These are a few
highlights from the past week’s reading.
* * *
The
great S. Thomas is of opinion that it is not expedient to consult and
deliberate much concerning an inclination to enter
a good and well-regulated religious Order; for the religious life being
counselled by our Saviour in the Gospel, what need is there of many
consultations? It is sufficient to make one good one,
with a few persons who are thoroughly prudent and capable in such an
affair, and who can assist us to make a speedy and solid resolution; but as
soon as we have once deliberated and resolved, whether in this matter
or in any other that appertains to God's service, we must be
constant and immovable, not permitting ourselves to be shaken by any
appearances of a greater good: for very often, says the glorious S.
Bernard, the devil deludes us, and to draw us from the
effecting of one good he proposes unto us some other good, that seems better;
and after we
have started this, he, in order to divert us from effecting it, presents a
third, ready to let us make plenty of beginnings if only we do
not make an end. We should not even go
from one Order to another without very weighty motives, says S.
Thomas, following the Abbot Nestorius cited by Cassian.
I
borrow from the great S. Anselm (writing to Lanzo) a beautiful similitude. As a plant often transplanted
can never take root, nor, consequently, come to
perfection and return the expected fruit; so the soul that transplants
her heart from design to design cannot do well, nor come to the true growth
of her perfection, since perfection does not consist in beginnings but in
accomplishments. The sacred living creatures of Ezechiel went
whither the impulse of the spirit was to go, and they turned not
when they went, and every one of them went straight forward: we are to
go whither the
inspiration moves us, not turning about, nor returning back, but tending
thither, whither God has turned our face, without
changing our gaze. He that is in a good way, let him step out and get
on.
It happens sometimes that we forsake the good to seek the better, and that
having forsaken the one we find not the other: better
is the possession of a small treasure found, than the expectation
of a
greater which is to find. The
inspiration which moves us to quit a real good which we enjoy in
order to gain a better in the future, is to be suspected. A young
Portuguese, called Francis Bassus, was admirable, not only in divine
eloquence but also in the practice of virtue, under the discipline
of
the Blessed (S.) Philip Neri in the Congregation of the Oratory at Rome. Now he
persuaded himself
that he was inspired to leave this holy society, to place himself in an Order,
strictly so called, and at last he resolved to do so. But the B.
Philip, assisting at his reception into the Order of S.
Dominic, wept bitterly; whereupon being asked by Francis Marie Tauruse,
afterwards Archbishop
of Siena and Cardinal, why he shed tears: I deplore, said he, the loss of so
many virtues. And in fact this young man, who was so excellently good
and devout in the Congregation, after he became a religious was so
inconstant and fickle, that agitated with various desires of novelties and
changes,
he gave afterwards great and grievous scandal. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book
VIII, Ch.XI)
* * *
Now
one of the best marks of the goodness of all inspirations in general, and
particularly of extraordinary ones, is the peace
and tranquillity of the heart that receives them: for though indeed
the Holy Ghost is violent, yet his
violence is gentle, sweet and peaceful. He comes as a mighty
wind, and
as a heavenly thunder, but he does not overthrow the Apostles, he troubles them
not; the fear which they had in hearing the sound was of no continuance, but
was immediately followed by a sweet assurance. That is why this fire sits
upon each of them, taking and causing a sacred repose; and as our Saviour
is called a peaceful or pacific Solomon, so is his spouse called Sulamitess, calm
and daughter of peace: and the voice, that is, the inspiration, of the bridegroom
does not in any sort disquiet or trouble her, but draws her so sweetly that he
makes her soul deliciously melt and, as it were, flow out into him: My soul,
says she, melted when my beloved spoke: and though she be warlike
and martial, yet is she withal so peaceable, that amidst armies and battles she
maintains the concord of an unequalled melody. What shalt thou see, saith
she, in the Sulamitess but the choirs of armies? Her armies are choirs,
that is, harmonies of singers; and her choirs are armies, because the weapons
of the Church and of the devout soul, are only prayers, hymns, canticles and
psalms. Thus it is that those servants
of God who had the highest and sublimest inspirations were the most mild and
peaceable men in the world, as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob: Moses is styled the
meekest of men; David is lauded for his mildness. On the contrary, the evil spirit is turbulent, rough, disturbing; and
those who follow infernal suggestions, taking them to be heavenly
inspirations, are as a rule easily known, because they are unquiet, headstrong, haughty, ready to undertake or meddle with all
affairs, men who under the cloak of zeal turn everything upside down, censure
every one, chide every one, find fault with everything; they are persons who
will not be directed, will not give in to any one, will bear nothing, but
gratify the passions of self-love under the name of jealousy for God's honour. (Treatise on the Love
of God,
Book VIII, Ch. XII)
* * *
I speak of a noble, real,
productive and solid humility, which makes us supple to correction,
pliable and prompt to obedience. While the incomparable Simeon Stylites was yet a novice at
Teleda, he made himself indocile to the advice of his superiors, who wished to hinder him from practising so many strange austerities, which he did with an inordinate cruelty to himself; so that at length he was on this account turned out of the monastery, as being too little capable of the mortification of the heart, and too much addicted to that of the body. But having entered into himself and become more devout, and more prudent in the spiritual life, he behaved quite differently, as he showed in the following action. When the hermits who were dispersed through the deserts near Antioch knew the extraordinary life which he led upon the pillar, in which he seemed to be either an earthly angel or a heavenly man, they despatched a messenger whom they ordered to speak thus to him from them: Why dost thou, Simeon, leaving the highway trodden by so many great and holy predecessors, follow another, unknown of men, and so different from all that has been seen or heard to this day? Simeon, quit this pillar, and come amongst other men to live, after the manner of life and way of serving God used by the good Fathers who have gone before us. In case Simeon, yielding to their advice and giving in to their will, should show himself ready to descend, they had charged 360 the deputy to leave him free to persevere in the manner of life he had begun, because by his obedience, said those good Fathers, it could well be known that he had undertaken this kind of life by the divine inspiration: but in case he should resist, and, despising their exhortations, follow his own will, it would be necessary to withdraw him thence by violence, and force him to forsake his pillar. The deputy then, being come to the pillar, had no sooner delivered his message, than the great Simeon, without delay, without reservation, without any reply, began to descend with an obedience and humility worthy of his rare sanctity. Which when the deputy saw: stay, said he, O Simeon! remain there, persevere with constancy, take courage, pursue thy enterprise valiantly; thy abiding upon this pillar is from God. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book VIII, Ch. XIII)
pliable and prompt to obedience. While the incomparable Simeon Stylites was yet a novice at
Teleda, he made himself indocile to the advice of his superiors, who wished to hinder him from practising so many strange austerities, which he did with an inordinate cruelty to himself; so that at length he was on this account turned out of the monastery, as being too little capable of the mortification of the heart, and too much addicted to that of the body. But having entered into himself and become more devout, and more prudent in the spiritual life, he behaved quite differently, as he showed in the following action. When the hermits who were dispersed through the deserts near Antioch knew the extraordinary life which he led upon the pillar, in which he seemed to be either an earthly angel or a heavenly man, they despatched a messenger whom they ordered to speak thus to him from them: Why dost thou, Simeon, leaving the highway trodden by so many great and holy predecessors, follow another, unknown of men, and so different from all that has been seen or heard to this day? Simeon, quit this pillar, and come amongst other men to live, after the manner of life and way of serving God used by the good Fathers who have gone before us. In case Simeon, yielding to their advice and giving in to their will, should show himself ready to descend, they had charged 360 the deputy to leave him free to persevere in the manner of life he had begun, because by his obedience, said those good Fathers, it could well be known that he had undertaken this kind of life by the divine inspiration: but in case he should resist, and, despising their exhortations, follow his own will, it would be necessary to withdraw him thence by violence, and force him to forsake his pillar. The deputy then, being come to the pillar, had no sooner delivered his message, than the great Simeon, without delay, without reservation, without any reply, began to descend with an obedience and humility worthy of his rare sanctity. Which when the deputy saw: stay, said he, O Simeon! remain there, persevere with constancy, take courage, pursue thy enterprise valiantly; thy abiding upon this pillar is from God. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book VIII, Ch. XIII)
Manuscript
Illumination with Saint Dominic Saving the Church
of
Saint John Lateran in an Initial A, from a Gradual
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