> [[at-sl-06|← Ch. II]] | [[at-spiritual-life-toc|TOC]] | [[at-sl-08|Ch. III →]] # 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 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 supernatural forces that will enable us to realize more fully day by day the ideal of perfection proposed 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. 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. 1° 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. 3° 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 world 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 accomplishment 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 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 allurement; 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? Our 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 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] 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 crucifying 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 salvation 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 comprises two things: all unwholesome curiosity and inordinate love of the goods of this world. a) The curiosity of which we speak consists in an excessive 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 bygone 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 confidence and trust wherewith man should abandon himself 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 indiscriminately 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 possessions: “Give an account, of thy stewardship.”[4] It is wise, then, to give a large portion of what is over and above our needs in almsgiving and other good works. This is in truth to enter into the designs of God who wills that the rich be, so to speak, the treasurers of the poor; it is to make in the bank of heaven a deposit which will be returned to us with a hundredfold interest upon our entrance into eternity. “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: 1) 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 sanctioned 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 existence — 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 unfettered,… those who can say with Queen Esther: “Thou 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 profound 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 solicitous for the esteem of men than for virtue itself, that man should find cause for greater humiliation in a blunder committed 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. 1) It robs God of the glory 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 supernatural, 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 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.”[2] Assuredly, 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 torments 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 world [5] 210\. The world we speak of here is not the total aggregate 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: 1) unbelievers, hostile to religion, precisely because it condemns their pride, their love of pleasure, their lust for riches; 2) the indiffrent, 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!”[1] Of this world St. John says: “The whole world is seated in wickedness.”[2] 211\. 1° 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 “innocent 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 performances, of public entertainments, of the lewd literature that one encounters at every turn ? 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 sportsman; 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 conscience 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 terrorized, 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 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] 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 indirectly, 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 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] III\. The Fight against the Devil[3] 219\. 1° 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 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] 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. 186 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, soliciting its consent through the various movements of the sensitive 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.”[2] Whoever leans upon the Almighty in humble trust can be sure of victory. 222\. C) We must not believe, says St. Thomas,[3] that all the temptations we experience are the works of the demon. Concupiscence stirred up by habits formed in the past and by imprudences committed in the present, is sufficient 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 Tradition, 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 responsible 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 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. Confession being an act of humility routs the devil; the absolution which follows applies to us the merits of Jesus Christ and renders us invulnerable to the thrusts of the enemy. Holy Communion brings into our hearts Christ who triumphed 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 humiliation 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 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\. 1° 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 intercession of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints. We strive to correspond to the higher tendencies by making use, under the influence of actual grace, of the supernatural organism wherewith God has endowed us. b) But there is also in us the natural or carnal man, the Old Adam, with all the evil inclinations which remain even after Baptism, with the threefold concupiscence inherited from our first parents. This concupiscence is stirred up and intensified by the world and the devil; it is an abiding tendency inclining us toward an inordinate love of sensual pleasure, of our own excellence, and of the goods of this world. These two men necessarily engage in conflict. The Old Adam, the 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 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 merit[2] 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, inasmuch 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: 1) 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 purification of the soul and closer union with God? 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 constantly directed towards God. “Man prays whenever he so acts in thought, word and deed as to tend towards God; hence, 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: 1) 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: 1° What we mean by merit; 2° What makes our actions meritorious. #### 1° 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 supernatural 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 properly 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. 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 crowning 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 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 Goodness and the Source of our beatitude. Besides, our cooperation 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 development 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 supernatural order, and that virtuous acts producing an abiding disposition to love God be rewarded by a lasting recompense. 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 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 principally 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. #### 1° Conditions on the Part of the One Who Merits 237\. There are four principal conditions: the degree of habitual grace or charity, our union with our Lord, our purity of intention, our fervor. a) The degree of sanctifying grace. To merit in the proper sense of the word, the state 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. 1\) The value of an act even in human attairs 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 Christian 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, 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 supernatural 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 meritorious cause of all supernatural good, the Head of the mystical body whose members we are. The closer we are to the source, the more we receive of its fulness; the closer we approach to the Author of all Holiness, the more grace we receive; the closer we are to the Head, the more life and activity it imparts to us. Does not our Lord Himself tell us this in the beautiful allegory of the vine? “I am the vine and you the branches… 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, by 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 ourselves with the same dispositions, and to act from the same intentions, all according to the measure of the lowliness of our possibilities. To do our actions in Christ is to unite ours with His, and to offer them to God along with His, so that for the sake of His they may be accepted on high.”[1] If we thus perform our actions in union with our Lord, He lives in us, inspires our thoughts, our desires and all our acts in such a way that we can say with St. Paul: “I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me.”[2] It is evident that acts performed under the influence of Christ’s life-giving action and with the aid of His all-powerful cooperation, 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, especially 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 faculties. 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 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\. 1) 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, therefore, 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 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, therefore, 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 halfheartedly 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 entering 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] What a mighty incentive to fervor! In truth, it is well worth the while to renew our efforts unceasingly and resolutely. #### 2° Conditions on the Part of the Act Itself 244\. Subjective dispositions are not the only conditions that increase merit; there are also objective circumstances that contribute to render our actions more perfect. These are chiefly four: 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 intention 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 considerate. We must not conclude, however, that the ease acquired by the repetition of virtuous acts necessarily diminishes our merit. Such facility, when used to sustain and to strengthen the supernatural effort, contributes to the intensity or fervor of the act, and in this way it rather increases our merit, as we have already explained above. Just as an efficient worker in the measure that he becomes proficient in his work avoids all waste of time, material and energy, and thus realizes larger gains with less labor, so the Christian who has learned to make better use of the means of sanctification saves time and effort, and thus with less trouble to himself gains greater merit. Because the Saints through the practice of virtue make acts of humility, obedience, religion, with greater facility, they are not therefore 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 perform, 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 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 sacraments contain the grace they symbolize and that they confer it on all those who place no obstacle in the way;[3] and this not solely in virtue of the recipient’s dispositions, but ex opere operato, that is, in virtue of the sacramental rite itself. The sacraments are instrumental causes of grace, God ever being the principal cause, and our Lord the meritorious 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 combating human respect and for confessing our faith in the face of all. There are four things we should dwell on: 1° sacramental grace, proper to each sacrament; 2° the dispositions necessary for the fruitful reception of the sacraments; 3°the special dispositions required for the sacrament of Penance; 4° those required for the reception of Holy Communion. ## I. Sacramental Grace The Sacraments confer special graces which correspond to the different stages of life. 251\. a) In Baptism a grace of spiritual regeneration is given by which we are purified from the stain of original sin, are born to the life of grace. A new man is thus created within us, the regenerated man that lives the life of Christ. According to the beautiful teaching of St. Paul, “We are buried together with Him (Christ) by baptism into death; that as Christ is risen from the dead, so we also may walk in newness of life,”[1] Hence, the special or sacramental 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 regeneration 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 conferred again in Confirmation, for the special purpose of enlightening our faith, of rendering it more vivid, more discerning, and of strengthening our will against sin. Hence, the duty of cultivating the gifts of the Holy Ghost, especially those that make for militant Christianity. 253\. 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 and Blood of Christ, His Soul and His Divinity transform us into other Christs, infusing into us His spirit, His sentiments and His virtues. This will be developed further, (n. 283). 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 condition 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 former gives the Church worthy ministers, the latter sanctifies 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 gi ves 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. 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.”[2] This holds good especially if our prayer is supported by the merits of Christ: “Amen, amen, I say to you: if you ask the Father anything in my name, He will give it to you.”3 If, therefore, when we receive a Sacrament, 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] 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 generous attitude of refusing Almighty God nothing, of allowing Him to act in all the fulness of His power and of co-operating 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. #### 1° 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 his confessor most earnestly for the remedies that will work a cure. He must, above all, have a deep sorrow for sin together with a firm purpose of avoiding in the future, not only these sins themselves, but also their occasions and causes. Once these sins have been forgiven, he must keep within his soul an abiding and a lively sense of sorrow, and a sincere desire to repair the evil done, by an austere and mortified life, by an ardent and self-sacrificing love. An isolated fault immediately repaired, even though grave, is not for long an obstacle to our spiritual progress. 263\. B) Deliberate Venial Faults.[1] Venial faults are of two kinds: those that are deliberate, that is, committed with full knowledge that one is about to displease God and with a deliberate selfish preference for a created good to the divine will. The others are such as are committed through surprise, fickleness, frailty, lack of vigilance or courage, and regretted on the spot, with the firm purpose of committing 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 deliberate faults, we set upon those proceeding from frailty, not indeed to avoid them altogether — this is impossible — but gradually to diminish their number. Here again, we must have recourse to the same expedient of dividing the task. We may, no doubt, accuse all the venial sins we remember; but this we do rapidly and then we stress some particular faults; for instance, distractions in prayer, failings against purity of intention, lack of charity. In the examination of conscience and in confession we shall not content ourselves with saying: “I have been distracted in my prayers” — which tells the confessor absolutely nothing — but we shall rather put things thus: “I have been distracted or careless during such or such a spiritual exercise, the reason being, that I failed to recollect myself properly before beginning it,” or “because I had not the courage to repel at once and with determination the first vagaries of my mind,” or again “because after having repelled distractions for a while I did not persevere and remain steadfast in the effort.” At other times we shall accuse ourselves of having been long distracted on account of an attachment to study or to a friend, or owing to some petty grievance. The accusation of the causes of our sins will suggest the remedy and the resolution to be taken. 265\. In order to insure the effectiveness of the confession, whether it be question of deliberate faults or not, we shall end the accusation by formulating the resolution for the coming week or fortnight of “combatting in earnest this source of distraction, that attachment, such preoccupation.” In the next confession we shall be careful to render an account of our efforts, for instance: “I had taken such resolution, 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 resolution 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 necessarily 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 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 constitutes 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, O God, according to Thy great mercy… Wash me yet more from my iniquity…”[2] 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 yielding 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 negligences and a desire to avoid them in the future.[3] In order 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 ourselves 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, contributes to our spiritual progress. #### 1° The Sacrifice of the Mass as a Means of SANCTIFICATION[2] 271\. A) Its Effects. a) The Sacrifice of the Mass first of all glorifies God and glorifies Him in a perfect manner, 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 benefices, Christ offers to Him a praise equal to His gifts — this is thanksgiving, and it constitutes the eucharistic worship. 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 unworthiness or malice of those who offer it; that in this divine sacrifice is contained and immolated, in an unbloody manner, the same Christ that offered Himself in a bloody manner 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 sanctification. The truth is, that when we glorify God, He is moved with love toward us, and the more we attend to His glory the more He attends to our spiritual concerns. By fulfilling our duties to Him in union with the Victim on the altar, we do a signal work for our own sanctification. 272\. b) The Divine Sacrifice has besides a propitiatory effect by the very virtue of its celebration (ex opere operato, as theologians say). It means that this Sacrifice, by offering to the Almighty the homage due to Him together with an 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 unspeakable 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 authoritative interpreter of the divine mind, prays there unceasingly, in union with Jesus, Priest and Victim, “through Jesus Christ Our Lord,” for all the graces which her members need, for health of body and soul, “for their longed-for salvation and well-being,”[5] for their spiritual growth, asking for her faithful children, specially in the Collect, the particular 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, 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 : 1) 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 assisting at the Sacrifice and those to whom we are bound by closer ties of love. 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 immolate 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 Communion. Members of Christ’s mystical body, we repeat the prayer He Himself taught us. We thus offer with Him our acts of religious homage and our entreaties, asking most of all, for that eucharistic bread that will deliver us from all evil, and will give us, together with the pardon of our sins, peace of soul and abiding union with Christ : “And never permit that I 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 Incarnate 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. #### 2° Holy Communion as a Means of SANCTIFICATION[1] 277\. A) Its Effects. The Holy Eucharist, as a sacrament, 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 transforming 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 transformation resulting therefrom are consummated in the Eucharist. 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 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.[2] It is a union that tends to subject our flesh more and more to the spirit and to make it more chaste — a union that sows in the flesh the seed of immortality : “He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day.”[3] 279\. b) To this real union is added another union, spiritual in its nature, most intimate in its character, most transforming in its effects. 1) 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 imagination and our own memory to discipline them and turn them toward God and the things of God, by bringing their activities 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 weakness, 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 strengtheneth me.”[4] We feel now that effort will become easy, that 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 well-nigh irresistible impulse toward good, at others, of a sober yet firm determination to do all things, to undergo all sufferings for God and to refuse Him nothing. 280\. 1) 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. Realizing 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, a life more supernatural, more divine than we did in the past. It is no longer self, the old Adam, that lives, thinks and acts, but Jesus Himself, His spirit, that lives within us and vivifies our own : “I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me.”[1] 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 efficacious 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 spiritual 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 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.”[2] 283\. B) Dispositions to profit well by the reception of the Eucharist.[3] Since the object of the Eucharist is to effect an intimate, transforming, and permanent union with Christ and God, whatever in our preparation and thanksgiving fosters that union will increase the effects of Holy Communion. 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 unworthiness : “Lord, I am not worthy…” This humility creates, so to speak, a void within the soul, emptying it of its 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,[2] of self-abasement 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 heareth… Give me understanding that I may know thy testimonies… Incline my heart unto the words of thy mouth…” This is the acceptable time to listen attentively to Our Master and Our Friend, to speak to Him with 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 assimilate 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. “O 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 Communion 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 she may aid us in making Him grow in our hearts. Thus strengthened by prayer we pass on to action. #### Conclusion 289\. We have, then, at our disposal three great means of sustaining and expanding that Christian life God has so bountifully begotten within us — means of giving ourselves as whole-heartedly to God as He has given Himself to us: 1\) Fighting relentlessly and fearlessly against our spiritual foes. With the help of God and the aid of all the heavenly protectors He has given us, certain victory and the further strengthening of our spiritual life are assured. 2\) Sanctifying all our actions, even the most commonplace. Through the oft-repeated offering of them to God, we acquire numberless merits, add largely day by day to our stock of grace, and strengthen our title to heaven, the while we make reparation and atone for our faults. 3\) The sacraments, received with right and fervent dispositions, 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 communicate with largess His life to us : “I am come that they may have life and may have it more abundantly.”[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 participation in the dispositions, the virtues, and the sacrifices of Jesus Christ. At last the moment will come when transformed into Him, having no other thoughts, no other sentiments, 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. 1° 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 His nature and in the Trinity of His persons. Nor is He inactive there. He creates in the soul a complete supernatural organism that enables it to live a life, not indeed equal, but truly similar, to His, a Godlike life. More, it is He Who gives it movement by His actual grace, He Who helps us to make our acts meritorious, He Who rewards these acts by a further infusion of habitual grace. We also live in Him and for Him, for we are His co-workers. By the aid of His grace, we freely accept the divine impulse, co-operate with it and by it triumph over our enemies, acquire merit, and prepare ourselves for the rich effusion of grace given to us by the Sacraments. Withal, we must not forget that even our free consent itself is the work of His grace, and this is the reason why we refer to Him the merit attached to our good works, living unto Him, just as we live by Him and in Him. 291\. 2° This life is also a participation in the life of 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 dispositions 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 preeminent degree in His dispositions and His virtues. It 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 participate in the life of Jesus, we participate in that of Mary — in other words, in the life of Jesus living in Mary. Such is the thought which the beautiful prayer of Father de Condren completed by Father Olier so well expresses : “O Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in thy servants.” 293\. 4° Finally, this life is a participation in the lives of the Saints of heaven and of those of earth. As we have seen, the mystical body of Christ includes all those that have been incorporated into Him by Baptism and especially those enjoying the possession of grace and of heavenly glory. All the members of this mystical body share one common life, the life they receive from the Head, which is diffused in their souls by one and the same Spirit. We are then in all truth brethren, having our life from a common Father, a life spiritual, the plenitude whereof is in Christ Jesus, “of whose fulness we have all received.” Thus the Saints in heaven and those of earth have our spiritual welfare at heart and aid us in our struggle against the flesh, the world and the devil. 294\. How consoling are these truths! Doubtless, the spiritual life here below is a warfare. Hell fights against us and finds allies in the world, and chiefly in our threefold concupiscence. But Heaven fights for us, and Heaven means not only the host of Angels and Saints, but Christ the victor over Satan, the Most Blessed Trinity living and reigning within the soul. We should, therefore, be full of confidence, being assured of victory, if only we distrust ourselves and rely upon God : “I can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth me.”[1] [[at-sl-fn-07|Fn: Ch. II cont.]] --- ![[maps/bibliography#^biblio-tan]] > [[at-sl-06|← Ch. II]] | [[at-spiritual-life-toc|TOC]] | [[at-sl-08|Ch. III →]]