betrayed by Judas,
He has for him only friendly words : “ Friend, whereto art thou
come?" ’ Deserted by His Apostles, He does not cease to love them.
Arrested, bound like a common criminal, He heals Malchus wounded
by the hand of Peter. Delivered to the rabble, He suffers their affronts
in silence. Calumniated, He does not justify Himself, and utters not
a word except to make answer to the abjuration of the high-priest in
whom He respects the authority of God. He knows full well that His
answer will bring upon Him the penalty of death, still He speaks the
truth. Treated like a fool by Herod, He holds His peace; He speaks
not a single word nor works a single miracle to vindicate His honor.
The people to whom He had done so much good choose Barabbas
instead of Him, and still Jesus ceases not to suffer for their conversion.
Unjustly condemned by Pilate, He keeps silence, He lets Himself be
scourged, crowned with thorns, vilified like a mock-king on the stage ;
He accepts without murmur the heavy cross that is laid upon His
shoulders and allows Himself to be crucified without a word of com­
plaint. Insulted and sneered at by His enemies, He prays for them
and excuses them before His Father. Deprived of all heavenly com­
fort, deserted by His disciples, His dignity as man, His reputation,
His honor, all set at naught, He suffers it seems every species of
humiliation that the mind of man can conceive, and He can say with
far greater truth than the Psalmist : “ I am a worm and no man: the
reproach of men and the outcast of the people. ”10 It is for us sinners, it
is in our stead, that He endures so heroically all those outrages with­
out a murmur : “ Who, when He was reviled, did not revile : when he
suffered, he threatened not, but delivered himself to him that judged
him unjustly. ” “ How then can we, who are so full of guilt, ever
complain, even should we be at times unjustly accused ?

1144.D) His Eucharistic life in the tabernacle repro­
duces these different examples of humility.
1 John, XIV, io. — 2 John, VII, 16. — John, V, 30; XIV, 10.
4 John, VIII, 50. —*John, XVII, 4. — <> Matth., XX, 28.
7 II Cor., V, 21. — 8 Mark, XIV, 33, 34. — 9 Matth., XXVI, 50.
«° Ps. XXI, 7. — » 1 Peter, II, 23.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

541

a) Therein the Divinity of Jesus Christ is veiled to a greater extent
than it was in the Crib and on Calvary : “ On the Cross was veiled Thy
Godhead's splendor. Here Thy Manhood Heth hidden too. ” ' And
yet, from the recesses of the tabernacle, it is He Who is the first and
principal cause of all the good done in the world, He the One that
inspires, strengthens and comforts all apostles, martyrs and virgins.
And He chooses to be hidden, to be unknown, to be accounted as
nothing.
b) How many insults, how many affronts does He not receive in the
Sacrament of His love, not only from unbelievers who refuse to ack­
nowledge His Presence, from the impious who profane His Sacred
Body, but also from Christians, who either out of weakness or shame
make sacriligious communions, even from souls consecrated to His
service who at times forget Him and leave Him alone in His taber­
nacle : “ Couldyou not watch one hour with me?"'1 Instead of com­
plaining He says to us incessantly : “ Come to me, all you that labor
and are heavy burdened, and I will refresh you. ” 3

Truly, we have here all the examples that we need to
sustain and strengthen us in the practice of every form of
the virtue of humility. And when we reflect further that
at the same time Christ has also merited for us the grace of
imitating these examples, how can we hesitate to follow
Him?
1145.2° We shall now examine the manner in which
we can, after Our Lord’s example, practice humility towards
God, towards our neighbor and with regard to ourselves.
A) Towards God, humility is manifested chiefly in three
ways : a) By the spirit of religion, whereby we honor God
as the plenitude of being and perfection. This we do by
lovingly and joyfully acknowledging our nothingness and
our sinfulness, glad to proclaim in this way the self-suffi­
ciency that is God’s and the perfection of His holiness.
Thence spring those sentiments of adoration, of praise, of
filial fear and filial love; thence comes the heart’s cry :
Thou alone art holy, Thou alone art Lord, Thou alone art
most high. These sentiments issue forth from our hearts
not only when we pray, but also when we contemplate
God’s work: His natural works wherein are mirrored the
perfections of the Maker, His supernatural works wherein
the eyes of faith perceive a real likeness, a participation
in the Divine life.
1146. b) By a spirit of thankfulness, which sees in God
the source of all the natural and supernatural gifts we con­
template in ourselves and in others. Then, like the Blessed
Virgin, and in union with her, we glorify God for all the
• Hymn "Adoro te" of St. Thomas. — » Matth., XXVI, 40. — 3 Matth., XI, 28.

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good He has bestowed upon us : “ My soul doth magnify the
Lord... He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and
holy is His name. ” 1 Thus, instead of priding ourselves upon
such gifts, we refer to God all the honor that comes from
them and acknowledge that we have often misused them.
1147. C) By a spirit of dependence, which makes us con­
fess our inability to do any good of ourselves. Convinced
of this fact, we never begin any action without first placing
ourselves under the influence of the Holy Ghost, without
imploring His grace, which alone can supply for our
deficiency. This should be practiced especially by spiritual
directors, who in the exercise of their ministry must not
glory in the confidence which their penitents show them,
but candidly avow their insufficiency, and consult the
Almighty before dispensing any advice.

1148.B) As to the manner of practicing humility with
regard to the neighbor, the principle that must guide us is
the following : we must see in him all the good, natural and
supernatural, which God has placed in him, and admire it
without either envy or jealousy. On the other hand, we
must throw a veil over his defects and overlook them, at
least as long as it is not our duty to correct them.
In accordance with this principle : a) we rejoice at the
virtues and successes of others, for all these redound to
God’s glory : “ So that by all means... Christ be preached. ” 2
Of course, we may wish to possess their virtues, but then
we invoke the Holy Ghost that He may deign to give us
a share therein, and thus a worthy emulation ensues : “ And
let us consider one another, to provoke unto charity and to
good works. " 3
b) If we see our neighbor commit some fault, instead of
becoming indignant, we pray for his conversion, and frankly
acknowledge that, were it not for God’s grace, we should
ourselves be guilty of greater sins (n. 1129).
1149. C) This is the attitude of mind that really enables
us to consider ourselves inferior to others : “ In humility, let
each esteem others better than themselves. ” 4 We may well
reflect especially, if not exclusively, upon the good there is
in others and the evil there is in ourselves.
The following is the advice of St. Vincent de Paul to his disciples : s
“ If, then, we study to know ourselves thoroughly, we shall find in all
* Luke I, 46, 49. — a Phil., I, 18. — 3 Hebrews, X, 24. — 4 Phil. II, 3.
5 Maynard, Virtues and Spiritual Doctrine of St. Vincent de Paul, p. 202, 203.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

543

we think, in all we say, in all we do regarding either the substance or
the circumstances, that we are fully and completely surrounded with
cause for shame and confusion ; and if we do not flatter ourselves, we
shall perceive that we are not only worse than other men, but even, in
a certain sense, more wicked than the demons in hell. For, if these
unfortunate spirits had had the graces that have been given to us, they
would have made a thousand times better use of them. ”
One may ask how one can arrive at such a conclusion, since it does
not always correspond objectively to the truth. Let us note, first of
all, that this conviction is found in all the Saints, and, therefore, it
must rest upon some solid foundation. The foundation is this : every
man can and should judge himself; and when he knows himself inti­
mately, he sees clearly that he is indeed guilty, and further, that there
exist in him evil tendencies. From this he concludes that he must hold
himself in contempt. Others, however, he should not and cannot
judge, since he does not know their motives, which are essential ele­
ments for the appraisal of conduct. Neither does he know the measure
of grace God has given to others, which grace, however, he must take
into account in order to form a just appreciation of their actions.
By judging self severely and not judging others, except leniently, one
comes to the practical conclusion that one must assign to oneself a
place below all others.

1150. C) In the practice of humility with regard to
ourselves, the following principle will guide us : while recog­
nizing all the good that is in us in order to give thanks to
God for it, we must consider above all what is defective :
our nothingness, our helplessness, our sinfulness, so as ever
to keep alive within us a sense of humiliation and shame.
With the help of this principle it becomes easier to practice
humility, which must extend to the whole man, to mind,
heart and outward conduct.
a) Humility of mind comprises chiefly four things :
i) A proper distrust of self, that prevents us from overrating our
ability, and disposes us to feel humiliated at the ill-use we have made
of the gifts of God. Such is the counsel of the Wise Man : “ Seek not
the things that are too high for thee, and search not into things above
thy ability. ” " This is what St. Paul recommended to the Christians
of Rome : “ By the grace that is given me, to all that are among you,
not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise unto
sobriety and according as God hath divided to every one the measure
ofjMlh. ”*3
a) In the use we make of our talents, we must not seek to make a
display or to be praised, but to be useful and to do good.
St. Vincent de Paul recommended this to his missionaries :3 “ To do
otherwise would be to preach self, not Jesus Christ. And he, who
preaches for applause, for praise, for esteem, to have his name on
everybody’s tongue, what does he do? What does such a preacher do?
He commits a sacrilege. Yes, a sacrilege! To make the word of God
■ Ecclesiasticus, III, 22. — = Romans. XII, 3.
Maynard, Virtues and Doctrine^ p. 209.

3

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CHAPTER II.

and things divine the means of acquiring a reputation!
sacrilege ! ”

Yes, it is a

1151. 3) We must practice intellectual docility, not only by sub­
mitting to the official decisions of the Church, but by heartily accepting
pontifical directions even when they have not the character of infallibil­
ity, reflecting that there is in them greater wisdom than in our own
judgments.

4) This docility will prevent obstinacy in controverted
questions. No doubt, it is our right to adopt whatever
system appears to us as best founded, in questions where
free discussion is in order, but is it not just and fair to
allow the same freedom to others?
1152. b) Humility of heart requires that instead of
wishing for and seeking glory or honors, we be satisfied
with our situation and prefer a hidden life to an exalted
position : Love to be unknown and to be reputed as nothing.
This humbleness of heart goes even further; it hides what­
ever could cause us to'be loved and esteemed and it wishes
for the last place not only in rank but also in the esteem
of men : “ Sit down in the lowest place. " 1 Indeed, at times
it goes so far as to make us wish that our memory perish
from the earth.
Let us listen to St. Vincent de Paul : ’ “ We should never turn or fix
oùr eyes on what is good in us, but rather strive to know what is bad
and defective; this is a great means of preserving humility. We ought
not to dwell on the gift of converting souls nor on whatever other
exterior talents we may have, for they are not ours ; we are only the
bearers of them, and even with these gifts we can lose our souls. For
this reason, no one should flatter himself, nor take any complacency in
himself, nor conceive any self-esteem because God works great things
through him ; he should rather humble himself and acknowledge that
he is but a poor instrument which God deigns to employ. ”

1153. c) External humility should simply be the out­
ward manifestation of our interior sentiments, still it may
be said that exterior acts of humility react upon our interior
dispositions to solidify and intensify them. Therefore,
they must not be neglected. However, to them we must
join real sentiments of humility, that is to say, the soul
must be humbled together with the body.
1) Poor lodgings, plain clothes, even worn and patched, as long as
they be clean, foster humility. Fine lodgings and expensive attire
easily inspire sentiments contrary to this virtue.
2) A humble and unassuming posture, gait and behavior, devoid
of affectation, help in the practice of humility ;*
3 humble occupations
■ Luke, XIV, IO. — 3 Maynard, Virtues and Doctrine, p. 213.
3 This is well explained by Mgr. Gay in Christian Life and Virtues, Vol. I,
On Humility, p. 370. "There is a habit of exterior humility in which the soul that

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

545

such as manual labor, mending one’s clothes, etc., produce the same
result.
3) The same may be said of the condescension, the marks of defer­
ence, the acts of courtesy shown to others.
4) In our conversations, humility prompts us to let others talk about
what is of interest to them and to speak little ourselves. Above all, it
prevents us from speaking of ourselves and of whatever concerns us.
It takes a saint to speak ill of self and mean it; 1 and to speak well of
self is boasting. We must not, under the pretext of humility go to any
extremes. St. Francis de Sales3 says that “ if some great servants of
God have pretended to be fools, to render themselves more abject in
the eyes of the world, we must admire, but not imitate them; for
having had peculiar and extraordinary motives that induced them to
this excess, no one ought thence to draw any consequence for himself. ”

Humility is, then, a most practical and sanctifying virtue.;
it extends to the whole man, and aids us in the practice of
all the other virtues.
§ III. Meekness3

1154. Our Lord rightly associates meekness with humi­
lity, since the former cannot be practiced without the latter.
We shall treat : i° of its nature, 2° of its excellence, 30 of
its practice.
I. Nature of the Virtue of Meekness
1155. i° Its Constituent Elements. Meekness is a
complex virtue which comprises three principal elements :
a) a certain self-mastery, which forestalls and checks impulses
of anger; from this point of view it is related to tempe­
rance; b) tolerance of the failings of others, which demands
patience and, therefore, the virtue of fortitude; C) forgiveness
is truly humble always maintains the body. There is, exteriorly, a self-restraint,
a reserve, a calm which gives to the whole physiognomy that charm which we
express by the word "modesty”. The look is modest, the voice is modest, the
laugh is modest, and every movement is modest...
Nothing is further from
affectation than true modesty. St. Paul says : Let your modesty be known to all
men, the Lord is nigh! There, in fact, is the secret of this ravishing and holy
attitude. God is nigh to this soul, and this soul never forgets it: it lives in His
Presence, and acts under His Eye, in the company of the good Angels. ”
* '** We often confess ourselves to be nothing, nay, misery itself, and the refuse of
the world; but we would be very sorry that any one should believe us, or tell
others that we are really such miserable wretches. On the contrary, we pretend to
retire, and hide ourselves, so that the world may run after us, and seek us out.
We feign to wish ourselves considered as the last in the company, and sit down at
the lowest end of the table; but it is with a view that we may be desired to pass to
the upper end. True humility never makes a show of herself, nor uses many
humble words. ” (St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, III Part, C. V).

’ Ibid.
3 St. John ClimaCUS, The Ladder of Paradise, XXIV; St. FRANCIS OF
Sales, Devout Life, P. Ill, C. VI1I-IX; Olier. Introduction, C. X; Card. Bona,
Manuductio, C. XXXII; Ribet, Ascitique; Ven. A. Chevrier, Le Véritable
Disciple, p. 345-354. —See references under Anger, N° 853 and Fraternal Charity,
N° 1236.

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CHAPTER Π.

of injuries, and benevolence towards all, even our enemies; in
this respect it is inclusive of charity. From this we see that
it is a combination of virtues, rather than a distinct virtue.

1156. 2° Meekness may be defined as a supernatural,
moral virtue, by which we prevent and restrain anger, bear
with the neighbor in spite of his defects, and treat him with
kindliness.
Meekness is not that weakness of character which con­
ceals deep resentment behind a suave demeanor. It is an
interior virtue, existing both in the will and in the emo­
tions, in order to make peace reign therein; but it is also
outwardly manifested in word and gesture, by affability of
manner.1 It is exercised not only toward the neighbor,
but also with regard to self and all beings animate or
inanimate.
II. Its Excellence
Meekness is excellent· both in itself and in its effects.
1157. i° In itself, it is, as Father Olier2 puts it, “the
completeness of perfection in the Christian, for it presup­
poses in him absolute self-effacement and the death of all
self-interest.”
Hence, he adds: “True meekness is hardly found outside those
innocent souls within which Jesus Christ has continually dwelt from the
moment of their regeneration. ” Penitent souls rarely possess it in all
its perfection, because few of them labor with sufficient energy and
constancy to destroy the faults they have contracted. Thus Bossuet
tells us that “ the true mark of innocence whether preserved from the
beginning or recovered, is meekness. ” 3

1158. 2° The great benefit meekness brings us is the
reign of peace in the soul, peace with God, peace with the
neighbor, peace with ourselves.
a) Peace with God, because it makes us accept all events,
even the most adverse, with calm and serenity, as means of
growing in virtue, and especially in the love of God : “ And
we know, ” says St. Paul, “ that to them that love God, all
things work together unto good. ” 4
b) Peace with our neighbor; for, in preventing and repress­
ing the impulses of anger, meekness makes us bear with
1 St. Jerome gives an excellent description of this virtue in his Commentary on
Galatians, V. 20 : “ Meekness is a mild virtue, it is kindly, serene, gentle in speech,
gracious in manner, it is a delicate blending of all the virtues. Kindness is akin to
it, for, like meekness, it seeks to please; still it differs from the latter in that it is
not as winsome and seems more rigid, for though equally prompt to accomplish
good and render service, it lacks that charm, that gentleness that wins all hearts.
» Introduction, C. X. — 3 Méditations sur l'Evangile. — 4 Romans, VIII, 28.

THE MORAL VIRTUES.

547

our neighbor's faults and enables us to keep on good terms
with others, or at least, to remain inwardly unruffled if
others be provoked at us.
C) Peace with ourselves. If we happen to commit a
fault, or make a blunder, we do not become impatient or
lose our temper; but w.e reproach ourselves quietly and
kindly, and learn by the experience to be more on our
guard. Thus we avoid the mistake of those who, “ being
overcome by anger, are angry for having been angry, and
vexed to see themselves vexed. ” 1 Thus, we preserve our
peace, which is one of the greatest blessings.

III. The Practice of the Virtue of Meekness.
1159. i° Beginners exercise themselves in this virtue by
fighting anger and the desire for revenge, as well as every
impulse of passion stirring in the soul (n. 861-863).
1160. 2° Souls advanced in the way of perfection
strive to attract to themselves the meekness of Jesus, which
He teaches so admirably by word and example. 2
A) Our Lord attaches such great importance to this
virtue, that He had it announced by the prophets as one
of the marks of the promised Messias, and had the ful­
filment of this prophecy pointed out by the Evangelists. 3
1161.B) He offers Himself as a model of that meekness
and invites us to become His disciples, because He is meek
and humble of heart.4
a) He fulfils perfectly the ideal of meekness described by
the prophets. When He announces the Gospel, it is not
with violence, animosity and bitterness, but with calm and
serenity.
He utters no shouts,no useless cries, no angry words; noise dies out
and does no good. His manner is so mild that He does not break the
bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax, that is, the spark of faith
and love that still remain in the sinner’s soul. To draw men to Him­
self, He is neither melancholy nor impetuous. He is kindness and
meekness itself, and He invites those who labor and are heavily laden
to come and seek repose in Him.

1162. b) Towaids His Apostles : 1) His conduct is full
of meekness : He bears with their faults, their ignorance,
their rudeness; He proceeds tactfully with them, revealing
■ St. Francis de Sales, Devout Life, Part III, C. IX.
» P. Chevrier, Le Disciple. p. 345-354.
3 Isaias, XLII, 1-4; Maith., XII, 17-21. — * Maith., XI, 29.

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CHAPTER Π. — THE MORAL VIRTUES.

to them the truth only by degrees and in the measure in
which they can stand it, leaving to the Holy Ghost the care
of finishing His work.
He defends them against the unjust accusations of the Pharisees
who reproached them with not observing the fasts. He reprimands
them when they fail in meekness towards the children that gather
round about Him, and when they would· wish to bring down fire from
Heaven on a village of Samaria. When Peter strikes Malchus with
the sword. He upraids him ; but He forgives him his threefold denial
and makes him atone for it with a threefold profession of love.
2) Furthermore, He preaches meekness to the apostolic workers :
they must haye the simplicity of the dove as well as the cunning of the
serpent. They must be as lambs in the midst of wolves ; they must
not resist evil, but proffer the left cheek to him who strikes them on
the right ; they must yield their cloak rather than appear before the bar
of justice, and they must pray for them that persecute them.

1163. C) He readily forgives sinners, even the most guilty,
as soon as He sees in them the least indication of repentance.
It is with no small degree of delicacy that He elicits the avowals of
the Samaritan woman and effects her conversion ; that He pardons the
adulteress and the penitent thief, for He is come to cal), not the just,
but sinners to repentance. Like the good shepherd, He goes in search
of His stray sheep and brings it back to the fold upon His shoulders.
He even gives His life for His sheep. If at times Hé speaks severeflk
to the Scribes and the Pharisees, it is precisely because they impose
upon others unbearable burdens and thus hinder them from entering
into the kingdom of God.
d) Even with His enemies He is meek : Judas after his sin of treason
hears himself called by the sweet name of friend. Upon the Cross He
prays for His executioners and asks His Father to take account of
their ignorance and pardon them.

1164. C) In order to imitate Our Lord we must : a) avoid
quarrels, harsh or hurtful words and actions, so as not to
frighten away the timid. We must strive never to render
evil for evil, to avoid all abruptness of manner, and never
to speak while in an angry mood. ·
b) We must try to treat with due regard all those that approach us;
to present to all a pleasant and affable mien, even if they be a cause
of fatigue or boredom to us; to be especially kind to the poor, the
afflicted, the sick, sinners, the timid, children ; to soothe with a few
kind words the sting which the reprimands we are called upon to
administer may leave; to be ever ready to render service, at times to
do even more than we are asked and, above all, to do so with good
grace. We must, if need be, be ready to bear affronts, and to turn the
left cheek to him who strikes us on the right.

1165. 30 Perfect souls strive to imitate the very meek­
ness of God, as Father Olier 1 remarks ; “ He is meekness
1 Introduction, C. X.

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549

itself, and when He wishes to share it with a soul, He
makes His abode therein in such a way that nothing of the
flesh remains in it, but is all absorbed in God, in His being,
His substance, His perfections, so that all that it does is
done in meekness, and even when moved by zeal, it is
always in a meek manner, because bitterness and harshness
no longer have any part in it, just as they can have no part
in God Himself. ”
1166. Conclusion. Not to be too long, we end here
the explanation of the cardinal virtues, a) They discipline,
school and perfect all our faculties by subjecting them to the
dominion of reason and will. Thus, the original order that
once prevailed in the soul, that is, the submission of the
body to the soul, and the subjection of the lower faculties
to the will, is gradually restored.
b) The cardinal virtues do even more : not only do they
eliminate the obstacles which impede our union with God,
but they initiate that union. For the prudence we acquire
is a participation in God’s wisdom, and our justice a parti­
cipation in His justice; our fortitude proceeds from Him
and unites us to Him; our temperance makes us share in the
wondrous poise and harmony that exist in Him. When we
yield obedience to our Superiors, it is He Whom we obey.
Chastity is but a means of approaching the perfection of
His purity. Humility creates a void in our soul solely that
it may be filled with God, and our meekness is but a parti­
cipation in the meekness of God.
Thus, our union with God, begun by the practice of the
moral virtues, will be perfected by the theological virtues,
the object of which is God Himself.

CHAPTER III
The Theological Virtues
1167. i° St. Paul makes mention of the three theological
virtues. He groups them together as three essential ele­
ments of the Christian life, and points out their superiority
over the moral virtues.1 Thus he urges the Thessalonians
to put on the breast-plate of faith and charity and the
helmet of hope, * and he praises in them the work of faith,
the labor of charity and the enduring of hope.?· As con1 P. Prat, The Theology of St. Paul, II.
9 I Thess., V, 8. — 3 / Thess., I, 3.

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CHAPTER III.

trasted with the charisms (special gifts), which are of a
transitory nature, faith, hope and charity are lasting.1
1168. 2° Their rôle is to unite us to God through Jesus
Christ, in order to make us sharers in the Divine life.
They are, then, at once unifying and transforming virtues.
a) Thus, faith unites us to God, Infinite Truth, and
makes us enter into communion with the divine mind,
since it makes us know God as He made Himself known
through revelation. Thereby faith prepares us for the Bea­
tific Vision.
b) Hope unites us to God, Supreme Beatitude, and makes
us love Him for His goodness to us. By it we firmly and
trustfully expect the happiness of Heaven, as well as the
means necessary to attain it. Through it we prepare our­
selves for the full enjoyment of celestial bliss.
c) Charity unites us to God, Infinite Goodness, and makes
us love Him as infinitely good and lovable in Himself, and
establishes a holy friendship between Himself and us, a
friendship which makes us partake even now of His life,
because we begin to love Him as He loves Himself.
Here on earth, charity always includes the other two theological
virtues. It is, so to speak, their soul, their vital principle or life; so
much so, that, devoid of charity, faith and hope remain imperfect,
inert, dead. Thus, according to St. Paul, faith is not complete unless
it bring forth love and action: “Faith that worketh by charity;”*3
nor is hope complete until it gives us a foretaste of heavenly bliss
through the possession of sanctifying grace and charity.

Art. I. The Virtue of Faiths
Three things must be explained: 1° the nature of faith;
2° its sanctifying power; f the progressive growth in the
practice of this virtue.

I. The Nature of Faith

We briefly recall here what we have explained more at
length in Dogmatic and Moral Theology.
* / Cor.. XIII. 13. — ’ Galatians. V. 6.
3 St. .Augustinus, Enchiridion de Fide, Spe et Caritate; St. Thomas, IIa II®,
q. I-XVI ; Joannes a S. Thoma. Defide; Suarez, Defide; J de Lugo, De vir­
tutefidei divina; Salm anticenses. Defide; Scar amelli. Guide ascétique, t. IV;
ari. I; BILLOT. De virtutibus infusis, thesis IX-XXIV; Gay, Christian Life and
Virtues, Vol. I. Treat. Ill; Newman, Discourses to Alixed Congregations, X. XI;
Finlay. Divine Faith; Bain vu. Faith and the Act of Faith; Vaughan. Faith
and Folly; Thoughts for All Times P. Ill, C. VI. VII; McNabb, On Faith,
McKenna, Theoiogy of Faith ; Hedley, The Spirit of Faith.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

551

1169. i° The meaning of faith in Holy Writ. The
word faith signifies, in the most instances, an assent of the
mind to truth, which assent, however, is based upon trust.
To believe any one, we must have confidence in him.
A) In the Old Testament, faith is presented as a necessary virtue, on
which depends the salvation or the ruin of the nation : “ Believe in the
Lord your God, and you shall be secure. ” ‘ “ If you will not believe,
you shall not continue. ” 3 This faith is an assent given to the word
of God, but accompanied by trust, self-abandonment, and love.
B) In the IVew Testament, faith is so essential that to believe means
to profess Christianity, and not to believe is not to be a Christian :
“ He that believcth and is baptized shall be saved : but he that believeth
not shall be condemned. ” 3 Faith means the acceptance of the Gospel
preached by Jesus Christ and His Apostles; therefore, it presupposes
preaching : “ Faith, then cometh by hearing. ”4 This faith, then, ts not
an intuition of the heart, nor a direct vision·: “ We now see through a
'lass in a dark manner; ” 5 but it is the acceptance of divine testimony,
ree and enlightened, since man, on the one hand, can refuse belief,
and on the other, he does not arrive at belief without reasons, without
an intimate conviction that God has really spoken.6 This faith is
associated with hope and is perfected by charity : “ Faith that worketh
by charity. ” 7

f

1170. 2° Definition. Faith is a theological virtue that
inclines the mind, under the influence of the will and of grace,
to yield a firm assent to revealed truths, because of the
authority of God.
A) Faith is before all else an act of the intellect, since it is
question of knowing the truth. But, since this truth is not
self-evident Durassent cannot be effected without the action
of the will, bidding the mind study the reasons for believ­
ing, and, when these are convincing, giving a further com­
mand to assent. Because it is question of a supernatural
act, grace must intervene to enlighten the mind, and to aid
the will. It is in this way that faith becomes a free, super­
natural and meritorious act.
B) The material object or the subject-matter of our faith
is the sum-total of revealed truths, both those that reason
alone could not possibly discover, and those others which
reason could come to know, but which faith makes better
known.
All these truths refer to God and to Jesus Christ. They refer to
God with regard to the Oneness of His Nature and His Trinity of
Persons, our first beginning and our last end. They refer to Jesus
Christ, Our Redeemer and Mediator, Who is none other than the
Eternal Son of God made man in order to save us. Hence, these
1 // Parai., XX, 20. — 3 Isaias, VI1, 9. — 3 Mark. XVI, 16. — 4 Pom., X 17.
5 1 Cor., XIII, 12. — Phil., ill, 8-10; / Peter., 111. 15. — Ί Galal., V, 6.

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CHAPTER HI.

truths refer likewise to the work of Redemption and to whatever is
connected therewith. In other words, we believe what we shall one day
behold in the glory of Heaven: “ This is eternal life: that they may
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. ' ”

1171. C) The formal object or what is generally called
the motive of our faith is divine authority made known
through revelation and imparting to us some of the secrets
of God. Thus, faith is a virtue entirely supernatural, both
as to its object and its motive; it puts us in communion
with the divine thought.
D) Ofttimes revealed truth is authentically proposed to
us by the Church which Jesus Christ instituted as the official
interpreter of His teaching; this teaching is then termed a
doctrine of Catholic faith. If there has been no authentic
definition of the Church regarding revealed truth, the said
teaching is simply called a doctrine of Divine faith.
E) There is nothing more firm than the assent of faith.
Having full confidence in the Divine authority much more
than in our own lights, we believe revealed truth with our
whole soul. We do so with a far greater sense of security,
inasmuch as divine grace comes to facilitate and strengthen
our assent. And so it happens that the assent given by
faith to revealed truth is more prompt and more firm than
that given to natural truth.
11. The Sanctifying Power of the Virtue of Faith

1172. Faith thus understood cannot but have an impor­
tant share in our sanctification. By bringing us into com­
munion with divine thought it becomes the foundation of
our supernatural life and unites us to God in a most intim­
ate way.
1173. i° It is the foundation of our supernatural life.
We said that humility is looked upon as the foundation
of all the virtues, and we explained (n. 1138) in what
sense it is so regarded; but faith is itself the foundation
of humility (which, as we have said, was unknown to
Paganism) and therefore it is in a truer sense the foundation
of all the virtues.
The better to understand this fact, we have but to com­
ment on the words of the Council of Trent stating that
“ faith is the beginning, the basis and the root of all justifi­
cation,"^ and by that very fact, of sanctification.
■ John. XVII, 3. — ■ Sess. VI, Cap. 8.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

553

A) It is the beginning of justification, because it is the
mysterious means used by God to initiate us into His life,
to make us know Him as He knows Himself. On our
part, it is the first supernatural disposition for justification,
without which we can neither hope nor love. It is, so to
speak, the taking possession of God and of divine things.
In order to lay hold upon the supernatural and live by it
we must first of all come to the knowledge of it : “ Nothing
can be willed that is not foreknown." Now, we arrive at a
knowledge of the supernatural through faith, a new light
added to reason, which enables us to look into a new world,
the supernatural world. It is like a telescope that enables
us to discover far-off things invisible to the naked eye.
Still, this is but an imperfect comparison, for a telescope is
an outward instrument, whilst faith penetrates into the
recesses of the mind and sharpens its power of perception
as well as its field of vision.
1174. B) Faith is likewise the foundation of the spiritual
life. This simile is intended to show that sanctity is like
an edifice, vast and lofty, the basis of which is faith. Now,
the deeper the foundations, the higher the edifice may rise
without danger to its stability. Hence, it is important to
strengthen the faith of devout souls, especially of semina­
rians and priests, so that upon this solid foundation may
rise the temple of Christian perfection.
C) Lastly, faith is the root of sanctity. Roots seek in the soil for the
chemicals necessary to nutrition and growth in a tree; so, faith sinking
its roots into the furthest recesses of the soul, and feeding there on
divine truths, furnishes perfection with a rich, life-giving sap. Roots,
if deep, lend solidity to the tree they sustain ; so the soul, imbedded in
faith, withstands spiritual storms. Hence, deep faith is of capital
importance in order to attain a high degree of perfection.

1175. 2° Faith unites us to God, and makes us share in
His thought and in His life. This is God’s own knowledge
of Himself given in some measure to man. “By it,” says
Mgr. Gay, “the light of God becomes our light; His wisdom
our wisdom; His knowledge our knowledge; His Spirit our
spirit; His life our life.” ‘
It unites our intellect directly to the Divine Wisdom;
but, since the act of faith cannot be performed without the
action of the will, this faculty also has a share in the results
produced in our soul by faith. One may say, therefore,
that faith is a source of light to the mind, a source of
’ Life and Virtues, Vol. I, p. 156.

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strength and comfort to the will, a source of merit to the
entire soul.

1176. A) It is a light which illumines our intellect, and
differentiates the Christian from the philosopher, as reason
distinguishes a human being from an animal. There is in
us a threefold knowledge : sense knowledge, attained through
the senses; rational knowledge, acquired through the intel­
lect; and spiritual or supernatural knowledge, obtained
through faith. The last is by far superior to the other two.
a) It widens the scope of our knowledge of God and the
things of God. Reason tells us little of God’s nature and
of His inner life, whilst faith teaches us that He is a living
God; that from all eternity He has. begotten a Son, and
that from the mutual love of the Father and the Son
proceeds a Third Person, the Holy Ghost; that the Son
became man for our salvation and that those who believe
in Him become the adopted sons of God; that the Holy
Ghost comes to dwell in our souls, to sanctify them and to
endow them with a supernatural organism which enables us
to perform acts that are Godlike and meritorious. This is
but a portion of what has been revealed to us.
b) It gives us a deeper insight into the truths already
known by reason. Thus the moral precepts of the Gospel
are far more definite, far more perfect than those of mere
natural ethics.
To be convinced of this we have but to read the Sermon on the
Mount. From the very outset, Our Lord does not hesitate to proclaim
blessed the poor, the meek, the persecuted ; He requires His disciples
to love their enemies, to pray for them and to do good to them. The
holiness He preaches is not legal or exterior sanctity ; it is an inward
holiness, based on the love of God and of the neighbor. To arouse
our fervor, He proposes to us the most perfect ideal, God and His
perfections, and since God seems far removed from us, He sends us
His Son from Heaven to be made man, to live our own life, and thus
to offer us a concrete example of the perfect life which we must lead
on earth. To impart to us the strength and constancy such an under­
taking demands, He does not rest satisfied with going before us, but
He comes Himself to dwell within us with all His graces and virtues.
We cannot, then, plead weakness. He is Himself our strength, as
well as our light.

1177. B) That our faith is a source of strength is well
brought out in the Epistle to the Hebrews.1
Faith provides us with deep convictions which greatly strengthen
our will : a) It shows us what God has done and what He incessantly
does in our behalf, how He lives and acts in our soul to sanctify it,
■ Hebr., XI.

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bow Jesus incorporates us into Himself and makes us share in His own
life (n. 188-189); then, having our eyes directed towards the author
of our faith, Who preferred the Cross and humiliation to joy and
success, “ who having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising
the shame, ” ' we feel ourselves strong enough to carry our cross cou­
rageously after Jesus.

b) Faith ever keeps before our eyes the eternal reward
that will be the rich fruit of the sufferings of a moment :
“ That which is at present momentary and light of our tribu­
lation worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal
weight of glory. ” 2 Then, with St. Paul, we say : “ I reckon
that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory to come," 3 and like him we rejoice, even in
the midst of tribulations, 4 for each of these, if patiently
borne, will earn for us a further degree of God’s vision and
of God’s love.
C) If we are at times conscious of our weakness, faith
reminds us that, since God is Himself our strength and our
support, we have nothing to fear, even when the world and
the devil join forces against us: “And this is the victory
which overcometh the world : Our faith. ” 5
This is most evident in the wondrous change wrought by the Holy
Ghost in the Apostles. Armed at His coming with the power of God,
they, who up to this time, had been timid and slothful, go courageously
to meet all kinds of trials — scourgings, imprisonment, and death
itself — glad to undergo suffering in the name of Jesus : “ They went
forth rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for
the name ofJesus. ”6

1178. 0) Faith is likewise a source of comfort, not only
in the midst of tribulations and of humiliations, but also
when we have the misfortune of losing our dear ones. We
are not among those who sorrow without hope. We know
that death is but a sleep, to be soon followed by the resur­
rection, and that through death we merely exchange a
temporary dwelling for an everlasting mansion.
Our chief consolation is the doctrine of the Communion of Saints.
Whilst awaiting the day when we shall be reunited to those that have
departed this life, we are even now bound to them by the most inti­
mate ties in Christ Jesus. We pray that their time of trial be short­
ened and their entrance into Heaven hastened ; they in their turn, now
assured of their salvation, ardently pray that we may one day join
them.

1179.D) Finally, faith is a source of manifold merit:
a) The act offaith itself is highly meritorious, for it subjects
to divine authority the best that is in us, our intellect and
1 Hebr., XII, 2. — *5 IICor., IV, 17. — 3 Rom., VIII, 18. — < Rom., V, 3-5.
I John, V, 4. — 6 Acts V, 41.

5

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our will. This faith has all the more merit since in our
times it is made the object of more numerous attacks, and
since those who make open profession of their faith are, in
certain countries, exposed to ridicule and persecution.
b) Furthermore, it is faith that renders meritorious our other acts,
since they cannot become so without a supernatural motive and the
help of grace (nn. 126, 239); but faith by directing the soul towards
God and towards Jesus Christ enables us to act in all things with
supernatural intentions. Likewise, by disclosing to us our own weak­
ness and God’s power, faith makes us pray ardently to obtain His
grace.

III. Practice of the Virtue of Faith
1180. Since faith is at once a gift of God and a free
assent of the -mind to revealed truth, it is evident that in
order to grow in faith, we must rely on prayer and our own
personal efforts. Under this twofold influence, faith will
become more enlightened, simple, strong and active.
We shall apply this principle to the various stages of the
spiritual life.
1181. i° Beginners should strive to strengthen their
faith.
A) They thank God for this great gift, which is the foun­
dation of all others, and with their whole soul they repeat
the words of St. Paul : “ Thanks be to God for his unspeak­
able gift ” L They thank Him all the more at the sight of
so many unbelievers round about them. They pray there­
fore for the grace to preserve this gift in spite of all the
dangers that beset it, and implore God’s help for the con­
version of unbelievers, heretics and apostates.

1182. B) With humble submission and with a firm con­
viction they make acts of faith, saying with the Apostles :
“ Increase ourfaith ” 2. Moreover, to prayer they add study
or the reading of books calculated to enlighten and streng­
then their faith. Much reading is done in our day, yet how
few even among intelligent Christians read serious books
on religion and spirituality! What a mistake! Men wish
to know all things, save the one thing necessary.

1183. C) They avoid carefully whatever could trouble
their faith : a) those dangerous writings, wherein the truths
of faith are either attacked, ridiculed or called into question.
Most of the books that appear in our day, not only doctrinal works,
but novels and plays as well, contain open or covert attacks against our
‘ II Cor., IX, 15. — ’ Luke, XVII, 5.

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557

faith. Unless we be on our guard, we are liable to drink in little by
little the poison of unbelief or, at least, to lose the purity of faith, and
a time may come when, shaken by hesitation and doubt, we no longer
know how to resist. In this matter we must respect the wise prescrip­
tions of the Church, made known to us in her catalogue of bad or dan­
gerous books, and not make light of them on the plea .that we are
immune to the danger. In truth we are never immune. Balmes, one
of the great defenders of the Church, gifted with a keen mind and a
well-balanced judgment, and obliged as he was to read heretical books
in order to refute them, used to say to his friends: “You know bow
deeply rooted within me are orthodox sentiments and doctrines. Not
withstanding, I never read a forbidden book without feeling the need
of going to the Bible, the Imitation, or Louis of Granada for strength
against unbelief. What will become of our foolish youth, which in its
inexperience dares read everything without the necessary safeguards?
The mere thought of it fills me with horror.” ‘ For the same good
reason no doubt we must avoid the conversations and discourses of
unbelievers.

b) Beginners likewise shun that pride of intellect which
seeks to bring all down to its own level and refuses to
accept what lies beyond its comprehension. They remem­
ber that there is above us all a Spirit whose infinite intelli­
gence sees what our reason cannot understand, and that God
greatly honors us by the communication of His thought.
Once, therefore, we have ascertained that He has spoken,
there is but one rational attitude to take, to welcome grate­
fully this superadded knowledge. If we bow before the
authority of a man of genius, who deigns to impart to us
some of his knowledge, with what confidence should we not
bow before Infinite Wisdom Itself?

1184. D) With regard to temptations against faith, a dis­
tinction is to be made between those that remain vague and
those that definitely center around some particular object.
a) When they are vague, taking such form for instance
as: Who knows if all that be true? then we must quietly
drive them away.
i) We are in possession of truth, and we are sure of our title; this is
enough for us. 2) Besides, we have seen that our faith rests upon solid
grounds; again, this suffices, for we cannot be every day raising doubts
over things already proved. In the affairs of every-day life, we do not
stop when such doubts, such inane ideas, cross our mind, but we go
on, and certitude reasserts itself. 3) Lastly, others more intelligent
than ourselves believe these truths, and are persuaded that they are
well proved ; therefore, I submit to their judgment which is far wiser
than that of those extremists who take a malicious delight in attracting
notice by undermining all the bases of certitude. To these common­
sense reasons we should add prayer : “ I believe Lord, help thou my
unbelief. ”1
1 A. de Blanche-Raffin, 7. Balmes, p. 44. — ’ Mark, IX, 23.

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1185. b) If the temptations are well-defined, bearing or
some particular doctrine, we hold firmly to our belief since
we are in possession of the truth. But we seize the first
opportunity to clear up the difficulty, either by personal
study, if we have the intelligence and the documents required,
or by consulting some learned man who may help us
to solve the problem more easily. If we add prayer to this
earnest and loyal research, a solution, as a rule, will not be
long in coming.
However, we must remember that such a solution does not always
do away with the difficulty. There are at times historical, critical,
exegetical objections that can be cleared away only after long years of
study. We must reflect, then, that once we have a good reason to
hold something as true, wisdom demands that we continue to give it
our assent even while the darkness lasts. The difficulty does not
destroy the grounds of belief, it simply shows the deficiency of our
minds. “ Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt. ”1

1186. 2° Advanced souls practice not only faith, but
the spirit offaith : “ The just man liveth by faith. ” 2
A) They read the Gospel with loving attention, happy to
follow Jesus step by step, to relish His maxims, to contem­
plate His examples in order to imitate them. Jesus be­
comes the center of their thoughts: they seek Him in their
readings and in their labor, desiring to know Him better so
that they may love Him more.

1187. B) They accustom themselves to see all things, to
judge all things from the point of view of faith, i) They
see the Hand of the Creator in all His works, and they
hear all creatures repeat the refrain : “ He made us, and not
we ourselves. ” 3 Hence, it is God Whom they admire
everywhere. 2) The persons that surround them are to
them so many images of God, children of the same Heav­
enly Father, brethren in Christ Jesus. 3) Events, which at
times are so baffling to unbelievers, are interpreted by them
in the light of the great principle that all is ordained in
behalf of the elect, and that good and evil are dispensed
with a view to our salvation and perfection.

1188.C) Above all, they strive to be led in all things
according to the principles of faith. 1) Their judgments
are based upon the maxims of the Gospel, not upon those
of the world; 2) their words are inspired by the Christian
spirit, not by the spirit of the world, for they conform
their words to their judgments and thus triumph over
* Newman, Apologia, p. 239. — » Rom., I, 17, — 3 p5. XCIX, 3.

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human respect; 3) their actions become more and more
Christlike for they delight in considering Our Lord as their
model, and thus escape being carried away by the examples
of worldlings. In short, they live a life of faith.
1189. D) They strive, finally, to spread round about
them this faith that is in them : 1) through their prayers,
asking God to send apostolic workers to labor for the
evangelization of infidels and heretics : “ Pray ye therefore
the Lord of the harvest, that he may send forth laborers into
his harvest; "1 2) through their example, discharging so well
their duties of state, that those who witness their life may
feel drawn to imitate them ; 3) through their words, declaring
in all simplicity but without any human respect, that they
find in their faith power to do good, and comfort in the
midst of their trials; 4) through their works, doing their
share by their generous offerings, their sacrifices, and their
personal efforts for the moral and religious instruction and
education of the neighbor.
3“ Perfect souls, by cultivating the gifts of knowledge and under­
standing, perfect their faith still more, as we shall explain when
treating of the unitive way.

Art. II. The Virtue of Hope2
We shall describe : i° its nature; 2° its sanctifying power ;
3° its practice.
I. Nature of Hope
1190. i° Different significations. A) In the natural
order, hope means two things : a passion and a sentiment.
a) Hope is one of the eleven passions (n. 787). It is, therefore, an
impulse of the sensitive appetite, that tends towards some absent good
apprehended by the senses, and which is attainable, but not without
some difficulty, b) Hope is one of the worthiest sentiments of the
human heart, which tends towards some absent moral good, despite
the obstacles that stand in the way of its acquisition. This sentiment
plays an important part in human life ; it sustains men in their arduous
undertakings : the laborer when he sows, the seafarer when he sails,
traders and pliers of fortune when they embark on some enterprise.

B) There is also a supernatural hope that sustains the
Christian midst the obstacles encountered in the attainment
of salvation and perfection. The object of this hope is
■ Matth., IX, 38.
’St. Thomas, II» Ilæ, Q. XVII-XX; Suarez, De S/z,St. Francis of Sales,
The Love of God, Book II, C. XV-XV1I; Scaramelli-Stockman, Christian
Perfection, P. IV, Art. II; Gay, Christian Life and Virtues, Vol. I, Treat. V;
Faber, Growth in Holiness, II.

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eternal life and the means of reaching it. Since this hope
is founded upon the power and the goodness of God, it is
firm and unshakable.
v

1191. 2θ Its essential elements. If we analyze this
virtue, we notice that it comprises three principal elements:
a) The love and desire of supernatural good, that is to say,
of our supreme happiness, which is God.
The origin and development of this sentiment is as follows. The
desire for happiness is universal. Now, faith shows us that God alone
can constitute our happiness. We, therefore, love Him as the source
of our happiness. This is an interested love, but it is supernatural
since it has for object God as known to us through faith. Because this
good is difficult to attain, we instinctively experience fear lest we fail to
attain it, and to overcome this fear a second element intervenes, namely,
the well-founded expectation of obtaining it.

b) Evidently, this expectation is not based upon our own
strength which is insufficient of itself to attain such good,
but it is based upon God, upon His all-powerful help.
It is from Him that we expect all the necessary graces to
obtain perfection in this life and salvation in the next.
C) But grace demands our co-operation, and hence there is
a third element. This is an earnest effort to tend towards
God and make use of the means of salvation placed at our
disposal. This effort must be all the more determined and
steadfast, the higher the object of our hope.
1192. 3° Definition. From what we have said, we may
thus define hope : a theological virtue that makes us desire
God as our highest good, and expect with a firm confidence
eternal bliss and the means of attaining it, because of God's
goodness and power.
A) The primary and essential object of our hope is God
Himself, inasmuch as He constitutes our happiness; it is
God eternally possessed by clear vision and undivided love.
Our Lord said that eternal life is the knowledge, the vision
of God and of Him Whom He sent: "Now this is eternal
life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and fesus
Christ Whom thou hast sent. ” 1 Besides, since we cannot
attain this object without the help of grace, our hope is,
likewise, directed towards all the supernatural aids needed
in order to avoid sin, overcome temptation, and acquire
Christian virtue; it even extends to temporal goods in the
measure in which they are necessary or profitable to our
perfection and salvation.
1 John, XVI1, 3.

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1193. B) The motive of hope depends upon the point of
view from which we consider hope itself, a) If we think, as
Scotus did, that its principal act is the desire or love for
God inasmuch as He is our happiness, the motive will be
God’s goodness towards us. b) If, with St. Thomas, we con­
sider hope as consisting essentially in the expectation of a
good difficult to attain, namely, the possession of God, then
the motive will be the assisting omnipotence of God, which
elevates our souls, snatches them from the hold of earthly
goods and bears them towards Heaven. The Divine pro­
mises simply confirm the certainty of such help.
We may, then, say that the adequate motive of hope is
both the goodness of God and His power.
II. The Sanctifying Power of Hope
Hope furthers our sanctification in three principal ways :
i° it unites us to God; 2° it imparts efficacy to our prayers ;
3° it is a principle of fruitful activity.
1194. i° It unites us to God by detaching us from earthly
goods. We are drawn by sense-pleasures, the gratification
of pride, the fascination of wealth, and lastly by the higher,
natural joys of the mind and heart. Hope, based upon a
lively faith, shows us that all these earthly joys lack two
elements : perfection and permanence.
A) None of these goods is perfect enough to satisfy us.
Having provided a short period of enjoyment, they soon
produce satiety and weariness. Our heart is too great, its
aspirations too vast and too high to be satisfied with mate­
rial goods, which are but means of reaching a far nobler
end. Neither do the-natural goods of the mind and heart
suffice us. Our intellect never rests satisfied but with the
understanding of the First Cause, and our heart that seeks
a perfect friend does not find him but in God. He alone
possesses the plenitude of being, the perfection of beauty
and of goodness, the fulness of power. He Who is per­
fectly self-sufficient is evidently sufficient for our happiness.
The one important thing is to reach Him, and it is hope
that shows Him to us stooping down in order to give
Himself to us. Once we have understood this, our hearts
break away from the things of earth to move towards Him,
like the iron towards the magnet.

1195. B) Even if the goods of earth could satisfy us,
they have their day and cease to be. We know this, and
this thought casts its shadow upon our joy even when we

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possess these goods. God, on the contrary, abides forever,
and death that severs us from all earthly things, merely
unites us more perfectly to Him; and so despite the natural
horror death inspires, we face it with confidence, because of
the hope we harbor of being everlastingly united to Him
Who alone can constitute our bliss.

1196. 2° It is hope also, that, united to humility, imparts
efficacy to our prayers and thereby obtains for us all the
graces of which we stand in need.
A) Nothing is more touching than the manner in which
the Sacred Writers urge us to place our confidence in God.
The Book of Ecclesiasticus sums up in these words the
teaching of the Old Testament concerning hope: “My
children, behold the generations of men : and know ye that
no one hath hoped in the Lord and hath been confounded.
For who hath continued in his commandment and hath been
forsaken? Or who hath called upon him, and he despised
him? For God is compassionate and merciful, and will
forgive sins in the day of tribulation. ” 1
B) But it is chiefly in the New Testament that the efficacy
of confidence is brought out.
Our Lord works His wonders in behalf of those who trust in Him.
We have but to recall His attitude towards the centurion;3 towards
the paralytic who, unable to come near the Master, has himself let
down through the roof3; towards the blind men of Jericho4; towards
the Chanannean woman 5 who, thrice rebuked, reiterates her request ;
towards the sinful woman6 ; towards the leper who comes to thank
Him.7 Besides, how can we lack confidence when Christ Himself
authoritatively asserts that all that we shall ask the Father in His
name will be granted to us : “ Amen, amen, I say to you: if you ask
the Father anything in my name, he will give it you. ” 8 Here lies the
secret of our strength. When we pray in the Name of Jesus, that is
to say when we trust in His merits and satisfactions, His Blood pleads
more eloquently for us than do our own poor prayers.

C) Moreover, nothing so honors God as confidence. There­
by we proclaim His power and His goodness, whilst He,
Who lets not His generosity be surpassed, responds to this
confidence by a further effusion of graces. We may there­
fore conclude with the Council of Trent that we must all
place the most unhesitating confidence in the help of God. 9

1197. 3° Finally, hope is a principle of fruitful activity.
a) It begets holy desires, particularly the desire to possess
’ Ecclus., II, 11-13. — 3 Matlh., io, 13. — 3 Matth., IX, a.
4 Maith.. IX, 29. — 3 Matth., XV, 28. — 6 Luke. VII, 50.
7 Luke, XVII, 19. —8 John, XVI, 23. — ’ Trent., sess. VI, C. 13.

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563

God. This gives the soul the impulse, the motion, the neces­
sary yearning to attain the coveted good, and it sustains
our efforts until we have reached the goal.
b) It increases our energies, through the prospect of a
reward that will be far in excess of our efforts. If people
in the world labor with such earnestness to acquire perish­
able riches, if athletes submit to such arduous training, if
they make desperate efforts in order to gain a corruptible
crown, how much more should we not labor and endure for
an eternal crown? "And every one that striveth for the
mastery refraineth himselffrom all things. And they indeed
that they may receive a corruptible crovon : but we an incor­
ruptible one. ”1

1198. C) It infuses into us that courage, that endurance
that gives us the assurance of success. Just as there is
nothing so disheartening as to struggle without any hope of
victory, so on the other hand, the certainty of triumph is a
singular source of energy. Such certainty hope furnishes.
Of ourselves we are weak, but we have powerful allies, God,
Jesus Christ, the Most Blessed Virgin, and the Saints
(n. 188-189).
Now, if God is for us, who is against us? ’ If Jesus, Who overcame
the world and Satan, lives within us and communicates to us His
Divine energy, are we not sure of triumphing with Him? If the
Immaculate Virgin, who crushed the head of the serpent, sustains us
by her powerful intercession, shall we lack the needed help? If God’s
friends, the Saints, pray in our behalf, will not these many supplications
give us absolute security? And being assured of victory, are we to
shrink from the few efforts required for gaining eternal possession
of God?

III. Gradual Progress in the Practice of Hope

1199. i° General Principle. To make progress in the
practice of this virtue, we must strengthen its foundations
and make it more fruitful,
A) To render our hope more solid, it is important that we
meditate often on the motives on which it rests : the power
of God, His goodness and the glorious promises He has
made to us (n. 1193). Should these not be enough to
strengthen our confidence, we have but to recall the words
of St. Paul : 3 “ He that spared not even his own Son, but
delivered Him up for us all, how hath he not also, with him,
given us all things? Who shall accuse against the elect of
1 I Cor., IX, 25. — 8 Rom., VIII, 31. — 3 Rom., VIII, 32-34.

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God? God that justifieth. Who is he that shall condemn?
Christ Jesus that died. Yea that is risen also again; who is
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. ” Thus, on the part of God, our hope is absolutely
certain. However, on our part, we have reason to fear,
because we are far from being always faithful to correspond
perfectly to the grace of God. All our efforts, then, must
tend to render our hope more firm by making it more
fruitful.

1200.B) To gain this end, we have to collaborate with
God in the work of our sanctification : “ For we are God's
coadjutors."1 God by according us His grace, does not
mean to substitute His action for ours; He simply means
to supply for our insufficiency. Doubtless, He is the pri­
mary and the principal cause, but, far from suppressing our
activity, He wants to excite it and render it more effective.
St. Paul understood this well : “ But by the grace of God lam what
I am. And his grace in me hath not been void: but I have labored
more abundantly than all they. Yet not /, but the grace of God with
me. ”3 He urged others to do what he did himself : “ And we helping
do exhort you that you receive not the grace of Godin vain.”3 It was
especially to his dear disciple Timothy that he addressed the following
urgent recommendation : “ Labor as a good soldier of Christ fesus, ” *
because he was to labor not only for his own sanctification, but for that
of others. St. Peter employed the same language. He reminded his
disciples that although called to salvation, they were to render certain
that calling by the performance of good works : “ Wherefore, brethren,
labour the more, that by good works you may make sure ofyour calling
and election. ”s

We must, therefore, be fully persuaded that in the work
of our sanctification all depends on God ; still, we must act
as if all depended on ourselves. God never refuses us His
grace, and consequently, in actual practice all we have to
attend to is our own personal effort.

1201. 2° Application of the general principle to the
various degrees of the spiritual life. We can easily see
how the principle enuntiated above applies to the different
stages of the Christian life.
A) Beginners should be on their guard first of all against
the two excesses opposed to hope : presumption and despair.
a) -Presumption consists in expecting from God Heaven and the
graces necessary to reach it, without willing to take the means He has
ordained. One may presume on the Divine Goodness, by neglecting
God’s commandments, persuading oneself that God is too good to
* I Cor., Ill, 9. — 21.Cor., XV, io; Phil., Ill, 13, 14.
» Il Cor.,W, i. — 4 II Tim., II, 3. — s It Peter, I, 10.

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sentence one to damnation. This is to forget that if God is good, He
is likewise just and holy, and that He hates iniquity. *1 Again, one may
through pride presume on one’s own strength, rushing into the midst
of dangers and. occasions of sin, and forgetting that he that loves
danger will perish in it. Our Lord promises us the victory, but on
condition that we watch and pray : “ Watch ye : and pray that you
enter not into temptation;"'1 and St. Paul, who so trusted in God’s
grace, warns us to work out our salvation in fear and trembling. 3
b) Others, on the contrary, are exposed to discouragement and, at
times, to despair. Frequently tempted, and at times overcome in the
struggle, or tortured by scruples, they lose heart ; imagining they can­
not reform, they come to despair of their salvation. This is a danger­
ous state of mind, against which we must be on our guard. We shall
recall how St. Paul, tempted and realizing that of himself he could not
stand fast, confidently abandoned himself to the grace of God : “ The
grace of God, by fesus Christ."1 Following the example of the
Apostle, we shall pray and we shall be delivered.

1202. B) After carefully avoiding these dangerous
shoals, we must set ourselves to acquire detachment from
the goods of earth, so that our thoughts and desires may
frequently soar to Heaven. This St. Paul asks of us :
“ Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that
are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.
Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon
the earth."5 Risen with Christ our leader, we must no
longer seek and relish the things of earth, but rather those
of Heaven where Jesus awaits us. Heaven is our true
country, this earth but an exile. Heaven is our destiny,
the true happiness we seek ; this earth can yield us nothing
but fleeting joys.
1203. 3° Those advanced in the way of perfection not
only practice the virtue of hope, but entertain a filial confi­
dence in God, relying on Jesus Who has become the center
of their lives.
A) Incorporated into Christ, they await with invincible
trust that Heaven where Jesus has prepared a home for
them,6 and where they already abide, through hope, in
the Person of their Saviour : “ For we are saved by
hope. ” 7 a) They await it, even in the midst of adversities
and of the trials of this life, and with the Psalmist they
say : “ I willfear no evils, for thou art with me. ” 8 Our
Lord living within them comes to comfort them, saying
as He did once to the Apostles : “ Peace be to you. It is I;
fear not." 9.
« Ps. CXVIII, 163. — 2 Mark, XIV, 38. — 3 Phil., II, 12.
« Rom., VII, 24-25. — s Col.. Ill, 1-2. — <· John, XIV, 2.
1 Rom., VIII, 24. — 8 Λ. XXH, 4- — 9 Luke, XXIV, 36.

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If intrigues and persecution come to trouble them, they recall what
St. Vincent de Paul said to his disciples : “ Even were the entire world
to rise -up to destroy us, it could do nothing but what is pleasing to
God, in Whom we have placed our hope. ”1 If they suffer temporal
losses, with the same Saint they say to themselves: “All that God
does He does for the best ; and therefore we must hope that this loss,
since it comes from God, will be profitable to us.”’ If they have to
face physical or moral sufferings, they look upon them as blessings
from on high, destined to procure Heaven in exchange for a few fleet­
ing pains.

1204. b) This confidence teaches them to escape the
clutches of pleasure and success, more perilous still than the
grip of suffering. “ When life seems to smile upon our
earthly hopes, it is hard to despise these flattering promises
that seize upon our emotional nature; it is hard to steal
away from the bonds of pleasure, to say to approaching
bliss: you cannot satisfy my heart.”3 But Christian souls
remember that worldly joys are deceiving, that they hinder
our flight towards God. In order to resist their attraction,
they cling to the positive practices of mortification and
seek for purer and holier joys in a more intimate friendship
with Our Lord : “ To be with Jesus is a sweet paradise. ” *
C) If it be a sense of their miseries and imperfections that
disturbs them, they reflect on these words of St. Vincent
de Paul :
“ You point out to me your miseries. Alas ! and who is there that is
not full of them ! The only thing is to know them and to love the
humiliation arising from them, as you do, without stopping save to lay
the strong foundation of confidence in God ; for them the house is built
upon a rock and when the storm comes it remains firm. ” 5 Our mise­
ries entitle us to Divine Mercy, when we humbly implore it, and they
but fit us all the better for the reception of divine graces. St. Vincent
adds that when God begins to do good to a person, He continues to do
so to the end, unless that person makes himself unworthy. Thus,
God’s past mercies are a pledge of those to come.

1205. B) Hope makes us habitually live, in spirit, in
Heaven and for Heaven. According to the beautiful prayer
that the Church puts on our lips on Ascension Day, we
must, even now, “ live in mind amid heavenly things. ” 6
This means that it is for Heaven that we must act and
suffer, to heaven that we must turn our hearts and our
desires : “ that amid the changing things of this world, our
hearts may be fixed where true joy is found. " 7 And, since
’ Maynard, Life and Doctrine, p. io. — 9 Ibid., p. 9.
3 Mgr d’Hulst, Carême, 1892, p. 201. — * Imitation, Bk. II, ch. 8.
s Maynard, Life and Doctrine, p. ιο-ιτ.
6 Collect of the Mass for Feast of the Ascension.
1 Id. for 4th Sunday after Efister.

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567

the joys of Communion are a foretaste of Paradise, we
shall, whilst waiting, seek therein the consolations our
heart needs.

1206.C) This thought will make us pray often for the
gift of final perseverance, the most precious of gifts. We
cannot indeed merit it; but we can obtain it of the Divine
Mercy. For this, we have but to join in those prayers in
which the Church makes us ask for the grace of a happy
death, for instance, the Hail Mary, which we so often
recite and wherein we implore the special protection of the
Blessed Virgin at the hour-of death.
4° Perfect souls practice trust in God through holy abandonment.
This we shall explain when speaking of the unitive way.

Art. III. The Virtue of Charity1
1207. The virtue of charity supernaturalizes and sanc­
tifies the sentiment of love towards God and towards the
neighbor. After a few preliminary remarks on the nature
of love we shall speak: i° of charity towards God; 2° of
charity towards the neighbor; y of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus as a model of both.
Preliminary Remarks
1208. i° Love in general is an impulse, a tendency of
the soul towards good. If the good towards which we are
drawn is the kind which appeals to our sense-nature and
which our imagination apprehends as agreeable, our love is
sensible love. If the good is moral good acknowledged by
our reason as worthy of esteem, our love is rational love.
I f the good is a supernatural good perceived by faith, our
love is Christian love.
As we can see, love always presupposes knowledge; but,
as we shall explain later on, love does not always cor­
respond to that knowledge.
Whatever be the kind of love, four elements can be discerned in it:
t) a sort of sympathy felt for another person because of a certain
harmony existing between him and ourselves. Now, this harmony
does not imply that both are exactly alike, but rather that the one
completes the other. 2) An impulse of the soul towards the beloved
person, to draw close to him and enjoy his presence. 3) A certain
union or communion of mind and heart to share in common the goods
> St. Bernard, De diligendo Deo: St. Thomas, II» 11“=, Q. 23-44; Salmanticenses. Tr. XIX, De caritate theologica; St. Francis of Sales, The Love of
God; Scakamelli Stockman. Manual of Christian Perfection, P. IV, art. Ill;
Reginald Buckler, Spiritual Perfection.—See Nn. 306 sqq. Notion of
Christian Perfection.

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CHAPTER HI.

each possesses. 4) A sense of joy, of pleasure or of happiness expe­
rienced in possessing the object of our love.

1209. 2° Christian love is love that is supernaturalized
as to its principle, its motive and its object.
a) It is supernaturalized in its principle through the
infused virtue of charity that resides in the will. This
virtue, set into action by actual grace, transforms naturally
good love and raises it to a higher level.
b) Then faith furnishes us with a supernatural motive to
sanctify our affections : it directs these, first, towards God,
by showing to us the Supreme, Infinite Good, which alone
can correspond to our rightful aspirations; then, towards
God’s creatures, which it presents to us as reflections of the
divine perfections, so much so, that in loving them we love
God Himself.
c) The object of our love becomes supernaturalized in
this wise : the God we love is not God known merely by
reason, but the Living God known through faith, the
Father Who begets a Son from all eternity and adopts us
as His children; the Son, equal to the Father, Who by
taking flesh becomes our brother; the Holy Ghost, the
mutual Love of Father and Son, Who comes to diffuse
into our souls divine charity. Men do not appear to us as
mere creatures of God, but they are seen in the light of
revelation as they truly are, the children of God, Our
Common Father, brethren in Christ Jesus, living temples
of the Holy Ghost. All, then, is supernatural in Chris­
tian love.
According to St. Thomas ', charity adds to love a cer­
tain perfection that proceeds from a high esteem for the
thing loved. Hence, all charity is love, but not all love is
charity.
1210.Charity may be thus defined: a theological virtue
that causes us to love God above all things, for His own
sake, in the way in which He loves Himself, and lo love the
neighbor for God's sake.
This virtue, then, has a twofold object : God and the
neighbor. These two objects, however, constitute but one,
since we love creatures only inasmuch as they are reflections
of the divine perfections, and therefore it is God Whom we
love in them. We love the neighbor, adds St. Thomas a,
because God is in him or, at least, in order that God may be
■ Sum. Theol., 1“ llæ, q. 31, a. 3. — 2 Qq. disp, de Caritate, a. 4.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

569

in him. This is why there is but one and the same virtue
of charity.
§ I. The Love of God

We shall explain : i° its nature; 2° its sanctifying power;
3° how to advance in the practice of this virtue.

I. Its Nature
1211. The first object of charity is God. Since He
possesses the plenitude of being, the perfection of beauty
and of goodness, He is infinitely lovable. It is God, con­
sidered in all the infinite reality of His perfections, and not
some particular Divine attribute. The consideration of
any given attribute, His mercy, for instance, readily leads
us to the consideration of all His perfections; but it is not
necessary to know them in detail. Simple souls love
Almighty God as faith makes Him known to them, without
analyzing His attributes.
To elucidate the notion of the love of God we shall
explain the precept that imposes it upon us, the motive
upon which it rests, and the different degrees through
which we arrive at pure love.
1212.i° The Precept. A) Already formulated in the
Old Testament, it is reenacted by Our Lord in the New
and proclaimed by Him as the sum-total of the Law and of
the Prophets : “ Thou shalt love the Lord Thy God with thy
whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with all thy
strength, and with all thy mind. ” 1 This is equivalent to
saying that we must love God above all things and with all
the faculties of our soul.
St. Francis de Sales explains this well : “Our love for Him should
exceed all other affections, and reign over all the passions. He wishes
that it should be the most sincere, thaj it should proceed from the
heart and rule over its affections; He desires that we should consider
it the most precious, the most valuable; He requires that it should fill
the capacity of our souls; that it should be universal, extending to all
our powers; that it should be elevated, and occupy the whole attention
of the mind; and, in fine, that it should be generous and unalterable.”2
The Saint ends with a magnificent effusion of love: “Yes, Lord, 1
belong to Thee alone : I live more in Thee than in myself, therefore,
my love should be wholly centered in Thee : 1 should love Thee as the
origin of my being, and as the term of my repose : I should love Thee
more than myself, since I only exist in Thee.”3

1213. B) The precept of charity, then, is very extensive.
In itself it has no limits, for the measure of love of God is to
■ Luke, X, 27. — ’ The love of God, Bk. X, C. VI. — 3 Ibid., C. X.

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CHAPTER III.

love Him without measure. Therefore, it obliges us to tend
unceasingly towards perfection, (n. 353-361) and our charity
must continue to grow until death. According to the
doctrine of St. Thomas,1 the perfection of charity is com­
manded as an end to be attained ; hence we must want to
attain it. Cajetan explains this by saying that “ precisely
because it is an end, it is enough in order not to fail in the
precept, to be in a fit condition to attain this perfection
some day, even though this be in eternity. Whoever pos­
sesses charity, even in the least degree, and thus advances
towards Heaven, is in the way of perfect charity and there­
by keeps the precept, which is necessary for salvation. ”
However, souls aiming at perfection are not content with
this first degree; they climb ever higher, striving to love
God not only with their whole soul, but with all their
strength as well.

1214. 20 The motive of charity is not the good one has
received from God or that which one expects to receive
from Him; it is God’s infinite perfection, at least as the
predominant motive. Other motives may be joined with
this, motives of wholesome fear, of hope, of gratitude, pro­
vided that the said motive be truly predominant. Conse­
quently, love of self, in so far as it is subordinated to the love
of God, is compatible with charity. Hence, when the
Saints so harshly condemn self-love, it is the inordinate love
Of self they have in mind.
1215. A) The opinion of Bolgeni, however, cannot be admitted.
He pretends that the only love of charity possible and obligatory is
that which has for motive God's goodness towards us, since, as he
asserts, we cannot love except what we perceive as meeting our needs
and aspirations. The author in question mistakes what merely con­
stitutes a necessarily preexisting condition for the real motive of cha­
rity. It is, indeed, true that love of itself presupposes that the object
loved corresponds with our nat-ure and our aspirations ; yet, the motive
for which we love God, is not precisely this harmony, but God’s
infinite perfection loved for itself.
Once more, St. Francis de Sales explains well this doctrine in the
following lines: “If there could be an infinite good, with which we
had no relation, no communication, and, consequently, no prospect of
union (which is also impossible) we should still esteem it more than
ourselves... This, properly speaking, is not to love, because love
tends to union, which in this supposition is impossible. Still less
could we be animated with love of charity for such an object, as this
love is a real reciprocal friendship, terminating in union.”’
■ Sum. theol.. Il’ Ilæ, q. 184. a. 3; Comment, of Cajetan on this article; Cardi­
nal Mercier, Vie intérieure, 1919, p. 98; P. GarriGOU-LagRANOE, Perfection
chrétienne, t. I. p. 217-227.
’ Love of God, Bk. X, C. X.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

571

1216. B) We may ask ourselves whether the motive of
gratitude suffices for perfect charity. Here there is room
for distinction : if gratitude does not rise above the bene­
faction received to the Benefactor Himself, it does not
suffice as a motive of charity, since it remains self-centered;
but, if from the love of such benefaction we pass on to the
love of the Benefactor, and if this love for Him is-based on
His infinite goodness, then this motive becomes one with
that of charity.
As a matter of fact, gratitude easily leads to pure love, for it is a
most worthy sentiment; and so, Holy Writ and the Saints often pro­
pose to us God’s benefits as an incentive to the love of God. Thus,
St. John, after saying that perfect love banishes fear, exhorts us to love
God, “ because God first hath loved us. ” 1 Many are the souls that
have learned to love God with the purest love whilst pondering the
love He has shown us from all eternity, and the love of Jesus for us in
His Passion and in the Holy Eucharist.

If we desire a rule whereby to distinguish pure from
interested love, we may put it thus : the former consists in
loving God because He is good and in wishing Him well;
the latter consists in loving God inasmuch as He is good to
us and in desiring our own good.
1217.3° As to the degrees of love, St. Bernard distin­
guishes four 2: i) First, man loves himself for his own sake,
since he is flesh, and he cannot have any taste except for
things in relation to himself. 2) Then, seeing that he is
not able to subsist by himself, he begins to seek God by
faith and to love Him as an indispensable aid; in this
second degree man loves God, not as yet for God’s sake,
but for his own. 3) But soon, by approaching God, living
close to Him, and realizing the need of His help, man
gradually sees how sweet the Lord is, and begins to love
Him for His own sake. 4) Finally, the last degree, attained
by few in this life, consists in loving solely for God,
and consequently, in loving God exclusively for His own
sake.
If we leave aside the first degree, which is nothing but
self-love, there remain three degrees of the love of God
that correspond to the three stages of perfection which we
have already explained in numbers 340, 624-626.
II. The Sanctifying Power of the Love of God
1218. i° Charity is of itself the most excellent and the
most sanctifying of all virtues. This we have already
' / John, IV, 19. — * Df diligendo Deo, C. XV ; Epistola XI, n. 8.

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proved by showing that it is the very essence of perfection,
that is embodies all virtues, and that it imparts to them all
a singular perfection, by causing all their acts to converge
towards God loved above all (n. 310-319).
This is proclaimed by St. Paul in lyric language : “ If I speak with
the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become
as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have pro­
phecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I
should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not
charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed
the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not
charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Charity is patient, is kind : charity envieth not dealeth not perverse­
ly ; is not puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not
provoked to anger, thinketh no evil : rejoiceth not in iniquity, but
rejoiceth with truth ; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all
things, endureth all things.
Charity never falleth away... And now there remain faith, hope and
charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity. ”1

1219. In its power to unite the soul to God and to
transform it, charity far excels all other virtues.
a) It unites to God the whole soul with all its faculties
and powers. It unites the mind to God through the esteem
conceived for 'Him and the frequent thought of Him.
It unites the will by perfect submission to the Divine Will.
It unites the heart by the subordination of all our affections
to the Divine Love. It unites our energies by dedicating
them all to the service of God and of souls.
b) In thus uniting the whole soul to God, charity trans­
forms it. Love takes us away from self, raises us up to
God, and inclines us to imitate Him, to reproduce in
ourselves the divine perfections. We desire, in truth, to
become like the one we love, because we consider him a
model worthy of imitation, and we wish, by becoming more
like him, to advance further in our intimacy with him.
1220.20 In its effects, charity contributes most effec­
tively to our sanctification.
a) It establishes between the soul and God a certain
fellowship, sympathy, or affinity which causes us to under­
stand and to relish better God and divine things. It is
this mutual sympathy that makes friends understand one
another, and become more and more intimately united.
Many a simple, untutored soul, seized by love for God,
relishes and lives the great Christian truths far better than
the learned. This is an effect of charity.
■ I Cor., XIII, t-13.

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573

1221. b) It increases our energies for good a hundredfold
by communicating to us an indomitable strength to over­
come obstacles and to perform the highest acts of virtue,
“for love is strong as death. ” 1 How great is the strength
a mother derives from love for her child!
Perhaps no one has described better the effects of divine love than
the author of the Imitation.’ It lightens our sufferings and our bur­
dens : “ For it carrieth a burden without being burdened, and maketh
all else that is bitter, sweet and savoury." It lifts us unto God, because
it is born of God : “For love is born of God, and cannot rest but in
God." It gives us wings to fly with joy unto the doing of the most
perfect actions, unto the entire gift of self : “ The lover Jlieth, runneth,
and rejoiceth... he giveth all for all;" thus, it urges us to do great
things and to aim at the highest perfection : “ The noble love of fesus
impelleth us to do great things, and exciteth us always to desire that
which is the more perfect." It is ever watchful, uncomplaining of
fatigue, untroubled by fear; rather, like a living flame it soars ever
higher and passes securely through the midst of dangers: “Love
watcheth... When weary, it is not tired; when straitened, is not
constrained; when frightened, is not disturbed; but, like a vivid flame...
it mounteth upwards, and securely passeth through all."

1222. e) Charity, likewise, is productive of greatjoy and
expansion of soul; for it is the initial possession of the Sove­
reign Good, the beginning of eternal life in us, and such pos­
session fills our soul with joy : “ Giving true joy of heart. ” 3
The Imitation goes on to say : “Nothing sweeter than love... noth­
ing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in heaven or on earth. ” ■*
The cause of such joy is that we begin to be more keenly aware of the
presence of Jesus and of the presence of God within us : “to be with
fesus is a sweet paradise.*
5 When Thou art present, all things yield
delight; but when Thou art absent, all things grow loathsome. ” 67

1223. d) This joy is followed by a profound peace. Once
we are convinced that God dwells within us and that He
exercises a paternal action, a paternal solicitude over us,
we abandon ourselves with sweet trust into His hands, we
confide all our interests to His care, and thus we enjoy
perfect peace and serenity: “ Thou viakest a tranquil heart,
great peace, andfestive joy. ” ? Now, there is no disposition
more favorable for spiritual growth than inward peace :
“ In silence and in solitude the devout soul maketh progress. ” 8
Hence, from whatever point of view we consider charity,
in itself or in its effects, it is of all the virtues the most
potent to unite us with God and to sanctify us; it is, indeed,
the bond of perfection.
1 Cant., VIII, 6. —2 Imitation, Book III, C. V.
3 Hymn for the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
limit., Bk. III. C. V. — sImit., Bk. II, C. VllI. — 61mit.. Bk. Ill, C. XXXIV.
7 lmit., Bk. Ill, C. XXXIV. — 8 Imit., Bk. I, C. XX.

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CHAPTER HI.

III. Progress in the Practice of Charity

1224. General principle. Love being the gift of self,
our love for God will be more perfect the more completely
we give ourselves to Him, without reserve and forever, with
our whole soul, with our whole heart, with our whole strength.
Since on earth we cannot make the gift of self without self­
sacrifice, our love will be more perfect the more unselfishly
we-practice this spirit of self-sacrifice for the love of God
(n. 321).
1225. i° Beginners practice the love of God by striv­
ing to avoid sin, especially mortal sin, and its causes.
a) They practice repentant love by bitterly regretting
having offended God and having deprived Him of His due
glory (n. 743'745)·
This love has two effects : 1) it removes us further from sin and
from creatures to which pleasure had made us cling; 2) it reconciles
us with God and unites us with Him, not only by removing sin, the
great obstacle to divine union, but also by infusing into our heart those
sentiments of contrition and humiliation which constitute the beginning
of love, and which under the action of grace are often transformed
into perfect love. “For,” as St. Francis de Sales says, “perfect love
wants God and needs Him ; penance seeks and finds Him ; perfect
love possesses and holds Him fast.” At all events, our sins are more
perfectly remitted, the purer and the deeper is our love.

1226. b) They also practice, in its first degree, the love
of conformity with the divine will, by obeying God’s com­
mandments and those of the Church, and manfully with­
standing the trials that Providence sends them for the
purification of their souls (n. 747).
e) Soon their love becomes a grateful love. Realizing that despite
their sins, God continually showers upon them His blessings, and
grants them such generous pardon, they evince a sincere sense of
gratitude towards Him, praise His goodness, and strive to profit better
by His graces. This is in itself a noble sentiment which constitutes an
excellent preparation for pure love ; we easily rise from the benefaction
received to the love of the Benefactor, and we desire His goodness to
be recognized and praised the world over. This is perfect love, or
charity.

1227. 20 Those advancing in the way of perfection
practice the love of complacency, of benevolence, of conformity
to the will of God, and thereby arrive at the love of
friendship.
A) The love of complacency 1 is born of faith and reflection,
a) Through faith we know and through meditation we realize
' St. Francis de Sales, The Lm of God, Bk. V, C. I-V.

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that God possesses the fulness of being, of perfection, of
wisdom, of power, of goodness. Now, with but a little
good-will, we cannot help taking complacency in such infi­
nite perfection; we rejoice at seeing that our God is rich
in goodness, we delight more in Gods pleasure than in our
own, and we show our joy by acts of admiration, appro­
bation and praise.
b) Thereby we draw unto ourselves the perfections of the
Godhead. God becomes our God ; we live on the thought
of His perfection, His goodness, His sweetness, His Divine
life; for the heart feeds upon such things as it delights in.
Thus we are enriched by the divine perfections, which we
make our own by a loving complacency.
1228.c) But in thus attracting to ourselves the divine
perfections, we attract God Himself, and we give ourselves
entirely to Him, as St. Francis de Sales 1 well explains :
“It follows that through this love of complacency we not only
enjoy the perfections of God as if they were our own ; but also, that
since the divine perfections are infinitely above the powers and capa­
city of our mind and heart, we could not attract them into us to enjoy
and possess them without being also possessed by them in turn.
The love of complacency is then a reciprocal donation, in virtue of
which we may truly assert that we belong to God, Who is also our
possession.” Thus, “the soul inflamed with the love of complacency
exclaims from the midst of its repose and sacred silence : * It suffices
to my happiness to know that God is God; that His perfections are
boundless, that His goodness is infinite. I am indifferent to life and
death, since the object of all my love lives, and will live eternally,
surrounded by the unfading splendor of endless glory.’ Death cannot
terrify a heart which breathes but to love, and which is aware that its
sovereign good lives forever. It suffices to her to know, that He
Whom she loves more than herself is overwhelmed -with bliss : she
lives more in the object of her predilection than in herself. ”

1229. d) This love, when it contemplates the Suffering
Christ turns into compassion and sympathy. A devout soul,
beholding the depths of dejection and grief wherein the
Divine Lover is plunged, cannot but share in the holy love
that makes Him endure such afflictions. It was this love
that caused the stigmata to be imprinted upon the flesh of
St. Francis of Assisi, and the Sacred .v'ounds upon that of
St. Catherine of Sienna. Complacency produced compas­
sion, and compassion produced a wound like that of the
Beloved.
1230. B) From the love of complacency springs the
love of benevolence, that is to say, an ardent desire of glo1 The Lme of God, Bk. V. C. HI.

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CHAPTER III.

rifying the object of our love and of causing it to be glo­
rified. This may be done in two ways in regard to God.
a) In what concerns His interior perfections, to which we can add
nothing, we can give glory only in a hypothetical way, saying, for
example: “If (assuming the impossible) I could procure Thee any
good, I would unceasingly desire it, even at the cost of my life. If,
being what Thou art, Thou couldst receive an increase of perfection,
I would desire it with all my heart.”

1231. b) In what touches His outward glory, we desire
unconditionally to increase it both in ourselves and in
others, and with this end in view we desire to know and
love Him better, in order that we may in turn make Him
better known and better loved. That this love be not a
merely speculative love, we strive to study in detail the
beauties and the perfections of God, to praise them and
cause them to be blest, sacrificing to this end studies and
occupations which would naturally be more agreeable to us.
Filled, then, with esteem and admiration for God we long to have
His Holy Name blessed, exalted, praised, honored, adored all over the
earth. And as we are of ourselves incapable of doing this in a perfect
manner, we call upon all creatures to praise and bless their Maker :
Let all the works of the Lord fraise the Lord.1 We rise in spirit to
Heaven there to join the Angelic choirs and the host of the Saints and
sing in unison with them : "'Holy, Holy, Holy Lord...
We join the
Blessed Virgin, who raised above the Angels, renders to God more
glory than all other creatures, and we repeat with Her: "My soul
doth magnify the Lord."3 We join ourselves especially to the Incar­
nate Word, the Great Worshiper of the Father, Who, being God and
Man, offers the Most Blessed Trinity a praise that is infinite.
Lastly, we unite with God Himself, that is to say, with the Three
Divine Persons, in their mutual praise and congratulation. “Then
we exclaim : Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost! And in order to prove that the object of this aspiration is not
the accidental glory of created praise, but the essential, eternal glory
which God has in Himself, by Himself, from Himself, and which is,
in a word, nothing else than Himself, we add immediately: ‘As it was
in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end,’ wishing
that God be ever glorified with that infinite eternal glory, which he
possessed in Himself before the formation of creatures.”4

Religious and Priests realize that they are by virtue of
their vows or of their priesthood specially bound to promote
God’s glory. Burning with the desire of glorifying Him,
they never cease, even in the midst of their occupations,
to bless and praise the Almighty, and they have but one
end in view, one ambition, that of extending the Kingdom
of God and of procuring the eternal praise ot Him Whom
they love as the only portion of their inheritance.
1 Dan., Ill, 57. — a Apoc., IV, 8. — 3 Luke, I, 46.
♦ St. Francis de Sales, The Lave of God, Bk. V, C. XII.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

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1232. C) The love of benevolence is manifested by the
love of conformity. Nothing strengthens the reign of God
in the soul more effectively than the accomplishment of
His Holy Will : “ Thy Will be done on earth as it is in
Heaven. ” Love is above all else a union, a fusion of two
wills into one; and, since the Will of God is alone good
and wise, it is evidently we who must conform our will
to His : “ Not my will, but Thine be done. ” 1
As we have explained in nos. 480-492, this conformity comprises
obedience to the Commandments, the Counsels, the inspirations of
grace, and the humble and loving submission to providential events
whether fortunate or unfortunate : failure, humiliations, all sorts of
trials sent to us for our sanctification and God’s glory. Conformity
in turn produces a holy indifference to whatever does not concern itself
with God’s service. Persuaded that God is everything and the crea­
ture nothing, we want but God, His love and His glory, and our will
remains indifferent to all else. This indifference is not a stoical insen­
sibility, for we continue to feel the attraction of those things that
please us, but it is an indifference of mind and will. Neither does
this indifference consist in letting things take their course, as the
Quietists pretended. We are not indifferent to our salvation ; on the
contrary, we ardently desire it, but we desire it only in agreement
with the Divine Will.
This holy abandon produces a profound peace of soul. We know
that nothing can happen to us that will not be profitable unto our
sanctification : “ To them that love God all things work together unto
good."'1 Hence we joyfully embrace trials and the Cross, out of love
for the Divine Crucified and in order to become more like unto Him.
Thus, perfect conformity to the Will of God, as Bossuet says,’
“ makes us find our rest whether in pain or in joy, according to the
pleasure of Him Who is our good. It makes us rest, not in our satis­
faction, but in that of God, ever praying Him to be well pleased and
to do ever with us as He pleases.”

1233. D) This conformity leads us tofriendship with God.
Friendship implies, besides benevolence, reciprocity or the
mutual giving of self. Now this is well realized in charity.
This love is a true friendship, says St Francis de Sales4, “for it is
known and acknowledged to exist on both sides ; for God cannot be
ignorant of our love for Him, since He Himself enkindles it in our
hearts ; nor can we have a doubt of His eternal predilection for us,
since He has so frequently assured us of it... and He incessantly
speaks to our hearts by the inspirations of His grace.” The Saint
adds: “The mutual love subsisting between God and His creature is
not what is termed simple friendship ; it is a friendship of benevolent
preference, that is, a special love of God founded on our choice and
our preference. ”

1234.This friendship consists in the gift of Himself,
which God makes to us, and the gift of self which we make
■ Luke, XXII, 42. — ’ Rom., VIII, 28.
3 Elevations, XIII, 7. — 4 Love of God, Bk. II, C. XXII.

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CHAPTER HI.

to Him. We must, therefore, see what is God’s love for
us in order to understand what must be our love for Him.
a) His love for us is l) eternal: “ I have loved thee with an everlast­
ing love” ;1 2) it is desinterested, for being absolutely self-sufficient, He
simply loves us for our good; 3) it is generous, for He gives Himself
entirely, coming Himself to live lovingly in our soul (n. 92-97) ; 4) it is
prevenient, for not only has He loved us first, but He solicits our love
and begs for it as if He were in need of it: "My delight is to be
with the children of men... Son,give me thy heart.”* No one could
ever dream of such delicate thoughtfulness.

1235. b) We must, therefore, correspond to this love
with a love that is as perfect as possible : “ Who would not
love Him Who loves us so much! ” 3
1) Our love must be forever growing. Not having been capable of
loving God from all eternity, and never being able to love Him as He
deserves, we must at least love Him more each day, placing no limits
to our affection for Him, refusing Him no sacrifice that He may
demand, and ever seeking to please Him: “Z do always the things
that flease him."' 2) Our love must be generous, expressing itself in
loving affections, frequent ejaculations and such simple acts of love as :
“I love Thee with all my heart”; but it must also express itself by
actions, chiefly by the entire gift of self. God must be the center of
our entire being: of our intelligence, by the frequent thought of Him ;
of our will, by a humble submission to His least desire ; of our sensitive
nature, by not allowing our heart to become entangled in affections
that would only be an obstacle to God’s love ; of all our actions, by ever
striving to please Him. 3) Our love must be disinterested. We must
love God far more than we love His gifts. Hence we must love Him
whether in desolation or consolation, protesting to Him again and
again that we want to love Him and for His own sake. It is in this
way that in spite of our weakness we respond to His friendship.

§ II. The Love of the Neighbors

After explaining the nature of this virtue and its sanctify
ing power, we shall indicate'the manner of practicing it.

I. Nature of Fraternal Charity
1236. Fraternal charity is indeed a theological virtue,
as we have said, provided that we love God Himself in our
neighbor, or in other words, that we love the neighbor for
God’s sake. Should we love the neighbor solely for his
> Jeremias, XXXI, 3. — · Prov., VIII, 31 ; XXIII, 26.
3 AdesteJideles. — * John, VII1, 29.
s St. Francis of Sales, Devout Life. P. Ill, C. VII, XXVIII, XXIX, P. IV,
C. VI; Rodriguez, Christian Perfection, Vol. I, Treat. IV; ScaramelliStockman. Manual of Christian Perfection, P. IV, Art. Ill; Value. Fraternal
Charity; Reginald Buckler, Spiritual Perfection, Book II, C. II; Faber.
Spiritual Conferences, Kindness: Guibert, Kindness; Schuyler, The Charity 0/
Christ; Hedley, Retreat, XXVI, A Bishop and His Flock, ΧΧ1-ΧΧΠ; The
Little Flower ofJesus, C. X, XI.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

579

own sake, or because of the services he may render us, this
would not be charity.
A) Hence, it is God that we must see in the neighbor.
He manifests Himself in men by natural gifts, which are a
participation in His being and in His attributes, and by
supernatural gifts, which are a participation in His nature
and in His life (n. 445). Since the virtue of charity is
supernatural, it is supernatural qualities that we must have
in view as the motive of our love. Therefore, if we con­
sider the neighbor’s natural qualities, we must look on
these with the eye of faith, that is, see them as supernatural­
ized by grace.
1237. B) The better to understand the motive of fra­
ternal charity, we should analyze it by considering men in
their relations with God. Then they will appear to us as
children of God, members of Jesus Christ, co-heirs with us
of the Kingdom of Heaven (nos. 93, 142-149).
Even if they be not in the state of grace or have not the faith, they
are called to the possession of these supernatural gifts and it is our
duty to contribute, at least by our prayers and our example, to the
work of their conversion. This is a most powerful motive for loving
them as brethren, and the differences that separate us from them
dwindle into insignificance in comparison with all that binds us to them.

II. The Sanctifying Power of Fraternal Charity
1238. i° Since the supernatural love of the neighbor is
but another form of the love of God, we should repeat in
this place all we have explained concerning the marvellous
effects of the love of God.
Let it suffice to quote some texts of St. John : “ He that lovetk his
brother abideth in light; and there is no scandal in him. But he that
hateth his brother is in darkness."' In the language of this Apostle,
to abide in light means to abide in God, the source of all light, and to
walk in darkness means to be in the state of sin. The same Apostle
goes on to say : “ We know that we have passed from death to life,
because we love the brethren... Whosoever hateth his brother is a
murderer."'1 He concludes by saying: "Dearly beloved, let us love
one another : for charity is of God. And every one that lovetk is born
of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God: for
God is charity. If we love one another, God abideth in us: and His
charity is perfected in us... God is charity: and he that abideth in cha­
rity, abideth in God, and God in him... If any man say: I love God,
and hateth h'is brother: he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother,
whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not? And this
commandment we have from God, that he, who loveth God, love also
his brother."3 It would be impossible to express more clearly that to
* I John. II, ίο-n. — « I John, HI, 14-15. — 3 1 John, IV, 7, 8, 12, 16, ao, 21.

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CHAPTER HI.

love the neighbor is to love God, and that the love of the neighbor
confers on us all the privileges attached to the love of God.

1239.2° Futhermore, Our Lord tells us that whatever
service is rendered to the least of His brethren, He considers
as rendered to Himself : “ Amen I say to you, as long as you
did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. ” 1
Now, Our Lord will not let Himself be outdone in genero­
sity, and He will make return a hundredfold by giving all
manner of graces for the least service done to Him in the
person of His brethren.
How consoling is this thought to those who practice fraternal cha­
rity and perform the spiritual or corporal works of mercy ; how much
more consoling to those whose entire life is devoted to works of cha­
rity or zeal! Every moment of the day they do some service to Jesus
Christ in the person of His brethren, and every moment of the day
Jesus likewise labors in their own souls to beautify and sanctify them.

III. The Practice of Fraternal Charity
1240. The principle that must always guide us is to
see God and Jesus Christ in our neighbor: 2 “ Christ in all,"
and thus render our charity more supernatural in its motives
and its means of action, more universal in its scope, more
generous and more active in its exercise.
1241. 1° Beginners strive chiefly to avoid the faults
contrary to charity, and to practice those acts to which we
are bound by precept.
A) In order not to give pain to Jesus and the neighbor
they carefully avoid :
a) Rash judgments, slander and calumny, which are against justice
and charity, (n. 1043) ; b) natural antipathies, which when consented
to are often the cause of faults against charity ; C) bitter words, words
of ridicule or contempt that cannot but engender or intensify enmities ;
likewise, witticisms indulged in at the expense of the neighbor which
cause at times smarting wounds ; d) strife and discussions born of
pride; e) rivalries, discord, false reports, which cannot but sow dissen­
sion among the members of the great Christian family.
1242. Nothing so effectively helps us to avoid all these faults
opposed to Christian charity, as the frequent consideration of the
touching words of St. Paul to the first Christians : “ 1 therefore, a
prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation
■ Matth.,.Ύ.Ύ.Ν, 40.
3 St. John Eudes explains this very well in The Kingdom of Christ Within Us,
C. I, p. 29-30: " See your neighbor in God and God in him ; that is, regard him as
one who has come forth from the heart and goodness of God, who is created to
return to Him one day, and to dwell within His boson» glorifying God for all
eternity; and in whom God will, in reality, be eternally glorified either by His
mercy or justice. "

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

581

in which you are called... supporting one another in charity, careful to
keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one
Spirit: as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one
God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all...
Doing the truth in charity, we may in all things grow up in him who
is the head, even Christ.”' Elsewhere he writes: “If there be there­
fore any consolation in Christ... fulfil ye my joy: that you be of one
mind, having the same charity, being of one accord, agreeing in sen­
timent. Let nothing be done through contention : neither by vain
glory. But in humility, let each esteem others better than themselves:
each one not considering the things that are his own, but those that
are other men’s. ” *

Who could remain unmoved by these exhortations of
the Apostle? Forgetting the chains that bind him in his
prison-cell, he is concerned with the thought of repressing
the dissensions that disturb the Christian community; he
reminds the Christians that since there are so many ties
that unite them, they must put aside what divides them.
After twenty centuries of Christianity this urgent appeal is
not less pertinent today.

1243.But there is a fault against charity that must be
especially avoided; it is scandal, that is, whatever could
probably lead others to sin. We must carefully abstain
from things, in themselves indifferent or lawful, but which,
because of circumstances, may become to others an occasion
of sin. This principle is erfjoined by St. Paul regarding
the meats offered to idols. Since idols are nothing, these
meats are not in themselves forbidden; but, because many
Christians believe that they are forbidden, the Apostle asks
those who are more enlightened to take into account the
scruples of their brethren : “ And through thy knowledge
shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ hath died?
Now when you sin thus against the brethren and wound
their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Wherefore,
if meat scandalize my brother, I will never eat flesh, lest
I should scandalize my brother. ” 3
And today these words should still be the object of meditation.
Christian men and women indulge in reading, shows and dances that
are at least unbecoming, under the pretext that for them such things
have no evil effects. This may be questioned, for alas ! many who
speak in this manner at times deceive themselves. Be this as it may,
do they consider the scandal they give to those who witness their
conduct and who take it as an excuse to indulge in pleasures still more
dangerous?

1244. B) Beginners are not satisfied with avoiding
these faults; they practice also what the precept of charity
1 Ephes., IV, 1-16. — a Phil., II, 1-4. — 3 I Cor., VIII, 13.

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CHAPTER III.

commands, particularly bearing with the neighbor and for­
giving injuries.
a) They bear with the neighbor despite his faults.
Have we not ourselves faults that others must bear with? Besides,
we are apt to exaggerate the faults of others, especially of those
towards whom we feel a natural antipathy. Should we not, on the
contrary, overlook their faults, and ask ourselves if it becomes us to
notice the mote in the neighbor’s eye when perhaps there is a beam in
ours? Instead of condemning the faults of others, let us honestly ask
ourselves if we have not like faults or perhaps worse ones. Let us
think first of all of correcting ourselves : “ Physician, heal thyself. ’’ ‘

1245. b) Beginners have the further duty of forgiving
injuries and of seeking reconciliation with their enemies,
with those who have offended them or those whom they
have offended. This duty is so imperative that Our Lord
says : “ If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and
there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against
thee; leave there thy offering before the altar and go first
to be reconciled to thy brother. ” 2
According to Bossuet, the first gift we must offer God is a Heart free
from all resentment, of all enmity towards our brother. He adds that
we must not even wait for the day on which we are to approach the
altar, but that we must follow the advice of St. Paul : “ Let not the sun
go down upon your wrath ; ”3 for “ darkness will add to our resentment ;
our anger will return upon our awakening and become more bitter
still. ”4 We must not ask ourselves whether our adversary is more in
the wrong than we are, whether it is for him to make the first advance.
Let us, at the very first opportunity, clear up every misunderstanding
by a frank explanation. If our enemy is the first to present his excuses,
we must hasten to forgive: “For if you will forgive men their offences,
your Heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you
will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your
offences.”5 This is but justice, since we ask God to forgive our tres­
passes as we forgive those who trespass against us.

1246. 2° Souls advancing in the spiritual life strive to
draw unto themselves the charitable dispositions of the
Heart of Jesus.
A) They remember that the precept of charity is His
precept, and that its observance will be the characteristic
mark of Christians : “ A new commandment I give unto you :
that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you
also love one another. ” 6
This commandment is new, says Bossuet,’ “because Jesus Christ
adds to the old this important feature of loving one another as He has
’ Luke, IV, 23. — 2 Matth., V, 23-24. — 3 Ephes., IV, 26.
4 Méditât., XIV® jour. — 5 Matth., VI, 14-15.
♦ John, XIII, 34. — ? Méditations, La Cène, I Part., 75« jour.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

583

loved us. His love reached out to us when we were not even thinking
of Him. He came to us first. He is not disheartened by our infide­
lities, our ingratitudes: He loves us to make us holy, to make us
happy ; He loves us in a disinterested way, for He has no need of us,
nor of our service. ” Charity is to be the distinctive sign of Christians :
“ By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love
one for another. ” '

1247. B) They also try to imitate the examples of the
Saviour.
a) His charity is prevenient. He loved us first, when we
were His enemies: “ When as yet we were sinners." * He
came to us sinners knowing that we were the sick who
needed a physician. His preventing grace went to seek
the Samaritan woman, the adulterous woman, the thief
upon the cross, in order to convert them. It is to antici­
pate and heal our troubles that He gave us this tender
invitation : “ Come to me, all you that labour and are bur­
dened·. and I will refresh you. ” 3
We should imitate this divine thoughtfulness by taking the initiative
with our brethren in order to discover and relieve their miseries, as do
those who visit the poor to help them in their needs, and sinners, to
lead them back gradually to the practice of virtue, and who do this
without losing heart if at first they meet with resistance.

1248. b) Christ’s charity is compassionate. When He
beholds the multitudes that followed Him into the desert
in danger of fainting from hunger, He multiplies the
bread and the fishes to give them food. Above all, when
He sees souls deprived of spiritual food, He takes pity at
their plight, and desires that God be asked to send apos­
tolic workers to their aid : “Pray ye the Lord of the harvest
that he send forth labourers into his harvest." 4 Leaving
awhile the ninety nine faithful sheep, He goes after the
lost one and brings it back upon His shoulders to the
fold. No sooner does a sinner give signs of repentance
than He hastens to forgive him. Full of compassion for
the sick and the afflicted, He heals them in great num­
bers and often restores their souls to health by pardoning
their sins.
Following Our Lord’s example, we must harbor a great compassion
for all the unfortunate and aid them according to our means. When
our means are exhausted, let us at least show them kindness in word
and deed. Let us, then, not be discouraged by the faults of the poor;
and besides giving alms for the relief of the body, let us add some good
word of advice that one day or other may bear fruit.
■ John, XIII, 35. — » Kom. V, 8.
Matth., XI, 28. — < Matth., IX, 38.

3

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CHAPTER HI.

1249.c) Christ’s charity is generous. Through love of
us He consented to labor, and suffer, and die: “He hath
loved us and hath delivered Himselffor us. ”1
Hence, we must be ever ready to render service to our brethren at
the cost of real self-sacrifice, ready to care for them in illnesses, even
if these be of a repelling nature, and to give them financial aid. This
charity should be whole-hearted and sympathetic; for the manner of
giving is worth more than the gift itself. It should likewise be intel­
ligent, offering the poor not only a piece of bread, but if possible, the
means of earning a livelihood. It should be zealous, doing good to
souls by prayer and example and, upon occasion, by discreet and wise
counsels. This duty of zeal is imposed especially upon priests, reli­
gious and devout persons. These must always remember that “he
who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way shall
save his soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins. ” ’

1250. 3° Perfect souls love the neighbor unto the
immolation of self: “ In this we have known the charity of
God, because he hath laid down his life for us : and we ought
to lay down our lives for the brethren. ” 3
a) This is what apostolic laborers do. Without shedding
their blood for their brethren, they give their life-blood drop
by drop, forever working for souls, immolating themselves
in prayer, in study, even in the recreation they take. This
is the ideal proposed by St. Paul : “ I most gladly will
spend and be spent myself for your souls : although loving
you more, I be loved less. ” 4
1251. b) This is what impelled holy priests to take the vow oj
servitude for souls : thereby they engaged themselves to consider the
neighbor as a superior with the right to exact service, and they bound
themselves to comply with all his legitimate wishes.
e) This charity is further shown by readiness to anticipate the least
of our neighbor’s wishes and to render him all possible service; at
times also by the cordial acceptance of proffered service, for this is the
means of making happy the one who offers it.
d) Lastly, it is manifested by a special love for our enemies, whom
we consider as the executors of divine vengeance, and whom we
revere as such, praying for them in a special way and doing them good
on all occasions, according to the counsel of Our Lord : “ Love your
enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that per­
secute and calumniate you.”* Thus we resemble Him “Who maketh
His sun rise to upon the good and bad.”6

§ III. The Sacred Heart of Jesus the Model
and Source of Charity t

1252. i° Preliminary Remarks. In concluding our
study of charity, we cannot do better than to invite our
1 Efhes., V, a. — ■ St. James, V, 20. — 31 John, III, 16.
4 Z/ Cor., XII, 15. — s Matth., V. 44. —6 Matth., V, 45.
’ ST. John Eudes. Le Caur admirable de la T. S. Mire de Dieu, 1. IV et I. XII ;

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

585

readers to seek in the Sacred Heart of Jesus the source
and the model of perfect charity. In the Litanies officially
approved by the Church we invoke the Sacred Heart as
an “ ardent furnace of charity ” and as “ full of goodness
and love.”
There are two essential elements in the devotion to the
Sacred Heart : the one sensible, the heart of flesh hypostatically united to the person of the Word; the other spiritual,
symbolized by the physical heart, which is nothing else but
the love of the Incarnate Word for God and for men.
Just as a symbol and the thing symbolized are but one, so
these two elements are but one. Now, the love symbolized
by the Heart of Jesus is, no doubt, His human love, but it is
also His divine love, since in Jesus the divine and the
human operations are indissolubly united. It is His love
for men : “ Behold the heart that has loved men so much ” ;
but it is also His love for God, since, as we have shown,
charity towards men flows from charity towards God, and
draws from the latter its real motive.
We can, then, consider the Heart of Jesus as the most
perfect Model of love towards God and of love towards the
neighbor, and even as the Model of all virtues, for charity
contains and perfects them all. Since Jesus, during the
course of His mortal life, merited for us the grace of
imitating His virtues, He is also the meritorious cause, the
source of the graces that enable us to love God and our
brethren and to practice all the other virtues.
1253. 2° The Heart of Jesus as the Source and
Model of love towards God. Love is the complete gift
of self. How perfect, then, must be the love of Jesus for
His Father! From the first moment of the Incarnation
He offers Himself and yields Himself as a victim in order
to restore glory to God outraged by our sins.
At His birth, as well as on the day of His Presentation in the
Temple, He renews this offering. During the years of His hidden
life He shows His love for God by yielding obedience to Mary and to
Joseph, in whom He sees the representatives of the Divine Authority.
Who could tell of the acts of pure love that arose to the Most Blessed
Trinity from the little house of Nazareth? In the course of W\s public
dévotion au S. Cœur; STE MARGUERITE-MARIE, Œuvres, éd.
Gallifet, Excellence de la dévotion au S. Cœur; Dalgairns,
Devotion to the Sacred Heart; Manning, The Glories of the Sacred Heart;
J.-B. Terrien, La dévotion au S. Cœur; P. Le Doré, Les Sacrés Cœurs et le
V. J. Eudes; Le Sacré Cœur ; J. Bainvel, La dévotion au S. Cœur, doctrine, his­
toire; L. Garriguet, Le Sacré Cœur, exposé historique et dogmatique, Cath.
Encyclop., Heart ofJesus ; Noldin, Dévot, to Sacred Heart of Jesus; HUSSLEIN,
The Sacred Heart.
J. *,CROISE! La
Gauthey; P. DE

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life He seeks but the pleasure of His Father: “ I do always the things
that please Him..."' “ 1 honor my Father."'1 At the Last Supper
He can declare that He has glorified His Father during His entire
life: “Z have glorified Thee upon the earth." *3 The following day He
carries out His self-surrender even to self-immolation on Calvary:
“ Made obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. " 4 Who could
ever number the interior acts of pure love that sprang incessantly from
His Heart, and which made of His whole life a continual act of perfect
charity?

1254. Above all, who could give an idea of the per­
fection of that love?
“ It is a love” says St. John Eudes,3 “worthy of such a Father and
of such a Son; it is a love that fits most perfectly the unspeakable
perfections of the Beloved One ; it is an infinitely loving Son that loves
an infinitely lovable Father; it is God Who loves God... In a word
the Divine Heart of Jesus, whether considered in its humanity or in its
divinity, is infinitely more inflamed with love for His Father, and loves
Him infinitely more at each single instant than all the Angels and
Saints together could love Him throughout all eternity.”

Now, this love of Jesus for His Father we can make our
own, by uniting ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and
by offering it to the Father,saying with Saint John Eudes:
“ My Saviour, I give myself to Thee in order to unite
myself with the eternal, boundless, and infinite love which
Thou bearest Thy Father. Adorable Father, I offer Thee
all this eternal, boundless, infinite love of Thy Son Jesus
as a love that is mine... I love Thee as Thy Son loves
Thee. ”
1255. 3° The Heart of Jesus The Source of Love for
Men. We have seen (n. 1247) how Jesus loved men while
on earth ; it remains for us to point out here how He never
ceases to love them now that He is in Heaven.
a) It is because He loves us that He sanctifies us through
the Sacraments : these are, to borrow once more the thought
of St. John Eudes, “so many inexhaustible fountains of
grace and holiness which have their source in the boundless
ocean of the Sacred Heart of Our Saviour; and all the
graces that issue from the sacraments are so many flames
of that divine furnace. ” 6
1256.b) It is in the Eucharist especially that He gives
us the greatest proof of His love.
1) For nineteen centuries He has been with us night and day, like a
father who is loath to leave His children, like a friend who finds his
pleasure with his friends, like a devoted physician who constantly
« John, VIII. 29. — ’ John, VIII, 49. —sjohn. XVII, 4. — 4 Philif., II, 8.
3 Le Ceeur admirable, 1. XII, ch. II. — 6 Ibid., Ch. VII.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

587

remains by the bed-side of his patients. 2) He is ever active, adoring,
praising and glorifying His Father for us, thanking Him for all the
benefits He continually bestows upon us, loving Him in our stead,
offering Him His Own merits and satisfactions to atone for our sins,
and ever asking new graces in our behalf: “ Always living to make
intercession for us. ” 1 3) He never ceases to renew upon the altar the
Sacrifice of Calvary ; He does so thousands of times a day, wherever
there is a priest to consecrate, and He does so out of love for us, in
order to apply to each one of us the fruits of His Sacrifice (n. 271-273).
And not content with immolating Himself, He gives Himself whole
and entire to every communicant, to impart to each His graces, His
dispositions and His virtues (n. 277-281).

This Divine Heart ardently longs to communicate to us
His Own charity. “ My Divine Heart, ” said He to
St. Margaret Mary, “ is possessed of such a passionate love
for men and for you in particular, that unable to contain
the flames of its burning charity, it must needs extend
them through you, that it may be made known to them in
order to enrich them with its priceless treasures.”i2 It was
then that Our Lord asked the Saint for her heart in order
to unite it to His own and place in it a spark of His
love. What Christ did in a miraculous manner for her,
He does in an ordinary way for us in Holy Communion
and every time that we unite our hearts to His; for He
is come to earth to bring the sacred fire of charity, and
His only desire is to enkindle it in our hearts : “ I am
come to cast fire on the earth. And what will I, but that
it be kindled? ”3
1257. 40 The Heart of Jesus the Source and Model
of All Virtues. In Holy Writ the heart often signifies all
the interior sentiments of man in contradistinction to his
exterior acts: “ Man seeth those things that appear; but the
Lord beholdeth the heart. ” 4 The heart of Jesus, therefore,
symbolizes not only love, but all the inward sentiments of
His soul. It is thus that the great mystics of the Middle
Ages, and, after them, St. John Eudes, understood the
devotion to the Sacred Heart. The same may be said of
St. Margaret Mary. No doubt she lays special stress, and
rightly so, on the love wherewith this Divine Heart is
filled ; but in her various writings she shows us this Heart
as the model of all virtues. Father de la Colombière, her
confessor and interpreter, sums up her thoughts in an act
of consecration, which is found at the end of the Spiritual
Retreats. 5
i Hcbr., VII, 25. — · First of the Great Revelations. — 3 Luke, XII, 49.
< /. Kings. XVI, 7.
s Œuvres complètes, Grenoble 1901, ch. VI, p. 124.

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CHAPTER ΠΙ.

“This offering is made in order to honor this Divine Heart, seat of
all virtues, source of all blessings, and the refuge of all holy souls.
The principal virtues intended to be honored therein are : in the first
place, the most ardent love for God His Father, together with the most
profound respect and the deepest humility ever known ; secondly, infi­
nite patience in the midst of sufferings, the keenest of pains for the
sins He had laid upon Himself, the trust of a tender son together with
the shame of a great sinner; thirdly, a most lively compassion for our
wretchedness, and in spite of all these emotions, an unalterable seren­
ity, the result of the most perfect conformity to the Will of God, a
serenity that could not be troubled by any event whatsoever. ”

Besides, since all virtues flow from charity and And
therein their highest perfection (n. 318-319), the Heart of
Jesus, being the source and model of Divine Charity, is at
the same time the source and model of all virtues.

1258. In this the devotion to the Sacred Heart joins
with the devotion to the Interior Life of fesus, explained
by Father Olier and practiced in the Seminaries of St. Sulpice. This interior life consists, says he, “ in His interior
dispositions and sentiments towards all things, for example :
His sense of religion towards God, His love towards the
neighbor, His self-abnegation, His horror for sin, His con­
demnation of the world and its maxims. ” 1
Now, all these dispositions are found in the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
and it is there that we must seek them. Father Olier wrote to a pious
soul who delighted to withdraw within the Heart of Jesus: “Lose
yourself a thousand times a day in His lovable Heart whither you feel
yourself so strongly attracted... The Heart of the Son of God is the
pearl of great price; it is His most precious gem ; God’s own treasury
wherein He pours all His riches and where He dispenses all His
graces... It is within that Sacred Heart, within that adorable Soul,
that first are enacted all mysteries... See, then, to what Our Lord
calls you by opening to you His Heart, and see how much you must
Îirofit by this grace, one of the greatest that you have obtained in your
ife. Let not creatures ever draw you out of that place of delights and
may you be plunged therein for time and for eternity with all the holy
spouses of Jesus. ”2 In another place he said : “ What a Heart is that
of Jesus! What an ocean of love is contained therein, flooding the
whole earth ! O rich and overflowing source of all love ! O inexhausible depths of all religion! O Divine center of all hearts... O Jesus!
allow me to worship, to adore the inmost recesses of Thy holy soul, to
adore Thy Heart which I have but to-day beheld. I would picture it,
but its ravishing beauty will not permit me. I beheld it as a Heaven
radiant with light, full of love, of gratitude, and of praise. It breathed
forth God, it showed forth His grandeur and magnificence.”3 For
Father Olier, the Interior Life and the Heart of Jesus were but one
and the same thing, that is, the center of all the dispositions of Christ’s
holy soul and of His virtues, the sanctuary of love and of worship,
where God is glorified and whither fervent souls love to withdraw.
1 Cat. far an Int. Life, P. I, Lesson I. — 3 Lettres, t. II, lettre 426.
3 Esprit de M. Olier, t. I. 186-187, 193.

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES.

589

1259. Conclusion. That devotion to the Sacred Heart
may be productive of these happy effects, it must consist of
two essential acts : love and atonement.
1° Love is the first and the foremost of these duties,
according to St. Margaret Mary as well as according to
St. John Eudes.
Giving an account to Father Croiset of the second great apparition
the former writes ' : “ He made me see that-it was the great desire He
had of being loved by men, and of withdrawing them from the road of
perdition, that induced Him to conceive this plan of making His Heart
known to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of
sanctification and of salvation, in order that those who wish to render
and procure Him all the honor, glory, and love of which they are
capable, might be abundantly and profusely enriched with the treasures
of the Heart of God.” Another letter, to Sister de la Barge, ends
thus: “ Let us, then, love this, the only love of our souls, since He has
loved us first and loves us still so ardently that He continually burns
with love for us in the Blessed Sacrament. To become saints it
suffices to love this Holy of Holies. What shall hinder us? We have
hearts to love and a body to suffer... Only His Holy love can make
us do His pleasure; only this perfect love can make us do it in His
own way ; and only this perfect love can make us do it in His own
acceptable time. ” 3

1260. 2° The second of these essential acts is atone­
ment; for the love of Jesus is outraged by the ingratitude
of men, as He Himself declared in the third great appar­
ition to St. Margaret Mary: —
“ Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared
nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its
love. In return, 1 receive from the greater fart only ingratitude, by
their irreverences and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt
they have for Me in this Sacrament of love.” Then He asks her to
atone for these ingratitudes by the ardor of her own love: “My
daughter, I come into the heart I have given you in order that through
your fervor you may atone for the offences which I have received from
lukewarm and slothful hearts which dishonor me in the Blessed
Sacrament. ”

1261. These two acts are highly sanctifying. Love
will, by uniting us intimately to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
make us share in His virtues, and give us the strength to
practice them in spite of all obstacles. Atonement will
further enkindle our fervor, by having us sympathize with
the sufferings of Jesus, and will lead us, out of love for
Him and in union with His Sufferings, to endure all the
trials that it may please God to send us.
Thus understood, devotion to the Sacred Heart contains
nothing that could savor of artificiality or sentimentality.
1 Lettres inéditest IV, p. 142. — 2 Letter CVI1I, t. Π, p. 227.

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CHAPTER IV.

It is rather the very spirit of Christianity, a happy blending
of love and sacrifice, attended by the gradual development
of the moral and the theological virtues. It is like a sum­
mary of the Illuminative Way, and an apt initiation into
the Unitive Way.

CHAPTER IV
Counter-attacks of the Enemy
1262.Whilst we labor in the acquisition of the virtues,
our spiritual foes are not idle. They return stealthily to
take the offensive, either by causing in us a re-awakening,
in a more subtle form, of the seven capital sins, or by leading
us to lukewarmness.

Art. I. The Re-awakening

of the

Capital Sins

1263. St. John of the Cross gives an excellent de­
scription of these capital sins as they exist in those whom
he calls the beginners, that is to say, in those who are on the
threshold of contemplation through the night of the senses.1
We shall simply condense his psychological analysis.

I. The Inclination to Pride
1264. This inclination is manifested in six principal
ways :
1) Whilst aiming at fervor and remaining faithful to their spiritual
exercises, these beginners take complacency in their works and hold
themselves in too high esteem. They presumptuously plan many
projects and carry out scarcely any.
2) They speak of the things of the spiritual life rather to give lessons
to others than to put these lessons into practice themselves, and
harshly condemn those who do not approve of their type of spirituality.
3) Some of them cannot stand rivalry. If a rival happens to appear,
they condemn him and belittle him.
4) They seek the good graces and the intimacy of their spiritual
director, and if the latter does not approve of their ways, they look for
another who will be more accommodating. The better to succeed in
this, they tone down their faults, and if they happen to fall into a
grave sin, they accuse it to another confessor and not to their regular
director.
5) Should they commit a grievous sin, they get out of sorts with
themselves and lose heart, peeved at not having reached sanctity as yet.
6) They love to attract notice by outward manifestations of their
piety, and readily speak to others of their good works and their
success.
■ Dark Night, Bk. I, C. II-VII.

THE COUNTER-ATTACKS OE THE ENEMY.

591

From pride springs envy, which betrays itself by dis­
pleasure at the sight of the spiritual good of others. They
are pained at hearing others praised, saddened at their
virtue, and, when the occasion presents itself, they do not
fail to speak ill of them.

II. Sensuality
1265. A) Spiritual Gluttony manifests itself in two
ways:
a) By an excessive craving for consolations. One seeks
them even in the practice of austerities, in the discipline for
instance, and one importunes one’s director for permission
to practice mortifications with the hope of thus obtaining
consolations.
b) For the same reason, some persons make forced efforts
during meditation or at the time of communion, in order to
procure a feeling of devotion, or they wish to go frequently
to confession with a view of finding some comfort in this
exercise. Often these efforts and longings remain sterile,
and then discouragement takes hold of these souls, who
are more attached to consolations than to God Himself.
1266. B) Spiritual Lust appears especially under two
forms: a) one seeks sentimental or sensual friendships,
under the pretext of devotion, and one is loath to give
them up, pretending that such relations are an aid to piety,
b) At times, the sensible consolations experienced at prayer
or Communion produce in persons of a tender and affec­
tionate nature pleasures of another sort, which may prove
to them a source of temptation or anxiety.1

1267. C) Sloth leads: a) to weariness in the perform­
ance of spiritual exercises when one does not find therein
any relish, and prompts one either to. shorten or omit them ;
b) to dejection of spirit, when one receives from a superior
or spiritual director orders or advice which seem too
difficult; one would préféra more congenial sort of spirit­
uality that does not interfere with one’s ease or petty
schemes.
1 St. Theresa, writing to ber brother Lorenzo de Cepeda, who complained of
vexations of this kind, gave him this wise counsel: ‘'As regards the distress of
which you complain, in no instance must it be heeded. Although I be not able
to speak from experience, since God has always preserved me from such pas­
sions, I understand what occurs. It is the very intensity of the soul's delight that
produces such reaction in nature. With God's grace that shall pass away, if you
will not be disturbed by it. " Letter 138, edition of Vicente de la Fuente.

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CHAPTER IV.

III. Spiritual Avarice
1268. This avarice is thus described by St. John of
the Cross :
a) “There are beginners who do not cease to cram their souls with
spiritual counsels and precepts; they must possess and read numerous
spiritual treatises on which they put all their time and have none left
for the fulfilment of their first duty; namely, mortification and perfect
interior detachment, b) Besides, they load themselves with holy
pictures, rosaries, crucifixes and expensive and curious objects of
devotion. Then they quit one thing for another, change and exchange,
arrange and rearrange, and their final choice centers upon that which
is singular or expensive.” All this is clearly against the spirit of
poverty, and it shows at the same time that one attaches undue impor­
tance to accidentals and neglects the essentials of true devotion.

1269. Conclusion. Evidently these imperfections are
a great hindrance to spiritual progress. St. John of the
Cross says that God, in order to correct them, introduces
souls into the Dark Night, of which we shall soon speak.
As to those souls who do not enter into this phase of the
spiritual life, they must strive to disentangle themselves
from these meshes by carrying out into practice what we
have explained concerning consolations and dryness of
soul, (n. 921-933) obedience, fortitude, temperance, humility
and meekness (nos. 1057, 1076, 1127, 1154).

Art. II. Lukewarmness·
Unless we react against the aforesaid faults, it will not
be long before we fall into lukewarmness, a most dangerous
spiritual disease the nature, dangers and remedies of which
we shall now explain.

I. Nature of Lukewarmness
1270. i° Notion. Lukewarmness is a spiritual malady
that may attack beginners or even perfect souls, but which
manifests itself especially in the course of the Illuminative
Way. It presupposes, in fact, that a soul has already
reached a certain degree of fervor, and that it gradually
allows itself to become lax.
Lukewarmness consists in a sort of spiritual languor
which saps the energies of the will, inspires one with a
horror for effort and thus leads to the decline of the
Christian life. It is a kind of sluggishness, a species of
> BELLECIUS, Solida virtutis impedimenta. P. I, cap. II; BOURDALOUE
Retreat, 3rd Day, tst Medit.; Faber, Growth in Holiness, C. XXV.

THE COUNTER-ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY.

593

torpor which, though not death as yet, insensibly leads to it
through a gradual weakening of our moral forces. One may
compare it to those slow-working diseases, such as con­
sumption, which little by little prey upon some vital organ.
1271. 2° Its causes. They are chiefly two : a defective
spiritual nourishment, and the entry into the soul of some
noxious germ.
A) To live and grow, our soul needs wholesome spiritual
food. Now, the soul is nourished by the various spiritual
exercises, that is, meditation, devout reading, prayer,
examinations of conscience, the fulfilment of the duties of
state, exercise in the practice of the virtues — all of which
keep it in communion with God, the Source of spiritual
life. Therefore, if these exercises are performed with
negligence, with voluntary distractions, without efforts to
react against routine or sluggishness, the soul is deprived
of many graces, is poorly nourished, and becomes weak
and incapable of practicing the virtues of the Christian life
in face of even little difficulties.
We must note in passing that this condition is altogether different
from that dryness or affliction of soul permitted by God to try us.
In these, instead of welcoming distractions, one experiences pain and
humiliation at having them, and one earnestly seeks to avoid them.
The lukewarm man, on the contrary, lets himself be carried along by
useless thoughts, takes pleasure in them, hardly makes any effort to
be rid of them, and soon distractions well-nigh overrun his prayers.
Then, seeing how little profit he derives from his exercises of piety,
he begins to shorten them, and in time suppresses them entirely.
Thus, his examination of conscience, becoming wearisome, irksome,
a mere matter of routine, ends by being omitted ; he is no longer aware
of his faults, of his defects, and he allows them to gain the upper
hand. He no longer strives to grow in virtue, and soon his vices, his
inordinate inclinations, tend to revive.

1272.B) The outcome of this spiritual apathy is the
gradual weakening of the soul — a species of spiritual
anemia — which paves the way for the entrance of some
destructive germ, that is to say, one of the three con­
cupiscences, or perhaps all of them at once.
a) The avenues of the soul being poorly guarded, the exterior and
interior senses readily lay themselves open to the unwholesome sug­
gestions of curiosity and sensuality, and frequent temptations arise
only to be half-repulsed. At times the heart yields itself to the current
of disturbing affections: one commits imprudences and courts danger;
venial sins are multiplied and hardly regretted ; one glides down a
perilous grade, skirts the abyss, and is extremely fortunate to avoid
a fall.
b) Besides,pride, never completely subdued, renews its onslaughts.
One begins to indulge in self-complacency, to delight in exterior

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CHAPTER IV.

qualities, in outward successes. The better to exalt self, one makes
comparisons with others still more lax than oneself, and despises as
narrow and small-minded those who are more faithful to duty. This
pride brings in its wake envy, jealousy, impatience, anger and harsh­
ness in the relations with others.
C) Avarice is rekindled in the heart. One feels the need of money
to secure more pleasures, to make a greater impression ; and to provide
more of it one has recourse to questionable means, which border on
injustice.

1273. Hence, innumerable deliberate venial sins are
committed for which one feels scarcely any compunction,
since the light of judgment and delicacy of conscience have
been gradually weakened ; one lives in habitual dissipation
of mind, and performs the examination of conscience care­
lessly. Thus, horror for sin diminishes, God’s graces become
more rare, and the profit derived from them smaller. Ina
word, there is a weakening of the spiritual organism, which
prepares the way to shameful surrenders.
1274. 3° Its Degress. From what we have said it is
evident that there are many degrees in lukewarmness.
However, it is enough to distinguish incipient from extreme
lukewarmness.
a) In the first instance, one as yet preserves horror for mortal sin,
though committing imprudences that may lead thereto. One easily
commits deliberate venial sins, notably, such as correspond to one’s
predominant fault. Besides, one brings little earnestness to the per­
formance of spiritual exercises, and often performs them through mere
routine.
b) By dint of allowing oneself to drift into such culpable negligences,
one ceases to harbor the old instinctive horror for mortal sin. On the
other hand, the love of pleasure so increases that one comes to regret
the fact that such or such pleasure is forbidden under the pain of
grave sin. One repels temptations but feebly, and a moment arrives
when one asks, and not without reason, whether or not one is still in
the state of grace. This is extreme lukewarmness.

II. The Dangers of Lukewarmness
1275. The special danger of this state consists in the
gradual weakening of the soul's energies, a condition fraught
with more danger than the commission of some isolated
mortal sin. This is the sense in which Our Lord speaks to
the lukewarm : “ I know thy works, that thou are neither
cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot. But because
thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will begin to
vomit thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest : I am
rich and made wealthy and have need of nothing: and
knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor

THE COUNTER-ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY.

595

and blind and naked.”1 It is just like the difference
existing between chronic and acute diseases. The latter,
once cured, leave no bad effects; the former, having slowly
sapped the strength of the body, leave it for a long time in
a state of great weakness. The succeeding paragraphs will
show this in detail.
1276. i° The first effect of lukewarmness is a kind of
blinding of conscience. By dint of excusing and palliating
faults, the judgment becomes warped, and sins in them­
selves grave come to be considered as slight. Thus a lax
conscience is formed, which can no longer discern the gravity
of the imprudences or the sins committed, which lacks the
energy required to detest them, and which soon falls into
culpable illusions: “There is a way which seemeth just to
man : but the ends thereof lead to death. ” 2 One thinks
himself rich, because one is proud, but in reality one is poor
and miserable in the eyes of God.

1277. 2° Along with this comes the gradual weakening
of the will.
a) By dint of making concessions to sensuality and to pride in small
things, one ends by yielding to pleasure in things of greater moment;
for all the elements of the spiritual life hold together. Holy Writ
teaches us that “he that contemneth small things shall fall by little
and little”;3 that “he that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful
also in that which is greater; and that he that is unjust in that which
is little is unjust also in that which is greater”,4 all of which means
that the earnestness or carelessness with which we perform certain acts
transfers itself to other actions.
b) Soon one reaches the point of loathing effort. The spring of the
will being run down, one lets oneself go the way of natural desires, of
indifference, of pleasure. In this there is great danger, and unless one
reacts, grave faults are bound to ensue.
e) Indeed, in so acting, one abuses grace and offers frequent
resistance to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost ; one lends a readier
ear to the voice of pleasure, and ends by sinning grievously.

1278. Such a fall is all the more difficult to repair
since it occurs almost insensibly. One lets oneself slide, so
to speak, to the depths of the abyss without any great
shock. Then one tries to practice self-deception : one
would convince oneself that the fault is only venial ; that, if
the matter be grave, there was no full consent; that it is a
fault of surprise which cannot be mortally sinful.
1 Apoc., HI, 15-17. —a Prou., XIV, 12.
3 Ecclus., XIX, i.
4 Luke, XVI, 10. In the literal sense, the least things mean temporal goods and
the greater things those of heaven.

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CHAPTER IV.

In this manner a false conscience is formed and the regular confes­
sion continues to reveal only trivial matters ; the confessor is deceived
and thus may be begun a long series of sacrileges. When a ball falls
from on high, it rebounds ; when it rolls down to the bottom of the
abyss, it stays there. And so it happens at times with lukewarm
souls ; they remain in the depths into which they have gradually and
almost insensibly fallen.

III. The Remedies for Lukewarmness
1279. Our Lord has Himself pointed out the remedies:
“ I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire-tried, that thou
mayest be made rich (the gold of charity and fervor of
spirit); and mayest be clothed in white garments, and that
the shame of thy nakedness may not appear (purity of
conscience); and anoint thy eyes with eye-salve, that thou
mayest see (frankness towards self and towards one’s con­
fessor). Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise. Be zealous
therefore, and do penance. Behold, I stand at the gate,
and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to
me the door, 1 will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with me. ” * One must, therefore, never despair.
Jesus is ever ready to give us His friendship, nay, His
intimate friendship, if we be converted.
1280. To be converted : 1° one must needs have frequent
recourse to a wise confessor, frankly open one’s soul to him
and sincerely beg his help to overcome tepidity. One
must take and follow his counsels energetically and with
constancy.
2° Under his guidance, one will return to the fervent
practice of the exercises of piety, especially of those that
secure the fulfilment of the others; namely, mental prayer,
examination of conscience and the frequent renewal of the
intention of doing all for God (n. 523-528). The fervor of
which we here speak lies not in feeling, but in a generous
will that strives to refuse God nothing.
30 One will also take up once more the practice of the
virtues and the fulfilment of one’s duties of state in all
earnestness, making one’s particular examination of con­
science successively upon the chief points, and giving an
account thereof in confession (nn. 265, 468-476).
By these means one will regain fervor and one will not
forget that past faults demand an atonement through the
spirit and the works of penance.
1 Apoc., Ill, 18-20.

THE COUNTER-ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY.

597

Appendix: Rules Concerning the Discernment
of Spirits in the Illuminative Way
1281. We have, following St. Ignatius, already outlined
the rules for the discernment of spirits with regard to
beginners (n. 953-957). It will be useful to sum up in this
place the rules he gives for the Illuminative Way, that is,
for the Second Week of the Exercises. They refer to two
principal points: i° spiritual consolations, 2° desires and
projects for the future.
1282. i° Rules concerning Consolations, a) The distinctive
work of the^voz/ spirit in a well-disposed soul is true spiritual joy and
peace. The evil spirit, on the contrary, labors to destroy this joy by
means of sophistries, subtleties, and illusions. He resembles an artful
lawyer defending a bad case. This rule is based on the fact that God
is the Author of peace, whilst the devil casts trouble upon the soul in
order to discourage it.
b) God alone can infuse true consolation without any antecedent
natural cause, for He alone can penetrate into the inmost recesses of
the soul and draw it to Himself. We say that such consolation has no
antecedent cause when nothing has intervened capable of producing it.
For instance, a soul is plunged in desolation, and lol in an instant it
finds itself reassured, full of joy, of strength and of good-will. This
was the case with St. Francis de Sales after violent scruples had
assailed him.
e) When consolation has been preceded by some cause, it may come
either from the good or the evil spirit. It proceeds from the former,
if the said consolation enlightens and strengthens the soul to know
and to do good. It proceeds from the latter, if it causes laxity, soft­
ness, love of pleasure or of honors, and presumption. In other words,
the tree is judged by its fruits.
d) It is the part of the devil to transform himself into an angel of
light to enter at the outset into the pious desires of the soul, and to end
by suggesting his own designs. Thus when he sees a soul given to the
practice of virtue, he first suggests sentiments in harmony with that
soul’s good dispositions ; after that, relying on the soul’s self-love, he
suggests sentiments of vain complacency or of presumption, excessive
penances, so as to drive it to discouragement, or, on the contrary, less
strictness of life, under pretexts of health or study. In this way he
succeeds in making the soul lower its standards little by little.
1283. 2° Rules concerning desires or projects for the
future, a) We must submit such inspirations to a strict examination,
considering if in their inception, in the course of their formation, and
in their final unfolding, they tend towards good; for if at any of these
stages there should enter anything of evil, anything of a nature to
distract us from God, anything less good than what we had previously
proposed ; or again, if these desires disturb, trouble and weaken the
soul, this is a proof that they proceed from the enemy of our spiritual
progress and salvation. The reason for this is, that for an action
to be good, there must not be in it anything contrary to the will of
God or to the spiritual welfare of the soul. Hence, if in any of the

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CHAPTER IV.

elements of an action some defect is noticed, it bears the mark of
the evil spirit.
b) Once the intervention of· the evil spirit is discovered, the best
course is to go over the entire line of thought from the beginning and
find out the way in which he entered into the soul to disturb it and
lead it astray. This study will enable us to be on our guard against
his manoeuvers in the future.
e) There is another rule deduced from the difference in the mode of
action of the two spirits. The good spirit comes with sweetness upon
the soul advancing in the way of perfection, like the morning dew
penetrating a sponge; the evil one rushes in violently like a heavy
rain beating on a rock.
d) Even when consolation comes from God, we must know how to
distinguish between the moment itself of consolation and the time that
follows. In the former, we act under the inspiration of grace; in the
latter, we form resolutions and projects which are not directly inspired
by God, and which must therefore be carefully scrutinized according
to the preceding rules.

1284.3° To these rules drawn up by St. Ignatius, a
few others may be added, which flow from what we have
said in this Second Book.
a) To aspire to a perfection inconsistent with our present duties, to
practice showy virtues, to become singular, all this bears the mark of
the bad spirit; for the good spirit inclines us indeed to the attainment
of high perfection, but to such as is compatible with our duties of state
and in keeping with a humble and hidden life.
b) Contempt for little things and the desire to be sanctified in a
grand manner are not characteristic of the good spirit, which urges us
to perfect fidelity to our duties of state and to homely virtues : “ One
jot or tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled. ” ‘
C) To reflect complacently upon self, to think one has done well, to
desire to be held in esteem on account of one’s piety and virtue, is also
in opposition to the Christian spirit, whose first concern is to please
God alone : “ If yet I pleased men, I should not be the servant of
Christ.’” Hence, false humility, which blames self that self may be
praised, and false meekness, which is in reality but the desire to please
men, are contrary to the spirit of God.
d) To complain, to lose patience, to lose heart in the midst of trials
and aridity of soul is a sign of the human spirit; the spirit of God
leads, on the contrary, to the love of the Cross, to resignation, to a
holy abandonment, and causes us to persevere in prayer amidst dryness
and distraction.

Summary of the Second Book
1285. i° The end proposed in the Illuminative Way is
the following of Christ by the imitation of His virtues.
We advance by the light of His examples: “He that followeth me walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light
« Matth., V, i8. — a Gal., I, io.

THE COUNTER-ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY.

599

of life. ”1 The ideal which we try to realize from day to
day is that of making fesus the center of our thoughts, of our
affections, of our entire life.
For this reason our mental prayer becomes affective
prayer, keeping Jesus continually before our eyes to adore
Him, bringing Him into our heart to love Him and share
in His dispositions, and holding Him in our hands to
practice virtue in union with Him. The virtues which we
practice are the Theological and the Moral Virtues; they go
hand in hand and aid one another. Nevertheless, there are
as it were two phases in the development of our spiritual
life; in the one, the moral virtues are emphasized, and in
the other, the theological.
1286.2° The first requirement is that of training our
faculties, of fitting them for union with God. This is
effected by the moral virtues :
1) Prudence trains the mind to think before acting, to consult God
and to take counsel with those who represent Him. Thus, prudence
makes the mind share in the wisdom of God.
2) Justice bends our will, schooling it to respect God’s rights and
those of the neighbor by the practice of absolute honesty, religion and
obedience to superiors. Thus we take on something of God’s justice.
3) Fortitude disciplines our violent passions, moderates and restrains
their excesses, and uses their energies in overcoming difficulties in the
pursuit of supernatural good. It makes us practice magnanimity,
munificence, patience and constancy, and thus gives us something of
God's own strength.
4) To deaden and hold in check the love of pleasure, temperance
helps us to mortify our gluttony through sobriety, to overcome lust
through chastity, to subdue pride through humility, and anger through
meekness.

1287. 3° Then follows the second phase of the Illumi­
native Way, the practice of the theological virtues, which
unite us directly to God.
1) Faith, by its obscurity, submits the mind to God, and by its light
unites it to Him, making it share in God’s own knowledge.
2) Hope, like a powerful lever, raises the will, detaches it from the
things of earth, directs its longings and ambitions heavenwards, and
unites us to God, the source of our bliss, infinitely Powerful and infi­
nitely Good, from Whom we confidently expect all the help we need
to attain our supernatural end.
3) Charity lifts us higher still; it makes us love God for His Own
sake, because He is infinitely Good in Himself, and makes us love our
neighbor also for God’s sake as a reflection of His own perfections.
Therefore, it unites the whole soul to God.
• John, VIII, 12.

600

CH. IV. — THE COUNTER-ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY.

It is from the Sacred Heart of Jesus that we draw this
twofold love. Intimately united with Our Lord, we over­
come our selfishness, and, making His love and His dispo­
sitions our own, we live for God as He Himself did.
1288. 4° Doubtless, in the course of our progress in
the spiritual life we are to expect counter-attacks on the
part of our enemies. The Seven Capital Vices seek in
a more subtle manner to reassert themselves, and, if we
are not on our guard against them, they will cause us to
fall into the state of lukewarmness. Vigilant souls how­
ever, relying on Jesus-Christ, repel these attacks, nay even
turn them to profit, using them to strengthen their virtue,
and thus prepare themselves for the joys and trials of the
Unitive Way.

BOOK III

The Unitive Way
1289. Once we have purified our soul and adorned it
by the practice of the virtues, we are ripe, so to speak, for
habitual and intimate union with God, that is, for entrance
into the Unitive Way.

Preliminary Remarks1
Before entering into the different questions in detail,
we must briefly explain : 1° the end to be attained in the
unitive way; 2° the distinguishing marks of this way;
3° the general notion of contemplation, which is one of its
general characteristics; 40 the order to be followed in
this third part.

I. The End to be attained
1290. This end is none other than habitual and intimate
union with God, through Jesus Christ. It is very well
expressed in these words of Father Olier at the beginning
of his “ Pietas Seminarii ” : “ The first and last aim of this
Institution is to live supremely unto God, in Christ Jesus
Our Lord, so that our inmost hearts may be penetrated with
the interior dispositions of the Son of God, and each may be
able to say what St. Paul truly said of himself: I live, now
not I; but Christ liveth in me. ” 2
To live altogether unto God, the Living God, the Most
Blessed Trinity dwelling in us, to praise God, serve Him,
revere Him and love Him, such is the aim of the perfect
Christian; to live, not on the level of mediocrity, but to
live intensely, with all the fervor that love imparts. Hence,
we must aim at forgetting ourselves so as to think only of
that God Who deigns to live within us, to love Him with
our whole soul and to make all our thoughts, all our long­
ings, all our actions converge towards Him. In this way
will be realized what we ask in the office at Prime :
“ Vouchsafe this day, Lord God of Heaven and Earth, to
' Phil, a SS. Trinitate, op. cit., Ill· P.. Tr. I, dist. I; Th. de ValgorNERA, op. cit., Q. IV, Disp. I; Saudreau, The Degrees of the Spiritual Life,
Vol. I ; P. Garrigou-Lagrange. op. cit., t. I. Introduction.
9 Galat., II, 20.

602

BOOK ΠΙ.

direct and sanctify, rule and govern our body and soul, our
thoughts, words and actions in the keeping of Thy law and in
the observance of Thy commandments. ”

1291.Since we are of ourselves incapable of all this,
we must unite ourselves intimately with Our Lord. Made
one with Him through Baptism, we are to render this
union even closer by the frequent reception of the Sacra­
ments, especially by the reception of Holy Communion.
This communion is prolonged by habitual recollection in
order that His interior dispositions may become ours and
may inspire all our actions, and that we may thus be able
to repeat and actually live the words of St. Paul : “ I live,
now not I; but Christ liveth in me."' In order to obtain
this happy result, Jesus sends us, through His merits and
His intercession, His Holy Spirit, that same Holy Spirit
Who produced in His soul the perfect dispositions where­
with it was animated. By allowing this Divine Spirit to
lead us, by being prompt and generous in obeying His
inspirations, we come to think, speak and act as Jesus
would were He in our place. Then it is that Christ
actually lives in us; with us and through us He glorifies
God, sanctifies us, and helps us to sanctify our brethren.
If therefore devotion to the Most Blessed Trinity becomes
predominant in the unitive way, we do not for that reason
cease to unite ourselves with the Incarnate Word through
Whom we are to ascend to the Father: “ No man cometh to
the Father, but by me. ’’2
II. The Characteristics of the Unitive Way

All these characteristics are embodied in one, the need of
simplifying all, of reducing all to unity, that is, of bringing
all things to converge towards intimate union with God
through charity.

1292. i° The soul lives continually in the presence of
God; it delights to contemplate Him living in the heart,
“to walk inwardly with God.” In order to live thus, it
carefully detaches itself from creatures, so as “ to be held
by no outward affection. ” It is on this account that the
soul seeks solitude and silence; it gradually builds in the
heart a sanctuary where it finds God and converses with
Him heart to heart. Then there is established between
the soul and God a sweet and loving intimacy.
■ Gal., II, 20. — * John, XIV, 6.

THE UNITIVE WAY.

603

“ Intimacy,” says Monsignor Gay,1 “ is the consciousness, on the part
of those who love, of mutual understanding and sympathy, a conscious­
ness rich in light and feeling and joy and fruit. It is the sense and
experience of their mutual attraction, of their fellowship and of their
absolute accord, if not of their perfect similarity. It is a union that
results in oneness... It is unbounded reliance and confidence in one
another, it is a spontaneous candor which makes the heart transparent.
Finally, it is as a consequence a mutual liberty, freely given, of con­
templating one another and of looking into the very depths of the soul. ”
Now, it is such intimacy that God permits and even deigns to offer to
those who lead an interior life, as the Author of the Imitation so well
explains: “Many are His visits to the man of interior life, and sweet
the conversation that He holdeth with him ; plenteous His consolation,
His peace, and His familiarity.”’

1293.2° In this way the love of God becomes not only
the principal virtue of the soul, but, one may say, its only
virtue, in the sense that all the other virtues which it prac­
tices are for it but so many acts of love.
Thus, prudence becomes a loving consideration of things divine for
the purpose of finding therein the standard of its judgments; justice
becomes an imitation, as perfect as possible, of Divine righteousness ;
fortitude, the complete mastery of the passions ; temperance, the utter
forgetfulness of earthly pleasures, in order to make room for thoughts
of Heaven.1*3 Still more do the theological virtues now become an
exercise of perfect lové: faith is no longer limited to occasional acts,
but becomes the spirit of faith, the life of faith animated by charity,
“ the faith that works through charity;" hope becomes filial confidence,
a holy abandonment to God. At such heights, all the virtues are but
one ; they are so to speak but different forms of charity : “ Charity is
patient, is kind, etc...”

1294.3° A similar simplifying process takes place with
regard to prayer : reasonings gradually disappear to make
room for pious sentiments, which in turn become more
simple, as we shall soon explain, until they become but a
loving, lingering thought of God.
1295. 4° All this results in a simplification of our
whole life. Whilst previously there were set hours of medi­
tation and prayer, now life is a perpetual prayer: whether
working, or recreating, whether alone or in the company of
others, we continually rise towards God by conforming our
will to His: “ I do always the things that please Him." 4
1 Elévations sur la vie... de N; S. J. C., 52e élév., t. I, p. 429.
3 Imit., Bk. H, C. I, n. 1.
3 St. Thomas explains this well in la Ilæ, q, 61, a. 5 : “There are some virtues
of men who are on their way to and tending towards the Divine similitude; and
these are called perfecting virtues... Thus, prudence sees nought else but the things
of God; temperance knows no earthly desires; fortitude has no knowledge of pas­
sions; and justice, by imitating the Divine Mind, is united thereto by an everlast­
ing covenant. Such are the virtues attributed to the Blessed, or, in this life, to
some who are at the summit of perfection. ”
< John. VIII, 29.

604

BOOK III.

This conformity is but an act of love and of abandonment
into His Hands : prayers, ordinary actions, sufferings, humi­
liations, all are but so many means of manifesting our love
for God : “ My God and my All. ”

1296. Conclusion. From what has been said, one can
readily see which persons belong to the unitive way : they
are those in whom the three following conditions are
verified :
a) A great purity of heart, that is to say, not merely the
expiation and reparation of past faults, but detachment
from whatever may lead to sin, horror for all deliberate
venial sins, and even for any wilful resistance to grace.
This however does not imply exemption from certain
venial faults of frailty, which are forthwith deeply regretted.
This purification of the soul, begun in the purgative way
and gradually perfected in the illuminative way by the
positive practice of the virtues and the generous acceptance
of providential crosses, is finally completed in the unitive
way by passive trials, which we shall soon describe.
b) A great mastery over self, acquired by the mortification
of the passions and' the practice of the moral and theological
virtues, which, by disciplining the faculties, subject them
little by little to the will, and the will in turn to God. In
this way the original order of things is to some extent
restored, and the soul now in the full control, can give itself
entirely to God.
C) A constant need of thinking of God, of conversing
with Him and of performing every action with the view of
pleasing Him. Real suffering is experienced at not being
able to be constantly occupied with the thought of God,
and, should the duties of state demand that attention be
given to earthly cares, strenuous efforts are made to keep
in mind His presence and to turn constantly towards Him :
“ My eyes are ever towards the Lord. ” 1
III. General Notion of Contemplation *2

By dint of thinking of God, the soul lovingly fastens its
gaze on Him. This is contemplation, which is one of
the characteristic marks of this stage of the spiritual life.
■ Ps. XXIV. i5.
2 P. DE Guibert, R. A. M., avril 1922, Trois définitions de théologie mystique,
p. 162-172; P. Garrigou-Lagrange, Perf. et contemplation, t. I, ch. IV, a. 2,
p. 272-294; Gabr. de Ste Marie Madel. , La contemplation acquise, dans la Pie

THE UNITIVE WAY.

605

1297. i° Natural Contemplation. In general, to con­
template means to look admiringly at an object. There is
a natural contemplation, which may be sensitive, imaginative,
or intellectual.
i) It is sensitive when we linger with admiration on some beautiful
scene, the vastness of the ocean, for example, or a range of mountains.
2) It is called imaginative, when we picture with admiration and
affection some person or thing we love. 3) It is termed intellectual or
■philosophic when our mind dwells admiringly with one simple glance
on some great philosophical synthesis, for instance, the absolutely
simple and immutable Being, the beginning and end of all things.

1298. 20 Supernatural Contemplation. There is also
a supernatural contemplation with which we are here con­
cerned, the notion and species of which we shall now
explain.
A) Notion. The term contemplation in its proper signi­
fication designates the act by which the mind simply looks
upon some object, apart from the various emotional or
imaginative elements which accompany this act. However,
when the object of contemplation is beautiful and lovable,
contemplation is attended by admiration and love. By
extension of the term, we call contemplation a prayer char­
acterized by the predominance of that simple intellectual
gaze; hence, this act need not last as long as the meditation
lasts, but it suffices that it recur frequently during the
prayer and that it be accompanied by affections. In this
way contemplative prayer differs from discursive or reasoned
prayer (n. 667), since it excludes long reasonings; it differs,
too, from affective prayer (n. 976), because it excludes the
multiplicity of acts which characterize this latter. Contem­
plative prayer, then, may be defined as a simple and affec­
tionate gaze on God or things divine. It is more briefly
defined by St. Thomas as a simple gaze on truth.1
1299. B) Species. We can distinguish three kinds of
contemplation : acquired, infused, and mixed contemplation.*12
a) Acquired contemplation is, at bottom, nothing more
than a simplified affective prayer, and may be defined as
contemplation in which the simplification of our intellectual
and affective acts is the result of our own activity aided by
grace. Frequently even the Gifts of the Holy Ghost exert
spirit., sept. 1923, p. [277]; Lehodey, The Ways of Mental Prayer, P. II. C. IX,
P. Ill, C. I, IV; Poulain, Graces of Interior Prayer, Saudreau, The Degrees ot
the Spiritual Life, Vol. II, Bk. V.
1 Summa theol., IIa Ilæ, q. 180, a. 1 and 2.
2 P. G. DE Ste Madeleine, La contemplation acquise chez les Carmes, Vie
spirit., Sept. 1923, (P. 277).

606

BOOK III. — THE UNITIVE WAY.

their hidden influence, especially the gifts of knowledge,
of understanding and of wisdom, in order to help us fix our
gaze lovingly on God, as we shall explain further on.
1300.b) Infused or passive contemplation is neces­
sarily a free gift; we cannot obtain it by our efforts even
with the help of ordinary grace. It is a kind of contem­
plation in which the acts of the mind and of the will have
become simplified under the influence of a special grace which
takes hold of us and causes us to receive lights and affections
which God produces in us with our consent.
It is called infused, not because it proceeds from the infused virtues,
since acquired contemplation likewise proceeds from them, but because
it is not within our power to produce such acts, even with the aid of
ordinary grace ; and yet, it is not God alone that acts in us, but it is
God acting in us with our consent, in the sense that we freely accept
what He gives us. If our soul under the influence of operating grace
is said to be passive, it is because it receives divine gifts, but it receives
them freely,1 as we shall explain later on. It is called supernatural
by St. Theresa for a twofold reason : on the same ground that other
acts are supernatural, and because God operates in us in a very
special way.

1301.The third kind of contemplation is called mixed
contemplation. We shall see later that infused contem­
plation is at times of very short duration. It may therefore
happen that, in the course of the same prayer, the acts aris­
ing from our own initiative alternate with those produced by
the special action of operating grace. This is exactly what
occurs in the case of those who are being initiated into
infused contemplation. Contemplation is then mixed, that
is to say, it is alternately active and passive; however, this
kind of contemplation is generally referred to infused contem­
plation of which it constitutes, so to speak, the first degree.
IV. Division of the Fourth Book
1302. In the unitive way two distinct2 forms or phases
may be distinguished :
i° The simple or active unitive way, characterized by the
cultivation of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, especially the
active gifts, and by the simplification of prayer, which
1 One may say of contemplation what St. Thomas says of justification (1« llæ,
q. Ill, a. 2, ad 3): "God does not justify us without our co-operation; because
whilst we are justified, we freely conform to God’s righteousness. "
» This division is generally accepted today under one name or another. Ina
remarkable article in the Vie spirituelle for March 1923, p. 645, J. Maritain,
whilst declaring the aim to be the same for all, namely, union with God through
perfect charity and the gifts of the Holy Ghost, recognizes that there are in fact
two ways, the way of those who are under the rule of the active gifts and who have

CHAPTER I. — THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

607

becomes the prayer of simplicity, called by many active
contemplation.
2° The passive or mystic unitive way, characterized by
infused contemplation, or contemplation properly so-called.
3° Moreover, contemplation is at times attended by
extraordinary phenomena such as visions and revelations,
to which are opposed the diabolical counterfeits of obses­
sion and possession.
4° In matters of so difficult a nature, it is not surprising
to find varying opinions or controverted questions. These
we shall examine in a special chapter.
In the conclusion we shall point out what should be the
attitude of the spiritual director toward contemplatives.
I
Chapter II
CHAPTER III
Chapter IV
CHAPTER

CONCLUSION :

The Simple or Active Unitive Way
The Mystic or Passive Unitive Way
Extraordinary Mystical Phenomena
Controverted Questions
The Spiritual Direction of Contemplatives

CHAPTER I
The Simple Unitive Way
1303. This Way is the state of fervent souls who
habitually live in intimate union with God, without having
so far received the gift of infused contemplation. Already
accustomed to the practice of the moral and theological
virtues, they strive to perfect these by the cultivation of the
gifts of the Holy Ghost. Their mental prayer is simplified
more and more, and becomes a prayer of simplicity or of
simple recollection which goes by the name of contemplation
improperly so-called, acquired or active. The existence of
this state is shown by experience, by the distinction of the
two kinds of contemplation, as well as by the difference
between the active and the contemplative gifts.

1304. · i° First of all, experience shows that there are,
both in the cloister and in the world, truly fervent souls,
only a contemplation in the loose sense of the word, and the way of the contem­
We shall
come back later to this teaching.

platives, in whom the gifts of understanding and wisdom predominate.

608

CHAPTER I.

living in habitual union with God, generously and perseveringly, and at times heroically practicing the Christian
virtues, who nevertheless do not possess infused contem­
plation. These souls are docile to the Holy Ghost, habi­
tually correspond to His inspirations, and from time to time
are even the recipients of special inspirations, yet there is
nothing that betrays either to themselves or to their spiritual
director that they are in the passive state properly so-called.1
1305. 2° The same conclusion flows from the distinction
between acquired contemplation and infused contemplation.
Traces of this distinction are found even in the writings of
St. Clement of Alexandria *2 and Richard of St. Victor, and
since the end of the seventeenth century it has become
classical. Such souls as continue to practice acquired con­
templation during a notable period of their life are in the
simple unitive way.
In order to avoid any misunderstanding we must state in this place
that we do not say that there are two diverging ways ; on the contrary,
we admit that acquired contemplation is an excellent preparation for
infused contemplation, whenever it shall please God to grant the
latter. There are, however, numerous souls who do not receive it,
although they remain intimately united to God. These remain there­
fore in the simple unitive way without any fault of their own.3

1306. 3° What confirms this is that among the gifts of
the Holy Ghost, some are given chiefly for action, and
others chiefly for contemplation. Now, it happens that
certain souls, endowed with a more active temperament
and otherwise absorbed by more numerous occupations,
cultivate more especially the active gifts and are thus less
fitted for contemplation properly so-called.
Father Noble4 has this to say : “ It is not midst the fatigue of labor,
or the performance of tasks which are complicated and absorb our
» When one reads, for example, such biographies as those of Fathers Olivaint
and Ginhac, of Mollevaut or de Courson, and so many others that have been
published, one cannot help admiring their virtues, their union with God, their
docility to the Holy Ghost, and yet, one cannot see where they practiced infused
contemplation.
3 DOM Ménager, La doctrine spirituelle de Clément d'Alexandrie, Vie spiri­
tuelle, Jan. 1923, p. 424; See Etudes carmélitaines, 1920-1922, where there is a
series of articles on acquired contemplation ; our own article on Γoraison de simpli­
cité, Vie spirit,, Dec. 1920, p. 167-174.
3 This conclusion is admitted by Father Garrigou-Lagrange in answer to a
letter of J. Maritain (Perfection Chrét. et contemplation, l. II. p. 75): “And so we
have experienced no difficulty in recognizing it many a time: it may happen that
even very generous souls, in default of certain conditions which do not depend on
their will, would not arrive at the mystic way, except after a period of time longer
in duration than that of average existence here below. This can l>e the result not
only of an unfavorable environment, of a want of spiritual direction, but also oi
physical temperament. ”
* Rev. des Jeunes, 25 Sept. 1923, p. 613. J. Maritain proves the same in the
afore-mentioned article. He adds, it is true, that souls in which the active gifts

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

609

whole attention, that we can concentrate on our own thoughts and
keep our eyes steadily fixed on spiritual and eternal realities. To be
able to contemplate, one must not be harassed by persistent and
fatiguing labors ; at least one must be in a position to suspend them
long enough to enable the heart and the mind to rise peacefully
towards God.”

These souls will not enjoy, at least habitually, infused
contemplation; still, they will be intimately united with
God and docile to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost.
Such is the state which we call the simple unitive way.
Since it is characterized i° by the cultivation of the gifts
of the Holy Ghost and 2° by the prayer of simplicity, we
shall treat successively of these two elements.

Art. I. The Gifts of the Holy Ghost1
We shall treat: i° of the gifts of the Holy Ghost in
general; 2° of each of them in particular; 30 of the share
they have in contemplation ; 40 of the fruits and the beatitudes
which correspond to the gifts.
§ I. The Gifts of the Holy Ghost in General

We shall explain : 1° their nature; 2° their excellence;
30 the manner of cultivating them ; 40 how they may be
classified.

1. Nature of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost
1307. We have spoken in no. 119 of how the Holy
Ghost dwells in our soul and infuses, besides habitual
grace, supernatural habits which perfect our faculties and
enable them to perform supernatural acts under the
impulse of actual grace. These habits are the virtues
and the gifts. By bringing out the difference between
these two kinds of habits we shall see more clearly in
what the gifts consist.
predominate are in the mystic state, though they do not have infused contemplation.
We think that to avoid misunderstandings it should be said they are in the
so-called mystic state.
> St. Thomas, In III Sent., dist. XXXIV-XXXV; I· II
,
*
q. 68; II» II®, qq. 8,
9, 19, 45, 52, 121, 139; see commentators, especially John of St. Thomas,
In I'“> II®, q. 68; Suarez, De gratia, P. HI, cap. VIII ; Denys le Chartreux,
de Donis Spiritus S.; J.-B. DE St. Jure, Lhomme spirituel, Ie Part., C. IV, Des
sept dons; L. Lallemant, Spiritual Doctrine, 4th Principle, Docility to the
Guidance of the Holy Spirit; Mgr Perriot, L'Ami du Clergé, 1892, p. 389-393;
Froget, The Indwelling of the Holy Ghost, p. 378-424; Card. Billot. De virtu­
tibus infusis (1901), p. 162-190; Gardeil, Dons du S. Esprit, Diet, de Théol., t. IV,
col. 1728-1781 ; D. Joret, Les dons du S. Esprit, Vie spirituelle, t. I, pp. 229, 383;
P. Garrigou-Lagrange, Perfect, et contemplation, t. I, ch. IV, a. 5-6, p. 338417 ; Mgr Landrieux, Le divin méconnu.

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CHAPTER I.

1308. i° Difference between the Gifts and the
Virtues. A) The fundamental difference does not come
from their material object or field of'action, since this is the
same in both, but from the different manner in which they
act in the soul.
St. Thomas
*
tells us that God may act in us in two ways: a) by
accommodating Himself to the human mode of action. This is what
He does in the case of the virtues. He helps us to reflect, to seek the
best means to reach our end. In order to supematuralize these ope­
rations He gives us actual graces, but leaves us free to take the initiative
according to the dictates of prudence or of reason enlightened by faith.
It is therefore we who act under the impulse of grace.
b) But, by means of the çifts, God acts in a supra-human way.
He Himself takes the initiative. Before we have had the time to
reflect and consult the dictates of prudence, He sends us divine
intuitions, lights and inspirations which act in us, without deliberation
on our part, but never without our consent. This grace, which sweetly
invites and effectively obtains our consent, may be called operating
grace. Under its influence we are rather passive than active; our
activity consists chiefly in freely consenting to the operation of God,
in allowing ourselves to be led by the Holy Ghost, and in promptly
and generously following His inspirations.

1309. B) By the light of this fundamental principle,
we understand better the differences existing between the
gifts and the virtues :
a) The virtues incline us to act in accordance with the
nature of our faculties : thus, with the help of the grace we
receive, we inquire, reason and work as we do in actions of
a purely natural order. The virtues are therefore energies
that are primarily and directly active. The gifts on the
contrary impart to us a docility and a receptiveness that
enable us to receive and follow the motions of operating
grace. This grace moves our faculties to act, without
however taking away their liberty, so that the soul, as
St. Thomas tells us, is more passive than active, “ is not the
mover, but the thing moved. ” 2
b) In the case of the virtues, we act according to the
principles and rules of supernatural prudence. We are
obliged to reflect, deliberate, take counsel, make choices, etc.
1 In the Book of Sentences (III Sent., d. 34, q. 1, a. 1) he employs this expres­
sion: “The gifts are distinguished from the virtues by the fact that the virtues con­
tribute to the performance of the act in a human way, but the gifts in a preterhuman
way. " In the Summa he uses a different expression : “By them (the gifts) man is
disposed to become amenable to the Divine Inspiration” (I» Ilæ. q. 68, a. 1.)
Cfr. J. DE GUIBERT, Dons du S. Esprit et mode d'agir ultra-humain in Rev.
d'Asc. et de Mystique, Oct. 1922, p. 394. No doubt, there is here a shade of
distinction ; however, it remains true that under the influence of the gifts, once they
have reached their full development, we are more passive than active.
9 Sum. theol., Ila 11«, q. 52, a. 2.

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611

Under the influence of the gifts, we let ourselves be' led
by a divine inspiration which suddenly and without any
reflection on our part vigorously urges us to do such or
such a thing.
C) Since the share of grace is far greater in the case of
the gifts than in that of the virtues, the acts performed under
the influence of the former are, all other circumstances being
the same, more perfect than those performed under the
action of the virtues. It is due to the gifts that the third
degree of the virtues is practiced and heroic acts performed.
1310. C) Divers comparisons are employed to give a better under­
standing of this doctrine, a) To practice virtue is to row, to use the
gifts is to sail: in this latter way one advances more rapidly and with
less effort, b) The child who with his mother’s help takes a few steps
forward stands for the Christian who practices the virtues with the help
of grace; whilst the child whom the mother takes in her arms to make
him advance more rapidly stands for the Christian who makes use of
the gifts by corresponding to operating grace, e) The artist who
strikes the strings of a harp to produce harmonious sounds represents
the Christian who practices the virtues; but, when the Holy Ghost
comes Himself to touch the strings of the heart, the soul is then under
the influence of the gifts. This is a comparison employed by the
Fathers to picture the action of Jesus upon Mary’s soul: “A most
melodious harp used by Jesus to delight the Eternal Father. ”

1311. 2° Definition. From what has so far been said,
we can conclude that the gifts of the Holy Ghost are
supernatural habits which impart such docility io ourfaculties
that they promptly comply with the inspirations of grace.
However, as we shall soon explain, this docility is at the
outset but mere receptiveness which needs to be cultivated
to attain its full development. Besides, it is never exer­
cised, except when God bestows that actual grace which
we call operating grace. On such occasions, the soul, whilst
passive under the action of God, is most active in accom­
plishing His Will, and so, one may say that the gifts are at
once “ sources of suppleness and of energy, of docility and
of power... which render the soul more passive under the
Hand of God, and at the same time more active in His
service and in the practice of good works. ”1

II. Excellence of the Gifts
This excellence will appear if we consider the gifts in
themselves and in their relation to the virtues.
1312. i° That these gifts are excellent in themselves is
evident. The more united and the more docile we are to
Mgr Gay, Christian Life and Virtues, Vol. I, p. 46.

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CHAPTER I.

the Holy Ghost, the source of all sanctity, the holier we
are. Now, the gifts place us under the direct action of the
Holy Ghost Who, living in our soul, enlightens our mind
with His lights, points out clearly what we must do,enkindles
our heart and strengthens our will to make us accomplish
the good suggested. This union is therefore as close as it
can be in this life.
The effects are likewise priceless. It is the gifts that
cause us to practice the third or highest degree of the moral
and the theological virtues, and the same gifts inspire the
performance of heroic acts. It is through them that, when
God so wills it, the soul is raised to contemplation, the
suppleness and docility they produce being the immediate
disposition required for the mystic state. This is, then, the
shortest way to the highest perfection.

1313. 2° If we compare the gifts with the virtues, the
former are, as St. Thomas 1 says, more perfect than the
moral and the intellectual virtues. God is not the imme­
diate object of these, whilst the gifts direct the virtues to
a higher plane where, blending with charity, they unite us
to God.
Thus, prudence perfected by the gift of counsel makes us share in the
light of God; the gift of fortitude imparts to us, places at our disposal,
God’s very strength. The gifts however are not superior to the theo­
logical virtues, especially charity, for charity is the most perfect of all
spiritual goods, the source whence the gifts flow. Nevertheless, it may
be said that the gifts perfect the exercise of the theological virtues.
Thus, the gift of understanding renders our faith more vivid and more
discerning by disclosing the inner harmony that exists among our
dogmas ; and the gift of wisdom perfects the exercise of the virtue of
charity by making us relish God and divine things. The gifts are
therefore with regard to the theological virtues as means to an end, but
they impart to the virtues a further perfection.

III. Cultivation of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost

1314. i° Gradual Development. We receive the gifts
of the Holy Ghost at the same time that we receive the
state of grace. They are then merely supernatural facul­
ties. When we come to the age of reason and our heart
turns towards God, we begin, under the influence of actual
grace, to use our whole supernatural organism, the gifts of
the Holy Ghost included. It is indeed incredible that
1 Sum. theol.. Π· 11«, q. 9, a. 3, ad 3. "The gifts are more perfect than the
moral and intellectual virtues ; they are not more perfect than the theological ; but
they are all rather related to the perfection of the theological virtues, as to an end. M
Cfr. Ia Ilæ. q. 68, a. 8.

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613

these gifts should remain unavailing and unavailable during
a long period of our life.1
However, in order that they may attain their normal and
complete development, we must have previously practised
the moral virtues during a notable period of time, varying
according to the providential designs of God and our
co-operation with grace. It is, in fact, the moral virtues, as
we have said, that little by little make the soul tractable
and dispose it to enjoy that perfect docility required for the
full exercise of the gifts. In the mean time, the latter grow
as habits, together with habitual grace, and frequently,
unknown to us, join their energies to those of the virtues to
make us perform our supernatural acts.
There are even times when through His operating grace
the Holy Ghost enkindles temporarily an unwonted fervor
of soul which is a kind of passing contemplation. What
fervent soul has not at times felt these sudden inspirations
of grace when all it had to do was to receive the divine
motion and follow it? It may have been while reading the
Gospels or some devout book, on the occasion of some
Communion or of a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, at the
time of some retreat or when making a choice of a state in
life, at the time of ordination or religious profession, that it
seemed to us that the grace of God sweetly and strongly
carried us along.

1315. 2° Means for the Cultivation of the Gifts.
A) The practice of the moral virtues is the first requisite
condition for the cultivation of the gifts. Such is the teach­
ing of St. Thomas 2 : “ The moral and the intellectual virtues
precede the gifts, since man, through being well subordinate
to his own reason, is disposed to be rightly subordinate to
God.” Indeed, to acquire that divine docility which the
gifts confer, one must needs have previously conquered
one’s passions and vices and formed habits of prudence,
of humility, of obedience, of meekness, of chastity. How
can one discern, accept and follow with docility the inspi­
rations of grace, when the soul is troubled by the prudence
of the flesh, by pride, wilfulness, anger and lust! Before
being led by divine impulses, one must needs have followed,
first of all, the rules of Christian prudence; before obeying
• Some theologians, like Abbé Perriot (Ami du Clergé, 1892, p. 391), think that
the gifts intervene in every meritorious work. Most theologians, without going
that far, hold that they frequently exert their influence upon these acts without our
being conscious of it.
1 Sum. theol., Ia Ilæ, q. 68, a. 8, ad 2.

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CHAPTER I.

the motions of grace, one must needs have observed the
commandments and triumphed over pride.
Cajetan,1 the faithful commentator of St. Thomas rightly says :
“ Let spiritual directors note this and let them see to it that their
disciples are, first of all, exercised in the active life before proposing to
them the heights of contemplation. One must, in fact, tame one’s
passions by habits of meekness, of patience, etc., of liberality, of humi­
lity, etc., in order to be able, once the passions have been dominated,
to rise to the contemplative life. In default of this previous exercise
in asceticism, many who instead of walking rush along the ways of
God, find themselves after having devoted a great part of their life to
contemplation devoid of all the virtues, impatient, irritable, proud, if
they are put to the least test. Such persons have neither had an
active nor a contemplative life, nor the combination of the two, but
have rather built upon sand, and would to God that this were a rare
blunder!”

1316. B) The gifts are likewise cultivated by combatting
the spirit of the world, which is diametrically opposed to the
Spirit of God. This is what St. Paul asks of us : “ Now, we
have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that
is of God... But the sensual man perceiveth not these things
that are of the Spirit of God; for it is foolishness to him, and
he cannot understand, because it is spiritually examined. ”2
The better to combat this spirit of the world we must read
and meditate upon the Gospel maxims and live according
to them as perfectly as possible. Then indeed shall we
be prepared to yield ourselves to the guidance of the
Holy Ghost.

1317. C) Next come the positive and direct means which
place us under the action of the Holy Ghost :
a) First of all, there is interior recollection or the habit of
frequently thinking of God living not only near us but in
us (n. 92). In this way one gradually comes to the point
of never losing sight of God’s presence, even in the midst
of the most absorbing occupations. Often one withdraws
into the inner shrine of the heart, there to meet the Holy
Ghost and hearken to His voice: “Z will hear what the
Lord God will speak in me. ” 3 Then one realizes what the
author of the Imitation says: “ Happy is the soul which
heareth the Lord speaking within her, and receiveth from
His mouth the word of comfort. ” 4 The Holy Ghost speaks
to the heart, and His words bring with them light, strength,
and consolation.
« In IIam II®. q. 182, a. 1, § VII; cfr. Joret,
and La Contemplation Mystique, 1923, p. 71.
a / Cor., II, 12-14. — 3 Ps. LXXXIV, 9. — <

Vic Spir., 10 avril 1920. p. 45-49,

Imitation, Bk. Ill, C. I.

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAV.

615

1318. b) Since this Divine Spirit demands sacrifices, one must
become accustomed to follow promptly Άηά generously the least of His
inspirations, whenever there is no doubt that it is He Who speaks:
“For I do always the things that please Him. ” ' Otherwise, He would
cease to speak, or at least He would speak much less frequently:
“ To-day ifyou shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts: As in the
provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness :
where your fathers tempted me...’’2 If the sacrifices He demands
seem difficult, let one not lose heart, but say with St. Augustine :
“ Grant, O Lord, what Thou commandest, and command then what
Thou wilt. ” What is important is never to resist deliberately His
inspirations ; for the more docile one is, the more will He be pleased
to act on the soul.

1319. e) We must even go to meet Him, and in union with the
Incarnate Word, Who promised to send us His Spirit, in union with
Her who is the most perfect Temple and the Spouse of the Holy
Ghost, confidently invoke Him as did the Apostles in the Upper Room
where they were persevering in prayer “with Mary, the mother of
fesus. ” 3
The Church in her liturgy places at our disposal magnificent prayers
for drawing unto ourselves the Spirit of God, such as the sequence,
Veni Sancte Spiritus, the hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus, and other
invocations found in the Pontifical for the ordinations of subdeacons,
deacons, and priests. These prayers have no doubt a special efficacy,
and their content is so full of beauty that we cannot recite them with­
out being moved by pious emotions.
Another excellent practice is that of reciting before each one of our
actions the antiphon, Veni Sancte Spiritus, and the adjoined prayer.
In it we ask for Divine Charity, the source of the gifts, and the gift of
wisdom, “recta sapere,” which, being the most perfect, contains all the
others. This prayer, if recited with attention and fervor, cannot remain
ineffectual.

IV. Classification of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost
1320. The prophet Isaias in announcing the coming of
the Messias declares that “ the Spirit of the Lord shall rest
upon him : the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the
spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and
of godliness";4 and since by Baptism we are incorporated
into Christ, we share in these same gifts, which according
to Tradition are seven in number.
They may be classified in various ways :
A) From the point of view of perfection, fear of the Lord
is the least perfect, and wisdom the most perfect.
B) If we consider the faculties upon which they exercise
their action, we may distinguish intellectual and affective
1 John, VIII, 29. —® Ps. XCIV, 8; Hebr., Ill, 7-8. — 3 Acts, I, 14.
4 Isaias, XI, 2-3.—The Hebrew text makes no mention of the gift of piety, but
the Septuagint and the Vulgate do so, and Tradition, from the third century on,
confirms the sevenfold number.

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CHAPTER I.

gifts. The former are those which enlighten the mind :
knowledge, understanding, wisdom and counsel. The latter
are those which strengthen the will : piety, strength and the
fear of the Lord. Among the intellectual gifts there are
chiefly three which produce infused contemplation : knowlegde, understanding and -wisdom. The others are called
active gifts.
C) If we examine the gifts in relation to the special
virtues they perfect, the gift of counsel perfects the virtue
of prudence; the gift of piety perfects the virtue of religion
as related to the virtue of justice; the gift of strength
perfects the virtue of fortitude; the gift of fear perfects the
virtue of temperance; the gifts of knowledge and understand­
ing perfect the virtue of faith; the gift of fear is connected
with the virtue of hope, and the gift of wisdom with that
of charity.
This is the division we follow, because it shows us better
the nature of each gift, by placing it side by side with the
corresponding virtue.
§ II. The Seven Gifts in Particular

I. The Gift of Counsel
1321. i° Nature. A) The gift of counsel perfects the
virtue of prudence by making us judge promptly and rightly,
as by a sort of supernatural intuition, what must be done,
especially in difficult cases. By the virtue of prudence we
reflect, and we carefully seek out the best means of attain­
ing a certain end, profiting by the lessons of the past and
putting to advantage our present knowledge, in order to
reach a wise decision. With the gift of counsel it is other­
wise. The Holy Ghost speaks to our heart and in an
instant makes us understand what we must do. Thus is
fulfilled the promise made by Our Lord to His Apostles:
“ But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how
or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour
what to speak. ” * This is exactly what we see in the
conduct of St. Peter after Pentecost. Arrested by order
of the Sanhedrin and forbidden to Preach Jesus Christ any
longer, he replies immediately : “ We ought to obey God,
rather than men. ” 3
Many Saints have enjoyed this gift of counsel. St. Antoninus had
it to such a high degree that posterity bestowed on him the title of
good counsellor, Antoninus, the Counsellor; for he was consulted not
1 Matth., X, 19. — · Acts, V, 29.

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

617

only by the simple faithful, but even by statesmen, particularly by
Cosmo de Medici, who on several occasions chose him as his ambas­
sador. We see this gift admirably exemplified in St. Catherine of
Sienna, who, though very young and without having as yet pursued any
studies, gave wise counsels to princes, Cardinals, and to the Sovereign
Pontiff himself. We behold this gift also in St. Joan of Arc, who,
unskilled in the art of war, planned a campaign that astonished the
best generals of the time. She tells us whence she drew her wisdom:
“You have held your council and I have held mine.”

1322. B) The proper object of the gift of counsel is the
right ordering of particular acts. The gifts of knowledge
and understanding furnish us with the general principles,
but the gift of counsel enables us to apply these to the
thousand and one particular cases which present them­
selves. The light of the Holy Ghost then shows us what
must be done at the time, at the place, and in the cir­
cumstances in which we are, and, if we are charged
with the direction of others, what advice we must give
to them.
1323. 2° Necessity. A) This gift is necessary to all
in some of the more important and difficult situations, in
which salvation or sanctification are concerned, for example,
in matters of vocation, or in certain occasions of sin
encountered even in the discharge of duty. Human reason
being fallible and uncertain in its ways and able to proceed
only slowly and with caution, it is of importance to receive
in the decisive moments of our life the lights of this Divine
Counsellor, Who with a single glance takes in all, and Who
at the opportune moment makes us see with certainty
what we must do in such or such difficult circumstances.1
“ With the gift of counsel,” says Mgr. Landrieux, “the soul
is able to discern the means; it sees its way; it goes along
with assurance, be the way steep, deserted and forbidding...
and it knows how to wait for the acceptable time. ” 1
2
B) This gift is especially necessary to superiors and to priests, both
for their own sanctification and for that of others, a) At times it is so
difficult to know how to reconcile an interior life with one of zeal,
or the affection due to souls with perfect chastity, or the simplicity of
1 “ Since, however, human reason is unable to grasp the singular and contingent
things which may occurr, the result is that the thoughts of mortal men are fearful,
and our counsels uncertain (Wis. IX, 14). Hence in the research of counsel, man
requires to be directed by God, Who comprehends all things: and this is done
through the gift of counsel, whereby man is directed as though counselled by God,
just as in human affairs those who are unable to take counsel for themselves seek
counsel from those who are wiser. ” (St. Thom., Ila Π», q. 52, a. 1, ad 1).
2 Mgr Landrieux, op. cit., p. 163.—“The privation of this gift is forus a cause
of very great evils, " says Father St. Jure. Part I, C. IV, § 7, “because without it
there is confusion in our thoughts, blindness in our designs, hastiness in our reso­
lutions, lack of reflection in our words, presumption in our actions. "

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CHAPTER I.

the dove with the prudence of the serpent, that a special light from the
Holy Ghost is none too much to show us what line of conduct to
pursue, b) Likewise Superiors who must see that the rule is faithfully
observed and retain at the same time the confidence and affection of
their subjects, need great tact to combine due strictness and kindness,
not to multiply orders and reprimands, and to have the rule observed
through love rather than fear. C) Spiritual directors above all stand
in need of special enlightenment in order to discern what suits their
various penitents, to know their defects and select the best means to
effect their reformation, to decide their vocations and to lead them to
that degree of perfection or to that manner of life to which they are
called.

1324. 3° Means of cultivating· this gift. A) The
cultivation of this gift requires, first of all, a deep sense of
our weakness and frequent recourse to the Holy Ghost so
that He may teach us His ways: “ Shew, O Lord, thy ways
to me, and teach me thy paths. ”1 He will not fail to come
to enlighten us in one way or another, for He stoops down
to the humble; and He will not fail us, especially if we take
care to ask His help in the morning for the entire day,
at the beginning of the principal actions of the day, and
particularly in all difficult cases.
B) Further, we must accustom ourselves to listen to the
voice of the Holy Ghost, to judge all things by His light
without allowing ourselves to be influenced by human
considerations, and to follow the least of His inspirations.
Then, finding our soul open and docile, He will speak to
the heart still more frequently.*
2
II. The Gift of Piety
1325. i° Nature. This gift perfects the virtue of
religion, which is a virtue related to that of justice, by
begetting in our hearts a filial affection for God and a tender
devotion towards those persons and things consecrated to Him,
in order to make us fulfil our religious duties with a holy joy.
The virtue of religion is acquired only through effort,
whilst the gift of piety is communicated to us by the Holy
Ghost.
A) This gift makes us see in God not merely our Sov­
ereign Master, but the best and most loving Father: “ You
' Ps. XXIV, 4.
2 This is why Donoso Cortés asserted that it is the contemplatives who make
the best counsellors : "Among the people whom I have observed closely, and I
have observed many, the only ones in whom I have discerned an unruffled common
sense, true sagacity, wondrous aptitude to offer practical and sound solutions to
the most difficult problems... are those who have led a retired contemplative life. *'
(Essai sur le catholicisme, p. 200).

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

619

have received the Spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry
Abba (Father). ”1 It fills the soul with confidence and
love without endangering the reverence due to God.
It fosters in us a threefold sentiment: i) filial respect towards God,
which makes us adore Him with a holy joy as our most beloved Father.
Then our spiritual exercises, instead of being an arduous task, become
a need of the soul, a longing of the heart for God; 2) a generous and
tender love that leads us to sacrifice self for God and God’s glory, in
order to please Him: “Z do always the things that please Him;”*
hence, it is not a selfish piety, which seeks consolations, nor an inert
piety, which remains inactive when it should act, nor yet a sentimental
piety, which but looks for emotional satisfaction and loses itself in idle
dreams; but it is a virile piety, which expresses its love by complying
with the Will of God ; 3) an affectionate obedience, which sees in the
commandments and in the counsels the wise and paternal expression
of the Divine Will in our regard ; hence results a holy abandonment
into the hands of this loving Father, Who knows far better than we do
what is good for us and Who tests us only to purify us and unite us to
Himself : “ To them that love God all things work together unto good. ” *

1326. B) This same sentiment makes us love those
persons and things which have a participation in the Divine
Being and in His perfections.
1) Thus, we love and venerate the Blessed Virgin, because she is the
Mother of God and our Mother (n. 155-156); and so we refer to her
some of the veneration and some of the love we have for God, since of
all creatures she best reflects His perfections. 2) We likewise love and
revere in the Angels and Saints a reflection of the divine attributes.
3) Holy Writ is for us the Word of God, a letter from Our Heavenly
Father, communicating to us His thoughts and His designs in our
regard. 4) Holy Church is for us the Spouse of Christ, born of His
Sacred Heart, perpetuating His mission upon earth, and invested with
His own infallible authority ; she is for us a holy mother who has brought
us forth to the life of grace and nourished us with her sacraments.
We are therefore interested in whatever concerns her, in her successes
and her humiliations; we espouse all her interests and are glad to
further them ; we sorrow at her sorrows ; in a word we bear her a
filial love. To this we add a sincere obedience, well knowing that when
we submit to her injunctions we yield obedience to God Himself:
“ He that heareth you heareth me. ” < 5) The head of this Church, the
Sovereign Pontiff, is for us the vice-regent, the visible representative
of Jesus Christ upon earth. We therefore offer him the veneration and
love we hold for the Invisible Head of the Church, and we delight in
obeying him as if he were Christ Himself. 6) We entertain these same
sentiments towards our superiors in whom we love to see Jesus Christ:
“Z look upon my superior as upon the likeness of Christ;” and if God
confides subjects to our care, we have for them the same fatherly
tenderness which God shows towards us.

1327.20 Necessity. A) All Christians stand in need
of this gift if they are to fulfil joyfully and readily their
duties of religion towards God, of respectful obedience
■ Rom., VIII, 15. — · John, VIII, 29. — 3 Rom., VIII, 28. — « Luke, X, 16.

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CHAPTER I.

towards their superiors, and of condescension towards their
inferiors. Without it they will act towards God as towards
a master, prayer will be a burden rather than a comfort, and
God’s providential trials will appear as severe or even unjust
punishments. Under the influence of this gift, on the con­
trary, God appears to us as a Father; it is with child-like joy
that we render Him our homages, and with a sweet resig­
nation that we kiss the hand of Him Who strikes us only
to cleanse us arid unite us even more closely to Himself.
1328. B) This gift is even more necessary to priests, to religious
and to all who strive to live a perfect life in the world, a) Without it,
the numerous spiritual exercises which form so great a part of their
life would soon become an intolerable burden ; for no one can abide
long in the thought of God, except he love Him. It is this very gift of
piety which, united to charity, infuses into the soul those sentiments of
filial tenderness towards God, that transforms our exercises of piety
into sweet communion with Our Heavenly Father. Doubtless, aridity
comes at times to disturb this intimate colloquy, but it is patiently,
nay, joyfully accepted as coming from a Father Who hides Himself
only to make His child seek Him ; and since we entertain but one
desire, to please Him, we are content to suffer for Him : “ When one
loves, one labors not. ”
b) This gift is no less necessary in order to treat with kindness and
love those persons who do not naturally appeal to us, to entertain for
those whom God deigns to confide to our care a paternal tenderness,
and to share the sentiments of St. Paul, who wanted to beget Jesus
Christ Himself in the souls of his disciples: "My little children, of
■whom I am in labour again, until Christ be formed in you. ” 1

1329. 3° Means of cultivating this gift. A) The first
means is frequent meditation upon the beautiful texts of
Holy Scripture which portray the goodness, the paternal
mercy of God towards men and particularly towards the
just (n. 93-96). It is by the name of Father that He is
pleased to be known and loved, especially under the New
Dispensation. We must then have recourse to Him in all
our difficulties, with all the eagerness and confidence of
children. We shall thus perform our exercises of piety
with love, seeking first and foremost the good pleasure of
God and not our personal consolation.
B) The second means is that of transforming our ordinary actions
into acts of religion, doing these actions in order to please Our Father
Who is in Heaven (527). In this way our entire life becomes a prayer
and consequently an act of filial piety towards God and of fraternal
piety towards the neighbor. We fulfil perfectly the words of St. Paul :
'■'Exercise thyself unto godliness... for godliness is profitable to all
things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to
come. ” ’
1 Galat., IV, 19. —9 Z. Tim., IV, 7-8.

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III. The Gift of Fortitude
1330. i° Nature. It is a gift which perfects the virtue
of fortitude, by imparting to the will an impulse and an
energy which enable it to do great things joyfully and fear­
lessly despite all obstacles.
It differs from the virtue of fortitude in that it is not the outcome of
our efforts, but of the action of the Holy Ghost, Who takes hold of the
soul and gives it a singular dominion over the lower faculties and over
exterior difficulties. The virtue of fortitude does not relieve us of a
certain amount of hesitancy, of a certain apprehension with regard to
obstacles or failures. The gift of fortitude brings with it determination,
assurance, joy, the certain hope of success, and thus effects greater
results. Thus, St. Stephen was said to be full of fortitude because he
was full of the Holy Ghost : “And Stephen,full ofgrace andfortitude...
being full of the Holy Ghost... ” «

1331. To act and to endure, even midst difficulties of
the most arduous nature, and at the price of heroic effort
are the two acts to which the gift of fortitude leads us.
a) To act, that is to say, to undertake without hesitation or fear the
most arduous tasks, for example, to practice perfect recollection in the
midst of tireless activity, as did St. Vincent de Paul and St. Theresa;
to remain humble when surrounded by honors, like St. Louis ; to face
dangers, weariness, labors, and death itself, as St. Francis Xavier did;
to trample under foot human respect, to contemn honors, like St. John
Chrysostom, who feared but one thing, sin. b) No less strength is
required to endure long and painful maladies, as did St. Ledwina, or
moral sufferings such as are endured by certain souls in the course of
the passive trials ; or to observe faithfully throughout life all the pre­
scriptions of a rule. Martyrdom is considered the highest act of this
gift, and rightly so, since we thereby surrender to God our most cher­
ished possession, life;yet, to shed our blood drop by drop by spending
ourselves completely for souls, as so many humble priests and devout
laymen do, following the example of St. Paul, constitutes a martyrdom
hardly less meritorious, and one which is within the reach of all.

1332. 2° Its Necessity. It would be useless to insist
at length upon the necessity of this gift. We have already
said (n. 360) that in many an instance we must do the
heroic in order to preserve the state of grace, and it is
precisely this gift of fortitude that enables us to perform in
a spirit of generosity these difficult acts.
This gift is even more necessary in the discharge of duty imposed
by certain professions or vocations in which health and even life itself
are endangered. Such is the case with the physician, the soldier and
the priest.

1333. 30 Means of cultivating fortitude. A) Since
our strength is not from ourselves, but from God, we must
* Acts, VI, 8; VII, 55.

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CHAPTER I.

evidently look for it in Him, by humbly acknowledging
our weakness. Providence makes use of the weakest
instruments, provided they be conscious of their own weak­
ness and rely upon Him Who alone is able to make them
strong. Such is the meaning of the words of St. Paul ·
“ But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he
may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world
hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong... that he
might bring to nought things that are : that no flesh should
glory in his sight." 1 It is principally in the reception of
the Holy Eucharist that we can seek from Jesus the strength
we need in order to overcome all obstacles. St. Chrysostom
speaks of the Christians returning from the Hply Table as
having the strength of lions, since they share in the very
power of Christ.*
23

1334. B) We must likewise carefully use the thousand
and one circumstances wherein, by reason of the continuity
of the effort, we can exercise ourselves in fortitude and in
patience.
This is done by those who from morning to night submit joyfully to
a rule, who strive to be attentive at their prayers, and recollected all
day long, who keep silence when they feel inclined to speak, who avoid
the sight of such objects as excite curiosity, who suffer without
complaint the unseasonableness of the weather, who show kindness to
those towards whom they feel a natural antipathy, who accept humbly
and patiently the reproaches made to them, who accommodate them­
selves to the tastes, desires, and temperaments of others, who stand
contradiction without irritation, in a word, who strive to vanquish their
own petty passions and to conquer themselves. To do all this, not
once in passing, but habitually, to do so not merely patiently, but
joyfully — this is already heroic virtue, and when later on grave cir­
cumstances present themselves, heroic action will not prove too dif­
ficult: 3 for we shall then have the strength of the Holy Ghost Himself:
“ You shall receive the flower of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and
you shall be witnesses unto me. ” 4

' / Cor., I, 37-29.
• ' ' Let us return from that table as lions breathing fire, terrible to the devil. "
(In Joan., homil. LXI, 3).
3 The following is the lesson given one day to Blessed Henry Suso by Divine
Wisdom: "First of all, my servant must love self-abnegation and die entirely to
self and to all creatures. This degree of perfection is rarely met with, but he who
reaches it rises rapidly unto God... Is it surprising, then, that afflictions and
crosses should not frighten such a one as they do those whose avowed desire is to
avoid suffering? The Saints are not less sensitive to pain than are other men...
But their souls are sheltered from harm, because they but seek after, they but love,
the Cross... Their bodies suffer, but their souls are absorbed in God, and in such
transport, they taste of an unspeakable sweetness... The love wherewith they are
inspired allows them no longer to reckon pain as pain and affliction as affliction :
they find in God but deep and unalterable peace. "
* Acts, I, 8.

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623

IV. The Gift of Fear
1335. 1° Nature. It is not question here of that fear
of God which, caused by the remembrance of our sins,
disturbs, saddens and troubles us. Nor is it question of the
fear of hell, which suffices to bring about a conversion, but
not to achieve our sanctification. Here it is question of a
filial and reverential fear, which causes us to dread every
offence against God.
The gift of fear perfects the virtues of hope and tempe­
rance. It perfects the former by inspiring us with a fear
of displeasing God and of being separated from Him.
It perfects the latter by detaching us from the pleasures
that could bring about that separation.
Hence, it may be defined as a gift which inclines our will
to a filial respect for God, removes us from sin, displeasing to
Him, and gives us hope in the power of His help.
1336. It comprises three principal acts: a) a vivid sense of God’s
greatness, and therefore extreme dread of the least sin that may offend
His infinite Majesty. “ Know you not,” said Our Lord to St. Cathe­
rine of Sienna, “ that all the sufferings a soul undergoes or could
undergo in this life are not sufficient punishment for even the slightest
fault. The offence done to Me, the Infinite Good, demands an infinite
satisfaction. This is why I want you to know that all the sufferings
of this life are not a punishment, but a correction.”1 The Sairits
understood this well : they reproached themselves bitterly for their
slightest faults, and they never thought that they had done enough to
atone for them, b) A lively sorrow for the least faults committed,
because they have offended an Infinite God, Who is infinitely good.
From this sorrow is born an ardent and earnest desire of atoning for
sin by multiplying acts of sacrifice and of love. * C) Vigilant care in
avoiding occasions of sin as one avoids a serpent: “ Flee from sin as
from Hie face of a serpent;"*23 and hence, a great concern to know at all
times God’s good pleasure in order to conform our conduct thereto.
Acting in this wise, we evidently perfect the virtue of temperance by
avoiding all forbidden pleasure, and that of hope by lifting up our
eyes to God with filial trust.

1337. 2° Its Necessity. A) This gift is needed in order
to avoid an excessive familiarity with God. Some are
tempted to forget God’s greatness and the infinite distance
■ Dialogue, Bk. I, C. II.
2 " What I want, ” God said to St. Catherine, “ are the manifold works of manly
endurance, effects of patience and the other interior virtues of the soul... I, the
Infinite, am forever seeking infinite works, that is to say, an infinite sentiment of
love. Hence, I require that works of penance and all other external practices be
employed as means, and not occupy in the heart the principal place... It is the
soul that conceives and begets virtue in truth, and it is through this interior virtue
that finite works are united to the sentiment of charity; and then these works will
be the object of my approval and delight. ” (Dialogue, Bk. I, C. X.)
3 Ecclus., XXI, 2.

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CHAPTER I.

that separates us from Him, assuming towards Him and
towards holy things an unbecoming familiarity, speaking to
Him with too much boldness, and treating Him as an
equal. No doubt, God Himself encourages certain souls to
a sweet intimacy, to an astounding familiarity with Him;
but it is for Him, not for us, to take the initiative. Besides,
filial fear in no way excludes that tender familiarity that we
witness in certain Saints.1
B) This gift is no less useful for preserving us in our relations with
others especially our inferiors, from the haughty and proud manner
that is more in accord with the pagan than with the Christian spirit.
The reverential fear of God, Who is their Father as well as ours, will
make us exercise our authority in a modest way, as befits those who
hold authority not of themselves but of God.

1338. 3° Means of Cultivating this Gift. A) We
must frequently meditate upon God’s infinite grandeur,
His attributes, His sovereignty, and reflect upon the nature
of sin, which, no matter how slight, constitutes an offence
against the infinite Majesty of God. We cannot help,
then, conceiving a reverential fear of Our Sovereign Master,
Whom we continually offend : "Pierce thou my flesh with
thy fear : for I am afraid of thy judgments 2 and when
we come into His presence, it is with a humbled and
contrite heart.
B) In order to abide in this sentiment, it is well for us to perform
with care our examinations of conscience, striving rather to stir up
compunction in our hearts than to seek a detailed knowledge of our
faults : “ A contrite and humbled heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise. ” 3
To secure a greater purity of heart, it will be well to unite ourselves
more and more with the Penitent Christ; for the more we share in His
hatred for sin and in His humiliations, the fuller will be our pardon.

V. The Gift of Knowledge
1339. Remarks on the three intellectual Gifts.
With the gift of knowledge we come to treat of the
1 The following is the apposite remark of Father de Smedt (Notre vie surnat.,
Vol. I): "When we harbor a high idea of another’s superiority over us... we first
approach him with a certain sense of timidity and even of anxiety ; but if the said
person, whom we consider far above ourselves, manifests great Kindness, shows a
genuine pleasure at seeing us, at speaking with us, at realizing our love for him...
if he consents to live with us on terms of the most intimate familiarity, the respect
with which his superiority inspires us is no hindrance to our conceiving an ardent
affection for him... On the contrary, the loftier the idea we have of his superiority,
the greater is our love, the deeper our gratitude, the keener our desire to show him
our love and gratitude by tenderness and devoted ness. Furthermore, when we
see him at close range and enter into intimacy with him, we conceive an even
higher appreciation of his qualities; our veneration for him grows, we feel overcome
with gratitude and confusion at the esteem, the tenderness, the devotedness, and
the thoughtfulness which he manifests to us. ”
a tPs. CXVII, 120. — 3 Ps. L, 19.

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625

three intellectual gifts which bear more directly upon con­
templation; the gift of knowledge, which makes us form
a sound judgment of creatures in their relation to God; the
gift of understanding, which discloses to us the intimate
relations which exist among revealed truths; the gift of
wisdom which makes us appreciate, prize and relish these
truths. The three possess this in common, that they furnish
us with experimental or quasi-experimental knowledge; for,
they acquaint us with things divine, not through any
process of reasoning, but by means of a higher light which
makes us grasp them as though we had actual experience
of them. This light communicated to us by the Holy
Ghost is, no doubt, the light of faith, but it is now more
active, more illuminating than it ordinarily is, and gives us
a sort of intuition of these truths, similar to that which we
have of first principles *
*.

1340. i° Its Nature. The knowledge of which we
speak here is not philosophical knowledge acquired through
the exercise of reasoning; nor is it theological knowledge,
acquired by applying reason to the data furnished by faith ;
but it is the science of the Saints, whereby we rightly judge
of creatures in their relation to God.
Hence, we may define the gift of science as a gift which,
by the illuminating action of the Holy Ghost, perfects the
virtue offaith, and thereby gives us a knowledge of created
things in their relations to God.
Father Olier’ tells us that God “ is an Omnipresent and All-pervad­
ing Being. He manifests Himself in all external things. In the
heavens as well as upon the earth He reveals something of what He is
in Himself... Therefore, in all creatures, which are as it were sacra­
ments, visible signs of the perfections of God, we must adore what they
represent... This we should have done easily if the grace given to
Adam had not been taken away from us..., but sin despoiled us of it,
and it is restored through Jesus Christ to only those pure souls to
whom faith reveals God’s Majesty wherever it appears... This light
of faith is properly called the science of the Saints. Without the
instrumentality of the senses, without the aid of reason, it makes
known to the soul the dependence of each creature upon God. This
knowledge is acquired instantly and without labor. At a glance one
discerns the cause of all things, and in each of these one finds food for
prayer and for perpetual contemplation. ”

1341.The object of this gift of knowledge is therefore
created things, inasmuch as they lead us to God.
a) If we consider them in their origin, they tell us that
■ D. JORET, Les dons du S. Esprit, dans Vie spirit., Mars, 1020, p. ΐβ-ι-wî.
• Esprit de M. Olier, t. II, p. 346.
.
H
3 *

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they come from the Hands of God, their Creator and
Preserver : “ He hath made us and not we ourselves. ” If we
examine their nature we see therein a likeness or a reflection
of God. Their end and purpose is to bring us to God ; they
are steps, as it were, by which to rise unto Him.
It is in this way that the Saints, particularly St. Francis of Assisi,
looked upon created things. He looked upon all creatures as sharing
a common relationship with the one and same Father of all, and each
was to him a brother in the great family of the Heavenly Father — the
Sun, the crystal waters, the flowers of the field, the birds of the air:
“When he felt the immovable firmness and strength of the cliffs and
rocks, he directly felt that God is strong and is to be trusted. The
sight of a flower in the silence of the early morning, or of the mouth of
a little bird confidently opened, revealed to him the pure beauty of God
and His purity and the endless tenderness of the Creator. This feeling
filled Francis with a constant joy in God, an uninterrupted tendency
to thankfulness. ”1

b) This gift of knowledge likewise enables us to perceive
quickly and rightly what concerns our own sanctification
and the sanctification of others.
Thus it enlightens us as to the state of our soul, as to its secret
motions, their source, their motives, and the effects that may result
therefrom. It teaches us how to deal with others in view of their
salvation. By it the preacher knows what he must say to his hearers in
order to do them good ; the spiritual director, how he must lead souls
according to their particular spiritual needs and the attractions of grace,
and this, in virtue of a light that enables him to see into the depths of
the heart. This is the infused gift of discernment of spirits. Thus it
was that some Saints, enlightened by Him Who searches the hearts and
reins knew before the telling the most secret thoughts of their penitents.

1342. 2° Its Usefulness. It is evident that this gift
is of great help to the faithful, but especially to priests
and religious.
a) It detaches us from creatures, by showing us how empty and
fleeting they are, how incapable of making us happy, nay how danger­
ous they are, since they tend to pervert us by alluring us, by enslaving
us, by turning us away from God. Being detached from all these, we
can more easily rise unto God Who alone can satisfy the longings of
our heart, and we cry out with the Psalmist : “ Who will give me wings
like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest? Lo, I have gone far off,
flying away; and I abode in the wilderness. ” *
3
b) It helps us to make a right use of creatures, by prompting us to
use them as so many means by which to rise as by a ladder to
Almighty God. We' instinctively long to enjoy creatures and we are
tempted to make them our end ; but under the influence of this gift we
no longer see in them anything except what God has placed in them,
and from this imperfect reflection of the Divine Beauty our mind turns
■ J. Joergensen, St. Francis of Assisi, p. 31a. (tr. by Sloane).
timents are to be found in the Journée chrétienne of Father Olier.
3 Ps. LIV, 7-8.

The same sen­

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

627

to Infinite Beauty Itself, and with St. Augustine we say: “ Too late
have I known Thee, Beauty ever old and ever new, too late have I
loved Thee. ” 1

1343. 3° Means of Cultivating· this Gift, a) The
great means is always to look upon creatures with the
eyes of faith. Instead of tarrying in the contemplation of
such fleeting shadows, must we not rather look beyond to
the First Cause Who deigns to impress upon them a
likeness of His perfections, and must we not cling to their
Author and contemn all the rest? This is precisely what
the Apostle St. Paul did, who, overcome by love for Christ,
wrote : “ For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ. ” 2
b) Animated by this spirit we shall know how to deprive ourselves
of whatever is useless, and even of some things that are useful. We
shall know, for instance, how to forego at times looking at beautiful
objects, reading some interesting book, enjoying some delicious food,
and the like, in order to make a sacrifice to God. In this manner we
shall gradually detach ourselves from creatures, and see in them only
that which can lead us to their Maker.

VI. The Gift of Understanding
1344. i° Its Nature. The gift of understanding differs
from that of knowledge in that the object of the former is
by far more extensive. Its scope is not limited to created
things; it extends to all the revealed truths. Furthermore,
its insight is much deeper; it enables us to penetrate the
inner meaning of revealed truths. It does not, of course,
give us an understanding of mysteries, but it enables us to
see that, despite their obscurity, they are credible, that they
are in accord one with the other and with reason.
It may be defined as a gift which, under the enlightening
action of the Holy Ghost, gives us a deep insight into revealed
truths, without however giving a comprehension of the mys­
teries themselves.

1345. 2° Its Effects. This gift produces in us three
principal effects:
A) It enables us to penetrate into the very core of
revealed truths in six different ways, says St. Thomas : 3
i) It discloses to us the substance hidden beneath the accidents, for
example, Jesus Christ under the eucharistie species. This is what
moved the peasant, of whom the Cure of Ars speaks, to say : “ I look
at Him, and He looks at me. ”
■ St. Augustine, Confessions, Bk. X, C. 27.
• Phil., Ill, 8. — 3 II» Ilæ, q. 8, a. t.

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CHAPTER I.

2) It explains to us the meaning hidden beneath the words. This is
what Our Lord did in disclosing to the disciples on the way to Emmaus
the meaning of the prophecies. The Holy Ghost often makes known
to interior souls the depth of meaning contained in one or other pas­
sage of Holy Writ.
3) It makes manifest the mysterious signification of sensible signs.
Thus, St. Paul shows us in Baptism by immersion the symbol of our
death to sin, of our spiritual burial and our resurrection with Christ.
4) It makes us lay hold of the spiritual realities contained beneath
the outward appearances, showing us the Creator of the world in the
artisan of Nazareth.
5) By it we see the effects contained in their cause, for instance, in the
Blood of Christ shed on Calvary we see the purification of our soul and
our reconciliation with God; in the pierced side of Jesus we see the
birth of the Church and the source of the Sacraments.
6) Lastly, by it we see the cause in its effects, for instance, the action
of Providence in external events.

1346. B) This gift shows us the truths of faith under
so full a light, that, though we do not comprehend their
very nature, we are confirmed in our belief. This is what
St. Thomas tells us : “ We know that whatever be the
outward appearances, they do not contradict the truth...
we ought not to depart from matters of faith. ”1 In a
higher degree, this gift enables us to contemplate God, not
indeed through a positive, immediate intuition of the Divine
Essence, but by showing us what God is not, as we shall
explain later. 2
C) Finally it brings us to the knowledge of a greater number of
truths, by aiding us to draw from revealed principles the theological
conclusions therein contained. Thus, from the text, u And the Word
was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, ” nearly all our teaching concern­
ing the Incarnate Word is deduced; and from the words, “From
whom was born Jesus Who is called the Christ," we draw all the
teaching regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This gift, so advantageous to all the faithful, is especially useful to
priests and theologians, in order to gain an understanding of the
revealed truths they are to explain to others.

1347.3° The Cultivation of the Gift of Understand­
ing. A) The main disposition required to obtain this gift
is a lively and simple faith which humbly implores divine
light, the better to lay hold of revealed truth : “ Give me
understanding, and I will learn thy commandments. ” 3
1 II» llæ. q. 8, a. 2.
» " In this life, the (mind's) eye being cleansed by the gift of understanding, we
can, so to speak, see God... The sight of God is twofold. One is perfect, whereby
God’s essence is seen: the other imperfect, whereby, though we see not what God
is, yet we see what He is not... This second vision of God belongs to the gift of
understanding in its state of inchoation, as possessed by wayfarers. " (I» II®, q. 60
a. 2, ad 3; II» llæ, q. 8, a. 7).
s Ps. CXVII, 73.

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

629

It was thus that St. Anselm was accustomed to act. He
would make a lively act of faith before searching into the
mysteries of our faith, in accordance with his maxim :
“ Faith seeking reason; ” for it is through faith that we come
to an understanding of supernatural truths.
B) Once this act of faith has been made, we should accustom
ourselves to go to the very heart of the mystery, not in order to
comprehend it, which is impossible, but in order to grasp its meaning,
its bearing, its relation to reason. After studying a number of mysteries,
we should compare them, one with the other, for such a comparison
will often throw much light upon each one of them. The relations of
the Word to the other two Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity, for
instance, enable us to understand better the mystery of His union
with a human nature and His work of redeeming mankind. The
Incarnation and the Redemption, likewise, throw light upon the
Divine Attributes and the relations existing between Father, Son and
Holy Ghost. The better to grasp these truths however, we must love
them, we must study them, even more with the heart than with the
mind, and above all with a humble spirit. Our Lord Himself tells
us this in the following beautiful prayer to His Father: “I confess io
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these
thingsfrom the wise andprudent and hast revealed them to little ones. ” ‘

VII. The Gift of Wisdom*
*
We shall explain its nature, its effects, and the means of
cultivating it.

1348. i° Its Nature. Wisdom is a gift which perfects
the virtue of charity, and which resides at once in the
intellect and in the will, since it infuses light and love into
the soul. Hence, it is rightly considered as the most
perfect of all the gifts, the one which embodies all the
others, just as charity embodies all the virtues.
A) St. Bernard calls this gift the knowledge which relishes things
divine. The gift of wisdom therefore contains a twofold element:
i) a light which illumines the mind, and enables it to judge aright of
God and of created things by relating them to their first principle and
last end. It enables us to estimate things according to their highest
causes and to gather them into one grand synthesis ; 2) a supernatural
taste which acts upon the will and enables it to relish divine things as
by a sort of natural attraction.
A comparison may serve to set forth more clearly this twofold
rôle of the gift of wisdom. It is like the sunbeam, a ray of light
illuminating and delighting the eyes of the soul, and a ray of heat
that warms the heart, inflames it with love, and fills it with joy.

1349. B) Wisdom, then, may be defined as agift which
perfects the virtue of charity by enabling us to discern God
1 Matth., XI, 25.

• St. Thomas, II» llæ, q. 45.

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CHAPTER I.

and divine things in their ultimate principles, and by giving
us a relish for them.
It differs therefore from the gift of understanding, which
enables us to know the divine truths in themselves and in
their mutual relations, but not in their ultimate causes, and
does not make us relish them directly; whilst wisdom
makes us both love and relish them : “ Taste and see that
the Lord is sweet. ” 1
It was this gift which enabled St. Paul to see at a glance the divine
plan of Redemption, with the glory of God as its principal, final cause,
the Incarnate Word as its meritorious and exemplary cause, the hap­
piness of the elect as its final, secondary cause, and divine grace as its
formal cause. It was this gift which brought forth from the depths of
his soul this prayer of thanksgiving: "Blessed be the God and Father
of Our Lord Jesus Christ. ” ’
With the aid of this gift, St. John makes the whole of theology
to converge in the mystery of the Divine Life, of which love is both
the principle and the end : “ God is love. ” By the assistance ol
this same gift, St. Thomas sums up his entire Summa in this one
thought : God is at once the first principle whence all creatures pro­
ceed, the last end whither they return, and the way they must follow
to reach Him.*
3

1350. 2° Effects of the Gift of Wisdom. Besides the
increase of charity produced in the soul, this gift perfects
all the other virtues.
a) It renders faith unshakable because of the quasi-experimental
knowledge it gives us of the truths of revelation ; thus, after tasting for
some time the joys of Holy Communion, how can we harbor doubts as
to the Real Presence? b) It steadies our hope; having understood
and relished the dogma of our incorporation into Christ, how can we
fail in hope, since He Who is our Head is already in Heaven, and the
Saints who reign with Him in the heavenly city are our own brethren?
C) It enables us to practise the moral virtues in their highest degree;
for when we have once tasted the joys of divine love, those of earth
hold no relish for us ; we love the Cross, mortification, effort, tempe­
rance, humility, meekness, because these are so many means of becom­
ing more and more like the Beloved and of returning His love.

This, then, is the difference between the gift of wisdom
and that of understanding, the latter is a view taken by the
mind, while the former is an experience undergone by the
heart; one is light, the other love, and so they unite and
complete one another. Wisdom, withal, remains the more
perfect gift; for the heart outranges the intellect, it sounds
■ Ps. XXXIII, 9. — « Eph.. I, 3.
3 Simple souls exercise the gift of wisdom after their own fashion by pondering
at lengtn some divine truth. Such was the poor woman who could never finish
the recitation of the Our Father ; “ For nearly five years now, ” she said, " as soon
as I speak the word Father, and think that He Who is in Heaven above is my
Father, I begin to weep and so I remain all day long. ” (H. Bremond, Hist,
littéraire, t. II, p. 66).

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

631

greater depths, and grasps or divines what reason fails to
reach. This is particularly the case with the Saints, in
whom love often surpasses knowledge.

1351. 3° Means of Cultivating this Gift. A) Since
wisdom is one of the most precious gifts, we must long for
it ardently, beg for it insistently, and pursue it with untiring
efforts.
This is the advice given us in the Book of Wisdom. The Sacred
Author would have us espouse Wisdom, choose her as our lifelong
companion, and he offers us a beautiful prayer to win her: “ God of my
fathers, and Lord of Mercy,... who by thy wisdom hast appointed man,
that he should have dominion over the creature that was made by
thee, that he should order the world according to equity and justice...
give me wisdom that sitteth by thy throne, and cast me not off from
among thy children : for I am thy servant and the son of thy handmaid,
a weak man, and of short time, and falling short of the understanding
of judgment and laws... Send her out of thy holy heaven, and from
the throne of thy majesty, that she may be with me, and may labour
with me, that I may know what is acceptable with thee. For she
knoweth and understandeth all things, and shall lead me soberly in
my works, and shall preserve me by her power. So shall my works be
acceptable, and I shall govern thy people justly, and shall be worthy
of the throne of my father. ” ‘

B) Since wisdom refers all to God, we should strive to see
how all the truths we study proceed from Him as their
first principle, and tend towards Him as their last end.
We must, then, acquire the habit of referring all things to
their principles, without losing ourselves in details; of
reducing all things to unity, by making a particular synthesis
of what we have studied, thus preparing the general
synthesis of all our knowledge.

1352. C) Since this gift makes us relish divine things,
we must seek to love and enjoy these things by recalling
that all knowledge is vain that does not lead to love. And
indeed, how can we help loving God, Who is Infinite Beauty
and Infinite Goodness? “ Taste and see that the Lord is
sweet.” * How can we help loving divine things, in which
we see a participation in God’s beauty and God’s goodness;
we cannot love and enjoy God, and not love those things
which share in His perfections.
§ III. Rôle of the Gifts in Prayer and Contemplation

From what has been said, it follows that the exercise of
the gifts is of great help to us in prayer.
• Wisdom, IX, ι-ι2. _ .ft ΧΧΧΙΠ, 9.

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CHAPTER I.

1353. i° From the moment we begin cultivating the
gifts, and therefore, even before they have reached their
full development, they add their light and their action to
that of the virtues in order to facilitate prayer. Without
introducing us into the passive or mystic state, they dispose
the soul and render it more docile to the action of the
Holy Ghost.
This is the common teaching of theologians. Father Meynard
summarizes it thus. After noting the opinion of a few authors who
thought that the gifts of the Holy Ghost are limited to the performance
of heroic acts and have no part in the practice of ordinary virtue, he
adds: “Their action extends as well to a multitude of circumstances
in which the Will of God demands of us a certain readiness and
docility, for example, when it is question of overcoming vice, of subdu­
ing the passions, of resisting the temptations of the flesh, the world and
the devil. This is especially true if the weakness and the frailty of the
person in question require more abundant and more effective help,
and therefore a higher principle of activity. This view, which we
believe to be the true one, is based upon the fact that the gifts do not
produce results peculiar to themselves and distinct from those of the
virtues, but simply come to facilitate the practice of the various
virtues. ”1 Now, if the gifts of the Holy Ghost exert an influence upon
the exercise of the ordinary virtues, they also facilitate the exercise of
prayer, which is an act of the virtue of religion and one of the most
effective means of practicing the virtues.

These gifts, therefore, act in a hidden manner, so that it
is not possible to distinguish their action from that of the
virtues. At times, however, they act in a more evident
way by imparting to us passing intuitions which move the
soul more strongly than do reasonings, and by giving rise
to impulses of love loftier than those we habitually
experience.
1354. 2° These gifts aid us even more in active con­
templation, which is a sort of loving gaze on truth. In fact,
the proper function of the gifts of understanding and of
wisdom even before their complete unfolding in the soul,
is to facilitate this simple view of faith, by making our
thought more penetrating and our love more ardent.2
Without introducing us as yet into the mystic state, their
action is already more frequent and more affective than in
ordinary prayer ; and this fact explains how our soul is able
■ TraUi de la vie intérieure, t. I, n. 246. He cites in support of his view
St. Antoninus, John of St. Thomas, and Suarez. Such is also the teaching of
Garrigou-Lagrange, op. cit., t. I, p. 404; "We have always maintained that
firevious to entrance into the mystic state, the gifts exert their influence either
requently in a hidden way, or rarely in an open manner. " Cf. P. J. DE Guibert,
R.A.M., Oct. 1923, p. 338.
’ Such is the teaching of Father Meynard, t. I n. 126, 128, based on John of
St Thomas.

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

633

to dwell more at length and more affectionately upon one
and the same truth.

1355. 3° But, it is above all in infused contemplation
that the gifts play an important part. Having attained
their complete development, they impart a wondrous
docility to the soul, which fits it for the mystic or contem­
plative state.
A) Three of the gifts, knowledge, understanding, and
wisdom, unite in a special manner in contemplation.
Let us explain: a) It is our higher faculties of intellect and will as
perfected and transformed by the theological virtues and the gifts, and
set in motion by actual operating grace, which are the principles that
produce contemplation. The gifts are grafted on our faculties, and
consequently, faculties and gifts act as one in the production of the
same act. These faculties, thus transformed, constitute the principles
which call forth contemplation, that is to say, they are the proximate
cause whence flow, under the influence of an operating grace, the acts
of contemplation. Thus, the intellect perfected by the virtue of faith
is the principle which produces acts of faith.

b) All theologians recognize the gifts of understanding
and wisdom as the principles which call forth contemplation,
but some few do not attribute this function to the gift of
knowledge. We believe with the majority of authors that
there is no reason to exclude it, for contemplation at times
takes creatures as its point of departure and then the gift
of knowledge acts to enable us to see the image of God in
creatures.
St. John of the Cross says that “God created all things and left in
them some semblance of Himself, not only by creating them out of
nothing, but also by endowing them with innumerable graces and
qualities. He even increased their beauty by the admirable order and
the unfailing dependence that unite them one to the other... Creatures
have preserved a trace of the passage of God, that is to say, the
imprint of His majesty, His power, His wisdom, and His other divine
attributes. ” ' Now, the proper function of the gift of knowledge is to
raise us from the creature to the Creator, to show us God’s beauty
hidden beneath visible symbols.

1356. B) These three gifts support one another and
either lend a united action, or act one after the other in the
prayer of contemplation.
a) The gift of knowledge lifts us up from creatures unto God in
order to unite us to Him: i) It is accompanied by an infused light
whereby we see clearly the nothingness of all that the world prizes,
honors, riches, pleasures ; the value of suffering and of humiliations as
means of reaching God and of glorifying Him; the reflection of the
divine perfections hidden in God’s creatures.
' A Spiritual Canticle, V. Stanza.

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CHAPTER I.

2) This light is attended by a grace that acts upon the will in order
to detach it from creatures and to aid it in using them solely as steps
by which to attain God.
b) The gift of understanding gives us a still deeper insight by
showing us the hidden harmony that exists between our soul and God,
between revealed truths and our deepest aspirations, as well as the
relations existing among those truths themselves ; it centers our mind
and our heart upon God’s intimate life, upon His immanent operations,
upon the mysteries of the Trinity, of the Incarnation, of grace, and
makes us contemplate them in themselves and in their mutual rela­
tions. Indeed, it attaches us to these great truths in such a way that
we find it difficult to turn our mind and heart from them. Ruysbroeck '
compares it to the light of the sun, which by its radiance fills the air
with pure light, illuminating every form and figure, and bringing out
every shade of color. So, this gift permeates the intellect, producing
therein a singleness of vision, through which rays of a singular
clearness penetrate. Then we are indeed capable of receiving the
knowledge of those sublime attributes of God, which are the source
of all His works.
C) The gift of wisdom, by causing us to appraise all things according
to their relation to God, and to relish things divine, centers our mind
and heart more lovingly still on the object of our contemplation.
Ruysbroeck thus describes the savor produced by this gift: “This
savor is so intense that it seems to the soul that heaven and earth and
all that they contain would dissolve and be absorbed in its unfathom­
able depths. These delights reach above and below (that is to say the
higher and the lower faculties), within and without, and have encom­
passed and penetrated the entire domain of the soul. Thus, the mind
contemplates the single principle whence all these delights flow.
In virtue of this fact, enlightened reason begins to ponder, though it
realizes full well that such incomprehensible delights must ever escape
its knowledge ; for the consideration of them is made by the aid of a
created light, while its joys know no bounds. This is why reason fails
in this consideration ; but the intellect, which is transformed by this
marvelous light, contemplates and finds the incomprehensible bliss of
beatitude. ”3

1357. C) The other four gifts, though not playing such
an important role in contemplation, have nevertheless a
share in it, and that in two ways :
a) They fit us for it in that they themselves contribute to make our
soul more responsive and more docile to the action of the Holy Ghost;
b) they co-operate in this work by arousing in our heart pious affections
which sustain contemplation. Thus, the gift of fear stirs within us
sentiments of compunction and of detachment from creatures; the gift
of piety, sentiments of filial love; the gift of fortitude, sentiments of
generosity and constancy; the gift of counsel enables us to apply both
to ourselves and to others the lights we have received from the
Holy Ghost.

It is therefore evident that each one of these gifts plays
its own part in contemplation.
1 II" Livre, C. 66-68. — ’ Royaume des amants, C. XXXIII.

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635

Note : The Five Spiritual Senses and the Gifts

1358. Some of the Fathers and theologians and many
mystical writers speak of five spiritual senses,1 analogous to
the five imaginative senses of which we have already spoken
in number 991.
St. Augustine describes them in this beautiful text: “What do I love,
O my God, when I love Thee?... It is a kind of light that I love, and
melody, and fragrance, and meat, and embracement of my inner
man : where there shineth unto my soul what space cannot contain,
and there soundeth what time beareth not away, and there smelleth
what breathing disperseth not, and there tasteth what eating diminisheth not, and there clingeth what satiety divorceth not. This is what
I love when I love my God. ” ’

What must we understand by these spiritual senses?
It would seem that they are but functions or operations of
the gifts of the Holy Ghost, notably of the gifts of under­
standing and of wisdom. Thus the spiritual senses of sight
and of hearing refer to the gift of understanding, which
makes us see God and things divine (n. 1341), and hear God
speaking to our heart. The other three senses refer to the
gift of wisdom, which causes us to relish God, to breathe the
fragrance of His perfections, and to enter into contact with
Him by a sort of spiritual embrace which is nothing else
than an experimental love of God.
In this way one can harmonize the teaching of St. Augus­
tine and St. Thomas, of Father Poulain and Father Garrigou-Lagrange concerning this matter.
§ IV. The Fruits of the Holy Ghost
and the Beatitudes

With the gifts come the Fruits of the Holy Ghost and
the Beatitudes, which correspond to and complete them, as
well as the charisms, which have a certain relation to them
(n. 1914).
I. The Fruits of the Holy Ghost
1359. When a soul corresponds faithfully to the actual
graces which set in motion the virtues and the gifts, it
performs acts of virtue, at first imperfectly and with diffi­
culty, then more perfectly and with greater relish, so that
the heart is filled with holy joy. These are the fruits of the
Holy Ghost, and they may be defined as acts of virtue
« Father
prove this.

Poulain, Graces of Interior Prayer, C. VI, cites many texts to

2 Confessions, Bk. X, C. VI.

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CHAPTER I.

which reach a certain degree of perfection and fill the soul
with holy joy.
St. Paul enumerates nine such fruits, charity, joy, peace, patience,
benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, temperance. *
* It was not his
mind to give a complete list, and St. Thomas rightly notes that this
number is symbolic, and in reality designates all those acts of virtue
wherein the soul finds spiritual consolation : “ The fruits are any
virtuous deeds in which one delights. ” ’

1360.These fruits differ from the virtues and gifts in
the same way as acts differ from the faculty which produces
them. Moreover, the designation of fruit does not cor­
respond to every act of virtue, but only to such as are
attended by a certain spiritual sweetness. At the outset,
acts of virtue often demand great effort and are at times
distasteful to us. But once we have grown accustomed to
the practice of virtue, we acquire facility and perform these
acts without great difficulty, nay, rather with pleasure such
as we take in the acts which we perform as the result of an
acquired habit. It is then that we call them fruits.
It is therefore through the cultivation of the virtues and
the gifts that the fruits are obtained ; and through these the
beatitudes, which are a prelude to eternal bliss.
II. The Beatitudes

1361. The beatitudes put the final touch to the divine
work in us. Like the fruits, they are acts, but possessed of
such perfection that they seem to flow from the gifts rather
than from the virtues;3 they are fruits, but fruits of such
mature perfection that they already furnish us with a fore­
taste of heavenly happiness; hence, their name, beatitudes.
In the Sermon of the Mount, Our Lord reduces them to eight:
poverty of spirit, meekness, tears, hunger and thirst for justice, mercy,
purity of heart, and patience in the midst of persecution. One may
say however that this number is also symbolic and is not meant to set
a strict limit.
These beatitudes do not connote absolute and perfect bliss ; they
are rather effective means of reaching eternal happiness; for if one
joyfully embraces poverty, meekness, purity, humiliation; if one has
attained such mastery of self as to pray for one’s enemies and to love
the Cross, one is faithfully following the example of the Master and
making great strides in the ways of perfection.
1 Galat., V, 22-23. The Vulgate enumerates twelve : “But the fruit of the Spirit
is: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, mildness, faith, modesty,
continence, chastity. " Thus, it adds longanimity, modesty and continence, and
puts chastity in place of temperance.
* Sum. Theol., I· Ilæ. q. 70, a. 2.
3 " Beatitudes are none but perfect works which, by reason of their perfection, are
assigned to the gifts rather than to the virtues. " fSum. theol., I· Ilæ, q. 70, a. 2.)

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1362. Conclusion. Through the cultivation of the
gifts of the Holy Ghost we are introduced into the unitive
way. i) They cause us to practice all the virtues, moral and
theological, in their highest degree, and thus unite us to God,
making us gradually grow like unto Him by the imitation
of His divine perfections. 2) They impart to our soul that
responsiveness, that docility, that enables the Holy Ghost to
take possession of it and to act therein with perfect free­
dom. It is even under the hidden influence of these gifts,
and at times under their evident influence, that the prayer
of simplicity is made.

Art. II. The Prayer

of

Simplicity1

1363. The prayer of simplicity, called thus by Bossuet,
was well known before him, and was given various names
which it is well to recall.
1) St. Theresa calls it the prayer of recollection. This must be
understood of active recollection in contradistinction to passive recol­
lection, of which we shall speak in the second chapter. In this prayer
the soul gathers its various faculties to concentrate them upon God,
to listen to Him, and to love Him.
2) Many authors call this
prayer of simple regard, of the simple
presence of God, of the simple committal to God, or of the simple view
offaith, because the soul fixes its affectionate gaze on God, remains in
His presence, yields itself to His action, and through a simple and
unreasoned faith, gazes upon God and loves Him.
3) Bossuet calls it the prayer of simplicity, because it causes us to
simplify all: the reasonings and affections of prayer, and even oui
whole life.
4) The Carmelites, and with them many authors since the seven­
teenth century, call it acquired contemplation to distinguish it from
infused contemplation.

We shall explain : i° the nature of this prayer; 20 its
advantages ; 30 how to make it ; 4° its relation to contemplation
properly so-called.
§ I. Nature of the Prayer of Simplicity

1364. Bossuet has given an excellent description of this
kind of prayer:
“ One must accustom oneself to nourish the soul by a simple, loving
gaze on God and on Jesus Christ ; to attain this result, one must gently
1 Bossuet, Manière courte et facile pour faire l'oraison en foi, et de simple pre­
sence de Dieu; Thomas de Jésus. De contemplatione divina ; Ven. Libermann,
Ecrits spirit.. De l'oraison d'affection; Instruct, aux missionnaires, C. V, art. Π;
POULAIN, Graces of Interior Prayer, C. II; Lehodey, The ITityr of Mental
Prayer, p. II, C. VIII; Tanquerey. L'oraison de simplicité. Vie spirit., dec. 1920,
p. 161-174; Lallemant, Spiritual Doctrine, 7th Principle; Grou, How to Pray,

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CHAPTER I,

free the soul from reasonings, from arguments and from the multitude
of affections, in order to keep it simple, respectful and attentive and
thus have it draw closer and closer to God, its first principle and its
last end... Meditation is excellent in its proper time, and highly
profitable at the outset of the spiritual life ; but one must not linger
there, since the soul by its fidelity in mortifying and in recollecting
itself, ordinarily becomes the recipient of a purer and a more intimate
kind of prayer which one may call the prayer of simplicity, and which
consists in a simple view, regard, or loving thought on some divine
object, be it God Himself, or some of His mysteries, or any other
Christian truth. The soul puts aside reasoning and employs a gentle
contemplation that keeps it at peace, attentive and docile to the divine
operations and impressions which the Holy Ghost communicates;
it does little and receives much ; its labour is sweet, yet very fruitful ;
and since it approaches nearer to the source of all light, of all grace,
and of all virtue, it receives a still greater share in all these gifts. ”

This prayer, therefore, comprises two essential acts :
contemplation and love; to contemplate God or divine
objects in order to love them, and to love them, the better
to contemplate them. If we compare this kind of prayer
with discursive or affective meditation, we discover a three­
fold simplification which well justifies the expression
employed by Bossuet.
1365. i° The first simplification consists in the diminu­
tion and then in the suppression of reasoning, which occupied
such a large place in the meditation of beginners. Obliged
to acquire profound convictions, and little accustomed to
making pious affections, beginners needed to reflect at
length upon the fundamental truths of religion and their
relation to the spiritual life, upon the nature and necessity
of the principal Christian virtues and the means of practis­
ing them, before their heart was able to bring forth sen­
timents of gratitude, love, contrition, humiliation and firm
purpose of amendment, and to send up long and ardent
petitions, a) But the moment comes when those con­
victions are so grounded in our soul that they form, so to
speak, part of our habitual state of mind, and but little
time is required to recall them. Then the pious affections
of which we have spoken spring forth readily and easily,
and prayer becomes affective.
1366. b) Later on, another simplification is effected:
the short space of time given to reflection is replaced by
an intuitive intellectual gaze. We thereby come to under­
stand first principles without effort, as by an intuition.
After we have meditated for a long time upon the fundaand Manual of Interior Souls ; Cursus A sceticus, Vol. Ill, Disp. Ill; Saudreau,
The Degrees of the Spiritual Life, VoL II, p. 251 et sq.

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

639

mental truths of the spiritual life, they become to us as
certain and as clear as first principles, and at one glance we
grasp them with ease and delight, without recourse to a
detailed analysis. Thus, the idea of father applied to God,
which at the outset required lengthy reflections before we
could grasp its meaning, now appears to us at a glance so
rich and so fruitful that we linger with it lovingly in order
to relish its manifold elements.
C) It even happens at times that the soul rests content
with but a vague vision of God or of divine things, which
view however keeps it sweetly and affectionately in God’s
presence, and renders it more and more docile to the action
of the Holy Ghost. Then, without multiplying the acts of
the intellect or of the will, it abandons itself to God in
order to receive His commands.
1367. 2° The affections undergo a similar simplification.
At the outset they were manifold and varied and followed
one another in quick succession : love, gratitude, joy, com­
passion, sorrow for sin, desire of amendment, petition for
help, etc. a) But soon one and the same affection is pro­
longed during five or ten minutes : the idea of God Our
Father, for example, excites in the heart an ardent love
which, without expressing itself in a multiplicity of words,
completely absorbs the soul for several minutes, penetrates
it, and gives birth therein to dispositions of generosity.
No doubt, this one idea will not suffice to occupy the
entire time of prayer, and it will be necessary to pass on to
other affections so as to avoid falling into distractions and
into a sort of idle day-dreaming; still, each successive
affection will last longer, and so there will be no need as
before of multiplying their number.

1368. b) One of these affections will finally become
predominant and recur continually to our mind and heart,
while its object will become like a fixed idea towards which,
no doubt, other ideas gravitate, but in small number and in
subordination to the dominant affection. For some, it will
be the thought of Our Lord’s Passion, accompanied by the
sentiments of love and sacrifice that it arouses : “ He loved
me, and delivered himself for me. ” 1 Others will make
Jesus living in the Eucharist the center of their thoughts
and affections, and they will continually repeat the words :
“Devoutly I adore Thee, O my Hidden God.” Others,
x Gala!., II, 20.

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CHAPTER I.

again, will be possessed by the idea of God abiding in their
souls and they will think only of glorifying Him all the
day long : “ We will come to him and will make our abode
with him. ” — “ The temple of God is holy which you are. ” —
“ Glorify and bear God in your body. ”1
This is explained very well by Father Massoulié:’ “When the soul
considers that not only is she privileged to be in the presence of God,
but that it is her happiness to possess that presence within herself,
such thought pierces her to the quick and causes her to enter into a
deep state of recollection. She contemplates this God of love and of
majesty, and the Three Divine Persons, Who deign to enter within her
and dwell there as in Their temple. She beholds the Godhead with
the keenest joy, she delights in the bliss of her possession, and she
finds therein an unspeakable rest, seeing all her longings fulfilled in so
far as they can be upon this earth ; for what greater thing can the soul
long and hope for than the possession of God?”

1369. 3° The process of simplification soon extends
to our whole life. “ The practice of this kind of prayer, ”
says Bossuet, “ must begin with our first conscious moment
of the day, by an act of faith in God Who is everywhere,
and in Jesus Christ Whose eyes are ever upon us, were we
buried in the depths of the earth. ” It persists all the day
long. While we devote ourselves to the performance of
our ordinary actions, we unite ourselves to God, and con­
template and love Him. While engaged in liturgical and
vocal prayer, we think rather of the presence of God living
within us than of the particular meaning of the words, and
we seek above all to show Him our love. The examinations
of conscience are likewise simplified : a rapid glance shows
us the faults we have committed, and we regret them
immediately. Study and works of zeal are done in the
spirit of prayer, under the eye of God, with the ardent
wish of glorifying Him : “ To the greater glory of God."
There are no actions, even the most commonplace, that
are not permeated by the spirit of faith and of love
and that do not thus become so many repeated sacrificial
offerings to God : “ To offer up spiritual sacrifices^ acceptable
to God. ” 3
§ II. Advantages of the Prayer of Simplicity

1370. The great advantage of this prayer is that it
gives to our whole life a unity of purpose and makes it
more and more like unto God’s own life for the greater
glory of God and for the spiritual welfare of the soul.
'John, XIV, 23; / Cor. Ill, 17; VI, 20.
■ Traité de la véritable oraison. — 3 / Peter, II, 5·

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641

i° God is glorified during the entire day. This habitual
and loving gaze of the soul on God makes Him better
known and better loved than He would be in virtue of
mere considerations : we forget self, and, with greater
reason, creatures, or at least we see them only in their
relation to God, under the influence of the gift of know­
ledge (n. 1341). Life becomes a protracted act of the
virtue of religion, an act of thanksgiving and of love, and
we repeat with Mary : “ My soul doth magnify the Lord. ”
1371. 20 Thus, our soul is sanctified, a) By concentrat­
ing our attention upon one truth during a notable period of
time, we gain a better knowledge of God, and since this
contemplation is accompanied by love, we love Him more
intensely and unite with Him in a more intimate way, thus
drawing to ourselves the divine perfections and the virtues
of Our Lord.
b) Detachment then becomes easier. When we habitually
think of God, creatures appear but as so many steps by
which to reach the Creator. Full of imperfections and
misery, they have no value except in the measure in which
they reflect the divine perfections and urge us to rise to the
Source of all good.
C) Humility also becomes easier : by the divine light, we
clearly see our nothingness and our sins, and we rejoice at
being able, by the humble avowal of our faults, to give
glory to Him Who alone is worthy of all honor and glory :
“ To God alone honor and glory, unto me humiliation and
shame." Instead of preferring ourselves to others, we con­
sider ourselves as the worst of sinners, ready to suffer out of
love all kinds of trials and humiliations.
One may therefore say in all-truth that the prayer of
simplicity helps us in a singular manner to give glory to
God and to sanctify our soul.
1372. Solution of Difficulties, a) At times an objection is made
to this kind of prayer on the grounds that it fosters idleness. St. The­
resa thus makes answer:1 “But to return to those who discourse with
the understanding: these 1 would advise not to spend all their time in
this exercise ; for though it be very meritorious, yet as prayer is so
sweet, they think there will be no Sunday nor any season wherein they
will not be obliged to labor, and therefore they immediately suppose
all that time is lost ; whereas I think that loss is great gain. But let
them (as 1 have said) represent themselves to be in the presence of
Christ ; and without tiring the understanding, let them speak and
regale themselves with Him, and not be fatiguing themselves in com­
• Life of St. Teresa, by Herself, C. XIII.

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CHAPTER I.

posing discourses, but only present their necessities, and acknowledge
themselves unworthy to be allowed to appear in His presence. Some
of these considerations may be used at one time and some at another,
that so the soul may not grow tired of always feeding on the same
food: they are also very sweet and profitable, if once we accustom
ourselves to feed on them, for they bring with them great support for
giving life to the soul, as well as much profit.” In reality, the soul
does not remain idle : it reasons no longer, but it gazes on God, loves
and praises Him, and gives itself to Him, and if it remains silent for a
moment, it is in order to listen to Him ; if God ceases to speak, it takes
at once to its own pious affections, and so is never idle.

1373. b) Others contend that to concentrate one’s attention in this
manner upon a fixed idea fatigues the mind and brings on mental
strain. This would constitute a real danger were one to enter into
this kind of prayer before being ready for it, and to persist in it by
sheer force. But this is precisely what must be avoided, as Bossuet
remarks : ' “ One must guard against torturing the mind, and against
stirring up the emotions ; one must rather take what presents itself to
the gaze of the soul in all humility and simplicity, with none of those
violent efforts which affect the imagination more than the will ; one
must allow oneself to be sweetly drawn to God and yield oneself to
His Spirit.” It is not question, then, of making violent efforts, but of
gently following the attractions of grace. When one has exhausted
the contents of one idea one must not force oneself to linger with it,
but pass quietly to another. Then the prayer of simplicity instead of
becoming a cause of fatigue, becomes a sweet haven of rest to the
soul, which abandons itself to the action of the Holy Ghost.

§ III. How thé Prayer of Simplicity is Made

1374. i° The Call to this Kind of Prayer. In order
that the prayer of simplicity become habitual, one must
fulfil the conditions required for the unitive way indicated
in number 1296. However, if it is question of practising it
only from time to time, it suffices that one be attracted
thereto by the grace of God.
One may reduce to two· the distinctive signs of a divine
call to this sort of prayer : a) A certain dislike for discursive
prayer or for a multiplicity of affections, together with the
little profit derived therefrom. We take it for granted that
it is question of a fervent soul striving to meditate well, and
not of a lukewarm soul resolved to live in mediocrity,
b) A certain attraction for simplifying prayer, in order to
fix one’s gaze on God and remain in His presence, together
with the profit drawn from this holy exercise.
In practice, when a spiritual director notices that an
earnest person experiences great difficulty in making reas­
oned considerations or in producing manifold affections;
1 Opuscule de la meilleure manière de faire oraison, L VII, éd. Vivès, p. 501.

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

643

it is then time to explain to him the main lines to be
followed in this kind of prayer, to urge him to try it, and
to ask for a report. If the results are good, the director
will advise him to continue the practice.

1375. 2° The Prayer Itself. Properly speaking there
is no such thing as a method for this kind of prayer, since
in it there is hardly anything to do but to contemplate and
to love. Still, a few words of advice can be given to the
souls that are called thereto, in order to help them keep
themselves in the presence of God. These counsels should
correspond to the character, the dispositions and the super­
natural attractions of the different penitents.
a) Those who feel a need to fix their senses upon some
pious object, should be advised to direct their eyes to the
Crucifix, the tabernacle or some pious image apt to center
their thoughts on God. As the Curé of Ars said, “ we do
not need to say much in order to pray well. We know that
the Good Lord is there in the tabernacle; we open our
heart to Him; we delight to be in His Holy Presence.
This is the best form of prayer. ”1
b) Those possessed of a lively imagination may represent
to themselves some Gospel scene, not in detail as before, but
in a general way; for instance, Our Lord in the Garden of
Olives or upon Mount Calvary; then they may lovingly
contemplate Him suffering for us, and say to themselves:
"He loved me and delivered Himselffor me. ” 2
1376. e) There are others who like to repeat slowly
some text of Holy Writ or some pious prayer, to ponder
over it and draw food from it. This is recommended by
St. Ignatius in his Second Manner of Praying (n. 993);
and experience shows that many a soul is thereby initiated
into the prayer of simplicity. Such persons should be
advised to make a collection of the most beautiful texts,
of those which have already impressed them 3 and to make
• Life by Monnin, Bk. V, C. IV.
- Galatians, II. 20.—St. Teresa in her Life C. XIII, gives us an example of
this prayer; after inviting her Sisters to meditate upon the subject of Jesus scourged
at the pillar, she goes on to say: “ But we should not weary ourselves with seeking
out these reasons, but only dwell upon them with a calm understanding. If pos­
sible we should employ ourselves in considering Who looks upon us ; and we should
accompany Him and pray to Him, and humble ourselves before Him, and regale
ourselves with Him remembering that Our Lord deserved not to be there. When­
ever we are able to do this, though it should be at the very commencement of
our prayer, we shall find great benefit from it... "
3 Father St. Jure has made such a collection entitled: Le Maître Jésus-Christ
enseignant les hommes. One may also find inspiration in “ Le Disciple" by Father
Chevrier.

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CHAPTER I.

use of them in accordance with the attractions of the
Holy Ghost.
1377. d) Persons of an affectionate nature should be
advised to make acts inspired by love for God and to relish
at length the thoughts called forth by such acts; such are,
for instance, “ I love Thee with my whole heart, 0 my God,
because Thou art Goodness itself; God is charity, infinite
beauty...” Or else they may address themselves to Jesus
and think on all the titles He has to our love : " I love
Thee, O Jesus, Who art all-lovable ; Thou art my Lord,
I wish to obey Thee; Thou art my Shepherd, I wish to
follow Thee and be fed by Thee; Thou art my Teacher,
I believe in Thee; Thou art my Redeemer, I bless Thee
and cling to Thee; Thou art my Leader, I am one with
Thee; Thou art my most faithful Friend, I love Thee
above all things, and I want to love Thee forever more. ”
They may also employ the old method of prayer bequeathed
by Father Olier to his followers: Jesus before our eyes:
“ Let us stand in awe and reverence before the Divine, the
Holy One of God, and after our heart has poured itself out
in love, in praise, and in other acts of homage, let us for a
time remain in silence before Him...;” Jesus in our heart:
we shall implore the Spirit of Jesus to come to our soul
that He may make us conformable to Himself, the Divine
Model: “We shall yield ourselves to Him, in order to be
possessed by Him and to be animated by His power; after
this we shall still abide in silence before Him to allow His
divine unction to permeate our whole being...;” Jesus in
our hands: we shall desire “that His Divine Will be
accomplished in us, His members, who must be subject to
our Head, and who must perform no action except that
which is received solely from Jesus Christ, our life and our
all, Who, replenishing our soul with His Spirit, His power
and His strength, must work in us and through us whatever
He desires. ”1
1378. e) There are persons in whom the faculty of will
is dominant and who can no longer engage in discursive
reasonings. Moreover, finding themselves troubled by
aridity and distractions, they succeed only with the greatest
difficulty in drawing from their heart some devout affections.
The simplified prayer that is proper for them is thus de­
scribed by Father Piny:2 “This prayer consists in willing
to spend all the time of prayer in loving God and in loving
‘ Introduction, C. IV. — 9 L'oraison du cœur, C. I.

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

645

Him more than ourselves; in willing to pray God for the
spirit of charity; in willing to remain abandoned to the
Divine Will... It must be noted that love has this advan­
tage over the acts of most other virtues and over the other
ways of effecting a union with God, that if we will to love,
we do love, that if by a real act of the will we choose to
unite ourselves in love to the Will of Him Whom we love,
or Whom we desire to love, we forthwith effect that union
by this act of our will : love is in truth nothing else but an
affective act of the will.”

1379. f) In this kind of prayer we are exposed to
distractions and to aridity, just as in affective prayer. We
have but one course to follow: to humble ourselves, to offer
to God the pain we experience, and to strive, in spite of all,
to remain in God’s presence, in perfect submission to His
Will. Distractions may then prevent the mind from con­
centrating on God, but the will remains united to Him
despite the wanderings of the imagination.
1380. 3° The Preparation and the Conclusion.
A) The question has been raised as to whether the subject
of prayer is to be prepared when one makes this prayer of
simplicity. Generally, the answer must be in the affirmative.
It is known that St. Francis de Sales advised St. Chantal
to prepare her prayer : “I do not mean that once the
preparation has been made one must not turn to this kind
of prayer (of simple regard) if at the actual time for prayer
one is attracted thereto. But to adopt the practice of
making no preparation at all seems to me rather improper,
for this would be to appear of a sudden before God without
any thanks, without any offering, without any petition.
All this may be done with profit, but I must confess to a
certain repugnance at making it a rule. ”1 This advice is
very wise: the preparation of a subject will not prevent the
Holy Ghost from suggesting another if He so pleases; but,
if in His wisdom He should refuse to do so, we can then
occupy ourselves with the subject we have prepared.
1381. B) This preparation includes the resolution which
is taken at the end of prayer; it is assuredly better to
determine upon one the evening before. It may be that
the Holy Ghost will inspire another, or simply lead the soul
to yield itself to God the whole day long ; still, the one
already prepared will not be without fruit. We may add,
■ Lettre du u mars 1610, t. XIV, p. 266.

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CHAPTER I.

however, that since the process of simplification extends to
everything, often the best resolution will be one and the
same, for instance that of living habitually in the presence
of God, or of refusing Him nothing, or of doing all things
out of love for Him. However, vague as these resolutions
may seem to those who do not practice this kind of prayer,
they are very definite to those whom God has led thereto,
for God Himself will give them a practical turn through
the inspirations He will frequently vouchsafe during the day.
§ IV. Relation of the Prayer of Simplicity to Infused
Contemplation

To express accurately the common doctrine on this
point, we shall show : i° that in its beginnings the prayer of
simplicity is in reality but acquired contemplation; 2° that
it constitutes an excellent preparation for infused contem­
plation and at times leads up to it.

1382. i° It is a form of contemplation, a) This was
Bossuet’s opinion. After describing this kind of prayer,
he adds: “The soul then, leaving reasoning aside, resorts to
a gentle contemplation which keeps it peaceful and attentive,
and docile to the divine operations and impressions that the
Holy Ghost communicates. ” The same conclusion fol­
lows from the very nature of this prayer when compared
with contemplation, which is defined as a simple intuition
of truth (n. 1298). Now, the prayer of simplicity, says
Bossuet, “consists in a simple view, regard, or loving
thought, directed towards some divine object.” Therefore,
it is rightly called contemplation.
b) It is, at least in the beginning, acquired and not
infused contemplation, as long as it remains faint and
intermittent; for it lasts but for some short moments, and
then yields to other thoughts and affections. It is only
little by little that the soul becomes accustomed to look at
and to love God Himself by a simple view of faith for a
notable period of time, much as the artist contemplates his
master-piece the details and elements of which he had
previously studied. It seems indeed that here there takes
place an ordinary psychological process which evidently
presupposes a live faith, and even the hidden action of the
gifts of the Holy Ghost, but not a special intervention
of God.
1383. 20 The prayer of simplicity disposes the soul for
infused contemplation, for it induces a condition that

THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

647

renders the soul highly attentive to the motions of grace
and docile to the action of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, when­
ever it will please Divine Goodness to take possession of it
in order to produce a still deeper state of recollection, a
simpler insight, a more intense love, then the soul enters
into the second degree of the prayer of simplicity, such as
Bossuet1 described :
“Then we must not scatter our efforts in striving to produce other
acts or different dispositions, but we must simply be mindful of the
presence of God, remaining exposed to His divine gaze, continuing in
this devout thought as long as Our Lord gives us such a grace; not
hastening to do anything except what is done in us, since this is a
prayer with God alone, a union which eminently contains all the other
special dispositions and prepares the soul for that passive state
wherein God becomes the sole Master of our inner life and wherein fie
operates more particularly. In this state, the less the creature labors,
the more powerfully does God act; and since God’s operation constitutes
a rest, the soul becomes, in this kind of prayer, in a way like unto
Him, and receives during it wonderful graces.”

Note should be taken of the phrases we have italicized
and which indicate so clearly the powerful, special action
of God and the passivity of the soul. Here it is indeed
question of infused contemplation; the prayer, begun with
a certain amount of activity through a loving gaze on God,
ends in repose or quietude where God acts more powerfully
than does the soul.
1384. Thus there is a certain continuity between sim­
plified, affective prayer, which one may acquire through a
spirit of faith, and quietude or infused prayer, produced by
the gifts of the Holy Ghost with the co-operation of the soul.
There is an essential difference between the two, since the
one is acquired and the other infused; but there is a bond
of union, a link between them, that is, the prayer of sim­
plicity, which begins by a simple view of faith and ends,
when it pleases God, by the Holy Ghost’s laying hold of
the soul. No doubt, the Holy Spirit is not constrained,
even when one has arrived at the prayer of simplicity, to
transform this into infused prayer, which ever remains the
gratuitous gift of God and to which we cannot rise of
ourselves; still, the Holy Ghost does frequently effect that
transformation, when He finds the soul well disposed ; for
He desires nothing so much as to unite to Himself in a
more perfect way generous souls who will refuse Him
nothing.
1 Opuscule^ N° V.

648

CHAPTER I. — THE SIMPLE UNITIVE WAY.

Conclusion

of the

First Chapter

1385. This first degree of the unitive way is already
very high. i) The soul, affectionately and habitually
united to God, strives to practice the virtues in their highest
form, with the aid of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, which act
sometimes in a hidden, at other times in a more manifest
way. The gifts that predominate in the soul are those
which, due to temperament, occupations, and divine
attractions, lead to action ; but in acting, the soul remains
united to God ; it is for Him, with Him and under the action
of His grace that it labors and suffers. 2) At the time of
meditation its prayer is very simple : the soul looks through
the eyes of faith at that God Who is its Father, Who dwells
within it, Who works with it ; and whilst contemplating
Him, it loves Him. At times, this love manifests itself by
generous aspirations; at other times by pure acts of the
will, for the soul has its moments of aridity and trial, and
then it can but say : My God, I love Thee, or at least I want
to love Thee; I want to do Thy Will through love, whatever
be the cost. 3) There are moments when the gifts of
knowledge, of understanding, and of wisdom, which generally
act only in a hidden way, manifest themselves as in a flash
and place the soul for a moment in a state of sweet repose.
It is a kind of initiation into infused contemplation.

*-<&>

CHAPTER II. — INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

649

CHAPTER II
Infused Contemplation '
After explaining the general notions concerning infused
contemplation, we shall examine its different degrees.

Art. I. General Notions
Regarding Infused Contemplation
I. Definition
1386. A) Earlier writers, not making any explicit
distinction between acquired and infused contemplation, do
not as a rule give the specific difference between the two.
From different articles of St. Thomas on this subject one
can draw the conclusion that contemplation is a simple,
intuitive gaze on God and divine things proceedingfrom love
and tending thereto.2 St. Francis de Sales defines it thus :
“ A loving, simple, and permanent attentiveness of the mind
to divine things. " 3
B) Modern authors generally make the distinction
between the two kinds of contemplation, and with Pope
Benedict XIV they define or describe infused contemplation
as : “ a simple look of the mind attended by a gentle love
’ St. Thomas, II» Hæ. q. 180-182 ; St. Bonaventure, De triplici via; Itinerarium mentis ad Deum; H. Suso, The little Book of Eternal wisdom; Le livre de
la vérité ; Bx F. Ruisbroeck, Eornement des noces spirituelles ; Gerson, La
montagne de la contemplation ; La théologie mystique spéculative et pratique ; Denis
the Carthusian, De Fonte Lucis et semitis vitee ; De contemplatione ; Blosius
(Louis de Blois), A Book of Spiritual Instruction ; D. A. Baker, Sancta Sophia;
St. TERESA, Life by Herself; The Way of Perfection ; The Interior Castle;
St. John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel ; The Dark Night of the
Soul; Living Flame ; St. Francis de Sales, The Love of God, Books VI-VII;
Alvarez de Paz, De Vita Spirituali, T. Ill, Lib. V ; M. Godinez, Praxis
ΊheologiceMystica; LALLEMANT, Spiritual Doctrine, Principle VII; Scaramelli,
Direttorio mistico; Ribet, La Mystique divine; De Maumigny, Practice of Mental
Prayer; POULAIN, The Graces of Interior Prayer; Lehodey, The Ways of Mental
Prayer; SAUDREAU, The Degrees of the Spiritual Life, Vol. Il; MEYNARD, Traité
de la vie intérieure; LambâLLE, Mystical Contemplation} FARGES, Mystical Phe­
nomena; JORET, La contemplation mystique d'après saint Thomas; GarrigouLagrange, Perfect, chrét. et contemplation ; Lejeune, An Introduction to the
Mystical Life; WILLIAMSON, Supernatural Mysticism; A. B. Sharpe Mysticism,
Its nature and value; Howley, Psychology and Mystical Phenomena.
8 Sum. theol., Ila llæ. q. 180. a. 3, c et ad 1 ; a. 7, c. et ad 1 : ·· Contemplation
regards the simple act of gazing on the truth... It has its beginning in the appetite
since it is through charity that one is urged to the contemplation of God. And
since the end corresponds to the beginning, it follows that the term also and the
end of the contemplative life has its being in the appetite, since one delights in
seeing the object loved, and the very delight in the object seen arouses a yet
greater love. "
3 Love of God, Bk. VI, C. 3.

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CHAPTER Π.

for things divine, proceeding from God, Who in a special
way moves the mind to know and the heart to love divine
things, and Who through the gifts of the Holy Ghost —
understanding and wisdom — co-operates in these acts by
shedding a powerful light upon the mind and by inflaming
the will with love. ” This gives a very complete notion
and points out clearly the share of God and of the Gifts of
the Holy Ghost as well as the part our faculties play.
Though God moves our mind to know and our heart to
love, we co-operate freely with His divine motion.
We must note, however, that this definition only extends
to sweet and not to arid contemplation. Hence, if one is
looking for a definition that embraces both, one may say
that it is a simple, loving, protracted gaze on God and things
divine, under the influence of the gifts of the Holy Ghost and of
a special actual grace which takes possession of us and causes
us to act in a passive rather than in an active manner.
To understand this definition well, we must explain the
share of God and that of man in contemplation.
II. The Rôle of God in Contemplation
God has the principal part, since He alone can take
possession of us and put us in the passive state.
1387. i° It is God Who calls the soul to contemplation,
for according to all mystics contemplation is essentially a
gratuitous gift. Such is the teaching of St. Theresa. Often
she calls this prayer supernatural. In her second relation to
Father Rodrigo Alvarez, she explains the term thus :
“ I call supernatural that which cannot be acquired either
by industry or by effort, no matter what pains we take for
the purpose. As to disposing oneself thereto, this indeed
one can do, and this is no doubt a great thing. ”1 She
further elucidates her thought by the following graceful
comparison : “ Our Lord is pleased to make the soul mount
higher and higher towards Him; then He catches this
little dove and places it in a nest, there to repose. ” 2
Such is also the teaching of St. John of the Cross. He distinguishes
two methods, one active and the other passive ; the latter, which is
none other than contemplation, is “ that in which the soul does nothing
as of itself, neither does it make therein any efforts of its own ; but it is
God Who works in it, giving special aids, and the soul is patient, freely
consenting thereto. ”3 The Saint often returns to this distinction :
’ Relation 54. — ’ Life, C. XVIII.
3 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk I, C. XIII, (Translation by David Lewis
M. A. London, 1889).

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

651

“ There is between the two states all the difference that exists between
human and divine work, between natural and supernatural operation.
Such souls do not act of themselves, but are under the action of the
Holy Ghost; He is the principal agent, the guide, the mover in this
state, and ceases not to watch over them, and lead them as so many
instruments in His hands towards perfection through Faith and the
Divine Law, through the spirit which God imparts to each one. ” '
Now, if the initiative is all God’s, if it is He Who moves souls, if He is
the principal agent, and the soul but an instrument, it is clear that the
soul cannot intrude itself into this state, nor merit it in the strict sense,
that is, in justice, for we cannot merit in this way except what God
has deigned to include within the scope of merit, namely, sanctifying
grace and eternal glory.
The gratuity of this state is acknowledged even by that school
which holds that all souls are called to contemplation. After saying
that meditation is not beyond our efforts, Father Saudreau adds : “ No
one can of himself enter into mystic prayer; no matter what efforts one
may make, one will not attain it if one has not been raised to such a
high state by divine favor.”’ Some indeed are of the opinion that
one can merit it by a title of fitness, but such merit does not detract in
the least from its essential gratuity.

1388. 2° Again, it is God Who determines the moment
and the manner, as well as the duration of contemplation.
He alone puts the soul into the passive or mystic state
seizing its faculties in order to act in them and through
them, but always with the free consent of the will. This
constitutes a sort of divine possession ; and since God is the
Sovereign Master of His Gifts, He intervenes when He
wills and as He wills.
1389. 3° In contemplation God acts especially in what
mystics call the subtile point of the soul, the summit of the soul,
the summit of the will or the inmost depth of the soul. By this
we must understand all that is loftiest in the intellect and the
will ; it is the intellect, not inasmuch as it reasons, but
inasmuch as it perceives truth by a simple glance, under
the influence of the higher gifts of understanding and of
wisdom; it is the will in its simplest act, which is that of
loving and of relishing things divine.
The Venerable Louis de Blois ■’thinks that this center of the soul
wherein contemplation takes place is far superior to the three
controlling faculties, since it is the source of these faculties.
“ Therein, ” he adds, “ the higher faculties themselves are but one
thing; therein reign perfect tranquility and perfect silence, for no
image can ever reach there. It is in this center wherein the divine
» The Living Flame, 111 Stanza.
2 L'état mysiii/ue, 2e éd., 1921. p. 19-20. — Father Janvier affirms the same
doctrine (Carême 1923. Retraite, 2« Instr.) : “ Infused contemplation is an eminent
and singular grace which we do not obtain by our own efforts; God grants it l<

whom He pleases, when He *pleases and to the extent in which. He pleases. ”
3 A Book of Spiritual Instruction. London. 1900, c. XII.

652

CHAPTER Π.

image lies hidden, that we put on the divine likeness... O Peerless
Center ! the holy Temple whence the Lord never departs? O wondrous
Recess! the dwelling-place of the Hallowed Trinity, and the source
here below of eternal delights ! ”

1390. 4° It is in this center of the soul that God
produces at the same time knowledge and love.
a) He produces there a knowledge which though obscure,
makes a vivid impression, because it is experimental or
quasi-experimental. God may produce it in four different
ways :
1) By attracting our attention to an idea already possessed,
but which heretofore had not impressed us deeply. Thus we
knew that God is love, but now divine light makes us
understand and relish this thought so well that it penetrates
our whole being and takes complete possession of us.
2) By bringing together in our mind two ideas which we
have had and making us draw from them a forceful con­
clusion. Thus, from the thought that God is all and we are
nothing, the Holy Spirit makes us understand that humility
is for us an imperative duty : I am Who am, thou art what
is not!
3) By producing within us what are called infused
impressions which, because they proceed from God, represent
divine things in a more perfect and more telling fashion ;
this is what occurs in some visions or revelations.
4) By granting to a soul a transient vision of God as He is in
Himself, as was the case, according to St. Thomas, with Moses and
St. Paul, ' and, according to some of the Fathers, with the Blessed
Virgin.a This, however, is a favor altogether exceptional, the actuality
of which is doubted by grave theologians, who explain otherwise the
texts of scripture adduced by St. Thomas.

1391.b) God also produces in the soul an ineffable love.
He enables it to understand by a sort of intuition, that He,
and He alone, is the Supreme Good, and thus He attracts
the soul to Himself in an irresistible way, like a magnet
does, yet without doing violence to its free-will. The soul
then moves towards God with all the ardor wherewith it
moves towards happiness, yet freely, because its vision of
God, though obscure, does not take away its freedom.
Then, according to the Venerable Louis de Blois, the soul goes out
of itself in order to pass wholly into God and be lost in the abyss of
1 Sum. theol., IIa Ilæ. q. 175, a. 3, ad 1.
9 Suarez, in I* m, c. 30, n. 18 : *’ We should not be too quick to affirm or to
extend such privileges. It may be piously believed that this favor was accorded
the Most Blessed Virgin, and indeed, that if it was granted to any one, it was
given to her above all. ’’

— —.

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INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.
653
f_______________________ ___ ____________ -

eternal love. “And there, dead to itself, it lives in God, knowing
nothing, feeling nothing, save the love that inebriates it. It loses
itself in the vastness of divine solitude and darkness; but to lose
oneself here, is rather to find oneself, for the soul really divests itself
of all that is human in order to clothe itself with God. It is all changed
and transformed in God, just as iron in a fire assumes the aspect of
fire and is changed into it. But the essence of the soul thus deified
remains what it was, just as the incandescent iron ceases not to be
iron. Heretofore there was but coldness in this soul, from now on it
is all aflame ; from darkness it has passed into the most radiant
brightness; once insensible, it is now all tenderness... All consumed
by the flame of divine love and wholly melted thereby, it passes into
God by uniting itself to Him without any intermediary; it forms but
one spirit with Him, just as gold and brass fuse to form one metal.
Those that are thus ravished and lost in God reach different heights,
for each one penetrates further into the divine depths in proportion as
he turns towards God with greater sincerity, earnestness and love, and
as he foregoes more completely in this quest all personal interest. ”*

III. The Rôle of the Soul in Contemplation
Moved by God’s grace, the soul freely responds to the
divine motion.
1392. i° It lets itself be freely seized and moved by
God, as a child lets itself be carried in its mother’s arms.
The soul is therefore both passive and active during con­
templation.
a) It is passive in this sense, that it is powerless to act on
its own initiative as it did previously; at the moment of
contemplation it can no longer employ its faculties in a
discursive way; it is dependent upon a higher principle
which governs it, which fastens its gaze, its mind and its
heart upon the object of contemplation, makes it love and
relish that object, suggests what it must do and imparts to
it a powerful impulse to enable it to act. However, in the
first stages of contemplation there is not a complete power­
lessness ; the phenomenon of the ligature of the faculties is
effected but gradually and does not exist completely, except
in some of the higher stages of contemplation, particularly
in ecstasy. Thus, in the state of quietude, vocal prayer and
meditation fatigue the soul, but generally they are not
beyond its powers;2 in the state of perfect union, God
suspends the exercise of the understanding, not indeed
completely by preventing it from acting, but by preventing
it from reasoning; He halts thoughts by centering them on
a determined object ; He causes speech to die away upon
» L. DE Blois, A Book of Spiritual Instruction, c. XIL
9 St. Teresa, 2nd Relation to Fr. Rodrigo; Way of Perfection, C. XXXI.

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the lips so that one cannot utter a single word without a
painful effort.1
1393. b) Although the soul cannot reason as it did
heretofore, it does not remain idle. Under the influence of
the divine action, it acts by gazing on God and by loving
Him, even if it be by acts that are at times but implicit.
Nay, the soul exerts a greater activity than ever; for it
receives an influx of spiritual energy which considerably
increases its own. It feels itself transformed by a superior
being which is, so to speak, its soul, and which lifts it up
and carries it on towards God. This is the effect of
operating grace to which the soul joyfully consents.
1394. 2° In this state God appears to the soul under a
new aspect, as a living reality, grasped by a sort of
experimental knowledge which human language cannot
express. It is no longer by a process of induction or
deduction that God is known, but by a simple intuition.
However, this intuition is notas yet the clear vision of God;
it remains obscure and is obtained by a sort of contact
with God, Who causes us to feel His presence and relish
His favors.
Perhaps no one has better described this experimental knowledge
than St. Bernard :3 “ I confess, though I say it in my foolishness, that
the Word has visited me, and even very often. But although He has
frequently entered my soul, I have never at any time been sensible of
the precise moment of His coming. 1 have felt that He was present.
I remember that He has been with me; 1 have sometimes been able
even to have a presentiment that He would come, but never to feel
His coming, nor His departure... And thus I have learned the truth
of the words I had read : In Him we live and move and have our
being (Acts, XVI1, 28); but blessed is the man in whom He is, who
lives for Him, who is moved by Him. You will ask then, how, since
the ways of His access are thus incapable of being traced, I could
know that He was present. But He is living and full of energy, and
as soon as He has entered into me He has quickened my sleeping
soul ; has aroused and softened and goaded my heart, which was in a
state of torpor and hard as a stone. He has begun to pluck and
destroy, to plant and to build, to water the dry places, to illuminate
the gloomy spots, to throw open those which were shut close, to inflame
with warmth those which were cold, as also to straighten its crooked
paths and make its rough places smooth, so that my soul might bless
the Lord, and all that is within me praise His Holy Name. Thus,
then, the Bridegroom-Word, though He has several times entered
into me, has never made His coming apparent to my sight, hearing or
touch. It was not by His motions that He was recognized by me, nor
could I tell by any of my senses that He had penetrated to the depths
' St. Teresa, 2nd Relation, 1. c.
’ Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon LXXIV, n. 5-6.
S. J. Eales, London, 189Ê.

Translation by

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655

of my being. It was as I have already said, only by the revived
activity of my heart that I was enabled to recognize His Presence; and
to know the power of His sacred Presence by the sudden departure of
vices and the strong restraint put upon all carnal affections. From
the discovery and conviction of my secret faults I have had good
reason to admire the depth of His wisdom ; His goodness and
kindness have become known in the amendment, whatever it may
amount to, of my life; while in the reformation and renewal of the
spirit of my mind, that is, of my inward man, 1 have perceived, in a
certain degree, the excellency of the Divine beauty.” Thus the soul
that contemplates the Word feels at once His Presence and His sanc­
tifying power.

This is therefore an intermediate knowledge between
ordinary faith and the Beatific Vision, but which in its last
analysis belongs to faith and shares in its obscurity.
1395. 3° Often the soul’s love is greater than its know­
ledge : this is seraphic contemplation, in contradistinction to
cherubic contemplation in which knowledge predominates.
The will attains its object in a manner different from that
of the mind : the latter knows an object only according to
the representation, the image, which it receives from that
object ; the will or the heart tends towards the object such
as it is in itself. This is why we are able to love God as
He is in Himself, although our mind here on earth does
not understand His inner nature This very obscurity but
causes a rekindling of our love for Him and makes us long
ardently for His Presence. By an aspiration of the heart,
the mystic, who cannot see God, rends the mystery that
veils his own face and loves God in himself, in His infinite
essence.1 At all events some knowledge always precedes
love ; therefore, if certain of the mystics seem to deny this,
it is because they emphasize what has particularly impressed
them. But it still remains true, even in the mystic state,
that no one can love what he in no wise knows.
1396. 4° In contemplation there is a mixture ofjoy and
sadness : unspeakable joy in relishing the Presence of the
Divine Host, sadness at not having complete possession of
Him. At times it is joy that predominates, at others, it is
sadness, according to the designs of God, the various phases
of the mystic life and the different individual temperaments.
Thus there are periods that are particularly painful, called
nights, and others that are sweet or pleasant. Some minds,
like that of St. John of the Cross and St. Jeanne Chantal,
perceive and describe especially the trials of the mystic life;
■John of St. Thomas, in I»·»· II1, q. 68-70, disp. 18, n. 11-12; Joret, Vie
Sfirituelle, Sept. 1920, p. 455-456.

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CHAPTER II.

others, like St. Teresa and St. Francis de Sales, dwell more
readily upon the joys and raptures of contemplation.

1397. 5° As the mystics admit, this contemplation is
beyond the powers of human description.
“ It cannot be discerned or described,” says St. John of the Cross. '
“ Moreover, the soul has no wish to speak of it, and besides, it can
discover no way or proper similitude by which to describe it, so as to
make known a knowledge so high, a spiritual impression so delicate
and infused. Vea, if it could have a wish to speak of it, and find terms
to describe it, it would always remain secret still... The soul is like a
man who sees an object for the first time, the like of which he has
never seen before ; he handles it and feels it, yet he cannot say what it
is, or tell its name, do what he can, though it be at the same time an
object cognizable by the senses. How much less then can that be
described which does not enter by the senses?”

This impossibility of describing what one has experienced
is explained on two grounds : on the one hand, the mind is
plunged into divine darkness and perceives God but vaguely
and obscurely, although it is very deeply impressed ; on the
other hand, the most striking phenomenon is that of an
intense love for God, which one experiences but knows not
how to describe.
1398.A) Let us see first of all what is meant by the
divine darkness, an expression borrowed from the Pseudo­
Dionysius. 2
“ Delivered from the world of sense and the world of thought, the
soul enters into the mysterious darkness of a holy ignorance, and
dismissing all scientific knowledge, it loses itself in Him Who can
neither be seen nor apprehended ; it gives itself over completely to
this Sovereign Object and belongs no longer to itself or to any other;
it is united to the Unknown by the noblest part of its being in virtue of
its renouncement of knowledge ; finally, it draws forth from this utter
ignorance a knowledge that the intellect would not be able to attain. ”
To attain therefore to this contemplation, we must rise above sense
knowledge, which evidently cannot perceive God, and even above
rational knowledge, which knows God only by induction and
abstraction. It is indeed solely through the subtile part of the
intellect that we can perceive Him. On earth we cannot see Him
directly; we can but reach Him through the method of negation.

St. Thomas explains this more clearly : “ From negation
to negation, the soul rises above the most excellent creatures
and unites itself to God in what measure it can here below.
For in our present existence, our mind can never see the
Divine Essence, it can only know what It is not. Such
union therefore as is possible here below between the mind
■ Dark Niçht of the Soul, Bk. II, C. 17. Translation by David Lewis, London,
1891.
* Mystical Theology, C. I, § 3.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

657

and God takes place when we come to know that God
surpasses the noblest of creatures. ” 1 The very notion of
being, such as we conceive it, is too imperfect to be applied
to God ; it is only after eliminating all specific being known
by reason that our mind unites again with God. It is then
that the mind finds itself in the divine darkness, and it is
there that God dwells.*
2
If we ask ourselves how it is that such negative intuition
can enlighten us as regards God, we can answer that we
thereby learn not what God is, but what He is not ; that we
thereby acquire a very exalted idea of Him, which produces
in the superior part of the soul a profound impression of
the divine transcendence and at the same time an ardent
love for Him Whose grandeur and goodness nothing can
express and Who alone can fill the soul. This contem­
plation, vague and affectionate, suffices under the influence
of grace to cause implicit acts of faith, confidence, love and
religion to well up in the soul, filling it completely, and
generally producing in it a great sense of joy.

1399. B) The second element which renders a descrip­
tion of contemplation difficult is the ardent love which one
experiences therein and which one knows not how to
express.
“ It is a canticle of love, ” St. Bernard tells us, 3 “ which the anointing
of grace alone teaches, and experience alone makes the soul familiar
with. Those who have had experience of it know it well; let those
who have not had that happiness earnestly desire, not to know it, but
to experience it. It is not a cry from the mouth, but the gladness of
the heart; not the sounding of the lips, but the impulse and emotion
of joys within ; not a concert of words, but of wills moving in harmony.
It is not heard without, nor does it make a sound in public. Only she
who sings, and He in whose honour it is sung, that is, the Bridgegroom
and the bride, hear the accents of that song. It is a nuptial song
which is expressive of the chaste and sweet emotions of souls, the
entire conformity of character, the blending of affections in mutual
charity. But for the rest, this song is not to be sung or to be understood
by a soul which is as yet a neophyte in virtue and but newly turned
from the world. It belongs to the advanced and instructed soul which,
by the progress in grace made by the power of God, has grown as
far as to reach a perfect age, and, as it were, to have become
marriageable through the merits it has acquired, and by its virtues to
have become worthy of its Spouse. ”

1400. 6° When contemplation is arid and weak, as in
the first night of St. John of the Cross, one is not conscious
> Comment, de div. nomin., c. XIII, lect. 3.
St. Thom., I Sent., dist. 8. q. I, a. 1, ad 4.
3 Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 1, n. 11-12.

a

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of it ; it is only later that, by examining the effects it has
produced, one is able to establish the fact of its existence.
When it is sweet it seems quite certain that one is not
always conscious of it in its beginnings, because while it is
still weak it is difficult to distinguish it from the prayer
of simplicity, and because at times one passes from the
one to the other without realizing it. However, once it
has become intense, one is conscious of it. It may be said
that all the various supernatural prayers described by
St. Teresa are of this type, as we shall note when explain­
ing the different phases of contemplation.
1401.Conclusion. From what we have said, it follows
that the essential element of infused contemplation is
passivity, as we heve described it, which means that the
soul is led, acted upon, moved, directed by the Holy Ghost,
and does not lead itself, move itself, or direct itself, though
it preserves its freedom and its activity.
Therefore, it must not be said that the essential element
of contemplation * is the consciousness of the presence of
God or the presence of Godfelt, since at times this is lacking,
particularly in the arid contemplation described by St. John
of the Cross in the course of the first night. It is, however,
one of its chief elements, since it reappears in all the
degrees of contemplation described by St. Teresa, from the
prayer of quiet to the transforming union.
§ II. Advantages of Contemplation

These advantages surpass even those of the prayer of
simplicity, precisely because in contemplation the soul is
more closely united to God and under the influence of a
more efficacious grace.

1402. i° God thereby receives greater glory.2 a) By
causing us to experience the infinite transcendence of God,
infused contemplation abases our whole being before His
majesty, causes us to praise and bless Him, not only at the
time of mental prayer, but likewise the whole day long :
once we have caught a glimpse of this divine grandeur, we
are held spellbound in admiration and worship before it.
This is so true that we are unable to contain ourselves, and
* Thus. Father Poulain, Graus of Interior Prayer, C. V, while giving as the
fundamental element of contemplation the presence of God felt, adds that in the
lower degrees, the prayer of quiet, God makes His presence felt only in a rather
obscure manner.
8 St. John of the Cross, Living Flame, Stan. Ill, v. 5 and 6.

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we feel forced to invite all creatures to bless and thank
God, as we shall see further on (n. 1444).
b) These homages are all the more pleasing to God, and
honor Him all the more as they are directly inspired by the
Holy Ghost : it is He Who adores in us, or rather, He Who
causes us to adore with sentiments of great fervor and
humility. He makes us adore God as He is in Himself,
causing us to realize that this is a duty of our very con­
dition, and that we are created solely in order to sing His
praises. And in order to make us sing them with greater
earnestness, He bestows upon us new favors and a great
peace of soul.

1403. 20 The soul is thereby made more holy. Contem­
plation produces so much light, so much love, and so much
virtue that it is rightly called a royal road to perfection
A) It enables us to know God in an ineffable and highly
sanctifying way. “ God now secretly and quietly infuses
wisdom into the soul together with the loving knowledge
of Himself, without many divers, distinct or separated acts,
though He produces them sometimes in the soul, and that
for some space of time. ” 1 This knowledge is very
sanctifying, because it enables us to know by experience,
what we had previously learned through reading or personal
reflection, and because it makes us see at a glance what we
had analyzed by successive acts of the mind.
St. John of the Cross*
3 gives an excellent explanation of this : “God
in His one and simple essence is all the power and majesty of His
attributes. He is omnipotent, wise, good, merciful, just, strong,
loving; He is all the other attributes and perfections of which we have
no knowledge here below. He is all this. When the soul is in union
with Him, and He is pleased to admit it to a special knowledge of
Himself, it sees all these perfections and majesty together in Him...
and as each one of these attributes is the very being of God, Who is
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; and as each attribute is God
Himself; and as God is infinite light, and infinite divine fire, it follows
that each attribute gives light and burns as God Himself.” Now one
can understand what St. Teresa3 says : “When it is Our Lord who
stops and suspends the understanding, He supplies it with matter to
occupy itself, and ravish it with astonishment, so that without any
reasoning it then understands more during the short space of a
“ Credo ” than we ourselves could understand, with all possible study,
during many years. ”

Doubtless there are instances in which the light is not so
clear but rather obscure and vague; but even then it
■ St. John of the Cross, Living Flame, Stan. Ill, v. 3.
= Living Flame, Stan. Ill, v. I.
3 Life by Herself, C. XII.

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CHAPTER Π.

makes a deep impression on the soul as we explained in
number 1398,
1404. B) Contemplation produces, above all, a very
ardent love, which, according to St. John of the Cross, is
characterized by three special qualities : a) First of all, the
soul loves God, not of itself, but through Him; this consti­
tutes an excellent practice; for it loves through the Holy
Ghost, as the Father and the Son love One Another. This
the Son Himself declares through St. John : “ That the love
wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in
them. ” *
b) The second excellence is that of loving God in God ;
for, in this ardent union, the soul is absorbed by the love of
God, and God yields Himself with great readiness to the
soul.
C) The third quality of the supreme love is that in this
state the soul loves God for what He is, that is to say, it
loves Him not only because He shows Himself generous,
good, glorious, etc., but much more because He is essentially
generous and good etc.
We can add, with St. Francis de Sales, ’ that this love is all the more
ardent, because it is based upon experimental knowledge. In the same
way that he who “ with clear eyes feels and feels again the vivifying
splendour of the rising sun ” loves that light far more than one born
blind who knows light but from hearsay, so he who enjoys God by
contemplation loves Him far belter than the one who knows Him but
through study ; “ for the actual experience of some good renders it more
lovable to us than all the speculative knowledge of it that we could
have. ” He goes on to say, that St. Catherine of Genoa loved God
more than the subtle theologian, Ochatn ; the latter had more know­
ledge of God through science, the former through experience ; and this
experience carried her far ahead in seraphic love.
What increases this love still more is that it facilitates contemplation,
and that contemplation in turn deepens love : “ For, love having
aroused our attention to contemplate, reciprocally this attention gives
birth to a greater and stronger love which finally attains its crowning
perfection when it enjoys the possession of the object loved... love
urges on the mind to the ever more attentive contemplation of the
beloved beauty, and the sight impels the heart to love it ever more
ardently. ”3

1405. C) This love is attended by the practice of all the
moral virtues in their highest degree and, in particular, of
humility, of conformity to God’s will, of holy abandonment,
and thereby of joy and peace of spirit even in the very
midst of the trials, terrible at times, which mystics undergo.
■ John, XVII, 26. — > Love of God, Bk. VI, C. 3.
zI.meofGod, Bk. VI, C. 3.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

661

This we shall see more in detail when analyzing the various
degrees of contemplation, n. 1440 etc.
§ III. Proximate Call to Contemplation

1406. We set aside for the time being the controverted
question concerning the general and remote call of all the
baptized to contemplation. We wish to remain as far as
possible on the solid ground of facts and to examine these
two questions : i° To whom does God generally grant the
grace of contemplation? 2° What are the signs of a
proximate and individual call to contemplation?

I. To Whom does God Grant Contemplation?
1407. i° Contemplation being essentially a free gift
(n 1387), God grants it to whom He wills, when He wills,
and in the way He wills. Usually, however, He bestows it
only upon souls well prepared for it
By exception, God grants it at times in an extraordinary
way to souls devoid of virtues, so as to snatch them from
the power of the devil.
St. Teresa' affirms this · “God knows that He can attract certain
souls to Himself by means of divine favours . He sees they are on the
way to be lost, but He doe not wish it to happen through any fault of
His; therefore, though they aie in a bad case and are lacking in
goodness, He gives them consolations, delights and tenderness of
devotion which begin to excite their desires, He even sometimes
raises them to contemplation, although but rarely, and for a very
short time This is to prove whether such a grace will induce them
to prepare themselves to enjoy His favours mote often.“

1408. 2° There are privileged souls whom God call,·, to
contemplation from their infancy, such as St. Rose of Lima,
and in our own time, St. Teresa of the Child Jesus. Others
are brought to it later and make such rapid progress in it
as would seem to be out of proportion to their virtues.
St. Teresa5 recounts the following : “ I remember one whom God in
three d. ys so ennched that were it not for the several years’ experience
together with her constant and growing improvement, I would think
it impossible. Another one I know who in three months reached
contemplation ; and both of these were still young. I have seen others
receive this grace only after a long time.
No limits can be set to so
gieat a Master. Who is so anxious to bestow His favours ”

1409.30 But ordinarily God selects for contemplation
tl ose «ho have prepared themselves fo. it by detachment,
* Way of Perfection, C XVI
■ Concepts of Divine Love C. VI.

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CHAPTER II.

and the practice of the virtues and of mental prayer,
especially affective prayer.
This is the teaching of St. Thomas,1 who declares that
one cannot arrive at contemplation except by mortifying
the passions through the practice of the moral virtues
(cfr. n. 1315).
St. John of the Cross is no less emphatic; he develops this teaching
at length in the Ascent of Carmel and in the Night of the Soul, and
shows that in order to reach contemplation, one must practice the most
complete and universal self-abnegation. He adds that if contempla­
tives are so few, it is because there are few who are completely
detached from self and creatures. “ So act, ” the Saint goes on to say,
“ that the soul may be established in pure, spiritual nakedness, and
having become pure and simple it will be transformed into the simple
and pure wisdom of God, which is the Son of God.”’ St. Teresa
returns to this again and again, recommending, above all, humility :
“ After having done what those in the preceding mansions do, practice
humility, and again, humility! Thereby does the Lord suffer Himself
to be overcome and to yield to all we desire of Him... My opinion is
that when His Majesty bestows it, He gives it to such as are already
taking leave of the things of the world. I do not say they do so in fact,
for their condition prevents them, but they do so by desire. Then He
calls them to concern themselves specially with interior things ; hence,
I believe that if we allow His Majesty full freedom of action, He will
not limit Himself to this gift alone on behalf of one whom He has
invited to higher things. ” *3

1410. 40 The main virtues to be practiced are: a) A
great purity of heart and a complete detachment from all
that can lead to sin and trouble the soul.
As examples of habitual imperfections which prevent a perfect union
with God, St. John of the Cross cites: “much talking; certain
attachments, which we never resolve to break with, such as to
individuals, to a book or a cell, to a particular food, to certain society ;
the satisfaction of one’s taste, science, news, and such things. ” He
then gives the reason why : “ Does it make any difference whether a
bird be held by a slender thread or by a rope, while the bird is bound
and cannot fly till the cord that holds it is broken?... This is the
state of a soul with particular attachments : it never can attain to the
liberty of the divine union, whatever virtues it may possess. ”4

1411. b) A great purity of mind, that is to say, the
mortifying of curiosity, which troubles and disturbs the
soul, distracts and scatters its attention in all directions.
This is why those whose duties of state require them to
read much and to study, must often mortify their curiosity,
stop from time to time, and refer all their study to the love
of God. This purity likewise demands that one be willing
’ Π» Hæ q. 180, a. 2. — 9 Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, C. 13.
3 Interior Castle, IV Mansion, C. 11 and III.
4 Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. I, C. XI.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

663

to abridge and, at the accepted time, relinquish reasoning
in prayer, and simplify one’s affections, so as to come, little
by little, to a simple and loving gaze on God. On this
point St. John of the Cross bitterly reproaches unskilled
directors of souls who, being acquainted with discursive
meditation only, want to oblige all their penitents to keep
their faculties constantly in action.1
1412. e) A great purity of intention attained through mortification
of the will and the practice of holy abandonment (nn. 480-497).
d) A lively faith, which makes us live in all things according to the
maxims of the Gospel (n. 1188).
e) A religious silence which enables us to transform all our actions
into so many prayers (n. 522-529).
f) Finally, and chiefly, an ardent and generous love which goes as
far as self-immolation and the joyous acceptance of all trials (n. 12271235)·

II. Signs of a Proximate Call to Contemplation
1413. When a soul is thus consciously or uncon­
sciously disposed for contemplation, a time comes when
God makes it understand that it must relinquish discursive
meditation.
Now, St. John of the Cross 2 tells us there are three signs
which indicate this moment.
i° “ When one finds one cannot meditate nor exert his
imagination, nor derive any satisfaction from it, as he was
wont to do — when he finds dryness there, where he was
accustomed to fix the senses and draw forth sweetness —
then the time is come. But while he finds sweetness, and is
able to meditate as usual, let him not cease therefrom,
except when his soul is in peace, of which I shall speak
when describing the third sign. ” The cause for this dislike,
the Saint goes on to say, is that the soul has already drawn
from divine things well-nigh all the spiritual profit that
discursive meditation can yield ; it can no longer make such
1 " A Spiritual director who, like a rough blacksmith, knows only the use of his
hammer, and who, because all his knowledge is limited to the coarser work, will
say ‘•Come, gel rid of this, this is waste of time and idleness : arise and meditate,
resume thine interior acts. ... everything else is delusion and folly... Such a
director as this does not understand the degrees of prayer, nor the ways of the
Spirit ... understands not that the soul has already attained to the life of the
Spirit ... where God is Himself the agent in a special way, and is speaking in secret
to the solitary soul. Directors of this kind bedaub the soul with the coarse
ointments of particular knowledge and sensible sweetness to which they bring it
back." {Living Flame, Stan. Ill, V. 3). St. Teresa also complains of such
directors, who force the faculties to work even on Sundays.
{Life by Herself,
C. XIII).
a Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. Il, C. XI.

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a prayer; the craving and the relish for it are gone; hence
it needs a new method.1

1414. 2° “ When he sees that he has no inclination
to fix the imagination or the other senses on particular
objects, exterior or interior. I do not mean when the ima­
gination neither comes nor goes, — for it is disorderly even
in the most complete self-recollection, — but only when the
soul derives no pleasure from tying it down deliberately to
other matters. "
This the Saint explains : “ Such a soul betaking itself to prayer —
like a man with water before him — drinks sweetly without effort,
without the necessity of drawing it through the channel of previous
reflections, forms and figures. And the moment such a soul places
itself in the presence of God, it makes an act of knowledge, confused,
loving, peaceful and tranquil, wherein it drinks in wisdom, love and
sweetness. This is the reason why the soul is troubled and disgusted
when compelled, in this state, to make meditations and to labour in
particular acts of knowledge. Its condition, then, is like that of an
infant at the breast, withdrawn from it while it was sucking it, and
bidden to procure its nourishment by efforts of its own ; like one who
loses a prize already in his power. ’*3

1415. 3° “ The third sign is the most certain of the
three, namely, when the soul delights to be alone, waiting
lovingly on God without any particular considerations, in
interior peace, quiet, and repose, when the acts and exercises
of the understanding, memory, and will have ceased, at
least discursively, that is, going from one subject to another,
nothing remaining except that knowledge and attention,
general and loving, of which I have spoken, without the
particular perception of aught else. ” 3
“ This general knowledge ot which I am speaking is at times so
subtle and delicate — paiticularly when most pure, simple, perfect,
spiritual, and interior— that the soul, wilhai, in the practice thereof,
is not observant or conscious of it. This is the case when that know­
ledge is most pure, clear and simple, that is, when it enters into a soul
most pure and detached from all othei acts of knowledge and special
perceptions, to which the understanding or the sense may cling. Such
a soul, because freed from all those things which were actually and
habitually objects of the understanding or of the sense, is not aware
of them, because the accustomed objects of sense have failed it. This
is the reason why this knowledge, when most pure, perfect, and simple,
is the less perceived by the understanding, and is the most obscure.
On the other hand, when this knowledge i« less pure and simple, the
more clear and the more important it seems to the understanding ;·
because it is mixed up with, clothed in, or involved in, certain intelh■ The explanations of each of these
chapter of the Ascent of Mount Carmel.
'■· Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. Il, C.
3 Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, C.

three signs are found in the fourteenth
Book II.
XIV
XIV.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

665

gible forms, of which the understanding most easily takes cognizance,
to its hurt.
The Saint explains this by the following comparison : “ When the
rays of the sun penetrate through a crevice into a dark room, and the
air within is full of atoms and particles of dust, these are more palpable
then, more visible to the eye; and yet, those rays are then less pure,
simple, and perfect, because mixed up with so much impurity : also,
when they are most pure and most free from dust, the less are they
cognizable by the material eye; and the more pure they are, the less
are they seen and considered. ” ’ The same takes place in the case of
spiritual light : the purer and more radiant it is, the less it is perceived,
so much so that the soul believes it finds itself in darkness; if on the
contrary it be charged with some intelligible forms, it is more easily
discerned, and the soul thinks itself better enlightened.

1416. We must note here with Saint John of the Cross
that these three signs must exist at the same time before one
can safely venture to abandon the state of meditation for
the way of spiritual contemplation. And let us add with
this Saint that it is profitable in the beginning of one’s
advancement to the ways of contemplation to return at
times to discursive meditation. This will even become
necessary if the soul finds itself unoccupied during the
quiet of contemplation; for meditation is imperative as long
as the soul has not acquired the habit of contemplation. 3

Conclusion : The Desire of Contemplation
1417. It is permissible to desire infused contemplation,
since it is an excellent means of perfection, but it must be
done humbly and conditionally, with a holy abandonment to
the will of God.
a) Since contemplation has so many advantages, n. 1402,
it follows that one may desire it : “ Contemplation is like
a dew which makes virtues grow, which nourishes them,
and from which they obtain their crowning perfection. ” 4
b) But this desire must be humble, it must be accompanied
by the conviction that we are very unworthy of such a gift
and by the desire of using it solely for the glory of God
and the good of souls.
C) It must be conditional, subordinated in every way to
the good pleasure of God. It must therefore be neither
over-eager nor unpractical : one should remember that con­
templation normally presupposes the practice of the moral
and theological virtues, and that it would be presumption
’ Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. Il, C. XIV.
2 Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. H, C. XIV’.
Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, C. XV.
4 Congrès carmélitain de Madrid, theme VI.
3

f>66

CHAPTER Π.

to desire it before being schooled for a long time in these
virtues. Besides, one must fully realize that if contemplation
procures unspeakable joys, it is also attended by terrible
trials which only strong souls can withstand, God’s grace
helping.

Art. II. The different Phases of Contemplation
1418. Infused contemplation is not the same in all
persons. God, Who is pleased to vary His gifts and to
adapt them to the different temperaments and characters,
does not confine His action within set forms; and so, when
reading the mystics one finds very different forms of con­
templation. 1 However, there seems to be a certain unity
running through all this multiplicity which has enabled
spiritual writers to classify the principal stages traversed
by the mystics.
We shall not present here the different classifications adopted by
the different authors. ’ They distinguish a greater or lesser number
of degrees, according to their point of view, and at times they reckon
as different degrees what in reality are but varying forms of the
same state.

1419. Since all admit that St. Teresa and St. John of
the Cross are the two great exponents of· the mystic union,
we shall keep to the divisions they give, and strive to
combine them harmoniously. The various degrees are
marked by a greater and greater hold of God on the soul.
i° When He takes possession of the subtile point of the soul,
letting the lower faculties and the senses free to exercise
their natural activity, we have the prayer of quiet. 2° When
He seizes all the interior facilities, leaving merely the
exterior senses to their own activity, we have the full union.
3° If He takes possession at the same time of the interior
faculties and of the exterior senses, we have ecstatic union
(spiritual espousals). 40 Lastly, once He extends His
hold over all the internal and external faculties and this,
no longer in a transitory manner, but in a stable and per' Cf. Mire Suzanne-Marie de Riants de Villerey; Ami du Clergl, 2 Août 1923.
5 M. J. Ribet, Mystique divine, t. I, ch. X, enumerates the main classifications.
Alvarez de Paz counts 15 : intuition of truth, interior concentration of the energies
of the soul, silence, repose, union, hearing of God's word, spiritual sleep, ecstasy,
rapture, bodily apparition, imaginative apparition, intellectual vision, divine
darkness, manifestations of God, intuitive vision of God. Schram has a more com­
plete and more obscure nomenclature. Scaramelli distinguishes twelve degrees :
recollection, spiritual silence, quietude, inebriation of love, spiritual sleep, the
anxieties and thirst of love, the divine touch, the simple mystic union, ecstasy,
rapture, stable and perfect union. Father Philip of the Blessed Trinity numbers
six : recollection, quietude, ordinary union, the divine impulse, rapture, spiritual
marriage.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION

667

manent fashion, we have the spiritual marriage. Such are
the four degrees of contemplation according to St. Teresa.
St. John of the Cross adds to these the nights or passive
trials; but the first night is but a species of quietude, arid
and crucifying; the second night comprises the sum-total
of trials, which precede the spiritual marriage, and which
are found in the full union and in the ecstatic union.
Therefore, we shall treat of :

Quietude i ar’^ .
[ sweet
II Full Union
III Ecstatic Union -! s"e^ .
( crucifying
IV Transforming Union or Spiritual Marriage
I

§ I. The Prayer of Quiet

This prayer generally begins in its arid form and termi­
nates in its sweet form.
I. Arid Quietude or the Night of the Senses.
1420. We have said that a great purity of heart is
required for contemplation. Now, even advanced souls are
subject to many imperfections, and experience, though in a
milder form, a reawakening of the seven capital sins
(n. 1264). In order to purify them still more and to prepare
them for a higher degree of contemplation, God sends them
various trials which are called passive trials because it is
God Himself who causes them and the soul has but to
accept them patiently.
No one has described these trials better than St. John of the Cross
does in the “ Dark Night. ” He calls them night because the divine
action binds to some extent the sense-faculties in order to subject them
to the mind, and prevents the mind in turn from reasoning, so that the
latter finds itself in .a kind of night : on the one hand, the mind can no
longer exercise itself in discursive reasoning as it did before, and on
the other, the light of contemplation it receives is so faint and so cru­
cifying that the soul believes itself plunged into a night of darkness.
The Saint distinguishes two nights : the first calculated above all to
detach us from the things of sense, and therefore called the night of
the senses; the second, to detach us from spiritual consolations and
from all self-love.

1421.

Here we speak only of the night of the senses.

“God establishes the soul in the dark night of sense,” says St. John
of the Cross, ■ “ that He may purify, prepare and subdue its lower
• The Dark Night of the Saul, Bk. I, C. XI.

668

CHAPTER Π.

nature, and unite it to the Spirit, by depriving it of light and causing it
to cease from meditation. ”

This is a complex state of soul and a baffling mixture of
darkness and light, of aridity and intense though hidden
love of God, of real weakness and latent energy, difficult
to analyze without falling into apparent contradictions.
St. John of the Cross himself should be read with the help
we shall try to furnish. With this end in view, we shall
explain: i° the constituent elements of this spiritual night;
2° the trials which attend it ; 30 its advantages.
i° Constituent Elements

of this

Ordeal

1422. A) The first and foremost of these elements is
infused contemplation, which God begins to communicate to
the soul in a secret, obscure manner as yet unknown to the
soul, but which produces there a painful and agonizing
impression. This, the Saint1 says, is a “ commencement of
contemplation, dim and dry to the senses, which is, in
general, secret und unknown to him who is admitted into
it;... it makes the soul long for solitude and quiet, without
the power of reflecting distinctly, on anything or even
desiring to do so. ”
To help us understand this state of soul, the Saint further on *
3
employs the following comparison which it will be well to keep in mind
from now on : “ The first action of material fire on fuel is to dry it, to
expel from it all the water and all the moisture. It blackens it at once
and soils it, and drying it by little and little, makes it light and con­
sumes all its foulness and blackness which are contrary to itself.' Fi­
nally, having heated and set on fire its outward surface, it transforms the
whole into itself, and makes it beautiful as itself. The fuel under these
conditions retains neither active nor passive qualities of its own, except
bulk and weight, and assumes all the properties and acts of fire. It
becomes dry, being dry it glows, and glowing, burns ; luminous, it gives
light, and burns more quickly than before. All this is the property
and effect of fire. It is in this way we have to reason about the divine
fire of contemplative love which, before it unites with, and transforms
the soul into itself, purges away all its contrary qualities. It expels its
impurities, blackens it and obscures it, and thus its condition is appa­
rently worse than it was before. For a while the divine purgation is
removing all the evil and vicious humours, which, because so deeply
rooted and settled in the soul, were neither seen nor felt, but now in
order to their expulsion and annihilation, are rendered clearly visible
in the dim light of the divine contemplation, the soul — though no
worse in itself, nor in the sight of God — seeing at last what it never
saw before, looks upon itself not only as unworthy of His regard, but
even as a loathsome object, and that God does loath it. ” 3
■ Night. Bk. I, C. IX. — " Night. Bk. Il, C. X.
3 Another comparison may further illustrate this state of soul : when we examine
a glass of water with the naked eye. we see nothing in it to startle us; but if we look
at that same water through the microscope, we shudder at the sight of the living

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION

869

1423. B) This kind of contemplation produces in the
soul a great aridity, not only in the sense-faculties which
are deprived of consolations, but also in the higher faculties
which can no longer meditate in a discursive way as they
did before. This is a painful situation : accustomed to the
light, these faculties find themselves plunged' ihto darkness ;
formerly they knew how to reflect and to cause numerous
affections to pour forth from the heart; but now they have
lost that’facility, and prayer becomes most painful.
So it is, too, with the practice of the virtues : the efforts
to grow in virtue once gladly made now appear arduous
and forbidding.
1424. It is important to distinguish this purifying
dryness from that caused by negligence and lukewarmness.
St. John of the Cross 1 gives us three signs by which to
make this distinction :
1) “The first is this : when we find no confort in the things of God,
and none also in created things, ” whereas the lukewarm while they
have no inclination towards the things of God, do feel drawn to earthly
pleasures. “ But still, inasmuch as this absence of pleasure in the
things of heaven and of earth may proceed from bodily indisposition
or a melancholy temperament, which frequently cause dissatisfaction
with all things, the second test and condition become necessary.”
2) “ The memory dwells ordinarily upon God with a painful anxiety
and carefulness ; the soul thinks it is not serving God, but going
backwards, because it is no longer conscious of any sweetness in the
things of God ; the peculiarity of lukewarmness is the want of earnest­
ness in, and of interior solicitude for, the things of God. ” Likewise,
when dryness comes from physical weakness, it produces nothing but
disgust without the least sign of a desire of serving God such as
accompanies purifying aridity, and which obscure contemplation
infuses into the soul.
3) “ The third sign we have for ascertaining whether this dryness be
the purgation of sense, is inability to meditate and to make reflections,
and to excite the imagination, as before, notwithstanding all the efforts
we may make ;for God begins now to communicate Himself, no longer
through the channel of sense as formerly, in consecutive reflections by
which we arranged and divided our knowledge, but in pure spirit
which admits not of successive reflections, and in the act of pure
contemplation to which neither the interior nor exterior senses of our
lower nature can ascend. ” The Saint remarks however that this
inability is not always continuous, and that at intervals one can return
to ordinary meditation.
Let us also note that this inability generally refers only to things
spiritual ; one is able to busy oneself with studies or business matters.

1425. C) To this aridity is added a painful and persis­
tent longing for a more intimate union with God. At first
germs we now discover. Now, contemplation is like a microscope which helps us
to see belter our faults. — x Night, Bk. I, C. IX.

CHAPTER Π.

670

this desire is not felt, but “ the more it grows, the more the
soul feels itself touched and inflamed with the love of God,
without knowing or understanding how or whence that love
comes, except that at times this burning so inflames it that
it longs earnestly after God... Secret contemplation keeps
the soul in this state of anxiety, until, in the course of time,
having purged the sensual nature of man, in some degree,
of its natural forces and affections by means of the aridities
it occasions, it shall have kindled within it this divine love.
But in the meantime, like a sick man in the hands of his
physician, all it has to do, in the dark night and dry
purgation of the desire, is to suffer, healing its many imper­
fections and practising many virtues that it may become
meet for the divine love. ” 1
The soul is now turned towards God and no longer desires creatures ;
but this turning to God is as yet vague and confused; it is like
homesickness for God; the soul longs to be united to Him and to
possess Him. If it has not so far experienced quietude in its sweet
form, the attraction is indistinct, the longing undefined, the uneasiness
indefinable ; but if it has already experienced the mystic union, the
desire to return to it is clear and well-defined. *
2
2° Trials

which

Attend the Night of the Senses

1426.
Spiritual writers generally give a terrifying
account of these trials, because they describe what tran­
spires in the souls of the Saints, who, being called to a high
degree of contemplation, have to bear very heavy crosses.
There are however other souls called to a less exalted
degree who are not so severely tried. It is well to know
this, in order to reassure timid souls whom the fear of the
cross might hinder from entering into this path. It must
be remembered that God proportions His graces to the
severity of the trials.
A) Besides that persistent dryness of which we have
spoken, the soul also undergoes terrible temptations :
i) against faith : feeling nothing, it imagines that it believes
nothing; 2) against hope : deprived of consolations, it
believes itself abandoned, and is tempted to weariness and
discouragement; 3) against chastity .· “ to some is sent the
tool of Satan, the spirit of impurity to buffet them with
horrible and violent temptations of the flesh, to trouble
their minds with filthy thoughts, and their imaginations
with representations of sin most vividly depicted; at

* Night, Bk. I, C. XI.
2 Lehodey, The Ways of Mental Prayer, P. HI, C. III.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

671

times, becomes an affliction more grievous than death ; ” 1
4) against patience: amidst all this weariness, the soul is
tempted to complain of others or of self ; blasphemous
thoughts present themselves to the imagination in such a
vivid manner that the tongue seems to utter them ; 5) against
peace of soul : obsessed by a thousand scruples and perplex­
ities, the soul becomes so enmeshed in its own ideas that it
can follow no advice nor yield to any reasoning; this is a
source of the most intense pain.

1427. B) One likewise suffers from the actions of
others : 1) at times from the repeated and varied persecu­
tions of unbelievers : “ All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus, shall suffer persectition; ” 2 2) sometimes also from
superiors orfriends who, not being able to understand such
a condition, are unfavorably impressed by one’s failures and
persistent aridities; 3) at other times from the spiritual
director, who either mistakes this state of soul for luke­
warmness, or is unable to relieve such distress.
C) Evils from without come sometimes to add to this
suffering from within : 1) one becomes a prey to strange
ailments which baffle physicians; 2) one cannot succeed as
one did before, on account of the helplessness in which one
finds oneself, or because one is absorbed in these interior
sufferings : one feels stupid, and others become aware of the
fact; 3) one undergoes at times temporal losses which bring
about a precarious situation. In a word, it seems as if
heaven and earth had joined against this poor soul.
In many cases these trials are natural and do not go
beyond what God sends fervent souls in order to procure
their perfection. But in other instances, these trials are really
mystic: they are recognized by their suddenness, by their
keenness, and by the good effects they produce in the soul.
30 Advantages

of this

Purification

To be introduced into passive contemplation, even though
it is dark and painful, is already a great benefit; in
addition, there are others which St. John of the Cross calls
accessory advantages.

1428. i° The experimental knowledge of self and one’s
miseries : “ The soul counts itself for nothing, having no
satisfaction in itself, because it sees of itself it does and can
do nothing. God then esteems more highly this diminished
• Night. Bk. I, C. XIV. — » Il Tim., Ill, 12.

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CHAPTER Π.

satisfaction with self and the affliction it feels because it
thinks it is not serving God, than'He did all its former
delights and all its good works, however great they may
have been... The soul learns to commune with God with
more respect and reverence, always necessary in converse
with the Most High. Now, in its prosperous days ol
sweetness and consolation, the soul was less observant of
reverence, for the favours it then received rendered the
desire somewhat bold with God, and less reverent than it
should have been. ” 1 Thus, the virtue of religion gains by
this purification.
1429. 2° The knowledge of God becomes purer and
truer, and the love for Him more independent of feeling.
The soul no longer seeks for consolations : it wants but to
please God : “ It is not presumptuous and self-satisfied, as
perhaps it may have been in the day of its prosperity, but
timid and diffident, without any self-satisfaction. Herein
consists that holy fear by which virtues are preserved
and grow. ” 2

1430.3° The soul is thereby cured of the capital sins
in their more refined form (cf. n. 1263).
a) The soul now practices humility, not only towards God, but also
towards the neighbor : “ Now, seeing itself so parched and miserable,
it does not enter into its thoughts, even for a moment, to consider
itself better than others... on the contrary, it acknowledges that others
are better. Out of this grows the love of our neighbor, for it now
esteems them, and no longer judges them as it used to do... Now, it
sees nothing but its own misery, which it keeps so constantly before
its eyes that it can look upon nothing else. ” ·’
b) It practices spiritual sobriety : since it can no longer feed upon
sensible consolations, it gradually detaches itself from'them, as well as
from all created things, in order to concern itself solely with eternal
goods ; this is the beginning of spiritual peace which before was dis­
turbed by consolations and attachments to creatures. In the midst of
this peace, the soul exercises itself in fortitude, patience and longani­
mity, by persevering in practices which offer neither consolation nor
attraction.
e) With regard to spiritual vices, such as envy, anger, sloth, the soul
rids itself of them and acquires the contrary virtues : having become
docile and humble under the influence of aridities and temptations, it
becomes more tolerant with itself and with others ; charity displaces
envy, because humility causes the soul to admire the qualities of
others; and the better it sees its own faults, the more it feels con­
strained to labor and exert itself in order to correct them.

1431. 40 Lastly, God seasons these aridities with a
certain amount of spiritual consolation. When the soul
> Night, Bk. 1, C. XII. — = Night, Bk. I, C. XIV. — 3 Night, Bk. I, C. XII.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

673

least expects it, He gives it vivid intellectual lights and a
pure love. These favors are far superior to anything pre­
viously experienced, and more sanctifying, although at the
beginning they do not appear so, because this divine
influence remains hidden.
To sum up, these aridities make the soul advance in the
pure love of God : it no longer acts under the influence of
consolations, and its only wish is to please God. No more
the presumption and vain complacency of former days of
sensible fervor; no longer those impetuous actions, those
over-ardent and natural aspirations! Spiritual peace has
already begun to reign in the heart.1
Conclusion : The Course to Follow in this Trial
1432. The spiritual director of souls who pass through
this trial must show them the greatest kindness and devot­
edness; he must enlighten and comfort them by telling them
frankly that this is a purifying ordeal, and that they will
come out of it better, purer, humbler, better grounded in
virtue and more pleasing to God.
. a) The chief disposition which must be instilled into
them is that of holy abandonment to God : they must kiss
the Hand that strikes them, by acknowledging that they
have indeed merited these trials; they must join Jesus in
His agony and humbly repeat His words : “ My Fdther,
if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless,
not as I will, but as thou wilt. " 2
b) In spite of dryness, they must persevere in prayer, in
union with Our Lord, Who “ being in agony, prayed the
longer."3 The words of St. Teresa4 should be kept in
mind : “ Whoever has begun mental prayer, I wish him not
to give it up, whatever sins he may commit in the meantime,
since this is the means by which he may recover himself
again; but without it, he will find the work much more
difficult. And let not the devil tempt him, as he did me,
to leave it off through a motive of humility, ” and, we might
add, under pretext that it is useless.
1433.c) But there must be no return to discursive medi­
tation once they have ascertained their inability to pray in
that manner; they must keep their souls at rest, even though
it may appear they are doing nothing, and they must be
content with a loving and peaceful gaze on God.
« Night. Bk. II, C. XIII. — » Maith., XXVI, 39.
Luke. XXII, 43. — « Life by Herself. Ç. VIII.

3

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CHAPTER Π.

“ For if a man while sitting for his portrait cannot be still, but moves
about, the painter will never depict his face, and even the work already
done will be spoiled. In the same way when the soul interiorly rests,
every action and passion, or anxious consideration at that time will
distract and disturb it ; ” ’ and so when God wants to imprint His
likeness upon their souls, and suspends the activity of their faculties,
they have but to abide in peace, and through this peace the spirit of
love will flare up and burn more brightly within them. This state of
repose is by no means one of inaction ; it is rather a different kind of
occupation, which excludes sloth and languor. They must therefore
expel distractions, and if in order to do so they must return to consi­
derations, let them not hesitate, provided they can accomplish this
without violent efforts.

1434. d) As to the virtues, it is evident that they must
continue to cultivate them, particularly those that are
proper to their state of life : humility, self-denial, patience,
charity towards the neighbor, love of God through confor­
mity to His holy will, and trustful prayer. They must
practice all these virtues in a spirit of holy abandonment
into the hands of God; and if they go about this coura­
geously, this state of soul will prove a gold mine which
will yield great profits.
e) The duration of this trial varies according to the
designs of God, the degree of union to which He destines
the soul, and the number of imperfections from which it
must still be purified. Spiritual writers tells us that this
period may extend from two to fifteen years.2 But there
are intervals of respite, during which the soul is at peace,
enjoys God, and builds up strength for future combats;
hence, the need of patience, confidence and holy abandonment.
This is, in summary, what the spiritual director must urge
on these sorely tried souls.

II. Sweet Quietude
1435. In treating this and the following states of soul,
we shall make use, chiefly, of the Works of St. Teresa,
who has described this prayer with a clarity of vision and
a precision that have never been excelled. She calls it by
various names : the Fourth Mansion of the Interior Castle, 3
* Night, Bk. I, C. XI.
3 Cardinal Bona (Kia Compendii ad Deum, C. io, n. 6) says that St. Francis of
Assisi spent two years in these purifying trials; St. Teresa eighteen; Blessed
Claire of Montefalco fifteen ; St. Catherine of Bologna five ; St. Magdalen of Pazzi
five years at first and sixteen subsequently; the Venerable Balthassar Alvarez
sixteen. These figures embrace, no doubt, 'the duration of the two Nights, which
are generally divided by a notable interval of sweet consolations.
3 The Interior Castle, composed in the year 1577, at the Monastery of Toledo,
five years before her death, at the request of Father Gratian and Father Velasquez,
is the crown and synthesis of all her works. In it she clearly and accurately de-

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

675

or the prayer of Divine Delights, because it is here that for
the first time the presence of God is felt by a kind of
spiritual delight; in her Life (C. XIV) she calls it the prayer
of quiet and she explains it by the second way of watering
the garden. Other writers call it the prayer of silence, pre­
cisely because the soul then ceases to reason.
This prayer has, as it were, three distinct phases : i°pas­
sive recollection, a preparation for it ; 2° quietude properly so
called; 30 the sleep of the faculties, which completes it and
prepares for the full union of the faculties.
i° Passive Recollection

1436. A) Nature. This kind of recollection is called
passive in order to distinguish it from active recollection,
which is acquired through our own efforts aided by grace
(n. 1317)· Passive recollection is not obtained “by means
of the understanding labouring to consider God within
itself, nor by the imagination representing Him within
us, ”1 but by a direct action of divine grace upon our.
faculties. On this account St. Teresa calls it the first
supernatural prayer of which she had experience : “ It is
an inward recollection felt in the soul, seeming to it as
though it possessed other senses analogous to the exterior
ones. The soul seems as if it would want to withdraw
from the din of the latter; and thus sometimes it does draw
them after itself; and one longs to close the eyes and
neither hear nor see anything, nor be aware of anything
but that which it does then, that is, to converse all alone
with God. In this state, the senses and faculties are not
suspended; they remain in the soul’s possession, but they
so remain in order to be applied to God. ” 2
In another place she explains this by a graceful comparison : “Our
faculties and senses had gone out (of the castle) to associate with
scribes the seven principal degrees of prayer corresponding to the seven stages of
the spiritual life. On the eve of the Feast of the Blessed Trinity, she was asking
herself what would be the fundamental idea of this Treatise, when God deigned
Himself to suggest it. He showed her the soul in the state of grace as a magni­
ficent crystal globe, having the shape of a castle with seven mansions, the seventh
the center, in which God Himself dwells, radiant with a marvellous brightness by
which all the mansions are illumined, each more brilliant as it stands closer to the
center. Outside the castle there are only darkness and uncleanness, and poisonous
creatures which attack those who venture near. The entrance to the castle is
mental prayer, which makes us enter into ourselves and find God. One leaves the
castle through mortal sin, of which the Saint gives a terrifying description (I Man­
sion, C. II)-. 'I here are seven Mansions : the first two correspond to the purgative
way; the third to the illuminative way; and with the fourth begins infused contem­
plation.
■ St. Teresa, Interior Castle, IV Mansion. C. 3.

’ Letter to Father Rodrigo Alvares.

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CHAPTER II.

strangers.” Afterwards realizing their fault, they drew nigh again to
the castle, though not yet resolved to enter. The Great King within
the castle is willing in His mercy to call them back to Him : “ Like a
good shepherd (acts towards his sheep) He makes them know His
voice by so sweet a call, that they themselves can scarcely hear it.
This He does that they may not wander and be lost, but return to their
mansion. This call of the Shepherd has such power, that they imme­
diately abandon all those external things which deceived them, and
hasten into the castle. Methinks I have never explained myself in the
way I have now.”1 St. Francis de Sales furnishes us with a no less
telling comparison : “ As when a loadstone is placed in the midst of
several needles, they immediately turn towards the magnet and fix
themselves firmly thereto, so something similar occurs when the
Almighty favours us with His sensible presence : the faculties of the
soul then direct all their strength and activity to the spot where it is
most sensibly felt, in order that they may enjoy the company of their
God, Who communicates such ineffable delights.”3

Passive recollection may therefore be defined as a gentle
and affectionate absorption of the mind and the heart in God,
produced by a special grace of the Holy Ghost.

1437. B) Course To Follow During· This Prayer.
This favor is ordinarily a prelude to the prayer of quiet;
but it may be but transitory, as on certain occasions when
one.abounds in fervor, for instance at the time of receiving
the religious habit, or of taking vows, or of receiving orders.
From this fact two practical conclusions follow :
a) If God plunges us into this prayer of recollection, let
us gently keep the understanding from reasoning, but
without endeavoring to suspend it altogether :
“ We should, without any violence or noise, keep the understanding
from discoursing, but not suspend it, nor the imagination either ; it is
good for the soul to remember that it is in the presence of God, and
who this God is. If what the understanding feels in itself absorbs it,
well and good ; but let it not try to understand what this is ; for such a
gift is bestowed on the will. Let the soul enjoy it without the inter­
ference of its own efforts, limiting itself to the utterance of some few
words of love. ” 3

b) But if God does not speak to our heart, “ if we per­
ceive that this King has not heard us, nor pays any heed
to us, we must stand there like dolts, ” says St. Teresa.
“ For when the soul strives to bind its thoughts, it expe­
riences a still greater aridity than before, and the very effort
it makes to think of nothing makes the imagination more
active. Besides, we must have but God’s glory in view, not
our consolations and personal tastes. VVhen His Divine
Majesty wishes the understanding to leave off discoursing,
’ Interior Castle, IV Mansion, C. 3.
8 Love of God, Bk. VI, C. 7. — 3 Interior Castle, Mansion IV, C. 3.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

677

He employs it in another way, and gives it a light and
knowledge so far above what we can arrive at, that He
makes it to remain absorbed. ”1 Outside of this however
our faculties are made for action.

2° Quietude Properly so Called
We shall explain its nature, its origin, its development, its
various forms, and the course to follow during this prayer.
1438. A) Nature. In this prayer the higher faculties
of the soul, the intellect and the will, are seized by God and
made to enjoy a very gentlq repose and a very keen joy at
His Presence; but the understanding, the memory and the
imagination remain free and are at times a source of dis­
tractions.
a) St. Teresa explains in the following manner the supernatural
character of this prayer, and the way in which the uuill is seized by
God. ’ “ This is something supernatural, which we cannot acquire by
all our diligence, because it is a settling of the soul in peace ; or rather,
to speak more correctly, Our Lord leads her into peace, just as He did
holy Simeon, for all the faculties are calmed. The soul understands,
in a manner different from understanding by the exterior senses, that
she is now placed near her God, and that in a very short time, she will
become one with Him by union. This does not happen because she
sees Him with the eyes of the body or of the soul,... but that she sees
herself in the kingdom (at least, near the King Who is to give it to
her), and the soul seems so impressed with such reverence that then
she dare not ask anything...
Here the will is a captive, and if she feel any pain in this state, it
is to see that she is to return to her former liberty... Nothing troubles
them (those who are in this state) and it seems nothing can do so. In
a word, while this continues, they are so inebriated and absorbed with
the delight and satisfaction contained therein, that they remember not
that there is anything more to desire ; and they exclaim with St. Peter :
Lord let us make here three tabernacles. ” *3
The Saint adds that, since the will alone is made captive, the other
two faculties may wander. “ The will must not heed them, but abide
in the enjoyment of her pleasure and quiet; for if it seeks to recollect
them, both she and they will roam ”4 It is especially the imagination
which strays at times and fatigues us by its deafening noise : “ Let
the mill-clapper go round and let us but heed the grinding of our own
meal, not halting the action of our will and understanding. ” 3

1439. b) The spiritual joy produced in the state of
quietude is quite different from that experienced in active
’ Interior Castle, Mansion IV, C. 3.
' Way of Perfection, C. XXXI. The Saint speaks only of the will, because
being the master-faculty, it is seized first and foremost, for contemplation is rather
an act of love than of knowledge. However since the will acts only when enlight­
ened by the intelligence, the latter likewise comes to some extent within the Divine
grasp. —3 Way of Perfection, C. XXXI.
4 Life by Herself, C. XIV. — s Interior Castle, IV Mansion, C. 1.

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CHAPTER Π.

prayer. St. Teresa explains this difference by contrasting
the divine delights produced by contemplation with the joys
or consolations of active prayer. There is a twofold diffe­
rence proceeding from the source and the effects of these
prayers.
1) The divine delights come directly from the action of
God, whilst the joys come from our activity aided by grace.
In order to make this clear, St. Teresa employs the comparison of
the two cisterns supplied with water in different ways. In the one the
water is brought from a distance through pipes, and rushes in with a
noise; this resembles the consolations experienced in active prayer.
The other cistern is fed by a spring rising from its depths and is filled
noiselessly; this represents contemplation, or the water of consolation
“ which God causes to flow from our inmost soul, with great peace
and calm and gentleness. ” "
2) Thus, the joys of contemplation are far superior to those of active
prayer : “When this heavenly water begins to rise from the source...
our whole interior seems to be enlarging and dilating, and producing
certain delights which cannot be expressed. Neither can the soul
understand what this is which is here given to her. A certain fragrance
is diffused, as if (I may say so) some odoriferous perfumes were cast
into a brasier, without any light being seen, or the place whence the
odour comes...’” But the Saint adds that this is a very imperfect
comparison. In her Life, *3 she states that such joys resemble those
of heaven and that the soul loses all craving for the things of earth :
“ She sees clearly that even one moment of these pleasures cannot be
purchased here below ; and that no riches, nor dominions, nor honors,
nor delights are capable of giving such “happiness even for one instant,
because this joy is real and we feel it satisfies us...”

. The principal cause of this joy is

presence of Godfelt :

“God, for His greatness’sake, is pleased that this soul should now
understand that His Divine Majesty is so close to her, that there is
no need of sending any messenger to her; that she but needs to speak,
herself, to Him, though not by word of mouth, since, being so near to
her, He understands her even by the sole motion of her lips. ” * Of
course, the Saint goes on to say that God is ever with us ; but it is
question here of a special presence : “ This Divine Sovereign, our
Master, wishes we should here understand that He knows us, and that
we should feel the effects of His presence ; that He particularly wishes
to begin to work in our soul by giving her a great interior and exterior
satisfaction.”5

1440. c) This dilatation of the heart produces excellent
virtuous dispositions, particularly a fear of offending God
(which replaces the fear of hell), love of penance and of
crosses, humility, contempt for worldly joys : —
1) “ Neither is she distressed through the fear of hell ; for though
she feels greater fear now for having offended God, yet she is free from
servile fear, and has a great confidence that she shall enjoy Him. ”
’ Interior Castle, IV Mansion, C. 2. — 9 Interior Castle, IV Mansion, C. 2.
3 Life by Herself, C. XIV. — * Life by Herself, C. XIV. — 5 Ibid., 1. c.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

679

2) The fear she used to have of losing her health by doing penance
has now ceased, and she thinks she can do all in God, as she has
greater desires than ever of using austerities. The fear of afflictions,
likewise, which she used to have, is now more moderate, because she
has a more lively faith, for she knows that if she bears them for God’s
sake, His Majesty will give her grace to bear them with patience;
nay sometimes she desires them, since she has a great desire to do
something for God. 3) And as she now understands His greatness
better, she accordingly esteems herself more vile. 4) Having, likewise,
tried the delights of God, she finds those of the world but dung (in
comparison) ; she separates herself from them by little and little, and
for doing this she has more command over herself. In a word, she
has improved in all virtues, and will not fail to go on increasing, unless
she should relapse and offend God again, for then all is lost, however
highly raised a soul may have been in virtue and contemplation. ” ’

1441. Definition. From this description one may con­
clude that quietude is a supernatural state of prayer, not
tvholly passive, which is produced in the superior part of the
soul and causes the latter to feel and relish God present
within it.
It is a supernatural state of prayer, that is to say, infused.
In this we differ from some writers of the Carmelite School,
who considering it as a prayer of transition, are of the
opinion that it can be acquired in the same way as the
prayer of simplicity.
With them we say that it is not tvholly passive, since only
the will (with the intellect) is seized, while the power of
reasoning and of the imagination remain free to roam. As to
the divine delights and the virtues which are the fruits
of this prayer, we have sufficiently explained them in
n. 1439.
1442. B) Origin and Growth of Quietude, a) Gene­
rally speaking, this form of prayer is granted to souls that
are already accustomed to meditation for a notable period
of time, and have passed through the night of the senses.
Still, it is sometimes preceded by the latter, especially in
the case of children or innocent souls who have no need of
a special purification.
b) At first it is granted but at intervals, and in a rather
faint and unconscious manner; it is of short duration,
lasting, for instance, for the space of a Hail *
Mary, as
St. Teresa says. Later on it becomes more frequent and
■ interior Castle. IV Mansion, C. 3.
a St. John of the Cross remarks (Ascent, Bk. Ill, C. XIV) that the time passes·
so rapidly when one is in lite state of contemplation that at times one mistakes its
duration : what seems to have lasted but two or three minutes, may very well have
lasted longer.

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CHAPTER Π.

more prolonged, extending over a half-hour. But, since it
does not always come suddenly nor stop abruptly, it may,
from its first inception to its final cessation, endure for a
full hour or even longer. Moreover, when it is active
(n. 1445) and accompanied by spiritual inebriation, it may
continue through an entire day or even two, without in any
way interfering with the ordinary occupations.
C) As long as the purification of the soul is not completed, quietude
may occur alternately in its sweet or in its arid form.
d) A time comes when quietude becomes habitual : then one enters
into it from the moment one begins to pray. At times one is even
seized by it unawares, even in the midst of the most common-place
occupations. It also tends to become stronger and more conscious,
and if the soul corresponds with grace, it develops into the full union
and ecstasy. But if the soul is not faithful, it may fail and fall back
into discursive meditation, or even suffer the loss of grace.

1443.C) Forms or Varieties of Quietude. There are
three principal forms : silent, praying, and active quietude. '
a) In silent quietude, the soul contemplates God in the
midst of a loving stillness, admiration so to speak stifling
every utterance. The will immersed in God and burning
with love for Him rests joyfully in Him through a union
that is calm, tranquil and sweet.
Like a mother who feasts her eyes upon her child, the soul lovingly
contemplates its God. “ The soul, ” says St. Teresa, · “ is like the
child that sucks, lying at his mother’s breast ; and she, to please him,
without moving his lips, forces the milk into his mouth. ” So it is
here ; for the will continues to love without any labor on the part of the
understanding.

1444. b) At times the soul, unable to contain its love,
pours itself forth in ardent prayer. This is praying quietude:
now it gives vent to sweet colloquies, now it abandons itself
to the effusions of its tenderness and calls upon all creatures
to praise God : “ She utters a thousand holy extravagances,
always endeavoring to please Thee, who boldest her in this
state. ”3
In that state St. Teresa composed stanzas to describe her love and
her suffering. Sometimes God responds to such outbursts of love with
affectionate caresses, w'hich produce a species of spiritual inebriation.
According to St. Francis de Sales this heavenly intoxication “renders
us more alive to spiritual things by alienating the corporal senses ; it
does not reduce us to a level with brute creation, but renders us parti­
cipators of the angelic, and even of the divine, nature ; it transports us
out of ourselves to elevate us above ourselves. ” *
' Cassian bad already noted these varieties. Conf., X, C. 24.
» Way of Perfection, C. XXXI.
a Life by Herself, C. XVI. — 4 Love of God, Bk. VI. C. VI.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

681

1445. c) There are cases in which quietude becomes
active. When the quietude is profound and prolonged,
says St. Teresa,1 (since the will alone is held captive), the
other faculties are free to attend to things relating to God’s
service; and this they do with far greater energy. Then,
while the soul is engaged in exterior works it continues to
love God ardently : this is the union of action and contem­
plation, of the service of Martha and the love of Mary.
3° The Sleep

of the

Faculties

1446. This third phase of quietude is a still higher
form of prayer which prepares for the full union of the
interior faculties with God.
St. Teresa described it in the seventeenth chapter of her autobio­
graphy : “ Now, 1 often have this kind of union whereof I am speaking;
and Almighty God is very often pleased to bestow this favor upon me
in such a manner, that He makes my will and also my understanding
recollected; and then it no longer discourses, but is occupied in the
enjoyment of God, as one who is looking on, and who sees so much,
that he knows not which way to look... The memory remains free
and so also seems to be the imagination : and when it sees itself alone
one cannot conceive what a war it makes upon the will and the under
standing, and how it endeavors to put everything in confusion. It
makes me quite tired, so that I abhor it ; and often I have besoughOur Lord to deprive me entirely of it on these occasions, if it should
continue to distract me... just like those importunate and restless little
gnats which buzz about by night here and there. This comparison
seems to me to be extremely proper ; for though these faculties have
no strength to do harm, yet they trouble those who feel them. ” As to
the means of overcoming such wanderings, she notes but one : “ To
consider the memory no better than a madman, and to leave it alone
with its madness, for God only can check its extravagances. ” As one
can see, this is a prayer of quiet, in which the understanding itself isseized by God, but in which the imagination continues to wander. It
is a preparation for the full union.
The Course

to follow during the

Prayer of Quiet

1447. The general disposition to be fostered in this
state is that of humble abandonment into the hands of God
from the very beginning to the end and throughout all the
phases of this prayer.
a) One must not, then, make efforts to put oneself in this state by
striving to suspend the functions of the faculties and even to hold one’s
breath. this would be wasted effort, since God alone can grant
contemplation.
b) As soon as one is aware of the divine action, one must adapt
oneself to it as perfectly as possible, giving up reflection and following
the motions of grace with great docility.
■ Way of Perfection, C. XXXI.

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CHAPTER Π.

ί) If we are called to the state of loving silence, let us contemplate
and love uttering not a word, or at the most a few tender words, in
order to rekindle the flame of love, but without making any violent
efforts that might extinguish it.
2) If we are inclined to make acts, if our affections burst forth as
from a spring, let us pray gently, without any noise of words; but with
an ardent desire to be heard. “A few little straws... presented with
humility, will be much more for the purpose, and will be of greater
help in enkindling the fire of divine love, than great logs of wood —
I mean by these those discourses that seem to us so learned, and
which might extinguish that fire in the space of time required to recite
the Creed.”' Above all, adds St. Francis de Sales,° we must avoid
violent, immoderate outbursts which weary the heart and the nerves,
as well as those disturbing reflections by which we try to discover
whether the tranquility we enjoy is indeed tranquil.
3) If the understanding and the imagination wander, let us not be
disturbed; let us not go in pursuit of them; let the will “remain in the
enjoyment of the favor which has been granted it, as the busy bee
remains in the depths of its cell. If, instead, of entering into the hive,
the bees were to go in pursuit of one another, how could any honey
be made?”

§ II. The Prayer of Full Union

1448. This prayer, which corresponds to the Fifth
Mansion, is called simple union or full union of the interior
faculties, because in it the soul is united to God, not only
through the will, but also through all the interior faculties.
It is therefore more perfect than the prayer of quiet We
shall describe the nature and the effects of this prayer.

I. Nature of the Prayer of Union
1449. i° Its essential characteristics are two : the
suspension of all the faculties, and the absolute certitude that
God is present in the soul.
“To return now to the proof which I said was certain. You see
that God makes this soul quite stupid, in order the better to imprint
upon her true wisdom ; hence, she neither sees nor heeds, nor under­
stands, nor perceives all the time she is in this state, which is always
short; and, indeed, it seems to her shorter than it is.”*
3 In other
words, not only the will, but the understanding, the imagination, and
the memory are suspended in their functions. St. Teresa goes on :
“ God so fixes Himself in the interior of this soul, that when she comes
to herself, she cannot but believe she was in God and that God was in
her.4 This truth in so deeply rooted in her, that though many years
may pass away before God bestows the like favor upon her, she never
forgets it or doubts it. ”5
1 St. Teresa, Life by Herself, C. XV. — 2 Love of God, Bk. VI, C. X.
3 Interior Castle, V Mansion, C. I ; cf. Life, C. XVIII.
4 St. Teresa gives the reason why, Interior Castle, V Mansion, C. I : “ I dare
venture to assert that His Divine Majesty is so joined and united with the essence
of the soul, that the devil dare not approach... "
s Interior Castle, V Mansion, C. I.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

683

1450. 2° From these two characteristics three others
flow :
a) The absence of distractions, since the whole soul is
entirely absorbed in God.
b) The absence of fatigue : personal effort is reduced to
very little ; to abandon oneself to the good pleasure of God
suffices. The Manna of Heaven falls upon the soul, which
has but to enjoy it; and so this prayer, no matter how long
it may endure, causes no injury to health.1
c) An extraordinary abundance of joy. “ In this degree
one feels nothing, one but enjoys, though yet without
understanding what is enjoyed. One knows, however, that
a certain good is possessed in which all blessings are
comprised. All the senses are occupied with this joy in
such a manner that they cannot apply themselves to any­
thing else, either interiorly or exteriorly... ” 12 The Saint adds
that a simple moment of such pure delights suffices to
compensate for all earthly sufferings.
This prayer therefore differs from quietude, in which only
the will is seized, and in which one wonders at times
whether the soul has been really united to God.
We may define it as a most intimate union of the soul
with God, accompanied by the suspension of all the interior
faculties, and of the certitude of God's presence within
the soul.
II. Effects of the Prayer of Union
1451. 1° The principal effect is a marvellous transforma­
tion of the soul which, according to St. Teresa, can be
compared to the metamorphosis of the silk-worm.
“These little worms feed on mulberry leaves, till afterwards they
become bigger and then on the boughs they go spinning silk with
their little mouths, and making little cells very close, in which they are
enclosed. From this cell or bag, which contains a large but ugly worm
that dies, there afterwards rises a white and very beautiful butterfly. ” 3
This is an image of the wondrous change that takes place in the soul
through the prayer of union. This soul, which before feared the Cross,
now feels full of generosity, and is ready to make the most painful
sacrifices for God’s sake.

Here St. Teresa enters into some detail. She describes
the ardent zeal which spurs the soul on to glorify God, to
1 "This prayer, however long it may last, produces no inconvenience, at least
I feel none; nor do I remember when Our Lord bestowed this favor on me,
however ill I might be, that I ever found myself worse : I was, on the other hand,
much better. ” Life, C. XVIII.
’ Life by Herself C. XVIII.
3 Interior Castle, V Mansion, C. II.

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CHAPTER Π.

make Him known and loved by all ; the detachment from
creatures, whereby the soul goes so far as to desire to quit
this world where God is offended so often ; the perfect
submission to the will of God, whereby the soul offers no
more resistance to grace than does soft wax to the seal
impressed upon it ; the great charity towards the neighbor,
which is manifested by deeds, and which causes the soul to
rejoice at the praises conferred upon others.1
1452. 2° This union is the prelude to another one more perfect still.
It is like the first meeting with the betrothed, soon to be followed, if
we correspond with grace, by the spiritual espousal and finally by the
mystical marriage. St. Teresa urges those in this state to make
progress in the way of detachment and love. Any halt would be
followed by laxity and backsliding. *

§ III. Ecstatic Union (Spiritual Espousal)

This union presents itself in two forms,: the sweet and
the bitter.
I. Sweet Ecstatic Union
1453. The word ecstasy does not necessarily include
the phenomenon .of levitation, of which we shall speak in
the following chapter; it refers simply to the suspension of
the activity of the exterior senses. Ecstatic union is therefore
more perfect than the two preceding ones, since it com­
prises, over and above the elements peculiar to the for­
mer, this suspension of the activity of the external senses.
We shall describe : i° its nature; 2° its phases or degrees;
3° its effects.
i° Nature

of the

Ecstatic Union

1454. There are two elements which constitute this
union : the absorption of the soul in God and the suspension
of the activity of the senses. It is because the soul is
wholly absorbed in God that the outward senses appear to
be riveted on Him or on the object which He presents
to them.
A) Two principal causes give rise to the absorption in
God, as St. Francis de Sales so well explains : 3
a) “ Our admiration is excited when we discover a truth with which we
were not previously acquainted, and did not expect to know. When
beauty and goodness are joined to this truth, the admiiation produced
by the discovery is extremely pleasing... Thus, when it pleases God
to enlighten the understanding of the devout soul, and to raise her to
1 Interior Castle, V Mansion, C. II. — * Ibid.
3 Love of God, Bk. VII, C. IV and V.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

685

an extraordinary degree of contemplation, she sees the divine mysteries
more clearly and perfectly than before, and discovers in them new
beauties and attractions which fill her with admiration... When the
subject of admiration is pleasing, the mind is closely attached thereto,
not only on account of its great beauty, but also because of the fact
that this great beauty has been newly discovered ; it cannot be satiated
with contemplating what it had never seen before, and finds so lovely. ”
b) To admiration is joined love : “ God touches the will by the
attractions of His sweetness, and the will, inflamed with love, quickly
forgets its terrestrial inclinations, to bound towards God and to be
totally absorbed in Him, as a needle which has been touched with a
loadstone seems to forget its natural insensibility to turn to the pole.
The predominant features of this kind of rapture are not knowledge,
sublime visions, admiration and speculative science, but affection,
sensible consolation and enjoyment. ”

1455.c) Moreover, admiration grows through love, and
love through admiration :
“ The understanding is sometimes replenished with admiration at
the view of the happiness enjoyed by the will in its ecstasy ; and the
will often receives a new degree of pleasure from witnessing the
admiration of the understanding, so that these two powers mutually
communicate their rapture. ” 1
It is not surprising that a soul thus given to the contemplation and
the love of God, is at it were out of itself, ravished and borne towards
Him. If one who lets himself be carried away by the passion of
human love goes so far as to abandon all in order to yield himself to
the object of his love, is there any cause for wonder if divine love,
impressed upon a soul by God Himself, so absorbs it that it comes to
forget all else in order to behold and to love Him alone?

1456. B) The suspension of the senses is the outcome
of this absorption in God. It takes place gradually and
does not reach the same degree in all.
a) In what regards the exterior senses :
1) At first, a more or less pronounced state of insensibility sets in
together with a slowing down of the physical life, of breathing, and as
a consequence of the natural body-heat : “ One feels that natural
warmth wanes, and that the body gradually cools, but with a gen­
tleness and delight that are unspeakable. ”
2) A sort of immobility ensues which causes the body to preserve
the attitude in which it was when seized by the ecstasy; the eyes
remain fixed upon some invisible object.
3) This condition, which should naturally weaken the body, rather
imparts to it new energies. ’ True, at the moment of returning con­
sciousness one feels a certain sense of fatigue, but this is followed by a
recrudescence of vigor.
4) At times, the suspension of the senses is complete; at others, it
remains incomplete and permits a narration of the revelations received,
as can be seen in the life of St. Catherine of Siena.
> Love of God, Bk. VII, C. V.
* Life by Herself, C. XVIII and XX.

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CHAPTER Π.

b) The interior senses are still more completely suspended than in
the mystic union, of which we have already spoken.

1457.c) The question suggests itself as to whether
free-will itself is not suspended. The common opinion
based on such authorities as St. Thomas, Suarez, St. Teresa,
Alvarez de Paz .is that free-will remains, and that therefore
the soul in ecstasy can merit. In fact, the soul freely
accepts the spiritual favors that are then granted to it.
d) The duration of the ecstasy varies greatly. Complete
ecstasy generally lasts but a few moments, at times a halfhour; but, since it is preceded and followed by moments of
incomplete ecstasy, it may extend over several days if all
its fluctuations are taken into account.
e) One comes out of the ecstasy by a reawakening,
spontaneous or provoked : i) in the first instance one expe­
riences a kind of anguish, as if one were returning from
another world, and then it is but gradually that the soul
regains its control over the body.
2) In the second case, the reawakening is provoked by
the command of a superior : if this command is vocal, it is
always obeyed; if it is but mental, it is not always answered.
20 The Three Phases of Ecstatic Union
1458. There are three principal phases in ecstasy :
simple ecstasy, rapture, and the flight of the spirit.
a) Simple ecstasy is a sort of fainting-spell which comes
on gently and produces a sense of hurt at once painful and
delightful. The Spouse of the soul makes it feel His pre­
sence, but only for a time. Now, the soul wants to have
the joy of this divine presence continually and therefore
suffers when deprived of it. Nevertheless, this enjoyment
is always more delightful now than it was in the prayer of
quiet.
Let us see what St. Teresa' has to say on this matter : “The soul
feels herself to be most delightfully wounded, but she neither knows
how, nor by whom. She knows well it is a favor which is to be prized,
and she wishes never to be healed : she complains in words of love,
to her Spouse, and the words are external; she cannot do otherwise,
knowing Him to be present but not willing to manifest Himself. This
is a great but pleasant affliction... for it gives her more delight than
the suspension of the Prayer of Quiet, which has no such affliction
attached to it. ”
It is already in this phase that the supernatural utterances and reve­
lations occur of which we shall speak further on.
• Interior Castle, VI Mansion, C. II.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

687

1459. b) Rapture takes hold of the soul with an impe­
tuosity and a violence that are irresistible. It is as if one
were carried on the wings of a powerful eagle, but whither
one knows not. In spite of the pleasure experienced,
natural weakness at first causes a sense of fear. “ But this
fear is mixed with an ardent and fresh love for Him Who
shows such tender love to a worm that is· nothing but cor­
ruption. ”1 It is in the state of rapture that the spiritual
espousal is concluded ; and this is a precaution on the part
of God ; for were one to preserve the use of one ’ s senses,
one would perhaps die at seeing oneself so near to that
Supreme Majesty.2 Once the rapture is over, the will
remains as it were inebriated, and can no longer occupy
itself save with God; disgusted with the things of earth,
it has an insatiable desire to do penance, so much so that it
complains in the absence of suffering. 3
1460. c) Rapture is followed by the flight of the spirit,
which is so impetuous that it seems to sever the soul from
the body, and resistance appears impossible.
“ It seems to the soul,” says St. Teresa, “that she has been alto­
gether in another region quite different from this world in which we
live, and there another light is shown to her very different from this
here below ; and though she should employ all her life long in trying
to form an idea of this and other wonders, yet it would be impossible
to understand them. She is in an instant taught so many things
together, that should she spend many years in arranging them in her
thoughts and imagination, she could not remember the one-thousandth
of them. ” **

3° Principal Effects

of

Ecstatic Union

1461. A) The one effect which includes all others is a
great holiness of life, even to the point of heroism. So true
is this that where such holiness does not exist the ecstasy
itself is open to suspicion.
St. Francis de Sales5 makes this statement : “A soul may be trans­
ported beyond herself in prayer ; but if she be not habitually united to
God, and elevated to the divinity by a life superior to nature and the
senses : if her conduct does not visibly display that ecstasy of action
and operation which is accomplished by a renunciation of worldly
desires, of self-will, of the inclinations of corrupt nature, and the prac­
tice of interior virtues, as humility of heart, meekness, simplicity,
a constant tender charity for our neighbor, raptures serve only to
attract the admiration of men without rendering her more pleasing
to God. ”
1 Life by Herself, C. XX.
* Interior Castle, VI Mansion, C. IV. — 3 Ibid.
4 Interior Castle, VI Mansion, C. V.
t Love of God, Bk. VII, C. VII.

688

CHAPTER II.

1462. B) The principal virtues produced by the ecstatic
union, are : i) a perfect detachment from creatures : God, so
to speak, makes the soul come to the highest ramparts of
a fortress, from which it clearly sees the nothingness of
things here below. So, from now on it does not want to
have any will of its own ; it would even wish to forego the
possession of its free-will, were that possible. 2) An
immense sorrow for sins committed : what pains it most is
not the fear of hell, but that of offending God. 3) A frequent
and tender vision of Our Lord's Sacred Humanity and of
the Most Blessed Virgin. A wonderful companionship
indeed, that of Jesus and Mary! Imaginative and intel­
lectual visions become more numerous and complete the
work of detaching the soul from creatures and of burying
it in humility. 4) Lastly, a marvelous patience to withstand
courageously the new passive trials which Almighty God
sends, and which are called the purification of love.
Burning with the desire to see God, the soul feels as if it were
pierced through and through by a fiery dart, and cries out in anguish
at seeing itself separated from the sole Object of its love. This is the
beginning of a veritable martyrdom, a martyrdom of soul and body,
accompanied by an ardent desire to die so as never to be separated
from the Well-Beloved, a martyrdom relieved at times by inebriating
delights. We shall understand this better after studying the Second
Night of St. John of the Cross, the Night of the Spirit.

II. The Night of the Spirit
1463. The First Night purified the soul to make it
ready for the joys of quietude, of union and of ecstasy.
But before entering into the still purer and more lasting
joys of the spiritual marriage, there is need of a more
profound and radical purification which generally takes
place in the course of the ecstatic union. We shall explain :
1° the reason for such a purification; 2° the severe trials
which attend it ; 30 the blessed results which follow from it.
i° Reason

for the

Night of

the

Spirit

1464. To be united to God in a manner so intimate
and lasting as one is in the transforming union or spiritual
marriage, one must necessarily be free from the last remain­
ing imperfections. These imperfections, St. John of the
Cross * tells us, are of two kinds, habitual and actual.
A) The former comprise two things : a) imperfect affec­
tions and habits ; they are as it were roots, imbedded in the
’ Dark Night, Bk. II, C. II.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

689

depths of the soul, to which the purification of the senses
could not reach; for instance, friendships a bit too ardent;
these must be uprooted ; b) a certain dullness of mind which
makes one subject to distractions from within and to
attractions from without. These frailties are incompatible
with a perfect union of the soul with God.
B) Actual imperfections are also of two kinds : a) a certain
pride, a vain self-complacency resulting from the abundance
of spiritual consolations received. This attitude at times
leads to illusions and makes one mistake false visions and
prophecies for true ones; b) over-boldness towards God,
causing one to lose that reverential fear of Him which is
the safeguard of all virtue.
2° Trials

of the

Night of

the

Spirit

1465. In order to purify and reform thfe soul, God
leaves the mind in darkness, the will in aridity, the memory
in forgetfulness, and the affections immersed in pain and
anguish. This purification is wrought, says St. John of the
Cross,1 through the light of infused contemplation, a light
bright in itself, but dim and painful to the soul on account
of the latter’s ignorance and impurity.
A) Sufferings of the Mind, a) The brilliant and pure
light of contemplation dazes the mind’s eye, too weak and
too impure to behold it. Just as weak eyes are dazed by
a clear, bright light, so the soul, still ailing, is tortured and
paralyzed by the divine light, with the result that it seems
that death itself would be a welcome deliverance.
b) This pain is intensified by the meeting of the divine and the
human in the same soul : the divine, that is to say, purifying contem­
plation, invades the soul to renew it, to perfect it, to deify it; the
human, that is to say, the soul itself with its faults, experiences the
sense of annihilation, of spiritual death, through which it must pass in
order to come to life again.
C) To this pain is added a keen realization of the soul’s destitution
and wretchedness. Its sensitive part immersed in aridity and its
intellectual part in darkness, the soul has the agonizing impression of
a man suspended in mid-air deprived of any support. At times it even
sees hell yawning to swallow it forever. These are, of course, figura­
tive expressions, but they give an idea of the effect of that light which
shows on the one hand the greatness and the holiness of God, and on
the other the nothingness and the misery of man.

1466. B) Sufferings of the Will are likewise beyond
description : a) the soul sees itself deprived of all joy, and
• Night, Bk. Il, C. V.

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CHAPTER II.

becomes convinced that this state is to last forever. Even
the confessor is unable to give consolation.
b) In order to sustain the soul in this trial, God sends
intervals of relief, during which it experiences a sweet peace
in the enjoyment of divine love and familiarity. But such
moments are followed by counter-attacks when the soul
imagines itself to be no longer loved by God and to be
justly forsaken by Him. This is the anguish of spiritual
dereliction.
C) In this state, prayer is quite impossible; or if one does
pray, it is amidst such aridity that it seems that God does
not give ear. There are cases in which one cannot even
attend to one’s temporal interests, memory for such matters
having gone completely. This is a ligature of the faculties
as regards all natural actions.
To sum up in a word : this state is a sort of hell by reason
of the torture experienced ; it is a sort of purgatory by reason
of the purification effected.
3° Happy Results

of the

Purification of the Spirit.

1467. A) These results are thus summarized by St. John
of the Cross :1
“ This blessed night, though it darkens the mind, does so only to
give it light in everything ; and though it humbles it and makes it
miserable, it does so only to raise it up and set it free ; and though it
impoverishes it and empties it of all its natural self and liking, it does
so only to enable it to reach forward divinely to the possession and
fruition of all things.” To explain these effects, the Saint makes use
of the comparison of a piece of green wood thrown into a fireplace, as
mentioned in n. 1422.

1468.B) He then reduces them to four principal
effects : a) An ardent love for God. From the very outset
of this night, this love existed in the superior part of the
soul, though unknown to itself ; a time comes however when
God makes the soul aware of its love and then it is ready
to dare all things in order to please Him.
b) A piercing light : at first this light revealed to the soul
only its miseries and thus inflicted pain; but once imper­
fections have been eliminated through sorrow, it reveals the
riches to be gained and thus becomes a source of conso­
lation.
C) A great sense of security ; for this light preserves the
soul from pride, the great obstacle to salvation. It shows
• Nit-ht, Bk. II, c. IX.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION

691

it that it is God Himself Who leads it, and that the suffer­
ing He sends is more profitable than joy would be. Lastly,
this light places in the will the firm determination to do
nothing that might offend God, to neglect nothing that
redounds to His glory.
d) A marvellous strength to climb the ten stepping-stones
of divine love, which St. John of the Cross 1 is pleased to
describe, and upon which the soul must meditate in order
to conceive an idea of the wondrous ascents which lead up
to the transforming union.
§ IV. The Transforming Union
or Spiritual Marriage

1469. After so many purifications, the soul at last
reaches that calm and abiding union, called the transform­
ing union, which seems to be the final goal of the mystic
union, the immediate preparation for the Beatific Vision.
We shall explain : i° its nature and 2° its effects.

I. Nature of the Transforming Union
We shall call attention to : i° its chief characteristics,
and, 2° the description of it given by St. Teresa.
1470. i° Its chief characteristics are intimacy, sere­
nity, indissolubility.
A) Intimacy. Because this union is still more intimate
than the others it is called spiritual marriage. Between
persons united in marriage there are no longer any secrets;
there is a blending of two lives. It is precisely such a union
that exists between the soul and God. In order to explain it,
St. Teresa 2 makes use of this comparison : “ Here it is like
water descending from heaven into a river or spring, where
one is so mixed with the other that it cannot be discovered
which is the river-water and which the rain-water. ”
B) Serenity. In this state there are no more ecstasies or
raptures, or at least very few; these have now disappeared
almost completely in order to make room for such peace
and quiet rest as are enjoyed by married persons who are
sure of each other’s love.
C) Indissolubility. The other unions were but transitory;
the present one by its very nature is permanent, just as is
the bond of Christian marriage.
■ Night. Bk. II, C. XIX-XX. — » Interior Castle, VII Mansion, C. II.

692

CHAPTER Π.

1471. Does this indissolubility imply impeccability? On this
point St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa differ. The former is of
the opinion that in this state the soul is confirmed in grace : “ I believe
that no soul ever attains to this state without being confirmed in
grace... The Bride has entered; that is, passed out of all temporal
and natural things, out of all spiritual affections, ways and methods,
having left on one side and forgotten all temptations, trials, sorrows,
anxieties and cares.”' St. Teresa is far from being so positive:’
“ Whenever I speak on this subject, and seem to mean that the soul is
secure, my words must be understood thus, viz., as long as the Divine
Majesty holds her in His Hand, and she does not offend Him. I know
for certain that though she see herself in this state, and though it may
continue some years, she does not, therefore, think herself secure. ”
It seems to us that St. Teresa’s language is more in harmony with that
of theology, which teaches that the grace of final perseverance cannot
be merited ; in order to be assured of salvation therefore, one would
need a special revelation bearing not only on the actual state of grace,
but also on perseverance in this state until death.1
23*
1472. 2° The description given by St. Teresa includes
two apparitions, one of Our Lord and the other of the
Blessed Trinity.
A) It is Jesus who introduces the soul into this last
mansion by a twofold vision : one imaginative, the other
intellectual.
a) In an imaginative vision which took place after Holy
Communion, He appeared to the Saint 4 “ in a figure of
great splendour, beauty and majesty, just as He was after
His resurrection. ”

“ He said to her that now was the time she should consider His
affairs as hers, and that He would take care of hers... From henceforth
you shall guard my honour, not only because I am your Creator, your
King and your God, but yet because you are my true spouse. My
honour is your honour and your honour mine ! ” 5

b) Then follows the intellectual vision : “ That which God
here communicates to the soul in an instant is so great a
secret, and so sublime a grace, and what she feels such an
excessive delight, that I know nothing to compare it to,
except that Our Lord is pleased at that moment to manifest
to her the glory which is in heaven ; and this He does in a
more sublime way than by any vision or spiritual delight.
More cannot be said (as far as can be understood) than
that this soul becomes one with God. ” 6
1 Spiritual Canticle, Stanza XXII.
2 Interior Castle, VII Mansion, C. II.

3 At times the spiritual marriage is celebrated with special ceremonies, exchange
of rings, angelic hymns, etc. Following the example of St. Teresa we leave aside
any description of these accessory details.
< Interior Castle, VII Mansion, C. II.
5 Relation XXV. — 6 Interior Castle, VII Mansion, C. II.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

693

1473. B) The Vision of the Blessed Trinity. Once
the soul has been introduced into this mansion, the Three
Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity manifest themselves
to it in an intellectual vision, and they come directly upon
it as in a cloud of extraordinary brightness. The Three
Divine Persons manifest themselves as distinct, and by a
wonderful communication of knowledge, the soul sees with
absolute certitude that all Three Persons are but one sub­
stance, one power, one knowledge, one God.
“ Hence, what we behold with faith, the soul here (as one may say)
understands by sight, though this sight is not with the eyes of the
body, because it is not an imaginative vision. All the Three Persons
here communicate themselves to her, and speak to her, and make her
understand those words mentioned in the Gospel, where Our Lord said
that He, and the Father, and the Holy Ghost would come and dwell
with the soul that loves Him and keeps His commandments ! O my
Lord ! What a different thing is the hearing and believing of these
words from understanding in this way how true they are! 1 Such a
soul is every day more astonished, because these words never seem to
depart from her; but she clearly sees (in the manner above mentioned)
that they are in the deepest recesses of the soul (how it is, she cannot
express, since she is not learned) and she perceives this divine com­
pany in herself. ” ’

II. Effects of the Transforming Union
1474. A union so profound and so intimate cannot
but produce wondrous, sanctifying effects. These may be
summed up in one word : the soul is so transformed that it
forgets self and thinks only of God and His glory. Whence
follow : i° A holy abandonment into the hands of God in
virtue of which the soul is supremely indifferent to all that
is not God. In the ecstatic union it desired death as a
means of uniting itself to its Beloved ; now it is indifferent
to life or death, so long as God be glorified : “ All her
thoughts and study will be how to please this Lord, and by
what means she may be able to express the love she has
for Him. For this object does she pray, hereunto does the
spiritual marriage tend, from which good works always
come. ” 3

1475.2° An insatiable thirst for suffering, but devoid
of anxiety and in perfect conformity with the will of God :
“ If He wish them to suffer they are content; if not, they do not
torment themselves about it, as they used to do at other times. These
‘ Note these expressions which point out the immense difference between the
simple act of faith and the knowledge or conviction given by contemplation.
’ Interior Castle, VII Mansion, C. I.
3 Interior Castle, VII Mansion, C. IV.

694

CHAPTER Π.

souls feel likewise a great interior joy when they are persecuted, for
then they enjoy more peace than 1 have ever before spoken of ; and
they do not feel the least hatred against their persecutors ; nay, they
conceive for them a particular affection. ” '

1476. 3° The absence of desire and of interior sufferings :
“ The desires of these souls do not now run after conso­
lations... They feel in themselves a desire of being always
alone, or employed in things relating to the good of some
soul. They have no aridities, nor internal troubles, but
always have a memory and a tenderness for Our Lord, so
that they would gladly do nothing but praise Him.” 1
23
1477. 4° The absence of raptures. “ The raptures cease
in the manner I have mentioned, and there are no more
ecstasies nor flights of the spirit : if they come at all, it is
very seldom, and almost never in public. ” 3 Hence, peace
and perfect serenity : “In this Temple of God, for this
mansion is His, He and the soul sweetly enjoy each other
in the most profound silence. ” 4
1478. 5° An ardent, yet discreet zeal for the sanctifica­
tion of souls. It is not enough to abide in the enjoyment
of this sweet repose; the soul must act, labor, suffer, become
the slave of God and of the neighbor, strive to advance in
virtue, especially in humility; for, not to advance is to go
back. Perfection consists in taking the place of Mary and
doing the work of Martha at one and the same time. One
can work for the welfare of souls without leaving the
cloister, and one can do good to those with whom one lives
without aiming at reforming the entire world :
“ A work so much nobler, as you are so much the more indebted to
them. Do you think the gain small, that you have such great humility
and mortification, and that you are the servant of all ; and that you also
have such great charity for them, and such love for Our Lord, that this
fire inflames every one, and you are continually exciting them by the
practice of your other virtues? Your gain will be exceedingly great,
and your service highly pleasing to Our Lord. ” 5

But above all, such works must be inspired by love :
“ Our Lord does not pay so much regard to the greatness
of the works, as to the love whereby they are performed. ” 6
1479. In concluding, St.Teresa invites her Sisters to enter
these Mansions, if it please the Lord of the Castle to introduce
them; but she warns them not to wish to force their way.
1 Interior Castle,
2 Interior Castle,
3 Interior Castle,
5 Interior Castle,

VII
VII
VII
VII

Mansion,
Mansion,
Mansion,
Mansion,

C.
C.
C.
C.

III.
III.
III. — 4 Ibid.
IV. — 6 Ibid.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

695

“ I wish, then, to advise you not to use any violence, if you meet
with some resistance, for you may thus displease Him so far as to
cause you some trouble. He is a great lover of humility, and by con­
sidering yourselves unworthy even to enter .the “Third Mansion”,
you will the sooner obtain His good-will and favor to allow you after­
wards to enter the fifth ; and you may serve Him there in such manner
by often repairing thither, that He may at length admit you into that
“ Mansion ” reserved for Himself. ” *

Summary of

the

Second Chapter

1480. After the study of the four great phases of con­
templation, with their alternating bitter trials and inebriat­
ing delights, it seems that the notion we gave of infused
contemplation has been confirmed, that it is a progressive
taking hold, of the soul by God, freely permitted by the soul
itself
1° God gradually takes possession of the whole soul in
contemplation. First, He seizes the will in the prayer of
quiet; next, He lays hold of all the interiorfaculties in the
prayer of full union; later He takes possession of both the
interior faculties and the exterior senses in ecstasy ; and
finally in the spiritual marriage, He binds the whole soul to
Himself in an abiding union.
Now, if God takes possession of the soul, it is to flood it
with light and love, it is to make it share in His perfections,
a) This light is at first weak and painful so long as the soul
is not sufficiently purified; but it becomes stronger and
more comforting, although always mixed with darkness, by
reason of the feebleness of our own mind. It produces a
profound impression, because it comes from God, and it
gives the soul an experimental knowledge of God’s infinite
grandeur, goodness and beauty, and of the littleness, the
nothingness and the miseries of creatures, b) The love
infused into the soul in contemplation is ardent, generous,
and burning with the desire of sacrificing all : one forgets
self and one longs to be immolated for the Beloved.
1481. 2° The soul freely consents to this divine possession
and joyously yields itself to God through the most profound
humility, through the love of the Cross for the sake of God
and of Jesus, and through holy abandonment. It is thus
still more purified from its imperfections ; it is united to God
and so completely transformed into Him, that Our Lord’s
ardent desire, “ that they also may be one in us" 2 is as fully
realized as it possibly can be.
i

Interior Castle, VII Mansion, C. IV. —9 John, XVII, 21.

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CHAPTER Π.

Such is true mysticism, and it is important to distinguish
it from false mysticism or quietism.

Appendix : False Mysticism or Quietism
1482. Side by side with the true mystics, whose teach­
ings we have just expounded, there have been false mystics
who, under various names, have perverted the notion of the
passive state and have fallen into doctrinal errors dangerous
to good morals. Such were the doctrines of the Montanists
and the Beghards.1 But the most notorious of these errors
was that of Quietism. It made its appearance under three
different forms : i° the gross quietism of Molinos, 2° the
mitigated and spiritualized quietism of Fénelon; 3° semiquietist tendencies.
i° The Quietism

of

Molinos’

1483. Born in Spain in 1640, Michael Molinos spent the greater
part of his life in Rome, and it was there that he disseminated his
errors in two works which met with great success : The Spiritual
Guide and The Prayer of Quiet.
His fundamental error lay in the assertion that perfection consists
in complete passivity of soul, in a continuous act of contemplation and
of love which, once made, dispenses with all other acts, even that of
resistance to temptations. “ Let God Act, ” was his motto.

1484. The better to understand these errors in detail,
we give the following parallel tables of the Catholic teach­
ing and the aberrations of Molinos.
Catholic Teaching

Errors of Molinos

1) There exists a passive state
of soul wherein God acts through
His operating grace ; but one does
not ordinarily arrive thereat,
except after a long time spent in
the practice of virtue and medi­
tation.
2) The act of contemplation
lasts but a short time, even though
the state of soul resulting there­
from may last for several days.
3) Contemplation eminently
embodies the acts of all the Chris­
tian virtues, but outside the period

There is but one way, the inner
way, or the way of passive con­
templation, which we can acquire
ourselves with ordinary grace;
hence, we must enter as soon as
possible into the passive way and
thereby annihilate our passions.
The act of contemplation may
last whole years, and even a whole
lifetime, not excluding the hours
of sleep, without being repeated.
Since contemplation is perpe­
tual, it dispenses from all explicit
acts of virtue, which are only for

< P. Pourrat, Christian Spirituality, I, p. 62-68 : II, p. 211-216; Cath. Encyc.
Beghards and Beguines.
’ P. Dudon, Le Quidisle Espagnol Michel Molinos, Paris, 1921 ; Cath. Encyc.,
Molinos, Mysticism, Quietism.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

697

Catholic Teaching·

Errors of Molinos

of contemplation, it does not dis­
pense one from making explicit
acts of the virtues.

beginners, for instance, acts of
faith, hope, religion and morti­
fication, the acts connected with
confession, etc.
To think of Jesus Christ and of
His mysteries is an imperfection ;
it is necessary and sufficient to
lose oneself in the divine essence :
he who makes use of images or
of ideas does not adore God in
spirit and in truth.

4) The principal object of con­
templation is God Himself, but
Jesus is its secondary object, and
outside of the act of contempla­
tion, one is not dispensed from
thinking of Jesus Christ, the ne­
cessary mediator, nor from going
to God through Him.
5) Holy abandonment is a virtue
of high perfection; it must not,
however, go as far as indifference
concerning eternal salvation : on
the contrary, one must desire it,
hope for it and beg for it.
6) During interior trials the
imagination and the sensitive
appetite may be profoundly trou­
bled, while the superior part of
the soul enjoys a profound peace ;
the will, however, is ever bound
to resist temptations.

In the state of contemplation
one must be indifferent to all
things, even to one’s sanctifica­
tion, to one’s salvation, and one
must relinquish hope, in order to
make room for disinterested love.
One must not take the trouble
to resist temptations ; the most
obscene fancies and the acts fol­
lowing upon them are not repre­
hensible, because they are the
work of the devil. These are pas­
sive trials which the Saints them­
selves have undergone, and which
one must carefully refrain from
confessing. It is thus that one
attains to perfect purity and to
intimate union with God. ‘
This statement of the Catholic position obviates the need of refuting
this error. The history of Quietism leads to the conclusion that when
one wants to arrive at contemplation too quickly, and through onds
own efforts, without having previously mortified one’s passions and
practiced the Christian virtues, one falls all the lower, the higher one
pretends to go. He who would play the angel becomes a beast.

2° The Mitigated Quietism

of

Fénelon ’

1485. In a less extreme form, and without the immoral conse­
quences its author had deduced from it, the Quietism of Molinos was
taken up by Madame Guyon, who, widowed at an early age, threw
herself with ardor into the practice of an emotional and imaginative
piety, which she styled the way ofpure love. First, she won over to
her ideas a Barnabite, Father Lacombe; later, to some extent, even
* In order to see how far Molinos goes, one has but to read the propositions
taken from his books or from his statements and condemned by Innocent XI
(Decree of August 28, and Constit., Cakstis Pastor, November 19, 1687) cf. Denzinger, Enchiridion, n. 1221-1288.
"FÉNELON. Maximes des Saints, nouv. éd. par A. Cherel, 1911; Gosselin,
Œuvres de Finelon, t. IV; L. CROUSLÉ, Bossuet el Finelon, 1894; Huvelin,
Bossuet, Finelon, le quiltisme; A. Largent, Finelon, (Diet, de ThéoL t. V, col.
2138-2169); Cath. Encyc., Fénelon, Guyon.

698

CHAPTER Π.

Fénelon, who, in the Explanation of the Maxims of the Saints regard­
ing the Interior Life (1697), formulated an attenuated Quietism in
which he strove to demonstrate the doctrine ofpure love, “ pure cha­
rity without any admixture of selfish motives or self-interest.”
All the errors contained in this book can, according· to Bossuet, be
reduced to the four following propositions : 1) “There is in this life an
habitual state of pure love, in which the desire for eternal salvation no
longer has place. 2) In the final trials of the interior life, a soul can
be convinced, with an invincible and reasoned conviction, that it has
been justly rejected by God, and, under the influence of this convic­
tion, offer to God an absolute sacrifice of its own eternal happiness.
3) In the state of pure love, the soul is indifferent to its own perfection
and the practices of virtue. 4) Contemplative souls in certain states
lose sight of Jesus Christ as the distinct, sensible and reasoned object
of contemplation. ” ’
1486. No doubt this form of Quietism is far less dangerous than
was that of Molinos. But the four propositions are false and could
lead to baneful results.
1) It is false to say that there exists on this earth an habitual state
of pure love excluding hope; for, as the Fifth Article of Issy ’ rightly
states, “every Christian in every state, though not at every moment,
is bound to express a desire and a prayer for his eternal salvation as
something willed by God, Who wills that we desire it for His glory’s
sake. ” It is true indeed that with perfect souls the desire for eternal
happiness in often prompted by charity, and that there are moments
when they do not think explicitly of their salvation.
2) The second proposition is no less false. No doubt, there are
Saints who in the lower part of their soul experienced a keen sense
of just reprobation; this was not, however, a reasoned conviction
of the superior part of the soul. If some of them have made a
conditional surrender of their salvation, this was not an absolute
sacrifice.
3) Nor is it exact to say that the soul in the state of pure love is
indifferent to its own perfection and to virtuous practices; on the
contrary, St. Teresa does not cease to urge the thought of progress
and the exercise of the fundamental virtues, even in the highest states
of perfection.
4) Finally, it is false that in the perfect states one loses sight of Jesus
Christ as the distinct object of contemplation. We have seen, in
number 1472, that in the transforming union, St. Teresa had visions
of the Sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ. What is true however,
is that during certain passing moments one cannot explicitly think
of Him.
3° SEMI-QU1ETIST TENDENCIES 3

1487. One meets at times in certain devout and otherwise excellent
books, tendencies which are more or less quietistic, and which, were
■ Denzinger s Enchiridion (1327-1349) contains Fénelon's propositions con­
demned by Innocent XII.
2 These articles were redacted at the Seminary of Issy, as the result of the dis­
cussions conducted by Bossuet, Noailles, Bishop of Chalons, Fénelon, and Father
Tronson, 1694-1695.
3 P. Josh, Etudes relig... codée. 1897, p. 804; Mgr Faroes, Mystical phenomena.

INFUSED CONTEMPLATION.

699

they to be applied as rules for the spiritual direction of ordinary souls,
would lead to abuses.
The main error of these writers is that of trying to instill into all
persons alike, even into those who have made but little progress in the
spiritual life, dispositions of passivity which belong only to the unitive
way. They would have us take up more quickly the work of simpli­
fying the spiritual life, forgetting that most souls cannot safely arrive
at such simplification until they have passed through discursive medi­
tation, detailed examinations of conscience and the practice of the moral
virtues. Their error is one of excess ; they would like to bring souls
to perfection as quickly as possible by suppressing the intermediate
stages and by suggesting from the outset the means which succeed
with the most advanced souls.

1488. a) Thus, under the pretext of fostering disinterested love,
they deprive Christian hope of the place it should occupy ; they imagine
that the desire of eternal happiness is but incidental and that God’s
glory is everything. In reality however the glory of God and our
eternal happiness are intimately united; for by knowing and loving
God we procure His glory, and this knowledge and love of God in
turn constitute our happiness. Far from dissociating these two
elements, we must keep them united and show how they complete one
another, noting however, that if they are to be considered separately,
the glory of God must come first.
b) The passive side of piety is likewise over-emphasized. It is said
that we must let God act in us, bear us in His arms, without adding
that God does not generally do so until we have practiced for a long
time an active piety.
e) With regard to the means of sanctification, only such are proposed
as belong ts the unitive way. Methodical and, as they call it, rule­
bound meditation is severely criticized. Specific resolutions, they
claim, destroy the unity of the spiritual life, and detailed examinations
of conscience should be replaced by a rapid survey. They forget that
beginners do not generally arrive at the prayer of simplicity except
through discursive meditation ; that general resolves to love God with
all the heart must be particularized ; that, in order to know their defects
and correct them, beginners must enter into some details; that, as a
matter of fact, they are but too prone to be satisfied with a superficial
knowledge of self which will allow passions and defects to remain
unchallenged.
In a word, these authors forget that there are many stages to
be traversed before we can attain to the passive state and to union
with God

700

CHAPTER HI.

CHAPTER III
Extraordinary Mystical Phenomena
1489. In describing contemplation, we made no mention
of the extraordinary phenomena such as visions, revela­
tions, etc., which frequently accompany it, especially after
the soul has reached the stage of ecstatic union. Since the
devil apes divine works, diabolical phenomena are known
to occur at times among the mystics, true or false. We
shall speak first of the divine and then of the diabolical
phenomena.

Article I. Extraordinary Divine Phenomena1
There are two kinds of such phenomena : those of the
intellectual, and those of the psycho-physiological order.
§ I. Divine Intellectual Phenomena

These may be reduced to two main ones : private reve­
lations and the charisms.
I. Private Revelations
We shall explain: i° their nature·, 2° the rules by which
to distinguish thé true from the false.
1° NATURE OF PRIVATE REVELATIONS

1490.A) Difference between Public and Private
Revelations. Divine revelation in general is .a super­
natural manifestation by God of a hidden truth. When
such a manifestation is made directly, in behalf of the whole
Church, it is called public revelation; when it is made to
private individuals for their own welfare or that of others,
it is called private revelation. Here we speak only of the
latter.
Private revelations have been made in every age: Holy
Scripture and the processes of canonization furnish us with
» St. Teresa, Life, C. XXV-XXX ; Interior Castle, Mansion VI and else­
where; St. John of the Cross, Bk. I, C. XXI-XXX and elsewhere; Alvarez
de Paz, of. cit., t. Ill, lib. V, p. IV. de discretione spirituum; Godinez, Praxis
theol. myst.. lib. X; Benedictus XIV, De beatificat., lib. IV, Ρ. I; Ribet, La
Mystique divine, t. Il; POULAIN, Graces of Interior Prayer, C. XVII-XXI;
Garricou-Lagrange, Perfect, et contemplation, t. II, p. 536-562; Mgr. Faroes,
Mystical Phenomena.

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

701

abundant examples. These revelations do not form a part
of Catholic faith, which rests solely upon the deposit of
truth contained in Scripture and Tradition, and which has
been confided to the Church for interpretation. Hence,
there is no obligation for the faithful to believe them.
Even when the Church approves them she does not make
them the object of Catholic faith, but as Benedict XIV
states, she simply permits them to be published for the
instruction and the edification of the faithful. The assent
to be given them is not therefore an act of Catholic faith,
but one of human faith, based upon the fact that these
revelations are probable and worthy of credence ’. Private
revelations may not be published without ecclesiastical
approbation 2.
Still, many theologians are of the opinion that the persons them­
selves to whom such revelations are made and those for whom they
are destined may believe in them with real faith, provided they have
had clear proof of their authenticity.

1491. B) The Manner in which Revelations are
made. They are made in three different ways: through
visions, supernatural words, and divine touches.
a) Visions are supernatural perceptions of some object
naturally invisible to man. They are revelations only when
they disclose hidden truths. They are of three kinds,
sensible, imaginative, or purely intellectual.
i) Sensible or corporeal visions, also called apparitions,
are those in which the senses perceive some real object
that is naturally invisible to man. It is not necessary that
the object be a real human body; it suffices that it be a
sensible or luminous form.
'The opinion of St. Thomas, which is generally held, is that after
His Ascension, Our Lord rarely appeared in Person ; He merely
appeared in a visible form, but not in His real body. His apparitions
in the Eucharist may be explained in two ways, says St. Thomas:
either by a miraculous impression made on the sense of sight (which
is the case when He manifests Himself to a single person) or by a
form that is real and visible, but distinct from His own body; for,
the Saint adds, the Body of Our Savior cannot be seen in its own
proper form except in the one place which actually contains it 3
■ De Serv. Dei Beatif, 1. II, c. 32, n. 11 : " Although an assent of Catholic faith
may not and can not be given to revelations thus approved, still, an assent of
human faith, made according to the rules of prudence, is due them ; for according
to these rules such revelations are probable and worthy ofpious credence. ".
3 Decrees of Urban VIII, March 13. 1625 and of Clement IX, May 23, 1668.
3 Sum. theol.. 111, q. 76, a. 8. The same conclusion is deduced from the testimony
of St. Teresa, Relation XIII, where she says : ·■ By some things which He told
me, 1 understood that after He ascended into heaven He never descended on earth
to converse with anyone, except in the Holy Sacrament. "

702

CHAPTER III.

What has been said of Our Lord applies also to the Blessed Virgin.
When she appeared at Lourdes for instance, Her body remained in
heaven, and at the spot of the apparition there was but a sensible form
which represented Her. This explains how she could appear now under
one aspect, now under another.

1492. 2) Imaginative visions are those produced in the
imagination by God or by the Angels, either during sleep
or while one is awake. Thus an Angel appeared several
times to St. Joseph in his sleep, and St. Teresa relates
several imaginative visions she had of Our Lord while she
was awake.1 These visions are frequently accompanied
by an intellectual vision which explains their meaning.2
At times, one travels in vision through distant countries :
such visions are for the most part imaginative.
1493. 3) Intellectual visions are those in which the
mind perceives a spiritual truth without the aid of sensible
impressions : such was St. Teresa’s vision of the Holy
Trinity, to which we referred in number 1473. These
visions take place either through ideas already acquired, but
which are coordinated or modified by God, or through
infused ideas which represent divine things even better than
do acquired ideas. Sometimes these visions are obscure
and manifest only the presence of the objects; at other
times they are clear, but last only for a moment : they are
like intuitions which leave a deep impression. 4
Some visions are at once sensible, imaginative and
intellectual. Such was St. Paul’s vision on the road to
Damascus. He beheld with his eyes blinding light; he saw
with his imagination the personal traits of Ananias; and
his mind understood God’s will.
1494. b) Supernatural Words are manifestations of
the divine thought conveyed to the exterior or to the interior
senses, or directly to the intelligence. They are called
auricular when they come to the ear in the form of sound­
waves, miraculously produced ; imaginative when such
manifestations are directed to the imagination; intellectual
when addressed directly to the intellect. 5
1495. C) Divine touches are spiritual sentiments full
of sweetness, impressed upon the will by a kind of divine
contact and accompanied by a vivid intellectual light.
> Life by Herself, C. XXVIII. — ’ Ibid., C. XXIX.
3 Life by Herself, C. XXVII. — * Interior Caslle, VI Mansion, C. X.
s St. John of the Cross treats at length of these three different kinds of super.natural words, successive, formal and substantial (Ascent of Carmel), Bk. II,
C. XXVI-XXIX.

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

703

We may distinguish two kinds of such touches : ordinary divine
touches, and substantial divine touches ; the latter, though they affect
but the will, make such a deep impression that they seem to take place
within the very substance of the soul.
Hence the expressions of mystics describing their experiences as a
contact of substance with substance. In reality these touches take
place in the superior part of the will and the intellect, and according
to St. Thomas, ' it is the faculties, and not the substance, which receive
these impressions.

1496. C) Attitude to be taken towards these Extra­
ordinary Graces. The great mystics are unanimous in
teaching that one must neither desire nor ask for these
extraordinary favors. These are not necessary means to
the divine union; nay, at times they are rather obstacles
owing to our evil tendencies. St. John of the Cross in par­
ticular points this out. He asserts that the desire for reve­
lations deprives faith of its purity, develops a dangerous
curiosity which becomes a source of illusions, fills the mind
with vain fancies, and often proves the want of humility
and of submission to Our Lord, Who, through His public
revelations has given all that is needed for salvation.
The Saint forcefully denounces imprudent directors who encourage
the desire of visions : “ They suffer their penitents to make much of
their visions, which is the reason why they walk not according to the
pure and perfect spirit of faith ; neither do they build up nor strengthen
them in faith, while they attach so much importance to these visions.
This kind of direction shows that they themselves consider visions
matters of importance ; and their penitents, observing this, follow their
example, dwelling upon these visions, not building themselves up in
faith ; neither do they withdraw, nor detach themselves from them...
The soul is no longer humble, but thinks itself to be something good,
and that God makes much of it... Some directors, when they see that
their penitents have visions from God, bid them pray to Him to reveal
to them such and such things concerning themselves or others, and the
simple souls obey them... when in truth it is not pleasing to Him, and
contrary to His will.”’

Since in this matter there is great danger of illusion, we
must have some rules by which to discern the true from the
false.
2° Rules

for the

Discernment of Revelations

1497. In order to know true revelations and learn to
recognize the human element that may enter into them,
very precise rules must be drawn up concerning the subjects,
the object, the effects, of revelations, and the signs which
accompany them.
■ St. Thom., I» I®, q. 113, a. 8; De Veritate, q. 28, a. 3; cfr. GakrigouLagkance, op. cit., t. II, p. 560.
* Ascent of Carmel, Bk. II, C. XVIII.

704

CHAPTER III.

A) Rules

Concerning the Subjects of Revelations

1498.God can no doubt make revelations to whom­
soever He pleases, even to sinners; but invariably, He
makes them only to persons who are not only fervent, but
already raised to the mystic state. Moreover, even for the
interpretation of true revelations, it is necessary to know
the qualities and the defects of those who think themselves
favored with revelations. Hence, we must study their
natural and supernatural qualities.
a) Natural Qualities : i) We must ascertain whether they
are well-balanced or affected by psycho-neurosis or hysteria;
for it is evident that in the latter case, there is ground for
suspecting the alleged revelations, such temperaments
being subject to hallucinations.
2) We must examine whether the persons in question are
possessed of common sense, of sound judgment, or rather
of a vivid imagination together with excessive emotion­
alism ; whether they have received an education, and if so,
from whom; whether their mind has been weakened by
disease or long fasts.
3) We must see whether such persons are thoroughly
sincere or whether they have the habit of exaggerating and
of drawing on their imagination; whether they are self-pos­
sessed or passionate.
The mere verification of these particulars will not of
itself prove the existence or non-existence of a revelation,
but it will aid greatly in judging the value of the testimony
profferred by those who claim to have received them.
1499.b) As to supernatural qualities, we must
examine whether the persons concerned : 1) are endowed
with solid and tried virtue, or merely with a more or less
sensible fervor; 2) whether they are sincerely and deeply
humble, or whether on the contrary, they delight in being
noticed and in telling everybody about their spiritual
favors ; true humility is the touchstone of sanctity and the
lack of it argues against a revelation ; 3) whether they make
the revelations known to their spiritual director instead of
communicating them to other persons, and whether they
readily follow his advice; 4) whether they have already
passed through the passive trials and the first stages of
contemplation ; especially, whether they have practiced the
virtues in a heroic degree ; for God generally reserves these
visions for perfect souls.

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

705

1500. The presence of these qualities does not prove
the existence of a revelation, but simply renders more
worthy of credence the word of those who claim to have
received it; their absence does not disprove the fact of
revelation, but makes it quite unlikely.
The information thus obtained will enable us to discover
more easily the lies or the illusions of the alleged seers.
There are some persons who, through pride or through
the desire for recognition, voluntarily simulate ecstasies
and visions.1 There are others, more numerous, who,
owing to a lively imagination are the victims of illusions,
and mistake their own thoughts for visions or for inte­
rior words.2
B) Rules Concerning the Object of Revelations

1501. It is particularly to this point that our attention
must be directed, for all revelations contrary to faith or
morals must be absolutely rejected, according to the una­
nimous teaching of the Doctors of the Church based on
these words of St. Paul : “ But though we, or an angelfront
heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have
preached to you, let him be anathema." 3 God cannot con­
tradict Himself, nor can He reveal things opposed to what
He teaches through His Church. From this fact follow a
number of rules which we shall now recall.
a) We must consider as false every private revelation
in opposition to any truth of faith : such are for example
the alleged revelations of spiritualists which deny several of
our dogmas, particularly eternal punishment. The same
holds true if revelations are opposed to the unanimous
teaching of the Fathers and Theologians, for this forms
part of the ordinary teaching of the Church.
Any revelation pretending to solve a problem freely discussed among
theologians must be suspected, for example, one claiming to settle the
» A notable instance was that of Magdalen of the Cross, a Franciscan Nun of
Cordova, of the XVI Century, who after having given herself to the devil from her
infancy, entered the convent at the age of seventeen and was three times Abbess
of her monastery. Aided by the demon, she simulated all the mystical phenomena
of ecstasy, levitation, stigmata, revelations ana prophecies repeatedly ’fulfilled.
Thinking herself at the point of death, she made a confession which she later
retracted, was exorcised and moved to another convent of her order. See
POULAIN, Graces of Interior Prayer, C. XXI, n. 36.
3 St. Teresa in several piaces speaks of such persons. “ It happens that some
persons (and I know this to be true, for not three or four, but many persons have
spoken with me on the subject) are of so weak an imagination, that whatever they
think upon, they say they see it clearly, as it indeed seems to them : they have also
so vigorous an understanding, or whatever else it may be, for I know not, that
they become quite certain of everything in their imagination. " {Interior Castle,
VI Mansion, C. IX). — 3 Galatians, I, 8.

706

CHAPTER III.

controversy between the Thomists and the Molinists. God is not wont
to pronounce on such questions.

1502.b) We must likewise reject visions opposed to
morality or decency, for instance, apparitions of nude human
forms, vulgar and immodest language, detailed or meti­
culous descriptions of shameful vices which cannot but
offend against modesty. God, Who makes revelations only
for the good of souls, cannot, it is evident, be the author of
such visions as lead by their very nature to vice.
For the same reason we must suspect such apparitions as lack
dignity or proper reserve, above all, such as are ridiculous. This last
characteristic is a mark of human or diabolical machination.

c) Nor are we, considering the laws of Providence and
the miracles wich God is accustomed to work, to admit as
coming from God commands impossible of realization, for
God does not demand the impossible.1
C) Huies concerning the Effects of Revelations

1503. A tree is judged by its fruits; hence, we can
judge revelations by the effects they produce in the soul.
a) According to St. Ignatius and St. Teresa, a divine
vision causes at first a sense of wonderment and of fear,
soon to be followed by a sense of deep and lasting peace,
ofjoy and of security. The contrary is true with regard to
diabolical visions; if at the outset they produce joy, they
soon cause uneasiness, sadness and discouragement. It is
thus that the devil brings about the downfall of souls.

1504. b) True revelations strengthen the soul in
humility, obedience, patience and conformity to the divine
will ; false ones beget pride, presumption and disobe­
dience.
St. Teresa’ says: “This is a favor of Our Lord, which brings
great confusion of oneself and humility; but, were it from the devil,
the effect would be quite the opposite. Since, then, it clearly proves
itself to be given by God... whoever receives it can in no way whatever
imagine that it is a favor of his own, but that it comes from the hand
of God... It is attended with immense gain and interior effects, which
would not be, were melancholy the cause ; much less could the devil
effect so much good, nor would the soul enjoy such great peace, or
such continual desires ofpleasing God, or suck contempt for whatever
does not conduce to unite us with Him.”
■ In the life of St. Catherine of Bologna it is related that the devil sometimes
appeared to her in the form of the crucified Christ and demanded of her, under the
appearance of perfection, the most impossible things, in order to drive her to
despair. ( Vita altera, cap. II, 10-13 'n l'le Bollandists March 9).
’ Interior Castle, VI Mansion, C. VIII.

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

707

1505. C) Here the question arises whether one may ask
for signs in confirmation of private revelations, a) If the
thing revealed is of importance, one may do so, but humbly
and conditionally ; for God is not bound to perform miracles
in order to prove the truth of these visions, b) If signs are
asked for, it is well to leave their choice to God. The
parish priest of Lourdes requested Our Lady in apparition
to make a sweetbrier to bloom in the midst of winter ; the
sign was not granted, but she did cause a miraculous spring
to well forth which was destined to heal both body and
soul, c) The careful verification of the requested miracle
and its relation to the apparition affords a convincing proof.
D) Rules for Discerning the True from the False in Revelations.

1506. A revelation may be true in the main and yet
contain some incidental errors. God does not multiply
miracles without reason, and He does not right the preju­
dices or errors that they may lodge in the minds of
the seers; He has in view their spiritual welfare, not their
intellectual formation. We shall understand this better if
we analyze the causes of error met with in some private
revelations.
a) The first cause is the uniting of human activity with
supernatural action, especially if the imagination and the
mind are very active.
1) Thus, in private revelations we find the errors of the times in
what relates to the physical or historical sciences. St. F rances of Rome
asserts that she had beheld a heaven of crystal between the empyreal
and the starry heavens and attributed the blueness of the sky to the
starry heaven. Mary of Agreda thought she knew through revelation
that this crystal heaven was divided into eleven parts at the moment
of the Incarnation.1
2) At times we also meet with the prejudices and the systems of the
spiritual directors of the seers. Relying upon her directors, St. Colletta
thought she had seen in visions that St. Anne had been thrice married
and was coming to visit her with her numerous family." Sometimes
Dominican and Franciscan Saints speak in their visions according
to the systems peculiar to their Orders.
3) Historical errors also find their way into revelations : God is not
wont to reveal the precise details of the life of Our Lord or of our
Blessed Lady, when these have but little bearing on piety. Now,
many seers, intertwining their own devout meditations with the reve­
lations they receive, give details, numbers, dates, which contradict
historical documents or other revelations. Thus, among the various
accounts of the Passion, many little details related in visions, are either
contradictory (for example, details regarding the number of strokes
’ The Mystic City, Part II, n. 128; Part. I, n. 122.

* Bollandists, March 25th, p. 247.

708

CHAPTER HI.

Christ received in His flagellation) or in opposition to the best historical
authorities .·

1507. b) A divine revelation may be wrongly interpreted.
For example, St. Joan of Arc having asked of her “ voices" whether
she would be burnt, received the reply that she should trust in Our
Lord, Who would assist her, and that she would be delivered through
a great victory. In reality, her deliverance and victory were her
martyrdom and her entrance into heaven. St. Norbert affirmed that
he knew through revelation and with certainty that the Antichrist
would come in his generation (XII Century). Questioned closely by
St. Bernard, he said that at least he would not die before seeing
a general persecution of the Church.1
2 St. Vincent Ferrer announced
the Last Judgment as nigh, and seemed to confirm this prediction by
miracles.3

1508. c) A revelation may be unwittingly altered by
the seer himself when he attemps to explain, or, still oftener,
by those to whom he dictates his revelations.
St. Brigid realized herself that at times she retouched
her revelations, the better to explain them ; 4 these added
explanations are not always free from errors. It is acknow­
ledged today that the scribes who wrote the revelations
of Mary of Agreda, of Catherine Emmerich, and of Marie
Lataste modified them to an extent difficult to determine, s
For all these reasons, we can not be too prudent when
examining private revelations.

Conclusion
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS PRIVATE REVELATIONS

1509. a) We cannot do better than to imitate the
judicious reserve of the Church and of the Saints. The
Church accepts no revelations except after long and careful
investigation, and even then She does not force them on
the faithful. Moreover, when it is question of inaugurating
some feast or public undertaking, She waits long years
before pronouncing, and decides only after the matter itself
and its bearing on Dogma and Liturgy have been carefully
considered.
Thus, Blessed Julienne of Liège, chosen by God to bring about the
institution of the feast of Corpus Christi, did not submit her project
1 Bollandists, January 131η, preface to the life of Blessed Veronica of Binasco;
St. Alphonsus Liguori, Horologe of the Passion.
» St. Bernard, Letters, No. LVI.
3 Father Fages, Ο. P., in the Histoire de S. K. Ferrier, explains that this was
a conditional prophecy, like that of Jonas against Niniveh, and that the world was
saved precisely on account of the many conversions the Saint brought about.
* Supplementary Revelations, C. XLIX.
s In the IVorhs of Marie Lataste we find among her revelations passages trans­
lated from the Summa of St. Thomas.

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

709

to the theologians until twenty-two years after her first visions ; fully
sixteen years elapsed before the Bishop of Liege instituted the feast
for his diocese, and it was six years after the death of Blessed Julienne
herself that Pope Urban IV made it a feast of the entire Church.
In like manner, the feast of the Sacred Heart was not approved until
long after the revelations had been made to St. Margaret Mary, and
then for reasons quite apart from these revelations.
In all this the Church has given us an example which we should
follow.

1510. b) We must not therefore pronounce with certi­
tude on the existence of a private revelation until we have
had convincing proofs which are well summarized by Bene­
dict XIV in his work on Canonizations. Generally, we
must not rest satisfied with but one proof, and we should
see whether the various proofs agree with and lend support
to one another. The more numerous the proofs, the greater
assurance we shall have.
1511. c) When a spiritual director is told by a penitent
of his supposed revelations, he should carefully *refrain from
showing any admiration, for this would lead the seer at
once to consider these visions as true, and perhaps to take
pride in them. He must rather explain that such things
are of far less importance than the practice of virtue, that
one can easily be deceived in these matters and that one
must therefore suspect, and at the beginning discount, such
visions, rather than take stock in them.
This is the rule laid down by the Saints. St. Teresa' says: “ Some­
times, and often, it may be only fancy, especially if the persons have
a weak imagination, or are subject to great melancholy. No attention
is, in myopinion, to be paid to these two kinds of persons... Such
things .are always to be feared until the spirit is understood. I consider
it best to resist these “ discourses ” at first, because if they come from
God they are a great help to advance us onwards ; they also increase
when they are thus tried. This is the case; but the soul should not be
troubled too much, for truly she cannot do otherwise”. St.John of
the Cross is still more emphatic, pointing out the six main drawbacks
of a too ready acceptance of such visions, he adds : “ The devil rejoices
greatly when a soul seeks after revelations and is ready to accept
them ; for such conduct furnishes him with many opportunities of
insinuating delusions, and derogating from faith as much as he possibly
can ; for such a soul becomes rough and rude, and falls frequently into
many temptations and unseemly habits. ” ’

1512. d) However, the spiritual director should treat
kindly those who think they have received revelations.
He will thus succeed in gaining their confidence and he will
obtain more easily the details which will enable him, after
1 Interior Castle, VI Mansion, C. III.
» Ascent of Carmel, Bk. II, C. XI ; The entire chapter should be read.

710

CHAPTER III.

mature reflection, to pass judgment. Then, should he find
the visions to be illusory, his decision will be more readily
accepted.
This is the advice of St. John of the Cross, severe as he is with
regard to visions: “ But remember, though I say that these communi­
cations are to be set aside, and that confessors should be careful not
to discuss them with their penitents, it is not right for spiritual directors
to show themselves severe in the matter, or to betray any contempt
or aversion ; lest their penitents should shrink within themselves, and
be afraid to reveal their condition, and so fall into many inconveniences,
which would be the case if the door were thus shut against them. ” 1
1513. e) If it be question of initiating some public
enterprise, the director should carefully refrain from encou­
raging the venture without having previously well examined
in the light of supernatural prudence the reasons for and
against.

This is what the Saints did. St. Teresa, who was favored with so
many revelations, did not want her directors to be guided in their
decision solely by her visions. When Our Lord bade her to found
the reformed monastery of Avila, she humbly submitted her plan to
her director, and when the latter hesitated, she consulted St. Peter of
Alcantara, St. Francis Borgia and St. Louis Bertrand.*3

As to the seers themselves, they have but one rule to
follow, to make their revelations known to some prudent
director, and humbly follow his instructions. This is the
surest way of not going astray.

II. The Charisms. 3
1514.The revelations of which we have just spoken
are accorded chiefly for the personal benefit of the recipient;
the charisms are bestowed principally for the benefit of
others. They are gratuitous gifts of an extraordinary and
transitory nature, conferred directly for the good of others,
though indirectly they may be made to minister to one’s
personal sanctification. St. Paul in the first Epistle to the
Corinthians distinguishes nine charisms, all of which proceed
from the same Spirit:
1515. 1) The word of wisdom, which enables us to draw from the
truths of faith, as from principles, conclusions rich in dogmatic teaching.
2) The word of knowledge, which helps us to make use of human
knowledge in order to explain the truths of faith.
3) The gift of faith, not the virtue of faith itself, but a special
assurance capable of working wonders.
■ Ascent of Carmel, Bk. II, C. XXIII.
’ Histoire de Ste Thérèse par une Carmélite, ch. XII.
3 Prat, Theology of St. Paul, II ; Garrigou-Lagrange, op. cit., II, p. 536-53

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

711

4) The grace of healings or the power over disease.
5) The working of miracles, which confirms divine revelation.
6) The gift ofprophecy, or the power to teach in God's name, and,
if need be, to confirm this teaching by prophecies.
7) The dicerning of spirits, or the infused gift of reading the secrets
of hearts and discerning the good spirit from the evil one.
8) Diverse kinds of tongues, which for St. Paul means the power
to pray with exalted feeling in strange tongues ; according to theolo­
gians, it is the gift of speaking divers tongues.
9) Interpretation of speeches, or the power to interpret the aforesaid
strange tongues. ‘

St. Paul and St. Thomas rightly remind us that all these
charisms are far inferior to charity and to sanctifying grace.
§ II. Psycho-physiological Phenomena

1516. By this term we mean such phenomena as affect
both soul and body, and which are more or less related to
ecstasy. The principal phenomena of this kind are:
i° levitation; 2° luminous rays; 30 fragrant odors; 4° pro­
longedfasting; 50 stigmatization.
I. Levitation
1517.Levitation is a phenomenon whereby the body
is raised above the ground and sustained in midair without
any natural support. Sometimes the body rises to great
heights; at other times it seems to glide rapidly over the
ground.
We read of many facts of levitation in the lives of the Saints, both
in the Bollandists and in the Breviary; for instance: St. Paul of the
Cross, April 28th; St. Philip Neri, May 26th; St. Stephen of Hungary,
September 2nd; St. Joseph Cupertino, September 18th; St. Peter of
Alcantara, October 19th ; St. Francis Xavier, December 3rd, etc... One
of the most celebrated is St. Joseph of Cupertino. One day seeing some
workmen at a loss to set a very heavy mission cross in place, he took
his aerial flight, seized the cross, and planted it without effort in the
place prepared for it.
This phenomenon is akin to that of an extraordinary immobility,
which prevents one from being moved, even by a powerful force.

1518. Rationalists have attempted to explain this phe­
nomenon by natural causes, for instance by air drawn deep
into the lungs, by an unknown physical force, by the
intervention of spirits, etc., which amounts to saying that
they have no sufficient explanation to offer. How much
x St. Thomas in an interesting article (Ia Ilæ, q. Ill, a. 4) summarizes these,
divers graces and shows how useful they are to the preacher of the Word: 1) they
give him a full knowledge of divine things; 2) they confirm his preaching by
miracles; 3) they help him to preach the Word of God more effectively.

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CHAPTER ΠΙ.

wiser Benedict XIV! He requires first of all that the fact
be thoroughly verified so as to eliminate any chance of
fraud. Then he states: i) that a well-authenticated levita­
tion cannot be explained on natural grounds; 2) that this
phenomenon is not, however, beyond the power of angels or
of demons, who can lift the body; 3) that with the Saints it
is a sort of anticipation of a prerogative of glorified bodies *.

II. Luminous Rays. 3
1519. Ecstasy is at times accompanied by luminous
phenomena: it may be a halo about the head, or a glow
enveloping the whole body.
Here again we sum up the teaching of Benedict XIV. 3
The fact must first be thoroughly investigated in all its
circumstances in order to ascertain whether the luminous
effect can be ascribed to a natural cause.
In particular we should inquire: I) whether the phenomenon takes
place in full daylight or during the night, and if the latter be the case
whether the light is more brilliant than any other light; 2) whether
it is a mere spark, much like that produced by electricity, or whether
the luminous phenomenon is prolonged over a considerable period of
time, recurring again and again ; 3) whether it is produced during the
course of some religious act, an ecstasy, a sermon, a prayer; 4) whether
there follow upon it effects of grace, lasting conversions, etc...,
5) whether the person, from whom this radiance proceeds is virtuous
and holy.

It is only after a careful examination into all these details
that we can pronunce upon the nature of the facts. If their
supernatural character is ascertained, we have another
anticipation of a prerogative of glorified bodies.

III. Fragrant Odors
1520. At times God permits the bodies of the Saints
to give forth during their lifetime or after their death a
fragrant odor, a symbol, so to speak, of the perfume of the
virtues they have practised.
Thus, the stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi occasionally emitted
a sweet perfume. When St. Teresa died, the water wherewith her
body was washed retained a certain fragrance. During nine months
a mysterious perfume rose from her grave, and when her body was
exhumed, a sweet-smelling oil trickled from her limbs .♦ Many similar
facts have been recorded.
■ De Beatificat. Book III, C. XLIX.
’ Ribet, La Mystique, II' P., ch. XXIX; Mgr Farces, of>. tit., II' Part,
ch. HI, a. 3.
> z
.
3 DeBeatificat. Book IV, I Part., C. XXVI, n. 8-30.
4 This miracle was carefully studied in the process of her canonization, and the
examiners concluded that nothing in the natural order could explain it (Bollandists, Oct. 15th, t LV, p. 368, n. 1132).

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

713

Pope Benedict XIV has indicated the procedure to be
followed in verifying a miracle. One must examine :
i) whether the odor is sweet and persistent; 2) whether
anything near the body or in the earth can account for it ;
3) whether miracles have been wrought by the use of the
water or the oil coming from the body of the Saint.'
IV. Prolonged Abstinence
1521. There have been Saints, especially among those
bearing the stigmata, who have lived many years without
taking any other food than Holy Communion.
Dr. Imbert-Goubeyre ’ mentions some striking instances: “Blessed
Angela of Foligno remained twelve years without taking any nourish­
ment; St. Catherine of Siena, about eight years; Blessed Elizabeth
of Rente, over fifteen years; St. Ledwina, twenty eight years; Blessed
Catherine Racconigi, ten years... in our own time, Rosa Andriani,
twenty eight years... and Louise Lateau, fourteen years.”

The Church is very exacting in the investigation con­
cerning facts of this kind, and demands a strict surveillance
of the person at all times, during a notable period, and by
numerous witnesses well able to detect any fraud, 3 The
examiners must ascertain whether the abstinence is absolute,
extending to drink as well as to food, whether it is
unbroken, and whether the person concerned continues
to attend to customary occupations.
We must mention here another phenomenon of a some­
what similar nature, that of protracted vigils. St. Peter
of Alcantara slept but one hour and a half a night for
forty years; St. Catherine of Ricci slept but one hour a week.
V. Stigmatization

1522. 1“ Nature and Origin. This phenomenon
consists in a kind of impression of Our Lord’s Wounds
made upon the feet, hands, side and brow. These wounds
appear spontaneously, from no exterior hurt, and periodi­
cally there is a flow of fresh blood.
The first person known to bear the stigmata was St. Francis
of Assisi. During a sublime ecstasy on Mount Alvernia on the
seventeenth of September, 1222, he saw a Seraph presenting to him
the image of Jesus Crucified and imprinting upon him the sacred
stigmata. A rich, red blood used to flow from these wounds, which
remained with him until his death. He tried to conceal the miracle, .
but was not wholly successful, and at his death, on the eleventh of
■ De Beatific., 1. IV, P. I, C. XXXI, n. 19-28.
a La Stigmatisation, (. II, p. 183.
3 Benedict XIV, op. cit., I. IV, P. I, C. XXVII.

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CHAPTER HI.

October, 1226, the prodigy became known. Since that time such
cases have multiplied. Dr. Imbert counts three hundred and twenty,
forty of which were those of men, and sixty-two of these persons have
been canonized.

1523. It seems to be a well-established fact that stig­
matization occurs only among those favored with ecstasies,
and that it is preceded and attended by very keen physical
and moral sufferings which thus render the subject confor­
mable to the Suffering Christ. The absence of suffering
would be an unfavorable sign, for the stigmata are but the
symbol of union with Jesus Crucified and of participation
in His martyrdom.
The existence of the stigmata has been proved by so
many testimonies that unbelievers themselves generally
admit the fact, but try to explain it by some natural means.
They claim that it is possible to provoke in persons of an
extremely sensitive nature bloody sweats resembling the
stigmata, by causing in them an over-excitation of the
imagination. As a matter of fact however, the few results
they have obtained in this wise differ vastly from the pheno­
mena observed in stigmatized Saints.
1524. 20 Signs by Which to Discern Stigmata. The
better to discern stigmatization from the artificial pheno­
mena provoked in some individuals, attention must be paid
to all the circumstances which characterize true stigma­
tization.
1) The stigmata are localized in the very spots where Our Lord
received the five wounds, a fact which is not true of the bloody sweat
produced by hypnotism.
2) Generally, the wounds bleed afresh and the pains recur on the
days or during the seasons which recall the Savior’s Passion, such as
Fridays or the feast days of Our Lord.
3) The wounds do not become infected, and the blood which flows
from them is pure, whilst the slightest natural lesion in some other part
of the body develops pus. The wounds do notyield to the usual medical
treatment, and remain at times thirty or forty years.
4) The wounds bleed freely and produce a veritable hemorrhage.
That this should occur at the moment when they first appear is quite
conceivable, but that it should take place again and again is inexpli­
cable. The extent of the hemorrhages remains likewise unexplained ;
the stigmata generally lie on the surface, removed from the great blood-,
vessels, yet the blood literally streams from them.
5) Lastly, and above all, the stigmata are not met with except in
persons who practise the most heroic virtues and possess a special love
for the cross.

A study of all these circumstances proves indeed that we
are dealing here not with some ordinary, pathological case,
but with a free, intelligent cause which exerts its influence in

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

715

order to make these persons bearing the stigmata more like
the Crucified Christ.

Conclusion : Difference
tural

between these superna­

PHENOMENA AND MORBID CASES

15 25. The phenomena connected with ecstasy have been
so well established that unbelievers cannot deny them ; they
strive merely to liken them to certain morbid phenomena
which are caused by psycho-neurosis, and particularly by
hysteria. Some go so far as to maintain that they are simply
a form of mental derangement. No doubt, the Saints are
subject to illness just as other human beings are, but the
question is whether in spite of their ailments they appear to
be sane and well-balanced. On this point the differences
between mystical and psycho-neurotic phenomena are so
essential that no honest observer can fail to note them. 1
These differences are found : i° in the persons themselves ;
2° in the diversity of the phenomena; 30 in the results.

1526. i° Differences in the persons themselves. If
we compare those affected with psycho-neurosis with persons
favored with ecstasies, we find that the former are unba­
lanced physically and mentally, whilst the latter are at least
mentally sound.
A) The former lack mental and physical soundness.
We notice in them a decrease of intellectual and volitional power :
consciousness is altered or temporarily suspended, attention is relaxed,
intelligence deteriorates, memory disintegrates to such an extent that
one is led to believe they have a double personality, and before long
their mind is depleted save for a few fixed ideas the final result of
which is monomania bordering on insanity. Their will likewise be­
comes weaker and weaker, their emotions gain control, and they become
the playthings of their own whims or of some stronger will. This
means a disintegration of personality and a lessening of intellectual
and moral power. 1
2

1527. B) It is very different with the mystics. Their
mind develops, their will grows stronger, and they become
capable of conceiving and realizing the greatest undertak­
ings. We have seen how they acquire a new knowledge
of God, of His attributes, of the dogmas of faith, of self.
1 This difference is brought out by unbelievers such as M. de

Montmorand,

Psychologic des Mystiques, 1920, although the latter attributes these phenomena to
hallucination. For the refutation of these theories our readers are referred to
A. Hue, Névrosé et Mysticisme, Rev. de Philosophie (P. Peillaube), juil., août, 1912,
pp. 5, 128; Mgr. Farces, op. cit., p. 322-585.
2 This is a summary of the characteristics noted by P. Janet, L'Automatisme
psychologique, P. H, ch. I1I-IV.

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CHAPTER HI.

Doubtless, they are unable to express all they see, but they
sincerely declare that they learned more during a few
moments of contemplation than by long and extensive
readings. That they are right in their conviction is proved
by the real progress made in the exercise of the most heroic
virtues. We see that they become more humble, more
charitable, more submissive to the Divine Will even in the
midst of very intense suffering, and that they enjoy a sweet
calm and peace which nothing can disturb. How utterly
different all this from the spasms and the passionate com­
motions of hysteria!

1528. 2° Differences in the phenomena. Differences
just as marked as the foregoing are likewise discernible in
the manner in which the two kinds of phenomena occur.
A) Nothing is sadder and more heartrending than to
witness the fits of hysteria.
l) The first stage of hysteria resembles a slight attack of epilepsy.
It can be distinguished however from the latter by the sensation of a
lump rising in the throat. In reality, there is a swelling of the throat
which produces a feeling of suffocation accompanied by a sort of
hissing sound perceptible to the ears. 2) The second stage is marked
by uncontrolled gestures and contorsions of the entire body. 3) The
third stage gives rise to attitudes of fright, of jealousy, of lust, according
to the nature of the obsessing idea or image. 4) The fit ends in a
paroxysm of tears or laughter. After the crisis has passed, the patient
is left weary and exhausted, and suffers from various indispositions.

B) Note once more the difference between this and
ecstasy. In the latter there are no convulsions, no violent
spasms, but only the peace and the rapture of a soul inti­
mately united with its God. So true is this that those who
have witnessed a person in ecstasy, those for example who
saw Blessed Bernadette during her visions at the Grotto of
Lourdes, could not withhold their admiration. As St. Te­
resa remarks (n. 1456), the body, instead of becoming ex­
hausted, gathers new energies during the time of ecstasy.
1529. 30 Differences in the effects. Here again
hysteria differs widely from ecstasy.
A) With hysterical persons the disintegration of the facul­
ties increases in proportion to the frequency of the crises.
Dissimulation, lying, stupor, brutality and lewdness follow
in the wake of this disease.
B) In the case of the mystics, on the contrary, there is a
steady mental growth, an increase of the love of God and
of devoted service to the neighbor. When they have the
opportunity of engaging in some public enterprise, they

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

717

give evidence of common sense, of an open and strong mind,
of a determined will, and success crowns their efforts.
St. Teresa, in spite of the frequent opposition she encountered,
founded sixteen convents for women and fourteen monasteries for men.
St. Colletta established thirteen monasteries and restored discipline in
a great number of others. Madame Acarie, who had been favored
with ecstasies from her sixteenth year, was happily married for thirty
years, reared a family of six children, restored her family’s fortunes,
which had been imperilled by her husband’s imprudences, and after
the latter’s death, was instrumental in the establishment of the Carmelite
Order in France. St. Catherine of Siena, who died at the age of
thirty-two and who for a long time did not know how to read or write,
played an important part in the stirring events of her times, and parti­
cularly in the return of the Popes of Avignon to Rome. A recent
historian has called her a statesman, and a great statesman. '

It is evident then that the differences existing between
the phenomena of hysteria and ecstasy are such that to
attempt to place them in the same category is to violate all
the canons of scientific investigation.
1530. 4° Objection. A final difficulty remains to be solved. There
are those who with Ribot claim that ecstasy brings about a gradual
narrowing of the field of consciousness to one affective idea, called by
them monomania, since mystics think of nothing else but the intimate
union with God. To answer this specious objection, we must distin­
guish between ideas and ideas. There is the case of an obsessing idea
which little by little breaks down personality by unbalancing the
judgment. Such is, for instance, the fixed idea of suicide. But there
is also the case of a healthy, constructive singleness ofpurpose, of one
main idea dominating all the others and making them bear on this one
purpose, without however destroying the mind’s equilibrium. Far from
causing any disintegration of personality, such an idea gives strength
and unity. It is just because great statesmen have such fixed ideas as
these, provided always that the ideas be just ones, ideas on which they
center all their plans, that they are able to accomplish great things.

This is exactly the case with the mystics. They have a
dominant idea, a fixed idea of pursuing above all things
their ultimate end, that is, intimate union with God, the
Source of all bliss and all perfection, and they make all
their other thoughts bear on this one idea, this one great
purpose of life. And who can gainsay the justice of their
cause? We are dealing here with a force that is in no way
destructive ; on the contrary, it is a power which coordinates
thoughts and actions by directing them towards that one
end which alone can give perfection and happiness. This
is the reason why, even from a human point of view, the
Saints are great doers, men of action imbued with common
sense, energy and steadiness of purpose, men who conceive
and carry out great enterprises. Even unbelievers them1 Em. Gebiiakt, Rev. hebdom., 16 mars, 1907.

718

CHAPTER III.

selves have come to recognize this fact, as we pointed out
before (n. 43).
Let us then be just, and acknowledge that mystics are
not only saints, but men of character as well.

Art. II. Diabolical

phenomena’

1531. The devil, jealous of God’s influence on the souls
of the Saints, strives to exercise his own dominion, or rather
his tyranny, over men. At times he, so to speak, besieges
the soul from without by assailing it with horrible tempta­
tions; at other times, he takes up his abode in the human
body, which he moves at will as if he were its master, in
order thus to afflict the soul itself. In the former case we
have obsession, in the latter, possession.
There are two extreme views concerning the action of
the devil. There are those who attribute to him all the
evils that befall mankind. This is to forget that man is
subject to morbid states which presuppose no diabolical
intervention whatsoever, and has inordinate tendencies
which proceed from the threefold concupiscence. These
causes suffice to explain many a temptation. There are
other persons who, forgetting what Holy Writ and Tradi­
tion tell us about the devil’s influence, refuse to admit his
intervention in any instance. In order to keep to the
golden mean, we must follow the rule of accepting as
diabolical only such phenomena as point, because of their
extraordinary nature or because of the sum-total of circum­
stances, to the action of the Evil One.
We shall treat first of obsession, and then of possession.
§ I. Obsession

1532. I. Its Nature. Obsession consists in a series of
unusually violent and persistent temptations. It is called
external when the temptations affect the exterior senses by
means of apparitions, and internal when they stir up
sensations or emotions. It is rare that obsession is purely
external, for the devil acts upon the senses in order the
more easily to disturb the soul. However, there have been
Saints who, though obsessed from without by all sorts of
phantoms, preserved an unruffled peace of soul.
1 Del Rio, Disquisitiones magicce, i6oo; ThyræüS, De locis infestis; De spiri­
tuum apparitionibus; De dœmoniacis, 1699: RlBET, Mystique divine, t. III;
Poulain, Graces of Interior Prayer, C. XXIV; Saudreau, LEtat mystique, ch.
XXII-XXIII.

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

719

1533. i° The devil can act upon all the external
senses :
a) Upon the sense of sight, by appearing sometimes under repulsive
forms to frighten persons and turn them away from the practice of
virtue, as he did to the Venerable Mother Agnes of Langeac * and to
many others ; at other times under seductive forms in order to lead them
into sin, as he frequently did to St. Alphonsus Rodriguez. 12
b) Upon the sense of hearing, by causing blasphemous or obscene
words or songs to be heard, as is told in the Life of the Blessed
Margaret of Cortona, 3 or by creating frightful noises, such as were
experienced at times by St. Madeleine of Pazzi and the sainted Curé
of Ars. 4*
C) Upon the sense of touch, and this in two ways : by blows and
wounds, such as we read of in the Bulls of Canonization of St. Cathe­
rine of Siena, of St. Francis Xavier, and in the Life of St. Teresa; s or
by embraces, the purpose of which is to tempt to sin, as St. Alphonsus
Rodriguez relates of himself. 6

Father Schram 7 remarks that there are cases in which
these apparitions are pure hallucinations resulting from
extreme nervous excitation. However, even in such cases
they constitute formidable temptations.

1534. 2° The devil also acts upon the interior senses,
the imagination and the memory, and upon the passions, in
order to excite them. Distressing and besetting images flit
through the imagination and remain there in spite of every
effort to expel them. One appears to have become the prey
to fits of anger, to the anguish of despair, to instinctive
feelings of antipathy, or on the other hand, to a dangerous
sentimentality which nothing seems to justify. No doubt,
it is difficult at times to decide whether the case is one of
real obsession, but when the temptations are at once sudden,
violent, persistent and hard to account for by natural means,
one may conclude that it is a special intervention on the
part of the devil. In case of doubt, it will always be well
to consult a Catholic physician, who can examine whether
the phenomena are due to some morbid condition, and if
they are, to prescribe the proper medical treatment.
1535. 11. Attitude of the spiritual Director. He must
unite enlightened prudence with paternal kindness.
a) Of course, he should not without serious evidence
consider the case one of real obsession. Nevertheless,
1 M. de Lantages, Vie de la Vin. M. Agnès ed. Lucot, 1863, P. I, ch. X.
2 Poulain, op. cit., ch. XXIV, n. 94.
3 Bollandistes, Feb. 22., t. VI, p. 340, n. 178.
4 A. Monnin, The Curé of Ars, III, C. II.
s Vie par une Carmélite, t. II, ch. XXVII.
6 Poulain, loc. cit. — i Instit. theol. mystica, 219.

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CHAPTER HI.

whether there be obsession or not, he must be full of pity
towards penitents who are assailed by violent and persistent
temptations, and he must help them with judicious advice.
He should remind them particularly of what we have said
with regard to temptations, the manner of resisting them
(n. 902-918), and the special remedies against diabolical
temptation (n. 223-224).
b) If at the height of the temptation some disorder takes
place but without any consent on the part of the will, he
must remind them that where there is no consent, there is
no sin. In case of doubt and when the person in question
habitually avoids sin, he will decide that there has been no
fault, at least no grave fault.
c) When dealing with fervent souls, the director may well
ask himself whether these persistent temptations are not
part of the passive trials which we described above (n. 1426),
and if so, he must give them the advice suited to their state
of soul.
1536. d) If it is morally certain or highly probable that there is
diabolical obsession, the spiritual director may make use, in private, of
the exorcisms contained in the Roman Ritual or of some shorter
formulas. Should he determine to do so, he should not tell the penitent
beforehand if he has reason to fear that it would only worry and excite
him ; it will suffice to say that he is going to recite over him some
prayer approved by the Church. Solemn exorcisms may not be
employed without the permission of the Ordinary, and then only with
the precautions which we shall indicate when treating of possession
§ II. Possession 1

We shall explain : i° its nature-, 20 the remedies prescribed
by the Roman Ritual.
I. Nature of Possession
1537. i° Its constituent elements. Two elements
constitute possession : the presetice of the devil in the body
of the possessed, and the dominion exercised by the devil
over that body, and through it, over the soul. This latter
point needs to be explained. The devil does not unite
with the body in the same manner as the soul does, nor
does he enter into the soul itself ; it is only by acting upon
the body in which he dwells that he can affect the soul.
He can indeed act directly on the bodily members and
cause them to perform all sorts of motions, and indirectly
1 Besides the authors already mentioned, see

naire d'Apologétique : “ Possession. ”

Mgr Waffelaert, in the Diction­

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

721

he can move the faculties of the soul in so far as they depend
for their operations upon the body.
We can distinguish two distinct states in possessed
persons : the crisis and the period of calm. The crisis is like
a violent attack in which the devil manifests his tyrannical
sway by imparting to the body a feverish agitation which
finds expression in contortions, outbursts of fury, and impious
and blasphemous utterances. There upon the victims seem
to lose all sense of what takes place within them, and they
retain no memory of what they say or do, or rather, of what
the devil does through them. It is only at the beginning
of the crisis that they are aware of the invasion of the Evil
One, and after that they apparently lose consciousness.
1538. There are however exceptions to this general rule. Father
Surin, who himself became possessed while exorcising the Ursulines
of Loudun, was conscious of all that took place within him. He
describes how his soul was divided in twain, open on one side to
diabolic influences, and on the other abandoned to God’s action, and
how he prayed while his body rolled over the ground. He says: “ My
state is such that there remain to me very few actions in which I am
free. If I want to speak, my tongue rebels ; during Holy Mass I am
constrained to stop suddenly ; at table I am unable to bring the food to
my mouth ; if I go to confession I forget my sins ; I am aware of the devil
within me as within his own house, going in and out as he pleases. ” '

1539. During the intervals of quiet and calm there is
nothing to disclose the presence of the evil spirit; it is as
though he had departed. Sometimes however his presence
manifests itself by a sort of chronic infirmity which baffles
all the efforts of physicians.
Often enough several devils take possession of the same
person. This fact would seem to indicate their relative
weakness.
Generally it is sinners who fall victims to possession, but
it is not always so, as may be seen from the case of Father
Surin.

1540.2° The signs of possession. Since there are
nervous diseases, cases of monomania and of mental aber­
ration, the symptoms of which resemble the manifestations
of diabolical possession, it is important to know the signs
whereby the latter can be distinguished from all such morbid
phenomena.
According to the Roman Ritual 2 there are three principal
signs by which possession may be recognized : “ Speaking
1 Lettre du 3 mai 1635 au P. d’Attichy.
• De Exorcizandis Obsessis a Dcemonio.

722

CHAPTER HI.

an unknown tongue or understanding it when spoken by
■ another; making known distant and hidden things; exhibit­
ing a strength out of all proportion with one’s age and
circumstances. These and other like signs, when they
concur in great number, are the surest indications of posses­
sion. ” J ust a word to explain these signs.
a) The Use of Unknown Tongues. To verify the fact, a thorough
examination must be made to see whether the person in question has
had in the past any opportunity of learning some words of the language
used, whether he is uttering merely a few phrases learned by heart, or
whether he really has a knowledge of a language hitherto unknown
to him. ‘
b) Making Known Hidden Things. Here again a thorough inquiry
must be made to see whether or not the knowledge can be explained
by some natural means. If it be question, for instance, of things
distant, one must make sure that the person had not been made aware
of them by letter, telegram or some other purely natural means. If it
be question of future events, one must wait for their occurrence and
see whether they take place precisely as they were foretold. One must
not therefore take account of those vague predictions announcing some
great misfortune to be followed by some happy event or notable pros­
perity ; if this were all that is required, one could rather easily establish
a reputation as a prophet. Once the fact has been properly verified,
one must ascertain according to the rules for the discernment of spirits
whether this preternatural knowledge proceeds from the good or from
the evil spirit, and if from the latter, whether from an evil spirit
actually present in the possessed person.
C) Exhibiting a Strength out of all Proportion with Onds Age and
Circumstances. One must not forget that there are instances of over­
excitation of the nervous system wherein one’s energies are notably
increased. We have already said that the phenomenon of levitation
when correctly established is of a preternatural character. There are
indeed cases which, all circumstances considered, can not be attributed
to God or to His Angels, and must therefore be ascribed to the inter­
vention of the devil.

1541. One might add here another sign pointing to the
fact of possession to be found in the reactions produced by
the use of exorcisms or of holy objects, especially if they
are employed without the knowledge of the supposedly
possessed persons. At times, the mere contact with a pious
object or the recitation over them of the liturgical prayers
drives them into a fury and provokes horrible blasphemies.
However, this is not a sure sign of possession unless the
experiment just described is made unknown to the patients,
for if they realize what is about to be done, they may
■ Cases of abnormal mental states have been recorded in which words or langua­
ges once heard or understood but later forgotten, were recalled; for instance, the
priest's housekeeper who recited whole passages in Greek and Hebrew which she
had heard the priest recite. The statement of the Ritual is therefore a judicious
one: ·■ Speaking an unknown tongue or understanding it when spoken by another. "

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

723

purposely work themselves into a state of frenzy, either
because they have a horror of all things religious, or because
they wish to deceive.
It is not easy therefore to recognize a case of real posses­
sion, and one cannot be too careful before making a decision.

1542. 30 Differences between possession and nervous
diseases. Experiments made upon persons affected with
nervous troubles have shown a certain similarity between
these morbid states and the outward manifestations of
diabolical possession. We should not be surprised at this.
The devil can cause nervous disorders or other external
phenomena similar to those of neuropathies. This is one
more reason for extreme care before passing judgment on
alleged cases of possession.
It is worth noting that the similarity between nervous
maladies and demoniacal possession does not go beyond the
outward appearances, which of themselves are insufficient
to prove the fact of possession. No one has met with
neuropathies who could speak unknown tongues or foretell
the future with precision and certitude. These are, as we
stated before, the true signs of possession, and when all of
these are absent, we may well consider the case one of
simple psycho-neurosis. If exorcists have at times been
deceived, it is generally because they have departed from
the rules laid down by the Ritual. That such mistakes be
avoided, one should have the case examined not only by
priests, but also by Catholic physicians.
1543. Father Debreyne, who had practised medicine before becom­
ing a Trappist, tells of how he had to treat a community of women
whose condition offered many points of resemblance to that of the
Ursulines of Loudun. He cured them in a short time by prescribing
hygienic measures, particularly steady and varied manual labor. '
One must be especially skeptical when possession seems to become
epidemic. A real case of possession can induce in others witnessing it
a nervous condition outwardly similar to that of possession. The best
way to obviate such contagion is to separate the persons thus stricken
and to remove them from the environment in which they contracted
their nervous malady.

II. Remedies for Possession
In general, the remedies consist in anything that can
weaken the influence of the devil over man, purify his soul,
and strengthen his will against diabolical assaults. The
special remedy is found in the exorcisms.
• Essai de thiol, morale, ch. IV. revised edition by Dr Ferrand, 1884.

724

CHAPTER III.

1544. i° General remedies. All the remedies pointed
out (n. 223-224) for diabolical temptation are to be em­
ployed in dealing with possession.
A) One of the most efficacious of all is the purification of
the soul by a worthy confession, particularly a general con­
fession, which by humiliating and sanctifying the penitent
puts to flight the proud and impure spirit. The Ritual
counsels the addition of fasting, prayer and the reception
of Holy Communion. 1 The more pure and the more
mortified one becomes, the weaker becomes the influence of
the devil, and in Holy Communion one receives Him Who
conquered Satan. It need hardly be said that Communion
should not be given except in moments of calm.
B) The Sacramentals and blessed objects are also efficacious
remedies because of the prayers said by the Church when
blessing them. St. Teresa had great confidence in holy
water, and rightly so, since the Church imparts to it the
power of putting the devil to flight. 1234 But such objects are
to be used in a spirit of faith, of humility and of confidence.
C) The Crucifix, the Sign of the Cross, and especially
genuine relics of the True Cross are terrifying to the devil
who was vanquished by the Cross : “ That the one who
conquered by a tree should himself be likewise conquered by
the Tree. ” 3 For the same reason the Evil Spirit dreads the
invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus, which, on the
Master’s Own promise, possesses a wondrous power for
putting the devil to flight. 4
1545.20 Exorcisms. The Church, having received
from Christ the power of expelling devils, early instituted
the Order of Exorcists, on whom She conferred the power
of imposing hands on possessed persons, whether baptized
or only preparing for baptism; and later She composed
formulas of prayers to be employed by them in the exercise
1 " The obsessed person should be urged, if he be mentally and physically able,
to pray to God for help, to fast and to receive more frequently according to the
advice of the confessor the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. ”
{Rituale, De exor. obsessis).
a “ That thou mayest become water exorcised to put to flight every power of the
enemy, and that thou mayest be able to eject and supplant this enemy himself
together with his apostate angels... " {Rit. rom., Ordo ad faciendam aquam bene­
dictam).
3 Preface for the Feast of the Holy Cross.
4 Mark, XVI, 17. — St. Alphonsus Rodriguez was wont to make a large sign of
the cross at the moment of the Obsession and to command the tempter to bow
down and adore Jesus, in virtue of that text of St. Paul: " That in the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the
earth. " {Philip., If, 10). The Saint adds that this put the devil to flight.

EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

725

of their office. Since this office is an extremely difficult
one and presupposes much knowledge, virtue and tact, its
solemn exercise has been restricted to priests expressly
deputed for that purpose by the Ordinary. However, priests
may perform private exorcisms, employing some prayers of
the Church or other formulas. Even lay-persons may recite
such prayers, but not in the name of the Church. 1
1546. The Ritual prescribes the proceedure and gives
to Exorcists a number of wise counsels. Once the fact of
possession has been ascertained and one has been delegated
to perform the exorcisms :
1) One should prepare for this function by a humble and sincere
confession, so that the devil may not be able to accuse one of sin.
Earnest prayer and fasting should form part of the preparation, for
Christ has told us that there are devils who yield only to these means. ’
2) The exorcisms should be performed in a church or a chapel,
unless for weighty reasons another place is deemed preferable. In no
case should the exorcist be alone with the person possessed. He
should have serious and devout witnesses who are at the same time
strong enough to control the patient during the moments of the crises.
If the possessed person be a woman, the exorcist should secure the
presence of matrons of tried prudence and virtue.

1647. 3) After the recitation of the prescribed prayers, the exorcist
should proceed with the interrogations. He must do so authoritatively,
limiting, himself to such questions as are useful and recommended by
the Ritual. He should ask about the number of the spirits present and
about the time and the motives of their invasion. He should also bid
them to declare when they will leave their victim and indicate the signs
by which their departure is to be known, threatening to increase their
torture in proportion to the resistance they continue to offer. With
this end in view he should redouble those imprecations which seem to
irritate the evil spirits most, such as invocations of the Holy Name of
Jesus and of Mary, signs of the Cross, and aspersions with holy water.
He should force the person possessed to genuflect before the Blessed
Sacrament or the Crucifix, or to revere some holy relic. He should be
careful to avoid useless words, idle questions, and above all, attempts
at humor. Should the evil spirit or spirits give sarcastic or ridiculous
answers or speak at random, he must with authority and dignity impose
silence.
1548. 4) He must not allow the witnesses, who should be few in
number, *3 to ask any questions ; they should rather be asked to main­
tain silence and recollection, and to pray in union with Him Who puts
the demons to flight.
■ Lehmkuhl, Theol. Moralis, t. II, n. 574, edition of 1010.

’ Mark, IX, 28.
3 “Theattendants, who should be few in number, must be warned not to ask the
possessed person any questions, but rather to humbly and earnestly pray to God for
him. " (Rit., loc. cit). Perhaps it was because of the violation of this rule that the
exorcisms at Loudun had to be carried on for so long a time and not without some
unfortunate happenings.

726

CH. III. — EXTRAORDINARY MYSTICAL PHENOMENA.

5) The exorcist must not, in spite of the authority he wields, try to
consign the devil to any special place ; he must be content to expel the
evil spirit, leaving his fate and destiny to Divine Justice. He should
continue the exorcisms for several hours and even for several days,
according to the nature of the case, allowing intervals of rest, until the
devil departs, or at least until the evil spirit declares he is ready to
leave.
6) When the deliverance has been thoroughly proved, the exorcist
should beg God to forbid the devil ever to reenter the body he has just
left; he should thank Him and invite the person thus freed to glorify
God and to avoid all sin in the future so as not to fall again under the
power of the Evil One.

Conclusion
1549. These extraordinary phenomena, whether divine
or diabolical, show on the one hand the mercy and the
goodness of God towards His privileged friends, to whom
He imparts, along with intense sufferings, such as in the
case of stigmatization, the most signal favors as a foretaste
of the glory He will one day bestow upon them in heaven ;
and on the other hand, the jealousy and the hatred of the
devil, who seeks to exercise his tyranny over men by
tempting them in a most extraordinary way, by persecuting
them when they resist and spread the Kingdom of God, and
by torturing some of his victims through taking possession
of them.
Thus, there are in the world the two Cities, so well
described by St. Augustine, the two Camps and the two
Standards mentioned by St. Ignatius. True Christians can
not hesitate; the more completely they give themselves to
God, the more surely do they escape the empire of Satan.
If God permits them to be tried, it is only for their greater
good. Even in the midst of their sufferings they can say in
all confidence : “ If God be for us, who is against us? *...
Who is like unto God? ”

1 Rom., VIII, 31.

CHAPTER IV. — CONTRAVERTED QUESTIONS.

727

CHAPTER IV
Controverted Questions ’
1550. So far we have explained the doctrine commonly
held by all Schools of spirituality, and our readers have no
doubt been able to recognize that this teaching fully suffices
to lead and raise souls to the highest degrees of perfection.
God does not make growth in holiness dependent upon the
solution of controverted questions. Now, however, we can
afford to touch briefly upon the main points under discus­
sion. This we shall do as impartially as possible, aiming
not at making divergent opinions appear identical (which
cannot be done), but at showing that the differences among
the more moderate exponents of the various Schools are
not as great as they may at first sight seem to be.
1551. Causes of these divergences, i) The first
cause, no doubt, is to be found in the very difficulty and
obscurity of the matters at issue. It is not an easy task to
look into the secret designs of God concerning the universal
call of all baptized persons to infused contemplation, or to
determine the very nature of that mysterious act wherein
God is the principal agent and wherein the soul is more
passive than active, receiving light and love without forfeiting
its freedom. It is not surprising then, that writers striving to
understand these wonders do not always offer the same
explanations.
2) Another cause of the existing differences is the diver­
sity of method employed. As we have said (n. 28), all
Schools strive to combine the two methods, the experimental
and the deductive; but, whilst some employ chiefly the
former, others rely more on the latter. Hence the diffe­
rences in the conclusions reached : the former, impressed by
the small number of contemplatives, will say that not all are
called to contemplation ; the latter, seeing that we all possess
a supernatural organism adequate for the attainment of
contemplation, will conclude that if there are not many
contemplatives, it is because there are not many generous
souls ready to make the sacrifices demanded by contem­
plation.
* Saudreau, L'Etat mystique, ch. IX, XI, XIVet appendices; Poulain, Graces
of Interior Prayer ; Mgr. Lejeune, art. Contemplation in Diet, de Thiol. ; Mgr.
Parges, Phénom. mystiques et Conlrov. de la Presse; Joret, La Contemplation
mystique ; G ARRIGOU-Lagrange, Perfect, et contemplation.

728

CHAPTER IV.

1552. 3) This divergence of opinion is further accen­
tuated by temperament, education and actual occupation.
Some persons are better fitted for contemplation than others,
and when this natural aptitude is further developed by
education and occupation, or by manner of life, one is
naturally inclined to think that contemplation is the normal
thing. There are others of a more active disposition, whose
temperament and occupation are rather obstacles to contem­
plation, and who are therefore readily led to believe that
contemplation is an extraordinary state.
4) Moreover, it must not be forgotten that the philosophi­
cal and theological systems which one may have adopted
concerning knowledge and love, efficacious and sufficient
grace, make their influence felt in mystical theology. If,
for instance, one admits with the Thomists that grace is
intrinsically efficacious, one is more inclined to consider the
passive state a continuation of the active state, since even
in the latter one acts under efficacious motions of grace.
We should not be astonished at these divergent opinions
in matters of so delicate a nature; we are free to choose the
system which in our judgment has the more solid foundation.
The points of present-day discussion may be reduced to
these three: i° the nature of infused contemplation; 20 the
universal call thereto; 30 the normal time at which it begins.
§ I. Controversy regarding the nature
of contemplation

1553. All admit that infused or mystic contemplation is
a free gift of God, Who places us in the passive state and
gives us a knowledge and a love of Himself which we have
but to accept. But in what does this knowledge consist?
It is evidentally not identical with the knowledge which
comes from the light of faith, for everyone admits that it is
an experimental or quasi-experimental knowledge (n. 1394).
But does this knowledge come directly and immediately, that
is, without any intermediary, or indirectly and mediately,
that is, through acquired or infused ideas? Two answers
have been given to this question.

1554. 1° The theory of immediate knowledge. This
theory, which claims the authority of Pseudo-Dionysius, of
the School of St. Victor, and the Flemish School of Mysti­
cism, maintains that infused contemplation is a perception
or an intuition or a direct vision of God, although obscure
and vague. Being direct, it differs from the ordinary know­

CONTROVERTED QUESTIONS.

729

ledge given by faith, and being obscure, it differs from the
Beatific Vision. There are slight differences in the various
expositions of this theory.
Father Poulain, basing his explanation upon the theory of the spiri­
tual senses, thinks that the contemplative soulfeels directly the presence
of God. “ During the union, when it is not too exalted, we are like a
man placed beside one of his friends, in complete darkness and silence.
He does not see him, therefore; he does not hear him; he only feels
that he is there by the sense of touch, because he holds his hand in his
own. And so he continues to think and to love him. ” '
1555. Father Marechai, having ascertained that mystics affirm the
existence of an intellectual intuition of Code and of the Indivisible
Trinity during moments of exalted contemplation, is of the opinion
“ that in high contemplation a new element is involved, distinct in
quality from normal activities and from ordinary grace... the active, not
symbolic, presentation of God to the soul, with its corresponding
psychology : the direct intuition of God by the soul. ” * This, he adds,
does not seem strange if one admits (as he previously explains) that the
intuition of being is, so to speak, the center of perspective in human
psychology.
This theory is completed by Father Picard. 3 After explaining that
from a natural point of view the direct, but vague and obscure appre­
hension or intuition of God is not impossible once one has demons­
trated by the traditional proofs the fact of His existence, he applies
this theory to mystic contemplation. That same God, Whose living
presence makes itself felt in the depths of the soul “ sometimes takes
possession of it by focusing its cognitive faculties upon Himself in
silence, in wonder and in peace ; at other times by seizing upon its will
and its affections... When this seizure of the soul is felt rather by the
cognitive faculties, we have the prayer of recollection ; when by the
volitional and emotional faculties, we have the prayer of quiet. ” The
author then goes on to show that in proportion as God tightens His
hold, as He takes a more absolute, a more exclusive and a more
extensive control, the soul advances to the higher degrees of contem­
plation.
Father Picard concludes by saying that this theory differs vastly
from Ontologism, for it affirms that the notion of being has its origin in
the perception of finite being ; that it is analogous, and can be applied
to God only after a demonstration of His existence. He rejects the
theory that we see on earth all things in the essence of God. It is, he
says, our own finite and imperfect intellect with the sole aid of its own
finite and imperfect ideas and acts which perceives all the truths of
which it has any knowledge. Moreover, he speaks of an intuition
which is essentially vague and obscure.

1556. 2° The theory of mediate knowledge. The
opinion commonly accepted is that the knowledge of the
contemplative, howsoever perfect it may be, is mediate and
at the same time vague and obscure, although it is quasiexperimental. In the first degrees of contemplation God
1 Graces of Interior Prayer, C. VI, n. x6.
2 La Mystique chrétienne, in Rev. de Philosophie, 1912, t. XXX, p. 478.
3 La saisie immédiate de Dieu dans les états mystiques, 1923.

730

CHAPTER IV.

contents Himself with projecting His light, the light of the
Gifts, upon the ideas already possessed, either by attracting
attention to an idea in a way that is calculated to make a
deep impression, or by making the mind draw from two
premises some striking conclusion (n. 1390). In the higher
states, as in the ecstatic union, God infuses new ideas which
represent divine truths much more clearly and impressively
than do naturally acquired concepts. It is now that the
soul is enraptured at perceiving truths which it had never
known before. And since the soul lives these truths and
really relishes them, it acquires of them a quasi-experimental
knowledge. This knowledge is still within the realms of
faith, but it is much more vivid and above all much more
affectionate than ordinary knowledge, from which it is distin­
guished by the fact that it is God-given, and that the soul
receiving it receives both knowledge and love, and has only
to consent to the divine action which produces in it these
priceless gifts.
1557. We adopt this view, which we have already
exposed in the second chapter of this book. It seems to
preserve better the essential difference between contem­
plation and the Beatific Vision, the former remaining mediate
and obscure, “ as through a glass in a dark manner, ” the
latter being direct and clear. However, we are careful to
refrain from making charges of Ontologism against those
who maintain as probable the opinion of a direct intuition,
so long as they stress its vague and obscure character and
reject the basic principle of Ontologism by asserting that
the intellect does not reach God except through creatures. 1
It is true that many mystics make use of bold expressions which at
first sight seem to imply that they are in direct contact with the Divine
Substance and that they see God; still, when we examine the context,
we find that these words must be understood of the effects produced in
the soul by the divine action. ’ Through the gift of wisdom one is
made to relish the love, the joy, the spiritual peace which God infuses
into the soul : hence the name of divine delights given by St. Teresa
to the prayer of quiet. Through the divine touches, mystics seem to
feel the very substance of their soul moved, so deep is the impression
produced by divine love. But the descriptions they give us of these
■ Such an accusation would be particularly unjust with regard to those who like

Mgr. Farces. (Mystical Phenomena, and, Réponses aux Controverses) admit that
from its very first stages contemplation is effected through infused ideas, and who
call it direct simply because the impressed idea is not that which is seen, nor even
that wherein one sees, but that whereby or through which the thing itself is seen.
This opinion is subject to criticism, but it is not open to charges of Ontologism.
3 In order to appreciate better this manner of speaking, one should read the
passages gathered together by Father Poulain, Graces of7nterior Prayer. C. V-VI.
as well as the interpretations of these passages given first by himself, and then in
quite a different sense by Father Saudreau, Li État mystique, Appendice II.

CONTROVERTED QUESTIONS.

731

impressions can all be referred to the different effects of an ardent and
generous love. It may be said therefore that if they use expressions
which appear too strong, it is due to the inadequacy of human language
for describing the effects of grace produced in their soul.

§ II. Universal call to contemplation

1558. It is not question here of the individual and
proximate call to infused contemplation of which we spoke
in number 1406. On this point every one accepts the
doctrine of Tauter and of St. John of the Cross. What is
meant is the remotely suffident and general call; in other
words, we ask whether all souls in the state of grace are
remotely and sufficiently called to infused contemplation. Once
more we meet with two very different answers which flow,
to a great extent at least, from the different views held
concerning contemplation.
1559. i° A universal call, remote and sufficient, is
today admitted with slight variations by a great number of
writers belonging to different Religious Orders, such as the
Dominicans, 1 the Benedictines, 1
2*5 the Franciscans, 3 the
Carmelites, 4 the Jesuits, 5 the Eudists, 67as well as by a
number of secular priests. 7 Various Reviews, notably la
Vie Spirituelle, have been published in order to defend and
propagate this opinion. Father Garrigou-Lagrange vigor­
ously expounds it when he strives to prove that the mysti­
cal life is the normal development of the interior life and that
consequently all souls in the state of grace are called thereto.
We give a brief summary of his arguments.
a) The fundamental prindple of the mystic life is the very
same as that of the ordinary, interior life, that is, sanctifying
grace or the grace of the virtues and the gifts. These gifts
increase with charity, and, once they have attained their full
development, they act in us according to their supra-human
mode of action and put us in the passive or mystic state.
Hence, the principle of the interior life contains in germ the
mystic life, which is here below the flowering, as it were, of
the spiritual life.
1560. b) The purification of the soul as it advances in the interior
life is not completed except through the passive trials. Now, these
1 Fathers Arintero, Garrigou-Lagrange, Joret, Janvier, etc.
3 Dom Louismet, Doni Huyben, etc. — 3 Father Ludovic de Besse.
4 Father Theodore of St. Joseph, Essai sur Γoraison selon Técole carmélitaine, 1923.
— Note his restrictions contained on, p. 128.
5 L. Peeters, Vers l'union divine par les Exercices

6 Father Lambaile, La Contemplation.
7 Father Saudreau, L'Ami du Clergé, etc.

de S. Ignace, 1924.

732

CHAPTER IV.

purifications or trials are of a mystical nature. Hence, the interior life
cannot attain its full development in any other way than through the
mystic life.
e) The end of the interior life is the same as that of the mystic life,
that is, a perfect disposition for the reception of the light of glory
immediately after death. “ Now, the perfect disposition for the
reception of the beatific vision immediately after death can be none
other than the intense charity of a soul thoroughly purified and possessed
of an ardent desire of seeing God, such as we find in the mystic
union, and particularly in the transforming union. The latter is there­
fore the highest development here below of the life of grace. ” ‘

1561, 2° Theory of a special and restricted call. The
foregoing arguments do not appear convincing to all, and
a great number of spiritual writers belonging to the Society
of Jesus, such as Cardinal Billot, Fathers Maumigny, Pou­
lain, Bainvel, J. de Guibert, and to the Discalced Carmelites,
such as Father Mary Joseph of the Sacred Heart, and others
outside these two Schools of thought, such as Mgr. Lejeune
and Mgr. Farges, think that acquired contemplation is a
free gift which is not bestowed upon all, and which moreover
is not necessary for the attainment of sanctity. Their argu­
ments are these:23
a) The theory of a universal call is indeed constructed
along superb theological lines, but all of the structure is not
equally solid. It has not been proved, for instance, “ that the
seven gifts correspond to seven distinct infused habits and
not to seven kinds of graces for the reception of which the
intellect and the will are prepared by a single habit. More­
over, even were this demonstrated, one would still need to
prove that the gifts of wisdom and understanding can func­
tion perfectly only during contemplation and not during the
reception of enlightening graces which do not necessarily
include this particular form of prayer. Such demonstration
has never been made. 3
Nor has it been proved that the gifts always act in a supra-human
way. Cardinal Billot4 thinks that they act in two ways, now in an
ordinary manner, accommodating themselves to our human mode
of action, now in an extraordinary way by producing in us infused
contemplation.

1562. b) No doubt, the passive trials seem to be the more potent
means ofpurifying the soul, since they make the soul pass through a
veritable purgatory ; but in this vale of tears, where the occasions for
' Garricou-Lagrange, op. cit., p. 450.
’ These arguments are expounded by P. R. de maumigny, Practice of mental
Prayer. I. H, P. V; Mgr. Farces, Mystical Phenomena, P. 1. C. IV; Controv. de
la Presse, C. IV ; J. de Guibert, Kev. d'Asc. el de Mystique, Janv. 1924, p. 25-32.
3 J. de Guibert, loc. cit., p. 26.
4 De Virtutibus infusis, th. VIII.

CONTROVERTED QUESTIONS.

733

suffering and mortification are so numerous, is it not possible to effect
this purification by a sweet resignation to the will of God and by
positive acts of mortification performed under the inspiration of the
Holy Ghost and the guidance of a prudent director? Has it been
demonstrated that the graces of contemplation are the only choice graces
of God? Every one admits that there are persons who have not yet
been raised to infused contemplation and who are more perfect than
others whom God has freely brought thereto precisely in order to make
them become holy (n. 1407). And since they are more perfect, they
are by that fact more thoroughly purified. It may well be therefore,
that at the moment of death their purification is complete.
e) It is indeed true that the end of the interior life as well as that of
the mystic life is to prepare for the beatific vision, and that the trans­
forming union is for certain souls the best preparation for it. But is
this the only preparation? There are persons continuing in discursive
and affective prayer who are models of heroic virtue, who are outwardly,
and in the estimation of those who know them well, just as virtuous as
some contemplatives, or even more so.“ Has it been shown conclus­
ively that the gifts of the Holy Ghost have no part in the thousand
ejaculatory prayers offered up by many persons while performing their
daily occupations? Has it been proved that the said gifts exert no
influence on the constant and supernatural performance of professional
duties, which by the very fact that they are so constant, require heroic
courage? And yet, when one questions these persons, one finds no
signs of contemplation properly so-called. Must we not then admit
that God, Who knows how to adapt His graces to the character, train­
ing and circumstances of each individual, does not lead all souls by
the same way, and that although He demands of all a perfect docility
to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, He makes use of different means
to sanctify them?

1563. 30 While weighing the arguments advanced by
both sides of the controversy, it seems to us that the two
opinions are not so far apart as they may appear.
A) Let us first of all examine the points on which the
moderate exponents of either view agree:
a) There have been and there are contemplatives of every
temperament and of every condition of life; still, in point of
fact, there are temperaments and modes of life which lend
themselves better to infused contemplation. The reason for
this is that contemplation is a free gift bestowed by God
when and on whom He pleases (n. 1387), and that moreover
God is wont to adapt His graces to the temperament and
the duties of state of each individual.
b) Contemplation is not sanctity, but only one of the
most effective means of attaining it. Sanctity really consists
in charity, in intimate and habitual union with God. Now,
although contemplation is in itself the highway to this
union, it is not the only way. There are indeed persons who
are not contemplatives “ who are more advanced in virtue,

734

CHAPTER IV.

in true charity, than others who have already received
infused contemplation. ” 1
C) We have all received in Baptism a supernatural
organism (habitual grace, the virtues and the gifts) which,
when it attains its full development, leads normally to
contemplation in the sense that it imparts that docility
which permits God to put us in the passive state when He
pleases and in the way He pleases. But as a matter of fact,
there are souls who through no fault of theirs never attain
to contemplation here below. 123
1564. B) Despite agreement upon these important
points, there remain divergences which proceed, in our
opinion, from tendencies more or less favorable to the
mystical state and from- the more or less extraordinary
character attributed to that state. We shall in all modesty
offer our solution in two assertions: a) Infused contempla­
tion considered in itself is a normal development of the
Christian life, b) In point offact, however, not all souls in
the state of grace seem to be called to such contemplation
inclusive of the transforming union.
a) Infused contemplation when considered independently
of the extraordinary mystical phenomena which attend it, is
not of a miraculous or of an abnormal nature; it is simply
the resultant of two causes : the cultivation of our supernat­
ural organism, especially of the gifts of the Holy Ghost
(n· 13S5)> and of a special grace which of itself has nothing
of the miraculous about it. We said that the infusion of
new ideas is not necessary for the first degrees of contem­
plation (n. 1390). We might even assert with the Carmelite
Congress of Madrid that in itself contemplation is the most
perfect state of union between the soul and God that can
be had in this life, the highest ideal and, as it were, the last
stage of the Christian life in this world for souls called to
mystic union with God, the ordinary way of sanctity and of
habitual heroic virtue. 3 This seems indeed to be the tradi­
tional teaching as found in the mystic writers from Clement
of Alexandria to St. Francis de Sales.
1 Garrigou-Lagrange, Op. cit., t. II, p. [78].
2 "This may proceed not only from an unfavorable environment» but from a
want of direction, as well as from natural temperament. On this point it is well to
recall with J. Maritain that, according to many Thomists, such as Bannez,
John of St. Thomas, the Carmelites of Salamanca, the very temperament of the
Elect is in a sense an effect of predestination. ” Garrigou-Lagrange, op. cit.,
L Π, p. [7$}
3 Carmelite Congress, 1923, Theme V. — The Congress avoided pronouncing on
the question of the universal call to contemplation, because, no doubt, it looked
upon this matter as doubtful.

CONTROVERTED QUESTIONS.

735

1565. b) However, it does not necessarily follow from
these premises that all souls in the state of grace are truly
called, even in a remote way, to the transforming union.
Just as in heaven there are different degrees of glory, “ for
star differeth from star in glory,” 1 so there are on earth
different degrees of sanctity to which souls are called. Now,
God, Who is ever free in the distribution of His gifts, and
Who knows how to adapt His action to the temperament,
education and manner of life of each individual, can raise
souls by divers ways to the heights of holiness to which
He destines them.
To those who by their more active character and their
more absorbing occupations seem to be made for action, He
gives graces especially suited to the exercise of the active
gifts. Such persons live in intimate, habitual union with
God ; at times they even multiply their ejaculatory prayers
beyond what seems possible to human power. Above
all else they perform out of love for God, and with heroic
constancy and docility to the inspirations of grace, the
thousand and one little duties of daily life. Thus, they
reach the degree of sanctity to which God destines them,
and this without the help (at least habitual) of infused
contemplation. They are in the simple unitive way, such
as we have described it (n. 1303 and foil.).
No doubt, one might say that such persons are exceptions and that
the normal way to sanctity is contemplation. · Still, when such excep­
tions are numerous, must one not take account of them in the problem
of a remote call, since temperament and duties of state are elements
which aid in deciding the question of vocation?

At bottom, the agreement of these authors is more real
than the difference of language would seem to indicate.
Some, viewing the matter in an abstract and formal way,
admit numerous exceptions to the universal call while main­
taining the principle of its universality; others, taking a
more practical view, prefer to say simply that the call is not
universal albeit that contemplation is the normal develop­
ment of the Christian life.
1566. c) The solution we propose is, it seems, based on
traditional teaching. 1) On the one hand, well-nigh all the
spiritual writers, from Clement of Alexandria to St. Francis
de Sales, speak of contemplation as the normal consumma­
tion of the spiritual life. 3 2) On the other hand, rather few
1 /. Cor., XV, 41. —2 Garrigou-Lagrange, op. cit., t. II, p. (71-79).
3 Abundant documents can be found in the following works : Honoré de
Ste Marie, Tradition des Pires et des auteurs ecclésiastiques sur la contemplation,

736

CHAPTER IV.

of them explicitly examine the question of a universal call
to contemplation. Those that do so have in mind most of
the time choice souls living in contemplative communities,
or at least, very fervent souls. When, therefore, they assert
that all or nearly all can arrive at the fountain of living
waters (contemplation), it is for the members of their
communities that they speak, and not for all souls in the
state of grace. Besides, from the seventeenth century on,
from which time greater precision of language began to
prevail in these matters, a great number of writers require
for infused contemplation a special call, and many positively
assert that one can arrive at sanctity without contemplation.1
The two questions are therefore not to be confounded, for
one can admit that contemplation is the normal develop­
ment of the spiritual life without affirming that all souls in
the state of grace are called to the transforming union.
1567.Let us add that the attainment of sanctity and
the direction of the souls tending thereto do not depend
upon the solution of such a difficult problem. By insisting
upon the cultivation of the gifts of the Holy Ghost as well
as upon perfect detachment from self and from creatures,
by gradually leading souls to the prayer of simplicity, by
teaching them to listen to the voice of God and to follow
His inspirations, one places them in the way that leads to
contemplation; the rest belongs to God, Who alone can lay
hold of these souls, and, according to St. Teresa’s graceful
metaphor, place them in the nest, that is to say, in the
contemplative repose.
1568. With most authors we think that infused contem­
plation belongs to the unitive way. Of course, there are
exceptional cases in which God raises less perfect souls to
contemplation, precisely with the intent of perfecting them
more effectively (n. 1407). This is not however what He
ordinarily does.
Still, there are writers of note, such as Father GarrigouLagrange, who refer the purification of the senses and the
Saudreau, La vie d'union à Dieu. Ed. 3. 1921; Garrigou-Lagrance, op. cit..
t. II, p. 662-740; Pourrat, Christian Spirituality. However, a critico-historical
study of these documents from the special point of view of the universal call to
contemplation is still wanting.
■ This seems to be the solution of Dom V. Lehodey, Ways of Mental Prayer,
P. Ill, C. XIII; Le saint Abandon, P. Ill, ch. XIV; of MGR Waffelaert,
R. A. M., janv. 1923, p. 31, and in his various works; of the Carmelite School, and
of those writers who admit a state of acquired contemplation, no matter how brief.
It is similar to the solution given by P. M. de la Taille, L'oraison contempla­
tive. as well as to that proposed by M. J. Maritain, Vie Spirituelle, mars 1923,
and appearing in the work of Garrigou-Lagrange, t. II, p. (58-71).

CONTROVERTED QUESTIONS.

737

prayer of quiet to the illuminative way. They take their
stand on the authority of St. John of the Cross, who in the
Dark Night writes : “ The night of sense is common, and the
lot of many : these are the beginners...1 The soul began to
set out on the way of the spirit, the way of proficients, which is
also called the illuminative way, or the way of infused contem­
plation, wherein God Himself teaches and refreshes the soul.”2
We have been for a long time acquainted with this text, but
like H. Hoornaert, 3 who has translated the works of the
great mystic, we find in it quite a different meaning. In his
various works, St. John of the Cross speaks only of infused
contemplation ; now, as regards this contemplation there are
beginners, proficients and perfect souls : for him, the begin­
ners are those who are about to enter into the passive puri­
fication of the senses : this is why he speaks of them from
the very first chapter of the Dark Night. By the proficients
he means those who have entered upon infused contempla­
tion, quietude and full union. The perfect are those who
have gone through the night of the spirit and are in the
ecstatic or in the transforming union. This is an altogether
different point of view.
1569. Furthermore, since we are writing a text-book, it is impor­
tant to bring together and compare all that relates to the various kinds
of contemplation, in order to bring out more clearly its nature and
divers degrees. This is why we thought we should keep to the plan
commonly followed. But we hasten to add that God, Whose ways are
as manifold as they are -wonderful, does not always follow the logical
lines we strive to trace. It is therefore important that the spiritual
director follow and not anticipate the motions of divine grace.

1570. Hence, we conclude with these words of L'Ami
du Clergé: “What is so energetically discussed in theory
does not prevent certitude regarding a goodly number of
essential practical rules... In order to profit by the medi­
cinal qualities of a plant, it is not absolutely necessary to
know its history and nomenclature. The same may be said
of contemplation : there is no agreement concerning its
definition or its place in theological classifications... Without
waiting for technical and theoretical conclusions, directors
are quite able to distinguish the goal towards which generous
and predestined souls turn their steps, and to help them
reach it. ” 4

■ Dark Night. Bk. I, C. VIII. — ’ Ibid., C. XIV.
3 Note sur la Nuit obscure, p. 5-6. — « 8 dec. 1921, p. 697.

738

Conclusion

BOOK III.

of book hi: spiritual

Direction

OF CONTEMPLATIVES

In several places of this book we have laid down rules for
the direction of contemplatives; however, it may be well to
give a resume of them here and to point out what course the
spiritual director should follow in order to prepare souls for
contemplation, to guide them through its dangers, and to
lift them up if they falter in the way.
1571. i° It is the duty of the director, if he has in his
care generous souls, to prepare them little by little for the
unitive way and for contemplation. He must avoid two
extremes : that of urging indiscriminately and too hastily
all fervent souls to contemplation, and that of not being
concerned at all about this matter.
1572. A) In order to avoid the first mistake, a) the
spiritual director should remember that one cannot ordina­
rily aim at contemplation until one has for a long time
exercised oneself in prayer and in the practice of the
Christian virtues of purity of heart, detachment from self
and from creatures, humility, obedience, conformity to the
Will of God, the spirit of faith, of trust and of love.
He should call to mind the teaching of St. Bernard : ' If among the
monks there are any contemplatives, they are not the novices in virtue,
who but erstwhile dead to sin, labour in tearsand in the dread of judg­
ment in order to heal their as yet fresh wounds. They are rather those
who after a long co-operation with grace have made solid progress in
virtue, who need no longer revolve again and again in their minds the
sorrowful picture of their sins, but, on the contrary, find their delight
in meditating day and night and in keeping the law of God.
b) Should the director notice that the desire of contemplation is
excessive and even presumptuous, he must seek to restrain it, recall­
ing that no one can force his way into contemplation, and that more­
over the joys of prayer generally come only after bitter trials.
C) He must carefully guard against mistaking the sensible consola­
tions of beginners, or even the spiritual ones of advanced souls for the
divine delights (n. 1439), and he should wait, before passing judgment
on the entrance of a soul into the passive state, for the three distinct
signs which we indicated in numbers 1413-1416.

1573. B) In order to avoid the second error, he should
remember that God, ever prodigal of His gifts, gives Him­
self generously to fervent and docile souls.
a) Without speaking explicitly about contemplation, he
should exercise these good souls not only in virtue, but also
■ tn Cantica sermo LVII, n. it. We have given a summary of his thought.

CONCLUSION.

739

in devotion to the Holy Ghost. He should frequently
speak to them of the indwelling of that Divine Spirit in the
human soul, of the duty of thinking often of Him, of
adoring Him, of obeying His inspirations, of cultivating
His gifts.
b) He must teach them to make their prayer more and more affective,
to prolong the acts of religion, of love, of self-offering, of self-abandon­
ment to the Will of God, and to repeat these acts frequently during the
course of the day by a simple elevation of the heart without in any
way neglecting duties of state or the exercise of virtue. When he
notices that they are inclined to remain in silence in the presence of
God in order to listen to Him and to do His bidding, he must
encourage them by extolling this practice as excellent and exceedingly
fruitful.

1574. 2° Once the soul has entered into the mystic
ways, the director will need the greatest prudence in order
to be a faithful guide amidst the aridities and the divine
delights.
A) He must lend his help during the passive trials so that
the soul may be able to fight off discouragement and the
other temptations of which we spoke in numbers 1432-1434.
B) In sweet contemplation, the soul may be exposed to
spiritual gluttony and to vain-contplacency.
a) In order to avoid the first of these defects, it is important ever to
remember that we must love the God of consolations rather than the
consolations of God, that consolations are only a means to unite us to
Him, and that we must be ready to renounce them completely the
moment it pleases God to withdraw them : God alone sufficeth.
b) Sometimes God Himself undertakes to curb the impulses of pride
by vividly impressing upon the soul a sense of its nothingness and its
miseries, and by showing clearly that His favors are pure gifts in
which we can in no way glory. As long as souls have not been
completely purified through the night of the spirit, they need, as
St. Teresa says, to be exercised in humility and in conformity to the Will
of God (n. 1447, 1474). Above al), they must be warned against the
desire of visions, revelations and other extraordinary phenomena.
We are never permitted to desire these, and the Saints went so far as
to repel them by acts of humility (n. 1496).

1575.C) We must not forget that ecstasy is but an
illusion if, to use the expression of St. Francis de Sales, it is
unrelated to ecstatic manner of life, that is to say, to the
practice of heroic virtue (n. 1461). It would be a serious
mistake to neglect our duties of state in order to give more
time to contemplation. Father Balthazar Alvarez, con­
fessor to St. Teresa, distinctly declared that one must
relinquish contemplation in order to fulfil one’s duties or to
minister to the neighbor’s needs, and that God bestows
upon him who thus learns to mortify himself more light and

740

BOOK III. — CONCLUSION.

more love in one hour of prayer than He gives to others
during several hours.1

1576.D) It would be a still greater mistake to imagine
that contemplation confers the privilege of impeccability.
History shows that false mystics, like the Beghards and the
Quietists, who thought themselves impeccable, fell into the
grossest vices. St. Teresa insists constantly upon the
necessity of watchfulness in order to avoid sin, even after
the highest degrees of contemplation have been reached,
and St. Philip Neri was used to say : “ My God, beware of
Philip, or he will betray Thee. ” Indeed we can not perse­
vere for long without a special grace, and this grace is given
to the humble who know how to distrust themselves and to
place all their confidence in God.
1577. 3° We must therefore realize that contemplative
souls can fall into sin. Such falls may come from several
causes :
a) The soul may have been raised to contemplation before it had
sufficiently mastered its passions. Instead of courageously keeping
up the fight, it lulled itself to sleep in the sweetness of repose. Then
violent temptations arose, and the soul, trusting overmuch in its own
strength, fell a victim to sin. The means of restoration are compunc­
tion of heart, return to God with a contrite and humbled heart, and
long and laborious penance. The greater the heights from which one
has fallen, the more humble and constant must be the efforts to take
up the long and arduous climb once more. It is the office of the
director to drive home this truth with kindness but also with firmness.
b) There are contemplatives who fought valiantly and successfully
to bring their evil tendencies into subjection. But imagining that the
struggle was over, they relaxed their efforts and became less generous
in fulfilling certain duties which they looked upon as less important.
Indifference gradually set in and finally begot lukewarmness. Now,,
the director must check this downward movement by reminding them
that the more generous God has been with them, the more they must
increase their fervor, that the least negligence on the part of God’s
friends hurts to the quick Him Who bestows His favors so freely upon
them. One should read St. Margaret Mary’s autobiography in which
she relates the severe reproaches Our Lord addressed to her in order
to correct her smallest infidelities, her lack of respect and attention
during the Office and during mental prayer, her lack of uprightness
and purity of intention, her vam curiosity, her least failings in obedience,
even when these latter were due to an attempt to increase her austeri­
ties. This reading should move the director to work energetically for
the return of such souls to fervor.

1578. C) Other souls expected to find only sweetness
and divine delights in contemplation, once the first passive
trials were over. But in reality God continues to send them
■

by P. Dupont, ch. ΧΙΠ, cb. XLI, 5« difficulté.

EPILOGUE.

741

alternately desolation and consolation, so as to sanctify
them all the more effectively. They give way to discour­
agement and thus lay themselves open to laxity and its
consequences. The director should teach them to apply
the great remedy, love for the Cross. Not that the Cross is
in itself lovable, but because it renders us more conformable
to Jesus Crucified.
The sainted Curé of Ars used to say : “ The cross is the gift which
God makes to His friends. The love of crosses must be asked for.
Then they become sweet. I have tried it... Ο, I had plenty of
crosses; I almost had more than I could bear! I began to ask for a
love of crosses; then I became happy... Truly, there is no happiness
except there. ” '

One word may sum up the duty of the spiritual director
towards contemplatives : to study the works and the biogra­
phies of the mystics, and to beg for the gift of counsel, so
as never to address these souls without having previously
consulted the Holy Ghost.

Epilogue :
THE THREE WAYS AND THE LITURGICAL CYCLE 2

1579. Aftér taking a survey of the Three Ways, or the
three stages, which lead to perfection, it will not be without
profit to see how each year Holy Mother the Church invites
us through her liturgy to start anew and to perfect the work
of our sanctification with its three degrees of purification,
illumination and union with God. The spiritual life is in
truth a continuous series of new beginnings, and the liturgi­
cal cycle comes each year to inspire us to new efforts.
Everything in the liturgy conters about the Incarnate
Word, our Mediator and Redeemer, presented to us not
only as a model for imitation, but also as the Head of a
mystical body, Who comes to live in His members in order
to enable them to practise the virtues of which He has
given them the example. Each festival, each liturgical
period recalls to us some one or other of the virtues of
Jesus and brings to us the graces which He has merited
and which enable us with His co-operation to reproduce
these virtues in ourselves.

1580. The liturgical year, which corresponds to the four
seasons of the year, also symbolizes the four main phases of
1 Monnin, The Curé of Ars, Bk. Ill, c. III.
’ Dom. Guéranger, The Liturgical Year; DOM Leduc and Dom Baudot,
Catéchisme Liturgique; Dom Festugièke, La Liturgie Catholique ; F. CavaLLERA, Ascéticisme et Liturgie.

742

EPILOGUE.

the spiritual life.1 Advent corresponds to the purgative
way ; Christmastide and Epiphany to the illuminative way
wherein we follow Jesus by the imitation of His virtues; the
period of Septuagesima and the season of Lent bring about
a second purification of the soul more thorough than the
first; Paschal time typifies the unitive way, the union with
the Risen Christ, a union perfected by the Ascension and
the Descent of the Holy Ghost. We add a brief explana­
tion of this liturgical year.

1581. i° Advent, which signifies a coming, is a prepa­
ration for the coming of the Savior, and as such is a period
of purification and penance.
The Church invites us to meditate upon the threefold coming of
Christ : His advent upon earth through the Incarnation, His entrance
into the souls of men through grace, and His appearance at the end of
time to judge all mankind. It is chiefly upon the first coming that the
Church centers our attention : she recalls to us the longings of the
Patriarchs and the Prophets, in order to make us long with them for the
coming of the promised Redeemer and the establishment or streng­
thening of His Kingdom in our souls. This is, then, a time of holy
desires and ardent supplications, a time when we ask God to pour down
upon us the dew of grace, and above all, the Redeemer Himself :
“ Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the
just ! ” This prayer takes on the character of still more earnest longing
in the great antiphones, O Emmanuel, King of Glory, etc... which, by
recalling the glorious titles given by the Prophets to the Messias and
the chief characteristics of His mission, make us yearn for the coming
of Him Who alone can relieve our misery.

1582. But Advent is also a season of penance. It is then that the
Church reminds us of the Last Judgment for which we must make
ready by the expiation of our sins : the preaching of St. John the
Baptist invites us to do penance and thus to prepare the way for the
Savior : “ Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. ” ’
Formerly, Christians fasted three days a week, a practice still kept up
by some Religious Orders, and if the Church no longer holds her
children to this fast, she urges them to make up for it by other prac­
tices of mortification. In order to remind us of our duty of penance,
she has her priests celebrate the Masses of Advent in violet vestments,
the color of mourning.
These holy desires and penitential practices evidently tend to purify
the soul and thus prepare it for the reign of Christ.

1583. 2° Christmastide. The Word appears in the
weakness of our flesh, with the charms of childhood, but also
with its helplessness. He invites us to open our hearts to
Him that He may reign therein as our King and enable us
’ Although but three ways are distinguished in the spiritual life, there is such a
great difference between \hz passive purifications and sweet contemplation, that a
division within the unitive way into two stages is quite justified.
« Luke, III, 4.

EPILOGUE.

743

to share in His dispositions and His virtues. This is the
beginning of the illuminative way. Purified of our faults'
and separated from sin and its causes, we unite ourselves
more and more closely to Jesus in order to share in His
abasement, in His virtues of humility, obedience and poverty,
which He practised from the very first moment of His birth.
He comes to redeem the world ; but, who is there to welcome
Him? None but a few shepherds and the three Wise Men
from the East come to offer Him their homage. The Jews,
His Chosen People, refuse to receive Him : “ He came unto
his own,and his own received him not. ”1 He is forced to flee
into the land of Egypt. Returning, He buries Himself in a
small Galilean village and there He remains for thirty
years, growing in wisdom and knowledge as well as in age,
performing the manual labor of a simple tradesman, and
being in all things subject to Mary and Joseph. Such is
the vision which the Liturgy brings before us during the
season of Christmas and Epiphany in order to present us
with the examples we are to imitate. At the same time, it
invites us to adore profoundly the Infant-God Who abases
Himself for us, and it bids us offer our thanks and our love
to “ Him Who has loved us so much. ”

1584. 3° But before we can taste the joys of divine
union, a new purification more painful and far-reaching than
the former is required. This purification is to take place
during the seasons of Septuagesima and Lent.
Septuagesima is a prelude, as it were, to Lent. The
Church, placing before us in the Bible-lessons of the Divine
Office the fall of man and the sins which followed in its wake,
the deluge which came as a punishment for these sins, and
the holy lives of the Patriarchs which were to expiate them,
urges us to consider in the bitterness of our soul all our
personal sins, to detest them sincerely and to expiate them
through a whole-hearted penance. The means which the
Church proposes towards this end are : i) work, or the
faithful accomplishment of all our duties of state for the
love of God : “ Go you also into my vineyard ; ” 2 2) struggle
against the passions : in the Epistle of the Mass the Church
compares us to athletes taking part in a race or a wrestling
contest in order to win the prize, and she urges us to
chastise our body even as these men do in order to bring it
into subjection ; 3) voluntary acceptance of sufferings and
trials, our just punishment, together with a humble prayer
'John, I, ii. —» Maith., XX, 4.

744

EPILOGUE.

that we may profit thereby : “The sorrows of death encom­
passed me... and in my affliction I called upon the Lord. ” 1

1585. Lent offers us some additional means whereby to
purify our hearts still more and to triumph over temptation :
fasting, abstinence and almsgiving. We shall use these
means in union with Jesus, Who for forty days withdrew
into the desert, there to do penance in our stead, and Who
consented to be tempted in order to teach us how to over­
come Satan. The Preface of the Mass will remind us that
fasting curbs our evil tendencies, elevates our heart to God
and obtains for us an increase of virtue and of merit.
The scene on Mount Thabor described in the Gospel for the Second
Sunday of Lent will show us that penance has its joys, once we have
learned to perform it in a spirit of prayer, and to raise up our eyes to
God in search of help : “ My eyes are towards the Lord, for he shall
pluck my feet out of the snare. ” * The Introit for the Fourth Sunday,
“Rejoice, O Jerusalem,” will sustain our courage by enabling us to
discern the joys of heaven, joys of which Holy Communion, symbolized
by the multiplication of the loaves, gives us a foretaste.

1586. On Passion Sunday the standard of the Cross is
raised : “ Abroad the Royal Banners fly. ” It is the Cross
alone that appears, for the image of the Savior is veiled as
a sign of mourning and sorrow, in order to remind us that
moments will come when we must suffer without consola­
tions. But the Epistle of the day will bring us comfort by
showing us our High priest, Who by the shedding of His
blood enters into the Holy of Holies, and by telling us again
that the Cross, the symbol of death, has become a source of
life : “ That whence came death, thence also life might
arise. ’’ 3
Palm Sunday, soon to be followed by the sorrowful
mysteries, will teach us how ephemeral are earthly triumphs,
and how the deepest humiliations follow close upon them.
Then out of the depths of a soul in anguish will rise the
cry : “ My God, my God, look upon me : why hast thou
forsaken me? ”4 It is the cry of Jesus in the Garden of
Olives and on Calvary. It is the cry of the Christian soul
when visited by interior sufferings or exposed to calumny.
The Epistle however will bring us consolation by urging us
to make our own the interior sentiments of Jesus obedient
unto death, even the death of the Cross, but soon after
rewarded by such an exaltation that every knee bends before
Him. If therefore we share in His suffering, we shall
* Introit, Septuagesima Sunday. — 9 Introit, Third Sunday of Lent.
3 Preface of the Cross. — 4 Introit, Palm Sunday.

EPILOGUE.

745

likewise share in His victory : “ Yet so if we suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified with him. ” 1

1587. 4° The Feast of the Resurrection and the season
of Easter recall to us Christ’s glorious risen life, the model
of the unitive way. This life is heavenly rather than
earthly. During the time of His ministry Our Lord dwelt
constantly upon earth; He labored,conversed with men and
exercised His apostolate. After His resurrection He lives
more than ever apart from external things, appearing but
rarely to His Apostles to give them His last instructions,
and then He returns to His Father : “ Appearing to them
and speaking of the kingdom of God. ” 2
This is the model for souls in the unitive way, henceforth seeking
solitude in order to converse intimately with God. If their duties of
state oblige them to deal with others, they do so with the hope of
sanctifying them. They strive in all things to approach the ideal of
Christ described by St. Paul : “ Therefore, if you be risen with Christ,
seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand
of God. Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon
earth. For you are dead : and your life is hid with Christ in God. ” 3
The Ascension symbolizes a still higher degree of union with God.
Henceforth Jesus lives in heavenly places, at the right hand of the
Father, making intercession for us without ceasing. His apostolate
becomes only the more fruitful, because He sends His Holy Spirit, the
Sanctifier, Who transforms the Apostles, and through them, millions
of souls. In like manner contemplatives who in heart and mind already
live in heaven, do not cease to pray and to sacrifice themselves for the
salvation of their brethren, and thus their apostolate becomes all the
more fruitful.

1588. Pentecost symbolizes the descent of the Holy
Ghost upon individual souls in order to work in a more
gradual and hidden manner the wondrous internal transfor­
mation which He wrought in the Apostles. The Mystery
of the Holy Trinity comes to place before our eyes the
grand object of our faith and of our religion, the efficient
and exemplary cause of our sanctification. The feasts of
Corpus Christi and of the Sacred Heart tell us once more
that Our Lord, Who in the Holy Eucharist manifests the
riches of His Sacred Heart, has a strict right to our adora­
tion and our love, and that He is at the same time the great
Worshipper of the Father through Whom and in Whom we
can render due homage to the Most Adorable Trinity.
The various Sundays which follow upon Pentecost represent the full
development of the work of the Holy Ghost, not only in the Church of
God, but also in every Christian soul, and they invite us to produce
under the action of this Holy Spirit abundant fruits of salvation, even
1 Romans, VIII, 17. — ’ Acts, I, 3. — 3 Coloss., Ill, 1-3.

746

EPILOGUE.

until the day when we shall go to heaven to join with Him Who has
gone before its to prepare a place for us.

1589. Within this liturgical cycle occur the feasts of the
Saints. The examples of these persons, members of Christ
like ourselves, who reproduced His virtues in spite of all
kinds of temptations and obstacles, serve as a powerful
stimulus. We hear them saying to us with St. Paul : “ Be ye
followers of me, as I also am of Christ;” 1 and while reading
in the Breviary the story of their heroic virtues, we repeat
to ourselves the words of St. Augustine : “ Could you not
also do what these men and women have done? ”
It is above all from the feasts of Our Lady that we
draw inspiration, from that Queen of the Angels and the
Saints, from that Mother of the world’s Savior, who is con­
stantly associated with her Son in the Liturgy of the Church,
the Son whom we cannot honor without at the same time
honoring, loving and imitating His Blessed Mother.
Thus, sustained and helped by the Blessed Virgin and the
Saints, and incorporated into the Word Made flesh, we draw
nearer to God while we follow the liturgical cycle each
succeeding year.
1590. But in Order to profit well by the abundant
means of sanctification which the Church offers us, we must
draw unto ourselves the interior dispositions of Jesus. To
accomplish this end we can avail ourselves of the beautiful
and highly efficacious prayer, “ 0 Jesus Living in Mary. ”
We cannot bring this compendium to a close in a more fitting
manner than by giving a brief explanation of this prayer.
PRAYER : TO JESUS LIVING IN MARY'
O Jesu vivens in Maria
veni et vive in famulis tuis,
in spiritu sanctitatis tuæ,
in plenitudine virtutis tuæ,
in perfectione viarum tuarum,
in veritate virtutum tuarum,
in communione mysteriorum tuo­
rum ;
dominare omni adversæ potestati,

in Spiritu tuo ad gloriam Patris.

O Jesus living in Mary,
come and live in Thy servants,
in the spirit of Thy holiness,
in the fulness of Thy power,
in the perfection of Thy ways,
in the truth of Thy virtues,
in the fellowship of Thy myste­
ries,
rule Thou over every adverse
power,
in Thy Spirit, for the glory of the
Father.

■ 7. Cor., IV, j6.
’ This prayer, composed by Father de Condren and completed by Father
Oi.ier, is recited daily at the end of meditation in all Sulpician Seminaries. The
Vex. Father Libermann has written a pious commentary on it. cf. Lettres, t. II,
p. 506-522.

EPILOGUE.

747

The prayer is obviously made up of three parts of unequal
length : the first part indicates theperson addressed; the second,
the object of the prayer; the third, the final aim of the prayer.

1591. i° The Person addressed is Jesus, living in
Mary, that is to say, the Incarnate Word, the God-Man, Who
in the oneness of His Person possesses at once the divine
and the human natures and Who is the meritorious, the
exemplary and the vital cause oi our sanctification (n. 132).
We address ourselves to Him as living in Mary. For nine
months He dwelt physically in her virginal womb : our prayer
does not allude to this indwelling in Mary which ended with
Our Savior’s birth. He also lived in Mary sacramentally
through Holy Communion, but this sacramental presence
came to an end with Mary’s last Communion on earth. He
lived, and still lives in her mystically, as the Head of a mys­
tical body of which all Christians are indeed members, but
Mary the most*exalted of all, since she occupies the place of
honor in that body (n. 155-162). He lives in Mary through
His Divine Spirit, that is to say, through the Holy Ghost,
Whom He imparts to His Holy Mother in order that this
Spirit may produce in her dispositions similar to those which
He wrought in His own holy soul. By virtue of the merits
and prayers of the Savior, the Holy Ghost comes then to
sanctify and glorify Mary, to make her more and more like
Jesus until she becomes the mostperfect living image of Christ.
Father Olier ‘ explains this well : “ What Our Lord is to the Church,
that He is preeminently to His Holy Mother. Thus He constitutes
her interior and divine plenitude of grace, and as He sacrificed Himself
more particularly for her than for the whole Church, He imparts to her
God’s, life more abundantly than to the entire Church. This He does
from a sense of gratitude, in return for the life which He received from
her; for just as He promised to render to all His members a hundred­
fold for what they give Him here on earth, so He wills to render to
His Mother a hundredfold for that human life which He received from
her love and devotion. This hundredfold is the Divine Life of infinite
value... We must then regard Jesus as Our All, living in the Most
Blessed Virgin in the plenitude of Divine Life, of that Life which
He received from the Father, and of that other life which He
acquired and merited for men through the mediation of His Mother.
It is in her that we must see all the treasures of His riches, the glory
of His beauty and the bliss of the Divine Life... There He dwells in
all His fulness; there He works with all the power of His Divine
Spirit; He is but one heart, one soul, one life with her.”’

1592. Jesus lives fully in Mary in order to sanctify not
only her, but through her, the other members of His mysti’ Lettre CCCLXXXIII, t Π, p. 468, ed. 1885.

• Olier, Journée chrét., p. 395-396.

748

EPILOGUE.

cal body. She is, as St. Bernard says, the aqueduct through
which all the graces merited by her Son reach us : “ He
willed us to have all things through Mary. ” It is therefore
most pleasing to Jesus and most profitable to our soul that
we address ourselves to Jesus living in Mary.
1593. 2° The object of this prayer is the interior life
with all its constituent elements, which is nothing less than
a participation in that life which Jesus communicates to His
Mother and which we beg Him to deign to communicate to
us as well.
Aj Since Jesus living in Mary is the source of this life, we
humbly beg Him to come and live in us, and we promise
Him to submit in all docility to His influence: COME AND
LIVE IN TI1Y SERVANTS.

a) He comes to us as He comes to Mary, through His Divine Spirit
through habitual grace. Everytime sanctifying grace is increased,
the Spirit of Jesus likewise grows in our soul, and consequently each
time we perform a supernatural, meritorious act, this Divine Spirit
comes to us and makes our soul still more like the soul of Jesus and
that of Mary. What a powerful motive for multiplying and inten­
sifying our meritorious actions by animating them with divine love !
b) He acts in us through actual grace which He merited for us and
which He imparts to us through His Divine Spirit: “ He worketh in us
both to will and to accomplish. ” ' He becomes the mainspring of our
interior movements, of our interior dispositions, so much so that our
acts proceed only from Jesus communicating to us His Own Life,
His sentiments, His affections, His desires. Then we can say with
St. Paul : “ 1 live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me. ” a ·
C) That this be so, we must let ourselves be led by Him as faithful
servants and we must co-operate with His grace. Like the humble
Virgin we must say in all sincerity : “ Behold the servant of the
Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word. ” Conscious of out
misery and our helplessness, we must obey promptly the least inspira­
tions of His grace. This means for us honorable servitude, for to
serve Him is to reign. It means a service of love that subjects us to
Him Who is indeed Our Master, but also Our Father, Our Friend, and
Who commands nothing that is not profitable to our own soul. Let us
then open our hearts to Christ Jesus and to His Divine Spirit that He
may reign therein as He reigned in the heart of His Blessed Mother!

1594. B) Because Jesus is the source ofall holiness, we ask
Him to live and to act in us, in order that He may commu­
nicate to us His Own sanctity : In the spirit of thy holiness.
There is in Him a twofold holiness : substantial holiness which flows
from the hypostatic union, and participated holiness which is nothing
else but created grace (n. 105). It is this latter holiness that we beg
Him to communicate to us.. It consists first of all in a horror of sin
and in the severance from whatever may lead thereto, in a thorough
• Philip., II, 13. — 3 Galat., II, 20.

EPILOGUE.

749

detachment from creatures and from all self-seeking ; but it consists
also in a participation in the Divine Life; in an intimate union with the
Three Divine Persons; in a love for God which controls every other
affection ; in a word, in positive sanctity.

1595. Since we are unable to acquire such an exalted
sanctity through our own efforts, we beg Him to come to
us in the fulness of his power. Nay, since we fear lest
we turn traitors to God, we pray with the Church that He
“deign to subject to His sway our rebellious faculties.”
It is an efficacious grace therefore that we beg for, which, while it
respects our liberty, knows how to touch the secret springs of the will
and to procure its free consent ; a grace which is not rendered power­
less by our instinctive repugnance or our irrational opposition, but
which sweetly and firmly works in us to will and to accomplish.

1596. C) Since holiness cannot be attained without the
imitation of Our Divine Model, we beg Him to make us
walk in the perfection of his ways, that is to say, to
make us able to imitate His conduct, His exterior and
interior actions, in all their perfection. In other words, we
ask to become living images of Jesus, other Christs, that
like St. Paul we may be able to say to those who would
learn of us : “ Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ. ”
So perfect is this ideal that, of ourselves, we can not realize
it. But Jesus becomes our way : “ I am the way, ” a shining
and living way, a moving way, so to speak, which draws us
in its wake : “ And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will
draw all things to myself. ” 1 We shall willingly allow our­
selves to be drawn by Thee, O Divine Model, and we shall
strive to reproduce Thy virtues !
1597. D) Hence we add : in the truth of thy virtues.
The virtues we ask for are real virtues. There are persons
who, under a veneer of exterior righteousness, conceal a
pagan pride and sensuality. External manners do not
constitute holiness. What Jesus comes to bring us therefore
are interior virtues, crucifying virtues: humility, poverty,
mortification, perfect chastity of mind, heart and body; and
unifying virtues : the spirit of faith, of confidence and of
love. This is what makes the Christian and this is what
transforms him into another Christ.
1598. E) Jesus practised all these virtues especially in
His mysteries, and on this account we pray Him to make
us partake in the grace of His mysteries : in the fellow­
ship of thy mysteries. No doubt, all the principal actions
of Our Lord are called mysteries, but more especially those
'John., XII, 32.

750

EPILOGUE.

six great mysteries described by Father ôlier in his Christ­
ian Catechism : the Incarnation, which invites us to put off
all self-love in order to consecrate ourselves entirely to the
Father in union with Jesus : “ Behold I come to do thy will,
O God;” the Crucifixion, Death and Burial, which express
so many degrees of that total immolation of self by which
we crucify our disordered nature and seek to put off and
bury our evil inclinations ; the Resurrection and the Ascen­
sion, which are the symbols of a perfect detachment from
creatures and of the altogether heavenly life which we desire
to lead in order to reach heaven.
1599. F) We can not assuredly attain such perfection
unless Jesus comes to vanquish our powerful enemies, the
world, the flesh and the devil : to rule over every adverse
power. These three enemies will never cease their bitter
onslaughts, nor will they be completely annihilated as long
as we live upon this earth. But Jesus, Who triumphed over
them, can thwart them and subjugate them by giving us
efficacious graces wherewith to resist their attacks. It is
this for which we humbly pray.
3° Lastly, in order to obtain this grace more readily, we
proclaim that with Him we have but one end in view, to pro­
cure the glory of the Father under the action of the Holy
Ghost : by thy spirit unto the glory of the Father. Since
He is come to earth to seek His Father’s glory, “ I glorify the
Father,” we beg Him to fulfil His work in us and to impart
to us His own interior holiness, so that with Him and through
Him we may be enabled to give glory to that same Father,
and that we may have Him glorified by those about us.
Then shall we be truly members of His mystical body,
true worshippers of God, and He will live and reign in our
hearts for the greater glory of the Most Adorable Trinity.
This prayer therefore constitutes a synthesis of the
spiritual life and a summary of our Compendium.
In bringing our work to a close, we cannot but bless, and
invite our readers to bless with us, that God of love, that
loving Father, Who in making us partakers of His Own
Life, has filled us with all manner of blessings in His Son.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with spiritual
BLESSINGS IN HEAVENLY PLACES, IN CHRIST.

The

end.

APPENDICES
I. The spirituality of the New Testament1
In order to help our readers to understand better and to systematize
the spiritual treasures found in the New Testament, we shall give a
short synthesis of the spirituality of the Synoptics, of St. Paul and of
St. John.
i° The spirituality of the Synoptics

The central idea of Christ’s teaching as recorded by the Synoptics
is that of the Kingdom of God. In order that we may seethe spiritual­
ity implied in this idea, we shall explain the nature and the constitu­
tion of this kingdom together with the conditions of admission.
K) Its nature. The kingdom of God preached by Our Lord is not
an earthly one, but, contrary to the prejudices of the Jews, a spiritual
kingdom opposed to that of Satan and his rebel angels, a) It is
presented under a threefold form : i) At times it is the Kingdom of
Heaven or the place reserved for the Elect : “ Come, ye blessed of my
Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. ” 2 2) At other times it is the interior kingdom as already
established upon earth, that is to say, grace, friendship, sonship
bestowed by God and received by men of good-will. 3) Lastly, it is the
external kingdom which God establishes in order to perpetuate His
work in the world.3 b) These three forms constitute but one and the
same kingdom ; for the visible Church was founded only to enable the
interior kingdom to expand peacefully, and the latter is, so to speak,
the sum-total of the conditions that open to us the kingdom of heaven.
B) Its constitution. This interior kingdom has a King, Who is none
other than God Himself. 4 Now, this God is the Father of His
subjects, not merely collectively as in the Old Dispensation, but of
each individual in particular. His goodness is so great that it embraces
even evil-doers 5 as long as they live upon earth; still, His justice is
visited upon hardened sinners, for they shall be cast into hell.6
This kingdom was established upon earth by Jesus Christ, the Son
of God and the Son of man, Who is also our King by right of birth,
since He is the Son, the natural heir, the one Who alone knows the
Father even as the Father knows Himself ; Who is our King by right
of conquest, since He came to save that which was lost, and since He
shed His blood for the remission of our sins.7 He is a King utterly
devoted to His subjects, a King Who loves the lowly, the poor, the
forsaken ; a King Who goes after the lost sheep to bring it back to the
fold; a King Who upon the Cross pardons His very executioners.8
' POURRAT, Christian Spirituality. P. I. — » Matth., XXV, 34.

3 Tanquerey, Synop. Theol. Fundam., n. 608-611, in which many texts are
quoted in support of this assertion.
4 Matth., VI, 9-10; XXVI, 29.
5 Matth., V, 16, 45. — 6 Matth., XXV, 41.
7 Maith., XI, 37; XIV, 33; XVI, 16; XX, 28; XXV, 31, 34, 40; Luke, X, 22;
XIX, 10; XXII, 20; XXIII, 2, 3.
'Matth,, IX, 13, 36; X, 6; XVIII, 12-24; XIX. *4! Mark, II, 16; Luhe, XI,
13, etc.

2*

APPENDICES.

But He is also the Judge of the living and the dead. On the Last
Day He will separate the good from the bad ; the just He will receive
into His abiding kingdom, but the wicked He will condemn to the
eternal fires of hell. ' Hence, there is nothing in this world of greater
value than this kingdom. This is indeed the pearl of great price, the
hidden treasure to be obtained at any cost.
C) Conditions of admission. Admittance to the kingdom is
gained through penance, ’ baptism, belief in the Gospel, and obser­
vance of the commandments.3
But the ideal proposed to the members of the kingdom is the
imitation, as far as this is possible, of God’s Own perfection. Since
we have been made His children, we must strive to live up to our
dignity and to model our conduct on the divine perfections : “ Be you
therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. ”4
In order to reach so high an ideal, two essential conditions must be
fulfilled. We must renounce self and creatures and thus detach
ourselves from whatever constitutes an obstacle to union with God.
Moreover, we must love God and give ourselves entirely to Him by
imitating Our Lord : “ If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross and follow me. ” 5
a) Renunciation has its degrees. In every case it must exclude
that disordered love of self and of creatures which constitutes sin, and
it must above all rule out grievous sin, which is an absolute obstacle
to the attainment of our destiny. So true is this, that should our
right eye be a source of scandal to us, we must not hesitate to pluck it
out : “And if thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from
thee.”6 For those who would become perfect, renouncement must be
still more absolute. It must embrace the practice of the evangelical
counsels, real poverty, the giving up of family ties, and perfect chastity
or continence. 7 Those who are unwilling or unable to carry their
renouncement so far as this will content themselves with an interior
renunciation of family ties and of worldly goods ; they will live in the
spirit of poverty and of interior detachment from whatever militates
against the reign of God in their soul. They can even thus attain to a
high degree of holiness. 8
These manifold degrees of renunciation are grounded in the distinc­
tion between precepts and counsels : to enter into life it suffices for us
to keep the commandments ; but to be perfect one must sell one’s goods
and bestow them on the poor : “ If thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments... if thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast and
give to the poor. ’’ ’
Perfect renunciation goes as far as the love of the Cross·. “Let him
take up his cross. ” One comes to love the cross, not indeed in and for
itself, but because of the Crucified Christ Whom one would follow unto
the end: “And follow me. ” Nay more, one finally finds joy in the
Cross : “Blessed are the poor in spirit... Blessed are the meek...
Blessed are those who suffer persecution... Blessed are ye when they
shall revile you. ” 10
Matth., XXV, 31-46.
Matth., IV, 17; Mark, I, 15; Luke, V, 32.
Mark, XVI, 16: Matth., XXVIII, 19-20,
Matth., V. 48. — S Luke. IX. 23. — 6 Matth., V, 29.
7 Matth., XIX, 16-22; Luke, XIV, 25-27; Matth., XIX, 11-12.
8 Matth., V, 1-12. — 9 Matth., XIX, 16-22. —-xo Matth., V, 3-12.
1
2
3
4

APPENDICES.

3*

b) However, renunciation is only a means of attaining to the love of
God and the love of the neighbor for God’s sake. In truth, love sums
up the whole law : “ In these two commandments dependeth the whole
law and the prophets.”1 It is love that makes us yield ourselves to
God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind : “ Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and
with thy whole mind... And the second is like to this : thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself. ” * This is the greatest of all the command­
ments, the one which embodies all perfection.
1) This love must be a filial love. It moves us to glorify first of all
our Heavenly Father : “Our Father... hallowed be thy name, thy
kingdom come. ” 3 And in order that we give Him glory in a more
perfect way, it prompts us to keep His commandments: “Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven... Not everyone that saith to me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven : but he that doth the will
of my Father.”4
2) It must be a confiding love for the Heavenly Father cares for
His children far more than He does for the birds of the air and the
lilies of the field : “Are not you of much more value than they? For
your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.”5 This
confidence is shown by prayer, which, according to the promises of the
Divine Mediator, obtains all that is properly asked for: “Ask, and it
shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be
opened to you. For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that
seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.”6*
3) This love begets love of the neighbor. Since we are all children
of the same Heavenly Father, we are all brethren: “For one is your
master: and all you are brethren.”’ In order to impart to this virtue
the greatest possible motivating power, Our Lord declares that on the
day of judgment He shall consider as done unto Himself every service
rendered to the least of His brethren.8 He identifies Himself with
His members, and so in loving the neighbor, it is Christ Himself
Whom we love. This love includes even our enemies, with whom we
must patiently bear, for whom we must pray, and to whom we must
do good. ’ It must therefore be accompanied by meekness and
humility, even as was the love of Our Divine Model :“ Learn of me
because I am meek and humble of heart. ”
Renunciation and love, then, are the two essential conditions of
admittance into the Kingdom of God and of attaining to perfection.
We have seen elsewhere (n. 309 and foil.) how they include all the
virtues.
2° The spirituality of St. Paul"

By a different procedure St. Paul arrives at the same conclusions
as the Synoptics. The central idea with him is not indeed the King­
dom, but the saving flan of God Who desires to save and to sanctify
all men, Jews and Gentiles, through His Son, Jesus Christ, made the
Head of the human race and into Whom we must all be incorporated:
■ Maith., XXII, 40. — ’ Matth., XXII, 36-40. — 3 Matth., VI, 9.
4 Matth., VII, ar. — s Matth., VI, 26-33. — 5 Matth., VII, 7-8.
’ Matth., XXIII, 8. - 8 Matth., XXV, 40. — 9 Matth., V, 44.
10 Matth., XI. 29.
" Prat, Theology of St. Paul; POURRAT, Christian Spirituality ; Duperray,
Christ in the Christian Life.

4*

APPENDICES.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ... in
Whom we have redemption through his blood... and he hath subjected
all things under his feet and hath made him head over all the church. ” '
Thus, from all eternity God wills to sanctify us and to adopt us as
His children. But an obstacle stands in the way—sin, original sin,
committed by Adam, the first head of the human race and transmitted
to his descendants together with concupiscence, that law of the flesh
that holds us captive under the law of sin. God however takes pity on
man. He sends him a Redeemer, a Savior, Who will be the new Head
of the race and Who will reclaim us through His obedience unto death,
even the death of the Cross. Jesus then will be the center of our
livesFor to me, to live is Christ.”3 His merits and His satisfac­
tions are applied to us especially through Baptism and the Holy
Eucharist. Baptism regenerates us, incorporates us into Christ and
makes us new men, who under the guidance of the Holy Ghost must
fight relentlessly against the flesh, the Old Adam. 3 The Holy Eucha­
rist makes us share more abundantly in the death and in the life of
Our Lord, in His inner sentiments and in His virtues. 4
But in order to receive these Sacraments with profit, in order to
foster the Divine Life which they impart, we must live a life of faith :
“ The just man liveth by faith. ”5 We must place all our confidence in
God and in Our Lord, and we must above all practise that most excel­
lent of all virtues, charity, which will indeed be one of our joys in
heaven,6 but which now in this valley of tears exacts the crucifixion of
nature.7
All these ascetical practices are summed up in a formula recurring
again and again in the writings of the Apostle : we must incorporate
ourselves more and more into Christ Jesus and therefore put off the
Old Man with all his tendencies to evil, and put on the New Man with
all His virtues : “ Stripping yourselves of the old man with his deeds,
and putting on the new, him who is renewed unto knowledge, according
to the image of him that created him. ” 8
A) First of all, we must put off the Old Adam, a) This Old Adam,
which is also called the flesh, is our nature, not indeed as it is in
itself, but as vitiated by the threefold concupiscence. Consequently,
the works of the flesh are the sins man commits, not only those of
sensuality and lust, but those also of pride in its various forms.9
b) We are under a strict obligation of mortifying or crucifying the
flesh, an obligation based on two chief reasons : i) The danger of
consenting to sin and of being damned ; for the flesh, or concupiscence
which has not been destroyed by Baptism, urges us on with violence to
sin, and it will enslave us under the law of sin if we do not combat it
relentlessly with the help of God’s grace : “ Who shall deliver me from
the body of this death? The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our
Lord. ” ” The second reason for mortification of the flesh is to be
found in our baptismal promises.
We are dead to sin and have been buried with Jesus Christ
through Baptism, and in order to live with Him of a new life, we pro> Ephes., 1. 3, 7, 22. The entire chapter should be read in order to obtain an
idea of the basic notions of St. Paul's spirituality.
» Phil., I, 2i. — 3 Rom., VI, 4 ; Ephes., VI, ix-17.
4 / Cor., X, 14-22; XI, 17-22. — 5 Rom., I, 17.
6 / Cor., XIII, 1-13. — 7 Galat., V, 24. — 8 Colos., Ill, 10.
9 Rom. ,VIII, i-ιό; Galat., V, 16-25. — >’ Rom., VII, 24-25.

APPENDICES.

5·

mised to avoid sin and thereby to carry on a vigorous campaing
against the flesh and the devil. 1 Life then, must be a combat,
a struggle, the victor’s reward being the crown of glory reserved unto
us by the God of all justice and love. ’
e) What sustains us in this struggle and what renders the victory
relatively easy despite our weakness and our helplessness, is the grace
of God merited by Jesus Christ. If we co-operate with it, we are sure
of victory : “AndGod is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that which you are able : but will make also with temptation
issue.*
3 I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me. ”
d) This mortification has two degrees : i) There is the mortification
necessary for the avoidance of mortal sin and reprobation : “ I chastise
my body and bring it into subjection : lest perhaps, when I have
preached to others, I myself should become a castaway. ”4 2) But
there is also the mortification, which is profitable unto perfection, such as
virginity, perfect humility, absolute disinterestedness.5 From another
point of view St. Paul distinguishes three degrees of mortification :
crucifixion of the still recalcitrant flesh, then a species of spiritual
death, and lastly, burial.6*
B) By putting off the Old Adam we incorporate ourselves into Jesus
Christ, we put on the New Man. This New Man is the Christian
regenerated through Baptism, united to the Holy Ghost and incorpo­
rated into Christ, transforming himself under the influence of grace into
Christ Jesus. In order to understand this doctrine thoroughly, it is
necessary to explain the rôle of the Holy Ghost, of Christ, and of the
soul itself in this new supernatural life.
a) The Holy Ghost, that is to say, the Most Blessed Trinity, dwells
in the soul of the just and transforms it into a holy temple : “For the
temple of God is holy, which you are.”’ b) He operates in the soul,
moves it by actual grace, gives it a filial trust in God the Father, and
enables it to pray with singular efficacy: “God who worketh in you
both to will and to accomplish... Whereby we cry : Abba (Father).
The Spirit also helpeth our infirmity... Himself asketh for us with
unspeakable groanings. ”8
e) Christ is the Head of a mystical body whose members we are, and
He imparts to us motion, direction and life. By Baptism we are incor­
porated into Him, and in Holy Communion we are associated with
Him in His passion, which we commemorate, in His sacrifice, and in
His risen life in which He makes us share while we await our entrance
into heaven where we already dwell to some extent through hope :
“ For we are saved by hope.
This communion is prolonged by a sort
of spiritual communion whereby all through the day we make our own
the thoughts and the affections of Our Lord : “ For let this mind be in
you which was also in Christ Jesus... And I live, now not I, but
’ Rom., VI, 1-23.
Cor., II, 12; IX. 25; Efhes., VI, 11-17; Z/ Tim., IV, 7; 7 Tim., VI, 13.
3 I Cor., X, 13; Phil., IV, 13. — 4 Z Cor., IX, 27.
5 I Cor., VII, 25-34; Phil., II, 5-11; Z Tim., VI, 8.

*Z

6 “ They that are Christ's have crucified their flesh... For you are dead : and
your life is hid with Christ in God... For we are buried together with him in
baptism into death..." (Galat., V, 24; Colos., Ill, 3; Rom., VI, 4). — The
spiritual meaning of these texts is very well explained by Father Olier in his
Christian Catechism, I. C. ΧΧΙ-ΧΧΙΠ.
’ I Cor., Ill, 17. — * Philip.,U. 13. ; Rom., VIII, 15, 26. — 9 Rom., VIII, 24.

6*

APPENDICES.

Christ liveth in me. ” ' Thus, nothing can separate us from Him Who
is our All : “ Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ?” ’
d) From this arises the duty of remaining closely united to Jesus,
our Head, our Source of life, the perfect Model, whom we must con­
stantly imitate until we be transformed into Him. i) We must first of
all imitate His inner dispositions, His humility and His obedience :
“For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who
being in the form of God... emptied himself... becoming obedient
unto death.”3 We must imitate His charity which prompted Him
to sacrifice Himself for us : “ Christ also hath loved us and hath
delivered himself for us. ”4 We must imitate His exterior conduct
by practising modesty, bodily mortification, mortification of our vices
and passions, in order thus to submit ourselves more completely to
Jesus and His Holy Spirit: “Let your modesty be known to all
men. ”5
This imitation of Christ admits of many degress. At first we are
like children, thinking, speaking and acting as such. Then we begin
to grow to perfect manhood, “ unto a perfect man, unto the measure
of the age of the fulness of Christ, ” * until we are completely trans­
formed into Christ : “ For to me, to live is Christ... But Christ liveth
in me. ”’ It is then that we can say to the faithful : “ Be ye followers
of me, as I also am of Christ. ” 8*
There is therefore no essential difference between the spirituality of
St. Paul and that of the Synoptics. To put off the Old Adam is to
practise renunciation, and to put on the New Man, the New Adam, is
to unite oneself to Jesus Christ and through Him to God; it is to love
God and the neighbor.

3° The

spirituality of

St. John

In the writings of St. John, the dominant idea is not that of the
Kingdom, nor that of God’s plan of sanctification for man. It is the
spiritual life. He acquaints us with the interior life of God, of the
Incarnate Word, of the Christian soul.
A) God is life, that is to say, light and love. He is a Father, and
from all eternity He begets a Son, Who is none other than His Word. ’
Together with His Son, He is the source whence proceeds the Holy
Ghost, the Spirit of truth and of love, Who completes the mission of
the Incarnate Word by abiding with Christians until the end of time
in order to enlighten and to strengthen them.IO
B) God wills to communicate this life to men. Hence, He sends
into the world His Own Son, Who by taking flesh becomes man, and
by imparting to us His life makes us the adopted children of God. '■
Equal to the Father by nature, He openly proclaims His inferiority to
Him as man and His utter dependence upon Him. He judges not,
He speaks not, He acts not of Himself, but He conforms His
judgments, His words and His actions to the good pleasure of the
Father and thus manifests His love for Him. " He is obedient unto
death in order to glorify His Father and to procure the salvation
of men. "3
« Philip, II. 5; Galal., Π, 20. — « Rom., VIII, 35. — 3 Phil., Π. 5-11.
4 Ephes., V, 2. — s Phil., IV, 5. — 6 7Ephes., IV, 13.
7 Phil., I, 21; Galal., II, 20. — 8 / Cor., IV. r6.
ojohn,\, 1-5. — John. XIV, 26; XV, 26; XVI, 7-15. — "John, I, 9-14.
«’ John, V, 19, 30. — '3 John, X, 18.

APPENDICES.

7*

With regard to us, He is : l) the light that enlightens us and leads
us unto life; ‘ 2) the Good Shepherd Who feeds His sheep, protects
them from the hungry wolf and lays down His life for them ; ’ 3) the
indispensable Mediator without Whom no one can go to the Father;3
4) the Vine whose branches we are, receiving from Him as we do our
supernatural life.4
C) From Him, then, must flow our interior life, which consists in an
intimate, affectionate union with Him, and through Him with God;5
for He is the Way that leads to the Father. 6
a) This union begins with Baptism, which gives us new birth, spiri­
tual life, 7 which incorporates us into Christ, and enables us to bring
forth fruit unto salvation. 8
b) This union is strengthened by the reception of Holy Communion,
which nourishes our soul with the Body and Blood of Christ, with His
Divinity, with His whole Person, so that we live His very life, and
live for Him even as He lives for His Father. ’
C) This union is made abiding by a kind of spiritual communion,
which causes Jesus to dwell in us and us in Him.10 So close is this
union, that Our Lord compares it with that existing between Himself
and the Father : “ I in them, and thou in me. ” “
D) This union enables us to share in the virtues of the Divine Master,
above all in His love for God and for men carried to the point of selfimmolation.
a) God loves us as His children. We love Him as Our Father.
And because we love Him, we keep His commandments. " Thus, the
Three Divine Persons come to dwell in our soul : “We will come to
him and make our abode with him. ’’13 We must therefore love
God because He is love — God is charily — and because He has
loved us first, sacrificing even His Own Son for us.14
b) Fraternal love flows from the love of God. We must love our
brethren not only as we love ourselves, but as Jesus has loved them.
We must therefore be ready to sacrifice ourselves for them : “A new
commandment I give unto you : That you love one another as I have
loved you'5... Because he hath laid down his life for us : and we
ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ” “ In truth, we are all but
one spiritual family whose father is God and whose savior is Jesus
Christ. So close must our union be that it is likened to that existing
between the Three Divine Persons : “ That they may be one, as we
also are one. ”
This virtue of the love of the neighbor is so neces­
sary that to pretend to love God without loving the neighbor is a lie, ‘8
whereas fraternal charity is the surest guarantee of eternal life. ”
St. John then, is the Apostle of love, the love he practised so well
himself. But this love has its foundation in faith, particularly in belief
in Christ, belief in His Divinity as well as in His Humanity. It
presupposes the struggle against the threefold concupiscence, and
hence, mortification. In this St. John agrees with the Synoptics and
St. Paul, though he emphasizes divine charity more than they do.
■ John, 1. 9; VIII, ra. — ‘‘John, X, it. — ijohn, XIV, 6.
4 John, XV. 1-5. — SJohn, XV, 5-10. — 6 John. XIV, 6. — 7 John, III, 3.
’ John, XV, 1-10. — » John, VI. 55-59. — ■» John. VI. 57. — John, XVII, 23.
» John, XIV, ai. — X3 John, XIV, 23, — / John., IV, 19.
« John, XIII, 34, — Λ / John. Ill, 16. — ‘7 John, XVII, 22.
18 i John. IV, 20-21. — J9 I. John, IV, X2-X7.

8*

APPENDICES.

According to the Synoptics, then, perfection consists in renunciation;
according to St Paul, in incorporation into Christ, which implies the
putting off of the Old Adam and the putting on of the New; according
to St. John, in love carried to the point of sacrifice. We have here
fundamentally one and the same doctrine, but expressed in various
terms and under different aspects, so that it can be easily adapted to
the character and the training of each individual soul.

II.

The study of characters.1

When speaking of self-knowledge, (n. 452) we said that a study of
temperaments and characters would contribute greatly to our know­
ledge of self.
Frequently the two termsj temperament and character, are taken as
synonymous. The distinction between them lies in this, that the
former is the sum-total of those fundamental tendencies which flow
from the physiological constitution of individuals, and the latter the
sum-total of the psychological dispositions, based on temperament as
modified by education and will-power, and made lasting by habit.
It will therefore prove more profitable to study characters than
temperaments, for the important thing from the spiritual point of view
is not so much physical temperament as the character of the soul.
This fact was well understood in olden times, for in the description of
various temperaments, the psychological rather than the physiological
differences were stessed.
We shall limit ourselves here to the question of characters, and shall
make use mainly of the admirable work of Father Malapert, Les
Eléments du Caractère, simplifying, and at times correcting, his
classifications. We shall give a brief explanation of the basis of our
classification, and of the various characters that may be distinguished
in relation to the three great activities of man.

i° Basis

of our classification of* characters

A) When we wish to specify the principal tendencies which differen­
tiate characters, the most reliable means is to study characters in
relation to man’s different activities. We shall not touch on the
question of the purely vegetative activities of man, since they are of
little importance from our point of view, and shall study the main
characters in relation to feeling, to the spiritual activities of mind and
will, and to external activities. A brief synoptic table will make clear
our purpose.

’ Malapert, Les éléments du caractère et leurs lois de combinaison, 1897;
Debreyne-Ferrand. La Théol. Morale et les sciences médic., Paris, 1884; p. 9-46;
Fouillée, Tempérament et caractères, 1895; Paulhan, Les Caractères, 1902.

APPENDICES.

Cold-blooded
Feeling
Hot-blooded

Characters
in
relation
to

Spiritual
activities

External
activities

' of the
Mind
of the
Will

9*

Phlegmatic
Determined
Emotional
Passionate

or disinterested
{Speculative
Practical or interested
Masters of self
{Masters
of others

Timid or reserved
Active -i Restless

1 Men of action

B; Before we explain this classification, a few preliminary remarks
are necessary :
a) The characters we are about to describe do not exist as so many
pure types ; rather, they possess characteristics of several types, and
this in varying degrees. Thus, cold-blooded persons have not only the
traits common to this type, but they experience also a certain amount
of emotional activity. They are classified as cold-blooded, because
this is their characteristic or predominant trait. The same is to be said
of every other type ; it is the predominance of one certain element
which marks off the type from all others. Moreover, this predominant
element admits of many degrees.
b) Again, each individual must be studied from the threefold point of
view outlined above in the schematic chart. For instance, a cold­
blooded person may be intellectual or volitional, just as an intellectual
may be interested or disinterested in his pursuit of knowledge. One
must therefore learn to take these different points of view into consi­
deration before attempting to place a man in this or that category.
e) The characters we describe are not rigidly fixed types, but rather
indications which may enable the spiritual director to observe and to
understand better the peculiarities of each of his penitents. Final
judgment must not be passed on a man’s character after but a few con­
versations with him. Such snap judgments are generally faulty and
must be revised. The process by which we really come to know a
person’s character must necessarily be slow, for it must be one of careful
and studied observation of unnumbered actions and reactions.
d) Lastly, we must not forget to beg humbly, frequently and perseveringly for the lights of the Holy Ghost, for we need them in order to
acquire a true knowledge of self and of others.
2° Different

types of character in relation to feeling.

Feeling is of course common to all human beings, but some persons
have so little of it that they are called cold-blooded, while others, on the
contrary, are called hot-blooded, precisely because in them feeling
is so highly developed.
A) Cold-blooded persons have an abnormally low sensibility and little
emotionalism. They have few desires, show little enthusiasm for
anything, and are seldom aroused to passion. We can divide them
into two classes : the phlegmatic and the determined.

ιο·

APPENDICES.

a) Ύαζ phlegmatic are slow and awkward in action. They are selfish,
but not malicious, and so indifferent as to hardly feel the need of
loving or of being loved. As a general rule, their judgment is sound,
precisely because their passions lack intensity. They have little taste
for active work, but when they must get down to it, they succeed best
in those undertakings which demand patience rather than imagination
and feeling.
As regards the spiritual life, they are not attracted to a high degree
of virtue, but neither are they held back by violent passions. They
are virtuous when not forced to contend against great temptations, but
hardly know how to resist when dangerous occasions present them­
selves, or how to amend their lives when once they have fallen into
habits of sin. They readily accept the spiritual advice given them,
provided they are not asked to aim at a high degree of perfection, or
urged onward too fast.
It is not among these that vocations to the priesthood or the
religious life are to be sought. Such persons are fitted only for quiet
professions which are not too exacting and which are compatible with
the enjoyment of legitimate and moderate pleasure.
b) Persons who are cold-blooded but determined are indeed slow to
action, but steady and methodical in their efforts. By dint of patient
work they obtain notable results.
From the point of view of intellect, these persons possess little
imagination or brilliancy, but they succeed in serious work which
demands reflection, patience and methodical investigation.
From the moral point of view, they entertain no grand dreams, but
they act from conviction, with steadiness of purpose, and are therefore
capable of attaining to a high degree of virtue. Hence, they offer
excellent material for the priesthood or the religious life once they have
been imbued with profound convictions, love of duty for God’s sake, and
of the need of making constant and methodical efforts towards per­
fection. They proceed slowly, but surely : “ Persistent labor over­
comes all things. ”
B) Hot-blooded natures, on the other hand, are characterized by a
predominance offeeling. They sense keenly the need of loving and of
being loved. In them it is the heart that rules. We may divide them
into two classes : the emotional and
passionate.
a) Emotional persons are quick of movement; they have an
engaging smile and a sprightly appearance. They love art in most of
its forms. They are light-hearted and extremely changeable, giving
themselves over readily to the most contrary emotions, and acting on
the spur of the moment.
Gifted with a lively imagination and an ardent heart, they attain
success in literary work, speak with great facility, and charm all with
whom they come in contact.
From the moral point of view, they are easily drawn to sensual
pleasure, to gluttony and to voluptuousness ; but they quickly and
sincerely repent of their faults, and just as quickly fall back into
these same sins at the first opportunity. They have a good heart ; they
are quick to love and become very much attached to those who love
them. They are frank and open in confession and spiritual direction,
are readily convinced, and form good resolutions which they soon
forget. It is by appealing to their heart that they are to be conquered
and brought to God. If one succeeds in implanting in them an ardent
love of Our Lord, one can turn them to good account. Through love

APPENDICES.

Il*

they will make many sacrifices which at first seemed repugnant to their
nature; through love they will pray, frequently receive Holy Commu­
nion, visit the Blessed Sacrament and practise works of zeal. But
they must be taught to love God in dryness of soul and in suffering as
well as in times of consolation. Little by little, under the influence of
divine grace and of their own reflection, their emotions will yield to
convictions, and while preserving all their former spirit, they will bring
to their endeavors greater perseverance and constancy. If they can
not acquire this energy and steadiness of purpose, they must not be
encouraged to choose a state of life such as that of the priesthood,
which requires a well-grounded and tried virtue.
b) Passionate natures are those in which deep and ardent passions
hold sway. They may be reduced to three different types : the
melancholic, the sanguine and the choleric.
1) Melancholic persons have a natural tendency to see the dark side
of things, to dwell particularly on the difficulties and the unpleasant
features of situations, and to exaggerate them. Hence, they are prone
to sadness, to diffidence, to a kind of misanthropy. They suffer very
much, and without intending it, make others suffer also.
Unless they seek consolation in God, Who alone can console them,
and unless they dispel their gloomy thoughts, they fall an easy prey to
weariness, discouragement and scrupulosity.
St. Teresa
*
maintained that persons who are highly predisposed to
melancholy are not fit subjects for the religious life. Indeed, since
melancholy implies a rather marked predominance of the imagination
and the emotions over reason, it may after a time devolve into a sort
of madness. At all events, in order to weaken such an unwholesome
disposition, one must know how to treat such persons with great
sympathy, but always with authority and firmness, not allowing them
to follow their whims or act upon their suspicions. Since their
judgment is not sufficiently clear, they must submit to the decisions of
a spiritual director or some prudent friend.
2) Sanguine or impulsive persons are the ready prey of the first
vivid impression that makes itself felt. They are expansive, volatile
and spasmodic, passing quickly from gaiety to sadnees, from hope to
anxiety, from enthusiasm to discouragement. If contradicted or
humiliated, they fly into a fit of passion and give vent to their spleen in
violent words and gestures. In brief, they frequently lose their self­
control and use harshly those about them.
In order to combat this defect, one must make constant and
energetic use of the power of inhibition, check from the outset the first
inordinate impulses, and reflect before acting; in a word, one must
regain, little by little, control over self.
Unless a man succeeds in attaining mastery over nerves and
emotions, he must not think of entering the priesthood, since violent
anger; as St. Paul remarks, constitutes an insuperable impediment :
“ For a bishop must be without crime... not subject to anger... no
striker. ”3
3) Choleric persons are those in whom passion is not only violent, as
in sanguine natures, but also enduring. They are energetic, longsuffering and tenacious. Generally they are ambitious, and seek
leadership and glory. They are destined to work a great deal of good
'Foundations, C. VII. —3 Titus, I, 7.

12*

APPENDICES.

or a great deal of barm. It all depends on whether they use their
passions for their own selfish ends or for the glory of God and the good
of souls. It is from their ranks that great conquerors and apostles
come. Richly endowed as they are, one can make them render great
service by keeping their eyes fixed on the glory of God and the
conquest of souls, as was done for St. Francis Xavier by St. Igna­
tius of Loyola.
3° Different

types of characters

IN RELATION TO THE SPIRITUAL FACULTIES OF MIND AND WILL

Those in whom the higher faculties of intellect and will predominate
are naturally divided into two classes : the intellectual and the wilful,
accordingly as it is the intellect or the will that has control.
A) The intellectual are those who are absorbed in the pursuit of
knowledge. Among these however there are some of a purely specu­
lative turn of mind, and others who are less disinterested, and who are
goaded on by active hopes and practical ambitions.
a) Those of the purely speculative type spend their lives in the
construction of systems of thought. Such were, for example, Kant,
Cuvier and Ampere. Some of them engage in thought for the sheer
pleasure of thinking — art for art’s sake — and thus fall into a dange­
rous form of dilettantism which may end in scepticism, as it did with
Montaigne and Bayle.
b) The more practical and ambitious among the intellectuals are
motivated by some ardentpassion. There are those who while engaged
in stirring up ideas within themselves also wish to stir up men, and
consequently become passionately intent upon the triumph of some
idea or some system of thought.
With either of these types, the purely speculative and disinterested,
or the more practical and ambitious, we are dealing with men of great
resources. The former however are liable to become too systematic,
too abstract, and thus neglect the ordinary duties of life. The latter
have need to place their knowledge and their activity at the service of
God and truth, otherwise they may fall and cause others to fall into
fearful excesses.
B) Wilful natures are endowed with a firm, tenacious, unbending
will to which they subordinate all things. They divide into two groups :
those who are masters of self and those who, being men of action, are
masters of others.
a) The former bend their efforts especially on mastering themselves,
and with this in view, on overcoming their passions. Hence, they
strive with relentless energy to bring their feelings under control, and
no one with a little power of observation can fail to notice the efforts
they are making to hold themselves in check. This preoccupation
creates in them a certain reserve, and at times even a certain rigidness
accompanied by distrust of whatever might tend to make them lose
their control over self. But once they have by dint of constant work
gained complete victory, they become wonderfully even-tempered, and
know how to harmonize firmness with gentleness.
From the spiritual point of view, their one great aim is to subject
that strong and disciplined will to the will of God. Thus they acquire
something of that perfect poise, that perfect subordination of faculties
which man possessed in the state of original justice.

APPENDICES.

13*

b) There is the other type of wilful characters which aims rather
at dominating others than at mastering self. Persons of this type want
to force their will on others and to rule over their equals. They keep
their eyes constantly fixed on their objective; they do not allow
obstacles to discourage them, and they never give up until they have
bad their way.
Such persons are evidently energetic and persevering and can be
made to render great service. But they must master themselves before
they attempt to master others ; they must devote their energies to the
service of God and the good of souls, and learn how to unite mildness
with firmness in the exercise of their authority.
4° Different

types of characters in relation

to external activities

Here we meet with two types : the timid or reserved, and the active.
A) The timid are over-diffident, have little initiative, and seem
paralyzed in their undertakings by the fear of failure. They succeed
well only when given proper direction and when supported and
encouraged by superiors or friends who can inspire them with confi­
dence and help them to acquire a certain amount of assurance.
From the supernatural point of view, they must be drilled in the
virtue of trust in God and reminded constantly that God makes use of
even the poorest instruments, provided only that, conscious of their
insufficiency, they seek support in Him Who alone can strengthen
them : “ The weak things of the world hath God chosen, that He may
confound the strong ’... ' I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me. ”‘
B) The active have a natural penchant for action. They are enter­
prising, bold, courageous and energetic, and must of necessity find an
outlet for their surplus energy. Among these latter, the restless
expend their forces in feverish activity, the men ofaction in well-planned
efforts.
a) The restless are so strongly attracted to activity in some form or
other that they cannot remain ouiet. They want to act at all costs,
even before they have formulated or matured a plan of action. Forever
in quest of new projects, they lack the time to accomplish any one of
them. They rush about here and there, and never really settle down
anywhere. They make a good deal of noise and accomplish rather
little. They are at the service of everybody, but soon forget the
promises they have made.
In order that they may benefit by their tremendous store of energy
and their desire for activity, they must learn to reflect before acting, to
allow their plans to ripen before putting them into execution, to seek
competent counsel from those wiser and more experienced than them­
selves. Once the stage has been set, they must apply themselves to
their task, and until this has been accomplished, to no other enterprise.
Reflection and constancy are for them the essential conditions of
success.
b) Men of action meditate a long time on their projects before
putting them into execution. They weigh carefully the reasons for
and against; they think not only of the means to be used, but also of
• / Cor.. I, 27. — - Phil., IV, tj,

14*

APPENDICES.

the obstacles to be encountered; they organize everything in the light
of the end to be attained, no matter what may be the difficulties.
Such a disposition is a priceless asset to social workers and to
priests, and should be cultivated by them. But in order that their
well-planned undertakings be productive of good results, they must
make sure, through prayer and the practice of the interior life, that
they have God on their side. To be Christian men of action, they
must become men of prayer. God and man, grace and human endea­
vor, will thus unite harmoniously in them unto the accomplishment of
excellent results : “ For we are God’s coadjutors. ’’ ’
In concluding, let us bear in mind that in reality most characters are
the product of the combination of many different types, and that it is
by striving to acquire those qualities which one has not received as a
heritage that one succeeds in overcoming natural defects, in acquiring
proper balance and in producing the best results. The cold-blooded,
for instance, should force themselves to acquire a little more of feeling ;
the intellectual should cultivate will-power and action ; the wilful should
reflect before acting, and employ gentleness in the exercise of their
power. Through effort and the grace of God we can do much to
perfect our temperament and develop a well-balanced character. This
will become clear from the study of the Spiritual Ways.

ALPHABETICAL INDEX
Abandonment (holy), 402, 757,
Baptism, incorporates us into Christ,
1232. 1432, 1447, 1474.
146; regenerates us, 232, 251.
Abnegation, see self-denial, morti­
Beatitudes, 1361.
fication.

Beginners, in the way of perfec­

Abstinence, prolonged, 1521.
tion, 340-341, 636; various classes,
Acts : every good act is meritorious, 637-639; their spiritual exercises, 657satisfactory and impetratory, 228; me­
ritorious acts, 228; see merit. — Neces­
sity of sanctifying our acts, 246-248:
see 561; how to transform our acts into
prayers, 522-529.
Adam, his preternatural and super­
natural gifts, 61-66; his fall and pu­
nishment, 67-76.
Adoption, divine, contrasted with
human adoption, 93.
Adoration, the first act of prayer,
503-504; duty towards the Blessed
Trinity dwelling in us, 99; an act of
religion, 1047; the first point of medi­
tation, 697.
Advent, a time of penance, 1581.
Affective prayer, 975-996.

Ambition, 828.
Angels : their office in the Christian

life, 183-188; their relation to God,
183; to Jesus Christ, 184, to men, 185.
— Guardian angels and our duties
towards them, 186-187.

Apostleship and Personal Holi­
ness, 611-615.
Apostolic zeal : a professional duty
of priests, 398-401; a duty of charity
for the faithful, 366; how to sanctify
it, 611-615.
Apparitions, supernatural, 1491.
Aridity, see dryness.
Ascetical theology : its names, 3;
its place in theology, 4; its relation to
dogmatic and moral theology, 6; diffe­
rence from mystical theology, 10-11;
sources, 12-24; method, 25-33; excel­
lence, 34; necessity for priests, 35-37;
usefulness for the faithful, 38; how
to study it, 39-41; objections made
against it, 42-43 ; divisions, 44-48.
Attention, required in prayer, 654656.
Attributes, divine, stimulate love
for God, 436.
Avarice : its nature, 891-893; its
malice, 895-896; remedies. 897-898.

663; their meditation,, 668, 679-702;
their practice of the various virtues,
see virtues of penance, 705-750, morti­
fication, 751-817, religion, 1053, obe­
dience, 1062, fortitude, 1078· 1079,
patience, 1089, humility, 838-844,
meekness, 861-863, faith, 1180, hope,
1201, lave of God, 1225-1226, love oj
neighbor, 1241-1245.
Body, mystical, see fesus Christ.

Call to contemplation, 1406-1416,
«558-1567- .

Capital sins, see sin.
Character, good and bad, 456.
Charity, see lave.
Chastity, vow of, 370; virtue of :
notion and degrees, 11001107; means
of practising it, 1108-1126.
Children, duty towards parents, 593.
Christ, see fesus Christ.
Church, filial love for, 1326.
Communion, holy, a powerful
means of sanctification, 277-280; dis­
positions for, 283-288. — Communion,
the second point of mental prayer,
697-699, 995.
Concupiscence, struggle against the
threefold concupiscence, 192-209; con­
cupiscence of the flesh : its dangers
and remedies, 193-198; of the eyes,
199-203; of the mind (pride), 204-209.
— See also, 324-326, mortification of
passions, capital sins.
Conferences, spiritual, 578.
Confession, dispositions for, 262-

265.
Confirmation, 252.
Conformity to God's will, a means

of perfection, 478. It means doing
God’s will as made known by precepts,
counsels, inspirations of grace, rules,
479-485. — It means submission to
God’s will, 486-488; degrees of confor­
mity, 492; how it sanctifies us, 493-498.

Consecration to Mary, 170-176.

1 References are to the numbers not to pages.

16*

ALPHABETICAL INDEX.

Consent to temptations, 907-910.
Constancy, 1093-1094.
Contemplation : infused contem­
plation, the object of mystical theology,
loll; acquired and infused contempla­
tion, 26-32, 1297-1301; not opposed
to a life of action, 43. — Acquired
contemplation and prayer of simplicity,
1363-1384. — Infused contemplation :
notion, 13861401; advantages, 1402·
1405, 1428, 1440, 1451, 1462, 1467,
1474; call to contemplation, 1406-1416,
1558· 1567. — Contemplation accom­
panied by aridity : night of the senses,
1420· 1434; night of the mind, 1463·
1468. —Contemplation with consola­
tions, 1435-1447, 1453-1462, 1470.
Contrition : its importance in fre­
quent confessions, 266; its motives and
means of exciting it, 266-269; an
essential element of virtue of penance,
706, 743. — See penance.
Counsel, gift of, 1321-1324.
Counsels, distinct from precepts,
335; how far a necessary means of
perfection, 336-339.
Cross, love of, 1091, 1475.
Curiosity, dangers and remedies,
199, 201; curiosity of the eyes, 775;
of the mind, 808.
Degrees of perfection : beginners,
advanced, perfect, 340-343. 619-634;
in mental prayer, 632; see prayer; in
practice of virtues, see under various
virtues.
Desire of perfection, nature and
origin, 409-413; importance of, 414420, 581; its qualities, 421-444; means
of exciting it, 425-430.
Desire of contemplation, 1417.
Despair. 1201.
Detachment, from worldly goods,
897, 1202.
Devil, how he tempts us, means of
resisting him, 67, 219, 221-225; pos­
session and obsession, 1531-1543.
Devotion, false notions, 296-305;
true notion, 306-320. — Devotion to :
Blessed Trinity, 98-101; to Incarnate
Word, 150-153; to the S. Heart, 1259;
to Blessed Virgin, 163-176; to the
Saints, 177-182; to the Angels, 185-187.
Devotion, sensible, its advantages
and dangers, 921-924.
Devout persons : some have false
notions about perfection, 295, 301-305.
— Devout souls formed by direction,
540, by retreats, 427. — See devotion,
perfection.
Diffidence, see mistrust.

Director, spiritual : necessity of
direction, 531-5391. >‘s object, 541-5431
qualifications of director, 550; how to
profit by his guidance, 551-556. Direc­
tion of contemplatives, 1571-1578.
Discernment of spirits : general
notions and rules of St. Ignatius for
Beginners, 951-953; in the illuminative
way, 1281-1284.
Dispositions, for sacraments in
general, 259-261; for confession, 262269; for Holy Communion, 283-288;
for Holy Mass, 271-276. — Disposi­
tions for infused contemplation, 14091412.
Distractions, in prayer, 655, 686,
1447.
Dryness, nature, providential pur­
pose, practical rules, 925-929.
Ecstasy, its nature, three stages,
effects, 1454-1462.
End of man, is God, 307-308.
Enemies, forgiveness and love of,
1245, 1251.
Eucharist, holy, see Communion,
Mass.
Examination of conscience, a
means of self-knowledge, 460-461;
general and particular examinations,
462-476.
Examples of holiness, in Old and
New Testaments, 16; Christ, Exemplar
of all virtues, 136-141, of priestly
holiness, 379; example given by
priests, 400.
Exercises of piety, necessary or
useful for perfection, 523-526.
Exorcisms, 1545· 1548.
Extraordinary mystical pheno­
mena, 1489, 1530.
Extreme Unction, special grace of,
255·

Faith, a theological virtue : its
nature, sanctifying power, practice,
1169-1183.
Familiarity, with God, 1292; tem­
pered by gift of fear, 1357.
Fasting, a means of doing penance,
749Faults, of beginners, 636, 920-950;
of advanced souls, 1263-1280; of con­
templatives, 1464.
Fear, gift of, 1335-1338.
Fervor, it increases merit of our
acts and of sacramental grace, 243, 260.
Flesh, see concupiscence.
Fortitude, a cardinal virtue : its
nature and degrees, 1076-1081; virtues
related to it : magnanimity, patience,

ALPHABETICAL INDEX.

17*

Holiness, see perfection.
Hope, a theological virtue, 11901193; its sanctifying power, 1194-1198;
practice of, 1199-1206.
Humility, nature and degrees, 11271134; excellence, 1136-1139; practice
of, 1140-1153 ; shield of chastity, 11081113; a result of contemplation, 1371,
Gifts, natural, preternatural and 1430, 1440. — See pride.
supernatural in Adam, 52-56; in us,
452-460. — Gifts of the Holy Ghost :
Ignorance, how combatted, 807.
notion and. distinction from virtues,
Illuminative way, see ways.
119-120, 123, 1307-1311; excellence,
Image of God, imprinted on soul,
growth, classification, 1314-1320. — 112.
Seven gifts in particular, 1321-1352.
Imagination, why and how to mor­
— Seven gifts and mental prayer, tify it, 780-781, 1118-1119.
Imitation, of Blessed Trinity, 101 ;
>353-1358·
Glory of God, procured by redemp­ of Our Lord, 136-141, 968. — See
tion, 78; by our acts, 207, 248, 290, Jesus Christ. Imitation of the Bless­
305, 365; by Holy Mass, 270-271. — ed Virgin, 159, 168; of the Saints,
Glory of God, the chief end of mental 180.
prayer, 700, 703; of the virtue of re­
Immersion of the soul in God,
ligion, 1046; of the spiritual life, 1599. '454.
Glory of Saints, in heaven, 108,
Impatience, see anger, patience.
118.
Impurity, see lust.
Gluttony, a capital vice : nature,
Inconstancy of beginners, 930-931.
malice, remedies, 864-872.
— See constancy.
God, object and center of theology,
Incorporation of Christian into
4; raises man to supernatural order, Christ, 142-146.
59-66; lives in us by grace and endows
Intelligence, how affected by origi­
us with a supernatural organism, 102- nal sin, 75; united to God by faith,
123; helps us by actual graces, 124- 121 ; discipline of, 806.
128; send us His Son, 76-85, 132-149;
Intention, required for merit, 239;
gives us Mary for our Mother, 154· how to increase merit, 240-242. —
162; helps us through His Angels and See merit.
Saints, 177-189. —Necessity of know­
Invocation, of Blessed Virgin, 165;
ing Him, a means of perfection, 432- of Saints, 179; of Angels, 185; of
Guardian
Angel, 187.
445;
Gospel, reading of, 574.
Grace, sanctifying, given to Adam,
Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, 7665; to us, 105; its nature, 106-118; its 85 ; His rôle in the Christian life : as
increase, see merit, sacraments. — its meritorious cause, 132-135; as its
Actual grace : its nature and necessity, exemplary cause or perfect model,
125-128, 258; obtained by prayer, 645- 136-141; as our Head and our Life,
647.
142-146; as Mediator of religion, 151.
Growth, of the virtues, 1003.
— How we must have Jesus before
our eyes, in our hearts and in our
Habits, natural and supernatural, hands, 153. — The Son of Mary, 155;
through Whom the angels adore God,
998-999 ; see virtues.
Happiness, found in practice of 184 ; the center of our thoughts, affec­
perfection, 364.
tions and life, 966-968; our Model;
Heart, Sacred, model and source 136-141, 968; model of virtues, 1033,
of charity, 1252-1258; our duties to 1054, 1063, 1080, 1090-1091, 1141the Sacred Heart, 1259-1261.
1144, 1160-1164, 1253-1254, 1246·
Holy Ghost, gifts of, 24, 31, 123, 1249, 1255; His inner life, 1258;
1307-1357 ; communicates infused vir­ living in Mary, 1590-1592; practice of
tues, 119, dewells in the soul, 91-97, union with Jesus, see union, Heart
191-198; is the soul of the mystical (Sacred).
Justice, virtue of, nature and excel­
body, 144-145; fruits of, 1359-1360;
our duties towards the Holy Ghost, lence, 1030· 1038; divisions, 1039-1040;
practical rules, 1041-1044.
98-101.
munificence, constancy, 1082-1094; a
gift of the Holy Ghost : its nature and
the means to foster it, 1330-1334.
Friendship, with God, 95, 1233;
true and false friendship, 595-606.
Fruits of the Holy Ghost, 13591360.

18*

ALPHABETICAL INDEX.

Married persons, their duties and
Knowledge of God, a means of
perfection, 432-433 ; knowledge by how to sanctify them, 590-592.
Mary, Mother of God and our
reason, 434-436: by faith, 437-442;
Mother, 155-156; her share in our
how to acquire it, 443-443.
sanctification, 157-158; our model,
159-160; our mediatrix, 161. — De­
Lent, a time of penance, 1584.
Life, natural and supernatural life votion to her : veneration, 164 ; conse­
of man, 52-66; the Christian life, a cration to Mary, 170-176. — Devotion
participation in the life of the Blessed to her a means of preserving chastity,
Trinity dwelling in the soul and com­ 1126.
Mass, holy, a means of glorifying
municating a supernatural organism,
88-97, 102-123, 290; a participation in God and sanctifying the soul, 271-273;
the life of Jesus, Mary and the Saints, dispositions for assisting at it, 274-276,
291-293. — Supernatural organism of for celebrating it, 395.
Matrimony, sacramental grace of,
the Christian life : sanctifying grace,
infused virtues, gifts of the Holy 257Mental prayer, notion, origin,
Ghost, actual grace, 102-131. — Rôle
of Jesus in the Christian life, 132-153; importance, 664-678. — Mental prayer
of Mary, the Angels and Saints, 154- of beginners or discursive meditation :
188 ; of man (struggle against spiritual notion, 667-668 ; difficulties, 684-687 ;
enemies, acquisition of merits, recep­ methods in general, 688-691 ; method
of St. Ignatius, 692-696; method of
tion of sacraments), 190-289.
Liturgical year and the three ways, St. Sulpice, 697-702. — Mental prayer
for souls in the illuminative way or
1579-'59°·
Love, in general, 1208; Christian affective mental prayer : notion, persons
who should practice it, 975-978; means
love, 1209.
of progressing in it, 979-980 ; its advan­
Love of God, the essence of perfec­ tages and disadvantages, 981-988;
tion, 309-320; the fulfilment of the methods of St. Ignatius, of St.-Sulpice,
law, 312 ; includes all virtues, 313-318; 994-997. — Mental prayer for perfect
unites us to God, 316-317; gives spe­ soul in the unitive way of prayer of
cial value to other virtues, 319; can be simplicity : notion, 1363-1369; its ad­
practised in all our actions, 320; its vantages, 1370-1373; practical rules,
place in spiritual doctrine of St. Fran­ 1374· 1381; is it a species of contempla­
cis de Sales, 331 ; in other Schools, tion ? 1582-1384. — See Contemplatio».
332 ; disinterested love, 348. — Love
Merit, a means of spiritual progress:
of Blessed Trinity, 100. Love and its nature, 228-235; conditions for
sacrifice, 350. Love, perfect and im­ increasing it, 235-248. — See acts.
perfect, 1191, 1210-1211. Precept of
Method, of ascetical and mystical
loving God, 1212. Motive of perfect theology, 25-33; of mental prayer, see
love, 1214. Sanctifying power of love mental prayer.
of God, 1218-1223. Practice of love
Mistrust of self, 1150.
of God, 1224-1235.
Mortification, notion, 751-754; its
Love of Neighbor belongs to necessity for salvation and perfection,
essence of perfection, 309, 311-314, its 755-756 ; its practice : general princi­
nature, 1236; its sanctifying power, ples, 767-770; mortification of the body,
1238; its practice, 1238-1251. — Love 771-774; of the external senses, 775of enemies, 1251.
779, 1115-1116; of the interior senses,
Lukewarmness, nature, dangers, 780-783, 1118-1119; of the passions,
remedies, 1270-1280.
784 805; of the mind, 806-810; of the
Lust, its nature, malice, remedies, will, 811-815. — See concupiscence,
873-882.
sacrifice, self-denial, penance.
Mysteries, of our Lord in which we
Magnanimity, 1083.
share, 1598.
Man, his natural gifts, 52-58; his
Mystical body, see Jesus Christ.
elevation, 59-67; his fall, 67-75; his
Mystical contemplation, see con­
redemption, 78-86; his rôle in the templation.
Christian life, 190-246.
Mystical theology, its difference
Mansions, described by St. Teresa, from ascetical, 3, ίο-n; sources, 1224; method, 25-34, 39; importance,
638-639. 1435, 1448, I453> ’469Marriage, Spiritual, 1469-1479.
37 ; views of unbelievers, 296-297.

ALPHABETICAL INDEX.

19

Nature, natural life and endowments;
of man, 52-58.
Neighbor, love of, see love. Edifi­
cation of, 366, 563. — See apost­
leship.
Night of the soul, dark night : night
of the senses, 1420-1434 ; of the mind,
1464-1468.

Obedience, nature and motive, 1057·
1060; limitations and degrees, 10611064; qualities, 1065-1067; excellence,
1068-1073. — Obedience to precepts,
counsels, inspirations, rules, 481-485,
374- — Vow of, 371.
Obsession, its nature, 1532-1534;
practical rules, 1535.
Office, Divine and priestly holiness,
396; official prayer of Church, 514,
525·
Orders, sacrament of, its special
grace, 256.

Parents, their duties to their chil­
dren, 552.
Passions, in Adam, 63; nature and
number, 785-787; effects of ill-ordered
passions, 789-793; advantages of wellordered passions, 794-795; practical
rules, 796-805.
Patience, virtue of, nature and
degrees, 1088-1092.
Peace of soul, fruit of Divine Love :
attains its perfection in spiritual mar­
riage, 147°, 1474,
Penance, virtue of : notion and
necessity, 705-706; motives to hate and
avoid sin, 707-735; motives to atone
for sin, 736-742; practice of penance,
743-750· — Sacrament of : its special
grace and how to profit by this sacra­
ment, 254, 262-269.
Perfects souls in unitive way, 343,
1290-1296; their mental prayer, 1297
and foil. ; their practice of virtues, see
various virtues.
Perfection, Christian, object of
Ascetical Theology, 1, 3; notions true
and false, 296-339; degrees and limits,
340-349; obligation for the faithful,
for religious and for priests, 353-406;
general means, 406-617.
Piety, source of happiness, 364. —
Gift of : nature, importance, means of
fostering it, 325-329.
Pope, the, veneration, love and
obedience due him, 1326.
Possession, diabolical, itsnature,
’537-1543; remedies, 1544-1548.
Poverty, vow of, 369; virtue of,
897-898. — See avarice.

Prayer, in general : notion and
kinds, 499-516; efficacy for perfection,
517-521, 703; how to transform all
our actions into prayers, 522-529;
necessity for perfection, 644-647; how
to pray well, 648-656. — Prayer of
beginners : their spiritual exercises,
657-663; their mental prayer, see
mental prayer.
Precepts, distinct from counsels :
their keeping necessary to perfection,
42, 335-337- — See conformity to
God’s will.
Presence of God, practice of, 446447Presumption, born of pride, 827;
against virtue of hope, 1201.
Preternatural gifts of Adam, 61-65.
Pride, a capital vice : its nature and
kinds, 820-826; faults born of it :
ambition, presumption, vanity, 827831; its evil, 832-837; remedies, 838844. — Pride of life a form of concu­
piscence, 204-209. — See humility.
Priest, his obligation to personal
holiness, 377-403.
Prodigality, 1087.
Progress, spiritual, necessary for
all, 358; its desire a means of perfec­
tion, 409-430. — Souls in progress, see
ways.
Prudence, a cardinal virtue, its
nature and requirements, 1016-1024;
necessity, 1026-1028; means of advan­
cing in it, 1029-1036; a quality of a
spiritual director, 548-550.
Psychology and psychological me­
thod in the study of Ascetical and
Mystical Theology, 23-26.
Punctuality, in the keeping of
rules, 571.
Purity of Heart, a virtue of the
unitive way, 1296; a disposition for
contemplation,
1410.
1
Purification from sin, by penance,
705 and foil.; from inordinate ten­
dencies,
see mortification. — Passive
1
purification,
see Night of senses, of
I
1mind.
Pusillanimity, 1084.

Quiet, prayer of, three phases,
1435-1446; practical rules, 1447.
Quietism, of Molinos, 1483-1484;
of
< Fenelon, 1485-/486; Semi-quiest
tendencies,
1487-1488. — Relation of
I
?[uietism
to question of limits of per<
I ection, 347-349.

Reason, its rôle in Ascetical Theo­
1logy, 21-23.

20*

ALPHABETICAL INDEX.

Redemption, work of justice and
love, 77-81 ; effects of, 82-85.
Religion, virtue of, its nature and
acts, 1046-1048; importance, 10491051; practice of, 1052-1056.
Religious, their obligation to strive
after perfection, 367-373; duty to obey
superiors and rules, 371, 374-376.
Resolutions, to be taken in medi­
tation, 690, 694, 701.'
Retreats, spiritual, foster desire for
perfection, 427.
Revelations, private, their nature,
1490-1496; practical rules, 1497-1513.
Rule of life, its usefulness, 558·
564; qualities, 565-568; how to observe
it, 569. — Rules of Religious Orders,
373'376.
Sacraments, means of sanctifica­
tion, 249-258; dispositions for fruitful
reception, 259-261. — See Confession,
Communion, etc.
Sacrifice, see Mass.
Saints, the, the reading of their
Lives, 23, 30, 40; their place in the
Christian life : veneration, invocation,
imitation of, 177-182.
Sanctity, see perfection.
Scripture, Holy, a source of Asce­
tical and Mystical Theology, 13-17,
22; the Word of God, 1326; devout
reading of, 574-576.
Scruples, their nature, degrees,
subject-matter, good and bad effects,
remedies, 934-95°.
Self-Denial, see mortification.
Selfishness and Asceticism, 43.
Self-Sacrifice essential to perfec­
tion, 322-334.
Senses, mortification of, 771-783;
application of senses a method of
mental prayer, 991-992.
Sensuality, an obstacle to perfec­
tion; mortification of, 193-198.
Simplicity, prayer of, see prayer.
Sin, notion and kinds, 707-709. —
Mortal sin, in the eyes of God, in
itself, in its effects, 711-723. — Venial
sin, of surprise and frailty, of delibe­
ration; malice and effects, 724-735. —
Confession of sins, 262-264; sorrow for
sin, 266-269; reparation of, see penance.
— Prevention of, see mortification,
sin, temptations. —' Capital sins, notion
and number, 818-819; struggle against
them, 820-898. — See pride, envy, etc.
— Original sin, its consequences,
67-75·
Sloth, a capital vice, its nature, ma­
lice, remedies, 883-890.

Spiritual reading, 573 583.
Submission to God’s will, 478-498.
Supernatural, notions and kinds;
gifts of Adam, 59-66. — Supernatural
life, see life.
Temperament and character,
influences in contemplation, 1563.
Temperance, virtue of, 1099. —
See gluttony, mortification.
Temptation, notion, purpose, fre­
quency, three phases, how to deal with
them, 900-919; their source : concu­
piscence, world, devil, 193-227. —
Special temptations of beginners, 920950; of souls in the illuminative way,
1262-1280; of souls in the unitive way,
1426.
Thanksgiving, after Holy Com­
munion, 284-288; one of the acts of
prayer, 522-529.
Theology, dogmatic, moral, asce­
tical, mystical; their relations, methods,
4-8, 25-34.
Tongue, mortification of, 777-778,
Iil6;sinsof, 1043-1044.
Tradition, a source of Ascetical,
Mystical Theology, 17-22.
Trials, a means of perfection, 428;
passive trials, 1420-1434, 1463-1468.
Trinity, Blessed, indwelling in us;
our duties to the Three Divine Persons,
90-101.

Understanding, Gift of, 1344-1347,
1356.
Union, of soul with Christ by Holy
Communion, 277-282; of soul with
God by grace, 90-118, H5-119; union
perfected by prayer, 519-521; union
with Christ by grace, 142-148; with
God in the unitive way, 1290, 14481462, 1469-1479; practice of union
with Our Lord, in meditation, 77, in
doing penance, 737-738> 743’744; in
practice of mortification, 761-762, by
making Him the center of our lives,
966-968; in practice of the virtues : of
religion, 1054-1056, of obedience, 1063,
of patience, 1090, of humility, 11411144, of meekness, 1160-1164. — See
Sacred Heart, and numbers 85, 150153. 2O7· 238, 246-248. 273-274, 340,
514, 567.
Unitive way, see ways.
Vice, see capital sins under sin.
Virginity, see chastity.
Virtue, in general : natural and
supernatural, acquired and infused,
998-1002; growth and decline, mutual

ALPHABETICAL INDEX.

relations among the infused virtues,
1003-1006. — Moral virtues, nature,
number, characteristics, chief ones (pru­
dence, justice, religion, obedience,
fortitude, temperance, chastity, humi­
lity, meekness), ion-1166. — See
under various virtues mentioned. —
Theological virtues, notion and pur­
pose, 1167-1168; faith, hope, charity,
1169-1251. --See nnder virtues men­
tioned.
Visions, 1491-1508.
Vows of religious, 368-372.
Ways, the three, basis of division,
619-626; practical importance of divi­
sion, 627-632; study of the three ways,
633-634; three ways and the Liturgy,
1579*589;
difficulties proper to each
of the three ways, 536-540. — Purga­
tive way, persons belonging to it, 636·
640; end to be attained, 641; work to
be done (prayer, penance, mortifica­
tion, etc.), 642-960. — Illuminative
way, persons belonging to it, 961-964,
972-973; end to be attained, 966-971;

21*

work to be done (prayer, practice of
virtues), 974-1288. — Unitive way,
persons belonging to it, 1296; end to
be attained, 1290-1291; work to be
done in simple unitive way (perfecting
union with God by use of Gifts of
Holy Ghost, prayer of simplicity),
1303-1384; work to be done in mys­
tical unitive way, 808-809, 1386-1578.
Will, training of, 811-816. — Con­
formity to Will of God, 478-498. —
See Ime of God.
Wisdom, gift of, its nature, effects,
how to foster it, its place in contem­
plation, 1348-1352.
World, the, an obstacle to perfec­
tion, 210-213; how to resist it, 214-218.
Worship, see religion.
Zeal, for propagation of faith, 1189;
for glory of God, 1231, 1451; for sanc­
tification of souls, 1478. — A profes­
sional duty of priests, 398-401; duty of
charity for laymen, 366. — Works of
zeal and personal sanctification,611-615;
practice of zeal by contemplatives, 1478.

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