Volume III, Treatise I, Chapter III

That This Pious Enterprise Regards the Whole Society in General, and that Even Those Who Are not Priests Have a Part in T

Wuereas those who are not engaged in the society but in quality of brothers, may perhaps think that the end of which we have spoken, regards only those who are priests and intrusted with the direction of souls—and lest these thoughts should discourage them, I shall here make it appear, for their comfort, that they have also their share in this holy enterprise. And when they shall well understand, that their functions, whatever they be, do all relate thereunto, this consideration will excite them to apply themselves to their duty with new fervour. We make altogether but one body, and the end of all this body is, what I have already said, which is, not only to labour for our own salvation and perfection, but to labour also for the.salvation and perfection of others. Now to attain this end, it is‘necessary that the different members of this body should have different employments. There must be some of these religious to preach; there must be some to hear confessions; there must be some to instruct others; and there must be some also to serve others in their temporal necessities. It is thus, that, in an army well disciplined, there must be some troops to fight, and others to guard the _ baggage. The one, however, has as great a share in the victory as the other, and as a great a share also in the spoils and recompense. ‘For the part of him who goes to fight, and of him who remains with the baggage, ought to be equal, and equally divided between them”—I. Kinys, xxx. 24, This is what David said at his return from the expedition against the Amalecites; and the Scripture remarks that this was ever after observed by the people of Israel as an inviolable law. And no doubt this was extremely just. For all the troops of an army compose but one and the same body; and those that guard the baggage contribute no less to the victory, than those that fight; because these could not fight, if the others did not remain with the baggage. It is the same amongst us religious. We all make but one body of Christian soldiers, who propose to ourselves the conquest of souls. There would be none able to preach, or hear confession, or teach, or study, if there were not some to take care of temporals; so that he who takes care of them, helps to preach, to hear confessions, and to gain souls to God, and therefore has his part in the victory and merit. St. Austin says, that St. Paul, by keeping the clothes of those that stoned St. Stephen, did worse than they. “For it was he”, says the saint, “that stoned him by the hands of all the rest. He guarded their clothes, and did more hurt by this help he gave than if he had stoned the saint with his own hands”—Serm. xiv. de Sanctis. If this may be said of bad actions, we may with greater reason say the same of good ones, God being more inclined to recompense than to punish.

Father Avila, writing to two priests who were upon the point of entering into the society, tells them that though by their character they were already workmen in our Lord’s vineyard, and that the society into which they intended to enter made particular profession of labouring for the salvation of souls; yet they ought not to propose this to themselves on their entering into it, nor be troubled after their admission, if they were not employed in this ministry. The reason he gave them for it, was that which I have just now spoken of, viz., that everything which persons do in the society, even in the lowest and most vile functions, was the same as if they were immediately employed in the gaining of souls to God. Because the institution of the society, relating entirely to the salvation of souls, and the progress which can be made in it depending extremely upon the preservation and increase of the society, whatever can contribute thereto, at the same time contributes to the conversion of souls, and ought consequently be embraced with a great deal of joy. Since therefore we are all members of the same society, we all contribute, every one in his function, to the fruit that is produced by means of the whole society, and we participate in the merit of all the conversions and all the.good works it performs. It is this which our holy founder expressly tells us in his constitutions, speaking of those who assist in the temporal employments of the society; so that each one ought to have a great deal of satisfaction and comfort in his employment, and ought to look upon it as a great and special grace of God to be a member of a body that’ labours so profitably for God’s glory, the salvation of the neighbour, and the conversion of souls. In fine, as I have said before, even the meanest and most vile functions of the society do all of them contribute to the conversion of souls; because their conversion being the end which the society proposes to itself, it is contributing to the same end with her to serve her even in any manner whatsoever.

To prove this more clearly, if amongst us only those who preach, who hear confessions and who are most engaged in the direction of souls, had all the merit and all the glory of the fruit which the society produces in souls, superiors would have most reason to complain of their employments, because effectively it would be they who would be less able to attend to duties of this kind. For the functions which are inseparably annexed to the offices of general, provincial, and others of the like nature, so take up their whole time that they have none left to devote to _ the help and salvation of their neighbour. Notwithstanding it is very certain that a superior who performs his duty well, and who takes care that all who labour under his charge do theirs well, renders more service to his neighbour than if he were continually employed in preaching and hearing confessions: just as an architect who directs a building renders more service than all those others who labour in it, and as a general of an army does more good by the judicious orders he gives than if he should charge the enemy as a common soldier. He does even more than all the rest, by the care he takes to make all the arrangements, and it is for this that, ordinarily speaking, all the honour of the victory is attributed to him. Now, as for the reason I have alleged, superiors have their share of the fruit which preachers and confessors produce in souls; even so, all who serve the society in any capacity whatsoever have their share in it, because in assisting the preachers and confessors with things which would divert them from their functions, they enable them wholly to apply themselves thereunto, which otherwise would be utterly impossible. Le It is this, properly speaking, that makes us all be one body

and members of the same body. Now as the members of the body have functions and properties different from one another, and what each member does it is not for itself alone it does it, but for the whole body: the feet, for example, do not walk for themselves only; the hands do not work for themselves alone; nor does the mouth eat for itself only; and so of the rest: just so all the mystical members of an order ought unanimously cooperate for the general good of the order, in the different functions that belong to them. ‘This metaphor is taken from the apostle, who makes use of it to show that all the faithful make but one body in Jesus Christ, and that each of them ought to be content in the rank in which God has placed him. “The body”, says he, “is one, and has many members, notwithstanding all the members are but one body. Wherefore if the foot says that it is not of the body, because it is not the hand, is it not therefore of the body? And if the ear says it is not of the body, because it is not the eye, does it for this reason cease to be of the body? If all the body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? and if it were all an ear, what would become of the sense of smelling? Since, therefore, God has placed each member in the body after such a manner as he thought fit, and that the eye cannot say. to the hand, I want not your help; nor the head, in like manner, say to the feet, I have no need of ye: so God has placed in his Church, in the first place, apostles; in the second, prophets; in the third place, doctors. And to the one he has given power and the virtue of commanding, to others he has given the grace of healing, and to others the understanding of languages”. It is necessary, therefore, that there should be divers functions and different degrees in the Church of God, “but it is always one and the same Spirit that works all these things, distributing them to each one as he pleases” —I. Cor., xii. 12, etc., etc. It is the same in a religious body. There cannot be therein all eye, all tongue, nor all ears; all cannot be superiors, preachers, and confessors; there must be some religious in it, to serve the others in temporal functions; “and the eye cannot say to the hand, I want not your help; nor the head say to the feet, I do not want ye”; because the whole body of the society stands in need of the different functions of its members, to attain the end it proposes; and therefore the fruit which the whole society produces in souls is the work of all the individuals together.

But it is not only in this manner that all the religious of the society can contribute to the salvation of souls; for, without speaking of the example of a holy life, which is one of the things most conducive hereunto, as I shall hereafter treat: of, they can likewise assist very much by holy conversation with their neighbour, which is one of the means whereby we produce the most fruit in souls. Hence amongst all of this nature that St. Ignatius speaks of in the seventh part of his constitutions, he particularises this as one of the most proper and most general means which all the religious, and even the lay brothers themselves, ought to make use of in occasions. He even makes mention expressly of lay brothers; and to make us better comprehend the importance of this means, and to excite us still more to practise it, he has made it a particular rule. Let all the religious, says he, each one according to his state, apply themselves in all occasions to render themselves useful to their neighbour by pious discourse, exhorting those of the world to good works, but, above all, to confession. So that it is not only the preachers or confessors who ought to endeavour to contribute to the salvation of their neighbour by their discourses; in proposing to one one sort of devotion, to another, another sort; counselling this man to swear no more; the other to make a good confession; the third, who is already more advanced than the rest, to make examen every night, and so of other devotions; but this obligation attaches to all the religious in general, and to the lay brothers as well as to the rest. In effect there have been many of them amongst us, who by this means have done much spiritual good, and who, perhaps, have gained more souls to God than many preachers and confessors have done.

We may likewise promote the conversion of souls by prayer, which is one of the means most conducive thereunto, as I shall afterwards speak of; and this means is, in like manner, in the power of every man. Very often a preacher, or a confessor, or one who assists a dying person, imagines the fruit he produces in souls to be his own work, when perhaps it is the work of the brother who accompanies him, who shall have put himself in prayer for this end, or of some other brother, who has mortified his body with this intention, and who has offered up his sighs before God. How many preachers and confessors imagine themselves to have brought forth many spiritual children, whom at the day of judgment they will not find to be theirs? They are at present their reputed fathers: “It is believed that this infant is the son of Joseph” (Luke 3:23) It is believed that this preacher, or this confessor, has brought forth such a one in Jesus Christ; it will be seen that he was the child of some poor, ignorant, and good religious brother. ‘She that was barren had many children, and she who had many children was deprived of them”—I. Kings, ii. v. This director, who seemed to have a great number of them, will find himself, perhaps, to have none at all, “Rejoice, therefore, thou that art barren, who bringest forth no children; cry out with joy, thou that bringest forth none, because she that was cast off and deserted shall have more children than she who has a husband”—ZJsai., liv. 1. Rejoice ye, therefore, my brethren, whose ignorance and simplicity seem to render ye incase ~ pable of having spiritual children. Perhaps ye all have a great many more than the most renowned preachers and confessors shall have, and then, surprised with astonishment to see yourself to have so many children, “each of you will say within yourself, who has given me these children, I who am barren and deserted? and who has bred them up for me?” (Isaias 49:21) You will say, I am neither preacher nor confessor, I have no knowledge, nor have any talent: whence then do these children come? Would you know from whence? They come from your prayers, from

our sighs, from your tears, and from your groans. “For God hears the desire of the poor. Our Lord does the will of those that fear him, and he hears their prayers” (Psalms 9:41) Behold what it is that gives these children to those who never seemed to have any. St. Francis Xaverius said, that preachers and confessors ought to make use of these helps for two reasons: one, that the labour being divided between themselves and their brethren, they will take away the occasion of esteeming themselves more than them; and the other, that they may always keep alive the spirit of union and charity.

One advantage which the brothers have in thus contributing to the salvation of souls, is, that they are in greater security than preachers, confessors, or divines. For preachers and divines are continually exposed to the attacks of vanity and pride; and as to confessors, the direction of souls is so difficult and delicate a matter, that being liable to be deceived in it, they ought always to be filled with fear. Moreover, offices and employments of this kind are accompanied with so many cares and difficulties, _ that oftentimes, to satisfy what their duty requires therein, they ~ forget their duty to themselves and their own spiritual advancement. But with respect to lay brothers, as their state defends them from vain glory, and delivers them from these cares and fears, the merit of what they do towards the conversion of souls comes whole and entire to themselves, without being the least corrupted by anything. So that without having any part with us in the danger, they participate in the profit and merit; and oftentimes even gain the better part. God grant that it does not sometimes happen that vain-glory be not all the preacher’s part, and that all the merit and fruit which he should have got comes not to the brother, his companion, for this would be a very bad division. God grant us, then, of his mercy, that we may enjoy all the fruit of our labour, by doing everything always with a view to his greater honour and glory, | °

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