Volume I, Treatise VII, Chapter III

Two Very Important Advices to be Followed in Making Choice of a Proper Subject for the Particular Examen

To treat this matter more particularly, I say there are two things chiefly to be observed, of which the first is, that when we have any exterior defects, that offend and scandalize our neighbour, it is these we must begin to retrench by means of our particular examen; though we should have interior defects far more considerable. For example, if one speaks too much, or too hastily, or too sharply to his brethren, or lets himself be carried so far as to say things that affect their reputation; and in fine, if one is subject to other failings that may hurt the neighbour, reason and charity oblige us first to correct ourselves in what may give pain or trouble to our brethren, that we may endeavour to live with them in such manner as to give no occasion of complaint or scandal. The gospel, speaking of the father and mother of St. John the Baptist, says, “that they were both just before God, walking according to all the commandments and ordinances of our Lord, without giving any one occasion of complaint.” (Luke 1:6) This was a very great praise for a servant of God, and it is what every religious person that lives in 2 community ought particularly to aim at. It is not sufficient to be just before God; but it is, moreover, necessary so to live in religion as to give no one occasion of complaint; and if one finds anything in himself that is any way offensive to his neighbour, it is upon this he must begin to make his particular examen.

But the second advice is, that we take care not to be so intent on making our examen on exterior things of this sort, as to pass our whole life therein; for it is far easier to overcome ourselves in these exterior than in our interior defects. I command my hand, says St. Austin, and the hand obeys; I command my foot, and it obeys; but I command my appetite, and it obeys not. ‘The reason is, because peither hand nor foot have in themselves any inclination contrary to the will: but the appetite has its own inclination, which is often opposite to the will; and, therefore, it is necessary that we endeavour to free ourselves from exterior things as soon as possible, that we may be more at leisure to attend to those which are more essential and of greater importance. To obtain, for example, a profound humility of heart, which reaches not only to a contempt of ourselves, but also to be glad that others despise us; to gain so much upon ourselves as to do all things purely for the love of God, and always to have before our eyes that it is God and not man we serve; to attain entire conformity to the divine will, or to gain, in fine, any other virtue or interior perfection. For, though the particular examen was chiefly established for retrenching our defects and imperfections, and this would be a sufficient employment during our whole life, because we can never be quite free and exempt from venial sins, nevertheless it were very unfit that all our time should be employed in this alone. He who is engaged in weeding a garden is well employed, but yet, must he never do anything else but this? The object in plucking up the weeds is, that flowers and fruit may grow in their place. The time, therefore, of the particular examen is, in like manner, well employed when we exercise ourselves in rooting out of our souls vicious and bad inclinations; but all this must be done with intent to plant the odoriferous flowers of virtue in their place: “I have established and appointed you,” says our Lord to Jeremias, “that you pluck up and destroy; that you should pull down and dissipate, in order that you should build and plant anew.” (Jerem. i. 10.) We must first demolish and pluck up; but afterwards we must build and plant again.

But what should oblige us still more to observe this method is, that even for the correcting those exterior faults to which we are subject, oftentimes the sweetest, shortest, and most efficacious means is, to take for our particular examen the perfection most Opposite to these defects Do you speak passionately and authoritatively to your brethren? During your examen employ yourself in looking upon them as being superior to you in all things, and look upon -yourself as the least and most unworthy of them all, and by this you will soon learn both how to speak to them, and how to answer them; and if you acquire but true humility you may assure yourself you will never say anything to them rude or mortifying. Do you feel a repugnance to do anything? Do you feel pain in submitting to what happens to you? Let your examen be on receiving all things as coming from the hand of God; as emanating from a particular disposition of his divine Providence, and as being sent you for your good; and thus you will be able easily to submit to whatsoever shall happen. Do you sometimes fail in the observance of modesty and reserve? Do you often look about you on every side?

Or have you a violent curiosity to know all that passes your examen be upon the presence of God, and upon the o tion you have of doing all your actions so as they may ap before him, ‘and by this means you will soon, without pain, Get even so much as thinking of it, be modest in all your deportment; “s, you will be recollected and wholly given to spirituality and devotion. For do you not experience that when you have made your prayer with fervour you feel not on rising from it any vain curiosity? The reason is plain: it is because the commerce and conversation you have had with God make you easily despise

all other things. But should you undertake to correct all your exterior faults, one after another, the task will be very tedious. Moreover, while you direct all your attention to one point—to keeping a guard on your eyes, for example—it will often happen that you will not succeed, and that the violence of your exertion will impair your intellect. Hence a grave doctor had good reason to blame those directors who endeavour to correct the exterior only, whilst their chief care ought to be to reform the interior. But a true pastor of souls ought to imitate Moses,

‘‘ who led his flock to the inmost part of the desert” (Exodus 3:1); that is, he ought to make them enter into themselves, and employ themselves wholly in correcting their interior, which being done, their exterior will afterwards easily reform itself.

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