Volume I, Treatise IV, Chapter XIV

Three Things We Ought to Practise When Any One Has Given Us Any Subject of Discontent

From all that has been said we may infer, that there are three things, which we must observe when our brother has offended us, or given us cause of being displeased with him. The first is, that we restrain our minds from giving way, in the least, to the spirit of revenge. Weare all of us brothers, members of the same body: and it was never heard that one member injured by another ever meditated revenge; nor ever was there yet any child so foolish, that having bit its own tongue, pulled out its teeth for mere spite. Let us not be then less wise than they; but when any one has offended us, let us say to ourselves, he is a member of the same body with myself, wherefore let us pardon him; and neither desire, nor do him any further harm; there is mischief enough done already, and, therefore, I will not be the occasion of doing more. But I will follow St. Paul’s counsel, which says:—“Let us not render any one evil for evil.” (Romans 12:17) I pretend not here to speak of revenge in matters of consequence; because I suppose no such thing happens among religious, and that such persons are far from having any sentiments of this nature; but I speak of revenge in things of less moment, which we imagine may be lawful to desire or practise, without committing any great sin. Some will say—I would by no means that any evil should happen to my brother, but I must confess, I should be glad to say to bim a word or two which he would feel a little, and which would shew him that he is in the wrong. Others will rejoice at the reprehension and correction of the person with whom they had a dispute or falling out. The third sort, in fine, will feel a kind of malignant joy, that he, from whom they received some slight displeasure, succeeded ill in some business, or met with some mor-

tifieation. All this is much to be censured, and may very - deservedly be styled revenge; since whoever has such sentiments as these, has not yet pardoned his brother from his heart, and ought to have a scruple when he prays thus to God: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.” Mat. vi. 12.) It is also in some kind more criminal in a religious to retain in mind these litttle rancours, than for a secular to desire a signal revenge upon his enemies. Wherefore if your brother has offended you on any occasion, say not, “T will do to bim as he has done to me” (Proverbs 24:29): I will use him as he has used me, for this proceeds frbm an exasperated mind, that harbours a desire of revenge.

But it isnot enough that we harbour no desire of revenge, we must also take great care of another thing, which people of the world look upon as lawful. Ido not wish such a one, say they, any mischief, but I will have nothing more to do with him; and thus they conceive such a bitterness and aversion in their hearts, against those by whom they have been once offended, that they cannot afterwards have any feeling for them or converse with them for the future with any satisfaction. But if we, condemn this in seculars, so far as to call in question whether they have satisfied their obligation of charity, because hence it often happens that they converse no more together, and give scandal thereby to their neighbour; how.much more is it to be condemned in us, that there should still remain a disgust and bitterness of heart against our brother, by looking upon him no more ‘‘as we did yesterday and the day before?” (Genesis 31:2) This is far from the spirit of religion. ‘ Let all sorts of harshness, choler, and indignation be banished from amongst you,” says St. Paul, “and be ye sweet and merciful one to another, pardoning one another, as God has pardoned you, through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 4:31) That is to say, that you pardon all frum the bottom of your heart, for it is after this manner that God pardons us. For when we have truly repented of our sins, and asked pardon of him; there remains not in him the least sentiment of displeasure against us, but he treats us after the same bountiful manner as he did before—he has the same tenderness for us, as if we had never offended him; and is so far from reproaching us with our past sins, that he does not so much as remember them. “TI will no more remember their sins and iniquities” (Ezechiel 18:22), says he by the mouth of St Paul. ‘‘He will cast,” says the Prophet Micheas, ‘‘all our sins into the bottom of the sea.” (Micheas 7:19) It is after this manner we must pardon our enemies—it is thus we ought to forgive injuries, There must remain no aversion, no animosity against our brother, but we must be the same to him as if he had never offended us, and as if nothing at all had passed between us. If you would have God pardon you after this manner, do you after the same manner pardon your brother; and if you do not, take heed and be afraid, lest you become like that servant who had no compassion for his fellow-servant, and whom his master delivered over to the sword of justice. “It is after this manner,” says our Saviour, “that my heavenly Father will deal with you, if every one of you pardons not his brother from the bottom of his heart.” (Matthew 18:35) “Forgive and ye shall be forgiven; for the same measure you make to others, the same also shall be again made unto you.” (Luke 6:37)

The third direction is given us by St. Basil, and will help still more to evince the utility of the former. He says, that as we ought not to have any particular attachment to any one, because it is the course of many inconveniences, as we shall shew hereafter; so we must not be prejudiced against any person, because hence also proceed very great inconveniences. Would it not, for example, be a very great evil (which God preserve us from), that any amongst us should say: such and such a one are not well together; ever since such an accident happened the other day, they live not together as they were wont to do. This alone is enough to destroy religion, and since Jesus Christ desires, that the affection we have for another be the mark that we are his disciples; it consequently follows, that those who love not their brethren are not disciples of Jesus Christ, nor true religious. To remedy this you must act after the same manner as when you feel a particular inclination to any one; you must take particular care to cast it off, lest this particular affection take too deep root in your heart, and become master of it; and as spiritual directors would then have us avoid, as much as possible, the letting it appear, upon account of the scandal that may arise from thence; so when you find an aversion for any one, you must presently endeavour to root it out, for fear it should take root in your heart; and you must endeavour that none perceive it; because those exterior signs that we permit to appear do ordinarily produce dissensions and other bad consequences. It is not, however, sufficient to conceal it from every one else, if you conceal it not from him also, to whom you bear it. But to prove this by adhering to the comparison already proposed: as there are some people, who, that they may evade all blame and scandal, are very careful to hide from others the particular affection they have for any one, yet either directly or indirectly shew the person himself all the marks of this affection in their power, which is of a pernicious consequence; even so, there are some that take a great deal of care, for this reason, to hide from others the hatred or ill-will they have for their brother, but at the same time they signify it to himself, both in their looks and gestures, They avoid his person, keep not company with him as before, affect a kind of moroseness and ill-humour whilst they are with him, and, in effect, endeavour to let him see the resentments they retain of the injury they pretend to have received from him. But this being a kind of revenge, is very much to be condemned, and we can never take too much care and precaution to avoid it.

Now to obviate all this—as in time of temptation, when we feel the danger, we, to prevent ourselves from being carried away by the enemy’s suggestion, make more than ordinary exertions; just so, when you feel any aversion or displeasure against any one, you must then have a more particular attention and guard upon yourself, lest this aversion or unkindness should provoke you to say or do anything that may let your brother perceive your resentment; and according to the counsel given us in the gospel, you must pray for him, and do him all the kindness you can. “Let not your charity be overcome by the evil that 1is done you, but overcome evil by good” (Romans 12:21), says St. Paul, “do them more good than they did hurt to You: and by this means you will heap burning coal upon the lead of your enemy.” (Ibid. 12:20) You will gather together the coal of his love and charity for yourself, if he receives in good part all the marks of yours; and the coal of revenge against him in the other life, if his heart still continues hardened against you.

Thomas-a-Kempis relates that a holy priest who lived in the same monastery with him, going one day about some business to another convent, in his way met with a secular, and both presently entered into familiar discourse. At length coming to speak of God and pious things, the secular told him he would relate to him a passage that had heretofore happened to himself.

ie was once, he said, hearing mass, and was surprised that he did not see the host in the priest’s hand;, but imagining that it was owing to his weakness of sight, and to his being at too great a distance from the altar, he approached nearer, and yet could not see it. This extraordinary circumstance continued for the space of a year. In fine, not knowing what cause to attribute it to, and finding himself in a strange perplexity of mind, he resolved to speak of it to a prudent director, who, having examined him closely, discovered that he (the secular) had for a long time hated a neighbour, from whom he received an injury which he would never pardon. The confessor finding so great a hardness in his heart, failed not to represent to him the dangerous state he was in, gave him many reprehi nsions, and wholesome counsels, and in fine, told him that he need not seek any other cause than this, why he saw not the holy host; and that he hoped in vain to obtain this favour from God, if he did not pardon the injury done him by his neighbour. This man was so touched with these words, that immediately from his heart he pardoned his enemy, and having concluded his confession, and received penance and absolution, he went into the church, heard mass, and without any difficulty saw the holy host, and failed not ever after to render due thanks to God for so great a favour, and continually to bless him for those other wouders he daily works for the good of his servants.

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