Volume III, Treatise VI, Chapter IX

Some Other Means Which May Contribute to an Exact Observance of Our Rules

THERE are still other means which may extremely help to make us careful in the observance of our rules. The first of these is the good example and edification we are obliged to give, according to the words of the apostle, “let us take care to do well, not only before God, but also before men” (Romans 12:17) It is not sufficient for you to be good only upon your own account; you ought moreover to apply yourself to edify the neighbour by your good example: “You ought to let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven”—Mat., v. 16. When we see a tree full of blossoms, or extremely charged with fruit, we bless God for it. We ought in like manner by the fruits of a holy and exemplary life move men to praise God; we ought to be an example to all, but particularly to our brethren with whom we live, and this is of indispensable obligation. For good example and edification consist not only in our not falling into great faults, but also in carefully avoiding to fall even into the least, and in showing by our conduct that we are extremely attached to the least duties of our profession, and that we have a very great esteem of the least things that regard it. He who distinguishes himself most in this is he who most of all edifies others; and the more considerable one is in religion, either for age or learning, the more ought he attend to the least things which may be of edification to his brethren; ‘Let him who is greatest among you”, says the Son of God, “become as the least, and he who presides as he who serves” (Luke 22:26) It is thus that the most ancient in religion ought to make themselves known to be so, by being more humble and more mortified than others, and by an exact observance of their rules, and those who do this are truly the pillars of religion. They are those that make piety and religious discipline flourish therein, and the words. of the Apocalypse may with justice be applied to them: “1 will make him a pillar in the temple of my God” (Apocalypse 3:12) And these others also of Jeremiah, “I have to-day established thee to be as a pillar of iron and as a wall of brass”——Jerem., 1. 18. On the contrary, there cannot be a greater prejudice done a religious community than to give ill example in it, and the more remarkable he is that gives it, either for his age, learning, or any other quality, the greater will be the prejudice; because example, which has a great power over men in all things, as experience teaches us, has still greater to urge us to what is evil. For if your brother sees that you observe not the rules, and that you neglect little things, you especially who are a senior and who ought to give example to others, what will he do, considering the great inclination which nature gives him for liberty, and the repugnance and aversion which all the world has to anything that causes subjection or brings constraint along with it? When he sees such a path beaten, and such a gate as this opened by you, can he forbear from following you? Perhaps he only waited for some one to lead the way, and to banish that shame he had left in him. Your conduct does this and destroys him; it introduces the neglect of religious discipline; and therefore you will have a great account to render to God, not only for your own faults, but also for the faults of others, because you are the cause of them by your bad example. This consideration ought to be sufficient to move you to an exact observance of your rules, and to hinder you from ever doing anything which may be of disedification to your brethren.

The second means to make the observance of rules remain always in vigour, is very familiar and very easy amongst us; and St. Ignatius teaches it in the same rules. Let every one, says he, from time to time beg of the superior to give him some penance for his non-performance of his rules, and by this let him show the care he has of advancing in God’s service. We ought to have so great an esteem of our rules, that if we happen _ to break any one, it should not be sufficient to have only an interior regret thereof, but we ought also to testify an exterior sorrow by some penance; and it is only in this manner we can completely repair the breach of our rules, and maintain them in such force and vigour as if they had never been broken. The ‘‘ Jaw”, as divines and lawyers say, “is then in as great force and vigorous observance as if it had been but newly made, when

22 B care is taken to punish him that breaks it”. To make it appear as if it were in its first vigour, it is not required that nobody break it, but it is sufficient that he who breaks it should be punished; but when one freely breaks the law without punishment, and without the magistrate’s being at all concerned for it, it is a sign, say they, that it is not then in its vigour, and that the law has no longer any force, and that a contrary practice, “or the disuse of it has abrogated it”. The same thing may be said of the rules. When in any religious order there is no fault committed against the rules, which is not presently followed with a penance, we may then say that observance of rules is in its vigour. But when on the one hand there are frequent violations, and on the other no punishment, it is true to say that the rules are no longer observed; and in a little time after it will be asserted that the rules have no longer any force, and that the contrary usage has abolished them, because they have been contemned even in the sight and with the knowledge of superiors, without their doing their duty to put a stop hereunto, or without their having imposed any penance upon the offenders,

Since then it is the duty of superiors to take care that the rules be observed, and that they are bound to see them maintained in vigour, they are also bound to impose a penance when any one fails to observe them; so that when a superior gives you a penance upon this account, or reprehends you for it, it is not that he is angry with you, or that he esteems you the less, for he knows that we are all of us men, and it is not strange that we should fail in the observance of one or two rules, but it is because he wishes to do his duty, which obliges him to take care that the rules be observed. But if when any of them are broken, he should dissemble without being at all in pain, and without imposing any penance for it, this would show that he had but little esteem of them, and hereby he would render himself guilty of a great fault, and concur in abolishing the rule and religious discipline. It is in this different mode of governing consists, according to St. Bonaventure, the difference between the religious orders which maintain the fervour of their institution, and those that are relaxed. For this difference is not occasioned by sin being committed in the one and not in the other: this would be impossible, “for all of us offend in many things” (James 2:2),——as St. James the apostle says, but it is occasioned by the violation of the rules being punished in the one and not in the other.

Now, St. Ignatius recommends to us all to assist our superiors in doing what they are bound to do by their office, and it is on this account he says that every subject should from time to time beg of the superior to inflict penance for having failed in the observance of the rules. For it would be a great trouble to the superior should he be obliged continually to perform the office of serjeant or spy with regard to those that break the rules, and for every fault to impose penance upon them. This would be a thing impossible, and though he could do it, yet it would be far from that spirit of sweetness with which the society is governed. It is your duty, therefore, to take care to discover your faults to your superior, and to go to him to ask penance for them, and you ought never permit that he should be sooner informed of them by another than by yourself. Because it is your business, it is more your interest than of any one else to do it, and all the advantage comes to yourself. Take notice, moreover, that the reason why St. Ignatius would have us act in this manner is, that we may show what care we take to advance God’s service. So that when we fail in observing the rules, and take care to go ask for penance, we show also that we take care of our spiritual advancement; as, on the contrary, when we break them, without troubling ourselves to ask penance for it, we show that we neglect it exceedingly. We perceive also that when we are exact in this practice, and when the penances and mortifications upon this account become frequent, thené spirit of fervour and zeal is far more flourishing amongst all the religious, and their edification is much greater.

It is in this practice consists the second means we have proposed to make the observance of rules be always maintained in vigour amongst us. I do not say that we can be able absolutely to hinder the rule from ever being broken, for to do this we should be angels and not men. We shall very often, without doubt, break them; and who is he, let him be ever so just, that happens not to commit some venial sins? ‘For there is no man who does not sin”—III. Kings, viii. 46. But what I ask is only this, that when you have broken your rules, you show some regret for having done so, and manifest thereby that you are truly religious, that you esteem them, and that you have a great desire to observe them. Go at least presently to acknowledge your fault; for by a small penance you will completely repair it, and you will not only repair it, but you will thereby gain more than you have lost, and the Devil hereby, instead of rejoicing for having made you commit it, will feel great confusion and despair on seeing that you know how to gain by your losses. It was a truth which he himself was constrained one day to confess to St. Dominick, when this saint forced him to follow him into all the different places of his monastery, to know of him the different temptations he made use of in each place against his religious. For, coming to the chapter-house, which is the place they were wont to declare their faults in, and to receive reprehensions and penances for them: it is here, says the Devil, that I lose all I have gained, either in the dormitory or refectory, and in all other places. This kind of reparation is, moreover, very full and entire, because, by this means, the fault committed against the rules is no less wholly repaired in the sight of men than it is in the sight of God. You fail, for example, to ring the bell precisely at the hour, or to be punctually present at any hour with the rest of the community. These are public faults which are perceived by all the world, and will also be repaired before them all, at the sight of the public penance you do for them. But if, after having seen the fault, they had not seen the penance, they would have reason to say, that the house was come to such a pitch that no value is set on exact observance, and that all things were performed in it with more or less imperfection, and without being in the least troubled thereat.

We must withal observe, that though in the society penances are more ordinarily asked than given, and though this practice is very reasonable, yet care must be taken that the custom of. giving penances be not quite abolished, according to the rule, which says, that the superior ought to impose some penance for the greater spiritual advancement of every one. For, if it should happen that no more penances should be given than are asked, it would follow that all the superior should otherwise give would become more heavy and troublesome, and those upon whom they were imposed would receive them with too much trouble and disquiet, which would be of great prejudice to religious discipline, and of very great disedification. Wherefore, care ought to be taken that this custom be observed, and generally practised towards all persons, because there will be always subject enough for it; and if there should be none, yet does not our holy founder say, that we ought to be disposed to receive and fulfil very willingly all those penances which shall be imposed, even when there should be no fault committed for which they were given? It is certainly in this that true virtue and the spirit of humility shine most conspicuous, and it is this manifests the desire we have to advance in perfection. ‘For what glory is it”, says St. Peter, “if, when you have sinned, you suffer yourself to be ill treated? But if, when you have done well, you suffer with patience, you will gain great merit before God” —I. Peter, ii. 20.

It will also contribute much towards the exact observance of our rules, to practise what is prescribed in the last rule of the summary and in the last of the common rules, which is, to take care to imprint them deep in our minds, and to read them for this end, or to get them read to us, once a month. Many are not content with hearing them read in the refectory, but add every day to their spiritual reading three or four rules; so that every month they read them over at their leisure; and this, without doubt, is an excellent custom and a very good spiritual lecture. Yt is also an excellent means, for the same end, to make our particular examen upon the observance of our rules, not of all of them in general, but of those in particular which we find ourselves most subject to fail in, examining them one after another, and also examining ourselves upon all those that regard our particular employment, and this kind of examen cannot but be very advantageous and profitable.

Sean gape

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