Volume I, Treatise III, Chapter XIII

What Ts Requisite on Our Part to Obtain Every Day a Greater Purity of Intention

St. Ianar1vs, explaining in his Constitutions, after what manner we ought daily to increase in rectitude and purity of intention, says: “Let all our study be, to have an upright intention, not only in our state of life in general, but also in all our actions in particular; proposing nothing ‘else to ourselves, than to serve and please God; and this rather through love and gratitude for the benefits we have received, than through fear of punishment, or hope of reward, though nevertheless these two motives are very good, and may profitably be made use of by us.” There are several ways of seeking and serving God. To serve him through fear of punishment, is to seek him, and to do a good action; because fear, though servile, ceases not to be good, and to be a gift of God; and therefore the Royal Prophet begged it of God, when he said, “Penetrate my flesh, O Lord, with your fear.” (Psalm, exviii. 120.) But if we should truly say to ourselves, and in effect had the same sentiments in our hearts, that “if there were no hell, and I were not afraid of being punished, I would offend God:” divines hold that such an act as this is a new sin, because this were actually to have our will very ill disposed. However, to avail ourselves of the fear of punishment, with the apprehension of death, and the fear of God’s judgment, in order to excite ourselves the better to serve God, and to abstain from offending him, cannot but be laudable; because it is upon this account that the holy Scripture frequently recommends this very thing to us, and holds out such terrible threats as it does. |

It is, moreover, to seek God, if we serve him for the recompense which we hope for in glory: and it is also to seek him after amore perfect manner than the former; because there is more perfection in doing our actions with a view to recompense, than through a motive of fear. Moses acted after this manner, as St. Paul teaches us when he says, “that it was by faith that Moses, after he became of age, renounced the title of Pharaoh’s daughter’s son; desiring rather to be afflicted with the people of God, than to enjoy the transitory advantages of sin; and preferring the ignominy of Jesus Christ before all the riches of the Egyptians; because he fixed his thoughts upon the recompense to come.” (Hebrews 11:24) It is also upon the same account, and with the same intention, that the Psalmist said, “I have disposed my heart to observe continually your commandments, because of the recompense I thereby hope for.” (Ps. exviii. 112.)

Wherefore the two motives of fear and hope are very good; and we can avail ourselves of them in order to excite ourselves to do good and to avoid evil. But St. Ignatius will have us go farther, and desires we should still elevate our hearts, and entertain higher thoughts: “Aspire to greater gifts, and I will shew you a more excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:31) He is not content that we seek and serve God after an ordinary manner, but he teaches us a more perfect way; he will have us seek him, and serve him purely for himself, upon account of his infinite goodness, and because God is God; and in this is comprised all we can imagine to be excellent, great, and sublime.

The fathers of the Church, St. Basil, St. Chrysostom, and St. Gregory, treat this matter excellently well. Those who serve God through hope of reward, they compare to Simon the Cyrenean, who carried the cross of Jesus Christ for a certain price or reward, which had been agreed on. They do not wish that this should be the spring of our actions. ‘‘ We ought not,” say they, ‘‘to be like those servants, who have little or no affection to their masters, and regard only the recompense they are to receive: because this is to act rather like a mercenary or hireling, who thinks of nothing ~ else but his own interest, than like a servant that has a love for his master.” It is their wish, therefore, that we should be influenced by a more noble motive, and that we should serve God as his children, purely for love of him. There is a great deal of difference, as they add, between the service of a slave, or of a hireling, and that of ason. The slave serves his master only through fear of punishment—the hireling through hope of recompense; and if he be careful to serve well, it is because he believes that by this means he shall be more amply rewarded. But the son acts after a different manner; it is out of pure love he serves his father—and when he takes great care to do nothing that may displease him, it is not that he fears any punishment, nor that be hopes for any reward; but it is because love naturally gives him this tenderness of affection and attention; and thus, though his father be poor, and able to leave him nothing, yet he serves and honours him nevertheless, because the quality of father obliges him to it; so that if his father be but pleased, he believes himself sufficiently rewarded for all his pains and services. We ought to serve God after the same manner, say these great saints; not as slaves, through fear of punishment, nor as hirelings, who regard nothing but gain and recompense; but, as the true children of God, since he has done us the favour to raise us to that dignity. “Behold what love the Father has for us,” says St. John, “that he is pleased we should style ourselves children of God, and be so in effect.” (1 John 3:1) Since, therefore, we are truly such, and since It is not without reason that we call God our Father, and Jesus Christ our Brother; let us love and serve him as it becomes true children of his; let us honour and respect him as our father; and as a father so worthy and deserving our obedience and respect. Let it be only for his love that we act, let it be purely to please him, and because he deserves it by being what he is; and because his infinite goodness deserves still] a thousand times more than we can do; though we had a thousand hearts, and a thousand lives, to devote to his love and service.

“Tf you have ever been worthy to do anything pleasing to God,” says St. Chrysostom, “and if you seek any other recompense than to have deserved to please him; you are, without doubt, ignorant how great a good it is to please God; because if you knew it, you would never desire any other recompense.” (De compun. cor.) In effect what greater good can we wish for, than to please him? “Be ye imitators of God,” says St. Paul, “as his most dear children, and make it your business to love him as Jesus Christ has loved us.” (Ephesians 5:1) Let ns also add to this, the reflection St. Bonaventure makes when he says: “Consider that God, your benefactor, imparts to you his gifts after such a manner, that he desires nothing of you, having no need either of you, nor of any other creature whatsoever.” And he not only desires nothing of us; and it is not only without any interest of his own that he loves us, and heaps upon us so many favours; but what he bestows upon us is purchased at the inestimable price of his most precious blood, and even the loss of his life. Behold here after what manner we should love God purely for himself, and without any mixture of our own particular interest. Nor are we to wish for virtues or any other supernatural gifts, for our own advantage and satisfaction, but purely for his sake alone, and for his greater glory; te, that we may have something to make ourselves more agreeable and — pleasing to him, and to enable us to serve him the better. Nay We ought to go still farther, and not even desire eternal glory but upon that account; in such sort, that when to excite ourselves to virtue, we set before us the recompense annexed to good works; it 18 not that which we ought to propose to ourselves as our principal Inotive; but our last end ought always to be to love and praise God, and to think that the higher we shall be elevated in glory the More we shall be able to glorify and praise him.

It is this which is called a true love of zeal and charity, and a true and perfect love of God; and this is properly to seek God alone, and his greater glory. Everything else is, to speak the truth, only to seek and love ourselves, This will more easily be

Vole I. L perceived by the difference divines and philosophers make between that perfect love they call the love of amity, and the love of concupiscence. The one moves us to love for the good of our beloved, and for the love of virtue, without having any regard to our own interest; and the other moves us to love, but it is for the advantage we hope to derive from it ourselves. It is after this manner we ordinarily love rich and powerful persons, and attach ourselves to them through the sole motive of interest. And it is very easy to perceive that this kind of love is so far from being perfect, that it is full of self-love; because instead of loving the friend, it is rather loving ourselves and seeking our own interest. Those who serve God, either through fear of punishment or hope of reward, do the same thing; all their sentiments are mingled with self-love, and hence they do not seek him in a pure and disinterested manner. It is this Jesus Christ tells us in St. John, when after he had wrought that great miracle of feeding five thousand persons with five loaves and two fishes, turning himself towards the people, who followed in great crowds, he said to them:—“Verily, verily, I say unto you, you do not seek me, for the signs and wonders you have seen, but by reason of the bread you have eaten, and because you have been satisfied. Labour not to obtain the food that perishes, but to gain that which will last for ever.” (John 6:26) But this food that Jesus Christ speaks of ig what he calls his own food, which is purely to do the will of God. It was a very judicious and holy answer which Gerson relates a servant of God made who practised very great penance, and was continually in prayer. The devil, jealous of this holy man’s progress in perfection, and anxious to divert him from it, one day tempted him very violently in the matter of predestination, causing him in imagination to hear these words frequently repeated:—‘ Why do you torment yourself in this manner? Why do you take so much pains? Do what you will, you will never be saved.” To whom this holy man answered:—“It is not for recompense I serve God, but it is for his sake alone I serve him.” By this answer he freed himself completely from this importunate temptation, and confounded the devil.

But St. Bernard goes still farther, and would have us think so little of ourselves in all our actions, and be so disengaged from all self-interest, that we should not think it sufficient to love and serve God as children love and serve their fathers; but he requires of us a still more pure, perfect, and more elevated ’ affection:—“For in fine,” says he, “it is true that children love their fathers, but they also look to their inheritance; and the more they are afraid of being on any account disinherited, perhaps the more respect they pay those from whom they expect the inheritance, but perhaps they also love them the less. This indeed may be called love; but may very well be suspected when it seems to live on the hope of gain. It is also very weak, when it can either relent or be extinguished, on the hope of advantage being diminished or removed; and it is less pure when it is capable of desiring anything besides the beloved. Pure love is not mercenary; pure love and true charity presume not upon hope, nor feel] or receive any damage from despair.” (Bern. serm, Ixxxiii. sup. Cant.) The saint would teach us that this pure love wants neither hope nor recompense to excite it to labour, and to move it to serve God. And though a soul inflamed with this love should certainly know she could gain nothing by it, yet she would never lose the least courage, nor desist from daily doing her duty; because it is not interest, but only tenderness of love, which is the rule and motive of all she dues. But what love is there that can be so perfect and elevated, as to surpass that of children for their parents? ‘ Would you know,” says this great saint, ‘“‘ what this love is? It is the love that the spouse has for her beloved” (De Dilig. Deo); for true love is content with itself alone, and bounds its desires and recompense within the limits of the object it loves; in fine, this love between the spouse and her beloved is such that it entirely satisfies itself with the object it loves; it searches nothing out of it, nor desires anything else:—‘ This is the only affair of true lovers, and it is after this-manner,” says St. Bernard, “that all of us ought to behave ourselves in our love for God, the beloved of our souls. Let us love him for himself, and let all our joy and satisfaction be in loving him: for love is sufficient for itself —it pleases by itself and for itself; it is both its own merit and recompense; it neither seeks any motive to love, nor out of itself does it look for any advantage in loving. But the fruit and exercise of this love is, I love, because I love; I love, purely to love,”

“But do not think,” says St. Chrysostom, “that because you have it not in view, your recompense will be the less on that account.” On the contrary, it shall for that very reason become greater; and the less you look on your own interest the more considerable will be your gain. For it is certain, that the more our action is free from and void of all sort of self-interest, the more pure and perfect it is; and it never becomes so meritorious as when there is no mixture at all of self-love. Ifyou turn away your eyes therefore entirely from yourself—if in all you do, you propose to yourself nothing else than to please God, and if it is not the hope of reward that moves you to act; be assured your reward will be greater, and far more precious. For not having laboured as a mercenary to whom nothing more is given than the salary promised, you shall be treated as a son, who is heir of all the treasures of his father. “For if we be the children of God, we are by consequence heirs; heirs of God, and co-heirs of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17), with whom we shall enter on the enjoyment of our heavenly Father’s possessions. The daughter of Pharao gave money to the mother of Moses, for nursing Moses. Yet it was not for this recompense, but for the natural love she bore him, that this mother nursed her son.

About ReligiousBookshelf.com · A Supernerd Media project