The nun sanctified by the virtues of her state
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THE TRUE actions have no other end than to please her divine spouse. 3. We have in the Gospels two great proofs and examples of the great value of a good intention before God. The first example is related by St. Luke (viii. 43.) Whilst our Redeemer travelled through the cities and towns preaching the kingdom of God, he was one day accompanied by a great crowd: "a woman having an issue of blood" made her way through the throng until she succeeded in touching the hem of his garment. He asked: "Who is it that touched me ?" Surprised at the question, the disciples answered : " Master, the multitude throng and press thee, and dost thou say who touched me ?" But our Lord meant not the material touch, but the faith and devotion with which the woman had touched his garment. Hence, St. Augustine has written: "Tangit Christum fides paucorum premit eum turba multorum" — De Verb. Dom. Serin. 8. Many press round Jesus Christ, but few touch him. Many nuns submit to great labour through the monastery, in order to increase the revenues of the convent, in order to celebrate their festivals with great pomp, and perform many actions which appear to be great; but because their intention is not pure, they press round Jesus Christ, but do not touch him: hence, they annoy rather than please him. The other example is that of the poor widow who put her two mites into the treasury of the temple, into which others had cast large sums. But of her the Saviour said: "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury" — Mark xii. 43. In his exposition of this passage, St. Cyprian says, that by these words our Lord meant that he regards not so much the action which is performed as the affection and purity of the intention with which it is performed: " Considerans non quantum sed ex quanto dedisset" — D. S. Cypr. de Op. et Elem. 4. Let us come to what is practical. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say to her novices : Never seek yourselves in any of your exercises. A religious who seeks herself in her actions, by performing them in order to be praised or to please herself, imitates the man who puts the wages he receives for his labour into a bag with holes. " He," says the prophet Aggeus, " that hath earned wages put them into a bag with holes" — i. 6. That is, she loses all her works. Hence, our Lord says to all, " Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them" — Matt. vi. Be careful, he says, not to act through the sole motive of being seen and praised by men: if you do, when you ask a reward from me, I will answer: " Recipisti mercedem tuam;" you have received your reward, SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 381 you Lave obtained the praise which you sought; what can you now expect from me ? In the life of St. Panchomius, Surius relates that a certain monk made two mats whilst his companions made but one; he showed the two mats to the saint in order to receive praise, but the saint said to the other monks: "This monk has worked till night, and has offered his work to the devil." 5. But let us examine the marks by which you may know whether your works have been truly done for God. The first mark is if, when your undertaking has not been successful, you are not disturbed, but remain as tranquil as if you had attained your object. This will certainly be the case when you have acted only for God; because when you see that he has not wished your efforts to be crowned with success, neither will you wish it; for you know that he demands an account, not of the success or failure of your undertaking, but of the purity of your intention. The second mark is, to rejoice at the good done by others as if it had been done by yourself. He who seeks nothing but the divine glory cares not whether it is promoted by another or by himself. The third mark is, not to desire one office more than another, one occupation more than another, but to be content with whatever is prescribed by obedience; because in everything you then seek nothing but the pleas ure of God. The fourth sign is, in your good works not to desire approbation nor thanks, but to remain, even when censured and maltreated, in the same tranquillity of mind, satisfied at having succeeded in pleasing God, which was your sole object. 6. And should it ever happen that any of your actions are greatly praised by others, and that you are tempted to vain-glory, and to take complacency in the praises bestowed upon you, you need not annoy yourself by endeavouring to banish the temptation by contrary acts; it is better to pay no attention to the evil suggestion, and in conformitv with the advice of Father John Avila, to say: "You have come too late, for I have already given my work to God." When you perform any act of virtue, such as when you observe rule with exactness, when you remain in the choir to pray, or retire to your cell, or do an act of mortification, or assist the lay sisters in their work, or perform acts of similar edification in order to give good example to others, do not, through the fear of being seen and praised, abstain from such acts as long as you do all for God. The Lord wishes that others should see our good works, that thus they may be induced to imitate them, and give glory to God. " So let your light shine before men, that they 382 THE TRUE *iay see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" — Matt. v. 16. All consists in doing our actions with an upright intention. Should vain-glory assail us, let us say with St. Bernard, who, when tempted to vanity in the act of preaching, said : " Non propter te ccepi, nec propter te desinam." I have not commenced my sermon for you; neither shall I, through fear of you, abstain from finishing it; in preaching I have sought only to please God. St. Francis Xavier used to say, that a person who has deserved hell by his sins, should regard the praises of men as insults and mockery. St. Teresa says: "When we seek to please God alone, the Lord will give us strength to conquer all vain-glory." 7. Our intention may be good in three ways; first, when we perform an act in order to obtain from God temporal goods; when, for example, a person gives alms, procures masses to be offered, or fasts in order to be delivered from any infirmity, calumny, or other temporal affliction. This intention is good, provided it is accompanied with resignation to the divine will; but it is the least perfect because the object is earthly. Secondly, when we do an act in order to make satisfaction to the divine justice for the pains due to our sins, or to obtain from God spiritual goods, such as virtue, or an increase of merits and of glory in heaven; this intention is far more perfect than the former. But the most perfect of all is when, in our works, we seek only to please God and to do his holy will. This intention is also the most meritorious: for the more we forget ourselves in our good actions, the more God will remember us, and the more abundantly he will pour his graces upon us, as he himself once said to St. Catherine of Sienna: "my daughter, think of me, and I will think of you." He meant to say, think only of pleasing me, and I will take care of your progress in virtue, of your victories over your enemies, of your perfection, and of your glory in heaven. This is what the sacred spouse meant, when she said: " I to my beloved, and his turning is towards me" — Cant. vii. 10. 8. Oh ! that you had the spirit of that holy woman, who was seen by a religious of the order of St. Dominick, when travelling to Palestine, along with St. Lewis, king of France. In one hand she carried a vessel of water and in the other a lighted torch. Being asked by the religious why she carried them, she replied, with this water I would wish to extinguish hell, and with this torch I would wish to burn heaven, that all might serve God, not through fear of hell nor hope of heaven, but only through love, in order to please him. To act from such a motive is to imitate SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 383 the love of the saints in bliss, who seek nothing but the pleasure of God; for, as St. Thomas says (Opusc. 63,) they rejoice more in the felicity of God than in their own. It is to enter into the joy of the Lord, into which each of the blessed is invited when he enters heaven: "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" — Matt. xxvi. 21. Hence, says St. Bernard, a soul acts with a perfect motive when she acts, not that she may be pleasing to God, but because the actions which she performs are pleasing to him; when she is so forgetful of herself that she acts, not that God may be pleased with her, but only that her acts may be agreeable to him. Hence, the saint used to say: " May I love thee on account of thyself." Lord, grant that I may love you, not to please myself, but only to gratify you and to do your will. * 9. St. Francis de Sales used to say: "The spouse that loves Jesus Christ does not purify herself in order to be pure; she does not adorn herself in order to be beautiful, but only to please her spouse." The confidence which she feels in the goodness of her lover frees her from all solicitude and fear of not being sufficiently beautiful, and makes her satisfied with a calm and faithful preparation, proceeding from a good heart. Let us imitate the divine Saviour, who said: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." When nothing remains but to die the death of love, living no longer to ourselves, but procuring that Jesus Christ may live in us, by saying: Let this be done, O Lord, because it is pleasing to thee. And here, let it be observed, that it is better and safer to act through a motive of doing the will of God, than with the intention of promoting his glory, because we shall thus escape all the delusions of self-love. Under the pretence of seeking the glory of God we often do our own will; but on the other hand, when we endeavour to do the divine will, and what is most pleasing to God, we can never err. And let us be persuaded that the greatest glory we can give to God consists in doing his will. It was thus our Saviour always acted, doing, as he several times declared, all things in order to do the will of his eternal Father: "I seek not my own will, but the will of him that sent me" — John v. 30. In another place he says: "I do always the things that please him" — John viii. 29. Hence, of Jesus it was justly said, that he had done all things well: " Bene omnia fecit" — Marc, vii. 37. And, says St. John Chrysostom, if we imitate his example, and succeed in pleasing God, what else need we seek ? " Si dignus fueris agere aliquid, quod Deo placet aliam prater id mer~ cedem requiris ?" — Lib. de Comp. If you have been worthy 384 THE TRUE of doing anything pleasing to God, what better reward do you require ? Does it appear to you a small thing that you, a miserable creature, should V able to give pleasure to God ? 10. Let us be persuaded that the Lord does not demand of us great things, but only that we present to him the little we do with a pure intention. u Si non habet area quod donet," saj^sSt. Augustine, "habet cor et voluntas" — in Ps. ciii. If, because you are poor, you have nothing to give to God, your will affords much to give him, if you offer him what you do through the sole motive of pleasing him. To every soul the Lord says: " Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm" — Cant. viii. If you wish to please me, put me as a seal upon your heart and upon your arm; that is, make my pleasure the sole end of all your desires and of all your actions. The Lord goes so far as to say, that a soul that acts for the sole end of pleasing him, becomes his sister and his spouse, and wounds his heart with the wound of love, so that he cannot but love her. " Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast wounded my heart with one of thy eyes" — Cant. iv. 9. By one of her eyes is signified the sole object of the soul to do the divine will in all her exercises; in making meditation only to please God, in going to communion only to give pleasure to God, obeying superiors only to obey God, recognizing God in them, as the Apostle says: " Serving as to the Lord, and not to men" — JEphes. vi. 7. Thus, she does all her actions in order to give glory to God, fulfilling the advice of the same Apostle: "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God" — 1 Cor. x. 31. The venerable Beatrix, of the Incarnation, once a spiritual child of St. Teresa, used to say: " No price can be an equivalent for the smallest action done for God." She had just reason to say so, for all actions performed to please God are acts of divine love, which deserve an eternal reward. Hence, Father Rodriguez has written, that purity of intention is a eelestial alchymy, which changes iron into gold; that is, it converts into the gold of holy charity the meanest works, such as eating, sleeping, working, or recreation. Hence, St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was of opinion that the person who performed all his actions with a pure intention, would go straight to heaven. 11. Be careful, O blessed spouse of the Lord, from the moment you awake in the morning to direct all the actions of the day to God, offering them in union with the actions which our Saviour performed during his mortal life; thus your works will be more acceptable to Go&. Endeavour to SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 385 renew your intention at the beginning of every action, at least at the beginning of the principal actions, such as your meditations, communions, hearing mass, work, meals, and recreation; saying always, at least mentally: "Lord, in this action I intend not my own pleasure, but the accomplishment of your will." A holy hermit, as Sangiure relates (Erar. ec. torn. 4, cap. 4,) was accustomed to raise his eye> to heaven, and to remain in that posture for a little time before he commenced any action. Being asked why he did so, he said: I am endeavouring to direct my aim. He meant to say, that as the archer looks towards the mark in order to direct the arrow, so it is necessary to raise our eyes to God, that all our actions may be holy. In the course of our employments it is advisable to renew from time to time our intention of pleasing God. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, when she saw a novice employed at any work, would say to her: " Sister, for what end do you perform that action ?" And if the novice did not instantly answer that she did it for God, the Saint would reprove her. Should you find yourself engaged in occupations prescribed by obedience, be not uneasy because you cannot spend that time in prayer as you would wish. Father Balthassar Alvarez, being one day very much occupied, and desiring to finish his business in order to go to prayer, heard our Lord say: "Although you are not with me, let it be sufficient for you to be employed for me." 12. The days of them who do all their actions foi God shall, as the Psalmist has said, be full days: "And full days shall be found in them"— Ps. lxxii. 10. By the full days he meant days which are entirely employed in pleasing God. On the other hand, days which are not spent for God, are empty days. Hence, the Psalmist says, that the wicked do not live half their days: "Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days"— Ps. liv. 24. A holy religious Franciscan, as we read in the Chronicles (pa^t 3, lib. 8, cap. 2,) being asked how long he was a religious, answered: "Ah! unhappy me, I have worn this holy habit for seventy-five years, but I know not how long I have been religious, not in name, but in truth; I cannot say that I have been a true religious even for a single moment." Would to God that what he said through humility might not be said with truth by some who have been more than thirty years in religion, and have not as yet begun to be religious. Hence, St. Eusebius said: "Ilium diem vixisse te computa, qui puritatis habuit lucem" — Horn, ad Monach. Consider that you have lived only for the days on which your actions have had the ligh* of purity; that is, on which 386 THE TRUE your actions have been performed through the sole motive of pleasing God. Examine your conduct, then, O blessed sister, and see how many of your actions are really pure, are done solely for God, and free from all self-love; and should you find that hitherto they have not been pure, endeavour henceforward to perform them through the sole motive of pleasing God, and thus you shall have the happiness of hearing from the Lord on the day of your death: "Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things, enter thou into the joy of the Lord" — Matt. xxv. 93. Rejoice, my good servant ; because you have been faithful in a few things, by performing your works through the sole motive of pleasing me, I will give you many and great rewards. PRAYER. O my Jesus, when shall I cease to be ungrateful to thee ? When shall I begin to love thee with a true love ? O infinite Goodness, so unknown and despised in this world ! I am sorry that I have been among the number of ungrateful souls. But I do not wish to die among them. Lord, assist me; make me thine before J die. Give me thy love — a fervent love, which will make me forget all creatures to remember thee alone; a strong love, which will make me conquer all difficulties, when there is question of giving pleasure to thee; a perpetual love, which shall never more be dissolved between me and thee. I love thee, dear Redeemer; and I hope for every grace through the blood thou hast shed for me. I hope for all things from thy intercession also, O Mary, my refuge, my mother, and my hope. Amen. CHAPTER XX. On the prayer of petition, 1. I have several times treated of prayer (that is, of the prayer of petition) in my other spiritual works: in a little treatise at the end of the volume which contains the Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament, in the preparation for death, and especially in a book which I have written on prayer, entitled The Great Means of Prayer, where I have spoken of the necessity of prayer for all, in order to obtain salvation. Hence, in this place, I will only collect the principal reflections on prayer. We shall see, in the first place, the necessity of prayer; in the second place, its efficacy before God to obtain every grace; and in the third place, we shall treat of the manner in which we must pray. SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 387 2. First, with regard to the necessity of prayer: it is necessary to be persuaded that we cannot perform any good action without the actual graces of God. But the Lord declares that these graces he gives only to them who ask them of him: "Ask, and it shall be given you" — Matt. vii. 7. He, then, says St. Teresa, who does not ask shall not receive. For adults prayer is necessary, as a matter of strict precept. "We ought," says Jes'us Christ, "always to pray" — Luke xviii. 1. " Pray lest you enter into temptation" — Luke xxii. 40. "Ask, and you shall receive" — John xvi. 24. The words we ought, pray, ask, according to St. Thomas and the generality of theologians, imply a strict precept which binds under pain of grievous sin. "Every man," said the angelic doctor, "is bound to pray, because he is bound to procure spiritual goods, which cannot be obtained unless they are asked" — In 4 Sent. Dist. 15, a. 1, qu. 3. A person is obliged to pray, particularly in three cases: first, when he finds himself in a state of sin; secondly, when he is in danger of death; thirdly, when he is assailed by violent temptation. Theologians teach that ordinarily he who neglects prayer for a month, or at most for two months, is guilty of a mortal sin. — See Lessius de Jus. et Jure. 2, cap. 37, n. 9. Prayer is necessary, not only as a matter of strict precept, but, according to St. Basil, St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, Clement of Alexandria, and others; it is also necessary as a means of salvation, without which it is impossible to preserve ourselves in the grace of God and to be saved. " Simpliciter impossible est," says St. John Chrysostom, " absque deprecationis preesidio cum virtute degere" — Lib. 1, de Orando Deum. Hence, Lessius concludes that it must be held as of faith that prayer is necessary for adults, as appears from the Scriptures. — Loc. cit. 3. The angelic doctor teaches the same: " After baptism," he says, " continual prayer is necessary for man, in order to enter heaven" — 3, p. q. 39, a. 5. Because, adds the saiiat, though sins are cancelled by baptism, we still have temptations to conquer, which we shall not have strength to overcome without prayer. Hence, he says, in another place: "After a person is justified by grace, he requires to ask of God the gift of perseverance, that he may be preserved from evil to the end of life" — 1, 2, q. 109, a 10. To understand the reason of this doctrine, it is necessary to know, first, that without a special aid from God, we cannot continue for a long time in his grace, without falling into mortal sin. For we have so many enemies who continually combat against us, and we are at the same time so weak, 888 THE TRUE that if God does not assist us with special helps, or if he gives only the common graces given to all, we shall not have strength to resist. This is even a dogma of faith, defined by the Council of Trent in the following words: "If any one shall say, that a person who has been justified can, without special aid from God, persevere in the justice which he has received, or cannot persevere without such aid, let him be anathema" — Sess. 6. de Just. can. 12. It is necessary to know, secondly, that this special aid to persevere in grace (at least, ordinarily speak'ng) is given only to those who ask it. " It is evident," says St. Augustine, " that God gives only to those who do not pray, some gifts, such as the beginning of faith; and that he prepares other graces such as perseverance to the end, only for those who ask them" — De dono. perse v. cap. 16. In a word, the holy doctor says, that except the first graces, such as vocation to the faith, or to repentance, all other graces, and particularly perseverance, God gives only to him who prays for them. 4. Let us, then, from all that has been said, infer the strict necessity of prayer for the attainment of salvation. All the reprobate have been damned in consequence of their neglect of prayer; had they prayed, they should not be lost; and all the saints have become saints by prayer; had they neglected prayer, they would not have become saints, and should not be saved. "Persuasum habeamus," says St. Chrysostom, "quod animaB mors sit non pro vol vi ad Dei genua" — Lib. 1, de op. Dierum. We must live with the persuasion, that to neglect prayer, and to lose the life of the soul, or the grace of God, are one and the same thing. The ancient fathers held a conference to determine what exercise is most necessary for a Christian in order to obtain salvation, and they came to the conclusion that it consists in continually repeating the prayer of David: "Incline unto my aid, O God; O Lord, make haste to help me." Lord, assist me, and hasten to my aid, for if thou delay thy assistance, I shall fall and lose thy grace. If we do this we shall be certainly saved: if we neglect to do it, we shall be certainly lost. 5. In the second place, it is necessary to examine the efficacy of prayer. Theodoret says that prayer is one, but can obtain all blessings. Prayer, though one, can do all things. He who prays obtains whatsoever he wishes. And in this it appears to me, that God displays the immense love which he bears us, and his ardent desire to promote our welfare. What greater love can a person show to a friend than to say to him — friend, ask what you wish" from SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 389 me, and I will grant your petition. This, God says to each of us: "Ask, and it shall be given to you"— Imke xi. 9. He makes no exception: "You shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you"— John xv. 7. He tells us to ask whatsoever we desire, and promises that our prayer *hall be heard. St. Hilary asserts that prayer is so powerful before God, that it, as it were, constrains him to give us all the graces we ask. "Oratio pia Deo vim infert"— Devout prayer does violence to God. We are, as David says, poor mendicants: "But I am a beggar and poor"— Ps. xxxix. 18. But to be rich depends on ourselves: let us ask graces of God, and they shall be given us: let us ask them frequently, and they shall be poured upon us abundantly. David blessed the Lord in a special manner for his goodness in always uniting his mercy to our prayers. "Blessed be God, who hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me" — Ps. lxv. 20. St. Augustine explains this passage in these words: "When you see that your prayer Vas not been turned away, be assured that the mercy of God is not turned away from you." When you see that you pray, be certain that the divine mercy will not fail to assist you. And St. John Chrysostom says, that when we pray, the Lord hears us before the conclusion of our prayer: " Semper obtinetur etiam dum aduc oramus." For this we have even God's own promise. "As they are yet speaking I will hear" — Isaias lxv. 24. |