Volume II, Treatise I, Chapter XXII

Another Help to Render the Practice of Mortification Very Easy; Which Is, the Example of Our Suffering Saviour

Tue example of our Lord and master Jesus Christ, is the fourth means, and moat powerful encouragement to mortify ourselves. It is what St. Paul proposes to us, and invites us to follow in these words:—‘ Armed with patience, let us run to the combat proposed unto us, having our eyes constantly fixed on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, who, contemning ignominy, died with satisfaction upon the cross. Think continually upon those contradictions he suffered from sinners, barely that you should not relent nor be dejected; for as yet, you have not resisted the shedding of your blood, in fighting against sin.”—(Hebrews 12:1,2, &c.) Holy writ tells us, that the children of Israel found the waters of Mara so bitter, that they could not drink of them. Upon which Moses fell to his prayers, and Almighty God showed him a sort of wood, which being thrown into the water, rendered it very sweet and pleasant. This was a figure of the wood of the holy cross, which sweetens all our mortifications though ever so bitter and painful. The memory of Christ’s passion, of his whipping at the pillar, of his crown of thorns, of the gall and vinegar given him to drink, is sufficient to make all our sufferings easy and delightful. We read in the chronicles of St. Francis’ order, that a person of great property, and who had been brought up in all the ease and delicacies of the age, became a Franciscan. The devil much concerned at this change, resolving to try his skill, used all his power to divert him from his undertaking. He begins his persecution, by representing to him every moment the austerities of his order, in which, instead of a plentiful table, he found nothing but a few beans, very ill dressed; instead of a good suit of clothes, and lodgings richly furnished, nothing but a coarse habit, and a straw bed; in fine, he suggested to him, that instead of all those other conveniencies the world afforded him, he met with nothing here but a very great want of all things. This picture was certainly a very gloomy one; but the devil made all things much worse than they were, and continually represented them before his eyes, still soliciting him to quit these hardships and retarn to the world. This temptation prevailed so far as to make him resolve to leave his order. Being thus resolved, it happened that he passed through the chapter-house, when kneeling down before a crucifix, and fervently recommending himself to God, he fell into an ecstasy.— Christ and his blessed mother appeared to him, and asking him the cause of his departure; he modestly replied, that his nice and tender education in the world, had made him very unfit and even unable to undergo the hardships of religion. At this our Saviour lifting up his right arm, showed him the wound in his side bleeding fresh, and spoke thus unto him:—“Put here your hand; rub it all over with the blood that comes forth, and whenever those painful austerities which you are to suffer come into your mind, refresh and comfort yourself with this blood; and the most severe penances shall always seem sweet and easy unto you.” The novice being come to himself, did all that our Saviour had commanded him, and whenever he was attacked by fastidiousness or impatience, he called to mind the passion of our Saviour; and all the bitterness of mortification, turned into sweetness. How is it possible, that man formed out of dirt, and a mere worm of the earth, should look upon any suffering or mortification as too great, after he has seen his God crowned with thorns, and nailed to a cross for love him? And who is there that is not ready to suffer and expiate his own sins, that has seen the God of Majesty, the Lord of heaven and earth, suffer so much for him?

This means, of which I speak, has always been very much practised by all holy men. For there is nothing can more encourage us to mortification, than to propose to ourselves the example of Jesus Christ, and endeavour to follow it. Besides, it is an exercise of the highest perfection, and adds a new value to our good works; because they then spring from an ardent love of God. Hence it happened that St. Ignatius, who at the beginning of his conversion, used only to mortify himself, whilst he called to mind the sins of his life past; arrived at last to so high a pitch of mortification, that in his greatest austerities he thought more of imitating Jesus Christ than of satisfying for his sins. Holy men reflect that our Saviour has chalked out unto them the way of mortification, and that he loved his cross so well, as to shed his very last drop of blood upon ’ it for our redemption. And, as naturalists say that elephants become more furious in battle at the sight of blood; so holy men took more courage, and burned with a greater desire of martyrdom, when they beheld the sacred blood our Saviour shed so plentifully for their sakes; but unable to accomplish their wishes, they became their own executioners; they crucified themselves by their long penances, and by mortifying their will and exterior senses: and thus in some degree, they appeased their great thirst of suffering, having been gratified at the idea of their having followed, so far as in their power, the example of our Saviour. Thus we ought to do, “carrying always the passion of Jesus Christ in our bodies, that the life of Jesus Christ may appear in us,” (2 Corinthians 4:10) that is, we ought to harass our bodies with suffering and mortification, that they may always represent unto us the life and death of our Saviour. “What a shame it is,” says St. Bernard, “to be the delicate member of a head crowned with thorns.” Let us therefore afflict

and crucify our flesh,.that we may be the more like our head, Christ Jesus, whose members we are.

It were easy to set down several other.means, since all those that the saints have left us, and the many arguments they have used to exhort and move us to penance, may also serve us at present as so many motives to mortification. St. Bernard, writing upon these words of the apostle:——“The sufferings of this life bear no proportion to the glory that shall hereafter be revealed in us;” (Romans 8:18) says, that they not only bear no proportion to the glory of heaven, but none also to the punishment we deserve for the sins we daily commit, or to the benefits we continually receive from God. Each one of which considerations seriously pondered, is a sufficient and most lively encouragement to this practice of mortification.

About ReligiousBookshelf.com · A Supernerd Media project