Spiritual Catechism of Christian Perfection, by Father Jean-Joseph Surin FIRST PART
(VOLUME 2)
CHAPTER ONE
Of the Spiritual Man
Who is the spiritual man?
It is he who does not follow the maxims of nature, nor the inclinations of the senses; but who leads himself by reason, and walks according to the spirit.
What are the maxims of nature?
There are several of them ; here are some of them: loving your comforts; not wanting to suffer anything from others; seek his interests in everything; always take the best, when it is possible to choose. Most men who conform their lives to these maxims take on false ideas, which prevent them from being interior, and which turn them away from virtue. Their errors usually revolve around three points. They falsely convince themselves, 1° That affronts are of great consequence, and that none should be concealed. 2° That we must provide ourselves with support and resources, and provide ourselves with everything necessary to lead a good life.
The spiritual man has very different ideas and views. Resolved to thwart nature in everything, and never to let it rest, he counts insults as nothing, and believes that they only harm those who take the trouble: he has little regard for his health ; he willingly exposes it for the service of God, abandoning himself to the care of Providence, as one who has made himself a slave of Jesus Christ and of the souls he has redeemed must do. He counts neither on human wisdom, nor on the friendship of creatures, nor on riches, nor on anything that can contribute to the sweetness of life; but trusting in God alone, he tries to free himself from all care, from all attachment, from all worry, to establish himself in a disposition quite contrary to that of this rich man who said to himself: You have goods in abundance for several years .
Honor, health, the sweetness of life, these are what occupy the children of the century, what they eagerly seek, what they fear losing; while the children of light, who are the truly spiritual, do not deign to pay attention to it.
It is by despising these advantages that they elevate themselves above nature, that they trample it, so to speak, underfoot; in order to resemble Jesus Christ, whose examples and maxims draw man out of his baseness, to make him live a supernatural life in God.
We do not, however, pretend to blame a moderate self for preserving one's reputation and health, and for providing for the needs of life: what we condemn is the affection and eagerness for one's natural goods: because this affection and this eagerness soon degenerates into passion as we see in worldly people, who are almost always either transported by ambition, or dejected by distrust, and who cannot rise to supernatural objects, because their faith is too weak. .
A disciple of Jesus Christ must therefore have courage superior to all that nature inspires, and he must be determined to do the complete opposite of what most men do, to seek that which will inspire him. inconvenient; to suffer without complaint, everything that comes to him as shocking from others: to despise his particular interests and when he is allowed to choose between several things, to always take the one most contrary to the inclinations of sense.
What are these inclinations of the senses, which the spiritual man must not follow?
We know them by the effects they produce in those who are dominated by them. The first is too much care of their body, and continual attention to everything relating to eating, sleeping, clothing and dwelling. They think about it constantly; they talk about it willingly; They pride themselves on knowing what is best and most delicate of this kind, and call those blessed who are equipped with it. The second is an extreme horror of suffering; they keep themselves on guard against the slightest ailments, and against the slightest pains; they do not want to hear about penance; and they cannot understand how one can be an enemy of oneself to the point of mortifying one's flesh. The third is a particular care of the things which are for their use, and an excessive attachment to everything which serves for the maintenance and the pleasure of their body: everything must be appropriate, and everything must be of a certain taste. It is not always out of sensuality that they use it in this way; it is very often a lack of trust in God, and an excessive fear of falling ill. They have infinite attention to their health, which goes as far as superstition; the change of the seasons, the slightest wind that blows, the slightest alteration that they see in the air, or in their body, alarms them.
The spiritual man does not stoop so low as to make these reflections: whether his body is at ease, or whether he suffers, he does not deign to pay attention to it; he takes everything presented to him indifferently; if he has any inclination, it is to mistreat his body, which he regards as an enemy worthy of all his hatred; and he never forgets what Saint Paul says:May the prudence of the flesh bring death. From there comes his love for penitence, and the care he takes to subdue his flesh, not only by refusing it everything that could flatter it, but also by afflicting it with fasts, by vigils and by all the holy austerities where grace carries, and which the Disciples of Jesus Christ embrace willingly, because they cannot live without participating in the Cross and the sorrows of their divine Master.
As far as their health is concerned, they would rather expose themselves to some inconveniences than take, to avoid them, the annoying precautions that sensual people take. And they use it in this way, because having made the sacrifice of themselves, their body and their life to God, they are very happy to abandon the care of it to Him, because their love for the cross makes that they do not fear the sorrows and inconveniences of life; and finally because the disposition of their minds, always elevated to supernatural objects, and their love for Jesus Christ, do not allow them to subject themselves to such low care, beyond what necessity and right reason require. .
What is it to lead by reason, and to walk according to the spirit?
It is to base oneself on principles far superior to those which make carnal men act. These are concerned only with the present, they only think of establishing themselves on earth, and they give all their care and all their affections to perishable goods. They make much of natural advantages, of birth, of talent in speech, of knowledge, of dexterity in business, and they look with admiration at those in whom these advantages are found. They defer greatly to the speeches and judgments of men; and as they seek to please them, they usually allow themselves to be dominated by cowardly complacency.
The conduct of those who walk in the spirit is very different. First, they despise everything that is subject to time; they never lose sight of eternity; they give all their care and all their thoughts to the matter of salvation, and count all others for nothing. And as they consider, not the visible things, but the invisible ; as they are full of the future, and as they base their pretensions, their designs, and all their conduct on faith; they are rightly given the title of spiritual men. Secondly, they only have esteem and love for true goods, which are of the supernatural order: the greatest advantages of the age, and the most beautiful natural qualities, separated from virtue, appear to them like mud. It is by thus giving things the rank they should have that they subdue the pride of nature, and prepare themselves for a purely spiritual life. They only see God who deserves their esteem; the idea they have of it absorbs all the others: they cannot speak with praise of what is natural, unless it contributes to the service of the one who is alone all things to them. A third duty of the spiritual man is to consider in all things only the interest and will of God, to relate everything to this end, without ever allowing himself to be led by other motives. This is how he places himself among the worshipers whom the Father seeks , that is to say, who adore him in spirit and in truth .
What is it to worship God in spirit and in truth?
It is to rise by faith above created objects, which are only illusion and lies: it is to serve God for the love of himself, and not for the sensitive tastes that we find in his service: it is to seek his greater glory, with a right and sincere intention, and with an ardent desire to see his will accomplished in all things. When a man has come to this, he is truly spiritual, and as perfect as one can be in this life.
CHAPTER 2
Obstacles to perfection
What are the obstacles to Christian perfection?
There are a large number of them: we will only talk about the three main ones here. The first comes from the particular designs that each person forms according to his inclinations, and with which he is so preoccupied, that he has neither enough freedom of mind nor enough inner strength to devote himself to the study of virtue. . One wants to amass wealth, the other wants to become skilled in the sciences: there is almost no man who does not have some design, after which he runs with ardor, and to the point of exhausting all resources. strength of his soul, so that there no longer remains any vigor for the service of God, who alone requires all our application and all our strength.
The only way to overcome these obstacles is to claim nothing in this world, to renounce any other enterprise, and any other view than that of perfection, and to put oneself, through this general stripping, in a state of not thinking only to God and to oneself. To come to this, it is not always necessary to quit one's jobs, to abandon one's business, to renounce one's study, the care of one's family, and the other occupations with which one is responsible; it is enough to regard them as duties that God imposes on us, not to place our affection on them, and to apply ourselves to them only out of a motive of love for God, who demands this application as a proof of our fidelity, and as a service that is pleasant to him. In this way, external affairs will not be an obstacle to our perfection: because what is external to man can only harm him through his fault when he becomes attached to it, or when he takes care of it. too much.
What is the second obstacle?
It is laziness that holds man back and prevents him from steeling himself against difficulties. And as the study of perfection is one of those difficult undertakings which require a great deal of courage and vigilance, which must be striven for and conquered, so to speak, at every step; there is no greater obstacle to the continual efforts that we must make than this natural inclination which makes us seek rest. It makes us cowardly and heavy when it comes to practicing good: and as it is born with us, and is strengthened by habit, it takes a lot of activity and diligence to overcome it, by putting into exercise the faculties of the soul, which this laziness holds in inaction.
The surest way to overcome this is to prescribe certain particular practices, especially in matters of devotion, mortification and charity towards one's neighbor. Because these are the three important points which decide the perfection of the Christian. He who devotes himself to virtue, must from the beginning devote a certain time to prayer, to examination of conscience, to visiting the Blessed Sacrament, and the places where the Blessed Virgin is particularly honored. He must add to these exercises of piety some practices of penance and some alms, and carry out what he has prescribed, with inviolable fidelity. As what maintains laziness is the freedom we give ourselves to push aside what gets in the way, to act only when the mood strikes us, and to do everything at random; the way to overcome it is to set and constrain oneself, by observing certain duties. Children accustomed to doing whatever they want, have difficulty at first subjugating themselves; but they subsequently experience that this subjugation is useful to them, and that all their profit depends on it. It is the same with those who undertake the work of perfection; it is necessary that despite the natural resistance of this fund of laziness, which the corruption of nature has left in them, they must force themselves to live according to certain rules, to overcome this libertine inclination which leads them to follow their fantasy, and not to subject oneself to nothing.
In addition to particular practices, for a few months it is also necessary to pay particular attention to watching over oneself, and to steeling oneself against the inclination to laziness; warning and correcting oneself at all times and in all places, as one does with children, when one wants to make them adopt some good habit. This exercise is difficult at the beginning; but later we get used to it, and it becomes the source of solid contentment.
What is the third obstacle?
It is the vice that dominates in each of us: because there is always someone who gains the upper hand. In some it is pride, in others it is anger, curiosity, the itch to speak, etc. He who aspires to perfection, after having recognized this vice, must apply himself to combat it with all his strength, as his greatest enemy, and the greatest obstacle which opposes his spiritual advancement: and he will soon see by his experience, that this vice once conquered, we easily overcome the others.
Besides these main obstacles, there is a fourth, which is also very considerable: it is a false prudence, which makes us believe that we must not forget anything to preserve our reputation, to win the esteem and friendship of everyone. Deceived by this illusion, we go to great lengths to put ourselves in the minds of others, we have excessive consideration, respect and complacency for them: we study to behave with so much skill that we don't displease anyone. If it were from a motive of charity, and to edify our neighbor, that we took care of ourselves in this way, it would not be a vice; but when we do it out of self-love, it is an obstacle all the greater, as it is directly opposed to trust in God, and to the abandonment that we must make of our interests, and of ourselves. even in his hands. This is why Saint Ignatius in his Constitutions recommends to his children, as an excellent degree of perfection, to have a true and perfect contempt for what worldly people esteem and love the most, which is reputation, until to desire with all their hearts to be dishonored; to the point of taking pleasure in being reputed to be crazy, without however giving occasion for it.
The view of this great man, in giving such a lesson to his children, was to raise one of the greatest obstacles to their perfection, I mean, that carnal and deceptive wisdom, which justifies in men the disordered love which 'they have for their reputation, and the incredible care they take to preserve it. And as he understood very well that the obstacle is difficult to overcome, he elevates the spirit of those he instructs, and strengthens their courage, by proposing to them the love of contempt, as the most excellent point and the highest degree of perfection in the spiritual life. We see in fact that these false wise men who so cherish their reputation are timid and wavering in their projects, and that they stop for nothing on the path of virtue; while generous men, who trample upon their own honor, walk confidently, have nothing to hinder them, find nothing difficult, and make surprising progress, such as should be expected of a man who chooses for his share in the madness of the cross, and who does not fear to appear under the livery of his divine Master.
CHAPTER 3
Particular obstacles
that secular people find to their perfection
What are these obstacles?
Besides those of which we have just spoken, there are three others, which concern in particular the people of the world. The first is the multitude of occupations, the care of a family, the various events and accidents which share their lives; the trials and affairs in which their vanity, their avarice and their ambition engage them, their jobs, their offices, their offices, entirely fill their minds, exhaust all the attention of their soul, and render them incapable of the exercises of piety, which demand a free spirit. This is why women, who are usually less busy, are more suited to devotion than men, who are responsible for the management of affairs.
It is therefore necessary for a man of the century, who wants to strive for Christian perfection, to first find time to think about himself, and to escape from the crowd of his occupations, to go on a retreat for a few days. There, by dint of employing himself in spiritual exercises, he will form a holy habit of returning to himself, and will take just measures to align, upon leaving his retirement, his occupations with the service of God.
This is not yet enough: it is necessary that in a life plan, drawn up at leisure, he regulates the order of his actions, and above all he must reserve certain days of the year and certain hours of each day, for dedicate to God in holy rest. These precautions are absolutely necessary for people of the world who want to serve God and practice perfection.
What is the second obstacle?
It is the attachment to people who touch us closely. The characteristic of this attachment is to captivate the heart to the point of putting it incapable of being interested in the matter of salvation and perfection. It is not only carnal and vicious men who are stopped by this obstacle; those who practice virtue, and who desire perfection, also experience that he is great. It is true that they do not bear attachment to the point of offense against God; but they give too much to natural affection, and the satisfactions they obtain are so many bonds which hinder their freedom.
It is a matter of freeing one's heart from this natural affection, by reducing it to the right limits. For this, we must always keep before our eyes these words of Saint Paul: let those who have wives be as if they had none; those who use the things of this world, as if they used them not. We must endeavor to recognize the excesses in which this affection leads us to give, and put ourselves to the test, by depriving ourselves of the satisfactions we were accustomed to taking. The people to whom we can become attached are not all equally dear: we would have to force ourselves to show less friendship to those we love very much, and to show more friendship to those we do not love so much. A woman who loves her husband cannot bear his absence: she is always impatient to hear from him; and if they do not come at the right time as she wishes, she becomes distressed, she is desolate, she reflects a thousand times on the misfortunes that may have happened to her. Would she not do better to remove from her mind all these thoughts, which only serve to worry her, to make to God the sacrifice of her desire and her impatience, and to entrust herself to the Providence of all that? what can happen to her husband? By this means she would accustom her heart to free itself from human affections, and dispose it to a holy freedom.
What is the third obstacle?
It is too great a freedom, which people of the world abuse to do whatever they want, and to do as they please. As they have nothing to constrain them, they come and go, they get up, they go to bed, they take their rest when they please, and keep no order in their actions. This disadvantage is very great; because to practice virtue, especially in the beginning, we need an order and a rule to which we submit: and this is the great advantage of people who live in community, where everything is regulated by obedience.
How can this drawback be remedied?
The people of the world, whom God calls to a perfect life, as soon as they have formed the plan, must submit to the guidance of a wise Director, and regulate on his advice the time for rising, praying and their other occupations. They have only this means of getting out of the confusion and disturbance into which the misuse they make of their freedom throws them. The rule is established to overcome the negligence natural to man, and to tame his own will, which likes to follow its caprice: and the difference that there is between virtuous people and those who are not, is is that the first who do not need an external order, because they know how to constrain themselves, willingly submit to it; and the others who need it because they do not know how to be self-conscious, cannot tolerate the rule, whether it is imposed on them by a foreign will, or whether they have chosen it themselves.
CHAPTER 4
On the blindness of the soul
What is the blindness of the soul?
It is a state of obscurity, which prevents him from seeing many things important for his salvation and for his perfection.
What effects does this blindness produce in spiritual people?
It produces three, each of which is a particular kind of blindness. The first is not to notice the harm they do. The second, to ignore the good that they could do, and which is necessary for them. The third, not knowing the depths of their soul.
What is the first kind of blindness?
It supposes, like all spiritual blindness, a deprivation of light, and infidelities which attract this deprivation to us; and the effect that this blindness produces is to prevent us from seeing, or to make us count for nothing, certain internal disorders, which can be reduced to these three, which it is easy to notice in three kinds of people. There are some who imagine that they have no other design than that of pleasing God; it is in this that they blind themselves; because they are always afterward forming projects which show little virtue and a lot of imperfection. But these are hidden and almost imperceptible projects, which escape their knowledge, by means of the disturbance and tumult which they throw into their souls. However, they are very ardent in the pursuit of what they desire; they await its accomplishment with great impatience; they count every moment. And as they form several designs which follow one another, their whole life passes in a continual agitation, of which they do not realize.
We see people of another character, who let themselves be carried away by their natural activity: they can only do anything with a certain haste, which spoils everything, because it is always accompanied by some disturbance, and very contrary to peace of heart and inner meditation. However, they do not distrust this provision, because they do not understand its consequences.
Others speak too freely, boldly decide everything, cut and dice, so to speak, and commit in this matter an infinity of sins that they do not perceive; because the torrent of habit carries them away, and their dissipation prevents them from watching over their interior. Their blindness is similar to that of David, who after his adultery and his homicide, was for a long time without recognizing himself.
What is the second kind of blindness?
It is to ignore the good that we could do for the glory and service of God. Natural light ordinarily only discovers what flatters self-esteem; and when we take them as guides, we seek to assert ourselves, to push our pretensions, to attract the esteem of men. Lead a hidden life, be abandoned by creatures, take for yourself what is most inconvenient, rely on humility, on poverty of spirit, and on suffering; all these evangelical maxims where the light of the Holy Spirit reveals such great riches to holy souls, present to common men only poverty and scarcity; because being in darkness, the most luminous truths are only darkness for them. This is why Saint Xavier, speaking of this sentence of the Gospel: he who in this world hates his life, ensures it for eternal life, says that nothing is clearer than this truth, to those who contemplate it in prayer, and that nothing is more obscure in practice, for those who do not have the intelligence and taste for it.
What does the third kind of blindness consist of?
To ignore what is deepest and most secret in the heart. There are people who appear virtuous, who believe themselves to be so, and who are so in the judgment of many people. However, they are far from being as mortified as they appear: because they have not pushed mortification far enough, and by attacking their pride, their vanity and their other vices, they did not go far enough to destroy them down to the roots. These vices remain hidden within, thanks to their interior darkness: some unforeseen occasion must make them appear, and then they show themselves at least to the eyes of those who are enlightened.
Don't you have any comparison to help us understand the state of these people even better?
We can compare them to those ponds whose water appears clear and calm: to agitate and disturb it, all you have to do is throw some bait into it. We then see monstrous fish rise to the surface of the pond, and immediately plunge back into the bottom from which they came. It is in this muddy bottom that they live, and they only leave it to chase some prey. So it is with hidden defects; they remain quiet in the depths of the soul, and we do not know them: but if some accident, which we did not expect, comes to excite them; they show themselves as they are, and we begin to know them. Now it is very important to souls that these kinds of accidents happen to them, and that they find people who practice them and test them, to teach them to know themselves.
We can also compare the people we are talking about to those seas full of dangerous reefs, which are hidden at the bottom, and which we only discover when we approach them, and the vessel comes into contact. Most men do not know the depths of their hearts: their vices are hidden there under a display of virtue, and under an apparent tranquility; we have to hit them to make them known to them. And as the knowledge of hidden pitfalls is the great science of the Pilot, we can say that ignorance of occult vices is the most fatal blindness and the greatest misfortune of a soul. This evil can only be remedied with the help of grace, and by the guiding guidance of an enlightened Director: two means which must work together to bring about a complete cure. The soul is then capable of extraordinary gifts of grace, which require great purity in the subject who receives them. And this is why Our Lord declares blessed those whose hearts are pure, because they will see God : Word which should not be understood only of the beatific vision, but also of the sublime knowledge that God gives to pure souls in this life.
CHAPTER 5
On the Eagerness of the Heart
What is the eagerness of the heart?
It is the activity of the soul, which tends to its goal, without waiting for the movement of grace.
What effects does this eagerness produce?
He produces three, in three kinds of people. In the former, it is a passion and a real disorder, because it makes them act against the light of reason and against the rules of virtue. In the seconds, he does not go as far as evil; but it contains itself within the limits of natural activity and impetuosity. In the third, who are very virtuous people, it thwarts the movement of grace, and prevents them from submitting entirely to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
What is the first kind of eagerness?
It is a very great haste, which is enemy of order, and very opposed to the right intention. It is easy to judge this by the conduct of an infinity of people, who act only on a whim, and who allow themselves to be transported successively by the passions of hatred, desire, ambition and anger. As they usually follow their first movement, they do not give grace time to insinuate itself; which makes them incapable of practicing virtue, and even of listening to reason. They often go beyond their natural attitude, and come to the point of losing that restraint and discretion, which suits the reasonable man, and which the less wise pride themselves on having. They are inconsiderate in everything they do, and in this way they rather resemble animals, which behave by instinct. This haste is not only found in worldly people, who give way to their passions; but also in many spiritual people, who are prone to make many faults, for not looking after themselves, and who combine a lot of laziness, negligence and dissipation, with the practice of piety.
The remedy for this evil is retreat, and the other means which we assigned to the first volume, in the chapter of the repair of the interior.
What is the second kind of eagerness?
It differs from the first in that it is found in well-intentioned people, who defend themselves from the excesses of passion, but who do not have as much recollection and vigilance as would be appropriate, allow themselves to be carried away by their natural liveliness gives rise to a thousand hasty movements, which divert inspiration and repel their tutelary Angel; for everything that comes from God proceeds in peace, and cannot accommodate itself to an inconsiderate way of acting. These people ardently want everything they want, and have neither peace nor rest until they see what they have started completed. This impatient ardor throws them into confusion and distraction, which are the source of an infinity of faults that they commit. It is also obvious that they cannot lead an interior life, because their custom is to determine on their first movement: which is a disposition completely contrary to grace, without which one cannot become spiritual. .
Those who are subject to this defect have nothing better to do than to work to slow down their ardor and the movements it excites. They will be able to succeed, by dint of being on guard against their lively and hasty way of acting, and by dint of returning to themselves through the practice of recollection and by the holy exercise of the presence of God. And when all the fruit of their work would only result in making them a little more calm, they should count their time well spent. An excellent way to correct this haste is to make it the subject of the particular examination. It indeed deserves to be regarded as a very great evil, since it is so contrary to the spirit of God, which is never found in tumult ; and since it places such a great obstacle to the perfection of man, by depriving him of peace and inner tranquility.
What is the third kind of eagerness?
This is what we sometimes notice in those who are solidly virtuous and truly mortified. These are people who seek only God, who do not seem subject to any fault, and who would have died entirely of themselves, if they knew how to repress this natural activity, which makes them act by their own movement, where it does not should only follow the movement of grace. There is no malice in this conduct that could displease God, but there is a natural eagerness which prevents Jesus Christ from completing his work in them, which is to make them live with his own life, and to elevate to divine union. It is not by following an unregulated movement that they go astray; but it is by acting of their own movement, when they should abandon themselves to the movement of the Holy Spirit, who would take charge of their guidance, if they wanted to let him, and who would do much more and incomparably better than they don't do it themselves. But as this divine Spirit only works in peace and with gentleness, he can only communicate his divine life to subjects dead to themselves, who do not resist him; and he distances himself from those who want to do too much, and who cross his designs by their own action; or at least he does not do in them all that he does in the souls easy to handle, who give themselves over to his conduct.
Nothing is therefore more contrary to grace, and more fatal to man, than the eagerness of the heart; since it commits some to sin, is a source of imperfections in others, and even though there is nothing bad about it, it still repulses the Holy Spirit, and be an obstacle to a supernatural and divine life.
What is the remedy for this third kind of eagerness?
It seems that we can only expect it from grace: however, those who are experienced in the spiritual life can contribute a lot to it, by following this advice from the Prophet: I will listen attentively to what the Lord will say to me in the end. of the heart : by accustoming oneself to repressing even the slightest outbursts of natural vivacity, to doing nothing except with reflection, and only after having consulted the Spirit of God. This was the great practice of Saint Ignatius of Loyola; he was constantly busy returning to himself and gathering his inner strength, and he used to say that, for lack of this attention, most spiritual men did not correspond sufficiently to grace. As he made this correspondence an essential duty; he always believed he had failed, and this point alone provided him with enough material to confess every day. In this he was only following the example of several great Saints, who have always counted for much, to disturb in the least the operation of the Holy Spirit, by their inconsideration and their natural activity.
CHAPTER 6
Of Gluttony
What does the vice of gluttony consist of?
Mainly in three excesses. The first is eating too much. The second is to have an eagerness for certain dishes. The third, to eat outside of ordinary times, and to multiply meals.
How do we give in to the first excess?
By taking food beyond what reason permits, and need requires; against what Our Lord has so expressly recommended to us: Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts become heavy with intemperance and excess of wine .
What harm does the mind do when too much food is given to the body?
First, the heart is heavy, as the Son of God observed; that is to say, a man accustomed to loading himself with food ordinarily feels overwhelmed by a weight which draws him towards the earth, and which leads him to follow the inclinations of the senses. In this state, he is neither capable of raising his mind to spiritual objects, nor of giving them his esteem, nor consequently of praying, and of attending to other exercises of piety. Secondly, we become insensitive to the charms of virtue, and we are no longer touched by the needs of the poor; because devotion and mercy are gifts that the Holy Spirit only grants to people in whom he dwells, and he only dwells in those who love abstinence and fasting: which made him say Saint Paul: Do not indulge in excess of wine; but fill yourselves with the Holy Spirit. We can say in the third place, that being subject to one's mouth is a vice which disposes to all others, and especially to those who make slaves of the flesh; because it is gluttony which gives birth to them, and which maintains them.
How can we remedy this first excess?
By making a special study to find the right balance between too much and too little. Saint Ignatius in his Book of Exercises, Saint Vincent Ferrier in that of Spiritual Life, prescribed the way in which this study should be carried out. They both say that a man who wants to correct himself from the defect of which we speak, in order to become spiritual, must gradually withdraw from the food he was accustomed to taking, until he has recognized what is necessary for him to maintain his strength. But it's not all about finding the right measure, you have to stick to it; and this is not the effect of a mediocre virtue, since Saint Augustine said that he who commands himself in this point, deserves to be called great.
What effects does rushing certain meats have ?
It is customary to produce an ardent desire for foods that are pleasant, a restless care in obtaining them, a great sensuality in satisfying the taste that one finds in them: which is a kind of capacity which degrades man, and which makes him a slave. This delicacy can only be overcome by mortification and abstinence, which must be undertaken with holy discretion, by withdrawing, not all at once, but little by little, the use of stewing meats. There are courageous people who do not keep so much restraint, and who, wanting first of all to deprive sensuality of all hope of satisfying itself, forbid themselves for one or two years, and even for longer, the use of pleasant meats, in order to free oneself once and for all from this kind of captivity,and because they are convinced that the victory of this vice sometimes depends on the victory of all the others.
How should we behave when we have freed ourselves from this shameful subjection to certain meats?
A man who has shaken off this servitude, and who sees that his heart, occupied with the desire to please God and to procure his glory, no longer stoops to the care of the body, can follow this advice from Our Lord: Eat what we will serve you . He can use the meats presented to him indifferently, because he knows from his experience that he is not attached to any, and that everything is equal to him, however he is treated; which does not prevent him from depriving himself on certain occasions for the love of God, sometimes of one dish, and sometimes of another.
How can a man of the world practice mortification in this matter?
By resting what is to be served at his table, on those to whom he has given care; without inquiring too much about the dishes that should be presented to him, and without complaining when someone is served to him that is not to his taste. By this means he will put into practice what the Book of the Imitation of Jesus Christ teaches: Tame intemperance of the mouth, and you will then have no more difficulty in taming other vices .
How can we remedy the third excess, which consists of eating out of time?
By following the rule given by Saint Thérèse, to take from meals what is appropriate, and to take nothing outside of it. Those who do not know how to constrain themselves, and who eat what they please, when the desire takes them, do not understand how important it is, when one wants to practice virtue, to conform to this rule, outside of times of infirmity. We bring a lady fruit from the countryside; she takes it immediately, and she eats it, we will not make it a crime against her: but we will say that a person who had her perfection at heart would not use it in this way; and that sin was introduced into the world, because the first woman allowed herself to be surprised by the sight of a pleasant fruit. For those who always have a few treats within reach which they eat almost at any time, we have nothing to say to them: these people must believe themselves incapable of bringing anything spiritual into their minds.
On this principle, what should we think of those who have the habit of breakfasting in the morning and having a snack after dinner?
We must not condemn them lightly, because we do not know their needs; but we can tell them that, if these reliefs are not necessary for them, they would do well to deprive themselves of them; that by inflicting a little violence on themselves, they will get rid of this habit, which harms them more than they think,and that if this victory was not going to be very useful to them, Saint Thérèse would not have given the advice that we have just reported.
We can add to what we have already said about gluttony, that the Saints have neither recommended nor practiced anything more than fasting. Saint Ignatius was eight days without taking any food; he wanted his companions to endure the same ordeal, each according to his strength, and he made them pass, one six, and the others three or four days without taking anything. Saint Jerome says of the Virgin Azelle, that she remained for entire weeks without eating; and he reports something similar of himself. One of the mortifications that the Saints took most to heart is the moderate use of wine, in which they followed Saint Paul, who only allowed his disciple to use it in small quantities because of his infirmities. It is useless to ask whether these Preachers of abstinence in general wanted in particular that we should deprive ourselves of pleasant meats which are calculated to flatter the taste; their example says it even better than their words and their writings. It is said of Father Charles Spinola, great Missionary of the Society of Jesus, that during several years that he spent in India and Japan, where he suffered martyrdom, he never tasted fruit, although these infidel lands in carry which are excellent and delicious. Saint Vincent Ferrier, in his Book of Spiritual Life, notes that this kind of abstinence is a source of grace for those who aspire to perfection.
CHAPTER 7
Advancement in Spirit
What does it mean to advance in spirit?
It is changing from good to better; or, which is the same, it is to pass from a less perfect state, to another more perfect and more excellent.
What are the external aids that help make this change?
All kinds of spiritual help; but in particular these three, which are the company of good people, the change of state, the change of Director.
How are we helped by the commerce we have with good people?
God sometimes allows us to meet people distinguished by their piety, whose speeches and examples instruct and encourage: we conceive new ideas of perfection; we form ardent desires to go to God: it is a renewal of fervor and an increase in strength that communication with these people provides. This is how Saint Xavier owes his holiness to the knowledge of Saint Ignatius, whom providence provided him with; and the gentleman Bernard de Quintavalle, when he met Saint Francis. When we have the good fortune to meet these people of eminent virtue, we must unite with them in holy friendship, and take advantage of their conversations and their examples to make great progress.
How does changing state contribute to spiritual advancement?
Because by changing state we usually change our ideas, we find means that we did not have, and favorable opportunities which invite us to make new efforts for our perfection. It is obvious that widowhood, promotion to the Priesthood, entry into Religion and other similar events of life, can easily become the beginning of very great holiness, mainly for three reasons.
1. Because this change of habit removes several obstacles that we had to its perfection; as happens to those who, from the state of marriage, pass to that of widowhood.
2. Because in a new state we often find spiritual help which we did not have before; which is certain for people who enter Religion.
3. Because change is sometimes a motive which leads to a more perfect life; as we see in those who are promoted to the Priesthood: the character of Priest warns them that they must not be content with mediocre virtue.
How can the change of Director contribute to spiritual progress?
Because a Director, who has great zeal and light, makes the souls who come under his guidance advance with great strides on the path of virtue. In matters of direction and spiritual guidance, there are different talents and varying degrees of skill. Some propose to maintain souls in a mediocrity of virtue, and never take their views higher. After listening to the people who address them, they give them absolution; and provided they support themselves in an ordinary lifestyle, they do not worry about their spiritual advancement. Others, more enlightened and more zealous, first know the needs and scope of a soul; and on her dispositions they regulate the designs of perfection that they have on her. It is a very great advantage to find such Directors, and to place oneself in their hands.
We do not claim by this advice to authorize the conduct of those who often change out of levity, and to satisfy their taste, rather than out of a real desire to benefit. This change must only be made when we have reason to believe that it is God who wants it to sanctify us by this means. This is how Madame de Chantal, first Superior of the Order of the Visitation, used it: and it later appeared, through the great progress she made, that it was God who had sent her to the Holy Bishop of Geneva. People who have these favorable encounters, after having assured themselves of the will of God by mature deliberation and by fervent prayers, should not have difficulty leaving their former Director,to go to another from whom they expect great help.
Why do many people find it so difficult to change Directors, even though they recognize that the change would be very useful to them?
Vain fear and false complacency stop many; They consider it ingratitude to leave a Director who led them for a long time, and who took a lot of trouble to instruct them. Cowardice and laziness often have a lot to do with it; Accustomed to a conduct full of gentleness and prudence, we fear that a new conduct will be too severe, that it will require too much mortification and self-denial. Some are held back by the obedience they devoted to their former Director; commitment which is often very detrimental; as it clearly appeared in the Mother of Chantal that this consideration prevented for a long time from addressing Saint Francis de Sales.
So what should we do in such meetings?
A person, to whom God makes it known that the change of Director is necessary for him, must generously overcome all human fear and all natural cowardice, and that, if he believes he needs dispensation for a vow made against prudence, he addresses the Superiors, as Madame de Chantal did, for greater safety, and like several others who were forced to imitate her on this point.
We cannot therefore recommend too much to devout souls not to count on the taste they have for their Director, and on the spiritual advantages they derive from him, to the point of making similar commitments with them, which always cause distress. embarrassment, unless God makes it clear to them that it is his will that they commit themselves.
CHAPTER 8
On Relaxation
What does it mean to relax in spiritual life?
It is moving from the state of perfect people, or good people, to a less perfect state.
How many kinds of people are there who can be called cowards in the service of God?
There are three kinds: those who have always been, and who have never had fervor; those who were fervent, and who gave way to their natural weakness; and finally lukewarm people, who always want perfection, but who practice it badly, doing little good, and spoiling the little they do through their negligence. It is the last two kinds of people that we are talking about when we talk about relaxation, and especially those who have fallen from the state of fervor.
What are the causes of relaxation?
There are three main ones: the first is negligence, which is natural to man, and which, if he is not careful, makes him gradually fall away from his first fervor. It is almost nothing at the beginning, nothing lighter than the satisfactions we grant ourselves, although we take care to cover them with various pretexts, which are usually suggested by self-esteem, and sometimes by the demon. Pretext of infirmity; the body needs relaxation, it is said, it must be given some entertainment; and on this misunderstood principle, we indulge in amusements that we regard as necessary reliefs, which we would do without if we did not flatter ourselves.
Another pretext is that of the freedom that we believe we have deserved through our past work. It is established as a maxim that the spirit of God does not want so much constraint; and this maxim is true when it is well applied and is not used to the detriment of virtue. This is how we err, by taking a very real relaxation for the holy freedom of the children of God. The functions of zeal and external good works provide a third pretext: we devote ourselves to them without discretion, and we do not take pains to abandon prayer, examination of conscience, practices of mortification, to spread ourselves outside.
This is how the forces of the soul dissipate, how we return to the inclinations of corrupt nature, and how we finally fall into complete relaxation. The attendance of released people also contributes no little. But, without bad example getting involved, it is enough to have some respect for the inclinations of nature to soon relax.
What is the second cause of relaxation?
It is the change of state, which for the same reason for which we said in the preceding chapter, that it is useful to some, and often harmful to others, by giving them the opportunity to fall from their first fervor. For example, a person who was very regular in the state of widowhood, if she enters into marriage, runs a great risk of reducing herself to a type of virtue much inferior to that which she previously practiced. That a religious who leads a retired and penitent life, being a simple individual, is elevated to the posts of his Order: it will be marvelous, if he does not relax in the practice of mortification. There are very few people who have been tested by the Episcopate, and in whom this dignity does not give rise to some reduction in fervor. This is what forced Saint Bernard to give so much advice to Pope Eugene III, who had been his disciple.
Thus we see in the world an infinity of people, after having spent several years in devotion, when they pass from a mediocre fortune to a better one, and they begin to enjoy jobs and the great affairs of the century. , abandon their holy practices, open their eyes to avarice, form great plans for the enlargement of their family, and lose much of their former devotion. And without them themselves changing their state, the mere temporal establishment of their children can give rise to the relaxation which is introduced into their soul, thanks to the pomp and vanities of the century which enter their house. We cannot recommend enough to these people to be on their guard, to prevent external changes from making any changes in their interior, and making them lose the taste for modesty and Christian simplicity. It would be very useful on these occasions to read the work of Saint Bernard, addressed to Pope Eugene.
What is the third cause of slackening?
It is the change of Director: because as we gain a lot by changing, to have greater spiritual help, we also lose a lot, when we encounter a Confessor less fervent and less enlightened than the one we had before. The evil comes from being forced to change in the case of death or absence, without taking the necessary precautions to choose well. Hence it quite often happens that the new Director thinks very differently from the first, and being neither enlightened nor firm enough, we cannot fail to experience a lot of decline under his leadership. There is such a Director who will have no difficulty telling a woman of the world accustomed to practicing virtue, and to walking the narrow path, that she must accommodate herself to others; that one cannot have too much complacency for a husband whom one must please; that we can, without being guilty, conform to the decorums that the world prescribes, to the fashions that it introduces, and that virtue does not consist in removing beautiful clothes, ornaments and adornments: which is called opening the door to a great relaxation. It is not that in matters of clothing and ornaments we should not have regard to the condition of people; but in this we must only consult the duty and decorum of the state, and never grant anything to complacency.
It is a constant maxim in the spiritual life that one should not seek anything from one's former practices, because, as soon as one relaxes one's regularity, everything will soon decline. This is what made Saint Francis de Sales say that a good Director must be chosen from among a thousand; and blessed John of the Cross warns devout souls to be careful in whom they place their trust; because the lack of prudence or firmness in their Director can not only delay them greatly in the path of virtue, but also make them return to their first imperfections.
taken from the excellent Catholic blog : le-petit-sacristain.blogspot.com