The nun sanctified by the virtues of her state
|
|  Yüklə 1.39 Mb.
|
| 18. Oh ! what great and continual progress is made in divine love by those who, with a strong desire, and with the permission of their spiritual father, frequent the holy communion. Oh! how wonderfully does the Lord draw them to his love ! To keep them humble and resigned he sometimes leaves them in darkness, without any sense of their own advancement, and without any of the comforts of sensible devotion. According to St. Teresa, frequent communion is the best support Of these desolate souls. Let others say what they please, it is certain that, in general, the most regular convents are those in which the holy communion is most frequented, and that in all monasteries religious who communicate most freqently are the most fervent and exemplary.
19. O my God, why are so many frivolous excuses put forward? Let the religious who seldom communicates speak the truth, and she must acknowledge that her repugnance to frequent communion arises from an unwillingness to bind herself to a life of greater retirement, and of greater detachment from creatures, and from self-indulgence. She knows well that conversations with seculars, friendships,vanity, self-esteem, and inordinate attachment to the indulgence SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 371 of the appetite, and such imperfections, are not compatible with frequent communion, and therefore she abstains from it. She cannot bear to be rebuked at each communion by Jesus Christ for her disorderly life. In a word she receives him but seldom, because she wishes to live under less restraint. Are you, dear sister, animated with these sentiments ? If you are, I say that since you love Jesus Christ but little, and desire but little to love him, you should not receive him frequently. But beware ! this obstinate tepidity, which you can but will not correct, may one day lead you into a precipice. Ah, arise from this miserable state; give yourself to God for the remainder of your life; you know not how long it will last; it may be very short. Reform your conduct according to the best of your ability, and endeavour to communicate more frequently. When your confessor permits you, go to communion without fear or hesitation; and leave others to say of you what they please. Fear not that you will have to account, at the hour of death, for communions made with the advice of your confessor. I say, and I assure you, that at the hour of death, you will repent, not of the communions which you made with his permission, but of those which you could have made, and which, through negligence, you omitted. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi once saw a soul suffering in purgatory for having through carelessness omitted one communion. And we read in her life that she several times burst into tears because a sister abstained from communion through negligence. Be assured that of all your devotions there is none more dear to Jesus Christ than your communions. For all perfection consists in a perfect union with God: and the holy communion is the action which unites the soul most closely to him, and consequently she can do nothing more pleasing in his sight. Hence, the same St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say: "I would rather die than omit a communion permitted by obedience." I shall now speak of spiritual communion, which has been so much practiced by the saints. On Spiritual Communion. 20. A spiritual communion, as St. Thomas says (3 p. q. 30, a. 1, ad. 3,) consists in an ardent desire of receiving Jesus Christ in the holy sacrament. The Council of Trent (Sess. 13, c. 3) extols the advantages of spiritual communion, and exhorts the faithful to practice it. And God has several times given devout souls to understand how pleasing it is to him that they receive him spiritually. Jesus 372 THE TRUE Christ appeared one day to Sister Paula Maresca, foundress of the Convent of St. Catherine of Sienna in Naples, as we read in her life, and showed her two vessels, one of gold and another of silver, and said to her, that in the former he preserved her sacramental communions, and in the latter her spiritual communions. On another occasion he said to the venerable Jane of the Cross, that as often as she communicated spiritually, she received a grace similar to that she derived from her sacramental communions. Father John Nider, of the order of St. Dominick, relates (For lib. 1, c. 1) that in a certain city a man of great virtue desired to communicate often, but because the practice of frequent communion did not exist in the place, he, to avoid singularity, contented himself with spiritual communion. Hence, he would first go to confession and make his meditation; he would then assist at mass and prepare for communion, and would open his mouth as if he were receiving J esus Christ. The author relates, that in opening his mouth, the man used to feel the particle laid on his tongue, and his soul filled with sweetness. One morning he put his finger into his mouth, to try if the consecrated particle were really placed on his tongue; the sacred host adhered to his finger; he placed it again in his mouth, and received it. Thus the Lord rewarded the desire of this good servant. 21. Father Peter Faber, of the Society of Jesus, used to say that spiritual communions are a powerful help to receive the holy Eucharist with the proper dispositions. Hence, the saints have been in the habit of making frequent spiritual communions. Blessed Angela of the Cross, a Dominican nun, went so far as to say: "If my confessor had not taught me this method of communicating I could scarcely live." Hence, she used to make a hundred spiritual communions every day, and a hundred more every night. But how, you will ask, could she make so many ? St. Augustine answers: "Give me a lover, and he understands what I say"— Trac. 26, in Joan. Give me a soul that loves only Jesus Christ, and she will not wonder at it. It is most easy to make several spiritual communions in the day; it is not necessary to be fasting, to have a priest, or to spend a long time. Hence, we may make a spiritual communion as often as we please. Hence, the venerable Jane of the Cross used to say: O my Lord, how excellent a mode of communicating ! without being seen or remarked: without giving trouble to my spiritual father, or depending on any one but thee, who in solitude dost nourish my soul and speak to my heart. SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 373 22. Be careful, then, to make frequent spiritual communions in you r meditations, visits to the blessed sacrament, and be particularly careful, as often as you hear mass, to make a spiritual communion during the communion of the priest. Make an act of faith, believing firmly that Jesus Christ is present in the holy sacrament, an act of love, uniting with it an act of sorrow for your sins; and then an act of desire, inviting Jesus Christ to come into your soul, in order to make it entirely his own; and in the end thank him, as if you had received him. You can make these acts in the following manner: My Jesus, I believe that thou art truly and really present in the holy sacrament. I love thee with my whole heart, and because I love thee, I am sorry for having offended thee. I embrace thee, O my love, and I give myself entirely to thee; do not permit me ever to be separated from thee. In this manner you can make as many spiritual communions as you please. On the Visitation of the Most Holy Sacrament, 23. The frequent visitation of Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the altar is a great help to the souls that love him. The holy Church has instituted and celebrates the festival of the adorable sacrament with so many solemnities, in honour not only of the holy communion, but also of the loving dwelling of Jesus Christ night and day in our churches, in this sacrament of love. Our loving Lord, says Nierembergh, has left himself on earth under the species of bread, principally in order to be the food of our souls; but he has left himself also in order to remain with us shut up in our tabernacles, and thus remind us of the love which he bears us. " No tongue," says St. Peter of Alcantara, " can express the greatness of the love which Jesus bears to all who are in the state of grace." Hence, that his absence from them might not be an occasion of forgetting him, this most sweet spouse, before his departure from this world, left, as a memorial of his love, this most holy sacrament, in which he himself remained. He did not wish that between him and his servants there should be any other pledge than himself to keep alive the remembrance of him. 24. Hence, when our dear Saviour left this world, he did aot wish to leave us alone, and therefore he devised a means of remaining with us in the holy Eucharist to the end of time, that even here below we might enjoy his sweet company. This he declared to his disciples, and through them to us all. "Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world" — Matt, xxviii. 20. Hence St. 374 THE TRUE Peter of Alcantara adds: "The Saviour did not wish to leave his spouse alone at such a distance, and therefore he has left her this sacrament, in which he himself remains as the best companion he could leave her." 25. St. Teresa says that all are not permitted to speak to the king: the most that a vassal can expect is to speak to his sovereign through a third person. She then adds: But to speak to thee, O King of Glory, the intervention of a third person is not necessary; thou art always ready to give audience to all in the sacrament of the altar. Every one that wishes may find thee there always, and may spe.' k to thee with confidence. Oh ! how difficult is it to obtain an audience from an earthly monarch ! Kings seldom give audience to their subjects. But thou, O my Redeemer, in this sacrament, dost give audience to all, whenever they wish. Our divine King, says the same Saint, in order to animate us to approach his feet with greater confidence, has clothed himself with the species of bread in this sacrament, and thus veiled his majesty, that we may not be terrified at the sight of it. But, O God ! how many insults must Jesus Christ have suffered from infidels, from heretics, and from sinners in this sacrament, in order to remain with us. Some have trampled on the sacred host, others have thrown it into the mire. He foresaw all these injuries; but still he resolved to remain with us on the altar, that we might not be deprived of his amiable presence. Many pilgrims make long journeys to visit the holy house in Loretto, where Jesus Christ once dwelt, or to venerate the places in the Holy Land, in which he was born, in which he suffered and died. But Father John Avila had just reason to say that he knew no sanctuary more amiable, or better calculated to inspire devotion, than a church in which the holy sacrament is preserved, for there Jesus Christ has not only once dwelt and suffered, but truly lives and dwells. Hence the saints have experienced, no greater delight on earth than that which they enjoyed in the presence of the most holy sacrament. St. Francis Xavier, as is related in his life (lib. 6, c. 5,) after having laboured all day for the sanctification of souls, spent the night at the foot of the tabernacle; when overcome by sleep he threw himself on the steps of the altar, and after a short repose he began again to converse with his dear Lord. St. John Francis Regis used to do the same after having spent the entire day in preaching and hearing confessions: his repose consisted in remaining during the night before Jesus in the holy sacrament, and when he found the church shut he remained outside the door, to pay homage, at least at a dia* SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 375 tance, to his beloved Redeemer. The venerable Father Balthassar Alvarez, a holy man, when unable to remain in the church, endeavoured, at least, to keep his eyes turned to the tabernacle in which he knew the holy sacrament was preserved. In a word, all the saints have found their paradise on earth in this sacrament. St. Teresa said one day from heaven to one of her religious: " We who rejoice in heaven, and you who suffer on earth, should be the same in purity and love. And what we do in heaven, before the divine Essence, you should do on earth, before the most holy sacrament" — Riv. lib. 3. c. And what greater paradise can a soul that loves Jesus Christ find on this earth, than to remain at his feet, to manifest the love she bears him, to offer to him herself and all that belongs to her, to make known her desires, to see him face to face, in order to love him with greater ardour ? 2-6. But this paradise religious can enjoy in a special manner. It is true that Jesus remains in the holy sacrament for all; but he remains particularly for nuns — his spouses, who enjoy his society day and night within their own very house. When Jesus was born the holy Magi left their country and their homes, and spent a long time travelling through Palestine inquiring for the birthplace of the Redeemer: "Saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews ?" — Matt. ii. To visit Jesus Christ, seculars must leave their houses and go to the church, which is closed at night, and in many places is open only in the morning. But a nun need not leave her own dwelling in o^der to enjoy the society of Jesus Christ: he remains continually in the house in which she dwells. A nun, then, can visit him whenever she pleases, in the morning or evening, by day or by night. She, as a spouse, is permitted to dwell in the palace. How highly honoured does the vassal esteem himself to be when he is invited to dwell in the palace of the king. You, then, O blessed sister, are one of these happy Christians who have the honour of dwelling on this earth with Jesus Christ, the king of heaven. You can visit him and remain with him, whenever you please. The venerable Mother Mary of Jesus, the foundress of a monastery in Toulouse, used to say that she thanked God in a special manner for two things; first, because by the vow of obedience, religious belong entirely to God; secondly, because they have the happiness of dwelling with Jesus Christ in the blessed sacrament. In other churches Jesus Christ remains for all; but in your monastery he dwells only for you and your companions. Be careful to profit of his presence. O God! in all the mona- 376 THE TRUE steries the nuns should, like so many butterflies, hover night and day about their Spouse; their hearts should remain with him to burn continually and with greater splendour than the lights and lamps at the altar. 27. But, alas! of the ingratitude of men for his loving dwelling among them, our Lord complained to his servant, Sister Margaret Alacoque, to whom he showed, one day, his heart burning with love for men, and said to her: "Behold that heart, which has loved men so tenderly, has reserved nothing, but has consumed itself in order to show its love for them. But in return I receive nothing but ingratitude and contempt from the greater number in this sacrament. But what displeases me most is that some of these ungrateful hearts are hearts consecrated to me." In these last words he spoke of the religious who set little value on their happy lot of dwelling in the same house with Jesus Christ, and therefore draw but little profit from his society. If he were to come into your church once a year, and to remain only for a single day, surely all would contend with each other in paying homage to him, and remaining in his living company; and will you leave him alone and visit him so seldom, because, in order to see you more frequently in his presence, he in his goodness remains continually with you ? 28. If you have hitherto been negligent in visiting Jesus in the tabernacle, I advise you, henceforth, to avail yourself of the great treasure which you have in the most holy sacrament. Sister Anne of the Cross, who had been countess of Feria, and a Spanish lady of high rank, after being a widow for twenty-four years, became a nun of the order of St. Clare, in Montiglia: she procured a cell, from which she had a view of the altar of the blessed sacrament, and there she generally remained day and night. Being asked how she was employed during so many hours which she spent before the sacrament, she replied : I would remain there for all eternity. How am I employed before Jesus in the blessed Eucharist ? I thank him, I love him, and I ask his graces." Behold an excellent means of drawing great frui* from your visits to the blessed sacrament. First, thank Jesus Christ. O God, how thankful is a nun to a relative who comes from a distance to visit her. And will you not thank Jesus Christ who descends from heaven, not only to visit you, but also to remain always with you ? First of all, in your visit, enliven your faith and adore your spouse in the sacrament: thank his great goodness in coming to remain on the altar for the love of you. Secondly, love him, St. Philip Neri, when he saw the most holy viaticum brought SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 377 into his room, was all on fire with holy love, and exclaimed: behold my love ! behold my love ! Do you say the same when you remain before the holy tabernacle. Consider that your spouse, shut up in that prison of love, is burning with love for you. To St. Catherine of Sienna he appeared one day in the sacrament, in the form of a fiery furnace, and the saint was astonished that the flames which issued from it had not filled the hearts of all men with divine love. If, when you remain in his presence, you wish to please him, repeat acts of love, offering to him yourself in a special manner. Thirdly, ask his grace. Blessed Henry Suson used to say that it is in the holy sacrament that Jesus hears most readily the prayers of those who visit him, and dispenses his graces most abundantly. The venerable Father Balthassar Alvarez once saw Jesus Christ in the sacrament with his hands full of graces, but found no one to whom he could impart them, because there was no one to ask them. You say that you cannot remain in the presence of Jesus Christ because you know not what to do before him, uor what to say to him. O God, and why do you not employ yourself in asking the graces you stand in need of ? Beg of him to give you strength to resist temptations, to correct the faults into which you always relapse, to rescue you from the passion which keeps you in chains, and hinders you to give yourself entirely to God. Entreat him to give you aid to suffer all insults and contradictions in peace, to increase in your heart his divine love,and entreat him particularly to make you live always united to his holy will. When you feel disturbed on account of having committed any fault, go instantly to the holy sacrament to ask pardon, and then calm your mind. When you receive any offence,or when you meet a heavy cross, go and offer it to Jesus Christ, and ask his aid to embrace it with resignation. Oh! if all religious acted in this manner, and knew how to avail themselves of the society of their spouse, they would all become saints. Let it be your care to become a saint by adopting this practice. PRAYER. I adore thee, O my Jesus, in the most holy sacrament of the altar. Thou didst once sacrifice thy divine life on a cross for my sake: and now, because thou lovest me, thou dost remain shut up in this tabernacle as a prison of love. From among so many young persons who have offended thee less than I have, thou hast, after I had committed so many sins, chosen me to live with thee in thy own house: taking me from the world, and rescuing me from its dangers, thou hast admitted me into this convent, that I might 378 THE TRUE always remain in thy company on this earth, that I might one day love and enjoy thee face to face in heaven, and become thy eternal spouse and companion in the kingdom of thy glory. Here thou dost even invite me frequently to eat thy sacred flesh in the holy communion, that I may be entirely united to thee, and that I may become all thine. My dear Redeemer, what can I say ? I thank thee for this great favour, and I hope one day to thank thee for it in heaven for all eternity. I will say with St. Teresa: the mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever. Yes, my Jesus, my love, and my spouse, this I expect through thy merits. I now declare that I feel more content at having left, for the love of thee, the world and the little pleasures which I could there enjoy, than if I were queen of all the earth. I am sorry for having hitherto, even in thy own house, given thee so much displeasure, for which I would deserve to be banished from it. My Jesus, pardon me, and for thy mercy's sake grant that, among so many of my good sisters, who have served thee so well, I, too, a poor sinner, may serve thee. I do not wish ever more to depart from thy feet, I wish to visit thee frequently. Thy presence will give me strength to banish every affection which is not for thee; it will remind me of my obligation to love thee, and to have recourse to thee in all my necessities. I wish to remain always near thee, and I wish to communicate often in order to love thee more ardently, and to be united with thee, my beloved Lord. I love thee, O God, concealed in the most holy sacrament. For the love of me, thou dost remain continually on this altar, and for the love of thee I wish to remain as much as possible in thy society. Shut up in this tabernacle, thou dost always love me; and shut up in this convent, I will always love thee. Then, my Jesus, and my all, we shall remain always together, as I hope, for time in this house, and for eternity in paradise. O Mary, my mother, pray to Jesus for me, and obtain for me a great love for the most holy sacrament. Amen. CHAPTER XIX. On Purity of Intention. 1. Purity of intention consists in performing all our actions through the sole motive of pleasing God. It is necessary to know that the good or bad intention with which an act is performed makes the act good or bad in the sight of God. "If," said our Lord, "thy eye be single, thy whole body shall be lightsome. But if thy eye be evil, thy iPOUSE OF CHRIST. 379 whole body shall be darksome" — Matt. vi. 22, 23. By the eye the holy fathers understand the intention, and by the body they understand the action. Hence, Jesus Christ tells us, that if our intention be simple, that is, if we have no other object than to please him, our works are good and resplendent with the light of purity: but if our intention be two-fold, that is, if any vicious end enters into our actions, they are sinful. Holy simplicity admits no other end than the pleasure of God. Hence, a pure intention is the soul of our actions; it gives them life, and makes them pleasing in the eyes of God. In the estimation of men the value of an act increases in proportion to the time spent in its performance; but before God the value of an act increases in proportion to the purity of intention with which it is performed. For, as the Scripture says, men look only to the external acts, but God regards the heart; that is, the will with which they are performed. "For man seetb those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart" — 1 Kings xvi. Can there be any action more excellent than to suffer martyrdom and give one's life for tho» faith? But St. Paul says: "If I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing" — 1 Cor. xiii. 3. Though I should give my body to the flames, unless I give it for God, it profits me nothing. No: for, as the holy fathers say, it is neither torments nor death,, but the cause and intention, that make a martyr. " Martyrem non facit poena, sed causa." 2. Hence, the Royal Prophet said: "I will offer up to thee holocausts full of marrow"— Ps. lxv. 15. Some offer to God sacrifices without marrow, that is, without a pure intention of pleasing him; such oblations God does not accept. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say, that God rewards our actions in proportion to the purity of our intention of pleasing him. Hence, St. Augustine has written : "Non valde attentas, quid homo faciat: sed quid dum facit, aspiciat." Attend not to what a man does, but to the motive of his conduct: for, adds St. Ambrose, the good which you will do shall be proportioned to the purity of intention with which you do it for the divine glory. " Tantum facis quantum intendis." " Who is she," says the Holy Ghost, " that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer" — Cant. iii. 6. Myrrh signifies mortification; frankincense, prayer; and the powders of the perfumer represent all other virtues. But the spouse is praised for all; because all her virtues form a pillar of odoriferous smoke, which ascends to God — that is, all her |