> [[at-sl-10|← Ch. V]] | [[at-spiritual-life-toc|TOC]] | [[at-sl-12|Part Second →]] 515\. Among all the prayers we recite, private or public, there is none so beautiful as that taught us by Our Lord Himself — the Our Father. A) We find therein, first of all, an appropriate introduction which ushers us into God’s presence and excites our confidence : Our Father Who art in Heaven. The very first step in prayer is to draw nigh unto God. The word Father places us at once before Him, Who is pre-eminently the Father Who has adopted us as children. We face then the God Who surrounds us with the same love wherewith He loves His Son. And that Father is in Heaven; that is, He is all-powerful, He is the source of all graces, hence we are impelled to invoke Him with a filial trust that knows no bounds, for we are His offspring; all brethren, because children of the same God : Our Father. 516\. B) The object of the prayer follows. We ask for all we desire, and in the order in which we should desire it : a) We place the principal end before all else — God’s glory : “Hallowed be Thy Name,” that is to say, may Thy Name be known and proclaimed blessed, b) Then comes the secondary end — the growth of God’s kingdom within us, which is the preparation for our entry into the Kingdom of Heaven : “Thy Kingdom come.” c) Next, we ask for the essential means for attaining this twofold end, that is, conformity to the Divine Will : “Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” We ask, after that, for the secondary means. — This request constitutes the second part of the Our Father, d) First, the positive means — our daily sustenance, food for the body and food for the soul; we need one and the other, if we are to subsist and grow : “Give us this day our daily bread.” e) Lastly, we beg the negative means, which comprise i) the remission of sin — the only real evil, which is forgiven us in the measure that we ourselves pardon others : “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 2) The removal of trials and temptations to which we could fall victims : “Lead us not into temptation.” 3) The removal of physical evils, of the miseries of life so far as they constitute an obstacle to our sanctification : “But deliver us from evil. Amen.” A sublime prayer, since every word of it refers to God’s glory, and yet so simple that it is within the reach of all; for whilst glorifying God, we ask for all the things that are most useful to us. Hence, the Fathers and the Saints have taken delight in commenting [1] on this prayer, and the Catechism of the Council of Trent gives an extended and solid explanation of it. II\. The Efficacy of Prayer for Sanctification 517\.  The sanctifying power of prayer is such that the Saints never tired of saying that he lives well who prays well. Prayer produces three marvelous effects : 1) it detaches us from creatures, 2) it unites us entirely to God, 3) it gradually transforms us into God. 518\.  1° It detaches us from creatures in so far as they are an obstacle to our union with God. This effect of prayer follows from its very nature as an elevation of the heart to God. In order to be raised up to God we must first loosen the bonds that fasten us to creatures. Drawn by these, and by the alluring pleasures they hold out to us, dominated moreover by selfishness, we cannot free ourselves except by breaking the shackles that fetter us to earth. Nothing works this happy deliverance more effectively than the elevation of the soul to God through prayer, for in order to think of Him and of His glory, in order to love Him, we are constrained to forget self and creatures with their deceitful allurements. Once we are nigh unto Him, united to Him in intimate converse, then His infinite perfections, His loving kindness, and the sight of His heavenly riches, complete the liberation of the soul : “How wretched the earth when I gaze upon the heavens !” We hate mortal sin more and more, for it would turn us away altogether from God. We detest venial sin because it would impede our ascent towards Him, and we deplore even imperfections, since they would cool our intimacy with Him. We are likewise schooled to a more vigorous strife against the disordered inclinations latent within our nature, because of the realization that they tend to make us wander away from God. 519\. 2° Prayer moreover makes our union with God more complete and more perfect day by day. A) More complete. Prayer lays hold of all our faculties, in order to unite them to God. a) It seizes the higher faculties of our soul: the mind, by absorbing it in the thought of divine things; the will, by directing it toward the Glory of God and the welfare of souls; the heart, by permitting it to pour out its love into a Heart ever open, loving, ever merciful, and enabling it to produce affections that cannot be but sanctifying. b) It seizes the lower faculties of the soul, by helping us to fasten upon God and Our Lord, our imagination, our memory, our emotions, and even our passions in so far as they are capable of good. c) It even takes possession of our body, helping us to mortify our outward senses, which so often lead us astray, and to regulate our exterior according to the dictates of modesty. B) More perfect. Prayer, as just described, produces in the soul acts of religion born of faith, sustained by hope and vivified by love : “Faith believes, hope and love pray, but these could not exist without faith; hence it is, that faith also prays.”[1] Is there anything nobler, anything more sanctifying than these acts of the theological virtues? Prayer, likewise, presupposes the performance of acts of humility, of obedience, of fortitude, of constancy, so that it is not difficult to see that the holy exercise of prayer unites our soul to God in a most perfect manner. 520\. 3° No wonder, then, that through it, the soul is gradually transformed into God. Prayer causes, so to speak, a mutual exchange between us and God : whilst we offer Him our homages and our requests, He stoops down to us and bestows upon us His graces. A) The mere consideration of His divine perfections, the mere fact of admiring them and taking in them a genuine delight, draws them into us through the desire we thus feel of sharing in them. Little by little our soul feels, as it were, all pervaded, possessed by that Simplicity, that Goodness, that Holiness, that Serenity which God would fain communicate to us. 521\. B) Then God stoops down to hearken to our prayers and to bestow upon us His graces in abundance. The more we honor Him, the greater is His concern in sanctifying a soul that seeks His glory. We can ask a great deal, provided we do so with humility and confidence. He can refuse nothing to humble souls who care more for His interests than for their own. He gives them light to show them the emptiness, the nothingness of human things; He draws them to Himself by revealing Himself to them as the Supreme Good, the origin of all good; He strengthens and steadies their will that they may will nothing, love nothing, but what is worthy. We cannot but conclude with St. Francis de Sales[2] : “If prayer be a colloquy, a discourse or a conversation of the soul with God, by it then we speak to God, and He again speaks to us; we aspire to Him and breathe in Him, and He reciprocally inspires us and breathes upon us.” Happy exchange! It shall be altogether to our advantage, since its ultimate end is no other than the transformation of ourselves into God, by making us share in His thoughts and His perfections! III\. How We Can Transform Our Actions Into Prayers 522\. Since prayer is such an effective means of sanctification, we should frequently and perseveringly make use of it. Our Lord said : “We ought always to pray and not to faint.”[1] St. Paul teaches the same doctrine both by word and example : “Pray without ceasing… Making a remembrance of you in our prayers without ceasing.”[2] How are we, however, to pray without ceasing, the while we discharge our duties of state? Is not this impossible? We shall see that it is simple, once we have learned to regulate our lives. To accomplish it, two things are required : 1° that we perform a certain number of spiritual exercises in harmony with our state of life; 2° that we turn our ordinary actions into prayer. 523\. 1° Spiritual Exercises. In order to foster a life of prayer, first of all, a certain number of spiritual exercises are necessary, the extent and duration of which will vary in accordance with our duties of state. Here we shall speak of such as are proper to priests and religious, leaving to directors of souls the care of adapting this program to the laity. Three different sets of spiritual exercises school the priestly soul to prayer : in the morning, meditation and Holy Mass present to us the ideal we are to pursue and aid us to realize it; throughout the day, the Divine Office, devout readings and some great Catholic devotions help to keep up in the soul the habit of prayer; in the evening the examination of conscience will cause us to note and correct our failures. 524\. A) The morning exercises are sacred in character. Priests and religious can not dispense with them without giving up real concern for perfection, a) It is meditation, the loving thought of God, that, above all, recalls to mind the ideal we must ever keep before our eyes and pursue with all our strength. This ideal is no other than the one pictured for us by the Divine Master : “Be you, therefore, perfect as also your Heavenly Father is perfect,”[1] So we must place ourselves in the presence of God, the source and exemplar of all perfection; in the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has realized in the world this ideal of perfection and has merited for us the grace of imitating His virtues. After offering Him our homage, we draw Him unto us by becoming one with Him in thought, through the formation of deep-seated convictions regarding the special virtue we want to practice; we then draw this virtue from His heart into our own by earnest prayers that obtain for us the grace of actually practicing it. Finally, we humbly, but resolutely, co-operate with the grace received by making the generous resolve of practicing the said virtue during the course of the day.[2] b) Holy Mass confirms us in this disposition by placing before our eyes, in our hands, and at our disposal, the Sacred Victim we are to imitate. Holy Communion causes His thoughts, His sentiments, His interior dispositions, His graces and His Divine Spirit to penetrate our own souls there to abide the day long. We are priests, then, in order to act, and our action vivified by His influence will be an unceasing prayer. 525\. B) That this be so, it is necessary that from time to time there be exercises renewing and promoting our union with God. a) This will be effected by the recitation of the Divine Office, so aptly styled by St. Benedict God’s Work, wherein, in union with the perfect worship of God by Jesus Christ, we shall glorify Him and implore His graces for ourselves and for the entire Church. After the Holy Sacrifice, this is the most important act of the day. b) Another exercise fostering our union with God is the reading of Holy Scripture and the lives of the Saints, the perusal of which will once more place us in close contact with God and His Saints, c) Lastly come what may be called the essential Catholic devotions that nourish piety, such as the visit to the Blessed Sácrament — a heart-to-heart talk with Jesus — and the recitation of the beads, through which we are privileged to hold familiar conversation with Mary and to consider devoutly the mysteries of her life and her virtues. 526\. C) At night, the two examinations, general and particular, will take place. These we shall turn into a humble and sincere confession to the Great High Priest, and into a means of seeing to what extent we have realized in the course of the day the ideal conceived in the morning. Alas! we shall ever find a discrepancy between our resolutions and their realization; but without any loss of heart, we shall retire to rest with a sense of trust in God, abandoning ourselves into His arms, determined to greater effort on the morrow. Weekly, or at least fortnightly confession, together with the monthly retreat — a summary review of the month — will complete the work of our daily examination of conscience and be the occasion of a spiritual renewal. 527\. 2° This is the sum-total of spiritual exercises, that prevent us from losing sight of God’s holy presence for any considerable time. What shall we do, however, to fill in the time between these various exercises and to transform all our actions into prayer? St. Paul answered this question when he wrote : “Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God… All whatsoever you do in word or in work, all things do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”[1] St. Augustine and St. Thomas tell us how this can be done; the former tells us to convert our life, our actions, our occupations, our meals, even our repose, into a hymn of praise unto God’s glory : “Let the harmony of thy life ever rise as a song, so that thou mayest never cease to praise… If thou wilt give praise, sing, then, not only with thy lips, but sweep the chords upon the psalter of good works; thou dost give praise when thou workest, when thou eatest and drinkest, when thou liest to rest, when thou sleepest; thou givest praise even if thou holdest thy peace.”[2] The latter briefly expresses the same thought: “Man prays so long as he directs his whole life toward God.”[3] It is love that directs our whole life towards God. The practical means of giving all our actions this direction, is to offer each of them to the Most Blessed Trinity in union with Jesus Christ living in us, and in accordance with His intentions (n. 248). 528\. Father Olier shows the importance of performing our actions in union with Jesus. He explains first how the Son of God is within us in order to sanctify us.[4] “He dwells in us not only through His immensity, as the Word… but also as the Christ, through His grace, in order to make us partakers of His unction and of His divine life. Jesus Christ is within us to sanctify both ourselves and our works and to fill all our faculties with His own Self. He wills to be the light of our mind, the fire of love in our hearts, the might and strength of all our faculties, in order that in Him we may have power to know and to fulfil the desires of God, His Father, whether it be to work for His honor or to suffer and endure all things unto His glory.” Father Olier then explains how the actions we perform of ourselves and for ourselves are defective : “Because of our corrupted nature, our intentions and our thoughts tend toward sin and, should we decide to act of ourselves and follow the bent of our own sentiments, our works would be of sin.”[1] His conclusion is, therefore, that we must renounce our own intentions so as to unite ourselves to those of Jesus : “You see thereby what great care you must take to renounce, upon undertaking any action, all your sentiments, all your wishes, all your own thoughts, all your desires, in order to enter, according to the word of St. Paul, into the sentiments and the intentions of Jesus Christ : For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”[2] When our actions endure for some time, it is useful to renew this offering by an affectionate gaze upon our Crucifix, or better, upon Jesus living within us, and to raise our soul to God through oft-repeated ejaculations. In this manner our actions, even the most commonplace, will become a prayer, an elevation of the soul to God, and we shall thereby comply with the teaching of Jesus : “We ought always to pray and not to faint.”[3] 529\. Here then we have four interior means of perfection that tend at once to glorify God and perfect the soul. The desire to be perfect is, in fact, a first flight toward God, a first step toward holiness. The knowledge of God draws God down to us and helps us give ourselves to Him through love. The knowledge of self shows us the need we have of God and stimulates in us the desire of receiving Him in order to fill the void that exists within us. Conformity to His will transforms us into Him. Prayer lifts us up to Him while it draws unto us His perfections, making us share in them in order to render us like unto Him. All leads us to God, because ail proceeds from Him. # Art. II. The Exterior Means of Perfection 530\. These means can be reduced to four principal ones : spiritual direction that provides safe guidance; a rule of life, which is the sequel and the complement of spiritual direction; spiritual reading and devout exhortations, which present to us the ideal to follow; the sanctification of our social relations, which enables us to supernaturalize our dealings with the neighbor. ## § I. Spiritual Direction [1] Two points, chiefly, are to be elucidated : 1° The moral necessity of spiritual direction; 2° the means required to insure its success. I. Moral Necessity of Spiritual Direction Direction, although not absolutely necessary for the sanctification of souls, is one of the normal means of spiritual progress. Authority, and reason based on experience, demonstrate this. 1° PROOF FROM AUTHORITY 531\. A) God, Who established His Church as a hierarchical society, has willed that souls be sanctified through submission to the Sovereign Pontiff and to the Bishops in things external, and to confessors in things internal. When Saul was converted, Our Lord, instead of directly manifesting to him His designs, sent him to Ananias to learn from this man’s lips what he was to do. Cassian, St. Francis de Sales and Leo XIII argue from this fact to show the necessity of direction. “God,” says Leo XIII, “in His infinite Providence has decreed that men for the most part should be saved by men; hence He has appointed that those whom He calls to a loftier degree of holines should be led thereto by men, ‘in order that,’ as Chrysostom says, ‘we should be taught by God through men.’ We have an illustrious example of this put before us in the very beginning of the Church, for although Saul, who was breathing threatenings and slaughter, heard the voice of Christ Himself, and asked from Him, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? he was nevertheless sent to Ananias at Damascus : Arise and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee what thou must do. This manner of acting has invariably obtained in the Church. All without exception who in the course of ages have been remarkable for science and holiness have taught this doctrine. Those who reject it, assuredly do so rashly and at their peril.”[1] 532\. B) Unable to quote all the authorities, we shall briefly review a few witnesses that can be considered representatives of ascetical theology. Cassian, who had spent long years among the monks of Palestine, of Syria, and of Egypt, has set down their teachings together with his own in two works. In the first, the Book of Institutions, he urgently exhorts the young cenobites to open their heart to the elder charged with the direction of their life; to disclose to him without false shame their most secret thoughts, and to submit themselves entirely to his decision as to what is good and what is evil.[2] He treats this point again in his Conferences, and, after showing the dangers to which those who do not seek counsel from their elders expose themselves, he affirms that the best means to overcome temptations even the most dangerous, is to disclose them to a wise counsellor. This he says on the authority of St. Anthony and the Abbot Serapion.[3] What Cassian teaches to the Monks of the West, St. John Climacus instils into those of the East by his Ladder of Paradise. To beginners he says that those who wish to leave the land of Egypt for the Promised Land and subdue their disorderly passions, stand in need of another Moses to serve them as a guide. To those that are advanced he declares, that in order to follow Christ and enjoy the holy liberty of the children of God, one must humbly deliver the care of one’s soul to a man that is the representative of the Divine Master; and that such a one must be chosen with care, because he must be obeyed in all simplicity, in spite of the shortcomings that may be detected in him; for the sole danger lies in following one’s own judgment.[4] 533\. For the period of the Middle Ages, two authorities will suffice. St. Bernard wants the novices to have a guide, a foster-father to enlighten them, direct them, console them, and encourage them.[1] To more advanced souls, like Ogier, the Canon Regular, he declares that whoever constitutes himself his own guide, becomes a disciple of a fool. He adds : “I know not what others think about themselves on this matter; for myself, I speak from experience and I hesitate not to say that I find it easier and safer to direct many others than I do to guide myself.”[2] In the Fourteenth Century, the eloquent Dominican, St. Vincent Ferrer, stated that spiritual direction had ever been the practice of souls that wished to make progress, and he gave the following reason : “He who has an adviser whom he absolutely obeys in all things, will succeed much more easily and quickly than he could if left to himself, even if endowed with quick intellect and possessed of learned spiritual books.”[3] 534\. It was not only in communities that this need of a spiritual guide was felt, but likewise in the world. The letters of St. Jerome, of St. Augustine, and of other Fathers, to widows, virgins, and other persons living in the world, are ample proof of it.[4] It is therefore with good reason that St. Alphonsus in explaining the duties of a confessor declares that one of the most important of these duties is that of directing devout souls.[5] Besides, reason itself, enlightened by faith and by experience, shows us the necessity of a spiritual director in order to advance in the way of perfection. 2° PROOF FROM REASON BASED ON THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS 535\. A) Progress in holiness is a long and painful ascent over a steep path bordered by precipices. To venture thereon without an experienced guide is highly imprudent. It is extremely easy to deceive oneself as regards one’s own condition. We are unable to gaze eye to eye upon ourselves, says St. Francis de Sales; we cannot be impartial judges in our own case, by reason of a certain complacency, “so veiled, so unsuspected that the keenest insight alone can discover its existence; those who suffer from it are not aware of it unless some one points it out to them.”[1] Hence, he concludes that we need a spiritual physician to make a sound diagnosis of our state of soul and to prescribe the most effective remedies : “Why should we wish to constitute ourselves directors of our own souls when we do not undertake the management of our bodies. Have we not noticed that physicians, when ill, call other physicians to determine what remedies they require?”[2] 536\. B) The better to understand this need, we have but to explain briefly the chief dangers one encounters in each of the three ways leading to perfection. a) Beginners must be on their guard against relapses and, in order to avoid them, they must undergo a long and rigorous penance in proportion to the number and gravity of their faults. Some of them, soon forgetting their past, want to enter forthwith into the path of love. Such presumption is frequently followed by a withdrawal of sensible consolations, by discouragement and fresh falls. Others give themselves without discretion to bodily mortifications, take therein a vain complacency, impair their health, and then, under pretence of taking proper care of it, fall into a state of relaxation. It is, therefore, important that an experienced director hold the former to the spirit and the practice of penance, and check the latter in their impetuous ardor. Another danger for beginners is spiritual aridity, following the withdrawal of sensible consolations. In this state a soul imagines itself abandoned by God, gives up its exercises of piety, which now appear useless, and falls a prey to lukewarmness. Who will be able to forestall this danger? Only a wise spiritual director, who, during the season of consolations, will give warning that these do not last forever, and, at the time of aridity, will comfort this soul by explaining that there is nothing better than such trials for the strengthening of virtue and the purifying of love. 537\. b) In the illuminative way, a guide is still needed, in order to discern which are the virtues especially suited to this or that person in particular, as well as the means of practicing these virtues, and the proper method of self-examination. When a soul becomes a prey to that sense of weariness experienced upon the discovery that the way of perfection is longer and more arduous than imagined, it is hard to see what can prevent this feeling from degenerating into lukewarmness, if not the fatherly affection of a director who will be able to recognize the difficulty, obviate discouragement, console the penitent, urge him to new efforts and make him discern the fruits to be gained from such a trial courageously borne. 538\. c) Direction becomes even more necessary in the unitive way. To enter herein, one must cultivate the gifts of the Holy Ghost by a generous and constant docility to the inspirations of grace. But to distinguish divine inspirations from those that proceed from nature, or from the Evil One, the counsel of a wise and disinterested adviser is ofttimes required. This is all the more necessary when one undergoes the first passive trials, when aridity, weariness, fear of God’s judgments, besetting temptations, inability to reason in meditation, and contradictions from without burst all together upon a desolate soul and cast it into the greatest turmoil. It is evident that a pilot is indispensable to guide the disabled craft to safety. A spiritual director is equally necessary for one enjoying the delights of contemplation. This state presupposes so much discretion, humility, docility and, above all, so much prudence in harmonizing passivity with activity, that it becomes morally impossible not to go astray without the advice of an expert guide. This is why St. Theresa used to open her soul with such candor to her spiritual directors; this is why St. John of the Cross often insisted on the necessity of disclosing to him everything. “God,” says he, “so desires that man place himself under the direction of another, that He absolutely does not want to see us give full assent to the supernatural truths He Himself imparts, before they have issued out of the mouth of man.”[1] 539\. To sum up what has been said, we can do no better than quote the words of Fr. Godinez : “Hardly ten in a thousand called by God to perfection heed the call; of a hundred called to contemplation, ninety-nine fail to respond. It must be acknowledged that one of the principal causes is the lack of spiritual directors. Under God, they are the pilots that conduct souls through this unknown ocean of the spiritual life. If no science, no art, how simple soever, can be learned well without a master, much less can any one learn this high wisdom of evangelical perfection, wherein such great mysteries are found. This is the reason why I hold it morally impossible that a soul could without a miracle or without a master, go through what is highest and most arduous in the spiritual life, without running the risk of perishing.” 540\. It may be said, therefore, that the normal way to advance in the spiritual life is to follow the counsels of a wise spiritual adviser. As a matter of fact, fervent souls so understand it and seek direction in the tribunal of penance. When of late years a need was felt for a select body of truly devout and earnest Catholics, no better means of forming it was found than a strong direction given in Sodalities, vacation-camps and above all in regular retreats. Direction, then, is one of the normal means of spiritual progress. II\. Rules to Insure the Success of Spiritual Direction That spiritual direction be profitable, 1° its object must be clearly determined; 2° the co-operation of both director and penitent must be assured. 1° OBJECT OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION 541\. A) General Principle. The object of spiritual direction consists in all that has a bearing upon the spiritual formation of souls. Confession limits itself to the accusation of faults; direction goes far beyond this. It reaches the causes of sin, deep-rooted inclinations, temperament, character, acquired habits, temptations, imprudences. This, in order to discover the right remedies, such as go to the very roots of the evil. In order to combat defects the better, direction in also concerned with virtues opposed to them, the virtues common to all Christians and those special to each particular class of persons. It includes the means most apt to foster the practice of these virtues : spiritual exercises such as mental prayer, the particular examination, devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament, to the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Virgin, which supply us with spiritual arms to force our way onward in the practice of virtue. It deals with vocation, and, once this question is settled, with the duties peculiar to each state of life. Hence, it is clear that the field of direction is very wide. 542\. B) Applications. a) In order to guide a person wisely, the spiritual director must be acquainted with the chief features of his past life, his habitual faults, his efforts to correct them, the results obtained, so that he sees clearly what is left to be done. He must, likewise, know his present dispositions, his likes and dislikes, the temptations he undergoes and the method employed to overcome them, the virtues he feels the greatest need of, and the means used to acquire them. The director must know all this in order to give proper advice. b) Then it is that the director can more easily form a plan of direction, a flexible plan, adaptable to the actual condition of the penitent and calculated to foster his spiritual progress. It is impossible to lead all souls in the same way; a director must take them as they are, and lead them gradually through the various stages along the steep path of perfection. He must realize that some are more eager and more generous, others more calm, more slow, that all are not called to attain the same degree of perfection. 543\. There is, however, a progressive order to be followed which gives a certain measure of unity to spiritual direction : 1\) From the outset it is important that souls should be taught to sanctify all their ordinary actions by the practice of union with Our Lord (n. 248). This holds good for their whole life and the Director must insist on it again and again showing how such practice is grounded on the spirit of faith so indispensable in these days of rampant naturalism. 2\) The purification of the soul, through the practice of penance and mortification, should never cease altogether; penitents should be often brought back to it, taking into account their state of mind, so as to vary the exercise of these virtues. 3\) Humility is a fundamental virtue, which must be inculcated almost from the beginning, and penitents must be frequently reminded of it at all the stages of the spiritual life. 4\) Fraternal charity, because so often violated, even by devout people, should be insisted upon in the examinations of conscience and in confession. 5\) Habitual union with Our Lord, our model and co-worker, cannot be too frequently emphasized, for it is one of the most effective means of sanctification. 6\) A thing to be cultivated with care, because so necessary in this our day, is manliness or strength of character, based upon strong convictions, and with it, honesty and loyalty which cannot be separated from it. 7\) In an epoch of proselytism like ours, zeal is of paramount importance and a spiritual director should keep in view the formation of select souls who will be of help to the priest in the innumerable details connected with his ministry. As for the rest, one has but to bear in mind what we shall say when explaining the three ways. 2° DUTIES OF THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR AND OF THE PENITENT Direction will not produce any profitable results, unless both director and penitent work together in all earnestness. 1\) Duties of the Spiritual Director 544\. St. Francis de Sales [1] declares that a spiritual director must have three principal qualities : “He must be full of charity, of knowledge and of prudence : if he lacks one of these, there is danger.” A) The charity wherewith he must be filled is a supernatural and paternal affection that makes him see in his penitents so many spiritual children confided to his care by God Himself so that he may cause Jesus Christ and His virtues to grow in them : “My little children of whom I am in labor again until Christ be formed in you.” [2] a) Hence, he surrounds them all with the same thoughtfulness and care, making himself all things to all, in order to sanctify all; spending his time, his efforts and himself to form in them the Christian virtues. In spite of himself, no doubt, he will at times feel drawn more to some than to others, but he will not allow his natural likes or dislikes to govern him, being careful to avoid sentimental affections that would tend to create attachments, at first innocent, then distracting and finally dangerous both to his good name and to his virtue. Father Olier rightly says that to wish to attach to oneself the hearts made to love God, constitutes a sort of treason : “Spiritual directors have been chosen by Our Lord to go forth to conquer kingdoms, that is to say, the hearts of men, which belong to Him, which He has bought by the shedding of His Blood, and in which He wants to establish His reign. What an ingratitude! What a fraud! What an outrage! What a betrayal! if instead of offering those hearts to Him as to their lawful sovereign, they constitute themselves their lords and masters.”[3] Such conduct would be equivalent to placing a well-nigh insurmountable obstacle in the way of one’s own spiritual progress and in that of one’s penitents, for God does not want a divided heart. 545\. b) Kindness on the part of the spiritual director must not mean weakness. It must, on the contrary, be coupled with firmness and frankness. The director must have the courage to give sound, fatherly warnings, to point out to his penitents their defects, and not allow himself to be directed by them. There are persons very demure, yet very clever, who want to have a spiritual director, but on condition that he accommodate himself to their tastes and fancies. Such seek after approbation rather than guidance. To be on guard against this abuse that might involve his own conscience, the spiritual director must not let himself be swayed by the schemes and manoeuvres of such penitents; he must remember that he represents Our Lord Himself, and resolutely render his decisions according to the rules of perfection and not according to the wishes of his penitents. 546\. c) It is chiefly in directing women that one must be reserved and firm. A man of wide experience, Father Desurmont,[1] writes as follows on this subject: “Let there be none of those affectionate words, none of those tender expressions, no private talks except those absolutely indispensable. Let there be nothing savoring of feeling, either in manner or gesture, nor the least shadow of familiarity. As to conversations, no more than is necessary; as to dealings outside of matters of conscience, only those that have a recognized serious purpose. As much as possible, let there be no direction outside the confessional, and no correspondence. They must not be made even to suspect that one is personally interested in them. Their mentality is so constituted that if they be led to think themselves the object of a particular regard or affection, almost without fail, they descend to a natural plane, be it through vanity or sentimentality.” The same author adds : “Generally speaking, it is best that they be not conscious of being directed at all. Woman has the defects of her qualities : she is instinctively pious, but she is likewise instinctively proud of her piety. The adornment of the soul affects her no less than that of the body. For her to know that one wishes to adorn her with virtues, ordinarily constitutes a danger.” One should, then, direct them without acquainting them with the fact, and give them counsels of perfection as if it were the common ordinary thing for the welfare of souls. 547\. B) In the spiritual director, devotedness must be accompanied by the knowledge of ascetical theology so necessary to confessors, n. 36. He will, therefore, never tire of reading and re-reading spiritual authors, correcting his judgments by their standards, and comparing his own method with that of the Saints. 548\. C) Above all, prudence and a sound judgment are needed in order to direct souls not according to one’s own ideas, but according to the motions of grace, the temperament and character of the penitents, and their supernatural attractions. [2] a) Father Libermann rightly remarks that the spiritual director is but an instrument in the hands of the Holy Ghost.[3] He should, therefore, first of all, apply himself to gain through discreet questions a knowledge of the action this Divine Spirit has upon the soul. “I consider it a capital point in spiritual direction,” he writes, “to discover the dispositions whereby a soul is animated…, to perceive how far you can urge it, to allow grace full scope, to distinguish true from false attractions, and prevent souls from going astray or running to excesses.” In another letter he adds : “The spiritual director having once ascertained God’s action in a soul, has nothing else to do but to guide it that it may obey the promptings of grace… He must never attempt to inspire a soul with his personal tastes and individual attractions, nor lead it after his own way of acting, or his own peculiar point of view. A director that would thus act, would often turn souls from God’s own guidance and oppose the action of divine grace in them.” He adds, however, that this applies to souls who work earnestly to attain perfection. As to those that are sluggish and lukewarm, the initiative must be taken by the director, who will, by his exhortations, his counsels, his rebukes, and all the means which his zeal suggests, strive to stir them out of their spiritual torpor. 549\. b) The prudence in question here is, therefore, a supernatural prudence, fortified by the gift of counsel, which a spiritual director should ever beg of the Holy Spirit. He will invoke Him especially in difficult cases, repeating in his heart the Veni Sancte Spiritus before rendering any important decision. Having consulted the Holy Ghost, he will listen with attention and childlike simplicity to the answer whispered to his soul, and communicate it to his penitent : “As I hear, so I judge. And my judgment is just.”[1] In this wise, a director will in truth become the instrument of the Holy Spirit — a joint instrument with God — and his ministry will be fruitful. This care to take counsel with the Most High will not hinder the director from making use of all the means prudence will place at his command to acquire a thorough knowledge of his penitent. For this knowledge, he will not rely merely on the penitent’s words; he will study his conduct, and without subscribing to all his judgments, will weigh these in accordance with the rules of prudence. 550\. C) Let prudence guide the spiritual director not only in giving counsel, but in all matters connected with the practice of direction. i) He should devote no more time than is necessary to this duty of his ministry, important as it is. He should hold no protracted conversations, nor indulge in idle talk, nor ask indiscreet questions. He should limit himself to what is of real profit to souls. Brief advice to the point, the clear exposition of one of the means of perfection, will well occupy a penitent for a fortnight or a month. More, the director will strive so to lead souls that before long they may be, not indeed self-sufficient, but may rest satisfied with briefer spiritual direction, and be able to resolve their ordinary problems by means of the general principles imparted to them. 2\) Although the spiritual direction of youths and men can be carried on anywhere, that of women demands greater reserve. Ordinarily, it should be given only in the confessional, and this briefly, without allowing them to go into useless details. We belong to all; time is limited and should not be wasted. We must, no doubt, be patient, giving each soul all the required time, but bearing in mind the while that there are other souls who also need our ministrations. 2\) The Duties of Penitents 551\. Penitents will see in their spiritual director the person of Our Lord Himself. If it is true that all authority comes from God, it is more so of the authority the priest exercises over consciences in the confessional. The power of binding and loosing, of opening and closing the gates of Heaven, of guiding souls in the paths of perfection, is a divine power and cannot reside outside of him who is the lawful representative, the ambassador of Christ. “For Christ’s therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us.” [1] This is the principle from which all duties toward a spiritual director flow —respect, trust, docility. 552\. A) The director must be respected as the representative of God, clothed as he is with God’s authority in what regards our most intimate and most sacred relations with God. Hence, if he has his shortcomings, let us not dwell on them, but simply regard his authority and his mission. A penitent will thus carefully avoid any criticism whereby the filial respect due his director is lost or lessened. He should likewise avoid excessive familiarity, hardly compatible with true respect. This respect will be tempered by an affection that is frank and genuine, but full of reverence, an affection of a child for his father, an affection that excludes the desire of being singularly loved, and the petty jealousies issuing from such desire. “In a word, this friendship should be strong and sweet, holy, all sacred, wholly divine and entirely spiritual.” [2] 553\. B) A second duty toward the spiritual director is filial trust and perfect openness of heart. “Open your heart to him with all sincerity and fidelity, manifesting clearly the state of your conscience without fiction or dissimulation; by this means your good actions will be examined and approved, and your evil ones corrected and remedied… Place great confidence in him, but let it be united with a holy reverence, so that the reverence may not diminish the confidence, nor the confidence the reverence.” [1] We are to open our heart to him, then, with full confidence, making known to him our temptations and our weaknesses, that he may help us conquer the former and heal the latter; we must submit to his approbation our desires and resolutions; we must tell him of the good we strive to accomplish, that he may help us to do even more; of our good purposes that he may examine them, and suggest the means of realizing them; in a word of whatever has a bearing on the spiritual welfare of our soul. The better he knows us, the more will he be able to counsel us wisely, to encourage, comfort and fortify us, in such wise, that after taking leave of him, we can repeat the words of the disciples at Emmaus : “Was not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke…?” [2] 554\. There are persons who, though willing enough to be thus perfectly open, through a sort of timidity or reserve do not know how to make known their state of soul. Let them speak of this to their spiritual director, who will help them with pertinent questions and, if need be, have them read some book or other that will enable them to come to a better knowledge of themselves and to analyze the state of their souls. Once the ice is broken, such intimate communications will be made with greater ease. Others there are who, on the contrary, are liable to talk overmuch and to turn spiritual direction into pious prattle. These must remember that a priest’s time is limited, that others wait their turn and may grow impatient of delay. They should, therefore, set a limit and leave less important matters for some future meeting. 555\. C) Docility in listening to and carrying out of a director’s advice must accompany this frankness. There is nothing less supernatural than to wish him to enter into our views, nothing more hurtful to the welfare of our soul, for then it is not the will of God we seek, but our own, with this aggravating circumstance, that we abuse a God-given means in order to attain our selfish purposes. Our only desire must be to know God’s will through the agency of our spiritual director and not to extort his approval through more or less clever devices. One may deceive a spiritual director, but not Him Whom he represents. Doubtless, it is our duty to make known to him our likes and our dislikes, and if we foresee serious difficulties in carrying out his advice, we must candidly mention them to him. Once this has been done, we must submit to his decision, or if we think it unwise, seek another director. Strictly speaking, our spiritual director may be mistaken, but we make no mistake in obeying him, except, of course, were he to give counsel opposed to faith or morals.[1] 556\. D) Only a grave reason and mature reflection should determine us to seek another spiritual guide. There should be in direction a certain continuity that cannot exist if changes be frequently made. a) Some persons tired of listening to the same counsels, especially if these bear upon things disagreeable to nature, or led through curiosity, change confessors in order to see what the attitude of another will be. Others do the same through inconstancy, finding it impossible to hold for any length of time to the same practices. Others are inspired by vanity, wishing to go to one who enjoys a greater reputation, or who is more in vogue, or to one who will probably flatter them. Some change through a kind of restlessness that causes them to be ever dissatisfied with what they have and to dream of an imaginary perfection. Again, some do so, through an ill-regulated desire of opening their soul to different confessors, so as to engage their interest or to be reassured. Lastly, some change through a false shame, to hide from their regular confessor some humiliating weaknesses. Evidently, these motives are not sufficient, and one must learn to brush them aside, if one wishes to make consistent progress in the spiritual life. 557\. b) On the other hand, we must remember the growing insistence wherewith the Church safeguards the freedom individuals must enjoy in the choice of a confessor; hence, if there be good reasons to have recourse to another, one must not hesitate to do so. What are the chief reasons? 1) If in spite of all our efforts we cannot have towards our director the respect, the confidence, and the openness abovementioned, even if there be little or no grounds for such state of mind; [2] for in such a case, we could derive no profit from his counsels. 2) Should we have any grounded fears that our director would deter us from perfection, because of his too natural views, or because of a too strong and too sentimental affection he has shown on some occasions. 3) If we should detect in him a lack of the necessary knowledge, prudence or discretion. Such cases are rare, it is true; but should they occur, we must remember that spiritual direction is productive of good only if there exist between director and penitent real co-operation and mutual trust. ## § II. a Rule of Life [1] 558\. A rule of life extends the influence of the director, by imparting to the penitent principles and rules that will enable the latter to sanctify all his acts through obedience, and that will provide him with a norm of conduct at once sound and safe. We shall explain : 1° its utility; 2° its qualities;3° the manner of keeping it. I. Utility of a Rule of Life Useful even to laymen who seek holiness in the world, a rule of life is of still greater importance to members of religious communities and to priests in the ministry. It is no less conducive to personal sanctification than to the sanctification of the neighbor. 559\. 1° Its utility as a means of personal sanctification. In order to sanctify ourselves we must make good use of our time, supernaturalize our acts, and follow a certain program of perfection. Now, a rule of life wisely made with the help of our spiritual director secures for us this threefold advantage. A) It enables us to make a better use of our time. Let us actually compare the life of a person that follows a rule with that of another that does not. a) He that lives without a rule inevitably wastes a great deal of time : 1) He hesitates as to what is the best thing to do. Time is spent in deliberation, in weighing the reasons for and against, and, as in many cases there are no decisive reasons on either side, he is liable to remain inactive; then, natural inclinations gain the upper hand and he runs the risk of being led by curiosity, pleasure or vanity. 2) He neglects a certain number of duties, for having neither foreseen nor determined the acceptable time and place for their fulfilment, he no longer finds time to perform them all. 3) These negligences engender inconstancy. At times he makes vigorous efforts to steady himself, while at other times he surrenders to his native indolence, and this, just because he has no fixed rule that would act as a corrective to the fickleness of his nature. 560\. b) The man who holds to a well-defined rule of life saves considerable time : 1) He wastes no time in hesitation. He knows exactly what he is to do, and when he is to do it. Even if his schedule is not mathematically detailed, at least it sets off time-periods and lays down principles with regard to religious exercises, recreation, work, etc… 2) There is little or nothing unforeseen, for even should the unusual occur, he has already provided for it by determining beforehand exercises that may be shortened and the manner of making up for them. At all events, as soon as these exceptional circumstances cease to exist, he immediately comes back to his rule. 3) Inconstancy likewise vanishes. The rule urges him to do always what is prescribed, and that every day and at every hour of the day. Thus, habits are formed that, give continuity to his life and assure his perseverance; his days are full days, teeming with good works and merit. 561\. B) A rule of life enables us to supernaturalize all our actions. a) They are performed through obedience, and this virtue adds its own special merit to that which is proper to every virtuous act. It is in this sense that the saying obtains, that he who lives by rule lives unto God; since it means the constant fulfilment of His holy will. Faithfulness to a rule has, besides, a decided educative value. Instead of caprice and disorder that run rampant in an ill-ordered life, duty and strength of will prevail, and as a consequence, order and system. The will submits to God, and our inferior faculties yield their obedience to the will. This is a gradual return to the state of original justice. b) With a rule of life, it is easy to infuse supernatural motives into all our actions. The mere fact of conquering our tastes and whims puts order into our life and directs our actions towards God. Moreover, a good rule provides for a brief thought of God before every action of any importance, and for the forming of a supernatural intention. Thus each and every one of our actions is explicitly sanctified and becomes an act of love. What a great measure of merit can be thus gained each day! 562\. C) A rule gives us a program of sanctification. a) What we have described already constitutes such a program, and by following it, we march on to perfection; it is none other than the highway of conformity to the Divine Will so extolled by God’s Saints (n. 493-498). b) Moreover, no rule of life is complete that does not single out the virtues best adapted to the individual penitent’s condition in life and to his state of soul. Of course, this program will be subject now and then to change by reason of new needs that arise, but all this will be done in agreement with the spiritual director. 563\. 2° A rule of life cannot but promote the sanctification of the neighbor. To sanctify others, we must join prayer to action, make good use of the time devoted to works of zeal, and give good example. This is exactly what is done by the man who is faithful to his rule. A) In his well-regulated life he finds the practical means of combining prayer with action. Convinced that the soul of zeal is an interior life, he takes care that his rule devotes a certain portion of time to prayer, Holy Mass, thanksgiving, and all other exercises indispensable as spiritual food to the soul (n. 523). This does not prevent him from devoting a good measure of his time to works of zeal. Having learned how to make a wise distribution of time (n. 560), he knows how to spare it whilst doing all things in an orderly and methodical manner. Fixed hours are devoted to the divers kinds of parochial work, like confessions and the administration of the Sacraments. The faithful, once they know these arrangements, readily abide by them, happy to know just when they may call on the priest in their various needs. 564\. B) Furthermore, the faithful are edified by the example of punctuality and regularity which they observe in the priest. They cannot help thinking and repeating that he is a man of duty, ever faithful to the rules laid down by ecclesiastical authorities. When they listen to him urge from the pulpit or in the confessional obedience to the laws of God and of the Church, they feel drawn more by the force of his example than by his words, and they become in turn more faithful in their observance of the Commandments. A priest that lives up to his rule sanctifies in this manner both himself and the neighbor. This is true also of those of the laity who devote themselves to works of zeal. II\. Qualities of a Ride of Life That a rule be productive of these happy results, it must be devised with the help of our spiritual director; it must be at once flexible and firm; it must grade one’s duties according to their relative importance. 565\. 1° It must be devised with the help of our spiritual director. Prudence and obedience require this : a) prudence, because to draw up a practical rule of life, great discretion and experience are needed in order to see not only what may be good in itself, but also what is good for this particular individual; what is advisable in his case, what is beyond his strength, what is timely and what is not, considering his circumstances. Few, indeed, are those that can unaided settle all these things wisely. b) Besides, one of the advantages of a rule of life is to give us occasions to practice the virtue of obedience. This would never be the case if we were its sole framers and did not submit it to a lawful authority. 566\. 2° The rule must be firm enough to sustain the will, yet elastic enough to be adaptable to the various circumstances arising in real life, which not unfrequently foil our calculations. a) It will have the necessary firmness if it embodies all that is needed to fix, at least in principle, the time and the manner of performing our spiritual exercises, of fulfilling our duties of state, and of practicing the virtues proper to our condition in life. 567\. b) It will possess the required elasticity if, once these points have been determined, it leaves a certain freedom of action as to changes of time, substitution of practices not essential in themselves by their equivalents, and if it makes allowance even for the shortening of exercises at the demand of charity or of some other duty, the more so if the religious exercises be completed at some later time. This elasticity should especially apply, according to the wise remark of Saint John Eudes,[1] to forms of prayer and the manner of offering our actions to God : “I beg you to notice that the practice of all practices, the secret of secrets, the devotion of devotions, is not to attach oneself exclusively to any one particular practice or exercise of devotion. Take care, on the contrary, in all your exercises and all your actions to give yourself up to the Holy Spirit of Jesus with humility, confidence, and detachment from all things, so that, finding you detached from your own spirit and from your own devotion and dispositions He may have full power and liberty to act in you as He desires, to inspire you with such dispositions and sentiments of devotion as He shall judge well, and to lead you by the ways which are pleasing to Him.” 568\. 3° The rule must give each duty its own relative importance for there is a hierarchy in our duties : a) God must evidently hold the first place; then come the welfare of our soul and the sanctification of the neighbor. Assuredly there is no real conflict between these duties; on the contrary they will, if we desire it, blend most harmoniously; for to glorify God means simply to know and love Him. But to know and to love God is to sanctify oneself, and also to sanctify others by making them know and love Him. If, however, one should devote his entire time to works of zeal to the detriment of the great duty of prayer, he would evidently be neglecting the most efficacious means of zeal. It is likewise evident that should any one neglect his personal sanctification, he would very soon be lacking in genuine zeal for that of others. So, if we are careful first to give to God the portion of time that should be consecrated to Him and to reserve the necessary time for our essential spiritual exercises, the means of working out our own sanctification, then our works of zeal will most assuredly bear abundant fruit. Therefore, the first and the last moments of the day should be devoted to God and to our soul. Then we can safely give ourselves to works of zeal, stopping however from time to time to raise our mind and heart to God. Our whole life will thus be divided between prayer and works of zeal. b) However, in urgent circumstances we must be guided by another principle : that the more necessary comes first. A case in point would be that of an urgent sick call; a priest leaves all else to attend to this. Still, while on the way he should strive to occupy his mind with holy thoughts, which will take the place of whatever spiritual exercise was then to be performed. III\. The Manner of Keeping a Rule of Life 569\. That a rule be sanctifying, it must be observed entirely and in a Christian manner. 1° It must be observed in its entirety, that is to say, fully, in all its parts, and with punctuality. If we pick and choose among the various points of our rule, and this without reasonable cause, we shall carry out those that cost us less and omit those that are more difficult. We should thus lose the chief advantages to be derived from the exact observance of a rule, for even in the points we should observe, we would be in danger of acting from caprice or self-will. The rule, then, must be kept in its totality and to the letter, as far as possible. If for some grave reason this cannot be done, we must abide by the spirit of the rule and do all, that is, morally speaking, within our power. 570\. There are two faults to be avoided here : scrupulosity and laxity. 1) Let there be no scruples. As long as there is a serious reason to dispense with a given point of the rule, to postpone it or to substitute an equivalent for it, let it be done without misgivings. Thus an urgent duty, a sick-call for instance, is sufficient to dispense from the visit to the Blessed Sacrament, should no time be left for it; one may easily supply for it by communing with Our Eucharistic Lord on the way. The same may be said of a mother’s care of her children; it dispenses her from her regular communion, when it is impossible to harmonize this with the other duty. Spiritual communion, in that case, can take the place of sacramental communion. 2\) Neither let there be laxity. A lack of mortification, the mere desire to prolong conversations without necessity, curiosity, etc., are not adequate reasons for deferring the performance of a given exercise, at the risk of omitting it altogether. Likewise, if the accomplishment of certain duties in the usual manner becomes impossible, we must strive to comply therewith in another way. Thus a priest who is obliged to take the Holy Viaticum during his time of meditation, will try to turn the fulfilment of this duty into an affective prayer, by offering his homages to the God of the Eucharist Who rests upon his heart. 571\. Punctuality is an integral part of the observance of a rule of life. Not to begin an exercise at the prescribed moment, and that without a reason, already constitutes an act of resistance to grace, which admits of no delays; it is to run the risk of omitting or at least shortening this exercise from lack of time. If it is question of some public exercise of the ministry, a delay often means considerable inconvenience to the faithful; on the part of a teacher lack of punctuality sets before the students a bad example which they are but too prone to follow. 572\. 2° The rule must be observed in a Christian manner, that is to say, with supernatural motives, in order to do the will of God, and thus give Him the most genuine proof of our love. This singleness of purpose is the soul of a rule; it gives to each of our actions its true worth, by transforming them all into acts of obedience and love. In order to practice this singleness of purpose, we must reflect a moment before acting, ask ourselves what our rule demands of us at the time, and then regulate our conduct thereby with the view of pleasing God : “I do always the things that please Him.” Thus the keeping of a rule will enable us to live constantly for God : “He who lives by rule, lives unto God.” ## § III. Spiritual Readings and Conferences [1] 573\. Readings or conferences complete the spiritual direction of souls. A spiritual book is in reality a written direction. An exhortation is oral direction addressed to several. We shall explain : 1° their utility ; 2° the dispositions requisite to profit by them. I. The Utility of Spiritual Readings and Spiritual Conferences 574\. A) The Reading of Holy Scripture, especially of the New Testament, evidently holds the first place.[2] a) Truly pious souls take their delight in the Gospels. 1) Therein they find Our Lord’s teachings and examples. Nothing schools them better to a solid piety; nothing draws them more powerfully to the imitation of the Divine Model. Should we ever have understood the meaning of humility, of meekness, of the bearing of injuries, of virginal chastity, of fraternal charity unto the immolation of self, had we not read and pondered the example as well as the instructions of the Master concerning these virtues? True, pagan philosophers, especially the Stoics, had written beautiful pages upon some of these; yet how great is the contrast between their literary disquisitions and the persuasive call of the Master? Theirs, we feel, is the art of the rhetorician, and often the pride of the moralist, exalting himself above the masses : “I loathe and shun the common herd.” In Our Lord we behold perfect simplicity as He shrinks not from the lowly multitude, a perfect sincerity as He practices what He preaches and seeks not His personal glory, but the glory of Him that sent Him. 2\) For devout souls, moreover, each utterance, each act of the Master holds a special grace that facilitates the practice of the virtues they set before us. In reading the Gospels, such souls worship the Divine Word; and they beg Him to enlighten them to make them understand, relish, and live His teachings. This sort of reading is a meditation, a loving conversation with Jesus, and souls emerge from it determined more than ever to follow Him Who is the object of their admiration and their love. b) The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles likewise supply food for our piety. They are the teachings of Jesus lived by His disciples, explained, commented upon, and adapted to the needs of the faithful by those to whose care He entrusted the perpetuation of His work. There is nothing more tender or more stimulating than this first commentary on the Gospel. 575\. c) In The Old Testament: 1) There are parts that should be in the hands of every one. Such are the Psalms. “The Psalter,” says Lacordaire,[1] “was our forefathers’manual of piety; it was found on the table of the poor and it lay on the kneeling-bench of kings. Today, it is still in the hands of the priest a treasure whence he draws the inspiration that leads him to the altar, the Ark of Refuge wherewith he ventures into the perils of the world and into the desert land of meditation.” It is the most excellent of Prayer-books wherein we find in a language that always lives and never grows old, the most beautiful expressions of admiration, adoration, filial reverence, gratitude and love, together with the most ardent supplications, midst situations the most varied and trying : the appeals of the just to God when harassed by persecution, the bitter cry of the repentant sinner from a broken and humbled heart; the note of hope for a merciful pardon and the promises of a better life. To read and reread them, to ponder them and to make their sentiments our own is surely a highly sanctifying occupation.[2] 2\) The Sapiential Books may likewise be read with profit by pious souls. They will find therein besides the urgent calls of Uncreated Wisdom to a worthier life the exposition of the great virtues we are to practice in our relations to God, the neighbor, and ourselves. 3\) As for the Historical and Prophetical Books, to read them to advantage a certain preparation is required. We must see in them above ail God’s providential action over the chosen people in order to keep them from falling into idolatry and to recall them again and again, despite their estrangement, to the worship of the true God, to the hope of a Deliverer, to the practice of justice, of equity, of charity, especially towards the poor and the oppressed. Having been thus initiated, we find in these books most inspiring pages. If the weaknesses of the servants of God are therein recorded together with their good works, it is to remind us of the frailty of human nature and of God’s wonderful mercy, so full of forgiveness to penitent sinners. 576\. B) Spiritual writers, if we choose the best, especially from among the Saints, are for us masters and mentors. a) They are masters, who having learned and lived the science of the Saints, can impart to us an understanding of and a taste for the principles and the rules of perfection. They strengthen in us the conviction of our obligation to aim at sanctity; they point out to us the means to be employed, showing the effectiveness of these in their own lives; they exhort, encourage, and induce us to follow in their footsteps. They are all the more helpful, since they are ever available. With the help of our spiritual director we can choose those best suited to our state of soul and hold converse with them as long as we will. We find excellent ones among them, adapted to the different states of soul and answering the needs of the moment. Our chief concern is to make a good choice and to read them with the earnest desire of profiting by them. 577\. b) They are likewise most benevolent mentors who reveal to us our defects with great discretion and kindness. They do this by placing before us the ideal we are to follow, enabling us by the light of this spiritual mirror to recognize our good qualities and our defects, the stages we have reached and those we have yet to traverse in the pursuit of perfection. Thus we are easily led to self-examination and to generous resolutions. No wonder, then, that the reading of spiritual books and of the lives of the Saints has brought about conversions such as those of Augustine and Ignatius Loyola, and led to the highest degrees of perfection souls that would have otherwise never risen above mediocrity. 578\. C) Spiritual Conferences have a double advantage over the reading of spiritual books, a) Designed as they are for a special class of persons, they are better adapted to their peculiar needs, b) The appeal of the spoken word is stronger and, all things being equal, its power is greater than that of the writter word, better calculated to carry conviction to souls : the eye, the living voice, the gesture, bring out the import of the thought expressed. But that this be so, the speaker has to drink at the purest sources, be deeply convinced of what he says and beg God Almighty to bless and vivify his words. His hearers, likewise, must be possessed of the right dispositions. II\. Requisite Dispositions in order to Profit by Spiritual Readings and Conferences[1] 579\. The real purpose of spiritual reading is to sustain in us the spirit of prayer. It is one of the forms of meditation, one of the ways of holding converse with God, with the writer or the speaker as interpreter. 580\. 1° To draw real profit from these readings and conferences a great spirit of faith is required, making us see God Himself in the writer or speaker : “God as it were exhorting by us.”[2] This will be easy if the author or preacher is himself imbued with the teachings of the Gospel and can say in all truth that his doctrine is not his own, but that of Jesus Christ : “ My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.” [1] Let the pious reader or the devout hearer offer up to God a fervent prayer asking Our Lord to vouchsafe to speak to his heart through the Holy Ghost. Let him, moreover, be on his guard against curiosity, which seeks to learn novelties rather than to profit spiritually. He must beware of vanity, which prompts one to seek acquaintance with things spiritual in order to be able to speak about them and thus gain a reputation. He must beware of censoriousness, which prompts one to listen or read, not in order to gain profit, but to criticise the matter or the literary form of the discourses. His sole purpose must be his spiritual gain. 581\. 2° A second requisite is a sincere desire to sanctify oneself. The fact is that we derive advantage from such readings and conferences in the measure in which we seek therein our own sanctification. Hence we must : a) hunger and thirst for perfection, listening or reading with an alert mind that yearns after the word of God; a mind that applies to itself, not to others, what it reads or hears, the better to assimilate it and carry it out in practice. We then find abundant food for the soul whatever may be the subject treated, for all things hold together in the spiritual life. What applies directly to beginners can be easily adapted to the more advanced; what is said for the latter constitutes the ideal of the former, and what has a bearing on the future enables us to form resolutions in the present, thus preparing ourselves for the duties that will fall to us later on. Thus victory over future temptations is prepared by the vigilance we exercise here and now. We can always draw profit in the present from whatever we hear or read, especially, if we hearken to the inward voice that speaks to our inmost soul, if we have ears to hear : “I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me.” [2] 582\. b) This is the reason why we should read slowly, as St. John Eudes advises :[3] “Stop to consider, ponder, and relish the truths that make the greater appeal to you, in order to fix them in your mind, therefrom to elicit acts and affections.” When this is realized, spiritual reading and conferences become a prayer; little by little the thoughts and sentiments we either read or hear penetrate the soul, and we form the desire and pray for the grace of putting them into practice. 583\. 3° A third requirement is the earnest effort to begin to practice what is read or heard. This was St. Paul’s recommendation to his readers : “Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”[1] St. Paul but comments here on the words of the Master Who in the parable of the Sower declares that they profit by the word of God “who in a good and perfect heart hearing the word, keep it and bring forth fruit in patience.” [2] We should, then, imitate St. Ephrem, of whom it is said : “He reproduced in his life what he had read in the sacred pages.”[3] Light is given to us for action, and our first act should be an effort to live according to the instruction received : “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.”[4] ## § IV. The Sanctification of Our Social Relations 584\. Thus far we have spoken of the soul’s relations with God, under the guidance of a spiritual director. It is clear, however, that our relations extend to many other persons as well, to our relatives, to our friends, and to those with whom we come in contact by reason of our position in life and of the share we take in works of zeal. All these relations can and should be sanctified and thus contribute to strengthen our spiritual life. In order to facilitate the sanctification of these relations, we shall explain the general principles that should govern them and we shall point out some of the principal applications. I. General Principles 585\. 1° In God’s initial plan, creatures were designed to raise us up to God by reminding us that He is the Author and the Exemplary Cause of all things. Since the Fall, however, creatures so attract us that if we are not on our guard they will turn us away from God, or at least retard our progress towards Him. We must then react against this tendency, and by the spirit of faith and of sacrifice make use of persons and things as means to reach God. 586\. 2° Among the relations we have with others, there are those that are willed by God, such as those born of family-ties or imposed by our duties of state. These relations must be maintained and supernaturalized. One is not relieved from duties imposed by the natural law because one aspires to perfection; on the contrary, one is thereby obliged to fulfil them in a more perfect manner. These relations must, however, be supernaturalized by being directed toward our last end, God. The best way to accomplish this is to look upon those with whom we come in contact as the children of God, our brethren in Christ, respecting and loving them because they possess qualities which are the reflection of the divine perfections, and because they are destined to share in God’s life and in His glory. In this way, it is God Whom we esteem and love in them. 587\. 3° There are, on the other hand, relations which are dangerous or bad, which tend to lead us into sin either by stirring up within us the spirit of the world or by creating in us an inordinate attachment to creatures by reason of the sensible or sensuous pleasure we find in their company. It is our duty to flee from such occasions as far as we can, and, if it be impossible to avoid them, it is incumbent upon us to remove them morally (to make the danger remote) by fortifying our will against the disordered attachment to such persons. To act otherwise is to hazard our sanctification and our salvation, for “he that loveth danger, shall perish in it.” [1] The greater our desire for perfection, the more must we flee from dangerous occasions, as we shall explain later when speaking of faith, charity, and the other virtues. 588\. 4° Lastly, there are relations which in themselves are neither good nor bad. They are merely indifferent. Such are visits, conversations, recreations. These may by reason of circumstance and motive be rendered useful or harmful. A soul striving after perfection will by purity of intention and by a spirit of moderation turn all such relations into good. First of all, we must seek those only which are truly conducive to the glory of God, the welfare of souls, or to the relaxation which health of body and mind requires. Then, in the enjoyment of these we must exercise prudence and reserve, and thus conform all our relations to the order willed by God. Hence, we must not indulge in long, idle conversations which constitute a loss of time and an occasion of fostering pride and lessening brotherly love, nor must we give ourselves to protracted and violent amusements that fatigue the body and depress the spirit.[1] In short, let us ever keep before us the standard laid down by St. Paul : “All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” [2] II\. Sanctification of Family-Relations 589\. Nature is not destroyed, but perfected by grace. Family ties are God-given. He has willed that men increase and multiply through the sanctioned and indissoluble union of man and woman and that this bond be further strengthened by their offspring. Hence, the most intimate and most tender relations between husband and wife, parent and child. These the sacramental grace of marriage helps to supernaturalize. 1° THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPTION OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE [3] 590\. By His presence at the marriage-feast of Cana, and by raising Christian wedlock to the dignity of a Sacrament, Our Lord taught husband and wife that their union can be sanctified, and He merited for them that grace. A) Before marriage, a truly Christian love, a tender and ardent love, pure and supernatural, has made their hearts one, and prepared them to bear bravely the heavy burdens of parenthood. The flesh and the devil will no doubt attempt to inject into this love a sensual element that might threaten virtue. However, the betrothed sustained by the reception of the Sacraments, learn to control such influences and to supernaturalize their mutual affection by realizing that every worthy sentiment comes from God and should be referred to Him. 591\. B) The sacramental grace of marriage, whilst uniting their hearts in an indissoluble bond, refines and purifies their love. They will ever keep in mind the words of St. Paul admonishing them that their union is the image of the mysterious union between Christ and His Church. “Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord : because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the Church. He is the savior of his body. Therefore as the Church is subject to Christ: so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church and delivered himself up for it: that He might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life : that He might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish. So also ought men to love their wives as their own bodies… Nevertheless let everyone of you in particular love his wife as himself : and let the wife fear her husband.”[1] Hence, there should be between husband and wife a mutual respect and a mutual love that reproduce as far as possible the love of Christ for the Church. The wife must render obedience to the husband in all things lawful. The husband is bound to cherish and protect the wife. These are the duties outlined by the Apostle for the Christian husband and wife. 592\. C) When God blesses them with children, they receive these as a sacred trust from His hand, loving them not merely as their own offspring, but as children of God, Christ’s members, heirs-to-be of eternal glory. They ever surround them with their devoted care and solicitude. They give them a Christian education, intent upon forming in them the very virtues of Christ. With this aim in view, they exercise the authority committed to them by God, with tact, thoughtfulness, strength and meekness. They do not lose sight of the fact that they are God’s representatives, and they avoid that weakness which would spoil their children, that selfishness which would delight in children as in so many playthings and fail to inure them to labor and virtue. With God’s help and the aid of carefully chosen teachers, they will help them to grow to the fulness of Christian manhood, thus exercising a sort of priesthood within the sacred precincts of the home. Thus, they will be counted worthy of the blessing of God Almighty and of the gratitude of their offspring. 2° DUTIES OF CHILDREN TOWARDS THEIR PARENTS 593\. A) The grace that hallows the relations of Christian parents perfects, likewise, and supernaturalizes the duties of respect, love and obedience which children must render to them. a) That grace makes us see in our parents the representatives of God and His authority. To them, under Him, we owe our life, its preservation, its guidance. Our respect for them, therefore, reaches veneration. We revere in them their participation in the Fatherhood of God, “of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named.”[1] In them we pay homage to His authority, to His perfections, to God Himself. b) Their attachment, their kindness, their solicitude are for us a reflection of the divine goodness, and our filial love in turn grows in intensity, rising to such perfect devotedness, that we are ready to sacrifice ourselves in their behalf and, if need be, lay down our lives to save them. Hence, we give them, to the full extent of our resources, all the temporal and spiritual assistance they need. c) Seeing in them the representatives of the divine authority, we do not hesitate to render them obedience in all things, following the example of Our Lord, Who during thirty years of His life on earth was subject to Mary and to Joseph. [2] This obedience knows no other bounds than those set by God Himself : we must obey God rather than men, and hence, in what regards our soul and particularly in what pertains to our vocation, we must rather follow the advice of our confessor, after acquainting him with home conditions. In this again we but follow Our Lord’s example, Who, to His Mother’s question of why He had remained in Jerusalem, made answer : “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”[3] Thus the rights and duties of each are safeguarded. 594\. B) By entering the ranks of the clergy we quit the world and, in a sense, the family. This, in order to form part of the great ecclesiastical family and to consecrate ourselves henceforward, and before all else, to the glory of God, the good of souls and the welfare of the Church. The interior sentiments of respect and love for our parents are not suppressed; rather they are refined. Their outward expression, however, from now on is subordinated to our duties of state. We must not, in order to please our parents, do anything that would interfere with our ministry. Our first duty is to busy ourselves with the things of God. Hence, if their views, their words, their demands go counter to the claims of our service to souls, we shall sweetly and lovingly, yet firmly, make them understand that in what relates to our duties of state we are dependent on God and our ecclesiastical superiors.[1] We shall continue, however, to honor, to love, and to aid our parents to the full extent compatible with the duties of our office. These principles apply all the more to those who enter a religious order or congregation. [2] III\. Sanctification of Friendship Friendship can become a means of sanctification or a serious obstacle to perfection accordingly as it is supernatural or merely natural and sentimental in character. We shall treat, then : 1° of true friendship, 2° of false friendship, 3° of that friendship wherein there is an admixture of the supernal and the sentimental. 1° TRUE FRIENDSHIP[3] We shall explain its nature and its value. 595\. A) Its Nature. a) Friendship being an interchange, a mutual communication between two persons, it receives its character chiefly from the variety of the communications themselves and from the diversity of the things communicated. This is very well explained by St. Francis de Sales : [4] “The more exquisite the virtues are, which shall be the matter of your communications, the more perfect shall your friendship also be. If this communication be in the sciences, the friendship is very commendable; but still more so, if it be in the moral virtues : in prudence, discretion, fortitude and justice. But should your reciprocal communications relate to charity, devotion and Christian perfection, good God, how precious will this friendship be! It will be excellent, because it comes from God; excellent, because it tends to God ; excellent, because its very bond is God; excellent, because it shall last eternally in God. Oh how good it is to love on earth as they love in heaven; to learn to cherish each other in this world, as we shall do eternally in the next?” In general, then, true friendship is an intercourse between two souls with the purpose of procuring each other’s good. It stays within the limits of moral goodness if the good mutually shared belongs to the natural order. Supernatural friendship, however, stands on a far superior plane. It is the intimate intercourse of two souls, who love each other in God and for God with a view of aiding each other to attain the perfection of that divine life which they possess. The ultimate end of this friendship is God’s glory, the proximate end their own spiritual progress, and the bond of union between the two friends is Our Lord. This was the thought of the Blessed Ethelred : “We are two, you and I, and I trust a third One is with us, christ.” Lacordaire thus renders this thought : “I can no longer love any one without reaching the soul behind the heart and having Jesus Christ as our common possession.” [1] 596\. b) Thus, supernatural friendship instead of being passionate, all-absorbing, exclusive after the manner of sentimental friendship, is marked by calm reserve and mutual trust. It is a calm, self-possessed affection precisely because it is rooted in the love of God and shares in His virtue. For the same reason it is unwavering; it grows, unlike the love that is founded on passions and which tends to grow cool. With it goes a prudent reserve. Instead of seeking familiarities and endearments like sentimental friendship, it is full of respect and reserve, for it seeks nothing but spiritual good. This reserve does not exclude confidence. Because there is mutual esteem and because one sees in the other a reflection of the divine perfections, there arises a strong mutual trust. This leads to an intimate intercourse since each longs to share in the spiritual qualities of the other, thus establishing an exchange of thoughts, of views, and a communication of holy desires for perfection. Because such friends desire each other’s perfection they do not fear to point out their respective defects and to offer mutual help for their correction. This mutual confidence excludes all suspicion and uneasiness and does not allow the friendship to become all-absorbing or exclusive. One does not take it amiss that one’s friend should have other friends, but one is rather glad of it for his sake and the sake of others. 597\. B) The value of such friendship is evident. a) It has been praised by the Holy Ghost : “A faithful friend is a strong defence : and he that hath found him hath found a treasure… A faithful friend is the medicine of life and immortality.” [1] Our Lord Himself has given us an example in His friendship for St. John, who was known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”[2] St. Paul had friends to whom he was deeply attached ; he sorrowed at their absence; meeting them again was his sweetest consolation; and he was comfortless because, contrary to his expectation, he failed to find Titus : “Because I found not Titus my brother.”[3] He rejoiced upon finding him again : “God comforted us by the coming of Titus… we did the more abundantly rejoice for the joy of Titus.”[4] We see also the affection he had for Timothy, whose very presence did him so much good and helped him to do good unto others. Thus he called him his “fellow laborer,”[5] his “dearest son,” [6] his “brother,”[7] his “beloved son.” [8] Christian antiquity, likewise, furnishes us with illustrious examples, among which one of the best known is that of St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen. [9] 598\. b) True friendship has three important advantages, especially for the priest in the ministry. 1\) A friend is a protection for virtue, a strong defence We must needs open our hearts to an intimate confidant. At times our spiritual director answers the purpose, but not always;his friendship, paternal in nature, is not the fraternal intimacy we crave. We need an equal to whom we can speak with perfect freedom. If we do not find such a one, we are liable to be betrayed into indiscreet disclosures to persons unworthy of our trust, and such confidences have their dangers for those who make and for those who receive them. 2\) A friend is also a sympathetic counsellor to whom we willingly bring our doubts and offer our difficulties in order that he may help us to reach a solution. He is likewise a mentor, prudent and devoted, who observing our ways and aware of what is said of us, will tell us the truth and save us from many an act of imprudence. 3\) Lastly, a friend is a comforter who will listen with sympathy to the story of our sorrows, and who will find in his heart words of comfort and encouragement. 599\. The question has been asked whether or not such friendships should be encouraged in communities. It may be feared that they will be detrimental to the affection which should unite all the members and that they will be the cause of jealousies. Assuredly, care must be taken that such friendships do not interfere with the charity due to all, that they be supernatural and be kept within the limits set by Superiors. With these provisions, friendship retains in communities all the advantages described above, since religious as well as others need the counsel, comfort and protection that a friend alone can give. However, in communities more than elsewhere, all that savors of false friendship must be avoided with jealous care. 2° FALSE FRIENDSHIP We shall speak of its nature and dangers, and of the remedies to be applied. 600\. A) Its Nature. a) False friendship has for its foundation external or shallow qualities, and for its purpose the enjoyment of the sight and charms of its object. Hence, fundamentally it is but a sort of masked egotism, since one loves the other because of the pleasure he finds in his company. Undoubtedly, he is ready to be of service to him, but this again in view of the pleasure he experiences in drawing the other closer to himself. b) St. Francis de Sales distinguishes three types of false friendships : carnal friendship in which one seeks voluptuous pleasure; sentimental friendship, based mainly on the appeal outward qualities make to the emotions, “such as the pleasure to behold a beautiful person, to hear a sweet voice, to touch, and the like; ” [1] foolish friendship, which has no other foundation than those empty accomplishments styled by shallow minds virtues and perfections, such as graceful dancing, clever playing, delightful singing, fashionable dressing, smiling glances, a pleasing appearance, etc. 601\. c) These various kinds of friendship generally begin with adolescence and are born of the instinctive need we feel of loving and being loved. Often they are a kind of deviation of sexual love. In the world such friendships arise between young men and women and go by the name of “fond-love.” [2] In cloistered communities they exist between persons of the same sex and are styled particular friendships. Such affections are at times kept up in mature life; thus there are men who feel sentimental affection toward boys because of their youthful and attractive appearance, their frankness and openness of character, and the charm and winsomeness of their manner. 602\. d) The characteristics whereby sentimental friendships may be recognized are gathered from their origin, development, effects. 1\) Their origin is sudden and vehement because they proceed from a natural and instinctive sense of sympathy. They rest upon exterior and showy qualities. They are attended by strong and, at times, passionate feelings. 2\) Their development is fostered by conversations at times insignificant but affectionate, at others, fond and dangerous. In certain communities furtive glances take the place of familiar conversations. 3\) These friendships are impetuous, all-absorbing and exclusive; the illusion that such affection will last forever is often brusquely destroyed by separation and the forming of new attachments. 603\. B) The dangers of such friendships are apparent. a) They constitute one of the greatest obstacles to spiritual progress. God Who does not want a divided heart begins by making interior reproaches to the soul and, if it hearkens not to His voice, He gradually withdraws, leaving the soul without light and inward consolations. In proportion as the attachments grow, the spirit of recollection is lost, peace of soul vanishes, as well as relish for spiritual exercises and love of work. b) Hence a great loss of time : the absorbing thought of the friend hinders both mind and heart from devoting themselves to piety and to serious work. c) All this ends in dissatisfaction and discouragement; sentimentality gains control over the will, which loses its strength and languishes. d) It is at this point that dangers threatening purity arise. One would wish, indeed, not to trespass the bounds of propriety, yet fancying that friendship confers certain rights, one indulges in familiarities of a more and more questionable character. Now the descent is swift, and he who risks the danger will end by perishing in it. 604\. C) The remedies against such friendships are : a) To resist them in their beginnings. It is all the easier then, for the heart is not yet deeply attached. A few energetic efforts succeed, especially if one has the courage to mention the matter to one’s director and to accuse oneself of the least failings in that regard. If one waits too long, the process of disentangling the heart will prove far more difficult.[1] b) To root out these affections successfully, radical measures must be taken : “You must cut them, break them, tear them; amuse not yourself in unravelling these criminal friendships ; you must tear and rend them asunder.” [2] So it is not enough to renounce intercourse with one to whom we are thus attached, but we must not even deliberately think of him; and should it be impossible to avoid all association with him, we shall on these occasions show courtesy and charity, but never indulge in any confidences or bestow any special marks of affection. c) The better to insure success, positive means must be used. Let one’s activities be wholly devoted to the fulfilment of the duties of state, and when, in spite of all, the object of such affections presents itself unsought to the mind, this should be made the occasion of eliciting acts of love toward God: “One is my beloved, One is my troth forever” We thereby profit by temptation itself to increase within us the love of Him Who alone is worthy to possess our hearts. 3° FRIENDSHIP AT ONCE SUPERNATURAL AND SENTIMENTAL 605\. At times it happens that there is in our friendships a mixture of the sentimental with the morally good and the supernatural. One truly desires the supernatural good of a friend and at the same time craves the joy of his company and his words, sorrowing overmuch at his absence. This is well described by St. Francis de Sales : “They begin with virtuous love, with which, if not attended to with the utmost discretion, fond lovew ill begin to mingle itself, then sensual love, and afterwards carnal love; yea, there is even danger in spiritual love, if we are not extremely on our guard; though in this it is more difficult to be imposed upon because its purity and whiteness makes the spots and stains which Satan seeks to mingle with it more apparent and therefore when he takes this in hand he does it more subtilely, and endeavors to introduce impurities by almost insensible degrees.” [3] 606\. Here again we must watch over the heart and take effective means so as not to be carried as it were insensibly down this dangerous grade. a) If it is the good element that predominates, one may continue such a friendship whilst purifying it. For this, one must first of all forego what would foster sentiment, like frequent and affectionate conversations, familiarity, etc. From time to time one must deny oneself meetings otherwise in order, and be willing to shorten conversations that cease to be useful. In this way one gains control of sentiment and wards off danger. b) If the element of sentiment predominates, one must for a considerable period of time renounce any special relations with the said friend beyond the strictly necessary, and when one must meet him one should abstain from speaking in terms of affection. Sentiment is thus allowed to cool; one waits for a renewal of relations until calm is restored to the soul. The renewed association then takes on a different character. Should it be otherwise, it must be severed forever. c) In any case the results of our examination must be put to profit so that they may redound to a further strengthening of our love for Jesus Christ. We must protest that we want to love only in Him and for Him, and we should read frequently chapters VII and VIII of the second book of the Following of Christ. It is thus that temptations will become for us a source of victory. IV\. Sanctification of Social and Business Relations[1] 607\. Professional relations are a means of sanctification or an obstacle to our spiritual progress, according to the view we take of our duties of state and the manner in which we discharge them. In reality the duties imposed by our calling are in themselves in harmony with the will of God. If we fulfil them with the intention of obeying God and of regulating our life according to the laws of prudence, justice and charity, they are an aid to our sanctification.[2] If, on the contrary, we have no other end in view than to secure position and wealth by the discharge of our professional duties in defiance of the laws of conscience, such relations become a source of sin and scandal. A) A first duty then is to accept the profession to which God’s Providence has led us as the expression of His will and to abide therein as long as we have no reasons justifying a change. It is part of the divine economy that there should be a diversity of arts, trades, and professions, and when we have found a place in any of them through a series of providential happenings, we may rightly believe that we are where God wills us to be. We make an exception when for prudent and lawful reasons we are convinced that it is our duty to effect a change, for whatever is in harmony with right reason lies within God’s providential scheme. Therefore, whether we be employers or employees, industrialists or merchants, whether farmers or financiers, our duty is to carry on our activities so as to do the will of God, and conduct them according to the rules of justice, equity and charity. After this, nothing prevents us from sanctifying our actions by directing them to the ultimate end, a fact which does by no means exclude the secondary end we have in view, namely that of earning enough to provide for ourselves and those dependent upon us. As a matter of fact, Saints have sprung from each and every situation in life. 608\. B) Our numberless activities and relations tend of themselves to fill our mind and thus to turn our thoughts from God. Hence, oft-renewed efforts are required on our part to offer to Him and so supernaturalize our ordinary actions. This we have noted above, n. 248. 609\. C) Besides, since we move in a rather dishonest world, where regardless of the laws of justice man greedily vies with man for honor and for gain, it is important that we remind ourselves of the fact that we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and use for the attainment of our purposes only legitimate means. The best standard for judging what is permissible and what is not, is to observe the behavior of honorable Christian men of the same profession. There are accepted ethics in every profession. We cannot change them without incurring and causing others to suffer considerable damage. Standards generally followed by good Christian men in the profession can be followed safely until by common agreement a change for the better can be effected without compromising lawful interests.[1] But we must never be led into imitating the practices and following the counsels of traders or producers who, devoid of conscience, mean to attain to wealth at any cost, even at the expense of justice. Their success does not justify us in employing similar, unlawful means. A Christian who would follow in their footsteps would be a stumbling block to others. We must seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all other things shall be added unto us.[1] 610\. D) Thus understood and thus fulfilled, professional duties will prove a great aid to our spiritual progress, since they take up most of our time and most of our activity each day. Our Lord has shown us by His example that the most homely occupations, such as manual labor, can contribute to our personal sanctification and the spriritual welfare of our brethren. Therefore, if a laborer or a business man observes the rules of prudence, of justice, of fortitude, of temperance, of equity and of charity, numberless opportunities are offered to him daily for the practice of all the Christian virtues, the acquisition of all manner of merit, as well as for the edification of the neighbor. This is what has happened in the past, what is done today by fathers and mothers in the home, by employers and employees, by young and old, who by honesty in their work and in their dealings, elicit respect for the religion they profess and use their influence in the exercise of zeal. V. Sanctification of Works of Zeal 611\. That works of zeal may be for us a means of sanctification is not difficult to understand. However, there are those who find therein a cause of distraction, of spiritual loss, even an occasion of sin and a source of reprobation. Let us recall the words of a social worker to Dom Chautard : “It is my overeagerness that has brought on my fall.”[2] There are persons who allow themselves to become so absorbed by an active life, that they no longer find time for their most essential spiritual exercises. Hence, a moral break-down giving the passions a new lease of life and paving the way for lamentable surrenders. In every case where the interior life is lacking, little personal merit is acquired, whilst outward activities secure but meager results since God’s grace cannot render fruitful a ministry from which prayer has all but disappeared, Outward works must needs be vivified by the spirit of prayer. 612\. A) The first thing to remember is that the means employed in the exercise of zeal differ in effectiveness and importance; there exists among them a hierarchy, the most effective being prayer and sacrifice. Example follows next in order, word and action holding the last place. The example of Our Lord is enough to convince us of this. His whole life was one of continual prayer and sacrifice. He began by practicing what He taught others, leading a hidden life for thirty years before He would give Himself to a public ministry of but three years’ duration. Let us bear in mind the course taken by the Apostles, who committed to deacons the discharge of sundry works of charity, that they might give themselves more freely to prayer and the preaching of the Gospel : “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word”[1] Let the words of St. Paul resound in our ears : “Neither he that planteth is anything, nor he that watereth : but God that giveth the increase.” [2] Prayer, then, will hold the first place in our life (n. 470). We shall make no surrender of the essential exercises of piety such as meditation, thanksgiving after Mass, the devout recitation of the Divine Office, examination of conscience, the explicit offering of our actions to God, fully persuaded that we thereby render greater service to souls than if we gave ourselves entirely to works of zeal. A shepherd of souls will be, as S. Bernard says, a reservoir not a mere conduit. The latter merely passes on what it receives, the former, being first filled, gives constantly of its overflow : “ If thou hast wisdom, thou shalt prove a fountain-spring and not a channel.”[3] 613\. B) To aim at creating a chosen group of devout souls without, however, neglecting the multitudes, will likewise help us to keep before our minds the absolute need of an interior life. We feel that we cannot succeed in this unless we are interior men. The study we make of the spiritual life, the advice we give to others, the virtuous practices we try to inculcate, will perforce lead us to a life of prayer and of sacrifice. But to attain our end, we must be generous enough to live by the advice we give to others. Then we need not fear laxity and lukewarmness. In fact, not a few priests have been brought to live an interior life, through their interest in leading chosen souls to strive after perfection. 614\. C) In the doctrinal or moral instructions we give our dock, we must follow a definite plan enabling us to present the whole field of Christian truth and Christian virtue. The preparation of such instructions will nourish our piety, for what we preach to others that we shall aspire to practice. 615\. D) Lastly, in the ordinary course of our parochial ministry, on the occasion of baptisms, marriages, funerals, sick-calls, visits of condolence and even social calls, we must ever remember that we are priests and apostles, that is to say, servants of souls. Therefore, after a few expressions of good will, we should not hesitate to raise minds and hearts towards God. Priestly conversation must always suggest the higher, the nobler things of life. These are the various means whereby our interior life is preserved and strengthened. Our ministry vivified by grace yields fruit a hundred-fold : “He that abideth in me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit.”[1] Thus, all our relations with our neighbor can and must be supernaturalized. All become then the occasion of further growth in virtue and of a development within us of that divine life of which we have received abundantly. GENERAL SUMMARY 616\. We have reached the end of the first part of our work, namely, The Principles of the Supernal Life. All we have said flows logically from the truths of our faith; all can be reduced to unity : God is our end, Jesus-Christ is our Mediator and the Christian life is the gift of God to the soul and the gift of the soul to God. 1° It is God’s Gift to the Soul. From all eternity the Most Holy Trinity has loved us and predestined us to that supernatural life which is a participation in the life of God. This Adorable Trinity living in our souls is both the efficient and the exemplary cause of that life, whilst the supernatural organism that enables us to elicit Godlike acts, is the work of the same Triune God. The Incarnate Word, however, is the meritorious cause as well as the most perfect model of our supernatural life. Conformed to our weakness, He is man like unto us, without ceasing to be God. He is our friend, our brother, nay more, the Head of a mystic body whose members we are. Because Mary, associated as she is in the work of our Redemption, cannot be separated from her Son, she stands as the first stepping stone to Jesus, just as Jesus is the necessary Mediator with the Father. The Saints and Angels who form part of God’s vast family aid us by their prayers and their example. 617\. 2° In order to correspond to God’s loving kindness, we give ourselves entirely to Him, fostering that life so freely bestowed. We develop it by struggling against the concupiscence that remains in us; by eliciting supernatural acts which besides meriting an increase of divine life cause us to acquire good habits, that is, virtues; and by receiving the Sacraments, which add to our merits a sanctifying power that comes from God Himself. The very essence of perfection is the love of God unto the immolation of self. To fight and annihilate within us the old Adam, that the new Adam, Jesus Christ, may live in us, is the task before us. In pursuing this work, that is, in making use of the means of perfection, we tend constantly toward God through Jesus Christ. The desire for perfection is, fundamentally, but the generous answer of the soul to God’s tender love. Such a desire brings us to the knowledge and the love of Him Who is all love, “God is love”; to a knowledge of self, that we may all the more forcibly feel the need we have of God and may entrust ourselves into His merciful arms. This love is shown by a conformity, to the full extent of our powers, to the will of God as manifested by His laws and His counsels, as made known by the events of life, propitious or adverse, all of which help us to love God the more. This love is, likewise, shown by prayer which becoming habitual constantly elevates the soul toward God. Even the exterior means lead us to God, for spiritual direction, a rule of life and spiritual reading are calculated to bring us into compliance with His will, whilst the relations by which we are brought into contact with others in whom we see a reflection of the divine perfections bring us to Him Who is the Source and Centre of all things. Since in the employment of all these means we constantly have before our eyes Jesus, our Model, our Co-worker, our Life, we are transformed into Him, into true Christians, for a true Christian is another Christ. Thus is gradually realized the ideal of perfection outlined by Father Olier for his disciples at the beginning of the “Pietas Seminarii” : “To live wholly unto God in Christ Jesus Our Lord, in such wise, that the Spirit of His Son may enter into our inmost soul,” and that we, like St. Paul, may have a right to say : “I live, now not I : but Christ liveth in me.” END OF THE FIRST PART [[at-sl-fn-11|Fn: Ch. V cont.]] --- ![[maps/bibliography#^biblio-tan]] > [[at-sl-10|← Ch. V]] | [[at-spiritual-life-toc|TOC]] | [[at-sl-12|Part Second →]]