Volume III, Treatise VII, Chapter X

In What Manner We Are to Render an Account of Conscience

‘‘ Pour out your heart as water in the presence of the Lord” (Lamentations 2:19),—says the prophet Jeremias; and these words explain admirably well in what manner we ought to pour out our hearts into the bosom of our superiors. It ought to be as if we poured out a pitcher of water. When we pour oil out of any vessel, there always rests something in the bottom; and when it is wine or vinegar we pour out, the vessel retains at least the smell thereof; but if we empty a pitcher of water there remains neither smell nor anything in the bottom; it has no more smell or taste than if nothing had been in it. It is in this manner you must pour out your heart in giving an account of your conscience; you must do it so as nothing may remain behind—no, not the least scent of anything whatsoever.

Since this point is of very great importance, and one of the chief means we have for the spiritual advancement of our souls, our holy founder requires, that besides the accounts of conscience we render all the year long, we should be particularly obliged to render one every six months, which should comprise that whole time; and that this should always be done before the renovation of vows. And it is in this manner that it has been always practiséd in the society, and from the time of the fourth general congregation there-is a rule made to this effect, which is inserted amongst the common rules. As St. Ignatius requires at the time of renovation, besides the frequent confessions which are made before, that we should then make a general confession from the time of the last renovation; so he desires that, besides the accounts of conscience which we render from time to time, we give then a general account from the last six months. He thought he could not give a better means than this for the renovation and the regeneration of the interior man. And Father Aquaviva, moved by the same spirit, earnestly recommends the same means in his instruction to the visitors. “If subjects”, says he, “give an account of their conscience as they ought to do, and superiors on their part receive as they ought the account given them by their subjects, this will, without doubt, be of great efficacy to renew in us a spiritual life and to contribute to our spiritual progress”. These words agree admirably well with what St. Basil says, “that if subjects have a desire to make any considerable progress in virtue and to attain perfection, they ought to keep nothing hid from their superiors; because, by an entire manifestation of ourselves, it will happen that they will confirm us in what is good, and will suggest convenient remedies for what is bad within us; and so by means of this reciprocal communication we shall by little and little attain perfection”. As when water is very clear we see the least gravel or sand in the bottom, so our manifestation ought to be so clear that our superior may be able to see even the least defects and imperfections which are in the bottom of our soul.

We have a very good instruction on this head which may help very much to render things more easy; and I must remark thereon, that of the two chief parts it contains, the first, which is as a.preface and introduction, is the most considerable; because it contains in substance the whole fortieth rule of the summary of the constitutions, in which the obligation of rendering an account of conscience, and the manner of doing it, are fully set down. First, each religious is exhorted in this preface to consider in what manner St. Ignatius speaks of this obligation in the constitutions; and it is then added: Let all religious, either in confession or otherwise, as they shall choose and may be most to their comfort, take care entirely to discover the bottom of their soul, without keeping anything to themselves, in which they have offended God, from the last six months that they gave an account of their conscience; or at least let them make known the faults to which they are most subject. Now, I affirm it is in this that all which is of greatest importance in this matter consists, and that he who shall fail in what is set down in this first part would not give a good account of his conscience, though he should afterwards observe whatsoever is set down in the second, which contains fourteen points.

It is not necessary to run over them all to prove this truth; it suffices to take only one of the chief: let us take, for example, the third, which is to give an account of our temptations and bad inclinations. One of the chief things whereof we are to give an account, says the rule, is our temptations; how we resist them; what we do to resist them; and the facility or difficulty we feel in overcoming them; and so in the same manner in regard of our passions and bad inclinations. Behold here all that is contained in the third point, and all that there is upon this subject in all the second part of this instruction. Now, in order to render a good account of our conscience, and to make known the state of our soul to our spiritual father concerning the point we just now spoke of, I ask, is it enough to tell him all our temptations and all the bad inclinations we find within ourselves? I answer no, by no means; for we ought also render an account of all our falls, if we have fallen. Forit is quite a different thing to say I am naturally prone to pride, and to say that I am so naturally given to it that I did such and such a thing purely to gain esteem; and I endeavoured to dispense with myself in doing such a thing I was commanded to do, because I felt a difficulty therein, not that it was very hard of itself, but because it hurt my vanity. There is also a great difference between ‘saying, I am choleric and impatient; and I was so choleric and impatient that I fell into a passion, and did or said what might scandalize my brethren. In fine, there is a great difference between saying, I have had temptations against purity, and, I have dwelled on them or given consent tothem. There is a far different judgment to be formed between him who consents to a temptation and him who resists it with courage; and the remedies that are to be prescribed or employed for the cure of the one, are far different from those that are to be made use of to fortify the other. For as when a physician treats.a patient that is sick of a fever, it is necessary he should know whether the sick person be naturally strong and robust, or delicate or feeble, because the fever is differently to be treated, according to the difference of constitutions; so it imports very much that your spiritual physician should know your interior strength and weakness, that he may know how to treat you and prescribe fit remedies for you. Hence, it is not sufficient that you render an account only of your temptations and bad inclinations, unless you also give an account of your falls in them; because it is according as you have fallen or resisted them that he judges of your strength and weakness; and this is the reason that in the forty-first of the summary, where it treats of this matter, it is expressly said that we must discover to our superiors not only our temptations, but also our neglects and falls.

Now the same thing is not only mentioned in the preface of the instruction I speak of, which has in express terms that we must entirely discover to our superiors the bottom of our soul, without hiding anything in which we have offended God, or at least that we ought to make known the faults to which we are most subject. There is nothing said of it in the fourteen following points; so that if we should stick only to what they prescribe, it would be to reduce one of the most important and considerable rules that we have to a pure formality and ceremony. This observation may be of use to all in general, because it shows how they must give an account of conscience to their ghostly father.

To render this account still more clear and comprehensive, we must not be content with declaring our faults in general, but must specify them in particular, because it is hereby only that we can make ourselves clearly known, and this is also a very good advice for what regards confession. For as you ought not content yourself with saying in your confession, I have let myself be carried away by thoughts against purity, but you ought to discover how far you let yourself be carried; and though the things of which you accuse yourself should be only venial sins, which are not necessary matter of confession, yet, notwithstanding, since you confess them, as it is fit you should, it is not sufficient to express them in general terms, which always hides some of the fault, but to specify them in particular, which is the means of making the grievousness of the sin more clearly appear. In proof of this, is it not certain that it does not at all make known our fault, to accuse ourselves in general to have let slip some words of impatience and passion, when the words are such that by telling them it makes the fault appear far greater? Is it not also very true that when one has so failed in obedience as to have hereby disedified, we must not be content with saying, I have failed in obedience, but that the fault ought to be specified in such a manner as to make the quality plainly appear, and to convey a more distinct knowledge thereof? I say the same of the account of conscience we ought to render to our superiors. We must not render it in a general manner, nor make use of ambiguous terms, but we must express ourselves clearly, fully, and sincerely, without omitting anything that may serve to make known the state of our soul, without hiding anything from view, and without leaving the least folding of the heart unexposed. It is in these foldings that ordinarily the dust sticks; and ‘“‘ God would”, says St. Paul,“make himself a church that should be full of glory, where there should not be the least spot or wrinkle, nor anything like it, but that it should be holy and immaculate” (Ephesians 5:27) We must, according to these words, have no folding in our soul, but all must be as smooth, plain, and clear as a mirror.

St. Ignatius requires this entire and exact account of conscience of each religious when he enters into the society, and will have him at that time discover not only his bad inclinations and sins to which he is then most subject, but also the bad inclinations which he has heretofore had, the sins into which he has oftenest fallen, and the vices which heretofore caused the greatest disorders in the soul. To inform a physician very well, and to make him be able to form a right judgment of our disease, and to apply such remedies as in curing one distemper may not occasion another, we must give him an account not only of the distemper we have at present, but of all those to which we have been subject at other times. It is the same here. If you wish to have your spiritual physician well informed of your interior state, you must give him a faithful account not only of the bad

i habits and inclinations you have at present, but also of all your past disorders, because they help to make him know the cause and even the source of your distemper. It is for this reason that we ordinarily counsel him who wishes to make a general confession, to make choice for this end of the confessor he designs constantly to confess to; and the reason of this is, that the confessor may have a more perfect knowledge of the soul of his penitent, and may labour more profitably in the direction thereof. For oftentimes impure temptations with which we are tormented, and the rebellion of the flesh against the spirit, are the remains and consequences of past irregularities and the punishment of that licentious life we have heretofore led; and therefore, however retired we live, sometimes, in punishment of our bad habits, to which heretofore we have abandoned ourselves, it will happen that we shall be tormented by these rebellious and involuntary motions. As to this point all that we have to do is to humble ourselves before God, taking this occasion to enter into lively sentiments of sorrow and confusion, not only in regard of what is present, but also of what is past, and thus we shall receive no prejudice from such impure motions as the force of temptation shall excite in us.

Lastly, we must remark that to render an account of conscience, and to make a general confession, are quite distinct things amongst us, as may be seen by the different rules we have concerning these two obligations, and by the end and matter of each one, which are also very different. However, it is very certain that every one has liberty to render an account of conscience either in or out of confession as he pleases and as he shall believe it will be most for his: comfort, and our constitutions declare the same in express terms. But it is very good to reflect on one thing which Father Aquaviva says upon this subject in his instruction to visitors, which I shall set down here word for word by reason of the great importance of the matter. After having pointed out the difference that is between the account of conscience and confession, and after having said that each one may, if he pleases, give an account of conscience in confession, he adds: “Since, therefore, we ought not constrain our religious to give an account of conscience out of confession, because the constitutions leave an entire liberty herein for each one’s particular comfort, yet we ought to praise those who, excepting the things that belong properly to confession, and which they may afterwards discover to

VOL. UI. 25 their superior in confession, give an account of their conscience out of confession, and who let themselves be seen to the bottom, that the superior, not being constrained in any respect whatsoever, may freely make use of this knowledge for the advantage of their direction and the greater glory of God”. It is better, therefore, to give an account of conscience out of confession, whereby we testify to have greater confidence in our superior; just as a man who puts many precious stones into the hand of his friend to keep, testifies a greater confidence than if he had given them locked up in a strong box.

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