Volume I, Treatise VIII, Chapter XII

How Profitable I Is to Join Prayer with This Exercise of Conformity, and How We Are to Descend to Particulars Till We Arrive to the Third Degree of Conformity

RuswRocwivs, a man very learhed, and excellently well versed

in spirituality, relates that a holy virgin, explaining to her

director, who was a great servant of God, the method she used

in prayer, told him she was aecustomed to make her meditation

upon the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ; and the fruit she reaped thence was to have a knowledge of herself, of her own faults, and her vicious inclinations; and above all, to have a great compassion and sorrow for the sufferings of the Son of God. The director answered her, what she said was very good, but that any one might, without attaining any great perection, be extremely touched with the sufferings of Jesus Christ; even as amongst men, the very sentiments of nature make them feel] for the afflictions and calamities of their neighbour. But the holy virgin, who desired to know the opinion of her confessor, thereby to regulate her way of proceeding, demanded if a continual lamenting her sins were not a profitable devotion? Yes, my daughter, replied the confessor; but still that is not what is the most perfect; because naturally what is evil in itself causes in us dissatisfaction and regret. Would it then be, answered she, a perfect devotion to exercise ourselves in meditating on the pains of the damned, and the glory of the blessed? Nor is that, replied he, what is the most sublime in perfection. For nature itself abhors all that causes it any grief or pain, and is always inclined to what affords it joy and content. At last, seeing she could get no other answer from her director, she departed in tears and very much troubled, that she could not understand to what she should more particularly apply herself in her meditations, to render them more acceptable to God. Awhile after, as she was still in the same affliction, there appeared to her a young child, of surprising beauty, to whom, after she had discovered the cause of her affliction, and that she could find no one capable of giving her any comfort—Not so, said the child, for I both can and will comfort you. Go seek your spiritual father, and tell him that true and real devotion consists in an entire renunciation of one’s self, and an absolute resignation into the hands of God, by a strict union with him in love, and a perfect conformity-in all things to his divine will. The holy woman, abundantly satisfied with this, told it her director; who answered, that that very thing in reality was the essential point, to which she ought most particularly to apply herself in meditation. Because in this consists true charity, and love of God, and consequently all our advancement and perfection.

Blosius tells us of another saint who was instructed by God himself, that in reciting our Lord’s prayer, she should dwell particularly upon these words: ‘“Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) And it is related of St. Gertrude, that by divine inspiration, she recited in one day these words of our Saviour in the garden, three hundred and sixty-five times: “Not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:42); and that afterwards she knew it was extremely acceptable to God. Let us copy these examples, and apply ourselves particularly to this exercise in our prayers and meditations.

But that we may practise it with more facility and profit, we must presuppose two things. The first is, that this exercise is chiefly necessary in time of adversity, and when we are in difficult.circumstances, and such as are more repugnant to the dictates of nature. For on these occasions we stand in need of more solid virtue; and it is then the love we bear God shews itself in a more special manner than at other times. As the affection a king has for his subjects is more manifestly shewn in the time of peace, by the gifts and recompenses he makes them; and as the zeal and solicitude the soldiers have for their king is demonstrated in time of war, by fighting and sacrificing their lives in his service; so the love and tenderness the sovereign King of kings has for us, is most apparent in time of graces and consolations; and the excess of love and affection we bear him is chiefly evinced in time of aridities and tribulations. It is a common thing, says father Avila, with all people to thank God for favours and comforts received; but it is peculiar only to the just to pay thanks and acknowledgments for afflictions and adversities, ‘The thanks they then return are as a melodious harmony in his ears; and one acknowledgment made him then from the bottom of their heart,-is more grateful to him, than infinity of others returned in time of prosperity. Hence it is, that the holy Scripture compares the just man to a carbuncle. For as the carbuncle casts forth more rays of light in the night than in the day; so the virtue of the just man and the true servant of God is more resplendent in sufferings and crosses, than in comforts and prosperities. It is for this entire resignation in time of afflictions, that the holy Scripture praises very particularly the virtue of Toby, when it says of him, that amongst other calamities which befel him, being deprived of his sight, “he did not murmur nor repine against our Lord; but remaining constant in the fear of our Lord, he continued to bless his holy name all the remainder of his life.” (Tobias 2:14) It was what Job had done before, amidst all the misfortunes and sufferings it pleased God to send him: “And see here,” says St. Austin, « what we must endeavour to imitate. Resolve with yourself, to be ever the same as well in adversity as prosperity; as a hand is © always the same whether it be open or shut.” (Serm. iv. ad Frat. in Erem.) For the servant of God ought always to be the same interiorly in his soul, although exteriorly he seems to be touched with affliction. ‘‘ Socrates is said to have never been either more merry or melancholy at one time than at another: and amidst all his changes of fortune, he kept himself constantly in an equal temper to the last moment of his life.” It will not seem any great work, if we, who are Christians and religious, propose to gain so much over ourselves by the assistance of grace, as this heathen did by the help of reason only.

In the second place we must understand, it is not enough to conform ourselves to God’s holy will in general. For this indeterminate sort of conformity, which is applied to nothing in particular, is no very hard business;’ and in fact, there is scarce any one who does not say, he wishes the will of God accomplished in all things. The good and the bad use herein the same language, and say daily alike to God, “Your will be done on earth as it isin heaven.” But we must come to somewhat more than this—we must proceed to particulars—we must descend to each part of what would give us any dissatisfaction, in case it should happen; and continue constantly herein, till we have surpassed.the difficulty, and till we find no more enemies to overcome. In fine, we must encounter whatever occurs, and not lay down our arms, till we have thoroughly vanquished all that can any ways oppose our union and absolute conformity to the will of God..

But this is not yet sufficient; we must pass on still farther, and never stop till we come to conceive interiorly an immense joy in ourselves, on beholding the will of God accomplished in us, even by the means of sufferings and injuries; and this is the third degree of conformity. For in this virtue as well as in others, there are several degrees, which may all be reduced to three; according to the distinction of degrees the saints note in the virtue of patience. The first degree is, when we are far from desiring or taking a pleasure in misfortunes that befall us, but on the contrary, we avoid and shun them, as far as we are able: yet we would rather suffer and undergo them, than incur any sin in avoiding them. And this is the lowest degree, and what precisely is of indispensable obligation. So that supposing we are sensibly touched with any mischances or accidents; that we groan and sigh in our sickness, that we cry out in the violence of our pain; that we mourn and lament at the death of our parents or friends, we may, notwithstanding all this, have conformity to the divine will. ‘Thesecond degree is, when although of ourselves we have no inclination to desire pains and afflictions, nevertheless when they happen we receive and bear them most willingly; because we know the will of God is thereby executed. And in what this degree surpasses the former is, that it makes us in some manner love afflictions for God’s sake, and that we are willing to suffer them not only with patience, inasmuch as we are obliged thereto under sin, but also with a sort of joy, inasmuch as we are convinced it is a thing very pleasing to God. The first degree makes us suffer things with patience. The second, makes us suffer them with a prompt and cheerful disposition of mind towards what God ordains. But the third, and most perfect degree of all, is, when, out of an excess of love towards God, we do not only suffer and accept willingly all the afflictions and pains he sends, but we even prevent him by our desires, and rejoice; because we know they happen not but by the adorable decree of his holy will. So the apostles, after they had been publicly beaten with whips, “went out of the assembly of Jews, rejoicing that they were thought fit to be treated ignominiously for the name of Jesus Christ.” (Acts 5:41) And St. Paul said; ‘(He was replenished with comfort, and abounded with joy, amidst his pains and sufferings.” (1 Corinthians 7:4) The same apostle praises the Hebrews upon the same account, when in his epistle to them he says:—‘ You have received with joy the loss of your goods; knowing you have in store far better and more solid riches.” (Hebrews 10:34) Let us make it our endeavour to become, by God’s holy grace, so as to receive with joy and satisfaction whatever misfortune happens; and as St. James says, in his first canonical epistle: “Look upon all the different afflictions which befal you, my brethren, as a great subject of joy and consolation.” (James 1:2) We ought to find so great a satisfaction in whatever proceeds from the divine will, as thereby to sweeten all the bitterness of this life, and make whatsoever is hard and difficult, easy and delightful. “If our hearts are fixed on God,” says St. Gregory, “whatever is bitter and afflicting in this life becomes sweet and pleasant to them. They find their repose and tranquillity in pains and afflictions, and desire death with impatience, to obtain their joy and felicity in the life to come.”

St. Catherine of Sienna, in a dialogue she composed on Christian perfection, says, that amongst many other things her beloved taught her, one was, that she ought to shut herself up in the divine will, as in a most secure retreat, and live there as a pearl in the shell, or a bee in the hive, without ever coming forth upon any occasion. That in the beginning, perhaps, she would find the place very narrow, but afterwards it would be larger; and without once coming forth, she might walk there as in the habitations of the blessed; and obtain, in a short time, what out of that retirement she would not be able to compass in a long term of years. Let us make use of this in such a manner, as to make it our continual practice. ‘“My beloved to me, and I to him,” (Canticle of Canticles 2:16) ‘These few words may easily administer sufficient matter for our whole lives: wherefore we ought to have them perpetually in our mouths and hearts.

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